#tony bennett 2019

[anewsbuddy]

American Songbook legend Tony Bennett has passed away at the age of 96.

The world has lost a legendary vocalist whose voice personified the American Songbook: Tony Bennett. He was 96. A spokesman for the singer confirmed the news that Bennett had passed away on Friday morning in New York City. Even after being diagnosed with Alzheimer’s illness in 2016, he continued to periodically do live performances and put out new music. In 2021, at age 95, his second duet…

[girlactionfigure]

He was the proud son of Italian immigrants, and he was born on August 3, 1926 in Astoria, Queens, New York. His mother was a seamstress and his father was a grocer. His father died when he was 10.

He grew up during the Great Depression and quickly learned what life was about. With no father, the family lived in poverty, and by the age of 16, the young boy had dropped out of school to support his family.

In November 1944, during the final stages of World War II, he was drafted into the United States Army and fought in the Battle of the Bulge. After seeing the horrors of war firsthand, fighting Nazis, and liberating a concentration camp, he said, "My experience in the Army turned me into a lifelong pacifist and it’s my hope that all wars and violence will become a thing of the past."

He added, "Anybody who thinks that war is romantic obviously hasn't gone through one."

While in the army, he also saw what racism was about firsthand. He got demoted for dining with a black friend, at a time when the Army was still racially segregated.

“An Army officer blasted the two soldiers — one Black and the other White — with a hate-filled rant for being together in public,” according to The Washington Post. “In the segregated military of the day, the two men were not allowed to socialize. Back then, the punishment for Black and White soldiers associating with one another was more severe than if they fraternized with civilians in occupied Germany.”

“This officer took out a razor blade and cut my corporal stripes off my uniform right then and there,” he wrote. “He spit on them and threw them on the floor, and said, ‘Get your ass out of here!’”

~~~~~

He had been interested in singing since he was a child, and after his discharge from the Army and with the help of the GI Bill, he started studying at the American Theatre Wing. He continued performing whenever he could, even while waiting on tables.

One day, singer Pearl Bailey recognized his singing talents and asked him to open for her in Greenwich Village. There he met entertainer Bob Hope who was also impressed with him, and suggested he change his name.

He would eventually cut a demo, remembering his difficult time, growing up, singing the words, "I left my... soul behind me" in the song, "Boulevard of Broken Dreams."

By this time, he had taken Bob Hope's advice and had simplified his name, from Anthony Dominick Benedetto to . . . Tony Bennett.

“Tony Bennett, a singer whose melodic clarity, jazz-influenced phrasing, audience-embracing persona and warm, deceptively simple interpretations of musical standards helped spread the American songbook around the world and won him generations of fans, died on Friday at his home of many decades in Manhattan. He was 96,” according to the New York Times.

“Mr. Bennett learned he had Alzheimer’s disease in 2016, his wife, Susan Benedetto, told AARP The Magazine in February 2021. But he continued to perform and record despite his illness; his last public performance was in August 2021, when he appeared with Lady Gaga at Radio City Music Hall in a show titled ‘One Last Time.’

“Mr. Bennett’s career of more than 70 years was remarkable not only for its longevity, but also for its consistency. In hundreds of concerts and club dates and more than 150 recordings, he devoted himself to preserving the classic American popular song, as written by Cole Porter, the Gershwins, Duke Ellington, Rodgers and Hammerstein and others.”

The Peace Page last shared a story on Tony Bennett in 2019. This is an updated story, remembering Mr. Bennett’s life.

The Peace Page focuses on past and present stories—some seldom told, others simply forgotten, still others intentionally ignored. The stories and chapters are gathered from writers, journalists, and historians to share awareness and foster understanding—to bring people together. We thank you for taking the time to be here and helping us share awareness.

~~~~~

In July 1961, Mr. Bennett was performing in Hot Springs, Ark., and about to head to the West Coast, according to the New York Times.

Bennett's accompanist and arranger for more than 50 years, Ralph Sharon, found sheet music to a song, stashed in a drawer, along with some shirts, according to NPR. “He packed it before hitting the road.”

"I always remember," recounts Sharon. I took this out of my bag, and looked at it, and called Tony. And I said, 'You know something, we're going to San Francisco next.' And I said, 'This is a song here that might be interesting.' "

“Mr. Sharon and Mr. Bennett decided that [the song written by George Cory and Douglass Cross] would be perfect for their next date, at the Fairmont Hotel in San Francisco, and it was.”

“They recorded the song — of course it was “I Left My Heart in San Francisco” — six months later, in January 1962. It won Mr. Bennett his first two Grammys, for best male solo performance and record of the year, and worldwide fame.”

Tony Bennett would go on to become one of the most beloved singers in history, winning 20 Grammy Awards, including a Lifetime Achievement Award, and two Emmy Awards. He has sold over 50 million records worldwide.

But, he never forgot his past, and he never forgot the promise of America, saying, "we’re the greatest country," but adding the reason is "because we’re all different nationalities and all different religions."

He remembered when his good friend Harry Belafonte, who he had known since the 40s when they were both just starting out, gave him a call and "told me what was going on in the South and asked me to join Dr. King on his march to Selma.”

Bennett recalled on CNN in 2013, “I didn't want to do it, but then he told me what went down — how some Blacks were burned. Had gasoline thrown on them and they were burned. When I heard that, I said, 'I'll go with you.'"

“I knew it was important to be there and support. I remember it was decided that we wanted to set up a performance for the marchers one night, but we were in an open field. One of the organizers had a friend who owned a funeral home and they brought in 18 wooden coffins and we used that as the foundation for a stage that night."

“I kept flashing back to a time twenty years ago when my buddies and I fought our way into Germany,” he wrote in his autobiography. “It felt the same way down in Selma: the white state troopers were really hostile, and they were not shy about showing it.”

At the march, Bennett also met Detroit civil rights activist Viola Liuzzo, who had driven Bennett to the airport, according to the Detroit Free Press. The next day, Liuzzo was shot and killed by the Ku Klux Klan .

~~~~~

Bennett continued speaking out for civil rights and would also speak out against apartheid in South Africa.

He would also say his war experience gave him "a social conscience," saying he believes "every gun in the world should melt somehow and as soon as possible," and comparing America’s gun culture and the political tolerance of it to Hitler’s Germany.

He said, "I consider myself a humanist."

When he received the Jazz Foundation of America Lifetime Achievement Award, presenter Ben Stiller mentioned his admiration for the singer in taking on social justice issues long before it was fashionable, from marching in Selma to refusing to play in South Africa during Apartheid, according to Billboard.

~~~~~

“There is one other very important thing about Bennett to note and to admire,” according to the The Editorial Board of the Chicago Tribune. “He continued to perform despite the onset of dementia.

“For anyone who watched his late-in-life work with Lady Gaga, here was a remarkable example of someone who showed the world one of the oft-forgotten truths about a condition that afflicts so many Americans: People with advanced levels of dementia still can contribute a great deal, especially if it is something they have done for years.

“Bennett struggled to remember names and faces, but when he started to sing, he went on a kind of autopilot, the familiar smile returning to his face and the notes and even the lyrics flowing like good wine. This was familiar to many people who knew dementia well: a reminder that the original person always is in there, communicating and loving just as at the times when it was far more obvious to those on the outside. In his courage, Bennett offered a great deal of comfort to those who best knew what he was facing.

“Fortunately, Bennett managed to surround himself with kind family members and fellow artists who protected his reputation as they did his spirit.”

~~~~~

The Hollywood Bowl said, "Throughout his life, Tony Bennett has been a dedicated pacifist and proactive humanitarian selflessly supporting many causes whose goals benefit the lives of millions. His love for his country has earned him the distinction of national treasure and the United Nations has named him a Citizen of the World as one of their foremost ambassadors."

Bennett remembered in the army when he couldn’t dine with his Black friend.

“I couldn’t get over the fact that they condemned us for just being friends, and especially while we served our country in wartime,” Bennett wrote in his 1998 autobiography, “The Good Life.” “There we were, just two kids happy to see each other, trying to forget for the moment the horror of the war, but for the brass it just boiled down to the color of our skin.”

Bennett remembered being “terrified by the violence,” but it only confirmed his belief that no one “should suffer simply because of the color of his skin.” He continued to speak out against bigotry and hatred throughout his career, often performing with African American entertainers at a time when it wasn’t socially acceptable, according to The Washington Post.

According to an interview with Susan C. Ingram in October 2018, Bennett recalls what his former neighbor Ella Fitzgerald told him - “Tony, we are all here.” "And Ella was right, we share this planet together and we have more in common than we have differences since we are all human."

~ jsr

The Jon S. Randal Peace Page

[osmiumpenguin]

It's the solstice tonight, and a good time to reflect on my favourite books from the past year.

I'm making very little attempt to rank these titles. They're simply the books that I enjoyed most, and they're presented in the order I read them. • "The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet," by Becky Chambers (2014) • "The Galaxy, and the Ground Within," by Becky Chambers (2021) • "Locklands," by Robert Jackson Bennett (2022) • "Beloved," by Toni Morrison (1987) • "Exhalation," by Ted Chiang (2019) • "Fugitive Telemetry," by Martha Wells (2021) • "Becoming Kin: An Indigenous Call to Unforgetting the Past and Reimagining Our Future," by Patty Krawec (2022) • "The Vanished Birds," by Simon Jimenez (2020) • "The Netanyahus: An Account of a Minor and Ultimately Even Negligible Episode in the History of a Very Famous Family," by Joshua Cohen (2021) • "Utopia Avenue," by by David Mitchell (2020) • "The Calcutta Chromosome: A Novel of Fevers, Delirium & Discovery," by Amitav Ghosh (1995) • "Moon of the Crusted Snow," by Waubgeshig Rice (2018) • "Bea Wolf," by Zach Weinersmith; illustrated by Boulet (2023) • "Fighting the Moon," by Julie McGalliard (2021) • "The Empress of Salt and Fortune," by Nghi Vo (2020) • "The Glass Hotel," by Emily St. John Mandel (2020) • "New York 2140," by Kim Stanley Robinson (2017) • "When the Tiger Came Down the Mountain," by Nghi Vo (2020) • "The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl Omnibus," by Ryan North et al; illustrated by Erica Henderson & Derek Charm & Jacob Chabot & Naomi Franquiz & Tom Fowler & Rico Renzi et al (2022) • "Buffalo Is the New Buffalo: Stories," by Chelsea Vowel (2022) • "Greenwood: A Novel," by Michael Christie (2019) • "The House of Rust," by Khadija Abdalla Bajaber (2021) • "Children of Memory," by Adrian Tchaikovsky (2022) • "Jade Legacy," by Fonda Lee (2021) • "A Deadly Education: A Novel: Lesson One of the Scholomance," by Naomi Novik (2020) • "The Last Graduate: A Novel: Lesson Two of the Scholomance," by Naomi Novik (2021) • "The Golden Enclaves: Lesson Three of the Scholomance," by Naomi Novik (2022) • "To Be Taught if Fortunate," by Becky Chambers (2019) • "Helgoland: Making Sense of the Quantum Revolution," by Carlo Rovelli (2020), translated by Erica Segre & Simon Carnell (2021) • "A Psalm for the Wild-Built," by Becky Chambers (2021) Ah, but I said I'd make "very little attempt" to rank them, not "no attempt." So here is that attempt: my favourite five books from the last solar orbit — the five I enjoyed even more than those other thirty — also presented in the order I read them.

• "Nona the Ninth," by Tamsyn Muir (2022) • "Ducks: Two Years in the Oil Sands," by Kate Beaton (2022) • "Record of a Spaceborn Few," by Becky Chambers (2018) • "Briar Rose," by Jane Yolen (1992) • "Babel, or, The Necessity of Violence: An Arcane History of the Oxford Translators' Revolution," by R.F. Kuang (2022)

[lifesarchive]

2023 READS (BOOKLIST)

What an incredible year is has been with my adventures in literature. I went from not reading a complete book in years to reading 30+ whole books in less than a year. Pictured above are THE BOATMAN'S DAUGHTER by ANDY DAVIDSON (★ ★ ★ ★ ★) and MY GOVERNMENT MEANS TO KILL ME by RASHEED NEWSON (★ ★ ★ ★ ★), two amazing books I read this year, but didn't get a chance to review. In descending order, here are all the books I read in 2023:

TRUE EVIL TRILOGY by R. L. STINE (1992) ★ ★ ★

JAZZ by TONI MORRISON (1992) ★ ★ ★ ★

SONG OF SOLOMON by TONI MORRISON (1977) ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

SIDLE CREEK by JOLENE McILWAIN (2023) ★ ★ ★ ★

MUCKROSS ABBEY AND OTHER STORIES by SABINA MURRAY (2023) ★ ★ ★

TEXAS HEAT: AND OTHER STORIES by WILLIAM HARRISON (2023) ★ ★ ★

BOYS IN THE VALLEY by PHILIP FRACASSI (2023) ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

PIRANESI by SUSANNA CLARKE (2023) ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

BARACOON: THE STORY OF THE LAST BLACK CARGO by ZORA NEALE HURSTON (2018) ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

NINETEEN CLAWS AND A BLACKBIRD by AGUSTINA BAZTERRICA (2020) ★ ★

THE VIOLIN CONSPIRACY by BRANDON SLOCUMB (2022) ★ ★ ★ ★

MONSTRILIO by GERARDO SAMANO CORDOVA (2023) ★ ★ ★

THE SHARDS by BRET EASTON ELLIS (2023) ★ ★ ★ ★

HUMAN SACRIFICES by MARIA FERNANDA AMPUERO (2021) ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

DEVIL HOUSE by JOHN DARNIELLE (2022) ★ ★ ★ ★

FLUX by JINWOO CHONG (2023) ★ ★ ★

THE TROOP by NICK CUTTER (2014) ★ ★ ★

MY DARKEST PRAYER by S. A. COSBY (2019) ★ ★ ★ ★

WE HAVE ALWAYS LIVED IN THE CASTLE by SHIRLEY JACKSON (1962) ★ ★ ★ ★

BELOVED by TONI MORRISON (1987) ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

THE HAUNTING OF HILL HOUSE by SHIRLEY JACKSON (1959) ★ ★ ★

THE VANISHING HALF by BRIT BENNETT (2020) ★ ★ ★ ★

DRIVE YOUR PLOW OVER THE BONES OF THE DEAD by OLGA TOKARZUK (2009) ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

THE BURNING GIRLS by C. J. TUDOR (2021) ★ ★ ★

HIDDEN PICTURES by JASON REKULAK (2022) ★ ★ ★

THE BOOKS OF JACOB by OLGA TOKARZUK (2022) ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

THE BOATMAN'S DAUGHTER by ANDY DAVIDSON (2020) ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

SACRIFICIO by ERNESTO MESTRE-REED (2022) ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

SUPERSTITIOUS by R. L. STINE (1995) ★ ★ ★

THE WRONG GIRL by R. L. STINE (2018) ★ ★ ★

MY GOVERNMENT MEANS TO KILL ME by RASHEED NEWSON (2022) ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

BEST BARBARIAN: POEMS by ROGER REEVES (2022) ★ ★ ★

THE THORN PULLER by ITO HIROMI (2007) ★ ★ ★ ★

NOW DO YOU KNOW WHERE YOU ARE by DANA LEVIN (2022) ★ ★ ★

THE HOLLOW KIND by ANDY DAVIDSON (2022) ★ ★ ★ ★

A HOUSE WITH GOOD BONES by T. KINGFISHER (2022) ★ ★

A DELUSION OF SATAN: THE FULL STORY OF THE SALEM WITCH TRIALS by FRANCES HILL (1995) ★ ★ ★ ★

[ao3feed-irondadspiderson]

Characters watch scenes from CACW

https://archiveofourown.org/works/52752970 by clo_thespin93 Characters from Spider-Man, Uncharted, and Euphoria watch Peter's/Spider-Man's scenes in Captain America: Civil War. Words: 3121, Chapters: 1/?, Language: English Series: Part 3 of Spider-Man characters react to media!! Fandoms: Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies), Captain America (Movies), Euphoria (TV 2019), Uncharted (Movie 2022) Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Categories: Gen Characters: Peter Parker, Tony Stark, Aunt May Parker (Marvel), Michelle Jones (Marvel), Ned Leeds, Nathan Drake, Rue Bennett, Uncle Ben Parker (referenced) Relationships: Peter Parker & Tony Stark, Michelle Jones/Peter Parker, Ned Leeds & Peter Parker, Aunt May Parker & Peter Parker, Nathan Drake & Peter Parker, Michelle Jones & Rue Bennett Additional Tags: Characters React to Fandom, nathan drake and peter parker act like brothers, Mentioned Uncle Ben Parker (Marvel), Dead Uncle Ben Parker (Marvel), Tony Stark Acting as Peter Parker's Parental Figure, Aunt May Parker is a Good Aunt (Marvel), Guilt, Bisexual Nathan Drake, Post-Movie: Captain America: Civil War (2016), Tony Stark Lives, theres going to be a lot of plot holes read it on AO3 at https://archiveofourown.org/works/52752970

[poppletonink]

A Year In Review: 2023

Total Number Of Books Read: 65

Top 10 Novels:

Better Than The Movies by Lynn Painter

Ellie Pillai Is Brown by Christine Pillainayagam

If We Were Villains by M.L. Rio

Six Of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas

Persuasion by Jane Austen

And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie

1984 by George Orwell

It by Stephen King

Radio Silence by Alice Oseman

Top 5 Graphic Novels & Mangas:

Snapdragon by Kat Leyh

My Riot by Rick Spears and Emmett Helen

Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon Vol. 1 by Naoko Takeuchi

Komi Can't Communicate Vol. 1 by Tomohito Oda

The Wash Day Diaries by Jamila Rowser and Robyn Smith

Top 5 Short Stories:

Recitatif by Toni Morrison

Click Clack The Rattlebag by Neil Gaiman

The Black Cat by Edgar Allan Poe

The Tell Tale Heart by Edgar Allan Poe

The Lottery by Shirley Jackson

Top 5 Genres:

Romance

Fantasy

Coming Of Age

Mystery

Horror

Two Longest Reads:

Best Friend's Brother by Zeppazariel/Bizzarestars - 1204 pages

It by Stephen King - 1166 pages

Top 10 Films:

Fight Club (1999)

It: Chapter 2 (2019)

Gone With The Wind (1939)

Red, White and Royal Blue (2023)

13 Going On 30 (2003)

The Wolf Of Wall Street (2013)

She's All That (1999)

It (2017)

The Silence Of The Lambs (1991)

Barbie (2023)

Top 5 TV Shows:

Heartstopper (2022-)

The End Of The F***ing World (2017-2019)

American Vandal (2017-2018)

Bodies (2023)

Heartbreak High (2022-)

Top 10 Ships:

Wolfstar (Remus Lupin x Sirius Black - Marauders Fandom)

Reddie (Richie Tozier x Eddie Kaspbrak - IT)

Wesliz (Wes Bennett x Liz Buxbaum - Better Than The Movies)

Jegulus (James Potter x Regulus Black - Marauders Fandom)

Wesper (Jesper Fahey x Wylan Van Eck - Six Of Crows)

Ineffable Husbands (Aziraphale x Crowley - Good Omens)

Narlie (Nick Nelson x Charlie Spring - Osemanverse: Heartstopper)

Literati (Rory Gilmore x Jess Mariano - Gilmore Girls)

Kanej (Kaz Brekker x Inej Ghafa - Six Of Crows)

Firstprince (Alex Claremont Diaz x Henry Mountchristen-Windsor Fox - Red, White and Royal Blue)

Top 5 Fandoms:

Marauders Era

Gilmore Girls

IT

Grishaverse

Osemanverse

Top 10 Songs:

Gorgeous by Taylor Swift

Give Me A Minute by Christine Pillainayagam

How You Get The Girl by Taylor Swift

Paradise by Bazzi

Girl From Mars by Ash

Foolish One (Taylor's Version) by Taylor Swift

Earphones by Christine Pillainayagam

Hits Different by Taylor Swift

Mr Brightside by The Killers

Hey There Delilah by The Plain White T's

Top 5 Artists:

Taylor Swift

Christine Pillainayagam

David Bowie

Olivia Rodrigo

Bikini Kill

Top 5 Albums:

Lover by Taylor Swift

Ellie Pillai Is Brown by Christine Pillainayagam

Speak Now (Taylor's Version) by Taylor Swift

1989 (Taylor's Version) by Taylor Swift

Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars by David Bowie

Top 5 Genres:

Pop

Indie

Rock

Brit-Pop

Riot Grrrl

[anthromediasometimes]

Fantastic Mr. Fox (1970)

Fantastic Mr. Fox is a children's novel, written by Roald Dahl and illustrated by Donald Chaffin, although different editions have also featured artwork by Jill Bennett, Tony Ross, and Quentin Blake. The story follows Mr. Fox, who is, of course, a fox.

Mr.Fox has been stealing food from nearby farmers for some time. However, when he's identified as a thief, the farmers join forces to ambush him. As a result, he is trapped, and must come up with a plot to save himself, his family, and the other local animals. With the help of his four children, his friend Badger, and his sharp wit, it is, of course, only a matter of time before he succeeds.

In 2009, a stop-motion movie adaptation was released. The film was directed by Wes Anderson and co-written by him and Noah Baumbach. It features a cast of stars (including George Clooney as the mastermind fox himself, Meryl Streep as his wife, and Bill Murray as his friend, Badger) a soundtrack with a mix of original songs composed by Alexandre Desplate and a few pop songs by the likes of The Beach Boys, The Rolling Stones, Burl Ives, and others.

The movie remains mostly faithful to the story, with a few differences, such as Mr. Fox's secrecy and their having, instead of four children, one child and a nephew. It also focuses much more on his relationship with his wife and slightly alters the ending. The movie was praised for its animation, quirkiness, and wit, and was nominated for several awards.

Some that it won were the Annie Award for Writing in a Feature Production (2010), two NYFCC awards for Best Animated Film and Best Actor (2009), and two awards for Best Adapted Screenplay from SDFCS and SFBAFCC (2009).

Less furry-centric, but relevant, content under the readmore.

In 1998, a three-act opera form of the story appeared on stage at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion as well. It was originally composed by Tobias Picker, with the help of Donald Sturrock's writing. In 2010, an abridged version was released with reduced orchestration, and in 2011, a full-length version with the same was released.

A performance of it was recorded and released on Albany Records in 2019, earning the 2020 Grammy Award for Best Opera Recording. It was commissioned by the Roald Dahl Foundation, and seems to follow the original story fairly loyally.

In 2016, a stage musical was also premiered at the Nuffield Theater in Southampton. Adapted by Sam Holcroft, with music written by Arthur Davill and lyrics written by those two with the help of Darren Clark and Al Muriel, the musical seemingly is still touring, with tickets available for a 2024 showing. Once again, the show seems faithful to the original tale.

[noctambulatebooks]

Reading 2023

5-January-2023: Tanizaki, Junichirō, The Maids (1963, Japan)

13-January-2023: Tevis, Walter, Mockingbird (1980, USA)

22-January-2023: Snyder, Michael, James Purdy: Life of a Contrarian Writer (2022, USA)

29-January-2023: Pressburger, Emeric, The Glass Pearls (1966, England)

31-January-2023: Mac Orlan, Pierre, A Handbook for the Perfect Adventurer (1951, France)

5-February-2023: Runciman, Steven, The First Crusade (Vol I: A History of the Crusades) (1951, England)

11-February-2023: Babitz, Eve, I Used to be Charming (1975-1997, USA)

15-February-2023: Indiana, Gary, Rent Boy (1994, USA)

26-February-2023: Zola, Émile, The Sin of Abbé Mouret (1875, France)

2-March-2023: Bennett, Alice, Alarm (Object Lessons), (2023, USA)

9-March-2023: Wyndham, John, The Kraken Wakes (1953. England)

17-March-2023: Manchette, Jean-Patrick, The Prone Gunman (1981, France)

17-March-2023: Shawn, Wallace, Night Thoughts: An Essay (2017, USA)

19-March-2023: Runciman, Steven, The Kingdom of Jerusalem (Vol II: A History of the Crusades) (1953, England)

26-March-2023: Carr, David, Final Draft: The Collected Work of David Carr (2020, USA)

5-April-2023: Manzoni, Alessandro, The Betrothed (1840, Italy)

10-April-2023: Childs, Craig, Finders Keepers: A Tale of Archaeological Plunder and Obsession (2010, USA)

16-April-2023: Butler. Octavia, Kindred (1979, USA)

22-April-2023: Liming, Sheila, Hanging Out: The Radical Power of Killing Time (2023, USA)

24-April-2023: Manchette, Jean-Patrick, Three to Kill (1976, France)

30-April-2023: Keefe, Patrick Radden, Empire of Pain: The Secret History of the Sackler Dynasty (2021, USA)

7-May-2023: Le Carré, John, Agent Running in the Field (2019, England)

10-May-2023: Dederer, Claire, Monsters: A Fan’s Dilemma (2023, USA)

13-May-2023: Mortimer, Penelope, Daddy’s Gone A-Hunting (1956, England)

26-May-2023: Morrison, Toni, Beloved (1987, USA)

30-May-2023: McCarthy, Cormac, The Passenger (2022, USA)

1-June-2023: Lewis, Herbert Clyde, Gentleman Overboard (1937, USA)

6-June-2023: Mi��ville, China, Embassytown (2011, England)

10-June-2023: McCarthy, Cormac, Stella Maris (2022, USA)

16-June-2023: Ambler, Eric, The Light of Day (1962, England)

23-June-2023: Ambler, Eric, Dirty Story (1967, England)

25-June-2023: Runciman, Steven, The Kingdom of Acre (Volume III, A History of the Crusades) (1954, England)

27-June-2023: Hartley, L.P., The Harness Room (1971, England)

4-July-2023: Motley, Willard, Knock on Any Door (1947, USA)

8-July-2023: Duras, Marguerite, The North China Lover (1991. France)

10-July-2023: Carr, J. L., A Month in the Country (1980, England)

14-July-2023: Thoreau, Henry David, Cape Cod (1865, USA)

18-July-2023: Modiano, Patrick, Missing Person (1978, France)

22-July-2023: Prime-Stevenson, Edward, Left to Themselves: The Ordeal of Philip and Gerald (1891, USA)

24-July-2023: Shakespeare, William, King Lear (1606, England)

6-August-2023: Whitehead, Colson, Crook Manifesto (2013, USA)

11-August-2023: Hampson, John, Last Night at the Greyhound (1931, England)

16-August-2023: Wyndham, John, The Midwich Cuckoos (1957, England)

19-August-2023: Ballard, J. G., The Drought (1965, England)

22-August-2023: Hines, Barry, A Kestrel for a Knave (1968, England)

31-August-2023: McPherson, William, Testing the Current (1984, USA)

10-September-2023: Pamuk, Orhan, Nights of Plague (2021, Turkey)

17-September-2023: Thoreau, Henry David, The Maine Woods (1864, USA)

20-September-2023: Thoreau, Henry David, A Plea for Captain John Brown (and other essays on abolition) (1859, USA)

24-September-2023: Kirino, Natsuo Real Life (2006, Japan)

30-September-2023: Renouard, Maël, Fragments of an Infinite Memory: My Life with the Internet (2016, France)

7-October-2023: Hamilton, Patrick, The Midnight Bell (1929, England)

12-October-2023: Hamilton, Patrick, The Siege of Pleasure (1932, England)

15-October-2023: Hamilton, Patrick, The Plains of Cement (1934, England)

21-October-2023: Kayama, Shigeru, Godzilla and Godzilla Raids Again (1955, Japan)

25-October-2023: Malcolm, Janet, Still Pictures: On Photography and Memory (2023, USA)

30-October-2023: Vonnegut, Kurt, Slaughterhouse-Five (1969, USA)

5-November-2023: Warner, Sylvia Townsend, Lolly Willowes (1926, England)

26-November-2023: Ainsworth, William Harrison, The Lancashire Witches (1848, England)

2-December-2023: Ginzburg, Carlo, Ecstasies: Deciphering the Witches’ Sabbath (1989, Italy)

10-December-2023: Baum, Vicki, Grand Hotel (1929, Germany)

16-December-2023: Sinykin, Dan, Big Fiction: How Conglomerates Changed the Publishing Industry and American Literature (2023, USA)

24-December-2023: Warner, Sylvia Townsend, T.H. White: A Biography (1967, England)

29-December-2023: Undset, Sigrid, Olav Audunssøn, Vol 4: Winter (1927, Norway)

[xprojectrpg]

This Day in X-Project - July 21

2015: Sue goes to see how Warren is doing after he was suspended from X-Factor Investigations. Tandy brings Quentin to her Uncle’s church where they run into Adrienne, who helps Tandy explain to Quentin there are other ways of fighting. Laurie and Clint have coffee in the city.

2016: Maya is deeply unimpressed by the Republican Convention.

2017: Hank is disappointed by Salk Institute’s issues with sexual discrimination.

2018: Sins of the Father: Laurie is relieved that she was able to get a week off from her internship by saying she had a death in the family; instead, she is working in the medlab on the various patients. Felicia makes an Instagram post from Harrods.

2019:

2020:

2021: In mansion tradition, Matt and Terry meet in the main kitchen and discuss their jobs and goals.

2022:

2023: Sooraya emails Pyotr to ask if he might know of any outsider art exhibits. Garrison runs a Malice program in the Danger Room for Darcy to work through, but it’s too much for her emotionally. Alani runs into Madin in District X and gets a bit more of a look into them. Maya texts Darcy to check on her. Jubilee posts about wanting to run an agility program in the DR for a race. Pyotr makes a journal about Tony Bennett's passing. MA texts Darcy to let her know she's been informed of the situation, and emails XF to let them know that Darcy shouldn't be expected in the office. Clint texts Darcy to prepare her for a get well basket. Terry texts Alison to check up on her. Maya approaches Darcy with dinner and asks about the session before sharing information about the guy she's dating.

[ao3feed-petermj]

Characters watch scenes from CACW

read it on AO3 at https://ift.tt/APrXum5 by clo_thespin93 Characters from Spider-Man, Uncharted, and Euphoria watch Peter's/Spider-Man's scenes in Captain America: Civil War. Words: 3121, Chapters: 1/?, Language: English Series: Part 3 of Spider-Man characters react to media!! Fandoms: Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies), Captain America (Movies), Euphoria (TV 2019), Uncharted (Movie 2022) Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Categories: Gen Characters: Peter Parker, Tony Stark, Aunt May Parker (Marvel), Michelle Jones (Marvel), Ned Leeds, Nathan Drake, Rue Bennett, Uncle Ben Parker (referenced) Relationships: Peter Parker & Tony Stark, Michelle Jones/Peter Parker, Ned Leeds & Peter Parker, Aunt May Parker & Peter Parker, Nathan Drake & Peter Parker, Michelle Jones & Rue Bennett Additional Tags: Characters React to Fandom, nathan drake and peter parker act like brothers, Mentioned Uncle Ben Parker (Marvel), Dead Uncle Ben Parker (Marvel), Tony Stark Acting as Peter Parker's Parental Figure, Aunt May Parker is a Good Aunt (Marvel), Guilt, Bisexual Nathan Drake, Post-Movie: Captain America: Civil War (2016), Tony Stark Lives, theres going to be a lot of plot holes read it on AO3 at https://ift.tt/APrXum5

[dailyrun]

移民诈骗律师陈丹虹，现在怎么样了？正雇佣脑残（或者自己）在网上疯狂删帖呢

咕噜在 2019 年的时候报导过当时沸沸扬扬的华裔律师移民诈骗一事。当时，司法部起诉了陈丹虹（Danhong ‘Jean’Chen, a/k/a Maria Sofia Taylor）及其前夫 Jianyun "Tony" Ye 在过去的 15 年内，已从100多名客户身上用违法的行为谋取了 1200 万美元的福利。

最后他们被控 10 项签证欺诈罪、2 项妨碍司法公正罪、1 项严重身份盗窃罪等。陈丹虹在收到 SEC 的投诉 时，就开始办理入籍多米尼加，其后在 SEC 正式开始民事诉讼时，她便逃逸了，联邦政府随后对其发布通缉令。而 Tony Ye 的 Rule 15 Deposition 则在 2020 年被法院驳回。

美國聯邦調查局檢察官大衛·L·安德森(David L. Anderson) 宣布，聯邦大陪審團起訴丹紅“Jean”陳（又名瑪麗亞·索菲亞·泰勒）及其商業夥伴建雲“托尼”葉涉及移民簽證詐欺計劃。調查特別負責人 John F. Bennett、證券交易委員會監察長辦公室監察長 Carl Hoecker。 這份包含 14 項罪名的起訴書於 2019 年 3 月 7 日提交，並於昨天晚些時候啟封，指控被告犯有簽證欺詐和相關犯罪行為，目的是透過政府的就業移民第五優先（EB- 5、「簽證計畫」。

根據起訴書，54 歲的陳來自阿瑟頓，是 Jean D. Chen 律師事務所的唯一合夥人，該事務所自稱專門從事移民法。 葉現年 51 歲，也來自阿瑟頓，曾與陳結婚，並自稱是陳律師事務所的經理。 起訴書指控 Chen 和 Ye 準備並向美國公民及移民服務局 (USCIS) 提交了欺詐性文件，其中包含虛假簽名，並錯誤地描述了申請人如何符合 EB-5 計劃的資格。

[phillipcole]

Post-AGT Appearance 1257: American top 40 with Ryan Seacrest July 23

Last week the oldest man in Poland died at 109.  The ranting 108-Year-Old Man turns 109 on July 28.  He lies about his age.  He’s really 105, but I don’t want even the fictional version of the Ranting 108-Year-Old Man to become the oldest man alive.  5 years ago I read that the oldest man alive had died at 109, so I was concerned.  My plan is to euthenize the ranting 108-year-old man shortly after the death of a specific real, very old celebrity, but I might not be able to wait that long.  So I was relieved, and my fictional counterpart would have also been relieved, to learn that the man who became the oldest living man 5 years ago is still alive and now 114.  

Against my doctor’s orders, I would be performing more strenuously than advised on tour with Anthony Martin Murphey.  I would only perform with him in New Mexico though, not his side trips to Colorado.  

Tony Bennett would have turned down a variety of efforts for collaboration, but no one would have suspected him of being the last name on Phillip’s sick list.  My tribute would not be quoted anywhere.  

Lizzo’s version of Man of my Dreams would have debuted at 37, then risen to 29, 26 and 24 yesterday on American top 40 with Ryan Seacrest.  It would be no secret that I was involved in the added lyrics, so the show would ask me for a quote a week ago Friday.  They would play it Yesterday late in the second hour.

Seacrest: Coming up next is an artist who is becoming a regular on the countdown.  Her latest has risen steadily since it debuted 3 weeks ago.  That would be Lizzo.  This hit is a livelier version of a love song from the 2019 cult hit Attack of the flying Oysters.  Phil Cole wrote the lyrics and original tune and helped Lizzo a little with this one.

PBC: Yes, I helped her add some lyrics, but the new tune is not mine and no one performs like Lizzo these days.

Seacrest: So here now, up 2 spots from last week at number 24 is Man of my Dreams.

[captainmdhridoyhossain-blog]

[ad_1] Marilyn Bergman, who along with her husband, Alan Bergman, gave the arena memorable lyrics about “misty watercolor reminiscences” and “the windmills of your thoughts” and received 3 Academy Awards, died on Saturday at her house in Los Angeles. She was once 93. A spokesman, Ken Sunshine, mentioned the purpose was once breathing failure.The Bergmans’ lyrics, set to melodies by way of composers like Marvin Hamlisch and Michel Legrand, weren't far and wide, however it occasionally gave the impression that approach. For a few years their phrases had been additionally heard each week over the hole credit to hit tv presentations like “Maude,” “Just right Occasions” and “Alice.”The Bergmans and Mr. Hamlisch received the 1974 best-song Academy Award for “The Method We Have been,” from the Robert Redford-Barbra Streisand romance of the similar title. (The album of that film’s rating additionally received the Bergmans their most effective Grammy Award.) Their different best-song winner, “The Windmills of Your Thoughts” (“Spherical, like a circle in a spiral/Like a wheel inside of a wheel”), was once written with Mr. Legrand for the 1968 movie “The Thomas Crown Affair.” Their 3rd Oscar was once for the rating of Ms. Streisand’s 1983 movie “Yentl,” additionally written with Mr. Legrand.Except the Oscar winners, their different in style songs integrated the identify observe of Frank Sinatra’s album “Great ’n’ Simple,” written with the songwriter Lew Spence; the poignant ballad “What Are You Doing the Remainder of Your Lifestyles,” from the 1969 film “The Satisfied Finishing,” with track by way of Mr. Legrand; and “The place Do You Get started?,” written with Johnny Mandel and coated by way of artists like Tony Bennett, Michael Feinstein and Ms. Streisand.Ms. Streisand launched an album of the Bergmans’ songs, “What Issues Maximum,” in 2011. The compilation “Sinatra Sings Alan & Marilyn Bergman” was once launched in 2019.Tv was once a vital a part of the Bergmans’ careers as smartly. They received 3 Emmy Awards: for the rating of the 1976 TV film “Sybil,” written with Leonard Rosenman; the track “Extraordinary Miracles,” written with Mr. Hamlisch and carried out by way of Ms. Streisand in a 1995 live performance particular; and “A Price tag to Dream,” some other Hamlisch collaboration, written for the American Movie Institute’s 1998 particular “100 Years … 100 Motion pictures.”However their lyrics had been almost definitely heard way more ceaselessly by way of audience of in style late-Twentieth-century tv collection. They wrote the phrases to the bouncy theme songs for the hit sitcoms “Maude,” “Alice” and “Just right Occasions,” in addition to the subjects for the nostalgic comedy collection “Brooklyn Bridge” and the drama collection “Within the Warmth of the Night time.” Their hit “You Don’t Carry Me Flora,” excellent referred to as a duet by way of Neil Diamond (who wrote the track) and Ms. Streisand, was once in the beginning written for Norman Lear’s short-lived collection “All That Glitters.” Early in her occupation, Ms. Bergman was once one in all reasonably few ladies within the songwriting industry. In a 2007 interview with NPR, she recalled attending conferences of the efficiency rights group ASCAP (the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers) at which the one ladies “can be me and a large number of the widows of songwriters who had been representing their husbands’ estates.” She was once the primary girl to function president of ASCAP, a place she held from 1994 to 2009.Marilyn Katz was once born on Nov. 10, 1928, in the similar Brooklyn sanatorium the place Alan Bergman were born 4 years previous. The daughter of Edith (Arkin) and Albert Katz, she attended the Prime Faculty of Song and Artwork in Big apple, now LaGuardia Prime Faculty of Song & Artwork and Acting Arts.A faculty buddy presented her to an uncle, Bob Russell, who wrote the lyrics to the Duke Ellington hit “Don’t Get Round A lot Anymore” and would later write the lyrics to “He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Brother.

” Marilyn continuously went to his house after college to play piano for him as he wrote.By the point she had earned a bachelor’s level in psychology and English from New York College, she had put aside concepts of a track occupation and deliberate to turn into a psychologist. However a fateful twist of fate despatched her again to the humanities.In 1956 she fell down a flight of stairs and broke her shoulder. In quest of assist right through her recuperation, she flew to Los Angeles to stick with her folks, who had moved there. So had Mr. Russell, and when she appeared him up he steered that she do a little songwriting herself. Not able to play the piano as a result of her harm, she recalled a few years later, she may now not compose and so made up our minds to write down lyrics as a substitute.Running beneath the title Marilyn Keith, she took a role with Mr. Spence, who additionally labored with Alan Bergman. Mr. Spence presented the 2, and their musical partnership started instantly. They had been married two years later.Requested in 2010 at the tv program “CBS Information Sunday Morning” how she and Mr. Bergman controlled to paintings in combination whilst staying married, she mentioned: “The best way porcupines make love. Moderately.”Ms. Bergman’s husband survives her, as do their daughter, Julie Bergman, and a granddaughter.In a 2002 interview with American Songwriter mag, Ms. Bergman outlined the variation between an newbie and professional songwriter as “the facility to rewrite” and “to not have fallen so in love with what you may have written that you'll’t discover a higher approach.”The Bergmans had been inducted within the Songwriters Corridor of Status in 1980 and collectively gained a Trustees Award from the Nationwide Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences in 2013.Despite the fact that excellent recognized for his or her film and tv paintings, the Bergmans did take a look at writing for the Broadway degree, despite the fact that they didn't have a lot good fortune. “One thing Extra!,” starring Barbara Prepare dinner and Arthur Hill, for which they wrote the lyrics and Sammy Fain wrote the track, lasted lower than two weeks in 1964. They fared higher, however now not by way of a lot, in 1978 with “Ballroom,” an adaptation of the 1975 TV film “Queen of the Stardust Ballroom” with track by way of Billy Goldenberg. Regardless of being produced and directed by way of Michael Bennett, whose earlier Broadway display were the monster hit “A Refrain Line,” “Ballroom” closed after 3 months.“Our reviews within the theater and movie,” Ms. Bergman instructed The New York Occasions in 1982, “have proven us that the 2 require completely other types of writing.” And flicks had been at all times the couple’s old flame.“We discovered we should be extra summary when writing for movie,” she mentioned, “as a result of movie in point of fact speaks extra to the preconscious a part of the mind, the a part of us that goals.” [ad_2] #Marilyn #Bergman #OscarWinning #Songwriting #Duo #Dies

[don-lichterman]

These teams seek NCAA bids they didn't get last year

These teams seek NCAA bids they didn’t get last year

Virginia hasn’t won an NCAA Tournament game since its 2019 national title and failed to even make the field last season. The return of five starters should enable the Cavaliers to change that trend. “This probably is the oldest team maybe that I’ve had,” coach Tony Bennett said as he enters his 14th season at Virginia. Virginia is 18th in the Associated Press preseason Top 25, making the…

[hk-chinanews]

UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION vs Law Offices of Jean D. Chen & & Golden State Regional Center

Case details: -

Filing Date: October 18, 2018

Case: SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION, Plaintiff, vs. JEAN DANHONG CHEN, TONY JIANYUN YE, KAI HAO ROBINSON, KUANSHENG CHEN, LAW OFFICES OF JEAN D. CHEN, A PROFESSIONAL CORPORATION, TREE LINED HOLDINGS, LLC, and GOLDEN STATE REGIONAL CENTER, LLC

Jurisdiction: Federal District Court for the Northern District of California

Status: Pending

Civil / Criminal: Civil

Cause(s) of Action:

Aggravated Identity Theft

Breach of Contract

Fraud

Identity Theft

Misrepresentation

Obstruction of Justice

Description:

This case involves fraud, self-dealing, and unregistered brokerage activity in violation of the federal securities laws. Defendants Attorney Jean Chen (“Chen”), her law firm, Law Offices of Jean D. Chen (the “Law Offices”), and her husband, Tony Ye (“Ye”), were paid over $12 million in undisclosed commissions to sell securities to their legal clients in offerings under the federal EB-5 Immigrant Investor Program. They attempted to conceal their unlawful activity with the help of Defendant Kuansheng Chen (“Kuansheng Chen”), who provided an off-shore bank account to receive the transaction-based compensation and posed as the head of a Beijing immigration agency that was actually co-owned and controlled by Chen and Ye.

A federal grand jury indicted Danhong “Jean” Chen, a/k/a Maria Sofia Taylor, and her business partner Jianyun “Tony” Ye in connection with an immigration visa fraud scheme, announced United States Attorney David L. Anderson, Federal Bureau of Investigation Special Agent in Charge John F. Bennett, Securities and Exchange Commission Office of the Inspector General, Inspector General Carl Hoecker. The 14-count indictment, filed March 7, 2019, and unsealed late yesterday, alleges the defendants committed visa fraud and related crimes to obtain immigration benefits for more than 100 foreign investors through the government’s Employment-Based Immigration Fifth Preference, or “EB-5,” visa program.

According to the indictment, Chen, 54, of Atherton, was the sole partner at the Law Offices of Jean D. Chen, which held itself out as specializing in immigration law. Ye, 51, also of Atherton, was formerly married to Chen and held himself out as the manager of Chen’s law office. The indictment alleges Chen and Ye prepared and submitted to the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) fraudulent documents that contained false signatures and falsely described how applicants would qualify for the EB-5 program.

Under the EB-5 program, foreign nationals may obtain permanent United States residency, commonly known as “green card” status, by investing in qualifying American businesses. Alien investors who comply with program requirements initially receive a grant of conditional permanent residency status for a two-year period. After two years, the alien investor can petition for permanent residency. To obtain permanent residency status, the applicant’s investment must amount to $500,000 if made in certain geographical areas with low employment rates; if the investment is not in a designated low-employment area, the investment must amount to a minimum of $1,000,000. In addition, under the EB-5 program, applicants may make use of “regional centers.” Entrepreneurs seeking investments for American businesses may establish regional centers to promote investment opportunities and make such opportunities available to EB-5 applicants. The regional centers generally promote investment opportunities within designated geographic areas. The Law Offices of Jean D. Chen represented clients who invested a total of approximately $52,000,000 into projects under the EB-5 program.

In this case, the indictment describes steps taken by Chen and Ye to fraudulently obtain immigration benefits through the EB-5 program on behalf of their clients. First, the indictment alleges that Chen and Ye falsified documents to hide the true ownership and nature of a regional center. Specifically, the indictment alleges that in 2014, Chen and Ye purchased the Golden State Regional Center and other entities, and almost immediately after the purchase, transferred ownership to a straw owner. The person to whom the entity was transferred did not know she was being named as the owner. Also, Chen and Ye filed papers with USCIS, requesting that the government continue to recognize Golden State Regional Center as a regional center qualified to promote EB-5 investment within the South Bay. The papers contained false signatures of the purported straw owner. Second, defendants prepared and submitted falsified EB-5 applications. For example, visa applications contained false signatures of the purported straw owner, false statements about the extent to which the Law Offices of Jean D. Chen represented both the investor and Golden State Regional Center, and false statements about the manner in which investor funds would be used.

The indictment also charges defendants with obstruction of justice related to investigations being conducted by the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the FBI. On October 18, 2018, the SEC filed a civil complaint against Chen, Ye, and other individuals and entities, alleging, among other things, that Chen and Ye improperly solicited investments and committed other violations of law. The indictment alleges that during the course of the SEC’s investigation, defendants made demands of the straw owner of Golden State Regional Center that she provide false answers to SEC investigators. Further, the defendants allegedly logged onto someone else’s email account and deleted emails relevant to the FBI’s investigation into the visa fraud.

In sum, Chen and Ye both are charged with ten counts of visa fraud, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1546(a); one count of obstruction of justice, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1505; one count of obstruction of justice, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1512(b)(3); and one count of aggravated identity theft, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1028A. In addition, Ye is charged with one count of identity theft, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1018(a)(7).

Defendants Allegedly Altered Evidence in Cover Up

Washington D.C., Oct. 18, 2018 —

The Securities and Exchange Commission today charged a California-based immigration attorney and her husband in a fraudulent scheme that generated millions of dollars of undisclosed compensation from foreign investors seeking permanent U.S. residency through the EB-5 Immigrant Investor Program.  

The SEC’s complaint alleges that Jean Danhong Chen, Tony Jianyun Ye, and Law Offices of Jean D. Chen, with the assistance of a personal friend, Kuansheng Chen, secured over $10 million in undisclosed commissions by selling EB-5 securities to hundreds of Chen’s legal clients. The complaint also alleges that Jean Chen and Ye secretly acquired and operated an EB-5 regional center, Golden State Regional Center LLC, and later advised clients to invest in the center’s projects without disclosing their ownership interest. According to the complaint, Kai Hao Robinson assisted in the scheme by posing as the sole manager in control of Golden State when she was in fact merely a figurehead controlled by Jean Chen and Ye.  

After learning of the SEC’s investigation, Jean Chen and Ye allegedly backdated documents and scrubbed other business records to conceal their role in the alleged scheme.   

“Ms. Chen’s alleged self-dealing breached her clients’ trust and violated the federal securities laws,” said Melissa R. Hodgman, Associate Director of the Division of Enforcement. “Where conduct harms investors in our markets, attempts to stymie our investigation by fabricating evidence and withholding documents will not deter our efforts.” The SEC’s Office of Investor Education and Advocacy has issued an investor alert describing steps that can be taken to research EB-5 offerings.

The SEC’s complaint, filed in federal district court in the Northern District of California, alleges that the defendants violated or aided and abetted violations of antifraud provisions of the federal securities laws, and that certain of the defendants violated or aided and abetted violations of registration provisions. The complaint seeks permanent injunctions, disgorgement, prejudgment interest, civil penalties, and the appointment of a receiver.

The SEC’s investigation was conducted by D. Ashley Dolan, Sarah M. Hall, and Heather A. Powell and supervised by Melissa A. Robertson of the SEC’s Washington, D.C. office. The litigation will be led by Kenneth W. Donnelly. The SEC would like to thank the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services for its assistance in connection with this investigation.