Category Archives: Anatomy

Loretta Lynn and Kid Rock

Loretta Lynn surprised her fans over the weekend with news that shed up and married Kid Rock.

It was all in fun, but the happy couple is having a lot of fun with it. They have been good friends for several years, according to family.

The news began with a post on Facebook from Loretta Lynn, who was attending a wedding vow renewal ceremony for two family members.

Things got crazy then--my boy Kid Rock was there and weve always teased about getting ourselves married, Lynn said. Well, the preacher was already there so we had some fun with it. Sorry girls, hes taken now!

The country stars granddaughter added the context in her own Facebook post.

The vow renewal ceremony was already over when the lights were turned on Lynn and Rock, according to Tayla Lynn.

Memaw and Kid both become giddy. Like school kids. They were so caught off guard but both so happy, she said. They played along. (Cause obv its a joke)."

In the dozens of photos posted by the family, one shows Rock down on one knee, placing a ring on Loretta Lynns finger while shes wearing a white veil.

Lynns husband Oliver Doolittle Lynn died in 1996.

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Loretta Lynn and Kid Rock got married over the weekend - Dothan Eagle

Go inside the long and record-setting life of George Gershwin and DuBose Heyward's iconic aria.

Since the 1935 world premiere production of the classic folk opera, Porgy and Bess, much of the score of George Gershwin's first opera has become musical canon.

Leaping off of the operatic stage and into the mainstream, songs like 'My Man's Gone Now', 'It Ain't Necessarily So', and 'I Got Plenty o' Nothin'' have established themselves as standards of the great American songbook. Though the reach of Gershwin's classic tunes has proved vast, no other song from the opera has quite matched the monumental success of the show's opening aria, "Summertime."

In the 85 years since its debut, this soulful lullaby has taken on a unique and unprecedented life of its own. In its long life, the song has proven its staying power and versatility, conforming to countless musical styles and settings and ultimately becoming the most covered song of all-time.

The story of how and why the song reached this pinnacle begins in 1925 when DuBose Heyward, released his novel Porgy, which ultimately gave way to a 1927 play of the same name by Heyward and his wife, Dorothy. Deeply inspired by the story, Broadway composer George Gershwin went to work on an adaptation. This time, however, the show would not be created for the musical stage- for the first time ever, Gershwin had set his sights on the opera.

To bring his Porgy to life, Gershwin enlisted novelist and playwright, DuBose Heyward and his brother, lyricist Ira Gershwin. In order to craft the world of the show, the Gershwins and DuBose spent several weeks in Charleston, South Carolina to study the lives and vernacular of the African American community there. Gershwin specifically drew inspiration from the coastal James Island Gullah community, citing their preservation of authentic African musical traditions as a jumping off point for the sound of the score.

Though the work itself is an opera and contains the traditional forms of arias and recitatives throughout, Gershwin drew inspiration from numerous musical styles, employing his roots in New York jazz, along with Black folk music, blues, street cries, spirituals, and hymns to enrich the musical world and community of Porgy and Bess.

"Summertime" specifically points to the diverse array of musical styles contained in the opera, utilizing the melancholy minor keys of jazz music, but written to be performed by a classically trained opera singer.

Musicologist K. J. McElrath wrote of the song, "Gershwin was remarkably successful in his intent to have this sound like a folk song. This is reinforced by his extensive use of the pentatonic scale (C-D-E-G-A) in the context of the A minor tonality and a slow-moving harmonic progression that suggests a "blues". Because of these factors, this tune has been a favorite of jazz performers for decades and can be done in a variety of tempos and styles."

Though Gershwin said that he did not draw inspiration for the song from any pre-existing spirituals, many scholars have pointed to similar melodies Gershwin may have adapted the song from, most notably the spiritual, "Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child", which was featured at the end of the source play. After the opera's debut, many were quick to pick up on the similarities between the two. The songs sounded so similar that jazz legend Mahalia Jackson eventually went on to record them as a medley.

Others have pointed to some Ukranian musical traditions as inspiration for the song. The Ukrainian Yiddish lullaby "Pipi-pipipe" has been the subject of speculation as Summertime's inspiration as well as another the Ukrainian lullaby "Oi Khodyt Son Kolo Vikon" ("A Dream Passes by the Windows").

Despite lingering questions behind Gershwin's melody, DuBose Heyward took inspiration for the song's lyrics from southern folk spiritual-lullaby "All My Trials", which had also been used in his play Porgy.

Stephen Sondheim, a well-known super fan of the opera, has praised Heyward's choice of words to the opening line of the song in setting the tone for the rest of the song and score.

"That 'and' is worth a great deal of attention. I would write "Summertime when" but that 'and' sets up a tone, a whole poetic tone, not to mention a whole kind of diction that is going to be used in the play; an informal, uneducated diction and a stream of consciousness, as in many of the songs like 'My Man's Gone Now'."

He continues, "It's the exact right word, and that word is worth its weight in gold. "Summertime when the livin' is easy" is a boring line compared to "Summertime and". The choices of "ands" [and] "buts" become almost traumatic as you are writing a lyric - or should, anyway - because each one weighs so much."

Gershwin began composing the song in December 1933 and had the completed melody set to Heyward's poem by February 1934. It took Gershwin and Heyward the next 20 months to deliver the full, orchestrated score.

The first ever recorded performance of Summertime was sung by American soprano Abbie Mitchell (who originated the role of Clara on Broadway) on July 19, 1935, with George Gershwin playing the piano and conducting the orchestra.

Though the show began its life as Porgy, everything changed when Gershwin received a letter from opera student Ann Brown, then 20 years old and the first African-American vocalist admitted to Julliard. In the letter, Brown expressed interest in the project and requested an audience with the composer to sing for him. Gershwin's secretary received the letter and set up the meeting. Gershwin was so impressed by Brown he expanded the role of Bess, then a secondary character, and cast her.

In the period between rehearsals and previews, Gershwin invited Brown to lunch. At that meeting, he told her, "I want you to know, Miss Brown, that henceforth and forever after, George Gershwin's opera will be known as Porgy and Bess."

Porgy and Bess had its world premiere at Boston's Colonial Theatre on September 30, 1935 and debuted on Broadway at the Alvin Theatre on October 10, 1935.

The song is utilized several times throughout the opera. It opens act one, sung by Clara to her baby as a lullaby. She then reprises the melody as counterpoint to the act two craps game scene. It is sung again in act three, this time by Bess, singing to Clara's now-orphaned baby following the storm that devastates Catfish Row.

The long recording history of "Summertime" began just days after the opera's Broadway opening when two white opera singers Lawrence Tibbett and Helen Jepson, of the Metropolitan Opera recorded a handful highlights from the show. Less than a year later, in September 1936, Billie Holiday's recording of the song was the first to hit the US pop charts, reaching no. 12.

The show's original stars, Todd Duncan and Ann Brown, were not given the opportunity to immortalize their work in the same fashion until 1940, when they recorded their own highlights, "Summertime" among them.

From there, the veritable floodgates opened for recordings of the song. Over the years, it has amassed tens of thousands of covers and recordings, spanning an astounding number of musical genres and nearly every conceivable instrument.

The Summertime Connection is a website whose sole purpose is to collect recordings of the aria in an effort to keep track of its incredible life all over the globe. At last count (August 2020) the website claims to have accounted for at least 98,400 public performances, of which 82,723 have been recorded. The Summertime Connection currently boasts 70,820 full recordings in its collection.

The song remains the Most Recorded Song in History according to the Guinness Book of World records, beating out The Beatles' 'Yesterday' and even Christmas standards that are routinely recorded each year.

Despite the ubiquity of recordings of the song, there are a handful that have etched their place in history as stand out covers. Former national tour Bess, opera singer, Leontyne Price, recorded what is considered one of, if not the, definitive operatic version of the song as part of a performance at the White House in 1978.

Other highly notable versions include a duet between Louis Armstrong and Ella Fitzgerald, Miles Davis' jazz instrumental, blues versions recorded by Janis Joplin and Big Brother and the Holding Company and Al Green, a folk cover by Willie Nelson, a reggae rendition by B.B. Seaton, a stripped-down cover by British Invasion band The Zombies, and a bluegrass version from Doc Watson. The song has also been adapted into other tunes such as 'Doin' Time' from the ska band, Sublime, which incorporates elements of Gershwin's original.

In 1959, the song made its way to the big screen in the film adaptation of Porgy and Bess, starring Sidney Poitier and Dorothy Dandridge. Though Dandridge performed the song onscreen, Adele Addison did vocal dubbing for Bess. Diahann Carroll's Clara was also dubbed for the film. Though Dandridge and Carroll were both singers, their voices were deemed not operatic enough for the film.

There have been at least eight revivals of the musical on Broadway and in Broadway adjacent venues (Radio City Music Hall, City Center) since its debut, most recently Diane Paulus' 2012 re-imagining of the opera, starring Norm Lewis and Audra McDonald. This staging caused some controversy for Porgy and Bess superfan, Stephen Sondheim, who wrote a scathing open letter to The New York Times deriding changes made to the show, specifically the omission of DuBose Heyward's credit from the show's altered title, The Gershwins' Porgy and Bess.

In addition to its life on Broadway, the opera has been performed countless times around the world. It returned to the New York stage most recently in a September 2019 production from The Metropolitan Opera. Singers Angel Blue, Elizabeth Llewellyn, Golda Schulz, Janai Brugger, and Brandie Sutton, who performed Bess and Clara throughout the run, are the latest to add their name to the long list of incredible opera singers who have brought this indelible tune to life.

Despite Porgy and Bess' place as a groundbreaking work for classically trained Black singers, it would be impossible to discuss the show's long life without acknowledging its long-debated history of racial controversy. Since its debut, the opera has faced criticisms of racism and outdated stereotypical depictions of Black Americans, as well as what critics view as a whitewashed version of Black people as created by three Caucasian artists. Some of the vernacular within its lyrics has been criticized as a form of minstrelsy, hearkening back to offensive blackface stereotypes and the 'Negro dialect' used to mock Black Americans.

With a life as controversial as it is long, it is a testament to the power of the compositions contained therein that Porgy and Bess has flourished for as long as it has. Though there is no telling what the future holds for the show as we continue our rigorous and long overdue examination of cultural representation in our media, its opening aria appears to have no such shelf life.

In the past 85 years, "Summertime" has become an institution unto itself; an affecting and lasting tribute to the lazy days of summer, when the livin' is easy and contentment abounds. With a legacy longer than any song in history, "Summertime" has proven its worth as a song for every season.

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Anatomy of a Showtune: 'Summertime' from PORGY AND BESS - Broadway World

Welcome back to the Anatomy of a Goal, where each week we dissect one goal (or near goal) from Columbus Crew SCs previous match.

For match seven of the 2020 MLS Season, we take a look at Alexander Rings 59th minute goal for New York City FC that gave City a 1-0 lead and send the Crew to their first loss of the 2020 campaign.

Here is a look at the goal from NYC FCs captain.

Columbus entered Mondays match against NYCFC on a six-match unbeaten streak to start the season. Due to COVID-19 protocols, the Black & Gold flew into New Jersey on match day and their sluggish legs through much of this match showed just how difficult getting a result on the road will be during this phase of the MLS season.

The Crew was once again without offensive fulcrum Lucas Zelarayan, and the offense continued to struggle without the Argentine playmaker. Offensive timing issues further plagued Columbus with three goals correctly called back as offside.

Rings game-winner directly follows a substitution and tactical change for the Black & Gold. Following a foul on Luis Diaz, Artur entered the match for the Costa Rican winger sending Darlington Nagbe up to the No. 10 spot and Pedro Santos out to the wing as the team finished the match against Chicago last week. Emmanuel Boateng entered for Derrick Etienne in a more like-for-like substitution.

Jonathan Mensah lines up the free kick after the substitutions are complete. He has the option to hit a pass to almost every Crew player on the field.

Mensah, keeping with the Caleb Porter system, plays a pass across Heber toward Aboubacar Keita. Heber then drops back toward the midfield. Hector Jimenez will provide a wide option to Keita and Sebastian Berhalter will also drift further toward the sideline bringing Rings defensive presence with him. Artur sticks further up the field.

Keita picks up the ball and has four immediate options. He can play a pass up the sideline to Jimenez, carry the ball forward, play a short pass to Berhalter or play a pass back to Mensah.

Keita takes a step sideways and spots Mensah heading back toward the 18-yard box. Ring has left Berhalter and is cutting toward Keita to apply a defensive press. Heber puts on the breaks and cuts back toward the passing lane between the two Columbus center backs.

Mensah notices Heber cutting back and points toward the box for a deeper pass from Keita.

Keita hits the pass toward the spot that Mensah has vacated as the captain points back to the penalty box. Heber sprints into the path of the ball.

Mensah realizes the ball was played behind him and without enough pace and plants hard to try to recover. Keita realizes that he has mishit the pass and sprints toward the middle of the field while Heber attempts to intercept the errant pass.

Heber gets near the ball the ball with Black & Gold defenders between him and goalkeeper Andrew Tarbell.

From behind the goal we can see just how close this pass was to missing Heber. The NYCFC striker has to stretch out his left foot to get on the end of the pass.

Unfortunately, Heber is able to intercept Keitas pass and carries the ball into the Columbus goal box. Ring sprints in behind Keita, forcing the Homegrown defender to decide whether to cut off Hebers angle to the back post or whether to track Rings run into the penalty box.

Keita cuts off Hebers angle to the back post leaving Ring to run free in behind. Heber now finds himself with the option to take a shot on goal or to slide a quick pass over to a wide open Ring.

Heber makes the safer choice and plays a simple square pass to Ring.

Ring tees up a first touch shot on goal as Keita and Tarbell scramble back toward the New York City captain.

Ring fires in a left-footed shot as Tarbell attempts to dive in front of the ball.

Tarbell has too much ground to make up as the ball sails past him . . .

. . . and into the back of the net.

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Anatomy of a Goal: Ring sends the Crew to first defeat of 2020 MLS Season - Massive Report

Grey's Anatomy has a lot of plots and arcs that need to be resolved or at least addressed in its upcoming Season 17.

Shondaland's medical drama Grey's Anatomy has had an epic run of 16 seasons and is all set to start production on its 17th season this year. Ever since the show started back in 2005, Shonda has thrown at us devastating deaths, heartbreaks, and lots of sex...like a lot of it, and season 16 was no exception.

RELATED:10 Best Medical Dramas (Aside From Grey's Anatomy), Ranked

A lot of curious things happened in Season 16 of Grey's --Amelia hooked up with Link, the ridiculously handsome Ortho Chief at Grey-Sloan, and got knocked up. Of course, she, rather characteristically, had no clue whose child it was which led to a great deal of drama. In other news, Teddy suddenly threw all caution to the wind and cheated on Owen, and Meredith found herself connecting with the cute new Chief of Pediatrics, Dr. Cormac Hayes. In Season 17, there are several storylines that need to be resolved or at least, built on, if nothing else.

Grey-Sloan's feisty Chief of Surgery, Miranda Bailey, found herself getting attached to a young homeless boy who had been doing the rounds in foster homes. She decided to offer him a home so that he would have a place to live in and folks to come back to during vacations.

In Season 17, it would be great to watch Miranda and Ben attempting toparent a teenage kid along with their own son, Tuck. Tuck and Joey already seem to have hit it off; so half the battle is won already. All that remains to be seen now is whether the couple can manage to keep the momentum going and build a heartwarming rapport with Joey.

Andrew DeLuca started showing mental health symptomsin season 16--now whether that was the result of the abnormal amount of stress that the doctors in the show undergo, or whether he was already genetically predisposed to it is another matter. But Grey's hinted it could be the latter since apparently his father too had similar mental health conditions.

A few storylines remained unfinished in Season 16 as production shut down hurriedly dueto the global pandemic, and De Luca's mental health was one of them. In the season's unplanned finale, the young resident was shown in a very fragile condition and Meredith took him under her wing. Season 17 needs to show how DeLuca is dealing with the situation.

Another subplot of Season 16 that remained unaddressed was that of the young patient, Sydney, and her aunt who De Luca suspected was involved inhuman trafficking. Although the hospital staff failed to take him seriously at the time, the writers hinted that the woman who pretended to be the aunt was indeed dubious.

RELATED:Grey's Anatomy: 10 Things That Need To Happen Before It Ends

It was heartbreaking to watchDeLuca unravel and the rest of the doctors forming a human chain around him instead of the so-called aunt who they thought were innocent. The creators need to hark back to that episode in Season 17 and give closure to the audience about whether or not De Luca was right after all.

Meredith's half-sister Maggie was introduced way back in Season 10 but unfortunately, the creators haven't been able to give her personal life a direction.She just hovers around, overthinkingand often irritated. Although she excels at her job, she seems to fail miserably in matters of the heart.

She was first paired with De Luca for a brief while, which honestly didn't make sense, and then she started dating Jackson Avery, which was a complete disaster. In Season 16 she was shown connecting with a former acquaintance Winston Ndugu,in a medical conference. Maggie needs to finally find some peace in her otherwise rocky love life and since rumors are that actor Anthony Hill who plays Ndugu has been upgraded to full-time status in Season 17, one can hope that would turn out significant for Maggie.

Grey-Sloan's former Chief of Surgery, who came out of a serious cobalt poisoning in Season 16, needs to get back with his estranged wife, Catherine. Period.

The elderly couple has had a lot of drama in both their personal and professional lives. And it was heartwarming to watch them find their way to each other in Season 11. But their relationship hit the rocks soon after and the two have lately been on the verge of separation. Here's hoping Season 17 sees them kiss and make up, literally.

Amelia Shepherd has been through enough already. From waking up beside a dead boyfriend to becoming drug-dependent to losing her older brother in a car accident, and being diagnosed with an enormous brain tumor, Derek's little sister has seen her share of ups and downs.

In Season 16, Amelia was finally shown to find a wee bit of stability as she hooked up with Atticus Lincoln and gave birth to their child. While one can only imagine how daunting bringing up a little kid might be for someone as scatterbrained asher, it's possible she might consider settling down with Link, married or otherwise, and finally pull it together.

Teddy Altmanwas shown harboringfeelings for trauma surgeon and then Chief of Surgery, Owen Hunt, even when she first joined the hospital. However, although Owen acknowledged her feelings at the time, he chose Christina over her and their sentiments towards one anotherremained unresolved.However, now that Teddy has had Owen's baby, she suddenly finds herself defying all logic and being drawn to Tom Koracic, the arrogant neurosurgeon with a tragic past, whom everyone hates. Well, everyone except her.

Teddy, who was always shown to be a mature, rational person, albeit impulsive at times -- she did marry a patient on an impulse -- ended up cheating on Owen with Tom, in a peculiar turn of events. Since Tom seems to really love herand Owen is confused as usual,maybe Teddy should make a run for it while there is still time. At any rate, she needs to figure out who she wants to be with.

Owen was shown traumatized when he (accidentally) found out that Teddy had cheated on him right before their wedding. Of course, fans might remember that Owen had himself cheated on Christina at one time, but it seems unlikely that his tension with Teddy would resolve itself any time soon.

Owen has been a confused soul for a lot of the time on the show, not knowing what he wanted with life. Yet, in Season 16 things fell apart shortly after he finally seemed to come to terms with what he wanted and proposed to Teddy, something he should have done at least two seasons earlier. Owen finally needs to face facts and fix things, unless it is too late already.

Dr. Cormac Hayes, cute and Irish, is the latest addition to the cast, and Grey'shas been setting him up as Meredith's potential new lover. Hayes has a tragic history himself--his wife died when she got cancer from a botched surgery and left him with two young kids.

RELATED:Grey's Anatomy: The 10 Best Couples, Ranked

Fans would be waiting for Meredith to hook up with Hayes in Season 17; the two would be perfect for each other since they both lost the love of their lives and are now mature enough to deal with a relationship at this stage in their lives.

Fans gave their heart to little Zozo the moment she was placed in Derek's arms years ago. Zola is now older, the oldest among Meredith's kids and it's time she had her own arc in the series.

The writers did hint that Zola might not take too kindly to Meredith's new partners. She is, after all, at an age when accepting a new man as her father or at least a potential father, would be very difficult. In Season 17, the creators could focus a bit more on developing her character and giving her a more substantial subplotwithin the broader narratives.

NEXT:Grey's Anatomy: 10 Most Tragic Patient Deaths, Ranked

Next 10 Unpopular Opinions About Avatar The Last Airbender, According To Reddit

Surangama, or Sue, as she is called by many, has been writing on films, television, literature, social issues for over a decade now. A teacher, writer, and editor, she loves nothing better than to curl up on a lazy afternoon with her favorite book, or with a pen and a notebook (a laptop would have to do!) and a foaming cuppa tea on the side.

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Grey's Anatomy: 10 Things That Need To Happen In Season 17 - Screen Rant

Gen. Esmail Qaani (center), appointed commander of the IRGC-Quds Force in jan. 2020, at a memorial for his predecessor, Gen. Qassem Solaimani, who was killed in a US air strike in the same month. Photo: Reuters/Abacapress.

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), better known as the Revolutionary Guards, is the ideologically-driven military force of the Islamic Republic of Iran. This organization is tasked with guarding the Islamist regimes revolutionary values at home, as well as exporting them to other parts of the world.

The Guards are distinct from the classic Iranian army. Iran has had a regular army in the manner of modern Western armies since the early 20th century. However, after the Islamist Revolution of 1979, the army was deemed insufficiently revolutionary by the countrys new leaders. The mullahs decided to create an ideological militia that would compensate for the armys supposed lack of ideological zeal. Thus was born the IRGC.

However, before the revolution, the core of the Guards which was composed of hardline Islamists and leftists had been trained and battle-hardened in Syria and Lebanon during their ongoing internal and international conflicts, the most important of which was the Lebanese Civil War (1975-90). Indeed, the regional and later global interest and reach of the Guards stems from the fact that they started their fight as part of an international anti-Western and anti-Israeli effort that continues to this day.

In the course of the Iran-Iraq War (1980-88), the Guards gradually replaced the regular army as Irans main military force. After the war which ended in a stalemate slightly in favor of Iraq, and directed the Islamists ambitions toward a different kind of foreign adventure the Guards became the regimes main instrument for exporting its Islamist brand of imperialism and conquest to the wider Middle East and the rest of the world.

August 31, 2020 5:21 pm

The notorious Quds Force branch of the IRGC was formally established in the early 1990s to systematically carry out the Islamist regimes program of extending its ideological and political influence beyond the borders of Iran. Since its establishment, the Quds Force, in line with its mandate, has been engaged in some of the worlds bloodiest conflicts, including the Bosnian War (1992-95), the Afghan Civil War (1992-96), the Israel-Hezbollah War (2006), the Syrian Civil War (2011-present), and the Yemeni Civil War (2015-present).

The Quds Force is tasked with organizing and supporting pro-Iranian-regime non-state actors such as Hezbollah in Lebanon, Hamas and Islamic Jihad in the Palestinian territories, the Houthis in Yemen, and Shiite militias in Iraq, Syria, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, and Afghanistan. The Quds Force is also known to have occasionally worked with and supported operations of Sunni Islamist forces that are not necessarily affiliated with the Shiite Islamist regime in Iran, including Al-Qaeda, the Taliban, and ISIS. In those cases, the common targets have usually been Westerners, Arabs, Israel, and Jews worldwide.

The Guards initially took little overt part in politics in Iran. Ayatollah Khomeini, the leader of the revolution and founder of the Islamic Republic, issued an injunction forbidding the Guards from entering the political arena. However, after the Iran-Iraq War, Khomeinis death, and Ayatollah Khameneis ascent to the leadership which sparked a domestic power struggle and brought about a sea change in strategic priorities overseas the Guards started to openly enter Iranian politics.

Like all military forces in ideological, totalitarian regimes such as the Brown Shirts/SA/SS in Nazi Germany, the Red Army in the Soviet Union, and the Chinese and Cuban armies, the Revolutionary Guards see themselves as the embodiment of a revolutionary ideology, and as such consider it their mandate to enforce and advance that ideology by any means necessary. In the case of the Guards, ideology mandates the establishment of a global Shiite Islamist government by subduing all ideo-mythological adversaries and conquering the whole world, with the US (Great Satan), Israel (Little Satan), and Saudi Arabia (Wahhabi infidels) as the arch enemies. It goes without saying that the Guards are inherently antisemitic and anti-Sunni.

To fulfill that goal, the Revolutionary Guards have dominated not only the military but also the economy and politics in Iran. Today, practically all Iranian officials in any capacity are members, either former or present, of the IRGC. It is estimated that around three-fourths of Iranian MPs are or were members of the Guards. The most prominent Guards alum today is the current speaker of the Majlis (parliament), Muhammad Bagher Ghalibaf, who was a brigadier general and commander of the IRGC Air Force. In addition, almost all of Irans trade, industry, and banking is run by the Guards or their affiliates. The Guards also maintain a tight monopoly on import/export and overseas investment, which is their main conduit for money-laundering on the international stage.

During their history, in line with their goal of exporting Islamist ideology, subduing enemies of Islam, and establishing zones of influence around the world, the Revolutionary Guards have committed some of the most heinous acts of terrorism the world has ever seen. It can be said that most of the major terrorist attacks against Westerners, Jews, and Sunni Arabs were either directly conducted or indirectly orchestrated by the Guards.

Some of the better-known of these terrorist attacks by or involving the Revolutionary Guards are the Beirut barracks bombings (1983) during the Lebanese Civil War, which killed 307 American and French peacekeeping forces; the Lockerbie bombing (1988), which brought Pan Am Flight 103 down over Scotland, killing all 259 people on board; the Argentine Israelite Mutual Association bombing (1994), which killed 85 and injured hundreds; and the Khobar Towers bombing (1996), which targeted the living quarters of the coalition forces in Saudi Arabia and killed 19 US Air Force personnel and injured close to 500.

In addition to these major terrorist attacks, the Revolutionary Guards and their proxy forces are collectively responsible for the ongoing killing of coalition forces in the Middle East; creating unrest as well as engaging in mass trafficking of narcotics in Latin America; taking Western citizens hostage in the Middle East; war crimes in Syria and Yemen; and posing the most severe existential threat to Israel.

As part of its campaign between wars, the IDF has been pounding the Guards bases and units across the Middle East for at least a decade. In response to the Guards increasingly menacing activity, the Trump administration in 2019 finally designated it as a state terrorist organization. However, in order to rid the Middle East and the world once and for all of the organizations carnage and destruction, it needs to be completely dismantled, as was the Nazi military machine.

Dr. Reza Parchizadeh is a political theorist, historian, and senior analyst. He can be reached athttps://twitter.com/rezaparchizadehandhttps://iup.academia.edu/RezaParchizadeh.

A version of this article was originally published by The BESA Center.

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Iran's Revolutionary Guards: The Anatomy of a State Terrorist Organization - Algemeiner

Photo Source: Unsplash / Timur Romanov

Production is re-opening and these UK projects are now visible on the horizon, whether in development or actively casting. Keep these leads on your radar and your eyes open for the opportunity to land an audition.

Anatomy of a ScandalNetflixs adaptation of Sarah Vaughans hit thriller novel starts shooting this November. Following a high-profile marriage that unravels after the husband is accused of a terrible crime, there are no leads confirmed but casting director Lucy Bevan is attached casting now.

Hitmen 2Mel Giedroyc and Sue Perkins return as best friends and business partners Fran and Jamie, who also happen to be professional hitmen. Created by BAFTA-winning writing partners Joe Parham and Joe Markham, the second series for Sky begins shooting early 2021 and original casting director Tracey Gillham is very likely to return.

CyranoJoe Wright directs the big-screen musical adaptation of Cyrano de Bergerac, the romping romantic tale of a man whos only held back by his extraordinarily large nose. Peter Dinklage stars as Cyrano alongside a supporting cast that includes Haley Bennett, Brian Tyree Henry and Ben Mendelsohn. The project shoots in the UK and Sicily and casting director Nina Gold is attached. Filming begins in November.

Vera 11ITV detective series Vera, starring Brenda Blethyn and based on the novels by Ann Cleeves, returns for an eleventh instalment. Two episodes shoot this autumn and four in spring 2021, all on location in Northumberland. Casting director Maureen Duff is likely to oversee casting.

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Get Cast in Netflix Thriller 'Anatomy of a Scandal' + More Greenlit UK Productions - Backstage