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Grand Duke Alexei Alexandrovich of Russia

Grand Duke Alexei Alexandrovich of Russia (Алексе́й Алекса́ндрович; 14 January 1850 in St. Petersburg – 14 November 1908 in Paris) was the fifth child and the fourth son of Alexander II of Russia and his first wife Marie of Hesse and by Rhine. Chosen for a naval career, Alexei Alexandrovich started his military training at the age of seven. By the age of 20 he had been appointed lieutenant of the Imperial Russian Navy and had visited all Russia's European military ports. In 1871, he was sent as a goodwill ambassador to the United States and Japan.

In 1883 he was appointed general-admiral. He had a significant contribution in the equipment of the Russian navy with new ships and in modernizing the naval ports. However, after the Russian defeat in the Battle of Tsushima in 1905, he was relieved of his command. He was viewed at the time as an incompetent and corrupt dilettante. He died in Paris in 1908.

Early life

The Grand Duke Alexei Alexandrovich Romanov of Russia was born in Saint Petersburg on 14 January 1850 (4 January O.S.). He was the son of emperor Alexander II and empress Maria Alexandrovna. He was a younger brother of Grand Duchess Alexandra Alexandrovna, Tsarevich Nikolay Alexandrovich, Alexander III of Russia, Grand Duke Vladmir Alexandrovich. He was an older brother of Duchess Maria of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich and Grand Duke Paul Alexandrovich.

Alexei was chosen for a naval career since his childhood. At the age of 7 he received the rank of midshipman. The next year Konstantin Nikolayevich Posyet was appointed as his tutor. While the winters were dedicated to theoretical studies, during the summers he trained on Russian warships of the Baltic fleet stationed in Saint Petersburg harbour. Training exposed him to various sailing ships: On 18 September 1866 Alexei was promoted to lieutenant. He continued his navy career serving as officer aboard the frigate Alexander Nevsky on a cruise in across the Mediterranean to Piraeus, where he attended the wedding of his cousin Olga Konstantinovna.
 * in 1860 the yacht Shtandart on a cruise from Petergof to Livada
 * in 1861–1863 the yacht Zabava under the flag of Counter-Admiral Posyet in the Gulf of Finland and Gulf of Bothnia,
 * in 1864 the frigate Svetlana in the Gulf of Finland and the Baltic Sea
 * in 1866 the frigate Oslyabya during an extensive training cruise to the Azore Islands.

In 1868 he went on a trip to southern Russia traveling by train from Saint Petersburg to Nikolayevsk, continuing by ship down the Volga to Astrakhan. He then boarded a military ship for a cruise on the Caspian Sea to Baku, [Petrovsk (now Makhachkala) and then to Iran. He then crossed the Caucasus and reached Poti where the Alexander Nevsky was moored. From there he sailed to Constantinople, Athens and the Azore Islands On the return voyage, the frigate was wrecked off the coast of Jutland during a storm on the North Sea. Though the ship was lost, all but five crew members were unhurt and safely reached shore.

In January 1870 Alexei Alexandrovich reached the age of majority according to Russian legislation. The event was marked by taking two oaths : the military one and the oath of allegiance of the Grand Dukes of the Russian Imperial House. In June 1870 Alexei started the last part of his training. This included inland navigation on a cutter with a steam engine, on the route from Saint Petersburg to Arkhangelsk through the Mariinsk Canal system and the Northern Dvina. After visiting the schools and industrial facilities of Arkhangelsk, he started his navigation training in arctic conditions, aboard the corvette Varyag. This cruise took him to the Solovetsky Islands, continuing through the White Sea and Barents Sea to Novaya Zemlya. The route continued to Kola Bay and the city of Murmansk, the ports of northern Norway and Iceland. He returned to Cronstadt at the end of September.

Love affair with Alexandra Zhukovskaya
In 1869/1870, Alexei had an affair with Alexandra Zhukovskaya, daughter of poet Vasily Andreyevich Zhukovsky, who was eight years older than he was. They had a son, Alexei, born on 26 November 1871. Tsar Alexander II was strongly opposed to this relationship.

Some historians claim that they were morganatically married and that the marriage was annulled by the Russian Orthodox Church, because, according to the "Fundamental Laws of the Imperial House", this marriage was illegal. However, articles 183 and 188, which prohibited marriages without the consent of the emperor, were included in the Fundamental Laws only by the 1887 revision under Tsar Alexander III. The rules valid in 1870 did not prohibit morganatic marriages, but simply excluded their offspring from the succession to the throne. There is no evidence either to the marriage or to the divorce. There is also no evidence that Alexei even requested the permission to marry. As Alexandra Zhukovskaya was not an aristocrat and, besides, the daughter of an illegitimate son of a Russian landowner and a Turkish slave, such a marriage would have been unthinkable.

Upset by his son's affair, Alexander II even refused to grant Alexandra Zhukovskaya a title, which would have officially recognized the Grand Duke's paternity, even if illegitimate. Other European courts also refused to grant her a title. As a solution of last resort, on 25 March 1875 Alexandra was able to secure the title of Baroness Seggiano from the Republic of San Marino, with the right to transmit the title to her son and his firstborn male descendants. It was only in 1883, that Alexander III, Alexei's elder brother, granted the Baron Seggiano the title of Count Belevsky, and in 1893 approved his coat of arms.

Voyage
After the official visit to Saint Petersburg of an American squadron under the command of Admiral David Farragut in 1867, a high level visit of the Russian Navy was envisaged by the Russian Government. After lengthy negotiations, it was decided that the Russian delegation would be headed by the Grand Duke. The official announcement of the visit was made on 29 June 1871 by Nikolay Karlovich Krabbe, Minister of the Imperial Russian Navy.

The Russian squadron, under the command of Admiral Konstantin Nikolayevich Posyet on board the frigate Bogatyr, included the frigates Svetlana and, the corvette RUSSIAN CORVETTE Ignatiev and the gunboat RUSSIAN FRIGATE Abrek. Alexei was serving as lieutenant aboard the Svetlana. Before reaching the United States, the Russian squadron was to be met by the frigate Vsadnik of the Russian Pacific Fleet. Though all ships were equipped with steam engines, the squadron made the passage to America mainly under sail, so as to avoid making port on the route for coal supplies. In addition to Alexei's personal staff, the crew included 200 officers and over 3000 sailors. The squadron set sail out of Kronstadt on 20 August 1871.

The squadron first stopped in Copenhagen, where he paid a visit to King Christian IX of Denmark. In the English Channel the Russians were met by a squadron of the Royal Navy and escorted to Plymouth, where Alexei was met by the Duke of Edinburgh Alfred of Saxe-Coburg. A visit to Balmoral Castle had been scheduled, but had to be canceled because the Prince of Wales was very sick and Queen Victoria extremely concerned. The Russian squadron set sail from Plymouth on 26 September, and, en route to New York, stopped for a few days in Funchal, (Madeira Islands), leaving on 9 October.

The Russian squadron was met by an American squadron under the command of Vice-Admiral Stephen Clegg Rowan, Port Admiral of New York, hoisting his flag on the frigate USS Congress (1868). Admiral Samuel Phillips Lee, commander of the North Atlantic Squadron attended on his own flagship, the USS Severn (1867). The other ships of the squadron were the USS Iroquois (1859) and the USS Kansas (1863),  attended by several tugs.

A welcoming committee had been formed in New York, chaired by William Henry Aspinwall. Among the members of the committee were Moses H. Grinnell, General Irwin McDowell, Theodore Roosevelt Sr. Rear-Admiral S. W. Godon, John Taylor Johnston, Albert Bierstadt, Lloyd Aspinwall and others. After a short delay due to the weather, the Russian squadron anchored in New York Harbor on 21 November 1871, where the Grand Duke was greeted by general John Adams Dix. A military parade took place in the city. Alexei then attended a thanksgiving service at the Russian chapel.

Reception by President Grant

On 22 November 1871, Alexei left for Washington, D.C. by special train, placed at his disposal by the New Jersey Railroad and Transportation Company. The train had three cars: the "Commissariat" having all the modern improvements of a hotel, comprising store-rooms and pantry, the "Ruby", dining room car to accommodate 28 persons, with kitchen, ice boxes, and a sort of wine cellar, and the "Kearsarge", used as sitting, sleeping and reading room.

On 23 November, he was received by president Ulysses S. Grant. The president's wife, Julia Grant, and his daughter, Nellie Grant, also attended. Most of the members of the cabinet were present at the meeting: Hamilton Fish (United States Secretary of State), Columbus Delano (United States Secretary of the Interior) with his wife, Amos Tappan Akerman (United States Attorney General) with his wife, George S. Boutwell (United States Secretary of the Treasury), George Maxwell Robeson (United States Secretary of the Navy), General Frederick Tracy Dent (the president's brother-in-law and military secretary), John Creswell (Postmaster General of the United States), as well as generals Horace Porter and Orville E. Babcock.

The visit to Washington was overshadowed by President Grant's discontent caused by the Russian government's refusal to recall Konstantin Katacazi, minister plenipotentiary of Russia to the United States. The entire visit in Washington lasted only one day. No formal entertainment was given in Washington to the Grand Duke, though for all other visits of members of royal families to the White House, formal dinners had been organized. Such dinners had taken place when President John Tyler received François d'Orléans, prince de Joinville, when Abraham Lincoln received Prince Napoleon Joseph Bonaparte and even when Ulysses Grant received Kamehameha V, king of the Sandwich Islands. The evening of the visit to the White House, Alexei and his suite dined at Minister Katakazi's residence, the only American official attending being General Porter. At his departure Alexei was asked if he intended to return to Washington. Though he expressed his interest to return during a session of Congress, the uneasy diplomatic relations due to Minister Katakazi prevented this from happening. There had also been expectations that a military alliance treaty between the United States and Russia would be signed during the meeting; however this was not the case.

The next day, Alexei left by train for Annapolis where he visited the Naval Academy, thereafter returning to New York.

East Coast
In New York, he visited the Brooklyn Navy Yard, Fort Wadsworth and the fortifications on Governors Island. He also reviewed the Fire Department at Tompkins Square. A highlight was the trip by steamer on the Hudson for the visit of the United States Military Academy, West Point.

Several balls were organized in his honor, the most important being the grand balls at the Navy Yard and at the Academy of Music. Alexei attended opera performances of Faust and Mignon at the Academy of Music. He also went on a shopping spree, stopping at the A.T. Stewart and Tiffany stores where he bought some jewellery and bronze statues.

On 2 December 1871, a ceremony took place at the National Academy of Design, where the Grand Duke was received by Samuel F. B. Morse, William Stoddard, William Page, Albert Bierstadt and several other artists. The painting Farragut in the shrouds of the Hartfort at the battle of Mobile Bay by William Page was handed over as a gift of the citizens of New York for Tsar Alexander II. General John Adams Dix presented the picture and the accompanying scroll, with a brief address in which he expressed the hope that it would further cement the union that existed between the United States and Russia. The painting was placed on board the Russian flagship for transportation to Russia.

On 3 December 1871, Alexei left for Philadelphia where he was received by general George Meade and Admiral Turner. He visited Girard College, Baird Locomotive Works and the Navy Yard. He was particularly interested in the Methodist Fair at the Horticultural Hall, where the ladies presented him with an Afghan Hound.

On 6 December 1871, Alexei visited the Smith & Wesson factory in Springfield, Massachusetts and was presented with a fully engraved, carved pearl grip, cased Smith & Wesson Model 3 revolver. The gun and case cost the factory $400 but it was a worthwhile investment, as the company hoped for additional contracts. The Grand Duke proudly displayed his revolver as he toured the American Frontier and carried it on a buffalo hunt with the famous "Buffalo Bill" Cody.

From 7 to 14 December, he stopped in Boston where he stayed at the Revere House. The landau which President Lincoln rode during his visit to Boston, was used. He was officially welcomed at the City Hall and the State House. During his stay, he visited Harvard University and the suburb of Cambridge, Massachusetts as well as different public schools in the Boston area, being extensively briefed on the American education system. Other highlights were the battlefield of Bunker Hill and the visit to the shipyards of Charlestown, Massachusetts.

Alexei also attended a music festival where 1,200 school children composed the great choir. At the festival, a grand march of welcome, specially composed by Julius Eichberg and dedicated to "His Imperial Highness", was presented

A ball in honor of the Grand Duke took place at the Boston Theatre. The audit of the expenses shows that the cost of ball was $14,678.58 (equivalent of $750,000 today), with $8,916.29 being covered by the sale of the tickets and other receipts

Detour to Canada
On 17 December, Alexei left by train to Canada. He first stopped in Montreal, where he had breakfast with the mayor of the city, and then visited Lachine, Quebec. He then passed through Ottawa and Toronto, finally reaching Clifton Hill, Niagara Falls on 22 December 1871 by the Great Western Railway. On his way, the train stopped in Hamilton, Ontario where he received a telegram from Queen Victoria, notifying him that the Prince of Wales had recovered from his illness. From Clifton Hill the party left by sleighs for a visit to the Niagara Falls. After having dressed in oil-skinned suits for fishermen at sea, the party also went under the falls. He then crossed the Niagara River over a new suspension bridge and then visited the United States part of the falls.

Midwest
On 23 December 1871, Alexei left by train for Buffalo, New York, where he spent Christmas. On 26 December, he arrived in Cleveland where he visited the iron mills and other factories in Newburgh Heights, Ohio. He then reviewed the Cleveland Fire Department and visited the National Inventors’ Exhibition. He then stopped in Detroit on his way to Chicago, where he arrived on 30 December. The city was recovering from the great fire. Joseph Medill, mayor of Chicago, had written to the Grand Duke:

"We have but little to exhibit but the ruins and débris of a great and beautiful city and an undaunted people struggling with adversity to relieve their overwhelming misfortunes."

He visited the destroyed part of the city and was impressed by the rhythm of the reconstruction. He gave US$5,000 (equivalent to $250,000 today) in gold to the homeless people of Chicago. Alexei also visited the stockyards and a pork processing plant.

As the Tremont House Hotel had been burnt to the ground, he was accommodated in the New Tremont House which had opened on Michigan Avenue, where he was awarded the "Freedom of the City". On New Year's Day General Philip Sheridan initiated him into the American custom of making "New Year's calls upon the ladies". From 2 to 4 January he visited Milwaukee and on 5 January he arrived in St. Louis, Missouri, where he stayed for over a week.

In St. Louis, Alexei attended the burlesque show Blue Beard in which Lydia Thompson, a 36-year-old actress was singing a tune "If Ever I Cease to Love". It is claimed that he was fascinated both by the actress and the song. Supposedly, she had also sung the number privately for the duke during a rendezvous. Later, while in St. Louis, Alexei became particularly enamored of one of his dance partners, a lady called Sallie Shannon of Lawrence, Kansas.

Finally on 12 January he arrived in Omaha, Nebraska

Trip to the hunting grounds
Preparations for the hunt were extensive and had been carried out under the command of General Joel Palmer. Two companies of infantry in wagons, two companies of cavalry, the cavalry's regimental band, outriders, night herders, couriers, cooks had been mobilized for the event.

The Grand Duke in the company of General Philip Sheridan, General Edward Ord, and Lt. Colonel (Brevet Major General) George Armstrong Custer, the latter having been selected to be grand marshal of the hunt, arrived at Fort McPherson on 13 January 1872, by a special train provided by the Pennsylvania Railroad. They were greeted by an enthusiastic crowd, headed by Buffalo Bill. After speeches, party set out for the hunting grounds led by Buffalo Bill's partner Texas Jack Omohundro.

The Duke and General Sheridan rode in an open carriage, drawn by four horses. Buffalo Bill escorted the party with five ambulances, a light wagon for luggage, three wagons of "champagne and royal spirits" and fifteen to twenty extra saddle horses. The entire trip covered about 50 miles and took approximately eight hours.

The camp consisted of two hospital tents (used as dining tent), ten wall tents and tents for servants and soldiers. Three wall tents were floored and the Alexei's was carpeted with oriental rugs. Box stoves and Sibley stoves were provided for the tents.

Cody had discussed the hunt with Spotted Tail, chief of the Brulé Lakota, who had agreed to meet the "great chief from across the water who was coming there to visit him." About 600 warriors of different Sioux tribes, led by Spotted Tail, War Bonnet, Black Hat, Red Leaf, Whistler and Pawnee Killer, assembled to greet Alexei at the hunting camp. They had been provided with ten thousand rations of flour, sugar, coffee, and 1,000 pounds of tobacco for their trouble – twenty-five wagon loads in all.

At the start of the party, Spotted Tail, dressed in a suit, which didn't fit him, with an army belt upside down and an extremely awkward look was introduced to the Grand Duke. Then the Indian chief extended his hand, and greeted him in Lakota saying "How."

For the amusement of Alexei the Indians staged exercises of horsemanship, lance-throwing and bow-shooting. Then there was a sham fight, showing the Indian mode of warfare, closing up with a grand war dance. It was noticed that Alexei paid considerable attention to a good-looking Indian maiden. Concerned that his mother, Empress Maria Alexandrovna, might receive reports of his flirtations, he wrote her from St. Louis: "Regarding my success with American ladies about which so much is written in the newspapers, I can openly say, that this is complete nonsense. They looked on me from the beginning as they would look on a wild animal, as on a crocodile or other unusual beast." .

A dispute broke out, but Alexei was able to calm down the fight with gifts of red and green blankets, ivory-handled hunting knives and a large bag of silver dollars. A formal council took place in Sheridan's tent and a peace pipe was passed around. Spotted Tail seized the chance to press his demand for the right to hunt freely south of the Platte River and for more than one store in which to trade.

Buffalo hunt
The big hunt took place on Alexei's 22nd birthday, 14 January 1872. He carried a Russian hunting knife and an American revolver bearing the coats-of-arms of the United States and Russia on the handle, which he had recently received as a present. The hunting party approached buffalo herd several miles up the Red Willow Creek. Alexei rode Buffalo Bill's celebrated buffalo horse "Buckskin Joe", which had been trained to ride at full gallop with a target so that the best shot could be made. As soon as a herd of buffalo was seen, some two miles away, Alexei wanted to make a charge but was restrained by Bill. The party moved to the windward and gradually approached the herd. Within a hundred yards of the fleeing buffalo, Alexei, not accustomed to shooting from a running horse, fired, but missed. Buffalo Bill rode up close beside him, handed him his own famed .48-caliber rifle, "Lucretia", the one with which he claimed to have killed 4,200 buffalo, and advised him not to fire until he was on the flank of the buffalo. When Alexei tried again, he brought down his game. The hide of the dead buffalo was carefully removed and dressed; Alexei took it home as a souvenir of his hunt on the western plains. Twenty to thirty animals were killed on the first day of the hunt. The party returned early to camp, where there was a liberal supply of champagne and other beverages provided, and the evening was spent in frontier style.

The next morning Spotted Tail requested the Grand Duke to hunt by the side of Two Lance, chief of the Nakota Sioux tribe, so that he could see a demonstration of the Indian way of hunting. Coming up to a herd of buffalo, Two Lance demonstrated his skill by killing a large animal with one arrow which passed entirely through the body of the running buffalo. The arrow was preserved and given to Alexei. He killed two buffalo, one of them at 100 paces distance, with a pistol shot.

On the conclusion of the hunt, when returning to Fort McPherson, General Sheridan proposed that Buffalo Bill take the reins and show Alexei the old style of stage driving over the plains with the horses at full gallop. The heavy ambulance bounded over the rough prairie, while the occupants could hardly keep their seats. Alexei was pleased with his hunting trip. When he and Bill parted in Fort McPherson, Alexei presented him with a fur coat and expensive cuff links.

From there the train continued to Denver where Alexei arrived on 17 January. While in Denver, he attended an honorary ball sponsored by the Pioneer Club and visited some mines. He apparently loved the new sport he had just learned and hunted buffalo again near Colorado Springs, on his return trip from Denver through Kansas to St. Louis. However, the horses used to hunt in eastern Colorado were cavalry mounts and unaccustomed to buffalo; several hunters were injured during the resulting confusion. Alexei was unhurt and succeeded in killing as many as 25 buffalo. He even shot a few more from the train on its way across western Kansas toward Topeka, which was reached on 22 January. It is claimed that, by the time they reached St. Louis, the party's supply of caviar and champagne had been exhausted.

General Custer became one of the Duke's best friends. He accompanied him and his entourage through Kansas, to St. Louis, New Orleans, and finally to Florida. They continued to correspond with one another up until Custer's death. In the United States, the hunt is remembered as "The Great Royal Buffalo Hunt". Starting from the year 2000, Hayes Center, Nebraska organizes each year the "Grand Duke Alexis Rendezvous" featuring a reenactment of the buffalo hunt.

Alexei received as a gift from chief Spotted Tail an Indian wigwam and a bow and arrows. He took them back to St. Petersburg. At present they are kept at the museum in Tver. In memory of his adventures in America, Alexei organized every year a special entertainment. The actors arrived to a village of tents in old carriages drawn by heavy horses. On the palace's lake there were "Indian" pirogues. Men with swords and tomahawks danced with women dressed in long old skirts. The performance was supposed to give the attendance an image of the American Old West.

Southern states
While in St. Louis, Alexei made a short visit to Cincinnati on 26 January. On 28 January he left by train for Louisville, Kentucky, where he visited the Mammoth Cave. He continued his trip by steamer, arriving on 2 February 1872 in Memphis, Tennessee aboard the Great Republic. After visiting the city he left on 8 February aboard the James Howard and after a stop in Vicksburg he finally arrived in New Orleans.

New Orleans
In New Orleans Alexei attended the 1872 Mardi Gras celebrations, where he was guest of honor reviewing the inaugural Rex parade.

There are many legends related to the Grand Duke's visit to New Orleans. It has been claimed that local business leaders had planned the first daytime parade to honor him, but this was not true. New Orleans was struggling to recover from the lingering effects of the Civil War. At the same time, many city leaders saw the need to bring some order to the chaotic street parades of Mardi Gras day. They had planned the parade all along and took the opportunity to capitalize on Alexei's visit. A new krewe of prominent citizens was formed, calling itself the School of Design, and its ruler was to be Rex (the organization is now known as the "Rex Organization"). The group of young men who founded the Rex Organization hoped not only to entertain the Grand Duke, but also to create a daytime parade that would be attractive and fun for the citizens of the city and their guests. They selected one of their members, Lewis J. Salomon, the organization's fund-raiser to be the first Rex, King of Carnival. Before he could begin his reign, he had to borrow a crown, scepter, and costume from Lawrence Barrett, a distinguished Shakespearean actor who was performing Richard III at the Varieties Theater.

At the same time, Lydia Thompson's tour had reached New Orleans and the Bluebeard burlesque was staged at the Academy of Music on St. Charles Avenue. Rumours of the courtship between Alexei and the actress had reached New Orleans and were amplified mainly to ensure a full house. Alexei had already seen the performance and didn't attend, hanging out at the Jockey Club. Besides, his preferences had shifted and he was captivated by the diminutive actress Lotta Crabtree who had one of the main roles in the play The Little Detective. Though the encounter was brief, Alexei sent her a gift in Memphis, her next stop after New Orleans.

Alexei attended the Rex parade. According to legend, the song "If Ever I Cease to Love", was chosen as anthem of the Rex parade, because it was claimed to be his favorite tune. Actually, the silly song had been written by George Leybourne and published in London in 1871. The song was already popular in New Orleans before the first Rex parade in 1872. the local adaptation of the lyrics was likely done local journalist E. C. Hancock whose newspaper had already published a spoof of the song in 1871. The lyrics of the song were adapted to the occasion and changed to:

"May the Grand Duke Alexis Ride a buffalo in Texas If Ever I Cease to Love"

The parade Alexei attended bears little resemblance to present day parades. Rex rode a horse, not a float and the parade that followed was made up largely of the informal maskers and marchers. There were however bands who stopped and played the Russian national anthem in honor of him. Many traditions such as the selection of Rex, the King of the Parade, the Rex anthem, the parade's colors date back to Alexei's visit.

The Russian fleet set sail from Pensacola, Florida of 22 February 1872. It is claimed that hundreds of pounds of iced buffalo meat were carefully stowed aboard.

While Libbie Custer, General Custer's wife, believed Alexei was more interested in "pretty girls and music" than the country he was passing through, Alexei did spend most of his time trying to get an understanding of the country.

Far East Tour
On its way home, the Russian squadron first stopped in Havana, Cuba, which it reached on 29 February 1872, before sailing on to Rio de Janeiro where it arrived on 3 June 1872. Alexei entertained Emperor Pedro II of Brazil and the imperial court aboard the Svetlana.

Sailing to the Far East, the squadron also stopped in Cape Town, Batavia, Singapore, Hong Kong, Canton and Shanghai

Arriving in Japan on 15 October 1872, the Russian squadron cast anchor in Nagasaki harbour, where Alexei was greeted by the governor. The program included a ceremonial dinner in his honour, visits to the surrounding countryside and a tournament of the 60 best wrestlers of Japan. On 22 October Alexei and his staff visited the little village of Inasa where a Russian colony lived. The Russian delegation visited two hotels named "Kronstadt" and "Moscow" as well as the Russian cemetery.

The Russian squadron left Nagasaki on 24 October, the next port of call being Kobe, where he was again greeted by the provincial governor. Alexei also attended a performance at the local theatre in Kobe.

On 1 November, the Russian squadron set sail for Yokohama. On 5 November, the Grand Duke was officially received by Japanese Emperor Meiji and the following day, viewed a parade of the Japanese armed forces. After a few days, the Emperor, at Alexei's invitation, went to Yokohama to see the Russian squadron. Following his intervention, 34 Japanese Christians were pardoned by the Emperor and released.

On 26 November, the Russian squadron set sail for Vladivostok reaching the base of the Russian Pacific Fleet on 5 December nearly a year and a half after it had left Kronstadt. He then returned to St. Petersburg across Siberia.

Visit to England
In 1874, Alexei accompanied his father to England to visit his sister, the Grand Duchess Marie Alexandrovna, recently married to Queen Victoria's son Prince Alfred.

Palace of Grand Duke Alexei Alexandrovich
After his return from America, Alexei was concerned about an appropriate residence. He purchased an older building located at 122 Moika River Embankment in Saint Petersburg. The building was completely redesigned and rebuilt by architect Maximilian Messmacher having a total surface of 9,200 sq.m. It is considered one of the most interesting examples of Saint Petersburg's eclectic architecture. The architect used a different style for each façade. The wrought iron and stone fence surrounding the palace and its gardens is also an interesting feature. The central gates are still ornamented with the Grand Duke's monogram, the meaning of which was overlooked by the Soviet authorities. In 1910, part of the gardens were sold for the construction of a candy factory. Though the palace was declared a national landmark in 1968, it remained in disrepair for many years. After a restoration in the early 2000s, it was reopened in 2008 as the St. Petersburg Music House.

Military career

In 1873, Alexei Alexandrovich was appointed head of the Imperial Naval Guards. He was also appointed member of the section for shipbuilding and naval artillery of the Russian Naval Technical Committee.

During the Russo-Turkish War (1877–1878), he was promoted to commander of the Russian Naval Forces on the Danube. On 9 January 1878, he was decorated with the Order of St. George – Fourth Degree for "tireless and successful management of the naval forces and equipment on 14 June 1877 for the construction and maintenance of the pontoon bridges and crossings at Zimnicea, Pietroşani and Nikopol and for the successful measures for protecting these crossing from destruction by enemy forces."

In 1880, he was promoted to general adjutant. In 1882, after the accession of his brother Alexander to the throne, Alexei was appointed head of the Naval Department, replacing Grand Duke Konstantin Nikolaievich. In 1883, he was also appointed General-Admiral of the Russian Imperial Fleet. Though his control over the day-to-day affairs of the military was limited, Alexei was involved in naval and military planning. His influence over the Tsar gave him a powerful say in strategic decision-making.

Besides being the head of Russia's fleets, Alexei was also in command of the naval cadet corps, the Moscow guard regiment, the 37th Ekaterinburg infantry regiment, the 77th Tenginsk infantry regiment, and the 17th Eastern Siberian infantry regiment.

As commander in chief of the navy, he was charged with modernization of the fleet, taking into account the rapid technological progress. During his tenure, he ensured a fivefold increase of the navy's budget. He was able to launch a series of pre-dreadnought battleships that were replacing the old ironclad ships. Thus, he was instrumental in the equipment of the Russian navy with several battleships of various classes:

 * The Peresvet class, inspired by the British battleship HMS Centurion (1892)
 * The Borodino class, based on a French design by the shipyards in La Seyne-sur-Mer
 * The Petropavlovsk class designed at Galerniy Yard, St. Petersburg
 * The Navarin class, on the British Trafalgar-class battleship

He also had older ironclads of the Imperator Aleksandr II class reconstructed by the French La Seyne yard. He also put new cruisers in service (among them the ).

Alexei was instrumental in the modernization of the Russian navy. He reconstructed and developed the military harbours of Sevastopol, Alexander III in Livada (now Liepāja, Latvia) and Port Arthur, increased the number of navy yards and extended the dry-docks in Kronstadt, Vladivostok and Sevastopol. He also reorganized the navy, defining the conditions for different naval qualifications, drafting rules for rewarding long-time service of first and second rank ship captains, restructuring the corps of mechanical engineers and naval engineers, increasing the number of officers and crew.

When tensions mounted in the Far East, he ordered the transfer of additional ships to Port Arthur, including the battleship.

Russian academician and naval engineer Alexei Nikolaevich Krylov shows that, despite these achievements, there were severe drawbacks in the Grand Duke's activity. There was no strategic planning and ships were not built based on their intended role within the fleet. There were too many ships of different types. Ships were designed mainly by copying the ones of foreign navies and were therefore technologically 6–7 year old when they were launched. Their armour and equipment was often inadequate.

Alexei seems to have become aware of some these deficiencies. He decided to have more battleships of a single type and to have them designed abroad to meet the needs of the Russian navy. However, though he was an admirer of the British navy, the new battleships were conceived in France and had a poor design. The new Borodino-class battleships had tumblehome hulls and were unstable, having a high center of gravity. The drawbacks proved to be fatal for the Russian navy.

Disgrace and dismissal
The Grand Duke's reputation as a corrupt, spendthrift dilettante, who lavished fortunes on "ladies of no reputation", had worsened throughout the years. Having purchased a magnificent mansion in Paris, he built a new wing of his St Petersburg palace for his mistress, ballerina Elizabeth Balletta. According to Kaiser Wilhelm II, no ship in the Russian Fleet could be purchased "without the Grand Duke Alexis, the Commander-in-Chief of the Fleet, pocketing a quarter of a million roubles". In 1903, thirty million roubles – half of the budget of the Russian navy – had disappeared without a single new ship being launched. The Grand Duke was suspected of being involved in the misappropriation.

At the outbreak of the Russo-Japanese War in 1904, the Russian First Pacific Squadron was able to resist the Japanese attack during the Battle of the Yellow Sea. However, the squadron was destroyed during the Battle of Port Arthur and the Baltic Fleet, sent for reinforcement, was completely defeated in the Battle of Tsushima. The Grand Duke had been a strong opponent of naval reform and was considered partly responsible for the disaster. In 1904, the windows of his St. Petersburg palace were smashed by a crowd. That same year, the audience of that city's French theatre "hissed him from the building". When Balletta appeared on the stage in 1905 bedecked in diamonds, the audience cried: 'She has our fleet in her ears! On her every finger there is a cruiser!’.

On 2 June 1905 O.S., Alexei was relieved of his command and retired.

Life at the Russian court
His critics talked of Alexei's life as consisting of "fast women and slow ships", referring to his womanizing and the defeat of the Russian navy by the Japanese. Away from his desk, Alexei devoted his time to the good things of life. He entertained generously and collected fine silver and other works of art to adorn his palace. Sometimes he designed his own clothes. A womanizer, he spent his vacations in Paris or in Biarritz, each time in the company of a different lady.

Around the late 1880s, he started a celebrated affair with the Duchess of Leuchtenberg, the morganatic wife of one of his cousins Eugène von Leuchtenberg. Born Zinaida Skobelyeva, "Zina" was a strikingly beautiful woman who had married Eugeni of Leuchtenberg as his second wife in 1870. Alexander II made her Countess de Beauharnais and Alexander III raised her to Serene Highness and Duchess of Leuchtenberg. Alexei was so besotted with her that he conducted an affair openly, under her husband's roof and in his full knowledge. Eugene Leuchtenberg initially resented that Alexei cuckolded him. One night, Leuchtenberg arrived home late and found his wife's room locked. He knocked on the door and insisted that she let him in; Alexei opened the door kicked him downstairs. Later that day, Leuchtenberg complained to Alexander III of Russia, who told him that if he was incapable of managing his wife himself he could not expect others to help him. From that day forward, Leuchtenberg slept in his study and apparently accepted the situation. Leuchtenberg drank away most of his fortune; for years, he and Zinaida lived off his cousin's generosity. Even after his wife's death in 1899, the Duke continued to live under Alexei's roof.

Beside his military duties, Alexei was also chairman of the Imperial Commission for the Promotion of Ballet.

In 1904, he became one of the godparents of Tsarevich Alexei, the other godparents being the Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna, Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany, King Edward VII of the United Kingdom, King Christian IX of Denmark, Grand Duke Ernest Ludwig of Hesse, Grand Duchess Alexandra Iosifovna, Grand Duke Michael Nikolaevich, and Grand Duchess Olga Nikolaievna. All soldiers serving in the military during the Russo-Japanese War were also declared godfathers to Alexei.

Death
After the assassination of his brother Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich of Russia in February 1905 and his retirement in disgrace from the navy in June that same year, Alexei Alexandrovich spent most of his time in the Paris house he had bought in 1897. At his house in Avenue Gabriel, he kept an open door for writers, painters, actors, and especially actresses. He had always been less interested in the armed services than in art and fashion, and he had long since been recognized as a connoisseur of the social, artistic, and literary life of Paris. His massive frame was a familiar sight at restaurants and theaters, particularly on first nights. His last public appearance a week before his death was at the dress rehearsal of a new play at the vaudeville. Decades of comfort and good living eventually took their toll on his health. He died of pneumonia in Paris on 27 November (14 November O.S.) 1908. His death was said to have devastated Tsar Nicholas II, his nephew, who reportedly claimed Alexei as his favourite uncle. In 2006, Alexei's diary was found in the Russian National Library amongst the Yussupov archive. The journal, written in Russian, begins in 1862 and ends in 1907. It has not been published yet.

In fiction
The Adventure of the Seven Clocks (1952), part of The Exploits of Sherlock Holmes collection, deals with attempts of the Nihilist movement to assassinate the Grand Duke.

The 1973 Lucky Luke comic book Le Grand Duc features a Russian Grand Duke who visits the Wild West.

In 1977, Christopher Lee played a Russian Grand Duke hunting buffalo in three episodes of the TV-series How the West Was Won.

The western hunt is alluded to in the 1994 film Maverick, starring Mel Gibson. In the film, the Duke is hustled, after he has grown bored with hunting animals, into thinking that he is hunting a Native American.

He appears as a character in Boris Akunin's novel The Coronation (2000) under the name Georgi Aleksandrovich.

Honours
• Austria-Hungary: Grand Cross of St. Stephen, 1874

• 🇩🇰 Denmark:

• * Knight of the Elephant, 17 June 1866

• * Cross of Honour of the Order of the Dannebrog, 21 December 1878

•  undefined: Grand Cross of the Legion of Honour, November 1874

•  Grand Duchy of Hesse: Grand Cross of the Ludwig Order, 8 June 1857

•  Kingdom of Italy: Knight of the Annunciation, 19 November 1868

•  Empire of Japan: Grand Cordon of the Order of the Chrysanthemum, 17 June 1882

•  Oldenburg: Grand Cross of the Order of Duke Peter Friedrich Ludwig, with Golden Crown, 11 March 1863

•  Kingdom of Portugal: Grand Cross of the Tower and Sword, 26 July 1866

•  Kingdom of Prussia:

• * Knight of the Black Eagle, 14 January 1860

• * Pour le Mérite (military), 22 March 1879

• * Grand Commander's Cross of the Royal House Order of Hohenzollern, 11 June 1879

•  Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach: Grand Cross of the White Falcon, 1 June 1868

• 🇹🇭 Siam: Knight of the Order of the Royal House of Chakri, 4 July 1897

• 🇸🇪 🇳🇴 Sweden-Norway: Knight of the Seraphim, 28 August 1873

•  Württemberg: Grand Cross of the Württemberg Crown, 1864


text:
Influences on Francis Bacon

The painter Francis Bacon was largely self-taught as an artist. As well as other visual artists, Bacon drew inspiration from the poems of T. S. Eliot, Ezra Pound and Yeats, the plays of Aeschylus, Sophocles and Shakespeare; Proust and Joyce's Ulysses.

Influences

 * Pablo Picasso, in particular the biomorphic figures in Picasso's paintings of bathers at Dinard of 1927–32.
 * Nicolas Poussin's The Massacre of the Innocents Iof 1628-29. "I think probably the best human cry in painting was made by Poussin [...] which is at Chantilly. And I remember I was once with a family for about three months living very near there, trying to learn French, and I went a great deal to Chantilly and I remember this picture always made a terrific impression on me.

 * Diego Velázquez's portrait of Pope Innocent X (1649–50). "that Velázquez is one of the great paintings of the world, of course – well, I was very obsessed with that Velázquez and, of course, I made a great mistake…". Bacon painted several versions, of which Figure with Meat (1954) is an atypically Grand Guignol example. Though he visited Rome, where the painting is on display at the Doria Pamphilj Gallery, Bacon never saw the original Velázquez.
 * Vincent van Gogh; Bacon painted several variations of van Gogh's The Painter on the Road to Tarascon in the late 1950s.
 * Rembrandt Self-portrait (Musée Granet, Aix-en-Provence)
 * Chaïm Soutine Céret period (1919–1923), Carcass of Beef (1926) (Minneapolis)
 * John Constable – the full size oil-sketch for The Leaping Horse at the V&A.
 * Titian Portrait of Cardinal Filippo Archinto (c.1551–1562)
 * Francisco Goya's Black Paintings, although Bacon saw a meanness of spirit in Goya's work that he believed removed him from the front rank of great painters.
 * Michelangelo's drawings
 * Henri Matisse's Bathers by a River (1909–16)
 * Pharonic Egyptian sculpture of the Eighteenth dynasty, from the rule of Amenophis III and Amenophis IV especially.
 * Masaccio Trinity c.1424–1428 Santa Maria Novella—Bacon greatly admired Masaccio and similarities between the composition of Trinity and Painting (1946) have been noted by critics.
 * Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres Oedipus and the Sphinx (1826–1827), Le Bain Turc (1859–1863)
 * Edgar Degas After the Bath, Woman drying herself (1888–1892), Beach Scene (1868–1877)—Both in the collection of the National Gallery, London
 * Walter Sickert Granby Street (1912–1913)
 * Henri Michaux Untitled (1962)
 * Pierre Bonnard
 * Georges-Pierre Seurat
 * Cimabue "You know the great Cimabue Crucifixion? I always think of that as an image – as a worm crawling down the cross."
 * Alberto Giacometti's drawings
 * Matthias Grünewald's Isenheim Altarpiece
 * Julia Margaret Cameron
 * Étienne-Jules Marey
 * Eadweard Muybridge "My principal source of visual information is Muybridge, the 19th-century photographer who photographed human and animal movement. His work is unbelievably precise. He created a visual dictionary of movement, a living dictionary."
 * Nadar
 * John Deakin. Regular at the Colony Room Club and noted photographer who took portraits of Bacons friends on which many of his 1960s paintings were based.
 * Luis Buñuel. "I've been very influenced by the films of Buñuel, especially Un chien andalou because I think that Buñuel had a remarkable precision of imagery. I can't say how they have directly affected me but they certainly have affected my whole attitude to visual things – in the acuteness of the visual image which you've got to make."
 * Sergei Eisenstein. Strike (Стачка, 1925) and The Battleship Potemkin (Броненосец „Потёмкин“, 1925). Often reproduced the scream of the nurse from the Odessa Steps scene.

Select work

 * Chaim Soutine Carcass of Beef (1926) (The Minneapolis Institute of Arts)
 * Degas, Hilaire-Germain-Edgar Beach Scene (1868–77) (NG London)
 * Degas After the Bath, Woman drying herself (1888–1892) (NG London)
 * Rembrandt Self-portrait (Musée Granet, Aix-en-Provence)

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

title: Influences on Francis Bacon


text: User talk:69.138.159.232

title: User talk:69.138.159.232


text: User talk:83.245.40.146

title: User talk:83.245.40.146


text:
Talk:Togoland

Moved over from Landeshauptmann
The German empire used the style for its governors during certain periods in the history of its rule over the following Schutzgebiete:

As with the other former German colonies, the coat of arms is incorrect and was never used. These were suggested but never implemented. This should really be changed. . . 195.102.24.108 (talk) 16:16, 5 August 2010 (UTC)

 * In Africa
 * the protectorate of German Togoland
 * November 1893 - 13 August 1895 Jesko von Puttkamer  (b. 1843 - d. 1918), formerly the last Reichskommissar
 * 18 November 1895 - 18 April 1898 August Köhler  (b. 1858 - d. 1902), who stayed on as first Governor

Flag
Should either of the flags below (on commons) whch are listed as the flags of Togoland be used in the article? Brigade Piron (talk) 13:33, 23 November 2013 (UTC)

 * Thanks for bringing up the issue- I'm not sure the one on the right is actually the flag. I think it was more of a state emblem.  This is just a quick answer.  My recollection is that the one on the left was closer to the actual flag--but that image isn't great. I'll see if I can't figure that out this week.  AbstractIllusions (talk) 03:35, 24 November 2013 (UTC)
 * I know wikipedia isn't an RS but there is interesting (probably OR) content about this over at . Essentially-the flags were proposed and some plans were drawn up for them to be implemented.  I can't find a photo of Togoland at the time that has any of these flags displayed. Indeed, in contrast, if they have a flag it is the German Imperial Flag, see: here. I think I'd be wary about including the flags without an RS clearly establishing their credibility. Even if we put proposed flag--that seems problematic. What are you thinking? AbstractIllusions (talk) 04:50, 24 November 2013 (UTC)
 * Right, it makes sense to use the more generic File:Reichskolonialflagge.svg instead.—Brigade Piron (talk) 18:38, 28 December 2016 (UTC)
 * Thanks Brigade Piron. That is the flag that I feel most comfortable with. However, an IP re-added one of the other flags. AGF and there appears to be some relevant expertise in the editing. I hope he/she will join this conversation. I'm very willing to be convinced that one of the other flags should be used. AbstractIllusions (talk) 19:39, 29 December 2016 (UTC)

I doubt that German colonial officials built Togoland's infrastructure
>The total number of German officials in the colony was only 12 in 1890.[6]

…

> Colonial officials built roads and bridges toward the interior mountain ranges and three rail lines from the capital, Lomé: along the coast to Aného in 1905, to Palime (modern Kpalimé) in 1907, and the longest line, the Hinterlandbahn, to Atakpamé by 1911.[8] By 1914, over 1,000 km[9] of roads had been constructed by the colonial office.[6]

Being a German, I would like to cite [the translation] of a great German poet to illustrate my claim:

https://ahistoricality.blogspot.com/2005/11/thursday-poem-questions-from-worker.html

The article's wording just is not right. 89.245.98.150 (talk) 23:09, 18 April 2022 (UTC)

title: Talk:Togoland


text:
366th Infantry Regiment (United States)

The 366th Infantry Regiment was an all Colored (segregated) unit of the United States Army that served in both World War I and World War II. In the latter war, the unit was exceptional for having all negro officers as well as troops. The U.S. military did not desegregate until after World War II. During the war, for most of the segregated units, all field grade (majors and above) and most of the company grade officers (second lieutenants, first lieutenants, and captains) were white.

World War I
The 366th Infantry was constituted 16 August 1917 in the National Army as the 366th Infantry, assigned to the 92nd Division, and organized at Camp Dodge, Iowa, in November 1917.

In World War I the regiment served overseas as a part of the 92nd Division, National Army and earned credit for battle participation as follows:

 * St. Die Sector (Lorraine), 23 August 1918 – 20 September 1918
 * Meuse-Argonne Sector, 26 September 1918 – 5 October 1918
 * Marbach Sector (Lorraine) 8 October 1918 – November 1918

The 366th Infantry was demobilized 25 March 1919 at Fort Oglethorpe, Georgia, and reconstituted 16 December 1940 in the Regular Army.

World War II
It was activated 10 February 1941 at Fort Devens, Massachusetts and assigned to the Eastern Defense Command on 30 April 1942.

 * Attached to the 1st Service Command on 1 May 1943 and to the XIII Corps on 1 September 1943.
 * Moved to A. P. Hill Military Reservation, Virginia 14 October 1943 and to Camp Atterbury, Indiana, 23 November 1943, under XX Corps.
 * Assigned to XXII Corps 21 January 1944, and staged at Camp Patrick Henry, Virginia 22 March 1944, until it departed Hampton Roads P/E (Port of Embarkation) 28 March 1944.
 * Arrived North Africa 6 April 1944 and attached to 15th Air Force Service Command for airfield security duties from Sardinia to the Adriatic coast.
 * Assigned to Fifth Army 4 November 1944 and arrived Livorno, Italy 21 November 1944, for attachment to the 92nd Infantry Division until 25 February 1945.
 * Disbanded in Italy on 28 March 1945, and personnel transferred into the 224th and 226th Engineer General Service Regiments.

Combat chronicle
Colonel Howard Donovan Queen was the commanding officer (CO) at the time of embarkation in March 1944. Although the 366th Infantry had been at "combat readiness", after a prolonged period which was devoted only to guard duty, Queen felt that they needed at least three months for preparation to be "combat ready". Queen wrote a significant request for withdrawal from active command and included his guarded reservations in regard to his deeply held tenets. In spite of this upper officials decided in November 1944 to attach the 366th Infantry to the 92nd Division.

After continuing poor combat performance, including many instances of unauthorized withdrawals upon meeting the enemy, low morale, and malingering, the 92nd Infantry Division was believed by both German and American commands to be fit for only defensive roles. The division was completely withdrawn from the front in early 1945, with the infantry components of the division being reorganized from the ground up. Two of the 366th Infantry's three battalions were recommended "not be used again for offensive action unless urgent military necessity required it." The 92nd Division commanders proposed that the "366th be removed from the front lines and disposed of as higher headquarters might direct," which was accepted. The 366th Infantry Regiment was disbanded on 28 March 1945, with personnel transferred to the 224th and 226th Engineer General Service regiments.

Notable veterans

 * West A. Hamilton, commander who later served on the D.C. School Board and advocated for a National Memorial building for African Americans in D.C.
 * Edward W. Brooke III: First African American after Reconstruction elected to the United States Senate. (World War II veteran)
 * Frederic E. Davison: first African American US Army Major General and division commander (World War II veteran)
 * William L. Dawson: First African American to chair a committee of the United States Congress (1949) (World War I veteran)
 * Aaron R. Fisher: Distinguished Service Cross recipient, World War I
 * John R. Fox: Medal of Honor (posthumous) recipient, World War II
 * James F. Hamlet: second African American US Army Major General (World War II veteran)
 * Charles A. Pratt First African American Judge of Kalamazoo County Michigan World War II

General
The 366th Infantry Regiment was awarded two campaign streamers for the Colors; the first for Meuse-Argonne Lorraine (September 1918 to November 1918), and the second for Rome-Arno (January 1944 to September 1944).

The Regimental Shield incorporated the Cross of Lorraine. The Regimental Motto was, "Labor Conquers All Things."

title: 366th Infantry Regiment (United States)


text:
My Life as a Man

My Life as a Man (1974) is American writer Philip Roth's seventh novel.

Summary
The work is split into two sections: the first section, "Useful Fictions," consisting of two short stories, titled "Salad Days" and "Courting Disaster (or "Serious in the Fifties"), about a character named Nathan Zuckerman, and the second section, "My True Story," which takes the form of a first-person memoir by Peter Tarnopol, a Jewish writer who authored the two stories in the first section.

Themes
My Life as a Man is the first of Roth's work that tackles the issue of the writer's relationship to his work, a theme he would develop in subsequent novels, particularly Operation Shylock. In his autobiography, Roth reveals that much of Tarnopol's life is based on his own experiences; for example, Roth's destructive marriage to Margaret Martinson, which is portrayed through Tarnopol's relationship with the character of Maureen.

Reception
In The New York Times Book Review, critic Morris Dickstein compared the novel to its predecessor Portnoy's Complaint: No writer, not even Mailer or Lowell, has contributed more to the confessional climate than Philip Roth. Thanks to "Portnoy's Complaint" a good slice of contemporary fiction seems to come verbatim from the writer's own hours on the couch. This would be a dubious distinction had Roth's book not also boldly altered the tone of our confessional writing, most of which had been lugubrious and realistic, smothered in angst and high-seriousness. Reaching back instead to the raunchy, delirious autobiographical manner of Henry Miller and Céline--indeed, perpetuating an unseemly imitation of the latter's great "Death on the Installment Plan"--Roth pitched his anguish in such a low comic strain that the effect was irresistible. If there has been a funnier novel in the last 10 years, or one that exploits sex, psychoanalysis, and the "family romance" more brilliantly, I don't know what it could be.

...Like Rousseau's "Confessions" and its modern progeny, "My Life as a Man" is reckless in inviting us to review the man rather than the writer: that's part of its appeal. To get the story out Roth is willing to look not only ignoble and self-centered, but also foolish, helpless, even a little ugly (as in Peter's final satisfaction at his wife's death). But if the personal-confessional mode highlights Roth's limitations it also returns him to the day-to-day carnival of human folly that he can describe so ringingly, so comically, even as it goes on tormenting him.

title: My Life as a Man


text:
User:TCashion

My name is Tim Cashion. I live in Toronto. A cat who hangs out behind the house--and happily eats my free grub--has been dubbed "Wiki P. Dia". She says hi! I am efforting some pics, but she's a bit grumpy!

title: User:TCashion


text:
Bollywood Film Festival

Bollywood Film Festival (Festivalu Bollywoodského filmu) is a film festival held annually in Prague, Czech Republic. It was first launched in 2004 and its mission is to present India's Bollywood films to a Czech audience. The song/dance and dramatic storylines which are typical of many Indian films are finding popularity in European culture.

title: Bollywood Film Festival


text:
Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Arts and Science Students' Union

 * The following discussion is an archived debate of the proposed deletion of the article below. Please do not modify it. Subsequent 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. Linuxbeak | Talk 19:21, 16 October 2005 (UTC)

Arts and Science Students' Union
Vanity article. NN. Delete -- Spinboy 23:18, 10 October 2005 (UTC)
 * If student government at the University of Toronto works anything like it did at the University of Ottawa when I was an underachieving undergrad, then the import of this organization amounts to a handful of seats on the school-wide student government's board of directors. This definitely doesn't merit its own article, but I'm torn as to whether it's more of a delete or a merge into Students' Administrative Council. SAC could definitely use the expansion of how it's structured, but it probably just needs a short paragraph or two explaining the general organizational structure. It probably doesn't need to have this whole article merged into it, and I definitely can't justify any vote that would require keeping this title as a permanent redirect. But I may vote one way or the other once I've had time to think about it. Can I vote for expand the SAC article without using this specific article as a merge and redirect? Bearcat 01:31, 11 October 2005 (UTC)
 * Tag it for expansion and/or leave a note on its talk page? --[[Image:Ottawa flag.png|20px]] Spinboy 02:32, 11 October 2005 (UTC)
 * Yep, that works. I'll vote delete on this article now. Bearcat 02:51, 11 October 2005 (UTC)
 * Delete. Zhatt  21:01, 12 October 2005 (UTC)
 * Delete vanity -- red stucco 08:30, 14 October 2005 (UTC)
 * 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.


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Sudice (Opava District)

Sudice (Zauditz, Sudzice) is a municipality and village in Opava District in the Moravian-Silesian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 600 inhabitants. It is part of the historic Hlučín Region.

Geography
Sudice is located about 15 km northeast of Opava and 25 km northwest of Ostrava, on the border with Poland. It lies in a flat agricultural landscape in the Opava Hilly Land. The highest point is at 261 m above sea level.

History
The first written mention of Sudice is from 1327, when it was part of the Duchy of Troppau and Duke Nicholas II sold Sudice to the Dominican monastery seated in nearby Racibórz. In the 14th century, a fortress was built.

In the first half of the 16th century, Sudice was promoted to a market town and divided into two parts. In 1557 Sudice was bought by the Oderský of Lidéřov family and reunited the two parts. The fortress was replaced by a Baroque castle in the second half of the 17th century. However, the Henneberk family, who were the next owners of Sudice, had the castle demolished in 1786.

From 1938 to 1945, the municipality was annexed by Nazi Germany. After World War II, the German population was expelled.

Transport
The I/46 road from the Czech-Polish border to Opava and Olomouc passes through the municipality. There are two road border crossings with Poland: Sudice / Pietraszyn and Sudice / Ściborzyce Wielkie.

Sights
The main landmark of Sudice is the pseudo-Gothic Church of Saint John the Baptist from the early 20th century. The entire church complex is a cultural monument.

title: Sudice (Opava District)


text:
Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Physics and Astronomy Students' Union

 * The following discussion is an archived debate of the proposed deletion of the article below. Please do not modify it. Subsequent 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. Linuxbeak | Talk 19:20, 16 October 2005 (UTC)

Physics and Astronomy Students' Union
Vanity. NN. Delete -- Spinboy 23:18, 10 October 2005 (UTC)
 * If student government at the University of Toronto works anything like it did at the University of Ottawa when I was an underachieving undergrad, then the import of this organization amounts to a handful of seats on the school-wide student government's board of directors. This definitely doesn't merit its own article, but I'm torn as to whether it's more of a delete or a merge into Students' Administrative Council. SAC could definitely use the expansion, but it probably just needs a short paragraph or two explaining the general organizational structure. It probably doesn't need to have this whole article merged into it, and I definitely can't justify any vote that would require keeping this title as a permanent redirect. But I may vote one way or the other once I've had time to think about it. Can I vote for expand the SAC article without using this specific article as a merge and redirect? Bearcat 01:32, 11 October 2005 (UTC)
 * Tag it for expansion and/or leave a note on its talk page? --[[Image:Ottawa flag.png|20px]] Spinboy 02:31, 11 October 2005 (UTC)
 * Yep, that works. I'll vote delete on this article now. Bearcat 02:51, 11 October 2005 (UTC)
 * Delete. Zhatt  21:00, 12 October 2005 (UTC)
 * Delete vanity -- red stucco 08:31, 14 October 2005 (UTC)
 * 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:
Kilauea-class ammunition ship

The Kilauea class ammunition ship was a class of eight United States Navy cargo vessels designed for underway replenishment of naval warships. The ships were constructed 1968–1972 and were initially commissioned naval ships, carrying a crew of naval personnel. At various dates 1980–96 these ships were decommissioned and transferred to the Military Sealift Command for civilian operation. They were eventually all replaced by the Lewis and Clark-class dry cargo ships. The lead ship of the class, USS Kilauea (AE-26), was commissioned on 10 August 1968, and the last, the USS Kiska (AE-35), on 16 December 1972.

title: Kilauea-class ammunition ship


text:
Balabanov

Balabanov (Balaban, Balabanoff, Ballabon, etc.) and their derivatives (-ovs, -ich, etc.) are common last names in North Macedonia, Serbia, Bulgaria, Ukraine and Russia. Notable people with the surname include:

 * Aleksei Balabanov (1959-2013), Russian filmmaker
 * Andrey Balabanov, Soviet-born Ukrainian sprint canoer
 * Angelica Balabanov (1878-1965), Russian-Italian Marxist revolutionary, Comintern secretary in 1919-1921
 * Kostantyn Balabanov (born 1982), Ukrainian football player
 * Vasile Balabanov (1873-1947), provincial administrator of Imperial Russia

Origins of the name
Possible origins of the name according to Tudor Balabanov:

 * 1. in the Kazakh Mountains there is an eagle called Balaban from which the name may be derived.

 * 2. One of the recipients of this name may have been the Persians that around 4000 years ago started naming the leading three soldiers of a battalion, namely: the one with the flag, those with a drum, and the one with a blow instrument - the Balabans.

 * 3. The Turks may have taken over this name and given it to the relatively tall non-Muslim men from their territories.

title: Balabanov


text:
Talk:Erling Dekke Næss

Comment in Norwegian
Den største skipsrederen Norge har hatt? Noen snakker om Reksten, andre er blendet av Fredriksen. Jeg mener Næss er den smarteste og dyktigste skipsrederen Norge har hatt. Ikke bare hadde han utdannelse fra LSE, men han jobbet og i NORTRASHIP og var en av de første til å benytte internasjonale kapitalmarkeder for alt det de er verdt. ED Næss pionerte også bruken av flags of convenience. Et genialt trekk. Bare se på market cap'en på Zapata Næss på slutten. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 68.181.217.57 (talk) 23:21, October 10, 2005 (UTC)

 * Someone feel free to translate this comment... __meco 09:11, 21 August 2007 (UTC)

：Thanks for your work. I just wondering if it will be better to add citation in this section __100%kate (talk) 16:48, 7 June 2020 (UTC)100%kate

Period
I edited a sentence which had "Jr.." at the end. The two letters "Jr" are an English abbreviation for the word "Junior" and, as with all English abbreviations, they are immediately followed by a period. But the punctuation rule is that when a sentence ends in an abbreviation there is only one period: "An abbreviating period, however, is never omitted before a mark of sentence punctuation unless the latter is the period terminating the sentence:..." So I removed the extra period. Nick Beeson (talk) 14:24, 29 July 2017 (UTC)

External links modified
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title: Talk:Erling Dekke Næss


text:
User talk:Yaztromo

Disputed fair use rationale for Image:CAD25cent English Back.jpg
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Disputed fair use rationale for Image:Cdn 50 Cent Piece Obverse.JPG
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Veracity of citations
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Orphaned non-free image File:Cdn 50 Cent Piece.JPG
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File:CAD25cent English Back.jpg listed for discussion
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title: User talk:Yaztromo


text:
Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Grungry

 * The following discussion is an archived debate of the proposed deletion of the article below. Please do not modify it. Subsequent 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. Linuxbeak | Talk 19:20, 16 October 2005 (UTC)

Grungry
Non-notable dicdef. Should be moved to Wiktionary and deleted from Wikipedia. Solarusdude 23:22, 10 October 2005 (UTC)
 * Delete dictdef, no move - it's not even the most common usage according to Google. --Kgf0 23:48, 10 October 2005 (UTC)
 * Delete. non-verified word. It seems that the article was speedied three times already. --Vsion 09:50, 11 October 2005 (UTC)
 * 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.

title: Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Grungry


text:
Stone Soup (comic strip)

Stone Soup is an American newspaper comic strip. It was created by cartoonist Jan Eliot as Sister City, and was renamed after being syndicated by Universal Press Syndicate in 1995. The strip originally ran daily until 2015, when it switched to Sunday strips only before ending in 2020. The strip centers on a single mother named Valerie Stone, and her struggles to raise her daughters Alix and Holly.

Publication history
The comic strip was created by Jan Eliot. It began as a weekly in 1990, and ran for five years in the Eugene, Oregon Register-Guard under the name Sister City before being syndicated. The syndicated daily strip debuted in November 1995.

Stone Soup featured as a daily strip for 20 years until October 2015, when Eliot decided she no longer wanted to draw a daily comic, to devote more time to travel, socialize and focus on other creative projects. She continued to create a Sunday cartoon strip.

The Stone family features a family headed by single mother Val, an uncommon contrast with the ordinary nuclear family depicted in more traditional strips. As the author explained,

 * When I write I am writing first and foremost for single and working parents. I often felt very isolated and "put down" because of my circumstances (I was a single working mom for 10 years). I even had a teacher tell me that their school "was a better place before all the single moms arrived". My daughters both turned out fabulously, thank you, and I think I was a good parent.

It is common for strip storylines to consist of household arguments that are not resolved. Unlike many strips, the characters do age, but at a very slow rate. Val has celebrated her 38th and 39th birthdays in the strip; Alix and Holly were 9 and 12 when the strip began, and are now 10 and 13.

On 15 June 2020, Jan Eliot announced her retirement and that Stone Soup will end on 26 July 2020.

Symbology
The strip was named for the folk tale about Stone Soup, with the focus that good things can be created with small contributions from many sources.

Main characters
Sisters Valerie (Val) and Joan live across the fence from each other.
 * Valerie (Val) Stone is a 39-year-old widow, at the start of the strip, with two young daughters. Her previous husband, Tom, died of an undisclosed illness when Alix was very young and Holly was around five years old. She has a professional job which allows her to help support her mother and, in the early years, her sister Joan. On the job, she is openly disconcerted by her co-workers' political machinations. Her home life, however, is the greater source of aggravation, especially when dealing with the antics of her daughters. She loves women's sports. In July 2015, she married motorcycle police officer Phil Jackson.
 * Holly Stone is Val's 13-year-old daughter, prone to vanity, entitlement, and getting into fights with her younger sister Alix. She is the stereotypical teenager, viewing her family as "abnormal." She rarely passes up an opportunity to challenge her mother (she taught Alix to say 'Muhhhtherr') and sees almost everything in terms of herself ("In what universe is tuna noodle surprise a reward?"). She loves dressing in revealing or provocative clothes, but she is a feminist at heart and enjoys playing basketball.
 * Alix Stone is Val's 10-year-old daughter, a blissfully naive (and pugnacious) tomboy mystified by her sister's histrionics, but often easily influenced by her illogical and lazy behavior (like wearing flip-flops in the November cold). She still has the innocence of youth but Holly tries to teach her cynicism and sarcasm. Val considers her the model of calm and reason among the chaos, almost all of which comes from Holly ("I dress like someone who values freedom and mobility over style").
 * "Gramma" Evie Stone travels the world with her husband Arnold. She visits the family occasionally, and Skypes often. She lived with her daughter Val and granddaughters from the inception of the strip, until 2009. She comes across as crotchety and overly stern with her family, but cuts loose in Reno or when painting. She has no patience for modern parenting methods and rarely passes up the chance to express her views on anything. The kids regard her as a mixed blessing, especially since underneath it all she can often be a barrel of fun. Her cooking is generally much better received than Val's. In 2006, she went abroad to Uganda to build houses for an aid organization. It was revealed in a strip that she had gotten a tattoo of a butterfly on her shoulder sometimes in her 60s, much to the dismay of Val and Joan. On November 27, 2009, she went to Thailand to work with Habitat for Humanity where she met her now-husband Arnold, with whom she travels the world on humanitarian voyages. Her daughters worry about her. On 1 July 2010, she told Val she was coming home for the summer as she (Val) could use the help with the girls. On 14 July 2010, she arrived at a very joyous family reunion with her oldest and the grandkids. In the summer of 2014, Evie married Arnold while visiting him in South Africa. She continues to be a part of her family's lives through video chat.
 * Joan Stone is 36 years old, rarely seen without her glasses on. She is Val's younger sister. At the start of the strip, Joan was an unemployed single mother and dependent on Val. Her son's father was Leon, called "Uncle Leon" by Alix. Joan begins a self-employed freelance copywriting remote work business. Joan took back her maiden name after her divorce, and kept it when she married Wally in strips that ran on Oct 14-15, 2000.
 * Wally Weinstein, introduced in 1995, is Val's down-to-earth next-door neighbor. Wally married Joan in 2000 after a long engagement. A balding and bespectacled insurance salesman, he can cook, loves being a dad, and is handy with tools. He thinks hot chocolate and donuts are a panacea.
 * Andy Gilburt is Wally's 16-year-old nephew, who doesn't think too highly of rules but has no qualms about playing hard rock music at earsplitting levels. Andy moved in with Wally during Wally and Joan's engagement. He has endeared himself to Holly in countless ways. Recently his parents decided to divorce and Andy chose to live permanently with Wally and Joan.
 * Max Krabowsky is 3 years old. He is the preschool-aged son of Joan from her first marriage, and Wally's stepson. Max has two stock emotions: thrilled with life or utterly miserable. He worships action figures, as evidenced by his sudden comprehension of potty training simply by wearing superhero underwear (much to Joan's dismay).
 * Luci Stone Weinstein, Wally and Joan's daughter, and Max's younger half-sister, was born in strips that ran on July 6–8, 2007 (although her birth certificate stated that she was born on July 8, at 1:30 AM, weighing 9 lbs., 8 oz.) after a pregnancy storyline that began in October 2006.
 * Phil Jackson, Val's new husband, was introduced in the book Stone Soup The Comic Strip. He is a motorcycle police officer, and the campus cop at Holly's school. He fears the world is becoming too hurried for his liking. He was Val's on-and-off boyfriend, breaking up when he "freaked out" about dating someone with children. In strips collected in the "Desperate Households" book (2007) they are reunited. In December 2014, Phil asked Val to marry him and she agreed. Val and Phil married in July 2015. Early on his complexion was slightly darker than Val's, and at one point was referred to as "white" by Alix. However, over time his skin tone became darker until he was almost certainly African American. His aunt, Junie Ferguson, lives just down the street from Val. Per her, the family's background is "African, Portuguese and Irish.  My nephew came out looking more Portuguese; I came out more African."  Junie seems to be a good friend of Val's mom, Evie.

Recurring characters

 * Norton Dickerson is Val's coworker and adversary. He is the stereotypical "suck-up" in the office. When he's not brownnosing the boss, he tries to impress Val with tales of entertaining their boss on his (Dickerson's) boat. In strips collected in the 2007 "Desperate Households" book, Dickerson is laid off as was Val, but she gets re-hired after the company starts to spiral downward. Dickerson has yet to return. Everyone thinks he has a thing for Val, though she doesn't really believe it. Dickerson apparently lives with his mother.
 * Rena is Val's office buddy and confidante. Working with Val reminds Rena to enjoy being single and childless. When it comes to cooking, she doesn't think outside the box ("make?").
 * Leon Krabowsky is Joan's first husband and Max's biological father. He went out for milk one night and ended up in the Virgin Islands. Leon and Joan are divorced when the strip begins, but he occasionally drops by to mooch.
 * Susan is the neighborhood vet who also coaches the girls' basketball team. She once dated Wally but they broke up when he found out that she didn't want kids and he did. Sometimes while Val and Phil weren't together, she and Phil dated (this was never seen in the books).
 * Biscuit is the apple of Max's eye, but to everyone else, a "yappy little mutt". Officially Holly and Alix's dog is found as a stray, the girls bring her home and promise to take care of the little pup - originally named "Lily" but the family decided on "Biscuit" since she seems to answer to the name. Val provides care and Max provides adoration. Biscuit has a thing for Val's bunny slippers. During Biscuit's first visit to Susan the vet, it is revealed that Biscuit is female.

Val's book club
Val belongs to a book club with an assortment of characters from other strips, including Elly from For Better or For Worse, Alice from Dilbert, Rose/Vicki the biker chick from Rose Is Rose, and Connie Duncan, the mom from Zits. Cathy was mentioned, but "couldn't come till she found the right man and lost 10 pounds." The book club also threw a baby shower for Joan, which takes place in the book There's No "WE" in Crowning (published in 2007). This is a short collection that takes the reader from the first onset of Joan's pregnancy till the birth of Luci by a midwife at home. Strips featuring the book club have appeared on at least three occasions and are republished in the 2005 trade paperback collection. (See below.)

Commemorative strip, September 11, 2011
Along with 92 other cartoon strips, Eliot was invited to commemorate 9/11 in her daily cartoon in 2011, the 10th anniversary of the attacks.

Political plotline, April 2012
In general, the cartoon strip has more of a domestic, than political focus. However, in April 2012, Stone Soup had a two-week plotline which featured support for universal health care, criticism of U.S. Policy in the Middle East, and made an unflattering remark about Dick Cheney. Eliot's goal was to encourage political participation and to spark discussion and debate, regardless of anyone's ideology. Some papers such as the Daily Herald received both complaints that the politicized or "biased" content should be on the Opinions or Editorial page, contrasted with compliments that Eliot had captured how the majority of women feel about America's politicians, politics and government.

title: Stone Soup (comic strip)


text:
User talk:Taylor Hewitt

Please stop adding nonsense to Wikipedia. It is considered vandalism. If you were just trying to experiment, then use the sandbox instead. Thank you. --fvw *  23:23, 10 October 2005 (UTC)

title: User talk:Taylor Hewitt


text: User talk:203.94.152.2

title: User talk:203.94.152.2


text:
Acacia coriacea

Acacia coriacea, commonly known as river jam, wirewood, desert oak, wiry wattle or dogwood, is a tree in the family Mimosoideae of family Fabaceae. Indigenous Australians know the plant as Gunandru.

Description
River jam grows to a height of about eight metres. It usually has just one or two main trunks. Like most Acacia species, it has phyllodes rather than true leaves. These are thick and leathery, between 20 and 30 cm long, and narrow. The flowers are yellow, and held in spherical clusters about 5 mm in diameter. The pods are usually curled up, but are around 20 cm long when straightened. They are greatly constricted between the seeds. Indigenous Australians used the seeds of the plant as a food source.

Distribution
Acacia coriacea occurs throughout northern Australia, growing as a tall tree on the banks of rivers. It can also occur as a spreading, low tree behind coastal dunes and on 'spinifex' plains.

Common name issues
In some parts of A. coriacea's range the common name 'desert oak' is prevalent, but throughout the larger part of that range this name is often applied to another tree, Allocasuarina decaisneana. The name 'dogwood' is used for numerous plant species in Australia and elsewhere, see Dogwood (disambiguation).

Varieties
There are three subspecies.
 * Acacia coriacea subsp. coriacea
 * Acacia coriacea subsp. pendens
 * Acacia coriacea subsp. sericophylla

 * Acacia coriacea var. coriacea is a synonym for Acacia coriacea subsp. coriacea.

title: Acacia coriacea


text:
Palestinian National Initiative

Palestinian National Initiative (المبادرة الوطنية الفلسطينية al-Mubādara al-Waṭaniyya al-Filasṭīniyya) is a Palestinian political party led by Mustafa Barghouti.

Its formation was formally announced on 17 June 2002 in Ramallah on the West Bank, part of the Palestinian Territories, by Haidar Abdel-Shafi, Mustafa Barghouthi and Ibrahim Dakkak. The PNI views itself as a "democratic third force" in Palestinian politics and opposes the dichotomy between Fatah (which it views as corrupt and undemocratic) and Hamas (which it views as extremist and fundamentalist).

Ideology
The platform of the PNI states:

"Only through the establishment of a sovereign, independent, viable and democratic Palestinian state on all of the territories occupied by Israel in 1967, with East Jerusalem as its capital, can a just peace be achieved.

The Initiative calls for the implementation of relevant United Nations resolutions requiring the withdrawal of the Israeli army from the West Bank and Gaza and safeguarding the internationally recognized right of Palestinian refugees to return to their homeland."

The PNI defines this as collective Palestinian goals but sees as its own role to democratize and unite the Palestinian movement, with the focus on the Palestinian National Authority (PNA). It has campaigned extensively for democratic reform within the PNA and advocates a national emergency government encompassing all factions (including the islamist Hamas) as a means of stopping autocracy and lawlessness in Palestinian politics. This is in part motivated by the desire for democracy and in part by the inefficiency and self-destructive tendencies of the Palestinian factional system.

The PNI demands the proclamation of a single political direction, to be determined democratically, and a single policy for achieving these goals. The PNI itself believes that the methods used should be based on a reversion of what it refers to as the "militarization" of the intifada and a continued struggle by peaceful means. It has no armed wing and does not use nor advocate violence, although it states that it supports in principle a right of resistance to occupation.

Supporter base and leaders
The PNI is dominated by secular intellectuals, some of them former members of the left-wing Palestinian People's Party. It is strongly based in civil society organizations and NGOs operating in the Palestinian Territories and has extensive connections with foreign aid and support groups. Its lack of a role within the PLO and in the PNA has greatly reduced its visibility to ordinary Palestinians.

The PNI has gained some support among Palestinian exiles, most notably the late Edward Said, but is extremely weak or non-existent in the main refugee communities in Jordan, Lebanon and Syria.

The Initiative is led by a General Secretary, with Mustafa Barghouti occupying that post since its founding.

2005 presidential election
At the 2005 Palestinian presidential election held on 9 January 2005, Mustafa Barghouti campaigned on a platform of democratization as the PNI's candidate, and in the absence of a Hamas candidate (due to the Hamas' policy of boycotting all PNA institutions) quickly became the leading opponent to PLO chairman Mahmoud Abbas. Barghouti was also endorsed by the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, after that group failed in its attempts to organize a single candidacy for all secular Palestinian factions outside Fatah.

During the campaign, Barghouti's fame snowballed after the international press picked up his name as the main opposition candidate. He was twice arrested by the Israel Defense Forces, suffering a broken knee in custody, and complained of discrimination by both the Abbas-run PNA and Israel, which he accused of covertly backing Abbas's candidacy. In the final results, he polled 19.48%, with Abbas gaining 62.52% and the remaining five candidates all coming in below 3.5%.

2006 legislative election
At the 2006 Palestinian legislative election for the Palestinian Legislative Council, the PNI ran as part of the Independent Palestine list. The list netted about 2.7% of the votes, winning two seats on the PLC, filled by Mustafa Barghouti and Rawya Rashad Sa-eed al-Shawa.

2005 local elections
The PNI made minor gains in the first round of the 2005 Palestinian local elections, held in January 2005, after the presidential elections.

In the second round, conducted in May 2005, the PNI by itself or in coalitions won a majority in at least six localities, with a total 10% of the vote for candidates outside Fatah and Hamas.

In the third round, held on the West Bank on 29 September, the PNI ran by itself or in coalitions in 18 out of 104 municipalities and won control of 16 councils.

The fourth and last round was postponed until December.

2016 local elections
For the 2016 Palestinian local government elections that were initially scheduled for October 2016, the PNI was one of the five left-wing Palestinian factions that formed a joint list called the Democratic Alliance List. At the elections, which took place on 13 May 2017, the Alliance won 5 of the 3,253 contested seats, gaining 0.32% of the votes.

2021 legislative election
In the abortive 2021 Palestinian legislative election, the PNI submitted a list under the name "List of the National Initiative for Change and to End the Division". The elections were ultimately postponed indefinitely and did not take place.

Initially, the PNI was in talks with other leftist parties, including the PFLP, the DFLP, the PPP and FIDA, to run on a united left list. However, talks broke down and the proposed list failed to materialize.

title: Palestinian National Initiative