This article relies on references to primary sources or sources affiliated with the subject, rather than references from independent authors and third-party publications. Please add citations from reliable sources. (September 2011)

Enough is a project of the Center for American Progress (CAP), based in Washington, D.C., which works to end genocide and crimes against humanity. Its Co-Founders are John Prendergast and Gayle Smith; its Executive Director is John C. Bradshaw, J.D.

The Enough Project was co-founded by the Center for American Progress and the International Crisis Group in 2007.^[1] Enough focuses on crises in Sudan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and areas of Africa affected by the Lord’s Resistance Army.

History[link]

The Enough Project was co-founded by CAP and the International Crisis Group in early 2007.

Focus on Africa[link]

The Enough Project conducts research in several conflict areas in Africa including Sudan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Somalia, and the areas controlled by the Lord's Resistance Army.^[2] The Enough Project facilitates several campaigns and initiatives which work to bring attention to these crises. These include the RAISE Hope for Congo campaign, Darfur Dream Team, Sudan Now, and the Satellite Sentinel Project. ^[3]

References[link]

1. ^ "International Crisis Group". http://www.crisisgroup.org/en/publication-type/media-releases/2007/the-international-crisis-group-and-the-enough-project-a-complementary-relationship.aspx. 
2. ^ "Conflict Areas | Enough". Enoughproject.org. http://www.enoughproject.org/conflict_areas. Retrieved 2012-02-28. 
3. ^ "Our Campaigns & Initiatives | Enough". Enoughproject.org. http://www.enoughproject.org/about/campaigns-initiatives. Retrieved 2012-02-28. 

George Clooney
Clooney at the 2009 Venice Film Festival
Born	George Timothy Clooney (1961-05-06) May 6, 1961 (age 51) Lexington, Kentucky, United States
Occupation	Actor, director, producer, screenwriter
Years active	1978–present
Spouse	Talia Balsam (1989–1993)
Parents	Nick Clooney Nina Bruce (née Warren)
Relatives	Rosemary Clooney (aunt) Miguel Ferrer, Rafael Ferrer (cousins)

George Timothy Clooney (born May 6, 1961) is an American actor, film director, producer, and screenwriter. For his work as an actor, he has received three Golden Globe Awards and an Academy Award. Clooney is also noted for his political activism, and has served as one of the United Nations Messengers of Peace since January 31, 2008.^[1][2][3]

Though he made his acting debut on television in 1978, Clooney gained fame and recognition by portraying Dr. Douglas "Doug" Ross on the long-running medical drama ER from 1994 to 1999. While working on ER, he started attracting a variety of leading roles in films including Batman & Robin (1997) and Out of Sight (1998), in which he first teamed with long-term collaborator Steven Soderbergh. 1999 saw the release of Three Kings, a well-received war satire set during the Gulf War featuring Clooney in another lead role. In 2001, Clooney's fame widened with the release of his biggest commercial success, Ocean's Eleven, the first of a profitable film trilogy, a remake of the film from 1960 with the members of The Rat Pack with Frank Sinatra as Danny Ocean. He made his directorial debut a year later with the 2002 biographical thriller Confessions of a Dangerous Mind, and has since directed Good Night, and Good Luck (2005), Leatherheads (2008), and The Ides of March (2011). He won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his work in the Middle East thriller Syriana (2005) and subsequently fetched Best Actor nominations for such films as Michael Clayton (2007), Up in the Air (2009) and The Descendants (2011).

Clooney's humanitarian work includes his advocacy of finding a resolution for the Darfur conflict, raising funds for the 2010 Haiti earthquake, 2004 Tsunami, and 9/11 victims, and creating documentaries such as Sand and Sorrow to raise awareness about international crises. He is also a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.^[4]

Early life[link]

Clooney was born in Lexington, Kentucky.^[5][6] His mother, Nina Bruce (née Warren, 1939–),^[7] is a former beauty pageant queen. His father, Nick Clooney, is a former anchorman, as well as a game show and American Movie Classics host. Clooney's ancestry includes Irish, German, and English.^[8] His paternal great-great-grandparents, Nicholas Clooney (of County Kilkenny) and Bridget Byron, immigrated to the United States from Ireland.^[9] Clooney was raised a strict Roman Catholic.^{[10][11][12][13]} He has an older sister, Adelia (also known as Ada); his cousins include actors Miguel and Rafael Ferrer, who are the sons of his aunt, singer Rosemary Clooney, and actor José Ferrer. He is also related to another singer, Debby Boone, who married his cousin Gabriel Ferrer (son of José Ferrer and Rosemary Clooney).

Clooney began his education at the Blessed Sacrament School in Fort Mitchell, Kentucky. Spending part of his childhood in Ohio, he attended St. Michael's School in Columbus, and St. Susanna School in Mason. In middle school, Clooney developed Bell's palsy, a debilitating condition that partially paralyzes the face. The malady went away within a year. "That was the worst time of my life," he told the Daily Mirror in 2003. "You know how cruel kids can be. I was mocked and taunted, but the experience made me stronger."^[14]

His parents eventually moved to Augusta, Kentucky, where Clooney attended Augusta High School. He has stated that he earned all As and a B in school,^[15] and was an enthusiastic baseball and basketball player. He tried out to play professional baseball with the Cincinnati Reds organization in 1977, but was not offered a contract. He did not pass the first round of player cuts.^[16] He attended Northern Kentucky University from 1979 to 1981, majoring in Broadcast Journalism, and very briefly attended the University of Cincinnati, but did not graduate from either.^[17] He had such odd jobs as selling men's suits and cutting tobacco.^[18]

Career[link]

Early work, 1978–93[link]

Clooney's first role was as an extra in the TV series Centennial in 1978. The series was based on the novel of the same name by James Michener, and was partially filmed in Clooney's hometown of Augusta, Kentucky. Clooney's first major role came in 1984 in the short-lived sitcom E/R (not to be confused with ER, the better-known hospital drama, on which Clooney also co-starred a decade later). He played a handyman on the series The Facts of Life, and appeared as Bobby Hopkins, a detective, on an episode of The Golden Girls. His first significant break was a semi-regular supporting role in the sitcom Roseanne, playing Roseanne Barr's supervisor Booker Brooks, followed by the role of a construction worker on Baby Talk, a co-starring role on the CBS drama Bodies of Evidence as Detective Ryan Walker, and then a year-long turn as sexy Det. James Falconer on Sisters. In 1988, Clooney also played a role in Return of the Killer Tomatoes.

Breakthrough, 1994–99[link]

Clooney achieved stardom when he played Dr. Doug Ross, alongside Anthony Edwards, Julianna Margulies, and Noah Wyle, on the hit NBC drama ER from 1994 to 1999. After leaving the series in 1999, he made a cameo appearance in the 6th season and returned for a guest spot in the show's final season.^[19]

Clooney began appearing in films while working on ER. His first major Hollywood role was in From Dusk till Dawn, directed by Robert Rodriguez. He followed its success with One Fine Day with Michelle Pfeiffer, and The Peacemaker with Nicole Kidman. Clooney was then cast as Batman in Joel Schumacher's Batman & Robin,^[20] which was a moderate box office success, but a critical failure (with Clooney himself calling the film "a waste of money"). In 1998, he starred in Out of Sight opposite Jennifer Lopez, marking the first of his many collaborations with director Steven Soderbergh. He also starred in Three Kings during the last weeks of his contract with ER.

Success, 2000–present[link]

George Clooney cast his hands and shoes in the Grauman's Chinese Theatre in 2007.^[21]

After leaving ER, Clooney starred in commercially successful films including The Perfect Storm and O Brother, Where Art Thou?. In 2001, he teamed up with Soderbergh again for Ocean's Eleven, a remake of the 1960s Rat Pack film of the same name. As of 2011, it was Clooney's most commercially successful film, earning more than $450 million worldwide.^[22] The film spawned two sequels starring Clooney, Ocean's Twelve in 2004 and Ocean's Thirteen in 2007.

In 2001, Clooney and Soderbergh co-founded Section Eight Productions, for which Grant Heslov was president of television. Clooney made his directorial debut in the 2002 film Confessions of a Dangerous Mind, an adaptation of the autobiography of TV producer Chuck Barris. Though the film didn't do well at the box office, Clooney's direction showed promise.^[23]

In 2005, Clooney starred in Syriana, which was based loosely on former Central Intelligence Agency agent Robert Baer and his memoirs of being an agent in the Middle East. Clooney suffered an accident on the set of Syriana, which resulted in a brain injury with complications arising from a punctured dura.^[24] The same year he directed, produced, and starred in Good Night, and Good Luck, a film about 1950s television journalist Edward R. Murrow's famous war of words with Senator Joseph McCarthy. At the 2006 Academy Awards, Clooney was nominated for Best Director and Best Original Screenplay for Good Night, and Good Luck, as well as Best Supporting Actor for Syriana. He won the Oscar for his role in Syriana.

George Clooney at the premiere of The Men Who Stare At Goats in the 2009 Toronto International Film Festival

Clooney next appeared in The Good German (2006), a film noir directed by Soderbergh that is set in post-World War II Germany. In August 2006, Clooney and Heslov started the production company Smokehouse Pictures. In October 2006 Clooney also received the American Cinematheque Award, which honors an artist in the entertainment industry who has made "a significant contribution to the art of motion pictures".^[25]

On January 22, 2008, Clooney was nominated for an Academy Award (and many other awards) for Best Actor for his role in Michael Clayton (2007). Clooney then directed his third film, Leatherheads (2008), in which he also starred. It was reported on April 4, 2008, in Variety that Clooney had quietly resigned from the Writers Guild of America over controversy surrounding Leatherheads. Clooney, who is the director, producer, and star of the film, stated that he had contributed in writing "all but two scenes" of the film and requested a writing credit, alongside Duncan Brantley and Rick Reilly, who had been working on the screenplay for 17 years. In an arbitration vote, Clooney lost 2–1. He decided to withdraw from the union over the decision. Clooney became a "financial core status" non-member, meaning he no longer had voting rights, and cannot run for office or attend membership meetings, according to the WGA's constitution.^[26]

Clooney next co-starred with Ewan McGregor and Kevin Spacey in The Men Who Stare At Goats, which was directed by Heslov and released in November 2009. Also in November 2009, he voiced Mr. Fox in Wes Anderson's animated feature Fantastic Mr. Fox. The same year, Clooney starred in Up in the Air, which was initially given limited release, and then wide-released on December 25, 2009. For his performance in the film, which was directed by Jason Reitman, he was nominated for a Golden Globe, a Screen Actors Guild Award, BAFTA, and an Academy Award.

2010 saw the release of The American, based on the novel A Very Private Gentleman by Martin Booth and directed by Anton Corbijn. Clooney played the lead role, and was a co-producer of the film.

As of 2011, Clooney was represented by Bryan Lourd, co-chairman of Creative Artists Agency (CAA).^[27]

2011 saw the release of The Descendants, in which Clooney starred as a husband whose wife has an accident that leaves her in a coma. He earned critical praise for his work as Matt King, and won the Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor and the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama and was nominated for the Screen Actors Guild for Best Actor. He was also nominated for the BAFTA Award for Best Actor and the Academy Award for Best Actor.

Political views[link]

Clooney supported Barack Obama's campaign in the 2008 presidential election.^[28] He is a supporter of gay rights.^[29]

Humanitarian work[link]

Clooney in Abéché, Chad, in January 2008 with the UN

Clooney is involved with Not On Our Watch, an organization that focuses global attention and resources to stop and prevent mass atrocities, along with Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Don Cheadle, and Jerry Weintraub.^[30]

In February 2009, he visited Goz Beida, Chad, with NY Times columnist Nicholas Kristof.^[31] In January 2010, he organized the Telethon Hope for Haiti Now,^[32] which collected donations for the 2010 Haiti earthquake victims.

In March 2012, Clooney was featured with Martin Sheen and Brad Pitt in a performance of Dustin Lance Black's play, '8' — a staged reenactment of the federal trial that overturned California's Prop 8 ban on same-sex marriage — as attorney David Boies.^[33] The production was held at the Wilshire Ebell Theatre and broadcast on YouTube to raise money for the American Foundation for Equal Rights.^[34][35]

Darfur[link]

Clooney has advocated a resolution of the Darfur conflict.^[36]

He spoke at a 2006 Save Darfur rally in Washington, D.C. In April 2006, he spent ten days in Chad and Sudan with his father to make the TV special "A Journey to Darfur" reflecting the situation of Darfur's refugees, and advocated for action. The documentary was broadcast on American cable TV as well as in the UK and France. In 2008, it was released on DVD with the sale proceeds being donated to the International Rescue Committee.^{[37][38][39][40]} In September of the same year, he spoke to the UN Security Council with Nobel Prize-winner Elie Wiesel to ask the UN to find a solution to the conflict and to help the people of Darfur.^[41] In December, he visited China and Egypt with Don Cheadle and two Olympic winners to ask both governments to pressure Sudan's government.^[42]

Clooney discusses Sudan with President Barack Obama at the White House in October 2010.

On March 25, 2007, he sent an open letter to German Chancellor Angela Merkel, calling on the European Union to take "decisive action" in the region given the failure of Sudan President Omar al-Bashir to respond to UN resolutions.^[43] He narrated and was co-executor producer of the 2007 documentary Sand and Sorrow.^[44] Clooney also appeared in the documentary film Darfur Now, a call-to-action film released in November 2007 for people all over the world to help stop the Darfur crisis.^[45] In December 2007, Clooney and fellow actor Don Cheadle received the Summit Peace Award from the Nobel Peace Prize Laureates in Rome. In his acceptance speech, Clooney said that "Don and I … stand here before you as failures. The simple truth is that when it comes to the atrocities in Darfur … those people are not better off now than they were years ago."^[46][47] On January 18, 2008, the United Nations announced Clooney's appointment as a UN messenger of peace, effective January 31.^[1][2]

Clooney conceived of and, with human rights activist and co-founder of the Enough Project John Prendergast, initiated the Satellite Sentinel Project (SSP), after an October 2010 trip to South Sudan. SSP aims to monitor armed activity for signs of renewed civil war between Sudan and South Sudan, and to detect and deter mass atrocities along the border regions there.^[48]

Clooney and Prendergast co-wrote a Washington Post op-ed piece in May 2011, titled "Dancing with a dictator in Sudan", arguing that:

President Omar al-Bashir has been indicted by the International Criminal Court for genocide, is escalating bombing and food aid obstruction in Darfur, and he now threatens the entire north-south peace process ... the evidence shows that incentives alone are insufficient to change Khartoum's calculations. International support should be sought immediately for denying debt relief, expanding the ICC indictments, diplomatically isolating the regime, suspending all non-humanitarian aid, obstructing state-controlled bank transactions and freezing accounts holding oil wealth diverted by senior regime officials.^[49]

On March 16, 2012, Clooney was arrested outside the Sudanese Embassy for civil disobedience, during a protest.^[50][51] Clooney had planned to be arrested when he planned the protest.^[51] Several other prominent participants in the protest were also arrested, including Martin Luther King III.^[51]

Controversy[link]

In January 2003, Clooney made a controversial joke about the fact that Charlton Heston was suffering from Alzheimer's, and Clooney initially refused to apologize.^{[15][52][52][53]} While speaking at a National Board of Review event as he accepted an award on television, Clooney said: "Charlton Heston announced again today that he is suffering from Alzheimer's."^[54] Charlton Heston was suffering from Alzheimer's disease at the time.^[54][55] When syndicated columnist Liz Smith asked Clooney whether he wasn't "going too far" with his remark, he responded: "I don't care. Charlton Heston is the head of the National Rifle Association; he deserves whatever anyone says about him."^[56][53]

Heston himself commented, "It just goes to show that sometimes class does skip a generation," referring to Clooney's aunt, Rosemary Clooney.^[56] Heston further commented on the Clooney joke: "I don't know the man – never met him, never even spoken to him, but I feel sorry for George Clooney – one day he may get Alzheimer's disease. I served my country in World War II. I survived that – I guess I can survive some bad words from this fellow".^[57] Clooney later said, "It was a joke... They got the quote wrong. What I said was 'The head of the NRA announced today ...' (Filmmaker) Michael Moore had just gotten an award. Anyway, Charlton Heston shows up with guns over his head after a school shooting and then says in the documentary it's because of ethnic diversity that we have problems with violence in America. I think he's going to have to take whatever hits he gets. It was just a joke."^[58] Clooney said in 2008 he subsequently apologized to Heston in a letter, and that he received a nice response from Heston's wife.^[15]

On January 16, 2006, during his acceptance speech for the Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role for Syriana, Clooney paused to sarcastically thank disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff before adding, "Who would name their kid Jack with the word ‘off’ at the end of your last name? No wonder that guy is screwed up!"^[59] Abramoff's father wrote a letter to The Desert Sun, calling Clooney's comment "glib and ridiculous".^[60] Larry King asked Clooney on CNN if he would apologize, but Clooney declined.^[60]

Personal life[link]

Relationships[link]

Clooney and Elisabetta Canalis at the 66th Venice International Film Festival

Clooney was married to actress Talia Balsam from 1989 until they divorced in 1993. He has said that he will never marry again.^[61] After meeting British model Lisa Snowdon on the set of a Martini advertisement in 2000, he had a five-year on-again, off-again relationship with her.^[62] In June 2007, he started dating reality personality Sarah Larson, but the couple broke up in May 2008.^[63] From July 2009 to June 2011, Clooney was in a relationship with Italian actress Elisabetta Canalis until they split in June 2011.^[64][65][66] Since July 2011, Clooney has been dating former WWE Diva Stacy Keibler.^[67]

Clooney has also dated actresses Kelly Preston (1987-1989), Renée Zellweger (2001) and Krista Allen (2002-2008) as well as French reality tv personality Céline Balitran (1996-1999). ^{[68][69][70][71][72]}

Often featured in People magazine's "Sexiest Man Alive" issue, Clooney's marital status and availability are a running joke among female fans who still fantasize they have a chance to bring him to the altar. Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum in Las Vegas has a "Marrying George Clooney" photo-op, in which museum visitors can put on a wedding gown and stand next to a wax statue of the actor in a tuxedo.^[73]

Despite his highly publicized relationships with women, Clooney's sexual orientation has been the subject of media scrutiny. When asked about the subject in an interview with The Advocate, Clooney stated, "The last thing you’ll ever see me do is jump up and down, saying, ‘These are lies!’ That would be unfair and unkind to my good friends in the gay community. I’m not going to let anyone make it seem like being gay is a bad thing."^[74]

Homes[link]

Clooney's main home is in Los Angeles. He purchased the 7,354 square feet (683.2 m²) house in 1995 through his George Guifoyle Trust. His villa in Italy is in the village of Laglio, on Lake Como,^[75] near the former residence of Italian author Ada Negri.^[76]

Motorcycle accident[link]

On September 21, 2007, Clooney and then-girlfriend Sarah Larson were injured in a motorcycle accident in Weehawken, New Jersey. Clooney's motorcycle was hit by a car. The driver of the car reported that Clooney attempted to pass him on the right,^[77] while Clooney said that the driver signaled left and then decided to make an abrupt right turn and clipped his motorcycle. Clooney was treated and released from the Palisades Medical Center in North Bergen, New Jersey.^[78] On October 9, 2007, more than two dozen staff at the hospital were suspended without pay for looking at Clooney's medical records in violation of federal law.^[79] Clooney said: "[W]hile I very much believe in a patient's right to privacy, I would hope that this could be settled without suspending medical workers."^[80]

Pets[link]

"Max" (1987 – December 1, 2006) was Clooney's pet Vietnamese black bristled potbellied pig, often referred to as "Max the star" by Clooney.^[81] The pig shared Clooney's Hollywood Hills home, as well as Clooney's bed, and frequently made cameos in interviews, mostly because of his enormous size.^[82] He is often credited with saving Clooney's life by waking him up before the Northridge earthquake on January 16, 1994.^[81] In 2006, the pig was taken for a flight on John Travolta's private jet.^[83]

Max was bought by Clooney in 1988 as a gift for his then-girlfriend Kelly Preston, who later became Travolta's wife.^[84] The pig used to have a special cattle-pen and his own corner in the garage of Clooney's manor.^[85] Max was seriously injured in 2001 when one of Clooney's friends accidentally ran him over with his car.^[86] Weighing ca. 300 pounds (over 130 kg), Max died in Los Angeles of natural causes, as has been stated by Clooney's press secretary Stan Rosenfield. Because he was known to have arthritis, and was partly blind, the animal was falsely reported to have died in January 2005. Clooney dotingly recalls that Max would squeal every morning until he was fed.^[83] A column on Max by Clooney's father, Nick, appeared in The Cincinnati Enquirer.^{[citation needed]}

He also owned two bulldogs, named Bud and Lou, after the famous comedy team Abbott and Costello. Both dogs have died; one from a rattlesnake bite.^[87][88]

In the media[link]

Clooney in January 2012

Clooney is one of three people to have been given the title of "Sexiest Man Alive" twice by People Magazine; first in 1997 and again in 2006.^[89] He appeared in commercials outside the US for products such as Fiat, Nespresso, and Martini vermouth, and lent his voice to a series of Budweiser ads beginning in 2005.^[90] Clooney was named one of Time magazine's 100 Most Influential People in the World in 2007, 2008, and 2009.^[91][92][93]

South Park creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker lampooned Clooney, among other stars, in their feature film Team America: World Police. Clooney later said that he would have been offended if he hadn't been made fun of in the film.^[94] He was also mentioned in the South Park episode "Smug Alert!", which mocks his acceptance speech at the 78th Academy Awards. Clooney has also lent his voice to South Park, however, appearing in the episode "Big Gay Al's Big Gay Boat Ride" as Sparky the Dog, and as the emergency room doctor in South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut. Clooney was also caricatured in the American Dad! episode Tears of a Clooney, in which Francine sees her plans to destroy Clooney materialize.^{[citation needed]}

Director Alexander Cartio made his debut feature film entitled Convincing Clooney about a Los Angeles artist, who faced with rejection as an actor and screenplay writer, arrives at his master plan to get Clooney to star in his first-ever low-budget short film. The story was released on DVD in November 2011.^[95][96]

Awards and honors[link]

Filmography[link]

Actor - Film[link]

Actor - Television[link]

Actor - Theatre[link]

Director[link]

Producer[link]

Writer[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

Find more about George Clooney on Wikipedia's sister projects:
	Images and media from Commons
	Quotations from Wikiquote

• George Clooney at the Internet Movie Database
• George Clooney at People.com
• Not On Our Watch official site for charity founded by George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Don Cheadle, Jerry Weintraub and David Pressman
• Column archives for Project Syndicate
• Appearances on C-SPAN
• George Clooney on Charlie Rose
• Works by or about George Clooney in libraries (WorldCat catalog)
• George Clooney collected news and commentary at The New York Times, and in NYT Movies
• George Clooney collected news and commentary at The Guardian
• George Clooney Public Service Announcement, Better World Campaign
• George Clooney on Red Carpet in Oscar Awards 2012
• Text, audio and video of speech to the United Nations Security Council on Darfur, December 14, 2006, NYC
• Clooney, Google, UN Team Up To Watch Sudan Border, NPR, December 29, 2010
• INTERVEIW with George Clooney on Red Carpet Oscar Awards 2012

Map of Sudan (after 2011). The Nuba Mountains are labeled in Southern Kordofan

The Nuba Mountains

The Nuba Mountains (also referred to as the Nuba Hills) is an area located in South Kordofan, Sudan. The area is home to a group of indigenous ethnic groups known collectively as the Nuba peoples. In the 18th century, Nuba Mountains became home to the kingdom of Taqali that controlled the hills of the mountains until their defeat by Mahdi Muhammad Ahmad. After the Mahdi's defeat by the British, Taqali was restored as a client state. Infiltration of the Messiria tribe of Baggara Arabs has been influential in modern conflicts.

Geography[link]

The mountains cover an area roughly 40 miles (64 km) wide by 90 miles (140 km) long, and are 1,500 to 3,000 feet (910 m) higher in elevation than the surrounding plain. The mountains stretch for some 48,000^[1] square kilometres (19,000 square miles). The climate is semi-arid with under 800 mm of rain per year on average, but lush and green compared with most nearby areas. There are almost no roads in the Nuba Mountains; most villages there are connected by ancient paths that cannot be reached by motor vehicles. The rainy season extends from mid-May to mid-October, and annual rainfall ranges from 400 to 800 millimetres (16.4 to 32.8 in), allowing grazing and seasonal rain-fed agriculture.

Status[link]

The region stayed under the control of the central government and the Comprehensive Peace Agreement did not give the Nuba Mountains the right to join South Sudan in its vote for independence in 2011. Residents of the Nuba Mountains were required to hold ill-defined "popular consultations" to determine their future.^[2][3] Not only Nuba Mountains but whole South Kordofan state would be eligible to vote, essentially to accommodate the Messiria.^[4] Additionally, the Sudanese government maintained heavy military presence in the region and even prospective "popular consultations" were seen likely to be barred.^[4] The ambiguous situation and fears of future communal violence invoked concerns that South Kordofan could be the "next Darfur".^[5][6][7]

As of June 2011, South Kordofan's governor Ahmed Haroun had suspended the process of popular consultations and conflict between Sudan People's Armed Forces and Nuba fighters of the SPLM-N followed^[8] (see Sudan–SPLM-N conflict (2011)).

The war in Sudan began in 1983 until the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) signed on 9 January 2005 with independence vote set for 9 July 2011-the vote on 9 July 2011 succeeded the south into Africa's newest country, the Republic of South Sudan. The capital is located in Juba. The Nuba Mountains are geographically in the north in the area called South Kordofan (see Wikipedia for in-depth review). The people of the Nuba Mountains (a five mountain chain rising from the desert to 1,000 metres (3,000 feet) were not aligned with the north under sharia law nor the Arabic language. This cultural dispute was in part the reason for people in Nuba being prosecuted by indiscriminate bombing, attacks on civilians and mines at entry points to the Nuba Mountains. In 2002, due to the extreme starvation of the people of the Nuba Mountains and under the international pressure from the UN, Khartoum under President Bashir (at that time, the government was termed the National Islamic Front) authorizes an interim cease fire to provide food and medical equipment/support to the people of the Nuba Mountains. In exchange, the Sudan People's Liberation Army/SPLA agree not attack the south-north pipeline to Port Sudan on the Red Sea coast. An international group of observers/advisers deployed to South Kordofan Province/Kadugli with several US advisers deployed directly into the Nuba Mountains, specifically to be co-located with the SPLA. One of the advisers/observers was Randy Hampton (US) located in Kauda co-located with the SPLA command element. Reports of indiscriminate bombing of civilians and mining entry points primarily for relief operation was reported and documents (with photos) during this time. Abdel Aziz Adam El Hilu was at that time, the governor of the Nuba Mountains and former military leader for the SPLA. He is currently (as of March 2012) back in the Nuba Mountains supporting relief and security operations.

The international community, including a number of celebrities such as actor George Clooney, have recently travelled to the Nuba Mountains and documented the continued genocidal activities of the Bashir government. It should be noted that President Bashir is an indicted war criminal at the International Criminal Court (ICC) as a result of the genocidal activities of Sudan in Darfur.

The ongoing war continues as the international community continues to debate a resolution to the issue of the Nuba Mountains.

References[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Nuba Mountains

External links[link]

• The Nuba Mountains Homepage
• The Nuba Survival Association
• Varhola, Christopher H. - Cows, Korans, and Kalashnikovs: The Multiple Dimensions of Conflict in the Nuba Mountains of Central Sudan Department of Anthropology, The Catholic University of America, September 2002.
• Nubawatch: "Nuba Mountains: The Beginning" January 9, 2011.
• Al Jazeera: "In Pictures: Sudan's mountain refuges" March 23, 2012
• Full documentary about Nuba sufferings in the Nuba Mountains

Coordinates: 12°00′N 30°45′E / 12°N 30.75°E / 12; 30.75

Nicole Richie
Richie In Store Appearance David Jones Photo Call 2012
Born	Nicole Camille Escovedo (1981-09-21) September 21, 1981 (age 30) Berkeley, California, U.S.
Occupation	Television personality, actress, fashion designer, author
Years active	2003–present
Spouse	Joel Madden (2010–present)
Children	2[1]
Website
www.nicolerichie.com

Nicole Camille Richie (born Nicole Camille Escovedo; September 21, 1981) is an American fashion designer, author, actress, singer and television personality.

Richie rose to prominence for her role in the Fox reality television series, The Simple Life which lasted five seasons. Afterwards she turned her focus on other projects including charity work and environmental issues. In November 2007 Richie and husband, Joel Madden, created "The Richie Madden Children's Foundation".^[2] She is currently one of the three mentors on NBC's Fashion Star.

Richie's personal life has also attracted media attention, including her dramatically thin appearance, driving under the influence arrests in 2003 and 2006, as well as her extensive drug abuse throughout her late teenage years and early twenties.

Early life[link]

Nicole Richie was born in Berkeley, California.^[3] Her biological father is Peter Michael Escovedo, a musician who played for a brief time with Lionel Richie, and her biological mother Karen was the executive assistant for her aunt Sheila E. At the age of three, her parents agreed to let her move in with Lionel Richie and Brenda Harvey because they could not afford to provide for her financially. "My parents were friends with Lionel," she told People in 2003. "They trusted that they would be better able to provide for me."^[4] Initially, Lionel Richie became her guardian.^[5] Lionel Richie and Brenda Harvey effectively raised Nicole as their daughter. She began attending weekly sessions with a psycho-therapist at age three, remaining in therapy throughout childhood.

Richie was legally adopted by Lionel and Brenda when she was nine years old. Shortly after the adoption was formalized, Lionel's affair with another woman became public knowledge.^[6] Lionel and Brenda went through a bitter, public split. As a result, they indulged Nicole's every whim. "Their way of making me happy was to say yes to everything I wanted, but I don't think a little girl should have that much freedom," said Richie in an interview with Vanity Fair.^[7] Following the divorce, Lionel remarried and gave Nicole two younger siblings; Myles (b. 1994) and Sofia (b. 1998).^[8] Richie has one godmother, Nancy Davis, daughter of Marvin Davis and mother of Brandon Davis. Quincy Jones and Michael Jackson were each Richie's godfathers.^[9] Jones said in a People magazine interview that he has "known Nicole Richie since she was a baby. She's a very smart girl".^[10]

In 1986, Richie attended The Buckley School in Sherman Oaks, California, where she met Paris Hilton. Richie graduated from Montclair College Preparatory School in 1999 and then attended the University of Arizona alongside Kourtney Kardashian and Luke Walton, where she studied Arts and Media. Richie did not have a definitive study plan in Arizona, and eventually dropped out after two years and returned to California.^[9]

Career[link]

Television[link]

In 2003, Richie and her then best friend Paris Hilton starred in the reality series The Simple Life, in which they lived for a month with a family in the rural community of Altus, Arkansas. The series premiere debuted on Fox on December 2, 2003, to thirteen million viewers, increasing Fox's Adults 18-49 rating to 79%.^[11] The series continued for a second and third season, and Richie achieved superstardom for her out-spoken, comedic persona.^{[citation needed]}

The show was subsequently cancelled by Fox after a dispute between Hilton and Richie, but it was subsequently aired by E! Entertainment Television for the fourth season, which was a hit for E!, drawing nearly one million viewers and a relatively unsuccessful fifth season.^[12] More complications arose during the production of a fifth season. Both Richie and Hilton faced major charges for DUI, and were at risk of serving jail time. Hilton was sentenced to 23 days in jail, though this was after production of the season had finished.^[13] Richie accepted a plea agreement and was sentenced to four days in jail, again after production had wrapped.^[14] Despite talks of a sixth season,^[15] the series finished its run at the end of the moderately unsuccessful fifth season.^[16][17]

In 2005, Nicole Richie made her acting debut in the comedic drama Kids in America. Richie has guest starred in television series including Eve, Six Feet Under and American Dreams, 8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter, and playing the recurring character Heather Chandler on Chuck.^[18] In July 2008, plans were announced to turn Richie's 2005 novel, The Truth About Diamonds, into a television series.^[19]

On January 1, 2010, it was announced that Richie would appear as a guest judge on Project Runway.^[20]

Richie is currently filming Fashion Star for NBC.

Writing[link]

In 2005, Richie wrote a semi-autobiographical novel, The Truth About Diamonds, which was released by Bharell Jackson Publishing. The novel is loosely based on her life, but is mostly fictional. It chronicles the life of Chloe Parker, the adopted daughter of a singer who makes her way through all of the popular nightclubs and parties in Hollywood while battling a drug addiction.^[21] In early January 2006, The Truth About Diamonds peaked at number #32 in Hardcover Fiction on The New York Times Best-Seller List.^[22]

Richie's second novel, Priceless, was released on September 28, 2010.^[23] It tells the story of a girl who loses everything and then learns about what really matters in life.^[24]

Fashion[link]

Richie's own personal style has become popular among fans and fashion critics and has led to her status as a fashion impresario and icon. She has been the face of Bongo Jeans and Jimmy Choo advertising campaigns. In April 2007, Richie announced plans to start a jewelry, accessories, and sunglasses line along with a perfume and style book.^[25] In October 2008, she debuted a jewelry line, House of Harlow 1960.^[26] The line became available at Kitson's online boutique.^[27] In Spring 2010, the line was extended to include apparel and shoes.^[28] In 2009, Richie joined maternity store A Pea in the Pod to create the new collection maternity clothes.^[29] The line was titled "Nicole" which had pieces that she would wear as an expectant mother.^[30] In February 2010, Richie expanded her fashion business with a women’s line called Winter Kate, her daughter's two middle names. The collection was inspired by timeless prints and shapes, beautiful paisley and florals.^[31]

In 2010, she won "Entrepreneur of the Year" for her House of Harlow 1960 brand at the Glamour Women of the Year Awards.^[32] House of Harlow 1960 was also nominated in the category "Celebrity Fashion Line" at the 2010 Teen Choice Awards.^[33] In July 2011, it was reported that Richie's House of Harlow 1960 line has unveiled a 14-piece handbag collection. The House of Harlow 1960 handbag collection will be available at Bergdorf Goodman, Neiman Marcus, Nordstrom and Shopbop.com.^[34] In July 2011, it was announced that Richie would be one of the three mentors in NBC's new reality show Fashion Star alongside Jessica Simpson.^[35][36]

Music[link]

Richie made her musical debut in February 2005 with a live appearance on ABC's The View playing the piano.^[37] Although widely speculated that Richie is working on an album, she denied the rumors to People. She was quoted as saying, "I do eventually [want to record an album], but right now I have a lot on my plate".^[38] In February 2010, Richie was featured on the charity single "We Are the World 25 for Haiti". "I was four years old in a studio, watching my dad record "We Are the World" and today I get to do it again. Excited to help make a change," she later said of the experience.^[39]

In 2004, she auditioned for the part of Maureen in the popular Broadway hit, Rent, but did not get the part. In 2008, she was offered the lead role in the hit musical Chicago as Roxie Hart.^[40]

Personal life[link]

Richie and Joel Madden in March 2010

Family and relationships[link]

In April 2005, reports surfaced that Richie and longtime friend Paris Hilton were no longer speaking. Hilton commented: "It's no big secret that Nicole and I are no longer friends. Nicole knows what she did, and that's all I'm ever going to say about it."^[41] Neither Richie nor Hilton spoke publicly about the cause of the split, though it was speculated that the pair fell out due to Nicole showing one of Paris' homemade sex tapes to a group of their friends. They eventually reconciled in October 2006.^[42]

She dated DJ Adam Goldstein from 2003 to 2005, but broke up after a nine-month engagement.^[43] Richie was also briefly linked to childhood friend Brody Jenner of MTV's The Hills.^[44]

Richie began dating Good Charlotte lead singer Joel Madden in December 2006.^[45] They have two children: daughter Harlow Winter Kate Richie Madden (born January 11, 2008)^[46] and son Sparrow James Midnight Madden (born September 9, 2009).^[47] The couple confirmed their engagement in February 2010,^[48] and married on December 11, 2010.^[49] In February 2008, the first photos of Harlow were sold to People, who paid $1 million.^[50]

Health[link]

In early 2006, Richie made headlines for her dramatically thinner appearance, after spending two seasons of The Simple Life slightly heavier than her usual weight.^[51] In May she told Vanity Fair, "I know I'm too thin right now, so I wouldn't want any young girl looking at me and saying, 'That's what I want to look like.'"^[52] She also said, "I started seeing a nutritionist and a doctor. I was scared that it could be something more serious."^[53] During this time it was reported that she had also sought the help of a psychiatrist and a personal trainer.^[54] Later that year, in September, Richie stated "I am not anorexic. I am not bulimic. I do not have an eating disorder."^[54] On October 27, 2006, it was announced that Richie was seeking treatment for "an inability to put on weight," though it is not treatment for an eating disorder.^[54]

In March 2007, Richie was taken to the hospital for dehydration. On March 21, her representatives announced she was diagnosed with hypoglycemia.^[55]

Richie's December 2006 mug shot

Legal issues[link]

In February 2003, Richie was arrested in Malibu, California and was charged with possession of heroin while driving with a suspended driver's license.^[56]

On December 11, 2006, Richie was arrested by the California Highway Patrol after she failed a field sobriety test. She was charged with driving under the influence on State Route 134 in the Burbank/Glendale, California area. Several motorists had reported a black Mercedes-Benz G-Class entering the freeway on the exit ramp and travelling in the opposite traffic direction.^[57] She admitted to using marijuana and the narcotic Vicodin before the incident.^[57] On July 27, 2007, Richie was sentenced to four days in jail at the Century Regional Detention Center in Lynwood, California.^[58] However, she only served about 82 minutes of the sentence and was released at 16:37 PDT on August 23, 2007.^[59] A spokeswoman for the sheriff's department told People magazine that Richie "was released early due to overcrowding in the jail system. This is standard procedure for nonviolent offenders." After spending 82 minutes in jail, Richie was "Of course pleasantly surprised to be released so quickly," said her attorney.^[60]

Richie enrolled in an 18-month anti-drinking driver education program, according to papers filed with the Superior Court of California.^[61] On June 22, her probation was extended one year to March 2011 because she missed her anti-drinking driving class.^[62] However, Richie's probation was terminated early on December 29, 2010 after her lawyer presented details to the judge that Richie had completed all terms of her probation.^[63]

Charity[link]

In November 2007, Richie and partner Joel Madden created "The Richie Madden Children's Foundation".^[64] Richie, Joel and Benji Madden along with UNICEF held a fundraiser for the Tap Project in March 2009. They sold 143 water pumps to bring water directly to the villages and raised $100,000.^[65] Esprit donated 10% of all the sales on April 2, 2009 at their newly opened 3rd Street Promenade store to The Richie-Madden Children’s Foundation.^[66] The Richie-Madden Foundation specially designed "Cup with a Cause" for 7-Eleven. It was a part of their charity-focused coffee campaign in February 2010.^[67] During 2010 the Foundation worked together with Beyond Shelter, a non-profit organization devoted to providing shelter for homeless families in Los Angeles.^[68]

In May 2008, Richie and Madden shot a UNICEF public-service announcement to generate aid for the cyclone-devastated Myanmar.^[69] Richie and Madden have also written blogs on the UNICEF website and encouraged people to help children in need.^[70]

Richie has been a board member of the Environmental Media Association for several years and took part in their awareness program in May 2009.^[71] Each member "adopted" a school to raise awareness for the program and help students with environmental education. She participated in a charity hand-me-downs auction that started on the website handmedowns.com. The proceeds went directly to The Richie Madden Children’s Foundation to help bring more opportunities to children in the US and abroad.^[72]

Filmography[link]

Award nominations[link]

References[link]