History and development.

Bishnupriya Manipuri is spoken in parts of Assam and Tripura in India, in the Sylhet region of Bangladesh, and in several other countries. It is different from many Indo-Aryan languages like Bengali, Oriya, etc. The language originated and developed in Manipur and was originally confined to the surroundings of the Loktak Lake and is similar to the Assamese language. Other authorities such as "An account of the valley of Manipore" by Col. McCullock, "Descriptive Ethnology of Bengal" by E. T. Dalton and the "Linguistic Survey of India" by Dr. George A. Grierson mention that the language was in existence in Manipur before the 19th century. Dr. Grierson refers to the language as "Bishnupuriya Manipuri", while some other writers call it simply "Bishnupriya".  The language slowly started losing its ground in Manipur against a vast majority of Meiteis and is slowly facing its decay in Cachar and Bangladesh against a vast majority of Bengali-speakers. This language is still being spoken in Jiribam (a sub-division of Manipur), Cachar (a district of Assam) and in some pockets in Bangladesh and Tripura.

Source and origin.

The language is known to its speakers as "Imar Thar" (), meaning "Language of my Mother." They call themselves and their language "Manipuri", and use the term "Bishnupriya" to distinguish them from other ethnic groups of Manipur. The term "Bishnupriya" is most probably derived from "Bishnupur" along with the suffix "-iya", meaning "people of Bishnupur".  Orthodox Bishnupriyas hold that the language was carried over to Bishnupriya Manipuri by some immigrants from Dvārakā and Hastinapura just after the Mahabharata war. It is further said that these immigrants were led by Babhruvahana, the son of Chitrangada and Arjuna, the third Pandava. Some scholars and history writers came to support the Mahabharata origin of Bishnupriya Manipuri from observation of the morphology, the vocables, and the phonology of the Bishnupriya Manipuri language. They hold that BPM is highly influenced by Sanskrit and Maharastri as well as Sauraseni Prakrits. Dr. KP Sinha, who has done considerable research on Bishnupriya Manipuri, disagrees with the theory and is of the opinion that the language was originated through Magadhi Prakrita. It is found from his observations that the language has retained dominant characteristics of Magadhi. According to Dr Sinha, pronouns and declensional and conjugational endings seem to be same as or closely related to those of Maithili, Oriya, Bengali. These forms of Oriya, Bengali are, on their parts, derived from Magadhi Apabhramsa coming from the Magadhi Prakrita.  However, the Bishnupriya Manipuri language is certainly not one of the Tibeto-Burman languages, but is closer to the Indo-Aryan group of languages with remarkable influence from Meitei both grammatically and phonetically. At a different stage of development of the language the Sauraseni, Maharashtri and Magadhi languages and the Tibeto-Burman languages exerted influence on it as well. So it was probably developed from Sanskrit, Sauraseni-Maharashtri Prakrit and Magadhi Prakrita. The Sauraseni-Maharastri relation can be traced by observing some characteristics of pronouns. The Magadhi element is also remarkable, as the language retains many characteristics of Magadhi. It can further be noted that Bishnupriya Manipuri retains much of the old (15th century to 17th century A.D.) Meitei sound vocabulary, as the majority of speakers of the language, left Manipur during the first part of the 19th century.

Dialects.

Bishnupriya Manipuri has two dialects, namely Rajar Gang ("King's village") and Madai Gang ("Queen's village"). Unlike the dialects of other tribes, these dialects of Bishnupriya are not confined to distinct geographical areas. In Manipur, however, these two dialects were confined to well-defined territories. From the viewpoint of phonetics, Madai Gang is more akin to Assamese and Meitei, whereas Rajar Gang is more akin to Bengali. In vocabulary, Madai Gang is more influenced by Meitei and Assamese while Rajar Gang is more akin to Bengali. The morphological differences between the two dialects are negligible.

Vocabulary.

Like other Indic languages, the core vocabulary of Bishnupriya Manipuri is made up of "tadbhava" words (i.e. words inherited over time from older Indic languages, including Sanskrit, including many historical changes in grammar and pronunciation), although thousands of "tatsama" words (i.e. words that were re-borrowed directly from Sanskrit with little phonetic or grammatical change) augment the vocabulary greatly. In addition, many other words were borrowed from languages spoken in the region either natively or as a colonial language, including Meitei, English, and Perso-Arabic.

Meitei elements in Bishnupriya Manipuri.

Bishnupriya Manipuri retains the old eighteen sounds of Meitei. Of them, there were three vowels, such as "ɑ", "i" and "u", thirteen consonants such as p, t, k, ph, th, kh, c͡ʃ, m, n, ŋ, l, ʃ, h and two semi-vowels, such as "w" and "j". In later stage nine more sounds added to Meitei but Bishnupriya is not concerned with them, because the Bishnupriyas left Manipur during 1st part of 19th century. That is why Bishnupriya Manipuri retains the older sounds of Meitei, whereas in Meitei itself the sound system has under-gone various changes. The most distinctive influence of Maitei language over Bishnupriya manipuri is formation of words starting with vowel soung 'aung' such as,,.

Connection with Assamese language.

Although there are numerous dissimilarities between Assamese and BPM, Dr. Suniti Kumar Chatterji, a recognised Bengali phonetician, listed the BPM language to be a dialect of Bengali, whereas Dr. Maheswer Neog and Dr. Banikanta Kakti claimed it as a dialect of indigenous Assamese. Their assumptions later caused contradiction about the origin of Bishnupriya Manipuri language. But the assumptions were proven incorrect by scientific research and observation of morphology, vocabulary, and phonology of BPM.

Script.

The orthodox Bishnupriyas claim that they have their own script, that is, the Devanagari script, which was used to write in the Bishnupriya language in its early years.  However, on introduction of modern education during the British period through the Bengali language the Bishnupriya Manipuri writers began to use the Bengali–Assamese script. This alphabet has consonant letters with dependent vowel signs (matras) as well as independent vowel letters. Punctuation marks and numerals are also used. Bishnupriya Manipuri is written from left to right and top to bottom, in the same manner as in English. Some of the consonants can combine with one another to make orthographic clusters (named conjuncts).

Speakers.

Distribution.

In Manipur the language is still spoken in the Jiribam subdivision. A large number of Bishnupriya Manipuri people settled in Assam ages ago, particularly in the Barak Valley. These people are counted as one of the major groups of people in the Cachar and Karimganj districts of Barak Valley. In Tripura, the Bishnupriya Manipuri population localities may be divided into a Dharmanagar sub-area, a Kailasahar sub-area, a Kamalpur sub-area, and a West Tripura sub-area. In Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh and Mizoram, there is a scattered Bishnupriya Manipuri population.  Outside of India, Bangladesh has the largest Bishnupriya Manipuri population. The main localities are Sylhet, Moulbivazar, Habiganj and the Sunamganj district. As per records, there were also a considerable number of the Bishnupriyas Manipuris living in local cities like Mymensingh, Rangamati of the Chittagong Hill Tracts and also at Tezgaon, Manipuri-para in Dhaka, the capital city of Bangladesh.  In Burma, the Bishnupriya Manipuri areas are probably Mandalay, Amarpura, etc. In case of the United States of America, Canada, Germany, Middle East, and Austria, there are a considerable number of Bishnupriya Manipuris settled there.

Literature.

Ancient literature.

A good stock of folk literatures of Bishnupriya Manipuri, which are older in origin, are handed down to this day through oral tradition. The ancient literature of Bishnupriya Manipuri is represented by folk stories, folk-songs, folk-poems, rhymes and proverbs. A rain-invoking song called "Boron-dahanir Ela" (, 1450–1600 A.D.) and a song relating to the conjugal life of Madai and Soralel known as "Madai Soralel Ela" (, 1500–1600 ) are sometimes considered the most important. The language of the songs are archaic and are replete with words of Tibeto-Burman origin. These two songs are very important for the study of the cultural and linguistic history of Bishnupriya Manipuri. Besides these, there are songs which are sung by women who work in the fields. Proverbs form another important part of BPM folk literature.

Modern literature.

The Bishnupriya Manipuris have established the apex literary organisation of the community Nikhil Bishnupriya Manipuri Sahitya Parishad (1955), Bishnupriya Manipuri Sahitya Sabha, Bishnupriya Manipuri Sahitya Singlup, Pouri, Manipuri Theatre, and many other organisations to encourage literary activities among the people. Serious literary culture of the BPM language began during the 2nd quarter of 20th century. In fact, the history of Manipuri literature began in 1925 with the literary magazine "Jagaran" () edited by Falguni Singha who was a Bishnupriya Social worker; this magazine published articles both in Bishnupriya and Meitei. The Manipuris of Surma valley formed their first formal association, Surma Valley Manipuri Society (later called Surma Valley Manipuri Association) in 1934. The members included the Meiteis, the Bishnupriyas and the Pangals (Manipuri Muslims). From 1933 a number of journals, e.g. "Manipuri" (1933), "Mekhali" (1938) and "Kshatryajyoti" (1944), fostered nationalism as well literary and cultural activities. A branch of modern BPM poetic literature, namely Vaishnava Padavali, based on Vaishnava philosophy, deserves special mention.

The Manipuri Bishnupriya or Bishnupriya Manipuri (BPM) () is an Indo-Aryan language spoken in parts of the Indian states of Manipur, Assam, Tripura and others, as well as in the Sylhet region of Bangladesh, Burma, and other countries. It uses the Bengali-Assamese script as its writing system.

Bishnupriya Manipuri (), oder kurz Bishnupriya, ist eine indoarische Sprache. Sie wird von etwa 120.000 Menschen gesprochen. Davon leben zwei Drittel in Indien, vor allem im äußersten Süden des Bundesstaats Assam (Distrikte Kachhar, Hailakandi, Karimganj) sowie in den angrenzenden Regionen Manipurs und Tripuras. Ein Drittel lebt in Bangladesch in der Region um Sylhet. Bishnupriya Manipuri wird in bengalischer Schrift mit den zusätzlichen Zeichen von Asamiya geschrieben.


Early life and education.

Gardner was born in Batavia, New York. His father was a lay preacher and dairy farmer, and his mother taught English at a local school. Both parents were fond of Shakespeare and often recited literature together. He was active in the Boy Scouts of America and achieved the Eagle Scout rank. As a child, Gardner attended public school and worked on his father's farm, where, in April 1945, his younger brother Gilbert was killed in an accident with a cultipacker. Gardner, who was driving the tractor during the fatal accident, carried guilt for his brother's death throughout his life, suffering nightmares and flashbacks. The incident informed much of Gardner's fiction and criticism — most directly in the 1977 short story "Redemption," which included a fictionalized recounting of the accident as an impetus for artistic inspiration.  Gardner began his university education at DePauw University, but received his undergraduate degree from Washington University in St. Louis in 1955. He received his M.A. (1956) and Ph.D. (1958) from the University of Iowa. He was Distinguished Visiting Professor at the University of Detroit in 1970.

Fiction.

Gardner's best-known novels include "The Sunlight Dialogues", about a disaffected policeman asked to engage a madman fluent in classical mythology; "Grendel", a retelling of the Beowulf legend from the monster's point of view, with an existential subtext; and "October Light", about an embittered brother and sister living and feuding with each other in rural Vermont (the novel includes an invented "trashy novel" the woman reads). This last book won the National Book Critics Circle Award in 1976.

Teaching and controversies.

Gardner was a lifelong teacher of fiction writing. He was a favorite at the Bread Loaf Writers' Conference. His two books on the craft of writing fiction—"The Art of Fiction" and "On Becoming a Novelist"—are considered classics. He was famously obsessive with his work, and acquired a reputation for advanced craft, smooth rhythms, and careful attention to the continuity of the fictive dream. His books nearly always touched on the redemptive power of art.  In 1978, Gardner's book of literary criticism, "On Moral Fiction", sparked a controversy that excited the mainstream media, vaulting Gardner into the spotlight with an interview on "The Dick Cavett Show" (May 16, 1978) and a cover story in "The New York Times Magazine" (July, 1979). His judgments of contemporary authors—including such luminaries of American fiction as John Updike and John Barth—which could be termed either direct, courageous, or unflattering, depending on one's perspective—harmed his reputation among fellow writers and book reviewers. Gardner claimed that lingering animosity from critics of this book led to unflattering reviews of what turned out to be his last finished novel, "Mickelsson's Ghosts", although literary critics later praised the book. What was seemingly lost in the furor over "On Moral Fiction" was Gardner's central thesis: that fiction should distinguish right from wrong.  Gore Vidal found the book, as well as Gardner's novels, sanctimonious and pedantic, and called Gardner the "late apostle to the lowbrows, a sort of Christian evangelical who saw Heaven as a paradigmatic American university."  Gardner inspired and, according to Raymond Carver, sometimes intimidated his students. At Chico State College (where he taught from 1959 to 1962), when Carver mentioned to Gardner that he had not liked the assigned short story, Robert Penn Warren's "Blackberry Winter," Gardner said, "You'd better read it again." "And he wasn't joking", said Carver, who related this anecdote in his foreword to Gardner's book "On Becoming a Novelist". In that foreword, he makes it clear how much he respected Gardner and also relates his kindness as a writing mentor.  In addition to Chico State, Gardner taught at Oberlin College (1958-1959), San Francisco State College (1962-1965), Southern Illinois University Carbondale (1965-1974) and Binghamton University (1976-1982).

Scholarship.

In 1977, Gardner published "The Life and Times of Chaucer". In a review in the October 1977 issue of "Speculum", Sumner J. Ferris pointed to several passages that were allegedly lifted either in whole or in part from work by other authors without proper citation. Ferris charitably suggested that Gardner had published the book too hastily, but on April 10, 1978, reviewer Peter Prescott, writing in "Newsweek", cited the "Speculum" article and accused Gardner of plagiarism, a claim that Gardner met "with a sigh."  He is the author of the famous saying : "There are only two plots in all literature : a person goes on a journey, a stranger comes to town".

Health problems.

On December 10, 1977, Gardner was hospitalized with colon cancer. He remained in Johns Hopkins Hospital for about a month and a half. He struggled with substance abuse (alcoholism and smoking) late in his life.

Family life.

Gardner married Joan Louise Patterson on June 6, 1953; the marriage, which produced children, ended in divorce in 1980. Gardner married poet and novelist Liz Rosenberg in 1980, but this marriage also ended in divorce in 1982.

Death.

Gardner was killed in a motorcycle accident about two miles from his home in Susquehanna County, Pennsylvania on Tuesday, September 14, 1982. State Police said that at about 2:30 pm Gardner completed a curve on Route 92 about north of Oakland (41.986246, -75.601200). Passing the home of photographer John Wood, he lost control of his 1979 Harley-Davidson, went into the dirt shoulder, struck the guard rail, and was thrown from the motorcycle, suffering blunt force trauma to his body from his handlebars. He was pronounced dead at Barnes-Kasson Hospital in Susquehanna. Gardner's fiancée, Susan Thornton, stated that Gardner had been drinking the night before the accident. An autopsy revealed Gardner had a blood alcohol level of 0.075; the legal limit for driving at the time was 0.08. Thornton also mentioned exhaustion from overwork as a contributing factor, and that the curve on Route 92 had been freshly-oiled gravel. The crash was four days before his planned marriage to Thornton. He was buried next to his brother Gilbert in Batavia's Grandview Cemetery.

John Champlin Gardner Jr. (July 21, 1933 – September 14, 1982) was an American novelist, essayist, literary critic and university professor. He is best known for his 1971 novel "Grendel", a retelling of the Beowulf myth from the monster's point of view.

John Champlin Gardner junior (* 21. Juli 1933 in Batavia, New York; † 14. September 1982 bei Susquehanna, Pennsylvania) war ein amerikanischer Autor und Universitätslehrer.


Geography.

Schöneberg is a "straßendorf", a village that straddles a main road. Schöneberg lies on the western edge of the Reinhardswald and is home to 600 residents. The German Bundesstraße 83 between Kassel and Bremen runs through town.

History.

Castle.

To exert their power and influence, and for protection, in the early part of the 12th century, the archbishops of Mainz in the Diemel and upper Weser area built a fortress on top of a mountain high, just west of where the village stands today. Today, the castle stands in ruins.

Lords of Schöneberg.

The lords of Schöneberg appeared in the High Middle Ages in northern Hesse and bore the title nobilis Dominus. Their domain stretched through scattered seats from Schöneberg to the Reinhardswald. The castle was built by Count Hermann II of Winzenburg.  In the 12th century, the archbishopric of Mainz hired them to guard and defend Schöneberg castle. After the death of Hermann II, margrave of Meissen, they were given fiefdom rights as well and the castle became their family seat. The counts of Dassel held Schöneberg as a fiefdom from circa 1220 to 1273. In the 13th century, the counts tried to extend their territory. As a part of their strategy, they founded villages in the Reinhardswald, between the Diemel river and the Solling. At the same time, conflicts emerged with the archbishops of Mainz and prince-bishops of Paderborn, as well as with the landgraves of Hesse. At the urging of the people of Hofgeismar, Ludolf VI sold Schöneberg castle to the archbishopric of Mainz in 1272 and with it, the jurisdiction over numerous localities, which were later abandoned. The sale ended the reign of the counts of Dassel over the Reinhardswald, which they had had for decades. This caused a dispute between Ludolf VI and his brother, Adolf V, who was firmly against the sale and refused to approve it. The deed of sale was prepared in 1273 and Ludolf VI put it in writing that he would continue to fight him, if he did not relent.  The lords then moved to Trendelburg castle. A lack of heirs caused them to disappear in the beginning of the 15th century.

Village.

The village of Schöneberg was founded in 1699 by French Hugenots. Charles I, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel gave them land around Hofgeismar to build new settlements after they had been expelled from France by the Edict of Fontainebleau in 1685. Likewise, were Waldensians also welcomed to settle in the region after they were expelled in 1698 by Louis XIV. The village of Schöneberg came into being after Charles I picked a site for a new colony to be built on the land of a former village, which was first mentioned in historical documents in 965. Building began in 1700. Paul du Ry, also a Hugenot and refugee, was responsible for planning. In 1685, Charles I appointed him court architect.  The half-timbered church was built from 1705-06. David Clément was the pastor until his death. Clément dies on January 29, 1725 in Hofgeismar. From 1686, Clément had been pastor of the French Reformed Church congregation at the Neustädter church in Hofgeismar.  There were 24 founding families in Schöneberg. Because of the high mortality rate of children at that time, their numbers did not show significant increase until the 1779 census, when a total of 124 people in 28 families were counted.  The main income of the village was from farming, but over the course of time, other trades and businesses were established, including a brickworks, a few potteries, two tailors, two shoemakers, a hosier and a soap maker.  In 1730, the route of the Bremen post road was moved from passing through a neighboring village to passing through Schöneberg, apparently to improve travel to new baths at Hofgeismar. This change may have altered the development of the village. By the time of the 1779 census, there were already 12 German families living in Schöneberg, as well as 16 French households. The special status accorded to villages founded by French religious refugees was abolished by a landgrave regulation in 1822.

Schöneberg is a village and a municipal district of the town of Hofgeismar in the district of Kassel in northern Hesse, Germany. West of the village, there are the ruins of a castle dating from the 12th century that bears the same name.

Schöneberg ist ein Straßendorf im Landkreis Kassel in Nordhessen mit 550 Einwohnern (Stand 2015). Seit der hessischen Gebietsreform Anfang der 1970er Jahre ist Schöneberg ein Stadtteil der nahe gelegenen Stadt Hofgeismar.


Early life and family.

Marshall Clement Sanford Jr. was born in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. His parents were Marshall Clement Sanford, a cardiothoracic surgeon, and his wife, the former Margaret Elise Pitz. Despite his family's being fairly well-to-do, his entire family slept in the same room to conserve electricity. Before his senior year of high school, Sanford moved with his family from Fort Lauderdale to the Coosaw Plantation near Beaufort, South Carolina. Sanford attained the rank of Eagle Scout in the Boy Scouts of America.  Sanford received a Bachelor of Arts degree in business from Furman University in 1983 and a Master of Business Administration degree from Darden Graduate School of Business Administration at the University of Virginia in 1988.  Sanford married Jenny Sullivan in November 1989. The couple had four sons.  Sanford founded Norton and Sanford Real Estate Investment, a leasing and brokerage company, in 1992.  In 1994, Sanford entered the Republican primary for the Charleston-based 1st Congressional District in the United States House of Representatives. The seat had come open after four-term Republican incumbent Arthur Ravenel declined to seek re-election in his ultimately unsuccessful run for governor. Despite having never run for office before, Sanford finished second in a crowded primary behind Van Hipp Jr., a former George H. W. Bush administration official and former chairman of the South Carolina Republican Party. Sanford defeated Van Hipp in the runoff and easily defeated state representative Robert A. Barber Jr. in the November general election, winning by 66.3% to 32.4%.  Sanford was unopposed by Democratic candidates in 1996 and 1998. In 1996, he beat Joseph Innella of the Natural Law Party by 96.36% to 3.55%. He beat Innella again in 1998, this time by 91% to 8.9%.

U.S. House of Representatives (1995–2001).

Tenure.

While in Congress, Sanford was recognized as its most fiscally conservative member by the Cato Institute. He was also recognized by Citizens Against Government Waste, as well as the National Tax Payers Union, for his efforts to rein in government spending and reduce the national deficit. He garnered a lifetime rating of 92 from the American Conservative Union.  He was known for voting against bills that otherwise received unanimous support. For example, he voted against a bill that preserved sites linked to the Underground Railroad. He voted against pork barrel projects even when they benefited his own district; in 1997, he voted against a defense appropriations bill that included funds for Charleston's harbor. Seeing himself as a "citizen-legislator", he did not run for reelection in 2000, in keeping with a promise to serve only three terms in the House.  Committee assignments

Governor of South Carolina (2003–2011).

2002 election.

In 2002, just before announcing he would run for governor, Sanford joined the Air Force Reserve. He entered the gubernatorial election of 2002; he first defeated Lt. Gov. Bob Peeler in the Republican primary and then defeated the Democratic incumbent, Jim Hodges, in the general election, by a margin of 53% to 47% to become the 115th governor of South Carolina. In accordance with South Carolina law, Sanford was elected separately from the state's Republican lieutenant governor, Andre Bauer. Sanford and Bauer's wins gave the Republicans full control of state government for the first time since Reconstruction.

First term.

In 2003, after becoming governor, Sanford attended two weeks of training with the Air Force Reserve in Alabama with his unit, the 315th Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron. While in training in 2003, Sanford did not transfer power to Bauer, saying he would be in regular contact with his office, and would transfer authority in writing only if he were called to active duty.  Sanford sometimes had a contentious relationship with the South Carolina General Assembly, even though it was dominated by his party for his entire tenure. The Republican-led state House of Representatives overrode 105 of Sanford's 106 budget vetoes on May 26, 2004. The following day, Sanford brought live pigs, who subsequently defecated on the House floor, into the House chamber as a visual protest against "pork projects."  Sanford rejected the Assembly's entire budget on June 13, 2006. Had this veto stood, the state government would have shut down on July 1. He explained his veto as being the only way to get the cuts he desired, and that using the line item veto would have been inadequate as well as impossible. However, in a special session the following day, both houses dismissed Sanford's call for reform by overriding his veto–effectively restoring their original budget.  In 2003, Sanford sought to reform the state's public college system. Sanford has criticized these schools as focusing too much on separately creating research institutions and not on educating the young adults of South Carolina. Sanford also suggested that they combine some programs as a means of curbing tuition increases. The schools did not respond positively to this suggestion, however, causing Sanford to remark that "if any institution ultimately feels uncomfortable with our push toward coordination, they can exit the system and go private."  Sanford's first term included other controversies. A "Time" magazine article in November 2005, critical of Sanford, said that some "fear his thrift has brought the state's economy to a standstill."  According to Survey USA, Sanford's approval ratings ranged from 47% to 55% during 2006. According to Survey USA, Sanford's approval ratings in South Carolina after his admission of infidelity (6-24-09) showed that "60% think the governor should resign. 34% feel he should remain in office."

2006 election.

His campaign for re-election in 2006 began by Sanford winning the June 13 Republican Primary over Oscar Lovelace, a family physician from Prosperity, with 65% of the vote to Lovelace's 35%. His Democratic competitor in the November elections was state senator Tommy Moore, whom Sanford beat by 55%–45%. Ultimately, Sanford left his first House stint with a 55% approval rating.  On Election Day, Sanford was not allowed to vote in his home precinct because he did not have his voter registration card. He was obliged to go to a voter registration office to get a new registration card. "I hope everybody else out there is as determined to vote as I was today", he said. Sanford's driver's license had a Columbia address, but Sanford was trying to vote at his home precinct in Sullivan's Island. According to WAGT in Augusta, Georgia (whose service area includes part of South Carolina) Sanford declared that it would be his last campaign.

Second term.

In dissent with the Republican Party of South Carolina, Sanford opposed the faith-based license plates his state offers, marketed largely to the state's conservative evangelical citizens. After allowing the law to pass without his signature, he wrote: "It is my personal view that the largest proclamation of one's faith ought to be in how one lives his life."  After the passage of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (known as the stimulus), which Sanford strongly opposed and publicly criticized before and after its passage by Congress and presidential signing, Sanford initially indicated he might not accept all of the funds allotted by the spending law to South Carolina. He was criticized by many Democrats and some moderate Republicans, both in his state and outside it, who noted South Carolina's 9.5% unemployment rate (one of the highest in the country) and complained that Sanford was not doing enough to improve economic conditions in his state, which could be alleviated by the stimulus money. Arnold Schwarzenegger, the Republican governor of California, suggested that if Sanford or other governors rejected their portion of stimulus funds, he would be happy to take them instead.  On March 11, 2009, Sanford became the first United States governor to formally reject a portion of the federal stimulus money earmarked by Congress for the state of South Carolina. Sanford compromised to accept the federal money on condition that the state legislature provide matching funds to pay down the South Carolina state debt.  Sanford persuaded state legislator Nikki Haley to run as his successor, and campaigned on her behalf.

2009 disappearance and extramarital affair.

From June 18 until June 24, 2009, the whereabouts of Sanford were unknown to the public, his wife, and the State Law Enforcement Division (which provides security for all South Carolina governors). The mystery surrounding Sanford's whereabouts garnered nationwide news coverage; his absence was first reported by Jim Davenport of the Associated Press. Lieutenant Governor André Bauer announced that he could not "take lightly" that Sanford's staff had not communicated with him "for more than four days, and that no one, including his own family, knows his whereabouts."  Before his disappearance, Sanford told his staff that he would be hiking on the Appalachian Trail. While he was gone, he did not answer 15 cell phone calls from his chief of staff; he also failed to call his family on Father's Day.  Reporter Gina Smith of "The State" (the daily newspaper of Columbia, South Carolina) intercepted Sanford when he arrived at Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport on a flight from Argentina. Several hours later, after learning that evidence of his true whereabouts was being swiftly discovered by the media, Sanford held a news conference during which he admitted to adultery. In emotional interviews with the Associated Press over two days, Sanford said he would die "knowing that I had met my soul mate." Sanford also said that he "crossed the lines" with a handful of other women during 20 years of marriage, but not as far as he did with his mistress. "There were a handful of instances wherein I crossed the lines I shouldn't have crossed as a married man, but never crossed the ultimate line", he said.  On June 25, "La Nación", a Buenos Aires newspaper, identified Sanford's mistress as María Belén Chapur, a 43-year-old divorced mother of two with a university degree in international relations who lived in Buenos Aires. Earlier, "The State" published details of e-mails between Sanford and a woman only identified as "Maria". Sanford met Chapur at a dance in Uruguay in 2001 and admitted that a more intimate relationship with her had begun in 2008.  Sanford's wife had become aware of her husband's infidelities approximately five months before the scandal broke, and the two had sought marriage counseling. Jenny Sanford said that she had requested a trial separation about two weeks before his disappearance.  Sanford told reporters that months before his affair became public, he had sought counsel at a controversial religious organization called The Family, of which he became a member when he was a representative in Washington, D.C. from 1995 to 2001.

Impeachment proceedings.

On August 25, state representatives Nathan Ballentine and Gary Simrill met with Sanford and warned him that the state legislature would impeach him if he did not resign. Ballentine, an ally of Sanford's, said afterward, "I told him the writing is on the wall....he could put an end to it all, but if he doesn't, members of the House will take things into their hands." Sanford still declined to resign.  On August 28, "The Washington Times" reported that Republican lawmakers in South Carolina were "laying plans" for a special legislative session on whether to impeach Sanford. Two bills of impeachment were being prepared, with bipartisan support in the state legislature.  On October 23, 2009, two impeachment resolutions were introduced, but were blocked by Democrats in the South Carolina legislature. A month later, the resolution was successfully introduced and it was announced that an "ad hoc" committee would begin drafting articles of impeachment starting on November 24. Meanwhile, the Ethics Commission formally charged Sanford with 37 violations.  On December 3, during its third public hearing on the matter, the "ad hoc" committee unanimously voted to remove the vast majority of charges from the investigation, stating that they did not warrant "overturning an election." On December 9, the committee voted 6–1 against impeachment, stating that the legislature had better things to do.

Censure.

On December 15, 2009, the House Judiciary Committee voted unanimously to censure Sanford. The full South Carolina House of Representatives passed the resolution by a vote of 102–11 in January 2010.

Other fallout from scandal.

Sanford resigned as Chairman of the Republican Governors Association following the disclosure of his affair. He was swiftly succeeded by Mississippi governor Haley Barbour. In a June 29 email to members of his political action committee, Sanford said he had no intention of resigning as governor.  After his affair was revealed in June 2009, Sanford said: "There's been a lot of speculation and innuendo on whether or not public money were used to advance my admitted unfaithfulness. To be very clear: no public money was ever used in connection with this." After a Freedom of Information Act request was filed, Sanford eventually chose to reimburse taxpayers for expenses he had incurred one year earlier with his mistress in Argentina. He said, "I made a mistake while I was there in meeting with the woman who I was unfaithful to my wife with. That has raised some very legitimate concerns and questions, and as such, I am going to reimburse the state for the full cost of the Argentina leg of this trip." On August 9, 2009, the AP reported that Sanford may have violated state law by other inappropriate use of state planes, including using a state plane to get a haircut.  After telling "Vogue" magazine that her husband was having a "midlife crisis," Sanford’s wife, Jenny Sanford, moved out of the South Carolina Governor’s Mansion with the couple’s four sons, returning to the family home on Sullivan’s Island. On December 11, 2009, she announced that she was filing for divorce, calling it a "sad and painful process." The divorce was finalized in March 2010. A stipulation within the divorce papers required that while on the Sanford family’s Coosaw plantation, "no airplanes will be flown at children." The papers also noted that Sanford liked to "unwind" by digging holes on the property with his hydraulic excavator.  In August 2012, Sanford became engaged to Chapur. The engagement was subsequently broken off in September 2014.  In September 2014, Mark and Jenny Sanford agreed on mediation over an argument arising from their divorce. Jenny Sanford unsuccessfully petitioned the judge to require that Sanford undergo a psychiatric exam and take parenting and anger management classes. Judge Daniel Martin Jr. ordered the parties to take the issues to mediation within 30 days.

Hiatus from politics (2011–2012).

Following completion of his service as governor in January 2011, Sanford moved to his family farm in Beaufort County, South Carolina, and later moved to a condominium in Charleston, South Carolina. He has described this as a very quiet and spiritual time, and developed a Buddhist/Christian life approach including a daily quiet time, practicing mindfulness, and emphasizing everyone's'shared human experience.'  In October 2011, Sanford was hired as a paid political contributor for Fox News Channel.

U.S. House of Representatives (2013–2019).

Elections.

2013 special election.

In December 2012, CNN reported that Sanford was considering a bid to retake his congressional seat. The previous holder, fellow Republican Tim Scott, had been appointed to the United States Senate by Governor Nikki Haley after the resignation of Senator Jim DeMint. On December 22, 2012, Sanford sent an email to supporters, confirming rumors that he intended to run for Congress in 2013.  During his prior years as a representative on Capitol Hill, he was often identified as an ally of libertarian/conservative Ron Paul while they served in the House together.  Sanford formally launched his bid for Congress in early 2013. He quickly became a front-runner in a crowded field of 16 Republican candidates, because of his name recognition. On April 2, 2013, Sanford won his Republican House primary runoff against Curtis Bostic, a former Charleston County Councilman.  On April 17, 2013, the National Republican Congressional Committee pulled support from the Sanford campaign in the wake of revelations that Jenny Sanford had filed a trespassing complaint against him on February 4. According to the complaint, Jenny Sanford had caught her former husband sneaking out of her home in Sullivan's Island, without her knowledge of his presence, using his cellphone as a flashlight. Under the terms of their divorce agreement, neither Mark nor Jenny Sanford may come to the other's house without permission—a condition Jenny Sanford alleged that Mark Sanford had flouted on numerous occasions despite Jenny Sanford filing a "no trespass" letter with the Sullivan's Island Police Department. In a statement, Mark Sanford admitted that he had gone to the house to watch the second half of Super Bowl XLVII with his son. He claimed to have tried to contact Jenny beforehand but was unable to do so. Jenny Sanford filed the complaint the next morning. Several Republican operatives said that they were upset Sanford had known about this complaint for some time and failed to disclose it.  Sanford was endorsed by FreedomWorks, South Carolina governor Nikki Haley, U.S. representative and House speaker John Boehner, state senator Tom Davis, former South Carolina state treasurer Thomas Ravenel, perennial candidate Ben Frasier, former U.S. representative from Texas Ron Paul, and U.S. senator from Kentucky Rand Paul. On May 1, 2013, U.S. senator and former U.S. representative Tim Scott and U.S. senator Lindsey Graham endorsed Sanford. Pornographer Larry Flynt also endorsed him, saying "His open embrace of his mistress in the name of love, breaking his sacred marriage vows, was an act of bravery that has drawn my support."  On May 7, 2013, Sanford was once again elected to the U.S. House of Representatives with 54.04% of the vote, defeating economist Elizabeth Colbert Busch, sister of late-night television personality Stephen Colbert.

2014.

Sanford was unopposed for re-election in 2014.

2016.

In 2016, Sanford was renominated by the Republican Party for another Congressional term, defeating his sole primary opponent, state representative Jenny Horne, with 55.61% of the vote, and in the November general election was re-elected by a margin of 58.56% to a total of 36.83% for his major opponent, Dimitri Cherry, who was nominated on the lines of the Democratic, Working Families and Green Parties, as South Carolina is one of the states practicing electoral fusion. (Other candidates received approximately 4.6% of the vote.)

2018.

Sanford was criticized by President Donald Trump via Twitter for being "very unhelpful," and "nothing but trouble" hours before polls closed on the day of the June 12th Republican primary. Trump also endorsed state representative Katie Arrington as the Republican nominee for Sanford's seat. Arrington defeated Sanford in the Republican primary by garnering 50.5% of the vote, to Sanford's 46.5%. Sanford became the second Republican to lose renomination to the House of Representatives in the 2018 election cycle.  After his loss, "The New York Times" wrote, "Mark Sanford of South Carolina found out the hard way, in his surprise primary defeat" that "having a conservative voting record is less important than demonstrating total loyalty to Mr. Trump."  On November 6, 2018, Democrat Joe Cunningham was elected as his successor, defeating Arrington in an upset election.  Sanford became a teaching fellow at the University of Chicago Institute of Politics after the 2018 election.

Tenure.

Sanford was sworn in on May 15, 2013.  On June 5, 2014, Sanford introduced the TSA Office of Inspection Accountability Act of 2014 (H.R. 4803; 113th Congress), a bill that would direct the Inspector General of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to review the data and methods that the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) uses to classify personnel as law enforcement officers and to reclassify, as necessary, any staff of the Office of Inspection that are currently misclassified according to the results of that review. Sanford said that "even though there are federal standards in place that lay out how employees qualify for higher wages, the Transportation Security Administration pays some of their employees more for jobs they're not doing. That wouldn't make sense anywhere outside of government and our bill would help fix that problem by clarifying those employees' responsibilities." According to Sanford, accurately reclassifying employees who do not spent at least 50 percent of the time on law enforcement activities and putting them on an accurate pay scale would save the government $17 million a year.  Sanford posted lengthy remarks on his Facebook page on September 12, 2014, regarding Jenny Sanford’s "legal machinations surrounding the custody of their children." His remarks on Facebook on that date were longer than the total of all his 2014 speeches on the floor of the House of Representatives.  Despite the fact that Sanford supported Donald Trump in the 2016 presidential election, he became "one of the president’s most eloquent critics" early in Trump' tenure, according to "The Washington Post". According to NPR, "Sanford hasn't been shy at voicing his disgust with Trump and his distaste for the president's brash style of politics and frequent bending of the truth." In a February 2017 interview, Sanford said that Trump "at some level... represents the antithesis, or the undoing, of everything I thought I knew about politics, preparation and life." According to an analysis by "FiveThirtyEight", only four Republican House members voted less frequently with Trump than Sanford.  Sanford criticized President Donald Trump's 2017 executive order to temporarily curtail Muslim immigration until better screening methods were devised. He stated that "I'm hearing a voice of concern that things are moving from weird to reckless in their view. And that even if you're going to enact this policy, the way in which it was done just seems bizarre." In early 2017, Sanford signed a letter urging Congress to request Donald Trump's tax returns so that they could be reviewed in a closed session of Congress to determine whether they could be released to the public. In his 2018 re-election campaign ads, Sanford boasted of having voted with the president "89 percent of the time." He also expressed support for Trump's wall on the US-Mexico border.  On May 4, 2017, Sanford voted to repeal the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) and pass the American Health Care Act.  Committee assignments  Caucus memberships

Involvement in presidential elections.

2008.

In 2006, before the midterm elections, some commentators discussed the possibility of Sanford running for president. He said that he would not run, and claimed that his re-election bid would be his last election, win or lose. After Super Tuesday in 2008, Sanford received some mention as a potential running mate for the presumptive Republican presidential candidate, John McCain. Sanford publicly aligned himself with McCain in a March 15, 2008, piece in "The Wall Street Journal". Likening the presidential race to a football game at halftime, Sanford noted that he "sat out the first half, not endorsing a candidate...But I'm now stepping onto the field and going to work to help John McCain. It's important that conservatives do the same."  On January 11, 2008, shortly before the South Carolina presidential primaries (R Jan 19, D Jan 26), Sanford published a guest column in the Columbia newspaper "The State". In the article, "Obama's Symbolism Here", Sanford wrote, "I won't be voting for Barack Obama for president", but noted the "historical burden" borne by South Carolinians on the topic of race. He advised voters in South Carolina to take note of the symbolism of Obama's early success, with the knowledge that South Carolina was a segregated state less than fifty years earlier, and discouraged voting either for or against Obama on the basis of his race.  On a January 18, 2008 interview with CNN's Wolf Blitzer, Sanford discussed his Obama article. Wolf Blitzer asked, "Give us your mind-set. Why did you think it was so important to write this piece right now at this critical moment?" Sanford responded, "Well, it plays into a larger conversation that we're having as a family of South Carolinians on, in fact, the [constitutional] structure of our government." Blitzer also showed Sanford clips of recent comments made by John McCain and Mike Huckabee about the Confederate battle flag and asked Sanford, "All right, two different positions, obviously. Who's right in this?" Sanford responded, "Well, it depends who you talk to." Sanford elaborated that "if you were to talk to the vast majority of South Carolinians, they would say that we do not need to be debating where the Confederate flag is or is not."  Sanford attracted derision in the liberal blogosphere and among pundits and analysts on the left for a gaffe during an interview with CNN's Blitzer on July 13, 2008, when he had difficulty answering a question about differences between Senator McCain and incumbent President George W. Bush on economic policy. "I'm drawing a blank, and I hate when I do that, especially on television", joked Sanford.

2012.

As early as January 2008, there had been anticipation that Sanford would run for President in 2012, and online support groups had sprung up on social networks like Facebook for a Sanford ticket.  At the time, the governor neither ruled out nor expressly hinted at a run. Further boosting Sanford's profile in advance of a potential candidacy, he was elected as Chairman of the Republican Governors Association in November 2008 and was cited by Michael S. Steele, the chairman of the Republican Party as one of four "rising stars" in the GOP (alongside governors Bobby Jindal of Louisiana, Tim Pawlenty of Minnesota and Sarah Palin of Alaska) in February 2009. Sanford also received early support for a presidential run from the Republican Liberty Caucus.  On February 22, 2009, Sanford declined to rule out a possible presidential bid in 2012, though he professed to have no current plans to run for national office.  "Washington Post" blogger Chris Cillizza said that the revelation of the extramarital affair in June 2009 ended Sanford's chances of being a serious candidate in 2012.  On January 4, 2010, Sanford stated, "If there's anything that's abundantly clear, it's that I ain't running for president," and indicated that he would enter the private sector after his last 11 months as governor.

2016.

Sanford endorsed Donald Trump in the 2016 presidential election.

2020 presidential campaign.

On July 16, 2019, Sanford confirmed that he was interested in challenging Trump for the presidency in 2020, citing "his alarm over the nation's finances" as a reason for doing so. He said he would decide on a potential candidacy by September 2, 2019, but postponed it at the last minute because of Hurricane Dorian. On September 8, 2019, he formally launched his campaign and declared his candidacy for the Republican nomination on "Fox News Sunday".  On November 12, 2019, Sanford said he was suspending his campaign.

Books.

In 2000 Sanford's first book, "The Trust Committed To Me", was published. It discussed term limits, and featured a foreword by Robert Novak. A second book, titled "Within Our Means", was scheduled to be published by Sentinel in 2010: however, the contract was terminated by mutual agreement after the revelation of Sanford's extramarital affair.

Electoral history.

<nowiki>*</nowiki>Write-in and minor candidate notes: In 1994, write-ins received 63 votes. In 1998, write-ins received 71 votes. In 2013, write-ins received 383 votes.

Marshall Clement "Mark" Sanford Jr. (born May 28, 1960) is an American politician and author. A Republican, Sanford is a former governor of South Carolina and a former member of the U.S. House of Representatives.

Marshall Clement „Mark“ Sanford Jr. (* 28. Mai 1960 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida) ist ein amerikanischer Politiker der Republikanischen Partei und Autor. Er ist ehemaliger Gouverneur von South Carolina und ehemaliger Abgeordneter im Repräsentantenhaus.


History.

Background.

After the Irish Free State was formed and the Irish Civil War was concluded, the new state set up a single radio channel named 2RN in 1926, launched by Douglas Hyde. This was ran by the Irish Post Office and was not a private enterprise. The radio program, operating out of Dublin, largely served the Anglophone population and at best reached as far as County Tipperary; a situation which did not change until more powerful transmitters were adopted in the 1930s at Athlone. Those involved in setting up 2RN and J. J. Walsh (Minister for Posts and Telegraphs from 1923 to 1927) discussed the possibility of setting up an Irish-language radio service for the "Gaeltacht" community and more widely were sympathetic to Irish culture which included language revival, but the project was frustrated due to economic reasons and came to little.  As the Irish language was valued as part of Irish national identity and a marker of the young state's independence, there were some broadcasts in the language such as "Nuacht" and "Tréimhseachán Teann" (shows with English equivalents), the latter written by Séamus Ó Néill and Ciarán Ó Nualláin (brother of Brian Ó Nualláin). These featured alongside focus on Gaelic games, Irish traditional music and Catholic religious programming as part of a general nation-building content focus. In the 1940s, there were shows which sought to proactively teach the language such as "Is Your Irish Rusty?" and "Listen and Learn". Irish-language programming suffered from a shortage of materials and for audience figures. In 1943, Taoiseach Éamon de Valera – whose wife Sinéad Ní Fhlannagáin was a keen "Conradh na Gaeilge" activist – promoted the idea of a "Gaeltacht" station again, but there was no breakthrough. By this time, 2RN had become "Radio Éireann" and still only had one channel, with limited broadcasting hours, often in competition for listeners with BBC Radio and Radio Luxembourg.  In the 1950s, a general liberalisation and commercialisation, indeed Americanisation began to occur in Ireland, as a push was made to move Ireland from a rural-agrarian society with a protectionist cultural policy, towards a market economy basis, with supply and demand the primarily basis of public communications. This brought Ireland into line culturally with the Western powers and eventually paved the way for its entrance into the European Economic Community. In 1960, RTÉ was established and direct control of communications moved from a government ministry position to a non-governmental RTÉ Director-General position, first filled by the American, Edward Roth. Previous cultural policies, including broadcasting in Irish, reduced in percentage, as ratings and profit became key. Eventually, in the late 1960s, a civil rights movement in the "Gaeltacht", particularly Conamara emerged, seeking development and services for Irish-speakers, including a radio service. Out of the's advocacy came the pirate radio station "Saor Raidió Chonamara" in 1970. This set the subsequent discourse for Irish-language and "Gaeltacht" issues as a civil rights and minority rights imperative.

Foundation.

Gerry Collins, the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs, announced in the "Dáil" in February 1971 that a new radio station for the "Gaeltacht" would be created. "Raidió na Gaeltachta" began broadcasting at 3pm on 2 April 1972 as part of an Easter Sunday programming. During the very first broadcast, the main station at Casla, County Galway was not yet finished and the studios in County Kerry and County Donegal were still in construction, so it was broadcast from Galway. The first "Ceannaire" (Controller) Pádraic Ó Raghallaigh opened the show, which was followed by a recording from President Éamon de Valera. A recording of Seán Ó Riada's Irish-language Mass, "Ceol an Aifrinn" (which includes the hymn "Ag Críost an Síol") from the "Seipéal Mhic Dara" at Carraroe was also played.  At foundation, the station began with a staff of seven, including six former teachers and a businessman: Ó Raghallaigh, Breandán Feiritéar, Timlín Ó Cearnaigh, Máirtín Ó Fátharta, Seán Ó Tuairisg, Maidhc P. Ó Conaola, Mícheál Ó Sé and Feardorcha Ó Colla. Initially, "Raidió na Gaeltachta" broadcast for only two hours a day and was only available in or near the three largest "Gaeltacht" districts. The local studio at Derrybeg in Gweedore, County Donegal, under the direction of Ulstermen, Ó Cearnaigh and Ó Colla, aided the native Irish music scene there. In the 1970s, "Raidió na Gaeltachta" gave early coverage to Clannad and Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh (later the singer for Altan). These groups would gain popularity not only in Ireland, but on the international stage, selling millions of records during the 1980s especially. The station was dedicated to bringing the listener general news, both national and international (which, in the context of the times meant Donegal reporters with names "as Gaeilge" having to cross British Army checkpoints into Northern Ireland), as well as Gaelic sports coverage and more localised affairs of significance to the community in the "Gaeltacht".

Recent.

Following the putting in place of a fourth RTÉ national radio transmitter network (used for RTÉ lyric fm), the station expanded to 24 hours from 1 October 2001. Listenership figures are hard to come by, as the station does not make payments to be included covered in the JNLR listenership survey. It is claimed that – as it doesn't carry advertising (the only Irish radio station not to do so) – paying to be included in a survey organised mainly for the benefit of the Irish advertising industry would be a pointless waste of scarce funds. It is generally believed that listenership is high amongst fluent Irish speakers but its appeal among those learning the language is not as high as TG4 because (despite being available nationally) it is widely perceived as being oriented (as its name suggests) towards Gaeltacht residents.  For many years it was the only Irish-language broadcaster in the country; in recent years it has been joined by a television service, Telefís na Gaeilge (TG4), and by regional community radio stations: Raidió na Life in Dublin, Raidió Fáilte in Belfast and Raidió Rí-Rá.  In March 2005, RTÉ announced that RnaG would allow songs with English lyrics to be played between 21:00 and 01:00, as part of a new popular music strand. In April 2005, it was announced that the name of this strand would be "Anocht FM" (Tonight FM). On weeknights the strand includes a new programme, "Géill Slí" (Give Way), as well as the existing long-running "An Taobh Tuathail" slot. "Anocht FM" will also be broadcast at weekends with different programmes. The new service was launched on 2 May 2005. The first track with English-language lyrics played was "Blister in the Sun" by the Violent Femmes, chosen by public vote.

Locations.

RnaG is based in Casla, Co. Galway. It also has studios at Gaoth Dobhair ("Gweedore"), Co. Donegal; Baile na nGall in Ard na Caithne, Co. Kerry; Castlebar, Co. Mayo; with a smaller studio in Ring, County Waterford and the RTÉ Radio Centre in Dublin. The station is operated by RTÉ, but has a separate advisory council, Comhairle Raidió na Gaeltachta, which is appointed by the RTÉ Authority. RTÉ also appoints the Ceannaire, or Controller, of RnaG, who has day-to-day responsibility for the service.

Statistics.

Funding.

The station received a total budget of €11.3 million for 2015.

Audience.

According to the 2011 JNLR survey, RnaG has a weekly listenership of 100,000 which equates to a 3% market share.  This is similar to Welsh-language BBC Radio Cymru, which has 116,000 listeners and a 2.4% share.

RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta (, "Radio of the Gaeltacht"), abbreviated RnaG, is the Irish-language radio service of the public-service broadcaster Raidió Teilifís Éireann. The station is available on FM in Ireland and via satellite and on the Internet. It celebrated 40 years on air on 2 April 2012. The station's main-headquarters are in Casla, County Galway with major studios also in Gweedore, County Donegal and Dingle, County Kerry.

RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta (RnaG; irisch für "Radio Gaeltacht") ist das irischsprachige Hörfunkprogramm der Radio Telefís Éireann (RTÉ) in Irland und kann in Irland auf UKW 92,6 – 94,4 MHz (102,7 MHz im Nordosten) und über Internet empfangen werden. Es nahm am 2. April 1972 als zweiter legaler Radiosender seinen Betrieb auf. Ursprünglich sendete RnaG nur einige Stunden am Tag, aber nachdem das vierte landesweite Programm RTÉ Lyric FM ausgestrahlt wurde, weitete der Sender seinen Betrieb ab dem 1. Oktober 2001 auf 24 Stunden aus.


Early life.

Hansen was born in Sauchie, Clackmannanshire, Scotland and attended Lornshill Academy and supported Rangers growing up. His Danish surname originates from his grandfather who came from Denmark. At the age of 15, Hansen ran into a plate-glass panel after playing volleyball and was left with a large scar on his forehead. The glass was in a brand-new youth club which Hansen attended. During his two-hour hospital stay he had 27 stitches in his head. He sued the education authority and won the case. Hansen stopped playing football between the ages of 15 and 17 and concentrated on playing golf, with aspirations of becoming a professional. His father and brother wanted Hansen to play football, so he accepted the offer of a trial with Hibernian when he was 17. Hibernian manager Eddie Turnbull offered Hansen a professional contract, but he refused because it would have stopped him from playing golf competitively.

Playing career.

Sauchie Juniors.

Alan Hansen played his early football (along with his brother John) at Scottish Junior league club, Sauchie Juniors near Alloa in Clackmannanshire.

Partick Thistle.

Hansen turned down the opportunity to study at the University of Aberdeen, in order to join his older brother John at Partick Thistle. During the summer while his application was being processed, he worked for six weeks in the offices of General Accident insurance — which he hated. As a trainee, Hansen attended the 1971 Scottish League Cup Final, seeing a Partick Thistle side that included his brother John create one of the biggest shocks ever in Scottish football by defeating favourites Celtic 4–1 at Hampden Park.  After breaking into the first team at Thistle, Hansen was watched by top clubs, including Bob Paisley's Liverpool. In 1975–76 season Hansen played 21 times as Thistle won the Scottish First Division championship to gain entry into the Scottish Premier Division. By the end of the following season Hansen had 35 first team appearances, before moving south of the border to Liverpool on 5 May 1977. After arriving at Anfield, the nickname which he loathed for years ("Stretch") was forgotten and a new nickname "Jockey" was born.

Liverpool.

Hansen cost Liverpool £100,000. He made his debut on 24 September 1977 in a league match at Anfield. Derby County were the visitors and were beaten by a single goal scored by Terry McDermott. Hansen hit his first goal the following month on 19 October during a European Cup 2nd round 1st leg tie at Anfield. He opened the scoring in the 14th minute as Liverpool demolished East German side Dynamo Dresden 5–1.  Hansen was put into the first team sporadically throughout the season. He was not in the side which lost the 1978 League Cup final replay to Nottingham Forest, but he was selected for the Liverpool side which won the 1978 European Cup Final 1–0 over FC Bruges at Wembley, on a goal by Kenny Dalglish. Hansen managed 18 appearances in the First Division that season, where Liverpool finished runners-up to Nottingham Forest.  The following season, 1978–79, Hansen was a regular in the team as Liverpool regained the league title. The team's final points tally of 68 was a record under the two points for a win system, and they conceded only four goals at home at Anfield. When long-serving club captain Emlyn Hughes was sold to Wolves, Hansen became an automatic first choice central defender in the team, and Liverpool's domination of English club football continued in the 1979–80 season with another league title.  In the 1980–81 season, Liverpool won two trophies, but did not win a third consecutive league title as Aston Villa finished as English champions. Liverpool won their first League Cup in 1981, defeating West Ham United 2–1 in a replay at Villa Park. Hansen also won his second European Cup winners medal in 1981, Liverpool defeating Real Madrid 1–0 at the Parc des Princes in Paris on 27 May.  The league title returned to Anfield in the 1981–82 season, and Liverpool also retained the League Cup in 1982 with a 3–1 win over Tottenham Hotspur, although Hansen missed this victory with injury. Liverpool did not retain the European Cup in 1982, surprisingly losing in the quarter-final to CSKA Sofia 2–1 on aggregate.  In the 1982–83 season, Liverpool once again took the league title and held on to the League Cup in 1983, defeating Manchester United 2–1 after extra-time in the final at Wembley. Bob Paisley, who signed Hansen for Liverpool in 1977, retired at the end of the 1982–83 season and was replaced as manager by long-serving coach Joe Fagan.  In the 1983–84 season, Liverpool completed a treble of trophies in Fagan's first season as manager, winning the league title, League Cup and European Cup. Hansen was involved in a controversial incident in the League Cup final at Wembley when he appeared to handle a shot on the goal line. Despite protests from opponents and Merseyside rivals Everton, no penalty was given. Liverpool won the final after a replay at Maine Road.  Liverpool reached the 1984 European Cup final after beating Romanian champions Dinamo Bucharest 3–1 on aggregate in the semi-final. The first leg at Anfield was an ill-tempered affair with Liverpool captain Graeme Souness breaking the jaw of a Bucharest midfielder. Hansen played in the European Cup final victory over A.S. Roma, which Liverpool won on a penalty shoot-out after the match ended 1–1 in front of a crowd of 69,000 at Roma's home stadium, the Stadio Olimpico.  Liverpool did not win a trophy in the 1984–85 season and were banned from all European competition after the 1985 European Cup Final which pitted Liverpool against the Italian giants Juventus at Heysel was preceded by rioting which caused the deaths of 39 people, including 32 Italian Juventus fans. Liverpool lost the match 1–0. Hansen would never play in a European tie again.  Manager Joe Fagan retired after the Heysel disaster, and Hansen's friend, teammate and fellow Scotsman Kenny Dalglish was appointed as player-manager. He gave Hansen the captaincy and the season ended in triumph, as in 1986 Liverpool became only the third side in the 20th century to complete a League and FA Cup "double", following Tottenham in 1961 and Arsenal in 1971. Hansen lifted both trophies as captain and earned his first FA Cup winners' medal, thereby completing the domestic set.  Liverpool failed to win a trophy in the 1986–87 season, losing the League Cup final at Wembley when Arsenal defeated them 2–1, while Merseyside rivals Everton took the league title. In the 1987–88 season they lost just twice in the league winning the title with Hansen as skipper. Liverpool also reached the FA Cup final, but were denied a second "double" when they were beaten 1–0 by Wimbledon in one of the competition's biggest shocks. Two days later, 31,000 attended Anfield for Hansen's testimonial match against an England XI preparing for UEFA Euro 1988.  Hansen was restricted to just six league appearances in the 1988–89 season as a result of a dislocated left knee sustained in a pre-season friendly against Atlético Madrid in Spain. Hansen played in the 1989 FA Cup final at Wembley, which Liverpool won 3–2 in extra-time against Everton, though Hansen did not lift the trophy as captain. The honour was given to teammate Ronnie Whelan who had deputised in Hansen's absence through injury and retained the role even after the club's first choice captain was fit again. Hansen did not have any objections to Whelan keeping the captaincy that season.  After winning the 1989 FA Cup, Liverpool were denied a second "double" in four seasons when they lost the League title to Arsenal on 26 May 1989. Michael Thomas scored a crucial last minute goal for Arsenal at Anfield that gave the North Londoners a 2–0 win. This resulted in Arsenal winning the league title on goals scored after the two teams had finished the season with the same number of points and exactly the same goal difference.  Hansen made more appearances the following season but his persistent knee problems continued to affect his fitness although he still captained Liverpool to another League title, which made it eight individually for Hansen, which was a record at the time. The club came close to the "double" yet again, but lost an FA Cup semi-final 4–3 in extra-time to Crystal Palace at Villa Park.  Hansen was unable to play in any competitive games during the 1990–91 season (when Liverpool finished second in the league and were trophyless for only the third time since Hansen's arrival 14 years earlier) and he retired in March 1991, a month after Kenny Dalglish resigned as manager. At this stage Ronnie Moran was caretaker manager until the appointment of Graeme Souness in the permanent position shortly afterwards.  In Hansen's playing career for Liverpool, his winners medals include 8 league titles, 3 European Cups, 2 FA Cups and 4 League Cups.

Hillsborough disaster.

On 15 April 1989, the Hillsborough disaster claimed the lives of 94 Liverpool fans (eventually rising to 96). Hansen was selected for the FA Cup semi-final match against Nottingham Forest at Hillsborough, playing the opening six minutes of the match before it was abandoned. Hansen attended 12 funerals and visited the injured in hospital.  In his autobiography, Hansen described the tragedy as "the blackest period of my life". He wrote: "The number of broken hearts was incalculable. The immediate aftermath, when Kenny Dalglish and the players attended the funerals and tried to show support for the grieving families took more out of me emotionally than any other experience I have gone through." On "Match of the Day" in April 2009, Hansen spoke emotionally about the tragedy. He said: "It was a horrific time, traumatic for everybody. It must never be forgotten." In 2010, Hansen said that each of the funerals that he attended after Hillsborough got harder. "The emotional scars will be there forever", he said.  In an article in the "Daily Telegraph", Hansen responded to the Hillsborough Independent Panel report of September 2012, by writing: "I have encountered ignorance about Hillsborough on many occasions, finding myself having to correct the inaccurate version of events. The report explicitly removes the excuse of ignorance for those who misunderstood the tragedy. Each sentence in it reads as a tribute to the honesty, integrity and dignity of the families and is an acknowledgement of everything they have been saying since those first, scurrilous accusations surfaced."

Scotland.

Having previously appeared for the under-23 side, Hansen made his full debut for Scotland on 19 May 1979 in a British Home Championship match against Wales in front of 20,000 spectators at Ninian Park, Cardiff. Scotland manager Jock Stein gave debuts to four Scottish players that day – George Burley, John Wark, Paul Hegarty and Hansen. Hosts Wales won the match 3–0 against a somewhat inexperienced Scottish line-up, with striker John Toshack scoring a hat-trick for Wales.  Hansen's second Scotland cap came the following month on 2 June 1979 in a prestigious Saturday afternoon friendly match at Glasgow's Hampden Park against reigning World Champions Argentina. On the hottest day in Glasgow for 30 years, the 61,000 sun-drenched crowd at Hampden Park saw the South Americans beat Scotland 3–1, with an 18-year-old Diego Maradona scoring his first international goal for Argentina in a virtuoso display of skill and trickery. In an interview in 2007, Hansen said that Maradona was "without a shadow of a doubt the best player I came up against. He was virtually unplayable – even at 18."  Hansen played for Scotland in the 1982 World Cup in Spain. The team failed to progress beyond the qualifying group, having drawn 2–2 with the USSR when Scotland needed a win to progress in the tournament. An accidental collision between Hansen and central defensive partner Willie Miller allowed USSR striker Ramaz Shengelia through to score the Soviets' second goal.  A formidable Scotland central defensive partnership was formed between Willie Miller and Alex McLeish of Aberdeen, who were managed by Alex Ferguson. Ferguson, who took charge of the national team after the sudden death of Jock Stein, dropped Hansen from the squad for the 1986 World Cup in Mexico. Hansen disagreed with the decision, as he felt that his form in the 1985/86 season (when Liverpool had won a league and cup double) was near his best. Hansen had played infrequently for Scotland before the tournament, and had often withdrawn from squads. Hansen won the last of his 26 Scotland caps in 1987.

Management offers.

Hansen was offered the Huddersfield Town job in 1992, following the sacking of Eoin Hand, but he turned it down. There were strong rumours that Hansen would be approached to take over as manager of Liverpool after his former captain Graeme Souness was sacked by the club in 1994. Hansen ruled himself out by stating that, despite his great affection for the club, he simply was not interested in coaching or management; a position he has maintained ever since Roy Evans got the job. Hansen also turned down an offer in 1995 to manage Manchester City, following the sacking of Brian Horton.

Media career.

After rejecting the idea of management, when he retired from football in 1991 he planned to take three months off. After his wife pointed out that nobody had contacted them during his rest period, he started calling the networks. Sky Television employed Hansen as a pundit and summariser almost as soon as he ceased playing, and soon he had established enough of a reputation as a considered observer and thinker within the game for the BBC to approach him. He began working for BBC Radio 5 Live, before moving on to "Match of the Day". Hansen was employed for 22 years as the main pundit for the BBC's football coverage (rights to show matches or highlights permitting) and was known as a calm, authoritative, and rational analyst of the game who is particularly keen on highlighting the triumphs and "shocking", "poor" or "diabolical" mistakes of defenders and commenting on "mediocre" performances. He is a columnist for the "Daily Telegraph", "Telegraph.co.uk" and the BBC website on football issues and has also worked as a motivational speaker.  Hansen is known for coining the phrase "you can't win anything with kids", having made the remark following Manchester United's 3–1 defeat to Aston Villa on the opening day of the 1995–96 FA Premier League season. After selling three high-profile players (Paul Ince, Mark Hughes, and Andrei Kanchelskis) in the summer of 1995, United had introduced youth team players Paul Scholes, David Beckham, Nicky Butt and Gary Neville into the first team. United proved Hansen wrong by winning a league and cup double that season. Hansen still continues to this day to repeat these facts, for humorous effect. He later said that the phrase "made him" as a pundit, as people would shout it at him in public places.  Commentating on the Argentina–Romania match in the 1994 FIFA World Cup, Hansen said that "the Argentine defender warrants shooting for a mistake like that". The previous day, Colombian defender Andrés Escobar had been shot dead, a killing widely attributed to punishment for an own goal Escobar scored in Colombia's 2–1 loss to the United States earlier in the same tournament. The BBC issued a public apology for Hansen's poor choice of words.  During an appearance on "Match of the Day" on 21 December 2011, while discussing the prominence of racism in English football following allegations against Premier League players Luis Suárez and John Terry, Hansen caused controversy after twice using the word "coloured" in reference to black footballers. The BBC received 82 complaints by the following morning while some, including Shamrock Rovers player Rohan Ricketts, criticised Hansen's choice of words on social network Twitter. Ricketts tweeted: "He is part of the problem when using that word. We are BLACK Alan!". Others defended his use of words. "Daily Telegraph" blogger and commentator Toby Young wrote: "In his defence, Hansen could cite the fact that America's foremost civil rights group is the NAACP which stands for the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. If it's acceptable for the NAACP to use the word "coloured", why isn't it acceptable for him?" Hansen issued an apology the following day, saying "'I unreservedly apologise for any offence caused – this was never my intention and I deeply regret the use of the word."  In May 2013, it was reported that Hansen's BBC contract was due to expire after the 2014 FIFA World Cup. On 5 September 2013, Hansen announced he would retire as a "Match of the Day" pundit following the 2014 World Cup. His last appearance on "Match of the Day" during the 2013–14 season came on 11 May 2014.

Other media work.

Away from football analysis, Hansen is a keen golfer, and he is a member of Hillside Golf Club playing off a handicap of three and regularly returns to the town of his birth near Alloa in Clackmannanshire, Scotland to participate in celebrity golf tournaments in aid of various charities. He has hosted documentaries on the sport and worked at the Masters Tournament for the BBC. He has also presented programmes on the rise in status and wealth of the modern footballer and has appeared in television adverts, such as for Carlsberg, Morrisons supermarkets and Walkers crisps.  Impressionist Alistair McGowan voiced Hansen as "Alan Snowman" in the Christmas special "Hooves of Fire", in which he appeared alongside "Des Yeti" (voiced by Tony Anscombe), as the commentators in the "Reindeer Games."

Personal life.

Hansen lives in Southport with his wife Janet. They have been married since 1980 and have a son Adam and a daughter Lucy.

Alan David Hansen (born 13 June 1955) is a Scottish former football player and BBC television football pundit. He played as a central defender for Partick Thistle, for the successful Liverpool team of the late '70s and '80s, and for Scotland. As a football pundit, Hansen is known for his outspoken views, particularly on teams' defensive performances, frequently criticising what he believed was "diabolical" or "shocking" defending. He made his name as a pundit on "Match of the Day" from 1992 to 2014.

Alan David Hansen (* 13. Juni 1955 in Alloa, Schottland) ist ein ehemaliger schottischer Fußballspieler und war dabei einer der spielstärksten Innenverteidiger seiner Generation. Er war langjährig als Experte und Co-Kommentator bei der BBC aktiv.


Overview.

Germany has an open telephone numbering plan. There used to be no fixed lengths for either area codes or subscriber telephone numbers, meaning that some subscriber numbers may be as short as two digits. As a result, dialing sequences are generally of a variable length, except for some non-geographic area codes for which subscriber numbers use a fixed-length format. It is not possible to determine unambiguously the end of a phone number from a prefix or the digits already dialed. This feature allows the extension of the length of phone numbers without revoking or changing existing numbers. Cell phone numbers in Germany are not given geographic area codes but non-geographic codes. Thus they can easily be told apart from other numbers.  A new numbering plan was introduced on 3 May 2010. Since then new landline phone numbers have a standard length of 11 digits, which includes the area code but omits the trunk prefix of 0. Area codes remain as they are and are still variable in length. Exceptions to the 11 digit rule are the four cities of Berlin, Frankfurt, Hamburg and Munich, which are the only cities with two digit area codes and require only 10 digit numbers so as not to exceed the maximum length of 8 digits for a subscriber number.  The German telephone network uses 5200 geographical area codes, the length of which varies from two to five digits (not including the trunk code 0), with five-digit area codes only being assigned in the New States (prefix 03). In general, geographic area codes start with digits 02 to 09, whereas other non-geographic area codes including those for cell phone usage are assigned to 01 and network services to 11.

Geographic numbering.

Geographic area codes have a length of two to five digits. The maximum total length is eleven digits.  Geographic numbers are assigned to carriers in blocks, from which these carriers can make derivative assignments to subscribers.  Subscriber numbers do not start with 0 or 11 and can be called directly from landlines within the same geographic area code.  Originally, the first digits following the area code would indicate a smaller area within these area codes or the type of the subscriber line (analogue or ISDN). However, this is no longer true as subscribers can keep their numbers when moving within an area code or when switching from analogue to ISDN. Further, new carriers assign numbers from different blocks.

Non-geographic numbering.

Non-geographic numbers were originally assigned the prefix 01. However, some of these services have been moved to other area codes.

Emergency and network services.

Network services are not dialed with the trunk prefix 0. They resemble local numbers that start with 11 but usually cannot be dialed after an area code.

History.

Before German reunification, West Germany (including West Berlin) used country code +49 and East Germany used country code +37, each with its separate area codes and telephone networks. In 1992, two years after reunification, the phone networks were merged under country code +49.  Geographic numbers in the New States were assigned area codes starting with 03, in some cases followed by the former East German area code (without the initial 0) or a code similar to it. Thus, Leipzig, for example, which had used East German domestic area code 041, was assigned the new area code 0341 in the unified telephone system. On the other hand, some area codes were changed: for example, the small town of Zossen used to have East German area code 0323, but the new area code is 03377. Area code 030, formerly used by West Berlin, was assigned to the entire reunified Berlin.  The released country code +37 was later reused as the initial digits of several new codes for European countries that became independent states at the time (e.g.: +370 for Lithuania, +374 for Armenia, +375 for Belarus, etc.), as well as some microstates whose telephone networks had formerly been integrated to those of surrounding larger countries (e.g. +376 for Andorra, +377 for Monaco and +378 for San Marino).  The German phone network became fully digitised in 1997, allowing more flexible use of the numbering space.  On 1 January 1998, the Federal Network Agency (named the Regulatory Authority for Telecommunications and Postal Services at the time) became the numbering authority for phone numbers in Germany.

The regulation of telephone numbers in Germany is the responsibility of the Federal Network Agency () of the German government. The agency has a mandate to telecommunications in Germany and other infrastructure systems.

Die Telefonvorwahlnummern in Deutschland umfassen 5202 Ortsnetze, fünf Nummernbereiche für den Mobilfunk und mehrere Sonderrufnummern. Sie werden (heute) von der Bundesnetzagentur (BNetzA) organisiert und vergeben.


Launch.

"Explorer 49" was launched after the termination of the Apollo program, and although it did not examine the Moon directly, it became the last American lunar orbital mission until the launch of Clementine spacecraft in 1994. It was launched on June 10, 1973, 14:13:00 UTC in the Rocket Delta 1913 from the Launch site Cape Canaveral LC-17B.

Orbit.

This mission was the second of a pair of Radio Astronomy Explorer (RAE) satellites, "Explorer 38" or RAE-A being the first. "Explorer 49" was placed into lunar orbit to provide radio astronomical measurements of the planets, the Sun, and the galaxy over the frequency range of 25 kHz to 13.1 MHz. Since the spacecraft's design used gravity gradient booms, the lumpy lunar gravity field was a problem for the mission scientists.

Mission.

"Explorer 49" was placed in lunar orbit to record radio measurements from 25 kHz to 13.1 MHz of the Milky Way galaxy. "Explorer 49" was placed in to lunar orbit so that radio waves from Earth would not be as big of an interference as Explorer 38 had discovered.

Experiments.

The principal investigator for all the experiments was Dr. Robert G. Stone.

Data.

Data were returned to Earth via either a low power UHF/(400 MHz) transmitter, in real time, or stored in an on board tape recorder and transmitted to Earth via a high power UHF transmitter (400 MHz). Two tape recorders provided backup storage.

Defects.

The third burst receiver on the dipole antenna failed after the first week and no data resulted from the receiver.  A mechanical flaw in the lower V-antenna caused the leg to only deploy to a length of instead of. This was corrected in November 1974 and the leg extended to the full intended length.

Explorer 49 (also called Radio Astronomy Explorer-B(RAE-B)) was a satellite launched on June 10, 1973 for long wave radio astronomy research. It had four X-shaped antenna elements, which made it one of the largest spacecraft ever built.

Die Radio Astronomy Explorer (RAE) waren zwei Raumflugkörper des Explorer-Programms, die Radioquellen im Weltraum erforschten: besonders die Sonne, die Planeten und die Galaxie. Der erste Radio Astronomy Explorer war ein Satellit und der zweite war eine Raumsonde, die den Mond umkreiste und über seiner Rückseite, ungestört von irdischen Radioemissionen, messen konnte.