Maternal health is the health of women during pregnancy, childbirth, and the postpartum period. In most cases, maternal health encompasses the health care dimensions of family planning, preconception, prenatal, and postnatal care in order to ensure a positive and fulfilling experience. In other cases, maternal health can reduce maternal morbidity and mortality. Maternal health revolves around the health and wellness of pregnant women, particularly when they are pregnant, at the time they give birth, and during child-raising. WHO has indicated that even though motherhood has been considered as a fulfilling natural experience that is emotional to the mother, a high percentage of women develop health problems and sometimes even die. Because of this, there is a need to invest in the health of women. The investment can be achieved in different ways, among the main ones being subsidizing the healthcare cost, education on maternal health, encouraging effective family planning, and ensuring progressive check up on the health of women with children. Maternal morbidity and mortality particularly affects women of color and women living in low and lower-middle income countries.

Maternal morbidity and mortality
WHO estimates that about 295,000 maternal deaths occurred in 2017. These causes range from severe bleeding to obstructed labour, all of which have highly effective interventions. Further, indirect causes of maternal mortality include anemia and malaria. As women have gained access to family planning and skilled birth attendance with backup emergency obstetric care, the global maternal mortality has fallen by about 44 percent, which represented a decline of about 2.3 percent annually over the period from 1990 to 2015. While there has been a decline in worldwide mortality rates much more has to be done. High rates still exist particularly in low and middle income countries (99%). Sub-saharan Africa accounts for approximately two thirds of these deaths and South Asia for about one-fifth of them. One third of the maternal deaths occur in India and Nigeria.  The effect of a mother's death results in vulnerable families, and their infants, if they survive childbirth, are more likely to die before reaching their second birthday.

Both maternal mortality (death) and severe maternal morbidity (illness) are "associated with a high rate of preventability."

In 2010 the U.S. Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations described maternal mortality as a "sentinel event", and uses it to assess the quality of a health care system.

Subsidizing the cost of healthcare will help improve the health status of women. However, the health status of women should not be generalized with that of the other category of people. Countries such as the U.S, U.K, and others have laws where government and non-governmental bodies work to reduce and even eliminate any fee that is directed to pregnant women or women who have health issues that are related to pregnancy. When women deliver their babies in certified healthcare facilities without paying or paying a very small amount of money, they are motivated to use their own money on the diet of the baby, clothing, and other needs. Also, when women attend clinics without being charged and are issued with free supplements, their health is maintained, and this reduces the cost that the monetary resources that the government invests in healthcare. In turn, the maternal morbidity rate, together with mortality rates, is lowered.

Education on various issues related to maternal health is essential to control and improve the healthcare of women. Women who have the resources have a  low chance of their health status deteriorating because of the knowledge they have. These women are informed to make decisions regarding family planning, the best time to give birth as far as their financial capabilities are concerned, and their nutrition, before, during, and after giving birth. Additionally, many approaches involving women, families, and local communities as active stakeholders in interventions and strategies to improve maternal health. Gannon (n.p) reports that the maternal rate of mortality reduced by 70% between 1946 and 1953, when women started getting maternal education. The study has recommended that the study should focus on communities that are marginalized and girls who are below the age of 18. When the government manages to reduce unwanted and unplanned pregnancies among these two groups of people, it will become easier to reduce the maternal health issue and the cost associated with it.

Factors influencing maternal health

Poverty and access to healthcare
According to a UNFPA report, social and economic status, culture norms and values, and geographic remoteness all increase maternal mortality, and the risk for maternal death (during pregnancy or childbirth) in sub-Saharan Africa is 175 times higher than in developed countries, and risk for pregnancy-related illnesses and negative consequences after birth is even higher. Poverty, maternal health, and outcomes for the child are all interconnected.

Women living in poverty-stricken areas are more likely to be obese and engage in unhealthy behaviors such as cigarette smoking and substance use, are less likely to engage in or even have access to legitimate prenatal care, and are at a significantly higher risk for adverse outcomes for both the mother and child. A study conducted in Kenya observed that common maternal health problems in poverty-stricken areas include hemorrhaging, anemia, hypertension, malaria, placenta retention, premature labor, prolonged/complicated labor, and pre-eclampsia.

Prenatal care

Generally, adequate prenatal care encompasses medical care and educational, social, and nutritional services during pregnancy. For example, prenatal care could include serum integrated screening tests for potential chromosomal abnormalities as well as blood pressure measurements, or uterus measurements to assess fetal growth. Although there are a variety of reasons women choose not to engage in proper prenatal care, 71% of low-income women in a US national study had difficulties getting access to prenatal care when they sought it out. Additionally, immigrants and Hispanic women are at higher risk than white or black women for receiving little to no prenatal care, where level of education is also an indicator (since education and race are correlated). Adolescents are least likely to receive any prenatal care at all. Throughout several studies, women and adolescents ranked inadequate finances and lack of transportation as the most common barriers to receiving proper prenatal care.

Income is strongly correlated with quality of prenatal care.  Sometimes, proximity to healthcare facilities and access to transportation have significant effects on whether or not women have access to prenatal care.  An analysis conducted on maternal healthcare services in Mali found that women who lived in rural areas, far away from healthcare facilities were less likely to receive prenatal care than those who lived in urban areas.  Furthermore, researchers found an even stronger relationship between lack of transportation and prenatal and delivery care.  In addition to proximity being a predictor of prenatal care access, Materia and colleagues found similar results for proximity and antenatal care in rural Ethiopia. Also, inadequate and poor quality services contributes in increasing maternal morbidity and mortality.

Pre-existing conditions

Pregestational diabetes
Pre-existing (pregestational) maternal Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes is a known factor that increases the risk of adverse outcomes, including pre-term birth, preeclampsia, and congenital birth defects. Studies from the United States and Australia indicate that the prevalence of pregestational diabetes is around 1% of pregnancies. Even healthy pregnancy causes a state of hyperglycemia. As a result, mothers with pregestational diabetes are at an increased risk for hyperglycemia.

HIV/AIDS
Maternal HIV rates vary around the world, ranging from 1% to 40%, with African and Asian countries having the highest rates.  Whilst maternal HIV infection largely has health implications for the child, especially in countries where poverty is high and education levels are low, having HIV/AIDS while pregnant can also cause heightened health risks for the mother. A large concern for HIV-positive pregnant women is the risk of contracting tuberculosis (TB) and/or malaria, in developing countries. 28% of maternal deaths are from obstructed labour and indirect causes, meaning diseases that complicate pregnancy or that are complicated by pregnancy (malaria, anemia, HIV/AIDS, and cardiovascular diseases).

Maternal weight
During pregnancy, women of an average pre-pregnancy weight (BMI 18.5-24.9) should expect to gain between  over the course of the pregnancy. Increased rates of hypertension, diabetes, respiratory complications, and infections are prevalent in cases of maternal obesity and can have detrimental effects on pregnancy outcomes. Obesity is an extremely strong risk factor for gestational diabetes. Research has found that obese mothers who lose weight (at least 10 pounds or 4.5 kg) between pregnancies reduce the risk of gestational diabetes during their next pregnancy, whereas mothers who gain weight actually increase their risk. Women who are pregnant should aim to exercise for at least 150 minutes per week, including muscle strengthening exercises. However, it is recommended that pregnant women discuss what exercise they can do safely with their OB/GYN in the early prenatal period.

Race and ethnicity

Statistics
Analysis of the Pregnancy Mortality Surveillance System, conducted by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), indicates significant racial and ethnic disparities in pregnancy related deaths. The pregnancy related mortality ratio (PRMR) represents the number of deaths per 100,000 live births resulting from pregnancy or pregnancy related causes. A 2019 report from the CDC shows that the PRMRs of Black women and Indigenous women in the United States are 3-4 times higher than that of White women. White women had a PRMR of approximately 13 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births. While Black and Indigenous women had PRMRs of 41 and 30 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births respectively. The majority of these deaths were due to preventable diseases associated with pregnancy  such as hypertension. While the fatality rate of these diseases was higher among Black and Indigenous women, the initial prevalence was generally the same across all races. Although lower than that of Black and Indigenous women, the PRMR for Asian and Pacific Islander women was still slightly higher than that of the white women at 13.5. The PRMR for Hispanic women has shown a decline in recent years. However, state specific reports show that Hispanic women still face high rates of maternal morbidity, or health problems that arise from pregnancy and birth.

In 2019, Black maternal health advocate and Parents writer Christine Michel Carter interviewed Vice President Kamala Harris. As a senator, in 2019 Harris reintroduced the Maternal Care Access and Reducing Emergencies (CARE) Act which aimed to address the maternal mortality disparity faced by women of color by training providers on recognizing implicit racial bias and its impact on care. Harris stated:"We need to speak the uncomfortable truth that women—and especially Black women—are too often not listened to or taken seriously by the health care system, and therefore they are denied the dignity that they deserve. And we need to speak this truth because today, the United States is 1 of only 13 countries in the world where the rate of maternal mortality is worse than it was 25 years ago. That risk is even higher for Black women, who are three to four times more likely than white women to die from pregnancy-related causes. These numbers are simply outrageous."

Contributing factors
The CDC cites multiple causes for the racial gap in maternal mortality. They say that most pregnancy related deaths are the combined result of 3-4 contributing factors. Some of these factors include higher rates of chronic conditions in minor communities, lower rates of prenatal care, and lower rates of insurance coverage. Furthermore, teen pregnancy rates are higher in minority communities, which is a risk factor for pregnancy or birth complications. Black and Indigenous women can also encounter racial bias held by healthcare providers, which affects the quality of care given to treat or prevent a fatal disease. For example, an NIH report states that Black women are two to three times more likely to die of hemorrhage or embolisms during pregnancy or the postpartum period. Outside of provider-patient interactions, structural factors can contribute to the racial gap in maternal mortality. This includes the gap in access to primary and preventative care as well as other social determinants of health such as education and community support.

Religion
There are many factors that influence maternal health and the access of resources. One of these factors that recent studies have highlighted is religion. For example, one such study stated that, due to the insensitivity and lack of knowledge that physicians showed immigrant Muslim women in Canada, their health information and treatment suffered. The health care that they received from physicians did not provide information in respect to their religious or cultural practices and did little to provide cultural adjustments and emotional support. In order to provide a safer and more comfortable environment for Muslim women, it was proven that they needed more support that would connect with the immigrant community and health-related information. Discrimination based on religion is a factor that effects the maternal health care of women from different backgrounds. There is not a lot of discussion on the studies that reflect the hardships that women go through in terms of their religion and maternal care. Stigmatizing certain maternal and reproductive practices is common within the context of religion. For example, in a study that focused on interviewing women who have had abortions, one participant used the word "guilt" 16 times in her one-hour interview. She cited that the cause of her guilt was because of her Catholic upbringing. The overall data showed that there was a strong relationship between religion and self-stigma. Among the women who identified as a practicing Christian, 65% made statements that proved self-stigma effects. There is a lot of stigma and norms regarding religion that, in turn, place women at risk when receiving health-care. Other religious practices and traditions have shown to influence maternal health in a negative way. Practitioners of apostolicism in Zimbabwe have been associated with higher maternal mortality. Results of a study showed the dangerous associations that religion may have on maternal health. The general trend shows that Apostolicism promotes high fertility, early marriage, non-use of contraceptives and low or non-use of hospital care. There are delays in recognizing danger signs, deciding to seek care and receiving appropriate health care. Future studies can look at how societal traditions or expectations such as gender roles may combine with religion to result in poorer maternal health care.

Although factors of religion can negatively influence maternal health care, other studies show the necessity of understanding different religious beliefs and practices. In Ghana, interviews of women showed the benefits of transparent religious beliefs and practices while pregnant and in labor. Spiritual interventions done by pastors in pregnancy included prayer, revelations, reversing negative dreams, laying of hands and anointing women. Religious artifacts used among the women during pregnancy and labor were anointing oil, blessed water, stickers, blessed white handkerchief, blessed sand, Bible and Rosary. The women made many connections to these practices and to their religion such as God having the capability to reduce labor pain and to provide a safe and successful delivery. The results concluded that spirituality is an integral part of the care of pregnant women in Ghana. In order to ensure the safety of these women, their religious practices should not be in secrecy. The presence of artifacts implies that women do not have the freedom to practice their religion at home. It was concluded that pastors should be sensitive to their role in the labor process and that revelations and spiritual interventions should not lead to pregnancy or labor complications. Future studies in religion and maternal health care will focus on the role of pastors, familiar support, and the views of midwives or health care professionals in different societies around the world.

Effects on child health and development

Prenatal health

Prenatal care is an important part of basic maternal health care. It is recommended expectant mothers receive at least four antenatal healthcare visits, in which a health worker can check for signs of illness – such as underweight, anaemia or infection – and monitor the health and status of the fetus. During these visits, women are counselled on nutrition and hygiene to optimize their health prior to, and following, delivery. These visits can also include health maintenance of any pre-existing health conditions the woman may have had prior to becoming pregnant - such as diabetes, hypertension, or renal disease. In collaboration with her healthcare provider, the patient can develop a birth plan which outlines how to reach care and what to do in the event of an emergency.

The model CenteringPregnancy (group prenatal care) is a relatively new addition to prenatal healthcare, and has shown to improve both birth outcomes and patient & provider satisfaction. Specifically, a randomized controlled trial indicated a 33 percent reduction in preterm birth (n=995), and the decrease was even more pronounced for Black/African American participants. CenteringPregnancy provides physical exams, education, and peer support to a group of pregnant women who all have a similar due date. Research in race concordant group prenatal care (like the EMBRACE group at UCSF) has not yet been researched enough to indicate improved outcomes. Nonetheless, race concordant care has been proven to improve patient experience and patient & provider communication. Moreover, newborn-physician racial concordance was significantly associated with mortality improvements for Black infants.

Poverty, malnutrition, and substance use may contribute to impaired cognitive, motor, and behavioral problems across childhood. In other words, if a mother is not in optimal health during the prenatal period (the time while she is pregnant) and/or the fetus is exposed to teratogen(s), the child is more likely to experience health or developmental difficulties, or death. The environment in which the mother provides for the embryo/fetus is critical to its wellbeing well after gestation and birth.

A teratogen is "any agent that can potentially cause a birth defect or negatively alter cognitive and behavioral outcomes." Dose, genetic susceptibility, and time of exposure are all factors for the extent of the effect of a teratogen on an embryo or fetus.

Prescription drugs taken during pregnancy such as streptomycin, tetracycline, some antidepressants, progestin, synthetic estrogen, and Accutane, as well as over-the-counter drugs such as diet pills, can result in teratogenic outcomes for the developing embryo/fetus.  Additionally, high dosages of aspirin are known to lead to maternal and fetal bleeding, although low-dose aspirin is usually not harmful.

Newborns whose mothers use heroin during the gestational period often exhibit withdrawal symptoms at birth and are more likely to have attention problems and health issues as they grow up. Use of stimulants like methamphetamine and cocaine during pregnancy are linked to a number of problems for the child such as low birth weight and small head circumference, motor and cognitive developmental delays, as well as behavioral problems across childhood. The American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry found that six-year-olds whose mothers had smoked during pregnancy scored lower on an intelligence test than children whose mothers had not.

Cigarette smoking during pregnancy can have a multitude of detrimental effects on the health and development of the offspring.  Common results of smoking during pregnancy include pre-term births, low birth weights, fetal and neonatal deaths, respiratory problems, and sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), as well as increased risk for cognitive impairment, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and other behavioral problems. Also, in a study published in the International Journal of Cancer, children whose mothers smoked during pregnancy experienced a 22% risk increase for non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

Although alcohol use in careful moderation (one to two servings a few days a week) during pregnancy are not generally known to cause fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD), the US Surgeon General advises against the consumption of alcohol at all during pregnancy. Excessive alcohol use during pregnancy can cause FASD, which commonly consist of physical and cognitive abnormalities in the child such as facial deformities, defective limbs, face, and heart, learning problems, below average intelligence, and intellectual disability (ID).

Although HIV/AIDS can be transmitted to offspring at different times, the most common time that mothers pass on the virus is during pregnancy. During the perinatal period, the embryo/fetus can contract the virus through the placenta.

Gestational diabetes is directly linked with obesity in offspring through adolescence. Additionally, children whose mothers had diabetes are more likely to develop Type II diabetes. Mothers who have gestational diabetes have a high chance of giving birth to very large infants (10 pounds (4.5 kg) or more). This is a cause of macrosomia. Neonates with macrosomia have significantly increased rates of hypoglycemia compared to infants of mothers without diabetes. This is because macrosomic neonates are used to high levels of circulating blood sugars in utero, which results in naturally high levels of insulin. At birth, when the gestational source of blood sugar is abruptly removed, this causes the neonates to experience severe drops in blood sugar.

Because the embryo or fetus's nutrition is based on maternal protein, vitamin, mineral, and total caloric intake, infants born to malnourished mothers are more likely to exhibit malformations. Additionally, maternal stress can affect the fetus both directly and indirectly.   When a mother is under stress, physiological changes occur in the body that could harm the developing fetus. Additionally, the mother is more likely to engage in behaviors that could negatively affect the fetus, such as tobacco smoking, substance use, and alcohol use.

Childbirth and sexually transmitted infections
Genital herpes, rubella, cytomegalovirus, varicella, parvovirus B19, and enteroviruses can be passed to the baby through the birth canal during delivery. In pregnancies where the mother is infected with the virus, 25% of babies delivered through an infected birth canal become brain damaged, and 1/3 die. HIV/AIDS can also be transmitted during childbirth through contact with the mother's body fluids or transmission to the fetus via the placenta. Mothers in developed countries may often elect to undergo a caesarean section to reduce the risk of transmitting the virus through the birth canal, but this option is not always available in developing countries.

Postpartum period

Globally, more than eight million of the 136 million women giving birth each year have excessive bleeding after childbirth. This condition—medically referred to as postpartum hemorrhage (PPH)—causes one out of every four maternal deaths that occur annually and accounts for more maternal deaths than any other individual cause. Deaths due to postpartum hemorrhage disproportionately affect women in developing countries.

For every woman who dies from causes related to pregnancy, an estimated 20 to 30 encounter serious complications. At least 15 per cent of all births are complicated by a potentially fatal condition. Women who survive such complications often require lengthy recovery times and may face lasting physical, psychological, social and economic consequences. Although many of these complications are unpredictable, almost all are treatable.

During the postpartum period, many mothers breastfeed their infants. Transmission of HIV/AIDS through breastfeeding is a huge issue in developing countries, namely in African countries.  The majority of infants who contract HIV through breast milk do so within the first six weeks of life, despite that antiretroviral treatment (during pregnancy, delivery and during breastfeeding) reduces transmission risk by >90%.  However, in healthy mothers, there are many benefits for infants who are breastfed.  The World Health Organization recommends that mothers breastfeed their children for the first two years of life, whereas the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Academy of Family Physicians recommend that mothers do so for at least the first six months, and continue as long as is mutually desired. Infants who are breastfed by healthy mothers (not infected with HIV/AIDS) are less prone to infections such as Haemophilus influenza, Streptococcus pneunoniae, Vibrio cholerae, Escherichia coli, Giardia lamblia, group B streptococci, Staphylococcus epidermidis, rotavirus, respiratory syncytial virus and herpes simplex virus-1, as well as gastrointestinal and lower respiratory tract infections and otitis media. Lower rates of infant mortality are observed in breastfed babies in addition to lower rates of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). Decreases in obesity and diseases such as childhood metabolic disease, asthma, atopic dermatitis, Type I diabetes, and childhood cancers are also seen in children who are breastfed.

Following up on the women who have given birth is a crucial factor as it helps check on maternal health. Since healthcare facilities have records of the women who have given birth, when the women are followed to monitor the progress of their babies as well as their health, it becomes easy to put them on a follow-up and ensure they are doing well as the baby grows. Follow-up is accompanied by nutritional advice to ensure both the mother and her baby are in good condition. This prevents sickness that may affect the two and deteriorate their health.

Additionally, longitudinal followup must include mental health support and screening, as roughly 15% of women will experience postpartum depression, also known as "baby blues", within the first year of birth, although it typically starts in the first 1–3 weeks after birth.

Recommended maternal health practices
Maternal health care and care of the fetus starts with prenatal health. The World Health Organization suggests that the first step towards health is a balanced diet which includes a mix of vegetables, meat, fish, nuts, whole grains, fruits and beans. Additionally, iron supplements and folic acid are recommended to be taken by pregnant women daily. These supplements are recommended by the US Surgeon General to help prevent birth complications for mothers and babies such as low birth weight, anemia, hypertension and pre-term birth. Folic acid can aid neural tube formation in a fetus, which happens early in gestation and therefore should be recommended as soon as possible. Calcium and Vitamin A supplements are also recommended when those compounds are not available or only available in low doses in the natural diet but other supplements such as Vitamins D, E, C, and B6 are not recommended. The WHO also suggests that low impact exercise and reduction of caffeine intake to less than 330 mg/day can help to reduce the likelihood of neonatal morbidity.  Light exercise should be continued for pregnant mothers as it has been recommended to combat negative health outcomes, side effects and birth complications related to obesity. Should possible side effects of a pregnancy occur, such as nausea, vomiting, heartburn, leg cramps, lower back pain, and constipation; low intensity exercise, balanced diet, or natural herb supplements are recommended by the WHO to mitigate the side effects. the US Surgeon General recommends abstaining from consuming alcohol or nicotine in any form throughout the duration of one's pregnancy, and to avoid using it as a way to mitigate some of the side effects of pregnancy mentioned earlier.

During and after pregnancy, mothers should receive continuous care from a physician, in-person or via telehealth depending on the need, to monitor the growth and status of the fetus. Maternal health organizations suggest that at a minimum pregnant women should receive one ultrasound at week 24 to help predict any possible growth anomalies and prevent future gestational concerns. It is also stated that pregnant women should also fulfill any missing vaccinations as soon as possible including the tetanus vaccine and influenza vaccine. For pregnant women who are at an increased risk for preeclampsia, one could take a dietary supplement of low dose aspirin as prophylaxis before 20 weeks gestation. Pregnant women should also monitor their blood sugars as they are able to monitor the potential development of gestational diabetes. Other prenatal screening tests include serum integrated protein tests, cell free DNA blood tests to check for chromosomal abnormalities, and nuchal translucency ultrasounds. If their medical system is able to provide them, mothers can also undergo more invasive diagnostic tests such as an amniocentesis, or chorionic villous sampling to detect abnormalities with greater accuracy.

In the case of a healthy vaginal birth, mothers and babies typically are recommended to stay at the hospital for 24 hours before departing. This is suggested to allow time to assess the mother and child for any possible complications such as bleeding or additional contractions. The WHO recommends that babies should have checkups with a physician on day 3, day 7-14 and 6 weeks after birth. At these follow-up appointments the emotional well-being of the mother should also be considered. Special attention to the possibility of postpartum depression, which affects 10-15% of mothers in 40 countries is also recommended by the WHO. At these check ins mothers also have the opportunity to seek consultation from a physician about starting the breastfeeding process.

Long-term effects for the mother

Maternal health problems include complications from childbirth that do not result in death. For every woman that dies during childbirth, approximately 20 develop infection, injury, or disability. Around 75% of women who die in childbirth would be alive today if they had access to pregnancy prevention and healthcare interventions. Black women are more likely to experience pregnancy related deaths as well as receiving less effective medical care during pregnancy.

Almost 50% of the births in developing countries still take place without a medically skilled attendant to aid the mother, and the ratio is even higher in South Asia. Women in Sub-Saharan Africa mainly rely on traditional birth attendants (TBAs), who have little or no formal health care training. In recognition of their role, some countries and non-governmental organizations are making efforts to train TBAs in maternal health topics, in order to improve the chances for better health outcomes among mothers and babies.

Breastfeeding provides women with several long-term benefits.  Women who breastfeed experience better glucose levels, lipid metabolism, and blood pressure, and lose pregnancy weight faster than those who do not. Additionally, women who breastfeed experience lower rates of breast cancer, ovarian cancer, and type 2 diabetes. However, it is important to keep in mind that breastfeeding provides substantial benefits to women who are not infected with HIV.  In countries where HIV/AIDS rates are high, such as South Africa and Kenya, the virus is a leading cause of maternal mortality, especially in mothers who breastfeed.  A complication is that many HIV-infected mothers cannot afford formula, and thus have no way of preventing transmission to the child through breast milk or avoiding health risks for themselves. In cases like this, mothers have no choice but to breastfeed their infants regardless of their knowledge of the harmful effects.

Maternal Mortality Rate

Worldwide, the Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR), which is defined as deaths per 100,000 live births per time-period, has decreased, with South-East Asia seeing the most dramatic decrease of 59% and Africa seeing a decline of 27%.  There are no regions that are on track to meet the Millennium Development Goal of decreasing maternal mortality by 75% by the year 2015.

Maternal mortality—a sentinel event

In a September 2016 ACOG/SMFM consensus, published concurrently in the journal Obstetrics & Gynecology and by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), they noted that while they did not yet have a "single, comprehensive definition of severe maternal morbidity" (SMM), the rate of SMM is increasing in the United States as is maternal mortality. Both are "associated with a high rate of preventability."

The U.S. Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations calls maternal mortality a "sentinel event", and uses it to assess the quality of a health care system.

Maternal mortality data is said to be an important indicator of overall health system quality because pregnant women survive in sanitary, safe, well-staffed and stocked facilities. If new mothers are thriving, it indicates that the health care system is doing its job. If not, problems likely exist.

According to Garret, increasing maternal survival, along with life expectancy, is an important goal for the world health community, as they show that other health issues are also improving. If these areas improve, disease-specific improvements are also better able to positively impact populations.

MMR in low and lower-middle income countries

Statistics
Maternal mortality rates are extremely high worldwide. However, most women who die during or after pregnancy live in low and lower-middle income countries. Specifically, in 2017, 94% of all maternal deaths occurred in low and lower-middle income countries. The MMR in low-income countries was 462 in 2017 signifying that 462 mothers died during childbirth for every 100,000 live births. In many low and lower-middle income countries complications of pregnancy and childbirth are the leading causes of death among women of reproductive age. According to the World Health Organization, in its World Health Report 2005, poor maternal conditions account for the fourth leading cause of death for women worldwide, after HIV/AIDS, malaria, and tuberculosis.  In low-income countries, most maternal deaths and injuries during pregnancy and labor are due to preventative issues that have been largely eradicated in higher income countries including postpartum hemorrhaging, hypertensive disease, and maternal infections. For example, postpartum hemorrhaging is the leading cause of maternal death globally; however, 99% of postpartum hemorrhages occur in low and lower-middle income countries.

Decline in MMR over time
The MMR is extremely high in low-income countries; however, it is necessary to acknowledge the reduction in MMR that has occurred over the past two decades. The MMR has drastically declined in low-income countries since 2010. In low and lower-middle income countries, the average decline rate of the MMR is about 2.9% since 2000. This improvement was caused by lower pregnancy rates in some countries; higher income, which improves nutrition and access to health care; more education for women; and the increasing availability of "skilled birth attendants"—people with training in basic and emergency obstetric care—to help women give birth. Despite this immense progress, there is still lots of work that must be done in order for low-income countries to meet the goal of the WHO organization of an MMR of less than 130 by 2030. Looking forward, the MMR in low and lower-income countries must continue to decline through improving access to skilled birth attendants to perform cesarean sections and other necessary procedures, increased access to family planning, and increased access to hospital facilities.

MMR in high-income countries
Until the early 20th century developed and developing countries had similar rates of maternal mortality. Since most maternal deaths and injuries are preventable, they have been largely eradicated in the developed world.

In developed countries, Black (non-Latina) women have higher maternal mortality rates than White (non-Latina) women. According to the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene - Bureau of Maternal, Infant and Reproductive Health, it was found that from 2008 to 2012, Black (non-Latina) women have a pregnancy-related mortality rate twelve times higher than White (non-Latina) women. The U.S. has the "highest rate of maternal mortality in the industrialized world." It is also estimated that 50% of the deaths are from preventable causes.

Since 2016, ProPublica and NPR investigated factors that led to the increase in maternal mortality in the United States. They reported that the "rate of life-threatening complications for new mothers in the U.S. has more than doubled in two decades due to pre-existing conditions, medical errors and unequal access to care." According to the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), c. 4 million women who give birth in the US annually, over 50,000 a year, experience "dangerous and even life-threatening complications." Of those 700 to 900 die every year "related to pregnancy and childbirth." A "pervasive problem" is the rapidly increasing rate of "severe maternal morbidity" (SMM), which does not yet have a "single, comprehensive definition".

According to a report by the CDC, in 1993 the rate of SMM rose from 49.5 to 144 "per 10,000 delivery hospitalizations" in 2014, an increase of almost 200 percent. Blood transfusions also increased during the same period with "from 24.5 in 1993 to 122.3 in 2014 and are considered to be the major driver of the increase in SMM. After excluding blood transfusions, the rate of SMM increased by about 20% over time, from 28.6 in 1993 to 35.0 in 2014."

The Sustainable Development Goals and maternal mortality
In the context of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), countries have united behind a new target to accelerate the decline of maternal mortality by 2030. SDG 3 includes an ambitious target: "reducing the global MMR to less than 70 per 100 000 births, with no country having a maternal mortality rate of more than twice the global average".

Proposed solutions
The WHO estimates that the cost to provide basic family planning for both maternal and neonatal health care to women in developing countries is US$8 per person a year. Many non-profit organizations have programs educating the public and gaining access to emergency obstetric care for mothers in developing countries. The United Nations Population Fund (UNPFA) recently began its Campaign on Accelerated Reduction of Maternal Mortality in Africa (CARMMA), focusing on providing quality healthcare to mothers. One of the programs within CARMMA is Sierra Leone providing free healthcare to mothers and children. This initiative has widespread support from African leaders and was started in conjunction with the African Union Health Ministers.

Improving maternal health is the fifth of the United Nations' eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), targeting a reduction in the number of women dying during pregnancy and childbirth by three quarters by 2015, notably by increasing the usage of skilled birth attendants, contraception and family planning. The current decline of maternal deaths is only half of what is necessary to achieve this goal, and in several regions such as Sub-Saharan Africa the maternal mortality rate is actually increasing. However, one country that may meet their MDG 5 is Nepal, which has it appears reduced its maternal mortality by more than 50% since the early 1990s. As the 2015 deadline for the MDG's approaches, an understanding of the policy developments leading to the inclusion of maternal health within the MDG's is essential for future advocacy efforts.

According to the UNFPA, maternal deaths would be reduced by about two-thirds, from 287,000 to 105,000, if needs for modern family planning and maternal and newborn health care were met. Therefore, investing in family planning and improved maternal health care brings many benefits including reduced risks of complications and improvement in health for mothers and their children. Education is also critical with research showing "that women with no education were nearly three times more likely to die during pregnancy and childbirth than women who had finished secondary school." Evidence shows that women who are better educated tend to have healthier children. Education would also improve employment opportunities for women which results in improving their status, contributing to family savings, reducing poverty and contributing to economic growth. All of these invests bring significant benefits and effects not only for women and girls but also their children, families, communities and their country.

Developed countries had rates of maternal mortality similar to those of developing countries until the early 20th century, therefore several lessons can be learned from the west. During the 19th century Sweden had high levels of maternal mortality, and there was a strong support within the country to reduce mortality rate to fewer than 300 per 100,000 live births. The Swedish government began public health initiatives to train enough midwives to attend all births. This approach was also later used by Norway, Denmark, and the Netherlands who also experienced similar successes.

Increasing contraceptive usage and family planning also improves maternal health through reduction in numbers of higher risk pregnancies and by lowering the inter-pregnancy interval. In Nepal a strong emphasis was placed on providing family planning to rural regions and it was shown to be effective. Madagascar saw a dramatic increase in contraceptive use after instituting a nationwide family planning program, the rate of contraceptive use increased from 5.1% in 1992 to 29% in 2008.

Family planning has been reported to be a significant factor in maternal health. Governments should invest in their national healthcare to ensure that all women are aware of birth control methods. The government, through the ministry of health, should liaise with the private healthcare as well as the public healthcare division to ensure that women are educated and encouraged to use the right family planning method (Bloom, David, and Klaus Prettner 5). The government should invest in this operation as when the rate of underage, as well as unplanned pregnancies, are reduced the healthcare cost stand a chance to drop by up to 8%. Healthcare will, therefore, be in a position to handle the other women who give birth. This will result in an improvement in maternal health.

Four elements are essential to maternal death prevention. First, prenatal care. It is recommended that expectant mothers receive at least four antenatal visits to check and monitor the health of mother and fetus. Second, skilled birth attendance with emergency backup such as doctors, nurses and midwives who have the skills to manage normal deliveries and recognize the onset of complications. Third, emergency obstetric care to address the major causes of maternal death which are hemorrhage, sepsis, unsafe abortion, hypertensive disorders and obstructed labour. Lastly, postnatal care which is the six weeks following delivery. During this time bleeding, sepsis and hypertensive disorders can occur and newborns are extremely vulnerable in the immediate aftermath of birth. Therefore, follow-up visits by a health worker is assess the health of both mother and child in the postnatal period is strongly recommended.

See also
 Complications of pregnancy
 Maternal Health Task Force
 Maternal health in Rwanda
 Global health
 Global Strategy for Women's and Children's Health
 Birth attendants
 Sex education
 Reproductive health
 Reproductive Health Supplies Coalition
 Women's health
 Black Maternal Mortality in the United States
 Postpartum Bleeding

References

Bibliography

External links

Sexual health
Obstetrics
Women's health
Midwifery

Maternal health


The Orissa Steelers are the winners of the Premier Hockey League 2007, India's only national league level Field Hockey tournament. The originally proposed name for the team was Rourkela Steelers after the city which is said to be the Hockey Capital of Orissa.

They participated in the tournament for the first time in 2006, when it had two tiers. They won the First Division (the other was Premier Division) title that year. In 2007, the two-tier system was replaced by a single-tier system in PHL, and Orissa Steelers was admitted as one of the seven teams. The others were Hyderabad Sultans, Maratha Warriors, Sher-e-Jalandhar, Chandigarh Dynamos, Chennai Veerans, and Bangalore Lions.

Orissa Steelers went on to win 10 of their 12 matches in the league level to top the table. In the best-of-three finals, they won the title and the prize money of Rs 4 million by beating Sher-e-Jalandhar twice while losing to them once. Dilip Tirkey, the captain of the Orissa Steelers, who also leads Indian national Hockey team, was awarded player of the tournament in PHL 2007.

Team in PHL 2007
Players
 Dilip Tirkey (Captain)
 Salman Akbar (Goalkeeper) [Pakistan]
 Daman Deep Singh
 Prabodh Tirkey
 Roshan Minz
 Samir Dad
 Sunil Ekka
 Jitender Saroha
 William Xalxo
 Bimal Lakra
 Jasbir Singh
 Adnan Zakir [Pakistan]
 Mario Almada [Argentina]
 Tjeerd Steller  [Netherlands]
 Sunil Yadav
 Bruno H Lugun
 Birender Lakra
 Prem Kumar
 Dinesh Ekka  (Goalkeeper)

Officials
 A K Bansal (Chief Coach)
 Pranab K Pattnaik (Asst. Coach)
 Mukti Prasad Das (PT)
 Pratap Satpathy (Manager)

Performance in 2007
League Level
Matches: 12; Won: 10; Lost: 2; Goals For: 29; Goals Against: 12; Points: 28; Position in League Table: No 1

Results At A Glance in 2007
League Level
 Won Against Chandigarh Dynamos 1-0 (Extra Time)
 Won Against Chennai Veerans 2-1
 Won Against Hyderabad Sultans 1-0
 Lost to Sher-e-Jalandhar 1-2
 Won Against Bangalore Lions 3-0
 Won Against Maratha Warriors 2-0
 Won Against Hyderabad Sultans 2-0
 Lost to Bangalore Lions 3-4
 Won Against Chandigarh Dynamos 4-2
 Won Against Sher-e-Jalandhar 4-2 (Extra Time; Shootout)
 Won Against Maratha Warriors 4-1
 Won Against Chennai Veerans 5-1

Finals
 Lost to Sher-e-Jalandhar in the penalty shootout
 Won Against Sher-e-Jalandhar 2-1
 Won Against Sher-e-Jalandhar 4-3

References

Field hockey clubs in India
Field hockey in Odisha
Premier Hockey League teams
Sports clubs and teams in India
Year of establishment missing

Orissa Steelers


Edmund James "Teddy" Payne (14 December 1863 – 15 July 1914), was an English actor, comedian and singer best known for creating comic roles in a series of extremely successful Edwardian musical comedies.  He was often paired with the comic actor George Grossmith, Jr.

After about a decade touring and in stock productions, Payne joined the company at the Gaiety Theatre in London, gaining notice for creating a comic character in the musical In Town (1892).  He spent more than two decades at the Gaiety, using his diminutive stature, malleable features, distinctive lisp and comic dance ability to his advantage.  His further successes in the 1890s included lovable comic characters in such long-running shows as The Shop Girl (1894), The Circus Girl (1896) and A Runaway Girl (1898).  In the new century, he created memorable characters in such hits as The Messenger Boy (1900), The Toreador (1902), The Orchid (1903), The Spring Chicken (1905), The Girls of Gottenberg (1907), Our Miss Gibbs (1909) and The Sunshine Girl (1912).

Life and career

Payne was born in Hackney, London. His father was Edmund Payne, a chair manufacturer, his mother was Eliza Payne née Ince, and he had a brother, Fred, who also became an actor. Payne made his professional stage debut as Friday in an adaptation of Robinson Crusoe at Market Harborough, in 1880.  He performed in stock, toured, and joined the Milton–Rays company.

Payne first appeared in London at the Gaiety Theatre as Mephistopheles in a revival of Faust up to date.  Most of Payne's subsequent career was spent at the Gaiety. He enjoyed much success for his comic turn as Shrimp, the Call Boy, in In Town (1892).  He followed this with a role in Don Juan (1893) and gave a popular performance as Mr. Miggles in The Shop Girl (1894) that widened his reputation.  He first shared the stage with George Grossmith, Jr. in The Shop Girl, and the two would be paired in many further productions.  He created more comic roles in The Circus Girl (1896) and A Runaway Girl (1898). Payne always rehearsed in a pair of velvet shoes and rode to and from the Gaiety on a tricycle. He was popular among colleagues as well as the public. In 1903 he attempted to beat the twenty-four hour unpaced tricycle record. He passed 100 miles but shortly afterwards gave up, having encountered five hours of incessant rain.

Payne created roles in a string of musical comedy hits in the early years of the new century, including Tommy Bang in The Messenger Boy (1900), Sammy Gigg in The Toreador (1902), Meakin in The Orchid (1903), Mr. Girdle in The Spring Chicken (1905), Tippin in The New Aladdin (1906), Max Moddelkopf in The Girls of Gottenberg (1907), Timothy Gibbs in Our Miss Gibbs (1909), Albert Umbles in Peggy (1911), and Floot in his last show at the Gaiety, The Sunshine Girl (1912), in which he appeared until 1913.  He was to have had a role in The Girl From Utah, but he fell ill and died before the show premiered.

Payne wrote to the editor of Strand Magazine on 30 May 1904, "Dear Sir / My height is five feet three & a half inches in my half hose". His diminutive stature and his elastic facial expressions, including his "pop" eyes, gained him wide fame. He was an accomplished comic singer and dancer, and a diligent actor. He also used a lisp to good effect: "It gave a perfect character to the lovable little men he always impersonated".

In 1909, Payne made a film entitled A Gaiety Duet, in which he starred with his co-writer, George Grossmith, Jr. Payne was married twice, firstly to Emily Saxon (1864–1899) whom he met in the theatre and married in 1888. They had four children, Emily, Alice, Edmund and Harry. After Saxon died in 1899, Payne married Alice Mary Wyatt in 1901. They had three children, Mary, Leslie and Nora. Payne was the great-great-grandfather of choirmaster and television presenter Gareth Malone.

Payne died in London at the age of 50 and is buried at Abney Park Cemetery. In his will he left £21,657 to his widow, Alice. A commemorative blue plaque was erected to Payne in 2017 at his last home in Hampstead by The Music Hall Guild of Great Britain and America.

References

External links
Edmund Payne memorial website
Listing of Payne roles from 1902 to 1910
Listing of Payne roles from 1910 to 1913

English male musical theatre actors
19th-century British male singers
1865 births
1914 deaths
Actors from Hackney Central
20th-century English comedians
Singers from London
Comedians from London

Edmund Payne


The presumption of innocence, is sometimes referred to by the Latin expression Ei incumbit probatio qui dicit, non qui negat (the burden of proof is on the one who declares, not on one who denies). It is the principle that one is considered innocent unless proven guilty. In many nations, presumption of innocence is a legal right of the accused in a criminal trial. It is also regarded as an international human right under the UN's Universal Declaration of Human Rights, article 11. and International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, article 14. This places the burden of proof on the prosecution. They have to collect and present enough compelling evidence to convince the trier of fact (a jury or judge) that the accused is guilty beyond reasonable doubt. If reasonable doubt remains, the accused is to be acquitted. Under Justinian Codes and English Common law, the accused is presumed innocent in criminal proceedings. In civil proceedings (like breach of contract) both sides must issue proof. Under Anglo-American Common Law, the accused is always presumed innocent in all types of proceedings. Proof is always the burden of the accuser. Sharia law, also called Islamic Law, is the third most common type of law in the world. It also has a presumption of innocence.

Reference

Other page
Right to a fair trial

Criminal justice

Presumption of innocence


Frederic Franklin  (13 June 1914 – 4 May 2013), sometimes also called "Freddie", was a British-American ballet dancer, choreographer and director.

Dancer

Born in Liverpool, England, Frederic Franklin claimed that on seeing the 1924 film Peter Pan, his only thought was to go on the stage. He began his career in 1931 at the Casino de Paris with Josephine Baker. In his time in England, Franklin performed with Wendy Toye and Anton Dolin in acts such as the cabaret, variety, concert ballet, vaudeville, and theater. After briefly dancing with the Vic-Wells Ballet, forerunner of The Royal Ballet, he joined the Markova-Dolin Ballet in 1935.

In 1938 Franklin joined the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo where he was premier danseur until 1952. Known as a quick study and for having an impeccable memory, Franklin also became the company's ballet master in 1944. With the Ballet Russe, Franklin originated many indelible characters and starred in over 45 principal roles by such choreographers as Leonide Massine, Michel Fokine, Bronislava Nijinska, Frederick Ashton, George Balanchine, and Agnes de Mille.

In 1949, Franklin went on a concert tour in South Africa. Throughout his time there, he performed ballets such as the Nutcracker and the Mirage. Upon returning to the states and creating his own Ballet with Mia Slavenska, they performed programs such as Swan Lake and A Streetcar Named Desire. In addition, the Slavenska-Franklin Ballet had the opportunity to go to Japan. In Japan, Franklin was able to bring together Swan Lake with the help of Japanese children. However, the Slavenska-Franklin Ballet had begun to experience extreme financial difficulties. As a result, in 1955, Franklin returned to the city and was able to rejoin the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo. The Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo's 1957 season was extremely special because it was the 20-year anniversary as well as Franklin's last show with them. After, Franklin briefly taught at the Ballet of Monte Carlo School on Madison Ave.

While performing internationally with the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo, Franklin and Alexandra Danilova created one of the legendary ballet partnerships of the twentieth century. Among the other ballerinas he partnered were Alicia Markova, Yvette Chauviré, Moira Shearer, Rosella Hightower, Maria Tallchief, Tamara Toumanova, and Alicia Alonso. In addition, he performed roles such as the Baron in Gaite Parisienne, the Baron in Night Shadow (La Sonnambula), and the Champion Roper in Rodeo.

In the 1950s, Franklin also gained experienced when he went to Puerto Rico after a call from Juan Anduze. Upon his return to the states in 1962, he went to Washington D.C, where he joined the National Ballet as founding director, and stayed with them for 12 years. On the opening night of National Ballet of Washington, D.C. following his return, there were 100 musicians of the National Symphony Orchestra, an abundance of magazine and news crews, and choreographer George Balanchine also came to watch.

Director and choreographer
In 1952, Franklin co-founded the Slavenska-Franklin Ballet with Mia Slavenska and a few years later he became the co-director of the Washington Ballet, and then the co-founder and artistic director of the National Ballet of Washington, D.C.

In his lifetime, Franklin choreographed three pieces. In 1958, he created his first ever piece for the Washington Ballet called Etalage. His second piece is called Homage Au Ballet which was also for the Washington Ballet in 1963. His final piece is called The Tribute which was for the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo in 1962. According to an interview Franklin had done, he best choreographs by visualizing the dancers and their movements in his head.

After a few years in Washington, D.C., Franklin began a freelance career reviving and staging works around the United States and developed artistic associations with many ballet companies including Cincinnati Ballet where he was artistic director for two years and later Director Emeritus, Dance Theatre of Harlem where he became artistic advisor in 1989, Chicago Ballet, Tulsa Ballet, the Oakland Ballet, Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre, and American Ballet Theatre.

In 2005, Franklin was featured in the documentary film Ballets Russes, recounting his years with the famous company. Into his 90s, Franklin continued to perform with American Ballet Theatre, appearing in mime roles such as the Friar in Romeo and Juliet, Madge in La Sylphide, and the Prince's Tutor in Swan Lake.

Franklin died from pneumonia in New York City at the Weill Cornell Medical Center on 4 May 2013. He was survived by his partner of 48 years, William Haywood Ausman, and his brother, John Franklin.

Awards
In 1984, Frederic Franklin was honored with a Laurence Olivier Award for his staging of a Creole-themed Giselle starring Virginia Johnson at Dance Theatre of Harlem. Franklin received the Dance Magazine Award in 1985 and the Capezio Dance Award in 1992. On 16 November 2004 Franklin was appointed a Commander of The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire. In 2011, Franklin was inducted into the National Museum of Dance's Mr. & Mrs. Cornelius Vanderbilt Whitney Hall of Fame.

References

External links

Jacob's Pillow 1948 archive film with Alexandra Danilova in Gaîté Parisienne
 Commentary by Sally Bliss
 Bio at Cincinnati Ballet
 Queen honours TV and dance stars

1914 births
2013 deaths
English male ballet dancers
Musicians from Liverpool
Commanders of the Order of the British Empire
English LGBT dancers

Deaths from pneumonia in New York City
National Ballet of Washington, D.C.
British emigrants to the United States

Frederic Franklin


The Heiress is a 1949 American romantic drama film directed and produced by William Wyler, from a screenplay written by Ruth and Augustus Goetz, adapted from their 1947 stage play of the same title, which was itself adapted from Henry James' 1880 novel Washington Square. The film stars Olivia de Havilland as Catherine Sloper, a naive young woman who falls in love with a handsome young man despite the objections of her emotionally abusive father who suspects the man of being a fortune hunter. Montgomery Clift stars as Morris Townsend, and Ralph Richardson as Dr. Sloper.

The Heiress premiered in Los Angeles on October 6, 1949, and was theatrically released by Paramount Pictures on December 28, 1949. Although a box office failure, grossing $2.3 million on a $2.6 million budget, the film garnered critical acclaim, with reviewers praising Wyler's direction, its screenplay and the performances of the cast. The film received a leading eight nominations at the 22nd Academy Awards, including for the Best Picture, and won four awards (more than any other film nominated that year): Best Actress (for de Havilland), Best Original Score, Best Production Design, and Best Costume Design.

In 1996, The Heiress was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".

Universal Pictures, through its EMKA division, currently handles distribution of the film.

Plot
In 1849 New York City, Catherine Sloper, a plain and shy young woman, lives with her wealthy father, Dr. Austin Sloper, in the prestigious Washington Square. Catherine's mother, who was charming and talented, died early, and quiet Catherine constantly disappoints her father with her lack of social graces. Catherine's widowed Aunt Lavinia Penniman moves in and suggests she help Catherine improve her social skills.

At a ball, Catherine meets Morris Townsend, a handsome and charming, but poor, young man. Morris, encouraged by Aunt Penniman, pursues Catherine ardently, and she quickly falls in love with him. Catherine accepts and blossoms under Morris's courtship, but Dr. Sloper suspects Morris is a fortune hunter only interested in his plain daughter's wealth, and investigations into Morris's family relations confirm Dr. Sloper's poor opinion.

When Morris formally requests Catherine's hand in marriage, Catherine is elated, but Dr. Sloper refuses. Dr. Sloper vows he will disinherit Catherine if she marries Morris without his blessing and arranges to take her on an extended trip to Europe to separate the pair as a 'test'. Catherine is torn by her desire for her father's approval, but is becoming more and more eager to marry Morris regardless and become independent.

Morris convinces Catherine to wait and earn Dr. Sloper's approval during this separation and promises to remain true while she is away. During Catherine and Dr. Sloper's European trip, Morris frequently visits the Sloper home and behaves with proprietary ownership over the property and personal contents of the house.

Dr. Sloper is disappointed his daughter does not gain any sophistication from the trip and remains devoted to Morris. Upon their return home, he reveals his poor opinion of his child at last and cruelly belittles his daughter's lack of intelligence, beauty, and accomplishment, making it clear he views her as impossible to be attractive to a man outside of her inheritance.

Wounded and angry, Catherine becomes determined to prove her father wrong and elope with Morris. Catherine runs to Morris and begs him to arrange their immediate elopement. Certain Morris loves her and wanting to cut free from her father, Catherine tells Morris about her pending disinheritance as they discuss the details of her sneaking out to meet him, and makes it clear they can expect nothing from her father ever again.

Catherine waits with her bags packed, and Aunt Penniman, who helped facilitate the plans, offers to stay with her, but is dismayed that Catherine stupidly revealed there would be no money from her father. Aunt Penniman believes Morris is Catherine's only chance at marriage, and that it would be best if they got married first and then dealt with the aftermath.

As the appointed time comes and passes without Morris's arrival, Catherine realizes that Morris has abandoned her upon learning she will not inherit her father's wealth and brokenly returns to her room.

Shortly afterward, Dr. Sloper reveals he is dying. Initially proud of Catherine for rejecting Morris, Catherine at last gets her revenge on him by denying him the ability to die peacefully. In a bitter argument, Catherine tells him she planned to elope and was rejected and says he has cheated her by denying her even the chance to 'buy' a husband who would pretend to love her. If he leaves her his money, she might waste it on Morris or other fortune hunters. Dr. Sloper dies fretting until his last breath on if he should change his will but ultimately cannot bring himself to disinherit his only child.

Years later, wealthy, independent, and single, Catherine still lives in the Washington Square house with her aunt. Aunt Penniman informs Catherine that Morris has returned from California. Initially reluctant, Catherine eventually agrees to see him. Morris, now destitute, attempts to win Catherine back. Catherine proposes they recreate their failed elopement. When Morris returns to take her away, Catherine refuses to let him in, leaving him pounding helplessly on the door as she turns off the lights and goes to bed.

Cast

 Olivia de Havilland as Catherine Sloper
 Montgomery Clift as Morris Townsend
 Ralph Richardson as Dr. Austin Sloper
 Miriam Hopkins as Lavinia Penniman
 Vanessa Brown as Maria
 Betty Linley as Mrs. Montgomery
 Ray Collins as Jefferson Almond
 Mona Freeman as Marian Almond
 Selena Royle as Elizabeth Almond
 Paul Lees as Arthur Townsend
 Harry Antrim as Mr. Abeel
 Russ Conway as Quintus
 David Thursby as Geier

Production
After seeing The Heiress on Broadway, Olivia de Havilland approached William Wyler about directing her in a screen adaptation of the play. He agreed and encouraged executives at Paramount Pictures to purchase the rights from the playwrights (Ruth and Augustus Goetz) for $250,000 and offer them $10,000 per week to write the screenplay. The couple were asked to make Morris less of a villain than he was in their play and the original novel in deference to the studio's desire to capitalize on Montgomery Clift's reputation as a romantic leading man.

The film premiered at Radio City Music Hall in New York City on October 6, 1949.

Ralph Richardson reprised the role of Austin Sloper in a London production of the play.

Reception
The Heiress received universal critical acclaim. Bosley Crowther for The New York Times  wrote that the film "crackles with allusive life and fire in its tender and agonized telling of an extraordinarily characterful tale" and added Wyler "has given this somewhat austere drama an absorbing intimacy and a warming illusion of nearness that it did not have on the stage. He has brought the full-bodied people very closely and vividly to view, while maintaining the clarity and sharpness of their personalities, their emotions and their styles...The Heiress is one of the handsome, intense and adult dramas of the year."

The Brooklyn Eagle found the film "an intensely satisfying drama that holds a high level of interest throughout, building relentlessly to a moving climax." Praise for the principals lauded de Havilland especially: "the transformation of Catherine Sloper from a pathetically shy girl to a cold, handsome woman" being "handled with finished skill."

The Philadelphia Inquirer praised the Goetzes for a skillful transformation of their stage version, finding it "in almost every way...superior." Prospects of an Academy Award for de Havilland were judged "thoroughly reasonable" as well.

TV Guide rates the film five out of a possible five stars and adds, "This powerful and compelling drama...owes its triumph to the deft hand of director William Wyler and a remarkable lead performance by Olivia de Havilland.

Time Out London calls the film "typically plush, painstaking and cold...highly professional and heartless."

Channel 4 stated "de Havilland's portrayal...is spine-chilling...Clift brings a subtle ambiguity to one of his least interesting roles, and Richardson is also excellent."

Influence
Martin Scorsese has cited The Heiress as a key influence on his 2023 film Killers of the Flower Moon. Specifically, the portrayal of Mollie Burkhart and her relationship with her husband Ernest drew inspiration from de Havilland's portrayal of Catherine and her relationship with Morris.

In popular culture
In 1975, the twenty-first episode of the eighth season of The Carol Burnett Show featured a take-off of the film titled "The Lady Heir", with Carol Burnett as Catherine and Roddy McDowell as Morris.

The film's Philippine adaptation, titled Ikaw Pa Lang ang Minahal, was made in 1992. The adaptation was written by Raquel Villavicencio, produced by Armida Siguion-Reyna, and directed by Carlos Siguion-Reyna. The film stars Maricel Soriano and Richard Gomez as Adela and David.

Awards and nominations

See also

 Gothic romance film

References

External links

The Heiress: A Cruel Inheritance an essay by Pamela Hutchinson at the Criterion Collection
The Heiress essay by Daniel Eagan in America's Film Legacy: The Authoritative Guide to the Landmark Movies in the National Film Registry, A&C Black, 2010 , pages 426-427

1949 films
1940s historical drama films
American historical drama films
American black-and-white films
Films based on American novels
American films based on plays
Films based on works by Henry James
Films set in the 19th century
Films set in New York City
Films featuring a Best Actress Academy Award-winning performance
Films featuring a Best Drama Actress Golden Globe-winning performance
Films whose art director won the Best Art Direction Academy Award
Films that won the Best Original Score Academy Award
Films that won the Best Costume Design Academy Award
Paramount Pictures films
Films directed by William Wyler
Films scored by Aaron Copland
United States National Film Registry films
Films based on adaptations
1949 drama films
1940s English-language films
1940s American films

The Heiress


Herbert Blaché (5 October 1882 – 23 October 1953), born Herbert Reginald Gaston Blaché-Bolton was a British-born American film director, producer and screenwriter, born of a French father. He directed more than 50 films between 1912 and 1929.

Biography
Blaché was born in London, England. His father was a French hatmaker originally from Mont-de-Marsan, while his mother was an English actress, Elizabeth Bolton. In 1907 he married filmmaking pioneer Alice Guy, head of production with the French Gaumont Film Company. Their marriage meant that Alice had to resign from her position working with Gaumont. Looking for new beginnings, the couple immigrated to New York where Herbert was soon appointed the production manager for Gaumont's operations in the United States. The two struck out on their own in 1910, partnering with George A. Magie in the formation of The Solax Company, the largest pre-Hollywood studio in America. With production facilities for their new company in Flushing, New York, Herbert served as production manager as well as cinematographer and Alice worked as the artistic director, directing many of its releases. Within two years they had become so successful that they were able to invest more than $100,000 into new and technologically advanced production facilities in Fort Lee, New Jersey, when many early film studios in America's first motion picture industry were based at the beginning of the 20th century.

To focus on writing and directing, in 1914 Alice made her husband the president of Solax. Shortly after taking the position Herbert started his own film company. For the next few years the couple maintained a personal and business partnership, working together on many projects, but with the decline of the East Coast film industry in favor of the more hospitable and cost-effective climate in Hollywood, their relationship also ended. In 1918 Herbert Blaché left his wife and children to pursue a career in Hollywood with one of his actresses. By 1922 they were officially divorced, prompting Alice to auction off her film studio while claiming bankruptcy. She returned to France the same year. Herbert directed his last film in 1929.

In 1951, during the mostly unfounded allegations of fears of widespread communist subversion by senator Joseph McCarthy, Blaché and his wife were among Hollywood figures listed by film writer Richard J. Collins as having at one time been members of the Communist Party. Blaché died in Santa Monica, California.

Filmography

References

External links

1882 births
1953 deaths
American film directors
American film producers
American male screenwriters
20th-century American male writers
20th-century American screenwriters
British emigrants to the United States

Herbert Blaché


Epperson v. Arkansas, 393 U.S. 97 (1968), was a landmark United States Supreme Court case that invalidated an Arkansas statute prohibiting the teaching of human evolution in the public schools. The Court held that the First Amendment to the United States Constitution prohibits a state from requiring, in the words of the majority opinion, "that teaching and learning must be tailored to the principles or prohibitions of any religious sect or dogma." The Supreme Court declared the Arkansas statute unconstitutional because it violated the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment.  After this decision, some jurisdictions passed laws that required the teaching of creation science alongside evolution when evolution was taught.  These were also ruled unconstitutional by the Court in the 1987 case Edwards v. Aguillard.

Background
This case focused on the constitutionality of a 1928 Arkansas statute prohibiting the teaching of human evolutionary theory in its public schools and universities. The statute was enacted during a period of Christian Fundamentalist religious fervor in the 1920s. The Arkansas statute was modeled after Tennessee's 1925 "Butler Act", the subject of the well known Scopes Trial in 1925. The Tennessee Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of the Tennessee law in 1927, allowing the state to continue to prohibit the teaching of evolution.

The Arkansas law was passed through the initiative process, the first anti-evolution law in the United States passed through general election, and teachers who violated it were made subject to fine and dismissal by the state.  The law made it unlawful for any teacher or other instructor in any university, college, public school or other institution of the state which is supported in whole or in part from public funds derived by state or local taxation to teach the theory or doctrine that mankind ascended or descended from a lower order of animals, and also that it be unlawful for any teacher, textbook commission, or other authority exercising the power to select textbooks for above-mentioned institutions to adopt or use in any such institution a textbook that teaches the doctrine or theory that mankind ascended or descended from a lower order of animal.

Thirty years later, Cold War concerns over Soviet success with the 1957 Sputnik launch led to the 1958 National Defense Education Act and Biological Sciences Curriculum Study setting textbook standards which included evolution.
The case in Epperson v. Arkansas involved the teaching of biology in a Little Rock high school. Based upon the recommendation of the school biology teachers, the administrators adopted the 1965 textbook Modern Biology for the 1965–1966 school year, which contained a chapter discussing Charles Darwin and evolutionary theory, and prescribed the subject be taught to the students.

Susan Epperson was a teacher in the Little Rock school system, employed to teach 10th grade biology at the Little Rock Central High School.  The adoption of the new textbook and curriculum standard put her in a legal dilemma because it remained a criminal offense to teach the material in her state, and to do as her school district instructed would also put her at risk of dismissal.  Epperson was not opposed to the teaching, and with backing from the Arkansas chapter of the National Education Association and the American Civil Liberties Union, and the unequivocal support of the Little Rock Ministerial Association, filed suit to test the federal constitutionality of the Arkansas state law.  She filed in the Chancery Court in Pulaski County seeking nullification of the law and an injunction against her being dismissed for teaching the evolutionary curriculum. She was joined in the suit by H. H. Blanchard, a parent with children in the school.

The trial began on April 1, 1966, and the court's decision was issued on May 27, 1966. The Chancery Court held that the statute violated the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution which protects citizens from state interference with freedom of speech and thought as contained in the constitution's First Amendment. The lower court decided the law was unconstitutional because it "tends to hinder the quest for knowledge, restrict the freedom to learn, and restrain the freedom to teach."

The state then appealed the decision to the Arkansas Supreme Court, which reversed the lower court ruling on June 5, 1967.  The opinion read:

Upon the principal issue, that of constitutionality, the court holds that Initiated Measure No. 1 of 1928, Ark.Stat.Ann. § 81627 and § 81628 (Repl.1960), is a valid exercise of the state's power to specify the curriculum in its public schools. The court expresses no opinion on the question whether the Act prohibits any explanation of the theory of evolution or merely prohibits teaching that the theory is true, the answer not being necessary to a decision in the case and the issue not having been raised.

This decision left the ban against teaching evolution in effect.

Decision
Epperson appealed the State Supreme Court's reversal to the United States Supreme Court.  Eugene R. Warren presented arguments for the appellant, Epperson, and Don Langston, an Assistant Attorney General for Arkansas, argued on behalf of the state of Arkansas.  Both Langston and the State Appeal Court focused on the power given to states to set curriculum standards, and did not delve far into the subject of evolutionary theory itself nor to the boundaries between church and state.
The U.S. Supreme Court hearing commenced on October 16, 1968, and its unanimous decision was announced on November 12, 1968. It found the reasons given in the Arkansas reversal were in error.  The court went on to say the clear purpose of the Arkansas statute against the teaching of evolution was to protect a particular religious view, and was thus unconstitutional.  In a decision written by Justice Abe Fortas, the Court held, The overriding fact is that Arkansas' law selects from the body of knowledge a particular segment which it proscribes for the sole reason that it is deemed to conflict with a particular religious doctrine; that is, with a particular interpretation of the Book of Genesis by a particular religious group.

The Court found that not only was the state prohibited from advancing or protecting a particular religious view, but that, [T]he state has no legitimate interest in protecting any or all religions from views distasteful to them.

Justice Hugo Black issued a separate opinion to overturn the Arkansas law, finding the law unconstitutionally "vague" rather than an unconstitutional religious infringement.  While agreeing with the majority to reverse the State Appeal Court decision, his opinion details his dissent from the majority over the First Amendment issue.

Consequences
Though William Jennings Bryan famously testified to some questions about Biblical creation in the 1925 Scopes v. State trial, that Court, like this one, was asked only to judge whether or not teachings about human evolution could be prohibited in the public schools.  Even in that case Bryan, who opposed the evolution instruction, never argued that the teaching of Biblical creation belonged in the school.

The precedent set in Epperson, in which the Court concluded the sole motive behind the ban against evolution teaching in Arkansas was to protect a particular religious view, effectively nullified all other related evolution education prohibitions throughout the United States. Within a short time of the Epperson decision, religious opponents of the teaching attempted through other means to lessen its influence in the curriculum, including requiring schools to teach biblical creation alongside evolution or forcing schools to provide disclaimers that evolution was "only a theory".  These attempts eventually resulted in precedent-setting court decisions including McLean v. Arkansas, and ultimately Edwards v. Aguillard, which struck down a Louisiana statute as unconstitutional.

Related cases

Joseph Burstyn, Inc v. Wilson - 1952
Engel v. Vitale - 1962
Abington School District v. Schempp - 1963

See also
 List of United States Supreme Court cases, volume 393

References

External links

 Case Brief at Lawnix.com
 Creationism/ID: A Short Legal History
 Encyclopedia of Arkansas History and Culture entry on Epperson v. Arkansas
 The Biology Teacher Next Door: Susan Epperson at Evolution 2004

 Discovery on scotusnotes.org

Establishment Clause case law
United States creationism and evolution case law
Legal history of Arkansas
United States education case law
1968 in United States case law
1968 in religion
1968 in education
1968 in Arkansas
American Civil Liberties Union litigation
Little Rock Central High School
United States Supreme Court cases of the Warren Court
Public education in Arkansas
United States Supreme Court cases

Epperson v. Arkansas


Nepotism is when a person in authority gives jobs to their relatives. It comes from the practice of mediaeval Popes, appointing their nephews to important positions. Nepote is Italian for 'nephew'.

For instance, Pope Callixtus III, head of the Borgia family, made two of his nephews cardinals; one of them, Rodrigo, later used his position as a cardinal as a stepping stone to the papacy, becoming Pope Alexander VI. Alexander then elevated Alessandro Farnese, his mistress's brother, to cardinal; Farnese would later go on to become Pope Paul III. Paul III was a notorious nepotist. When elected Pope in 1534 he appointed two nephews, aged 14 and 16, as cardinals.

The practice was finally ended when Pope Innocent XII issued the bull Romanum decet Pontificem, in 1692. The papal bull prohibited popes in all times from bestowing estates, offices, or revenues on any relative, with the exception that one qualified relative (at most) could be made a cardinal.

In the modern world, nepotism is thought to be wrong, and conflicts with the principle of merit, where the best person gets the job (meritocracy). The argument against the widespread nepotism in countries like Italy is that it damages the economy of the country, though that is difficult to prove.

References

Relationships
Social issues

Nepotism


The Finke River is one of the largest rivers in central Australia. It starts in the MacDonnell Ranges in the Northern Territory. it is formed where Davenport and Ormiston Creeks join together, just north of Glen Helen. The Finke River flows about 600 km to the western edge of the Simpson Desert in northern South Australia. Usually the river is a collection of waterholes, but it can become a raging torrent during rare flood events. In a big flood water from the Finke River can flow into the Macumba River, and then into Lake Eyre, a total distance of about 750 km. Major tributaries include Ellery Creek, and the Palmer and Hugh Rivers. The Finke River flows through the West MacDonnell and Finke Gorge National Parks.

The Finke River was named by John McDouall Stuart in 1860 after William Finke, an Adelaide man, who was one of the people who paid part of the cost of his expeditions. The indigenous name for the river in parts of the Northern Territory is Larapinta. Larapinta Drive is a road which runs west from Alice Springs, and the Larapinta walking trail.

Age of the Finke River
The Finke River has been called "the oldest river in the world", particularly by tour operators, and in popular books and brochures. In places such as the James Range, the Finke flows through deeply incised meanders  (see Google Maps image). Because meanders only form on flat plains, the river must have formed before the ranges were pushed up. This happened in a mountain building event known as the Alice Springs Orogeny which happened between 400 and 300 million years ago, in the Devonian to Carboniferous Periods. Some parts of the river's course must have been already in existence around this time. The southern parts of its course must be much younger because the areas where the Finke now flows near the southern edge of the Northern Territory, and further south, were under the sea during the Mesozoic Era, part of the Great Artesian Basin.

The age of the Finke River is not unique. There are other large mountain-sourced river systems in central Australia including the Todd and Hale Rivers where the mountains were formed at the same time. There are other mountain ranges of equal or greater age to the MacDonnell Ranges, both in Australia and on other continents. The rivers in those areas may have evolved from ancestral streams of the same age or older than the Finke.

References

Rivers of the Northern Territory
Rivers of South Australia

Finke River


Państwowy Korpus Bezpieczeństwa (Polish for "National Security Corps", abbreviated PKB; sometimes also called Kadra Bezpieczeństwa) was a Polish underground police force organized under German occupation during World War II by the Polish Home Army and Government Delegation for Poland. It was trained as the core of a future police force for a planned Polish all-national uprising, and for after Poland's liberation. The Corps' first commander was Lt. Col. Marian Kozielewski. He was later replaced by Stanisław Tabisz. In October 1943 the PKB had 8,400 officers; by early 1944 the number had grown to almost 12,000.

The PKB was created by the Department of the Internal Affairs of the Delegate's Office in 1940, mostly from members of the pre-war Polish police and volunteers. PKB carried out investigation and criminal intelligence duties as well as gathered reports of the Gestapo and Kripo in the General Government. It enforced the verdicts prepared by the Directorate of Civil Resistance and Directorate of Underground Resistance and passed by the Underground court.

A unit of PKB commanded by Henryk Iwański purportedly distinguished itself during the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising in 1943. However, according to the work of a Polish-Israeli research team (Dr. Dariusz Libionka and Dr. Laurence Weinbaum), much of what Henryk Iwański wrote should be relegated to the realm of confabulation or manipulation of the Communist secret police.

See also
 Workers' Militia PPS-WRN

External links
 Polish Police during World War II (Polish)

References

Poland in World War II
Defunct law enforcement agencies of Poland
Units and formations of the Home Army

National Security Corps


Ippolito Lante Montefeltro della Rovere (15 June 1618 – 29 June 1688) was an Italian nobleman and Duke of Bomarzo.

Biography
Lante was the son of Marcantonio Lante (1566–1643) and his wife Lucrezia della Rovere. He was nephew to his father's brother, Cardinal Marcello Lante della Rovere. His brother, Lodovico Lante married Olimpia Cesi, daughter of Federico Cesi, Duke of Acquasparta.

He purchased the Villa at Bagnaia and it became known as the Villa Lante. He made a number of significant improvements to the Villa and its gardens and commissioned Pietro da Cortona to paint the Allegory of War and Peace. Many of Cortona's previous commissions had come from the Barberini family including Pope Urban VIII and Francesco Barberini. Lante later became close to Francesco's nephew, Maffeo Barberini (Prince of Palestrina) who spent some time in residence at the Villa Lante.

Lante's plan had been to alter the villa with more baroque art and architecture to move the estate away from the defensive military style with which it had first been built. Some of his plan was accomplished but the buildings remain a mix of architectural types.

He also owned the Villa Lante al Gianicolo in Rome. Lante died 29 June 1688 in that city.

Family
On 11 February 1688 he married Maria Cristina d'Altemps, daughter of Pietro d'Altemps (Duke of Gallese and Marquis of Soriano) and  (granddaughter of Giulio de' Medici). They had four children:

 Antonio Lante Montefeltro della Rovere, (1648–1716) who inherited his father's titles and married Louise Angelique Charlotte de La Trémouille, sister of Marie Anne de La Trémoille.
 Marcello Lante Montefeltro della Rovere (born 1652)
Luigi Lante Montefeltro della Rovere (born 1653)
Lavinia Lante Montefeltro della Rovere (born 1655)
Angela Lante Montefeltro della Rovere (born 1658)

References

1618 births
1688 deaths
Nobility from Rome
Montefeltro family
Ippolito

Ippolito Lante Montefeltro della Rovere


Josephus Maria Martinus van Veldhoven (born 1952 in Den Bosch) is a Dutch choral conductor. He studied musicology at the Rijksuniversiteit of Utrecht, and choral and orchestral conducting at the Royal Conservatory, the Hague. He was artistic director of the Netherlands Bach Society (Nederlandse Bachvereniging) from 1983 to 2018. In this capacity he regularly gave performances at home and abroad of the major works of Johann Sebastian Bach and his predecessors and contemporaries. In addition he has been the director since 1976 of the Utrechts Barok Consort, which he founded. He has made a great number of radio, television, and CD recordings with his ensembles, and he has appeared in festivals in the Netherlands, many countries in Western Europe, the United States, and Japan.

The New York Times stated that "Mr. van Veldhoven elicits readings in the best current style, lithe and lithing but also muscular, imaginative and spontaneous". He has been described by NRC Handelsblad as "the top ranking Netherlands choral director", and by Trouw as "one of the few Netherlands early music performers...[with] all-important pioneering zeal".

Jos van Veldhoven is a regular guest artist with international orchestras including Das Orchester der Beethovenhalle Bonn, The Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra, the Telemann Chamber Orchestra, and the Essener Philharmoniker. Together with director Dietrich Hilsdorf, Jos van Veldhoven has been working since 2001 on a cycle of staged Handel oratorios at the Bonn Opera. Van Veldhoven also appears in his native country as a guest conductor, including appearances with Holland Symfonia and Opera Zuid.

In previous years, Jos van Veldhoven has attracted frequent attention with performances of "new" repertoire within the realm of early music. Noteworthy among them were performances of oratorios by Telemann and Graun, Vespers by Gastoldi, Netherlands repertoire of the Golden Age, reconstructions of Bach's St Mark Passion as well as the so-called Köthener Trauermusik and many unknown 17th century musical dialogues. He also conducted a great many contemporary premieres of baroque operas by composers including Mattheson, Keiser, Andrea and Giovanni Bononcini, Legrenzi, Conti, and Scarlatti. In 2008 he celebrated his 25th anniversary as artistic director of The Netherlands Bach Society, conducting Joseph Haydn's The Creation.

Jos van Veldhoven is professor of choral conducting at the Amsterdam Conservatory and the Royal Conservatory of The Hague.

In 2007 van Veldhoven was made a member of the Order of the Netherlands Lion.

References

External links
Jos van Veldhoven
Live Broadcast of the St Matthew Passion by the Netherlands Bach Society under Jos van Veldhoven in Naarden, Netherlands, 14 March 2008

1952 births
Living people
Dutch conductors (music)
Male conductors (music)
Dutch choral conductors
People from 's-Hertogenbosch
Academic staff of the Conservatorium van Amsterdam
Academic staff of the Royal Conservatory of The Hague
21st-century conductors (music)
21st-century male musicians

Jos van Veldhoven


Brilliant Suleyman gyzy Dadashova ( ; born 15 September 1959 or 1965, according to other sources) is an Azerbaijani pop singer.

Life
Brilliant Dadashova was born into a family of five children. Her older sisters also pursued careers in music.

She first appeared on stage in 1985 with the songs by Azerbaijani composer Eldar Mansurov. In 1986, she participated in the annual International Youth Festival in Moscow. Two years later, she won the prestigious All-Union Pop Singers Contest, a singing competition among representatives of the republics of the Soviet Union. In 1990, she graduated from the Azerbaijan National Culture and Arts Institute. She is one of the few pop singers native to Azerbaijan to have played outside of their home country. Dadashova's concert venues included the U.S., Canada, the United Kingdom, Germany, Austria, Sweden, Russia, and Turkey.

In 1995, her song "Züleyha" hit the top 10 in Russian charts. In 1997, Dadashova was among the musicians who participated in the recording of the album Landet vi kommer fra ("The Land We Came From", released by Kirkelig Kulturverksted in Norway), which included Azerbaijani folk songs sung in Azerbaijani and Norwegian by the Azerbaijani soloists and the Norwegian choir SKRUK.

In 1999, Brilliant Dadashova was elected to the Baku City Council. From 2001 to 2006 she hosted her own prime time talk-show, Gözəllik dünyanı xilas edəcək ("Beauty will save the world"), on Azerbaijan's Space TV.

In 2012, her song "Vokaliz" (a 2001 vocal improvisation of the Azerbaijani folk dance tunes "Meydan" and "Baki", as well as Vagif Garayzadeh's "Novruzu" musical composition) became an issue of controversy after allegedly having been performed by the Armenian singer Varduhi Vardanyan, who was accused of violating copyright. Vardanyan vehemently denied the accusations and claimed that the song is a traditional Armenian folk song.

Since September 2006, Brilliant Dadashova has been actively involved in the Akademiya TV project (the Azerbaijani version of Star Academy) aimed at professional musical training of talented youths and preparing them for the big stage.

During her career, Brilliant released seven albums. Her last one, Saninlayam ("I'm with You"), was released in September 2002, and was dedicated to the memory of composer Rafig Babayev. She released another studio album, titled Masal Dunyam, in Azerbaijan and Turkey in August 2008. The song "Per sempre" with Adriano Celentano was published in 2021.

Brilliant Dadashova is married to stage actor Adalat Hajiyev and has a son. In March 2011, she announced that she had filed for divorce due to a long-term complicated relationship. In 2020, Brilliant Dadashova celebrated 32 years of marriage.

References

External links

 Brilliant Dadashova's Homepage at brilliantdadasova.com
  (videoclip shot in 2004)

1959 births
Living people
20th-century Azerbaijani women singers
Musicians from Baku
People's Artists of Azerbaijan
Soviet Azerbaijani people
Turkish-language singers
21st-century Azerbaijani women singers

Brilliant Dadashova


Forrest McCreery "Jap" Douds (April 21, 1905 – August 16, 1979) was an All-American football player at Washington and Jefferson College in suburban Washington, Pennsylvania, where he was selected as an All-American three times and was the first player ever selected to the East–West Game in two separate seasons. He played professional American football player for the Portsmouth Spartans, Providence Steam Roller, Chicago Cardinals, and the Pittsburgh Pirates. He was named to the 1930 NFL All-Pro Team. In 1933, he became the first coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1933 leading the team to a 3–6–2 record before being replaced in the off-season.

He was inducted into the Beaver County Sports Hall of Fame in 1976.

References

External links

1905 births
1979 deaths
American football tackles
Chicago Cardinals players
Pittsburgh Pirates (football) coaches
Pittsburgh Pirates (football) players
Portsmouth Spartans players
Providence Steam Roller players
Washington & Jefferson Presidents football players
People from Rochester, Pennsylvania
Players of American football from Beaver County, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh Pirates head coaches

Forrest Douds


Tin(II) hydroxide, Sn(OH)2, also known as stannous hydroxide, is an inorganic compound tin(II). The only related material for which definitive information is available is the oxy hydroxide Sn6O4(OH)4, but other related materials are claimed.  They are all white solids that are insoluble in water.

Preparation and structure
Crystals of Sn6O4(OH)4 has been characterized by X-ray diffraction.  This cluster is obtained from solution of basic solutions of tin(II).  The compound consists of an octahedron of Sn centers, each face of which is capped by an oxide or a hydroxide.  The structure is reminiscent of the Mo6S8 subunit of the Chevrel phases.. The structure of pure Sn(OH)2 is not known.

Sn(OH)2 has been claimed to arise from the reaction of (CH3)3SnOH with SnCl2 in an aprotic solvent:
2 Me3SnOH + SnCl2 → Sn(OH)2 + 2 Me3SnCl
No crystallographic characterization is available on this material.

Reactions
Stannous hydroxide is easily oxidized to stannic oxide (SnO2) by air.

References

Hydroxides
Tin(II) compounds
Reducing agents

Tin(II) hydroxide