The Baltimore Waltz

# The Baltimore Waltz

## Abstract

The Baltimore Waltz is a play by Paula Vogel. It revolves around a brother and sister who appear to be taking a European trip and is based on Vogel and her brother Carl's real-life experiences. The play had a workshop at the Perseverance Theatre in 1990, it was first staged at Houston's Alley Theatre in 1992 and made its off-Broadway premiere later that year.

## Overview

Essentially a series of comic vignettes underlined by tragedy, the farce traces the European odyssey of sister and brother Anna and Carl. They are in search of hedonistic pleasure and a cure for her terminal illness, the fictitious ATD (Acquired Toilet Disease) she contracted by using the bathrooms at the elementary school where she teaches. Knowing her life is nearing its end, Anna is driven by a lust that compels her to have casual sex with as many men as possible during their travels, a passion shared by her gay brother. Assisting the pair is the mysterious Third Man, a reference to the classic suspense film starring Joseph Cotten and Orson Welles, to which Vogel frequently alludes in detail.

The play actually takes place in a hospital room in Baltimore, Maryland, where Carl has a terminal illness, and Anna is imagining the trip that the two never took.

## Plot

Anna, a single school teacher in Baltimore, finds out from the doctor that she has contracted Acquired Toilet Disease from the toilet in her classroom. In an attempt to find a cure, she, and her brother Carl, plan a trip abroad to see Dr. Todesrocheln in Vienna. At the airport, on their way to Paris, Carl makes Anna hold his stuffed rabbit as they walk through security.

Once in Paris, the pair visit the Eiffel Tower and Anna notices a man in a trench coat and beret carrying an identical stuffed rabbit that Carl has. She feels convinced they are being followed. Carl waves the suspicions away and they continue to a French bistro. After their meal Anna sleeps with the Garcon, while Carl wanders the Louvre.

Anna spends the rest of their trip in Paris afflicted with the six stages that affect terminal illness patients. It is after Anna reaches the sixth stage, Hope, that she feels the desire to continue their trip to Vienna to see the doctor.

In Holland, Anna sleeps with The Little Dutch Boy at Age 50, a reference to Hans Brinker, or The Silver Skates. When Anna returns from her trip, she spots Carl on the Magere Brug. Carl meets the man in a trench coat and sunglasses. Both hold stuffed rabbits. Upon meeting in the middle of the bridge, the two stroke each other's stuffed rabbits before parting in opposite directions. That night, Carl refuses to explain what happened and says that they must leave for Germany immediately.

On the train, on the way to Germany, Anna and Carl show the audience slides from their trip. However, their descriptions of the German countryside are combined with pictures that do not match. For example, when Carl speaks about Neuschwanstein Castle, the slides show a picture of the castle at Disneyland. The pictures are primarily of Baltimore or the Johns Hopkins Hospital. In Germany, Anna continues to sleep around as tensions rise between her and Carl. Carl feels frustrated that Anna is not spending time with him. Once he and Anna make up, Carl convinces her to go to Vienna to meet up with one of his college friends, Harry Lime, because he might be able to get them medicine.

Upon arriving in Vienna, Carl meets Harry on a ferris wheel. Harry Lime sells blackmarket medicine that he makes in his kitchen—he is a self-proclaimed businessman who sells hope. Harry Lime and Carl fight over Carl's stuffed rabbit.

Meanwhile, at the doctor's office, Anna and Dr. Todesrocheln discuss his work with urine. While they speak, Dr. Todesrocheln fights with himself over drinking Anna's urine sample. He drinks it and Anna recognizes him as the Doctor from the first scene. Anna rushes back to the hotel room to find Carl laying stiff in bed with a white sheet over him. She gets him to stand up and they waltz before the Doctor pulls a white curtain across the stage.

Anna stands in the hospital lounge as the Doctor delivers the news that her brother Carl is dead. It is revealed that they did not travel abroad and Anna did not have ATD.

## Background

The play was Vogel's response to the 1988 death of her brother Carl, who died from complications due to AIDS before they were able to enjoy a long planned European vacation.

Vogel wrote the play during summer 1989 at the MacDowell Colony, New Hampshire. The play is dedicated To the memory of Carl - because I cannot sew. This is a reference to the AIDS quilt. The printed script contains a letter from Carl to Paula, dated March 1987, discussing his funeral ceremony.

## Production history

The Baltimore Waltz was first produced in a workshop at the Perseverance Theatre (Molly Smith, artistic director; Deborah B. Baley, producing director) in Juneau, Alaska, in October 1990.

The play was first fully staged in January 1992, in Houston, at the Alley Theatre. The Houston production then transferred to New York.

The Baltimore Waltz premiered Off-Broadway at the Circle Repertory Company (Tanya Berezin, artistic director), running from January 29, 1992 to March 15, 1992. It was directed by Anne Bogart, with Cherry Jones as Anna, Richard Thompson as Carl and Joe Mantello as the Third Man. Set design was by Loy Arcenas, costumes by Walker Hicklin, lighting by Dennis Parichy and sound score by John Gromada.

1992 Obie Awards went to Vogel for Best New American Play, Jones for Best Performance, and Bogart for Best Direction.

It was staged at the Yale Repertory Theater, New Haven, Connecticut in May 2003, directed by Stan Wojewodski Jr. By then it had become one of the most popular plays for regional theatres throughout the United States.

An Off-Broadway revival produced by the Signature Theatre Company and directed by Mark Brokaw opened on December 5, 2004 at the Peter Norton Space, where it ran through January 2005. The cast included Kristen Johnston as Anna, David Marshall Grant as Carl, and Jeremy Webb as the Third Man.

## Critical response

Frank Rich noted in his review of the 1992 production in the New York Times that “Ms. Vogel has succeeded in creating that memorial is most apparent when she finally must burst the balloon, turning her enchanted accidental tourist back into a grieving schoolteacher, the rabbit back into a dying man's bedside totem, the mysteries of Vienna back into the cold, clammy realities of a hospital ward in Baltimore.”

J. Wynn Rousuck noted in her review of the 1992 production in The Baltimore Sun that "...it becomes clear that the play's overriding -- and saddest -- fantasy is a fantasy of denial. Gradually, the truth about the disease, the European tour and even the identity of the patient begins to impinge on the wacky, offbeat tone..."

Malcolm L. Johnson in his review for the Hartford Courant of the 1992 Off-Broadway production wrote: " "The Baltimore Waltz" sounds like one of those cutesy, self-indulgent, even tasteless new plays that can make theater-going a dreaded experience. Yet despite all those things—no, in large part because of them—Vogel's uproarious, searching and finally devastating creation adds up to the very best of theater. Even to say that this is the theater's most deeply felt and richly expressed response to the AIDS plague is to diminish its powers."

Ada Calhoun wrote of the 2004 revival in The New York Magazine: "...the show succeeds as a loving tribute and political statement, as theater it's stuck in an odd realm between rollicking farce and whimsical melodrama."

Beatrice Loayza noted in her review of the 2019 revival production in the DC Metro Theater Arts that the play is “an ambitious piece of theater, fusing melodrama with farce and wish fulfillment with stark reality, in an impressively short length (the play runs 90 minutes). With work so dense and conceptually challenging, and with a payoff after the final twist that will melt your heart…”


Timeline of GB News

# Timeline of GB News

## Abstract

This is a timeline of the history of GB News, a free-to-air television and radio news channel in the United Kingdom.

## Timeline

### 2019

- 25 September – All Perspectives Ltd is founded as the holding company of GB News.

### 2020

- January – All Perspectives Ltd is granted a licence to broadcast by the media regulator Ofcom.

- 25 September – It is announced that Andrew Neil, who has presented live political programmes on the BBC for 25 years, will leave the corporation after leading its coverage of the 2020 United States presidential election. On the same day, he is announced as the presenter of a prime time evening programme on GB News, due to launch early the next year.

- October – Sir Robbie Gibb stands down as an editorial adviser.

- December – Sir Paul Marshall, a hedge-fund manager, is in talks to invest £10 million into GB News.

### 2021

#### January 2021

- 6 January – GB News reaches its £60 million fundraising aim, which it says is oversubscribed. The majority of the £60 million came from the American multinational Discovery, Inc., the United Arab Emirates-based investment firm Legatum, and Marshall, who says he is investing in a personal capacity. GB News says it will recruit 140 staff, including 120 journalists, and will also launch "streaming, video-on-demand and audio services".

- 25 January – The recruitment drive begins.

- 28 January – It is announced that Dan Wootton will leave News UK to join the channel as the host of a daily show, five days a week.

#### February 2021

- 8 February – The pressure group Stop Funding Hate calls for advertisers to boycott the channel, based on what it thinks it will represent.

- 10 February – Sky News ' Colin Brazier is reported to be the host of a news, interview and debate daytime programme.

- 18 February – It is announced that Darren McCaffrey will join the channel as political editor and Tom Harwood as a political correspondent.

- 19 February – Michelle Dewberry is named as the host of a five-day-a-week prime time show.

#### March 2021

- 2 March – Inaya Folarin Iman, a 24-year-old journalist and former Brexit Party candidate, is announced as another five-day-a-week host.

- 5 March – Former Brexit Party Member of the European Parliament Alex Phillips is hired.

- 10 March – Following Piers Morgan 's departure from Good Morning Britain on 9 March, Neil expresses interest in Morgan joining GB News instead.

- 13 March – It is announced that Liam Halligan will join the channel as economics and business editor.

- 14 March – In an episode of BBC Radio 4's The Media Show, Neil states that his nightly news programme will contain segments such as "Wokewatch" and "Mediawatch".

- 18 March – The channel announces that comedian Andrew Doyle will join it to host a weekly current affairs show.

- 23 March – It is announced that Euronews ' Rosie Wright will join the channel's breakfast presenting team.

- 25 March – It is said that BBC News newsreader Simon McCoy will present an afternoon show.

- 29 March – It is announced that broadcaster Kirsty Gallacher will join the breakfast team.

#### April 2021

- 2 April – Former ITV News presenter Alastair Stewart is announced as the host of a weekend news and current affairs programme.

- 16 April – Archaeologist Neil Oliver is hired to host a weekly current affairs and interview programme.

- 19 April – Former Labour Party Member of Parliament Gloria De Piero is hired to host an afternoon programme.

- 23 April – It is announced that Mercy Muroki will co-host a daytime programme tackling everyday issues.

#### May 2021

- No events.

#### June 2021

- 8 June – Neil says that talks with Piers Morgan were affected by a disagreement: "he's got his own idea of what he is worth and we have a slightly different idea of what he's worth".

- 11 June – Isabel Webster joins the channel as the co-host of a weekly news review programme.

- 13 June – GB News commences broadcasting at 20:00 BST. 336,000 viewers tune in to see the launch. The launch soon becomes the subject of ridicule due to the perceived poor production quality of the channel and frequent technical issues. Ofcom receives complaints relating to a monologue made on the opening night's edition of Tonight Live with Dan Wootton in which he argues against the government's extension of the COVID-19-related lockdowns in the UK.

- GB News commences broadcasting at 20:00 BST. 336,000 viewers tune in to see the launch. The launch soon becomes the subject of ridicule due to the perceived poor production quality of the channel and frequent technical issues.

- Ofcom receives complaints relating to a monologue made on the opening night's edition of Tonight Live with Dan Wootton in which he argues against the government's extension of the COVID-19-related lockdowns in the UK.

- 16 June – Comments made by guest Lady Colin Campbell seemingly in defence of the deceased child molester Jeffrey Epstein, and his relationship with Prince Andrew – such as saying that criticism of Andrew is "a distraction" to keep Bill Clinton "out of the frame" – draw derision. By this day, several brands including Vodafone, IKEA, Kopparbergs Brewery, Grolsch, Nivea, Pinterest, Specsavers and Octopus Energy have paused their advertising on the channel, expressing concerns over its content. Some of these advertisements had been placed on the brands' behalf without their knowledge, by Sky Media through their advertising opt-outs during GB News' schedule.

- Comments made by guest Lady Colin Campbell seemingly in defence of the deceased child molester Jeffrey Epstein, and his relationship with Prince Andrew – such as saying that criticism of Andrew is "a distraction" to keep Bill Clinton "out of the frame" – draw derision.

- By this day, several brands including Vodafone, IKEA, Kopparbergs Brewery, Grolsch, Nivea, Pinterest, Specsavers and Octopus Energy have paused their advertising on the channel, expressing concerns over its content. Some of these advertisements had been placed on the brands' behalf without their knowledge, by Sky Media through their advertising opt-outs during GB News' schedule.

- 19 June – The culture secretary, Oliver Dowden, criticises Stop Funding Hate and what he describes as "a vocal Twitter minority" for calling for the advertising boycott.

- 20 June – Nigel Farage and Dehenna Davison join GB News as contributors to host the Sunday morning political discussion programme The Political Correction.

- 24 June – Neil takes a break from presenting on the channel, less than two weeks after its launch.

#### July 2021

- 5 July – Ofcom decides not to pursue any of the complaints relating to Dan Wootton's monologue on 13 June, a spokesperson saying, "Our rules allow for rigorous debate around the response to coronavirus... consistent with the right to free expression".

- 13 July – Senior executive producer Gill Penlington, formerly of CNN, ITV and Sky News, leaves the channel.

- 14 July – Audience figures drop so low they are reported as zero by the ratings measurement board the Broadcasters' Audience Research Board at least twice on the day, attributed to regular viewers boycotting the station after one of its presenters, Guto Harri, took the knee on-air in solidarity with the England football team.

- 16 July – GB News suspends Guto Harri for taking the knee. It is reported by The Guardian that John McAndrew, director of news and programmes, formerly of Sky News and Euronews, had stood down from his role.

- GB News suspends Guto Harri for taking the knee.

- It is reported by The Guardian that John McAndrew, director of news and programmes, formerly of Sky News and Euronews, had stood down from his role.

- 17 July – It is announced that Nigel Farage, already a contributing presenter, will host Farage, a prime-time evening show, from 19 July.

- 18 July – Guto Harri confirms he has permanently left the channel.

- 19 July – It is announced that Mark Dolan will join the channel with Tonight Live with Mark Dolan on 23 July and that Nana Akua will move to a new self-titled programme on Saturday and Sunday afternoons while continuing to host The Great British Breakfast. The first episode of Nigel Farage's show airs.

- It is announced that Mark Dolan will join the channel with Tonight Live with Mark Dolan on 23 July and that Nana Akua will move to a new self-titled programme on Saturday and Sunday afternoons while continuing to host The Great British Breakfast.

- The first episode of Nigel Farage's show airs.

#### August 2021

- 5 August – It is announced that Talkradio 's Patrick Christys will join the channel to present To the Point on weekday mornings alongside Mercy Muroki. The programme will replace Brazier & Muroki. This leaves Colin Brazier's sole presenting role as filling in for Neil in the 8 pm slot.

- 7 August – After Simon McCoy moves permanently to the breakfast show, McCoy & Phillips is replaced by Alex Phillips' own show, The Afternoon Agenda.

- 10 August – The channel announces four political programmes to launch within weeks: The Briefing: AM with Tom Harwood, The Briefing: Lunchtime with Gloria De Piero, The Briefing: PM with Darren McCaffrey, and The Briefing: PMQs.

#### September 2021

- 3 September – The channel announces that political journalist Isabel Oakeshott will host a weekly show.

- 13 September – Neil resigns from GB News as chairman and lead presenter and announces he will enter a new role as a guest contributor.

- 14 September – Neil is replaced as a presenter by Colin Brazier in what The Telegraph describes as a "fight back by swinging to the right". Brazier is given a permanent programme at 8 pm called Brazier.

- 17 September – On the BBC's Question Time, Neil says that he had become a "minority of one" on the channel's board, due to disputes over its approach to journalism.

- 22 September – Neil says he will not return to GB News.

#### October 2021

- Following the launch announcement of rival TalkTV, GB News introduces half-hourly news bulletins and it is reported that Sunday Express editor Mick Booker will join as editorial director.

#### November 2021

- 17 November – Neil calls his decision to lead the channel the "single biggest mistake" of his career, adding "The mistake was that I put my face on the tin and yet I quickly discovered that I really had no say over what was going into that tin".

- 26 November – Kirsty Gallacher steps back from her role on The Great British Breakfast because of an ear tumour.

#### December 2021

- 10 December – It is announced that Eamonn Holmes and Isabel Webster will present a Monday to Thursday breakfast show, Breakfast with Eamonn and Isabel. It is announced that Simon McCoy will leave the channel in January "for personal reasons".

- It is announced that Eamonn Holmes and Isabel Webster will present a Monday to Thursday breakfast show, Breakfast with Eamonn and Isabel.

- It is announced that Simon McCoy will leave the channel in January "for personal reasons".

- 21 December – It is announced that Stephen Dixon and Anne Diamond will present the breakfast show Friday to Sunday.

### 2022

#### January 2022

- Colin Brazier's 8 pm weeknight show is moved to 4 to 6 pm, and the 8 pm Monday to Friday slot is filled by a new show, Steyn, hosted by Mark Steyn.

- We Need to Talk About... hosted by Alex Phillips begins at 2 pm on weekdays targeting women.

- Alastair Stewart's weekend programme begins also airing on Friday afternoons.

- Mick Booker joins as editorial director.

- 4 January – GB News Radio, an audio simulcast of the station, becomes available on DAB+ radio. Eamonn Holmes and Isabel Webster are the first to be heard on the simulcast when their television breakfast show starts.

- 17 January – GB News announces it will play " God Save the Queen " at the start of live programming every day.

- 18 January – The channel begins playing the National Anthem.

#### February 2022

- No events.

#### March 2022

- 2 March – Company accounts are published for the period ending 31 May 2021 for All Perspectives Ltd, that made a loss of £2.7 million.

- 31 March – The first episode of a weekly comedy panel show called The Ministry of Offence is recorded in London.

#### April 2022

- 16 April – The comedy panel show Ministry of Offence makes its debut on GB News.

- 25 April – TalkTV, GB News' main news rival, launches. Audience figures for TalkTV's opening night show its ratings outperforming GB News for the debut edition of its flagship show, Piers Morgan Uncensored (aired at 8 pm), but higher figures for GB News for the night as a whole.

#### May 2022

- 18 May – Figures published by RAJAR indicate GB News Radio received an average audience of 239,000 listeners during its first three months on air.

#### June 2022

- 14 June – GB News confirms it will air coverage of the Twelfth of July parade from Belfast after the BBC decided not to broadcast the event. Former Northern Ireland First Minister Dame Arlene Foster will present coverage of the parade.

#### July 2022

- 12 July – GB News airs coverage of the Twelfth of July parade in Northern Ireland. The event, presented by Dame Arlene Foster, the channel's Northern Ireland correspondent Dougie Beattie and former Coronation Street actor Charles Lawson, draws a peak audience of 98,000 viewers.

- 28 July – Ofcom is to launch an investigation into GB News after presenter Mark Steyn made misleading claims about COVID-19 booster vaccines on the 21 April edition of his show. Steyn had alleged that British people were being killed by having the booster and that there was a media silence on the issue.

- 31 July – The Telegraph reports that TalkTV and GB News are in a bidding war to secure Channel 604 on Virgin Media. The news channels currently occupy channels 626 and 627, but a move would increase their profile by putting them next to larger rivals such as BBC News and Sky News.

#### August 2022

- 4 August – The latest RAJAR figures are published, covering radio listening in the United Kingdom during the second quarter of 2022. They show a percentage increase in listeners for both Talkradio and GB News, with the audience increase at 6% and 16% respectively when compared with the previous quarter.

- 8 August – The Telegraph reports that GB News have beaten TalkTV to secure a channel move on Virgin Media to Channel 604, giving it a higher news channel ranking, and placing it between Sky News and BBC Parliament. An Ofcom investigation clears Nigel Farage's "Talking Pints" segment of breaching standards following an interview on 23 August 2021 that featured darts player Bobby George using what was described as "offensive language". The decision means GB News remains clear of any reprimands from Ofcom since its launch.

- The Telegraph reports that GB News have beaten TalkTV to secure a channel move on Virgin Media to Channel 604, giving it a higher news channel ranking, and placing it between Sky News and BBC Parliament.

- An Ofcom investigation clears Nigel Farage's "Talking Pints" segment of breaching standards following an interview on 23 August 2021 that featured darts player Bobby George using what was described as "offensive language". The decision means GB News remains clear of any reprimands from Ofcom since its launch.

- 10 August – GB News airs The People's Forum with Liz Truss from Leigh, Greater Manchester, with Conservative leadership candidate Liz Truss answering questions from an audience.

- 11 August – Rachel Sweeney announces she is leaving her role as GB News' North East correspondent.

- 18 August – It is reported that GB News has secured £60 million of new investment, having approached investor Sir Paul Marshall for further funding. American multinational Warner Bros. Discovery announces its intention to sell its stake in GB News. GB News announces that co-founders Andrew Cole and Mark Schneider have resigned as directors and sold their stakes in the business. It is reported that The Telegraph journalist Camilla Tominey will become a political presenter on the channel and that the Daily Mail ' s Andrew Pierce will launch his own show later in the year. It is also reported that Michael Portillo will be supporting GB News' political coverage and presenting a new programme in the autumn.

- It is reported that GB News has secured £60 million of new investment, having approached investor Sir Paul Marshall for further funding. American multinational Warner Bros. Discovery announces its intention to sell its stake in GB News. GB News announces that co-founders Andrew Cole and Mark Schneider have resigned as directors and sold their stakes in the business.

- It is reported that The Telegraph journalist Camilla Tominey will become a political presenter on the channel and that the Daily Mail ' s Andrew Pierce will launch his own show later in the year. It is also reported that Michael Portillo will be supporting GB News' political coverage and presenting a new programme in the autumn.

- 19 August – GB News airs a two-hour Conservative leadership hustings from Manchester featuring the two candidates, Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak, and hosted by GB News presenter Alastair Stewart.

- 28 August – GB News attracts criticism from Jewish community groups after Peter Imanuelsen, a journalist and alleged Holocaust denier, appeared on the previous evening's edition of Neil Oliver 's programme to talk about population decline in the UK. Imanuelsen rejects claims of denying the Holocaust, blaming "fake, photoshopped screenshots" created by those attempting to "smear" him.

- 31 August − GB News performs a shakeup of its daytime schedule which will take effect from the first week in September, giving Gloria de Piero and Philip Davies and Esther McVey new shows, while Alexandra Phillips and Colin Brazier are axed from the channel.

#### September 2022

- 7 September – GB News appoints Nicole O'Shea as commercial director, responsible for advertising on the channel.

- 8 September – GB News suspends advertising following news of the death of Queen Elizabeth II.

- 19 September – The channel covers Queen Elizabeth II's state funeral, and is one of a number of British television channels to take pooled footage of the funeral proceedings from the BBC.

- 21 September – Helen Warner, chief creative officer at broadcast production company Whisper and former head of daytime at ITV and Channel 4, is appointed GB News head of television as the channel seeks to expand its programme content.

#### October 2022

- 2 October – The Sunday Times reports that the value of GB News has more than halved since Discovery sold its stake in the news channel. Michael Portillo's new show, called Portillo, launches, covering politics and the arts.

- The Sunday Times reports that the value of GB News has more than halved since Discovery sold its stake in the news channel.

- Michael Portillo's new show, called Portillo, launches, covering politics and the arts.

- 6 October – It is reported that GB News has appointed Reach plc executive Geoff Marsh as its chief digital officer.

- 10 October – Actor John Cleese confirms he will present a programme for GB News from 2023, where he will work alongside Andrew Doyle.

- 14 October – Ofcom announces an investigation into GB News over its coverage of matters relating to COVID-19 vaccination following an interview with the author Naomi Wolf that aired on 4 October, and during which she claimed women were being harmed by COVID-19 vaccines as part of an effort "to destroy British civil society", while likening the behaviour of the medical profession to that of Nazi Germany. Ofcom's investigation will cover whether the interview broke "rules designed to protect viewers from harmful material", and is the second such investigation into the news channel.

#### November 2022

- 7 November – Ofcom finds GB News Radio in breach of the broadcasting code Rule 6.0 for not providing notification of all parties and candidates standing in the 2022 Birmingham Erdington by-election during an on air discussion on 2 March. While the channel did show onscreen details of the candidates during the To the Point debate on 2 March, the same information was not provided for its radio simulcast.

#### December 2022

- 21 December – News company The News Movement confirms that Becca Hutson, GB News' former head of digital who left the channel in October, is joining to become its UK head of news.

### 2023

#### January 2023

- 9 January – It is reported that GB News has hired comedian Dapper Laughs as a commentator on its late night newspaper review show, Headliners.

- 13 January – It is reported that former GB News presenter Mercy Muroki has been hired by the UK government to advise Kemi Badenoch, the Minister for Women and Equalities, on gender policy.

- 17 January – GB News head of television Helen Warner leaves her post after four months with the channel.

- 26 January – GB News announces it has hired Conservative MP and former Business Secretary Jacob Rees-Mogg to present a show.

#### February 2023

- 6 February – Mark Steyn, who used his GB News show to cast doubt on the safety of COVID-19 vaccines, quits the channel after claiming its bosses tried to make him pay fines issued by Ofcom following two investigations into his programme.

- 8 February – The Board of Deputies of British Jews and the All-Party Parliamentary Group Against Antisemitism urge the media regulator Ofcom and GB News to tackle what it describes as the channel's indulgence in conspiracy theories. The comments follow the 4 February edition of Neil Oliver 's programme in which he described a "silent war" by generations of politicians to take "total control of the people" by creating a "one-world government".

- 14 February – It is reported that former Loose Women presenter Saira Khan will join Eamonn Holmes on GB News on the Monday and Tuesday editions of The Great British Breakfast.

- 21 February – The Telegraph journalist Christopher Hope announces he is joining GB News as head of politics and political editor later in the year.

- 28 February – Intelligence tool Foresight News appoints GB News deputy news editor Jamie Micklethwaite as its deputy editor.

#### March 2023

- March – GB News moves from its gbnews.uk URL to gbnews.com at the start of March to help build its presence outside the UK. The new website also includes new features such as dedicated pages for each show and a full catch-up service.

- 5 March – It is announced that Dame Arlene Foster will expand her role at GB News, taking on further presenting duties alongside making documentaries for the channel. Her first documentary, looking at the role of faith in politics, is to come out later in the year.

- 6 March – GB News confirms it will air coverage of the Twelfth of July parade from Belfast for the second year running. Foster will again present coverage of the parade. Ofcom says that GB News broke broadcasting rules in April 2022 when Mark Steyn made "potentially harmful and materially misleading" claims about COVID-19 vaccines.

- GB News confirms it will air coverage of the Twelfth of July parade from Belfast for the second year running. Foster will again present coverage of the parade.

- Ofcom says that GB News broke broadcasting rules in April 2022 when Mark Steyn made "potentially harmful and materially misleading" claims about COVID-19 vaccines.

- 7 March – GB News announces that Conservative MP Lee Anderson is to host a show on the channel.

- 9 March – GB News reports a loss of £30 million for its first year on air, from June 2021 to June 2022. It also had a turnover of £3.6 million over the same period.

- 11 March – GB News airs The Alternative Match of the Day, hosted by Mark Dolan and Patrick Christys, following the BBC's announcement that Gary Lineker would be taking a "step back" from presenting Match of the Day after Lineker's criticism of the UK's asylum policy via Twitter. The programme does not show any actual football coverage, and is panned on social media by viewers who believed it to be a parody.

- 19 March – GB News airs the final edition of Alastair Stewart & Friends. Alastair Stewart announces his retirement a few days later.

- 23 March – GB News announces plans to expand its political coverage and establish a new studio in Westminster. It is reported that Lee Anderson will be paid £100,000 a year for his new presenting role with the channel.

- GB News announces plans to expand its political coverage and establish a new studio in Westminster.

- It is reported that Lee Anderson will be paid £100,000 a year for his new presenting role with the channel.

#### April 2023

- 3 April – Ofcom launches an investigation into GB News over potential impartiality following a programme in which Chancellor Jeremy Hunt was interviewed by presenters and Conservative MPs Esther McVey and Philip Davies. Ofcom will look at whether the programme, aired on 11 March, broke its rules "requiring news and current affairs to be presented with due impartiality".

- 8/9 April – GB News airs The GB News Easter Special, a programme in which Calvin Robinson, an Anglican transitional deacon, discusses faith and contemporary issues with four Christian academics. The programme also includes singing and readings from religious text.

#### May 2023

- 2 May – While broadcasting live from Buckingham Palace on GB News, Jacob Rees-Mogg is told to evacuate by police as a controlled explosion is carried out following the arrest of a man for throwing shotgun cartridges into the palace grounds.

- 3 May – Former US President Donald Trump is a guest on Nigel Farage 's GB News show.

- 9 May – Ofcom finds GB News in breach of broadcasting regulations over its October 2021 edition of Mark Steyn's programme in which it was claimed the COVID-19 vaccination programme in the United Kingdom amounted to "mass murder". The regulator finds that GB News did not do enough to protect its viewers from harmful content, and rules that GB News must now attend a meeting with Ofcom.

#### June 2023

- 21 June – Ofcom have received 61 complaints about the 18 June edition of GB News's Headliners in which comedian Lewis Schaffer made a string of claims about COVID-19, including that it was not a real virus.

- 23 June – Debut of Lee Anderson 's new show, Lee Anderson's Real World, on GB News. The first edition sees him joined by fellow MP Brendan Clarke-Smith, who he spoon feeds baked beans as part of a taste test.

- 29 June – Conservative MP Lee Anderson faces censure from the Serjeant at Arms of the House of Commons for filming a promotional video for his GB News programme on Parliamentary property without permission.

#### July 2023

- 3 July – Ofcom launches investigations into an episode of Jacob Rees-Mogg's State of the Nation that aired on GB News on 9 May, and an edition of Richard Tice presented by Alex Salmond on TalkTV on 2 April, both of which covered news stories, but were presented by politicians. The State of the Nation investigation will establish whether the edition of the programme, which covered a jury verdict on former US President Donald Trump, complies with broadcast regulations, while the Richard Tice investigation will look at whether the programme was presented with due impartiality. The former received 40 complaints after airing, while the latter received two.

- 7 July – Ofcom launches an investigation into a GB News campaign that urges the UK government to introduce legislation to stop "Britain becoming a cashless society" following a complaint. The "Don't Kill Cash" petition, which has been signed by more than 166,000 people, potentially breaches Ofcom's rules that require broadcasters to not comment on "matters of political and industrial controversy or current public policy".

- 10 July – The Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards opens an investigation into Conservative MP Lee Anderson for using the roof of his Westminster office to film a promotional video for his GB News show.

- 18 July – GB News presenter Dan Wootton says that he has made "errors of judgement in the past" but denied any criminality following allegations he offered to pay colleagues several thousand pounds for explicit pictures of themselves.

- 28 July – BBC News Online reports that a clip of GB News presenter Neil Oliver accusing the BBC "and others" of "driving fear" over climate change by using "supposedly terrifying temperatures", has been viewed more than two million times on social media since Oliver made the comments four days earlier during a discussion about the 2023 Rhodes wildfires.

#### August 2023

- 3 August – Figures published by RAJAR for the second quarter of 2023 indicate a 14% year-on-year increase of listeners to GB News Radio, with 317,000 in the second quarter of 2023 compared to 277,000 during the second quarter of 2022. Following a protest by Greenpeace activists, who climbed on to the roof of Rishi Sunak's house, GB News stages a stunt in retaliation for the demonstration. Reporter Ben Leo is sent to Greenpeace's London offices without invitation. During the visit he speaks to Greenpeace officials, wonders around the premises, and makes himself a cup of tea.

- Figures published by RAJAR for the second quarter of 2023 indicate a 14% year-on-year increase of listeners to GB News Radio, with 317,000 in the second quarter of 2023 compared to 277,000 during the second quarter of 2022.

- Following a protest by Greenpeace activists, who climbed on to the roof of Rishi Sunak's house, GB News stages a stunt in retaliation for the demonstration. Reporter Ben Leo is sent to Greenpeace's London offices without invitation. During the visit he speaks to Greenpeace officials, wonders around the premises, and makes himself a cup of tea.

- 7 August – Ofcom launches four separate investigations into impartiality at GB News, three of them relating to programmes presented by Jacob Rees-Mogg, Phillip Davies and Esther McVey, and the fourth concerning an edition of Laurence Fox 's show presented by Martin Daubney. The investigations concern politicians presenting news coverage.

- 10 August – Byline Times reports several allegations of "racism, sexism and misogyny" involving staff and senior figures at GB News.

- 22 August – GB News have appointed Chris Rogers as editor of their breakfast programme and say they have "ambitious" plans for the show.

#### September 2023

- 6 September – The Glasgow Herald reports that controversial GB News presenter Neil Oliver has resigned from the Royal Society of Edinburgh.

- 9 September – A clip of GB News presenter Martin Daubney presenting a breaking news article about the arrest of prison escapee Daniel Khalife goes viral after Daubney becomes flustered while trying to report the story.

- 18 September – An Ofcom investigation into a GB News programme during which Esther McVey and Phillip Davies interviewed Chancellor Jeremy Hunt before the 2023 budget finds the programme failed to include an "appropriately wide range of significant views".

- 21 September – GB News says it is continuing to "monitor" allegations against Dan Wootton, but that they have not been "proved by an independent body".

- 27 September – GB News suspends Laurence Fox and Dan Wootton after comments made on the previous evening's edition of Tonight with Dan Wootton during which Fox asked "what self-respecting man" would "climb into bed" with journalist Ava Evans. GB News says it will formally apologise to Evans for the remarks.

- 28 September – Ofcom launches an investigation into the 26 September edition of the GB News programme Dan Wootton Tonight after receiving 7,300 complaints about comments made by Laurence Fox, while MailOnline terminates its contract with Wootton, who wrote a twice weekly column for the newspaper.

- 29 September – GB News boss Angelos Frangopoulos tells the BBC Laurence Fox's comments about Ava Evans were "way past the limits of acceptance" and that GB News is conducting its own investigation into what happened, which he expects "to be resolved very quickly". Laurence Fox apologises for his comments about Ava Evans, describing them as "demeaning" and "not representative of who I am". Calvin Robinson, who presents a religious affairs programme for GB News, becomes the third presenter to be suspended by the news channel after voicing his support for Dan Wootton in an online post. Robinson said he would not appear on Dan Wootton Tonight without Wootton, claiming "if he falls, we all fall". Ahead of the broadcast of an interview with Conservative Home Secretary Suella Braverman conducted by Conservative deputy chair and GB News presenter Lee Anderson, the chief executive of Ofcom, Melanie Dawes, says there are no present rules to prevent GB News using Anderson to interview Braverman.

- GB News boss Angelos Frangopoulos tells the BBC Laurence Fox's comments about Ava Evans were "way past the limits of acceptance" and that GB News is conducting its own investigation into what happened, which he expects "to be resolved very quickly".

- Laurence Fox apologises for his comments about Ava Evans, describing them as "demeaning" and "not representative of who I am".

- Calvin Robinson, who presents a religious affairs programme for GB News, becomes the third presenter to be suspended by the news channel after voicing his support for Dan Wootton in an online post. Robinson said he would not appear on Dan Wootton Tonight without Wootton, claiming "if he falls, we all fall".

- Ahead of the broadcast of an interview with Conservative Home Secretary Suella Braverman conducted by Conservative deputy chair and GB News presenter Lee Anderson, the chief executive of Ofcom, Melanie Dawes, says there are no present rules to prevent GB News using Anderson to interview Braverman.

- 30 September – Media outlets, including The Observer, report that British banker George Farmer, the former boss of Parler and husband of US pro-Trump Conservative commentator Candace Owens, has joined the board of GB News.

#### October 2023

- 2 October – Allegations surface that GB News is employing at least five people who have faced allegations of sexual impropriety, including one accused of rape.

- 4 October – Laurence Fox and Calvin Robinson are sacked from GB News following the controversy over comments made by Fox about journalist Ava Evans. The number of Ofcom complaints received about the edition of Dan Wootton Tonight in which Fox made his comments about Ava Evans has passed 8,000.

- Laurence Fox and Calvin Robinson are sacked from GB News following the controversy over comments made by Fox about journalist Ava Evans.

- The number of Ofcom complaints received about the edition of Dan Wootton Tonight in which Fox made his comments about Ava Evans has passed 8,000.

- 17 October – GB News is removed from the internal television system of the Senedd following comments made by Laurence Fox, which a spokesman for the Presiding Officer describes as "deliberately offensive".

- 23 October – Ofcom finds GB News breached its regulations on impartiality during a programme which aired on 16 June. Former Brexit Party MEP Martin Daubney was standing in for Laurence Fox when he interviewed Reform Party leader Richard Tice and discussed immigration. Ofcom finds Tice was not "sufficiently challenged" on his views and "the limited alternative views presented were dismissed". However, Ofcom decides that Lee Anderson's interview with Home Secretary Suella Braverman did not breach their impartiality rules as it was a current affairs programme.

- 25 October – Welsh Conservative leader Andrew RT Davies appears on Nigel Farage 's GB News programme, later facing criticism from a senior Welsh Government minister for "appalling misogyny" for suggesting that Senedd Convenor Elin Jones was too "busy doing her hair" to appear on the programme.

- 26 October – RAJAR audience figures for the third quarter of 2023 show GB News Radio with an average weekly audience of 398,000 listeners.

- 27 October – GB News have hired former Prime Minister Boris Johnson to present a series "showcasing the power of Britain around the world"; he will also help to provide coverage of the next UK and US elections.

- 29 October – The first episode of The Dinosaur Hour hosted by comedian and presented John Cleese is broadcast.

#### November 2023

- 3 November – Patrick Christys raises over £234,000 in a fundraiser launched on his show on 30 October for the Royal British Legion.

- 12 November – Ofcom chair Michael Grade tells Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg that Ofcom does not "want to be in the business of telling broadcasters, licensees, who they can employ, who they can't employ". The comment comes in response to questions as to whether GB News should be allowed to employ politicians as presenters on its channel.

- 15 November – Senedd Presiding Officer Elin Jones announces an independent review of television channels that will be available in the Senedd building following her previous ban of GB News.

- November – In response to an advertiser boycott, GB News introduces an online paywall with three membership tiers. This it part of a strategy to obtain fresh income streams following substantial financial losses in its first year.

#### December 2023

- 6 December – Television and radio presenter Carol Vorderman discloses that she rejected an offer from GB News after leaving BBC Radio Wales over the BBC's new social media guidelines.

- 11 December – Sky News reports that GB News has asked its investors for a further £30m in capital.

- 18 December – Ofcom rules that GB News broke impartiality rules with an edition of The Live Desk that promoted its "Don't Kill Cash" campaign.

- 20 December – Ofcom reveals that the edition of Dan Wootton Tonight featuring Laurence Fox's comments about journalist Ava Evans was the most complained about TV show of 2023, with 8,867 viewer complaints received by the watchdog.

### 2024

#### January 2024

- 8 January – Ofcom delays the publication of research into politicians presenting news programmes until it has ruled on investigations open into GB News.

- 11 January – The Liberal Democrats ask Ofcom to investigate GB News over alleged bias in its coverage of the Post Office scandal, including what the party's deputy leader, Daisy Cooper, describes as "a fictitious monologue" Nigel Farage delivered about the Liberal Democrat leader, Sir Ed Davey, which she says contained "a number of factual inaccuracies".

- 17 January – An error with the calculation of viewing figures that had given GB News a million viewers for its New Year's Eve coverage is corrected by BARB, and shows the channel actually had 33,000 viewers that evening.

#### February 2024

- 1 February – RAJAR figures for the final quarter of 2023 indicate GB News Radio had an average weekly audience of 430,000.

- 12 February – Prime Minister Rishi Sunak appears on an hour long GB News People's Forum, where a selected audience of undecided voters are invited to ask him questions. The programme is presented by Stephen Dixon.

- 19 February – Ofcom launches an impartiality investigation into GB News's Q&A session with prime minister Rishi Sunak.

- 20 February – GB News announces it has ended its radio advertising and sponsorship contract with Bauer Media, and that it is launching its own advertising sales operation.

- 21 February – The Metropolitan Police says it will take no further action over allegations that Dan Wootton offered to pay colleagues for sexually explicit pictures of themselves.

- 24 February – Lee Anderson is suspended from the Conservative Party after "refusing to apologise" for claiming "Islamists" had "got control" of London Mayor Sadiq Khan during an edition of his GB News show the previous day.

#### March 2024

- 4 March – Following its investigation into the episode of GB News 's Dan Wootton Tonight during which Laurence Fox made comments about journalist Ava Evans, Ofcom concludes that the programme was in breach of its regulations. The watchdog says the comments "constituted a highly personal attack on Ms Evans and were potentially highly offensive to viewers", and says that it has "significant concerns about GB News' editorial control of its live output" and is requiring it "provide further detailed information about its compliance practices in this area".

- 5 March – Dan Wootton announces his departure from GB News following the previous day's Ofcom ruling.

- 18 March – Ofcom finds that five episodes of GB News shows, presented by Jacob Rees Mogg, Esther McVey and Phillip Davies, broke their rules, and warns the channel about its use of Conservative MPs to host news content.

#### April 2024

- 4 April – GB News hires Steven Edgington as its North America correspondent, making him the channel's first international correspondent.

- 11 April – Sky News reports that hedge fund manager Sir Paul Marshall is to relinquish his seat on the board of All Perspectives Ltd, the company that owns GB News, as the television channel faces a major restructuring process.

- 19 April – GB News chief executive Angelos Frangopoulos announces 40 redundancies at the channel after it previously posted heavy financial losses.

#### May 2024

- 20 May – Ofcom says it is considering imposing a statutory sanction against GB News after concluding its programme People's Forum: The Prime Minister, a Q&A session with prime minister Rishi Sunak that aired in February, broke impartiality rules.

- 23 May – GB News announces plans to launch legal action against Ofcom after the regulator ruled the channel had broken broadcasting rules.

#### June 2024

- No events.

#### July 2024

- 2 July – Eamonn Holmes is forced to leave his GB News breakfast show half way through the programme due to ill health.

- 11 July – A week after his election to Parliament, GB News announces that Nigel Farage is returning to his show on the channel, presenting on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 16 July.

- 16 July – The Radio Today website reports that sports bulletins on GB News Radio are now being powered by Artificial Intelligence and voiced by a virtual newsreader.

#### August 2024

- 29 August – Newsreader Ray Addison announces his departure from GB News after reading his final news bulletin for the channel.

#### September 2024

- 9 September – Ofcom discontinues five impartiality investigations into GB News's "Don't Kill Cash" campaign as the channel had already been reprimanded over the campaign.

- 10 September – Hedge fund manager and GB News investor Paul Marshall, agrees a deal to purchase The Spectator for £100m.


Abuna Yemata Guh

# Abuna Yemata Guh

## Abstract

Abuna Yemata Guh is a monolithic church located in the Hawzen woreda of the Tigray Region, Ethiopia. It is situated at a height of 2,580 metres (8,460 ft) and has to be climbed on foot to reach. It is notable for its dome and wall paintings dating back to the 5th century and its architecture.

## About

The church is one of the "35-odd rock-hewn churches the largest concentration anywhere in Ethiopia." It is situated in the erstwhile Gar'alta woreda. The entrance is reached by a steep and hazardous ascent with hand and footholds in the rock. Visitors have to cross a natural stone bridge with a sheer drop of approximately 250m on either side, and thereafter a final narrow wooden footbridge. A strenuous ascent is followed by a climb up a vertical rock wall depending entirely on hand grips and foot holds (without additional support) crowned with a walk over a 50 cm wide ledge facing a cliff of 300 metres (980 ft) sheer drop. The standing pillars are made up of Enticho and Adigrat Sandstones, which are the last erosional remnants of a sandstone formation that once covered the Precambrian basement. Although Abuna Yemata Guh is the most inaccessible place of worship in the world, not a single person has fallen off while attempting to climb it since it was hewn 1500 years ago.

## History

According to local legend, the church was hewn in the sixth century and dedicated to Abuna Yemata (also referred to as Abba Yem'ata), one of the Nine Saints. The Nine Saints are traditionally believed to have originated from Rome, Constantinople and Syria between the end of the fifth and beginning of the sixth centuries.

## Paintings in the church

The paintings on the walls and domes of the church are preserved in a reasonable state. Extensive study was undertaken to understand the reason behind this phenomenon. The design of the traceries in the church replicates those found in nearby churches of Gher'alta, such as Debre Tsion church. There are more paintings depicting figures from the Old Testament than from the New Testament. The dry air and lack of humidity have preserved these frescoes in their original perfection. The paintings date back to initial traces of Christianity in Ethiopia and are themed around the nine saints and twelve apostles. The oldest icons are in the form of diptychs and triptychs dating back to the fifteenth century.


Ty Gibbs

# Ty Gibbs

## Abstract

Tyler Randal Gibbs (born October 4, 2002) is an American professional stock car racing driver. He competes full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series, driving the No. 54 Toyota Camry XSE for Joe Gibbs Racing and part-time in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, driving the Nos. 19 and 20 Toyota GR Supras for JGR. Gibbs was the 2022 NASCAR Xfinity Series champion and 2021 ARCA Menards Series champion. He is the grandson of former NFL coach and NASCAR team owner Joe Gibbs.

## Racing career

Gibbs began racing in go-karts, on asphalt and dirt tracks in Mooresville, North Carolina. In 2019, Gibbs won the IceBreaker 125 Late Model Stock race at Myrtle Beach Speedway, driving the No. 18 for Nelson Motorsports.

### CARS Late Model Stock Tour

In 2017 and 2018, Gibbs competed in the CARS Late Model Stock series for Marlowe Racing. He finished 14th in the season points standings in 2017 (due to Gibbs only competing in 8 out of 13 races that year), and 8th in 2018. He has 2 pole positions, has led 90 laps, and has an average finish of 13.3, with a best finish of 2nd at Anderson Motor Speedway.

### ARCA Menards Series East

Gibbs ran a partial schedule in the 2019 NASCAR K&N Pro Series East, collecting four second-place finishes in five starts in the DGR-Crosley No. 17. On September 21, Gibbs scored his first career win in his sixth start at the Apple Barrel 125 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in the No. 54. He would compete full-time in the series, now known as the ARCA Menards Series East, the following year. He drove the No. 18 for Joe Gibbs Racing, which was fielding an entry in the series for the first time since 2012. Gibbs would win one of the series' six races on the schedule (Toledo Speedway in June) and finish runner-up to Sam Mayer in the standings, who won all other races that year. Gibbs led 104 laps at Dover in the General Tire 125 before crashing out late, marking his only DNF in the series and only finish outside the top four in any year.

He made four starts in the 2021 season, three of which were companion events with the main ARCA Menards Series. Gibbs won the pole position and the race in all four starts, leading 621 of the 625 laps he completed. As a result, he finished ninth in the standings.

### ARCA Menards Series West

Gibbs made his debut in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West in the 2019 season-finale at ISM Raceway, going on to win the race. Joe Gibbs Racing fielded cars for him and his ARCA teammate Riley Herbst in this race, using owner points from both of Levin Racing's cars, with Herbst driving the No. 10 and Gibbs driving the No. 40. He returned to run the same race the following year, this time with JGR fielding their own No. 18 car with their owner points. He led the most laps in the event but finished second after being passed by David Gilliland on the final lap. In 2021, Gibbs ran both races at Phoenix, starting on the pole and winning both events. The first event in March was a companion event with the main ARCA Menards Series, while the second race in November was the West Series season finale. Gibbs led 124 of 150 laps in the March race and all 100 laps in the fall race. He finished 19th in both the 2020 and 2021 standings.

### ARCA Menards Series

Gibbs has won 18 ARCA Menards Series races and collected 38 top five finishes in a total of 47 starts.

In 2019, Gibbs ran 11 of 20 races in the ARCA Menards Series, finishing 13th in the standing after picking up wins at Gateway and Salem. The next year he competed in 16 of 20 races and finished fifth in the standings, collecting wins at Gateway, Pocono, Kentucky, Iowa, Winchester, and Memphis.

Gibbs turned 18 on October 4, 2020, which made him eligible to race on all tracks on the ARCA schedule (including Daytona and Talladega). In 2021, Gibbs ran full-time in the series in the JGR No. 18. He started the season with a 4th-place finish at Daytona, followed by a win at Phoenix and a 27th-place finish at Talladega after being involved in a crash with Greg Van Alst. At Kansas in May, he led every lap in the race en route to the win, the first time since Kevin Swindell in 2012 at Chicagoland Speedway that a driver in the series led all laps in a race. Gibbs would later replicate this feat at Charlotte two races later and at the Milwaukee Mile in August.

Gibbs ended the 2021 season as champion, having won 10 out of 20 races. He spent the season in a close points battle with Corey Heim and finished in the top five in every race except Talladega Superspeedway, where he crashed out of the top five and finished 27th.

### Xfinity Series

#### 2021

On January 26, 2021, JGR announced that Gibbs would make his Xfinity Series debut in 2021 at the Daytona Road Course, which would be the first race of a part-time schedule he would run in the team's No. 54 car. He shared the ride with Kyle Busch, Denny Hamlin, Martin Truex Jr., John Hunter Nemechek, and Ty Dillon.

On the Daytona Road Course, Gibbs held off Austin Cindric in overtime to win, becoming the sixth driver to win in their Xfinity debut (after Dale Earnhardt, Ricky Rudd, Joe Ruttman, Terry Labonte, and Kurt Busch) and the first to do so without prior experience in the NASCAR Cup Series. He is also the only driver in the modern era (1972–present) to win their first NASCAR national series race. At 18 years, four months, and 16 days of age, Gibbs surpassed Cindric as the youngest driver to win an Xfinity road course race, until he was surpassed by Connor Zilisch in the 2024 Mission 200 at The Glen. Gibbs later won again at Charlotte Motor Speedway in May. At Road America, one of Gibbs's races, Kyle Busch ran the No. 54, leading JGR to put Gibbs in the No. 81 with Monster Energy as a sponsor. Gibbs would end up 33rd after a broken transmission. At Watkins Glen International in the No. 54, Gibbs led the most laps and won after holding off Austin Cindric and A. J. Allmendinger. He later led the most laps in the race at Richmond Raceway in September before ending up 7th. Gibbs got his fourth win of the season in the Kansas Lottery 300 in October and finished the season 13th in the final standings, despite only having started 18 of the season's 33 races in addition to winning Rookie of the Year honors.

#### 2022: Xfinity Series Champion

For 2022, Gibbs moved into the series full-time, driving the No. 54. He won early in the season at Las Vegas, Atlanta, and Richmond. At the Martinsville spring race on April 8, Gibbs led 196 laps but was passed by teammate Brandon Jones on the final lap and finished eighth after a bump from Sam Mayer in the final turn. After the race, Gibbs ran into Mayer's car during the cool-down lap before both drivers engaged in a fistfight on pit road. Following this incident, Gibbs was fined US$ 15,000 for hitting Mayer's car on pit road after the race. Gibbs scored his fourth win at Road America in July by passing Kyle Larson on the final lap and claimed his fifth win of the season a month later at Michigan. At Watkins Glen, Gibbs fiercely battled William Byron for the lead throughout most of the race until they both spun off-course during the final restart, resulting in Gibbs finishing 27th after Byron spun Gibbs again later on in the lap. At the Martinsville playoff race, Gibbs made contact with Jones which sent him spinning towards outside wall on the final overtime lap to win the race despite having already clinched a spot in the Championship four on points. After the race, he compared himself to Jesus in an interview on the SiriusXM NASCAR channel, which earned him criticism from sections of the NASCAR fanbase. Nonetheless, Gibbs dominated at Phoenix to become the 2022 NASCAR Xfinity Series champion.

#### 2023: Part-time

Gibbs drove the No. 19 on a part-time basis in 2023, scoring one win at Indianapolis.

### Cup Series

#### 2022

On July 24, 2022, 23XI Racing announced that Gibbs would make his NASCAR Cup Series debut at the 2022 M&M's Fan Appreciation 400 at Pocono the same day, driving the No. 45 car as a fill-in for the original driver, Kurt Busch. Busch was not cleared by NASCAR to race after suffering from concussion-like symptoms following a crash during qualifying. Gibbs finished 16th in the race. Three days later, he would be announced to fill in again for Busch in the Verizon 200 at Indianapolis, where he finished 17th. In the FireKeepers Casino 400 at Michigan, Gibbs scored his first career top-10 with a 10th place finish, but finished 36th the following week at Richmond after an engine failure, but he surpassed his late father Coy. Gibbs filled in for Busch during the last two regular season races at Watkins Glen and Daytona, in which he finished 26th and 13th respectively. On August 31, it was announced that he would swap rides with teammate Bubba Wallace and drive the No. 23 car starting at Darlington; Wallace went to the No. 45 to help the team's owners' championship efforts. At the Texas playoff race, Gibbs veered into Ty Dillon on pit road, nearly sending Dillon towards a NASCAR official and a group of pit crew members; he was subsequently fined US$ 75,000 and the No. 23 was docked 25 owner points. Gibbs would end up missing the last race of his fill-in role for 23XI, the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series Championship Race, due to the death of his father Coy and was replaced by Daniel Hemric.

#### 2023

In 2023, Gibbs joined the NASCAR Cup Series on a full-time basis, driving the newly rebranded No. 54 for Joe Gibbs Racing. Despite missing the playoffs, Gibbs achieved four top-five finishes and earned the NASCAR Rookie of the Year title.

#### 2024: First playoff appearance

Gibbs scored his first career pole at the 2024 Coca-Cola 600, and his second at Pocono. Despite not winning a race during the regular season, he stayed consistent enough to make the playoffs.

## Personal life

Gibbs is the grandson of former Washington Redskins head coach and owner of Joe Gibbs Racing, Joe Gibbs, and the son of the late former Washington Redskins assistant coach and former NASCAR driver Coy Gibbs and Charlotte -area realtor Heather Gibbs. He is the nephew of the late Joe Gibbs Racing co-owner J. D. Gibbs, as well as the cousin of former Appalachian State University quarterback Jackson Gibbs and Appalachian State University tight end Miller Gibbs.

## Motorsports career results

### Stock car career summary

As Gibbs was a guest driver, he was ineligible for championship points.

### NASCAR

(key) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. Italics – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led.)

#### Cup Series

#### Xfinity Series

Season still in progress Ineligible for series points

### ARCA Menards Series

(key) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. Italics – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led. ** – All laps led.)

### CARS Late Model Stock Car Tour

(key) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. Italics – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led. ** – All laps led.)


The Clapper

# The Clapper

## Abstract

The Clapper is a sound -activated electrical switch, sold since 1984 by San Francisco, California based Joseph Enterprises, Inc. Joseph Pedott marketed the clapper with the slogan "Clap On! Clap Off! The Clapper!".

The Clapper plugs into a U.S.-type electrical outlet, and allows control of up to two devices plugged into the Clapper. An upgraded model, known as the Clapper Plus, includes a remote control function in addition to the original sound-based activation.

Although meant to activate by clapping, The Clapper can inadvertently be triggered by other noises.

## Patent

The Clapper was invented by Carlile R. Stevens and Dale E. Reamer, and issued U.S. Patent #5493618, which was published on 20 February 1996.


Danilo Stojanović

# Danilo Stojanović

## Abstract

Danilo Stojanović (Serbian Cyrillic: Данило Стојановић, pronounced; 14 September 1878 – 23 April 1967), commonly known as Čika Dača, was one of the football pioneers in the Kingdom of Serbia.

## Life

On 14 September 1903, he formed the first football club in the Kingdom of Serbia (which then excluded Vojvodina), the FK Šumadija becoming its president until 1906, when he moved to Belgrade. In 1911 he was a founding member of BSK where he became vice-president. However, a year later, after disagreements with the direction, he left BSK and became president of another Belgrade club, SK Dušanovac. With the start of the Balkan War he joined the Serbian Army and was relocated to Kragujevac. At the end of the war he returned to Belgrade and he formed, along with a group of dissidents from BSK, the SK Velika Srbija on 1 August 1913.

The First World War begin in 1914 and after the end, in 1918, the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes was formed, which was colloquially known as Yugoslavia, so the club changed its name to SK Jugoslavija as Velika Srbija meant Great Serbia, a name now obsolete as all the focus was going towards the new country. He was also the coach of Jugoslavija between 1923 and 1924. In 1926 he left Jugoslavija, however during the period he was at the club, Jugoslavija won two national championships and became one of the biggest clubs in the country. After leaving the direction board of Jugoslavija, he did not abandon football, but instead he was a directing member of many sports organizations staying attached to his passion, football, throughout the rest of his life. In 1951 he published a book Čika Dačine uspomene (Čika Dača's Memories).

Despite mostly known as the founder of some of the major Serbian clubs in that period, he also had an active playing career as well. Initially teams in Serbia had one weak spot, the goalkeeper, because initially most players avoided playing in that harsh position. Stojanović started a career as goalkeeper at the club he was president, Šumadija, where he played from 1903 until 1906. Then he moved to the capital where he actually played as left-winger while with SK Soko where he stayed until 1910. After spending over a year at the direction of BSK, he moved to SK Dušanovac where his presidential position did not prevent him from taking the goalkeeping role occasionally and he was also the coach in the club during 1912. Then, between 1913 and 1914 he played for SK Velika Srbija. He was known for always wearing white and his elegance was always appreciated by the spectators.

He died in Belgrade in 1967.