Christine Quinn

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Christine Quinn
Christine Quinn VF 2012 Shankbone.JPG
Speaker of the New York City Council
In office
January 1, 2006 – December 31, 2013
Preceded byGifford Miller
Succeeded byMelissa Mark-Viverito
Member of the New York City Council
from the 3rd district
In office
November 2, 1999 – December 31, 2013
Preceded byThomas K. Duane
Succeeded byCorey Johnson
Personal details
Born
Christine Callaghan Quinn

(1966-07-25) July 25, 1966 (age 55)
Glen Cove, New York, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
Other political
affiliations		Women's Equality[1]
Spouse(s)
Kim Catullo
​
(m. 2012)​
EducationTrinity College, Connecticut (BA)
WebsiteCampaign website

Christine Callaghan Quinn (born July 25, 1966) is an American politician. A member of the Democratic Party, she formerly served as the Speaker of the New York City Council. The third person to hold this office, she was the first female and first openly gay speaker.[2][3] She ran to succeed Michael Bloomberg as the city's mayor in the 2013 mayoral election, but lost the Democratic primary. Quinn is a political contributor on CNN and MSNBC.

Early life, education, and early political career[]

Quinn was born in Glen Cove, New York, one of two daughters of Mary (née Callaghan) and Lawrence Quinn.[4] Her mother died of breast cancer in 1982.[5] She attended School of the Holy Child in the village of Old Westbury on Long Island in New York, and graduated from Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut in 1988.[6] Her maternal grandmother, Ellen (née Shine) Callaghan, was a survivor of the sinking of the RMS Titanic.[5]

She served as head of the Housing Justice Campaign for the Association of Neighborhood and Housing Development. Quinn entered politics to manage the City Council campaign of Thomas Duane in 1991, after which she served as Duane's chief of staff for five years. She later became the executive director of the New York City Anti-Violence Project, and was appointed a member of the NYC Police/Community Relations Task Force by then-Mayor Rudy Giuliani.[7]

New York City Council[]

In a 1999 special election, Quinn ran for New York City Council in the 3rd district. The 3rd district covers the Manhattan neighborhoods of Chelsea, Greenwich Village, and Hell's Kitchen, as well as parts of West Village, SoHo and Murray Hill. Quinn became the Democratic nominee and defeated Republican Joseph Mauriello, 89%-11%.[8]

In 2001 Quinn won a full term on the City Council, defeating Republican Michelle Bouchard 75%-25%.[9] Because the district lines were redrawn after the 2000 census, her term lasted only two years. She was reelected in 2003. In 2005 she was reelected to a four-year term unopposed.[10] In 2009 she was reelected to a third term with 81% of the vote.[11]

Pre-speakership[]

While on the City Council, Quinn served as Chair of the Health Committee. She sponsored the Equal Benefits Bill and the Health Care Security Act, which requires that city contractors provide parity in benefits between married spouses and registered domestic partners. This bill (along with the Health Care Security Act, which ensures health care for grocery workers) passed over Mayor Michael Bloomberg's veto.[12] Quinn also "shepherded" a ban on indoor smoking at commercial establishments through the City Council; the bill passed 42-7.[13]

Speaker of the New York City Council[]

Quinn was elected Speaker of the New York City Council in January 2006[14] and reelected in 2010.[15] She is the first female and first openly gay person to hold this position.[2][3]

Ahmadinejad visit[]

Preceding the controversial lecture by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad at Columbia University in 2007, Quinn wrote to the school requesting that his invitation to speak be withdrawn due to his support of state-sponsored terrorism and hate speech, the latter particularly with regard to the Holocaust. Her request was denied.[16]

Controversy regarding Council funds[]

Under New York City law, the City Council Speaker has authority over the yearly City Council funds, worth almost $400 million (in 2012), to distribute among 51 members.[17] This discretionary funding system, sometimes called the "slush fund", has been criticized, with some councilmembers alleging Quinn to have cut funding to their districts as a form of political retaliation. She repeatedly denied these allegations.[17]

In April 2008 the New York Post reported[18] that Quinn's office had appropriated millions of dollars to organizations that did not exist, and that the money was then secretly routed to organizations favored by individual councilmembers. In a news conference that followed Quinn said, "I had no knowledge of it; I did not know this was the practice". She said she had found out about it only a few months earlier, alerted authorities, and ordered staffers to stop the practice, but that they did not listen.[19] Quinn hired a criminal defense lawyer to represent her in the federal and city investigations.[20] Records showed that nearly 25% of those "secret slush" funds went to organizations in Quinn's district and that two of the biggest recipients had contributed to Quinn's 2009 mayoral run.[21] In September 2011 one of the city council's lawyers reported that the federal "investigation has been closed without taking up any action," but only after two councilmen were indicted at the cost of $100,000 to the City.[22]

Food stamps[]

Under Quinn's leadership, the New York City Council led efforts to make Greenmarkets accept food stamps.[23] She also opposed requiring applicants for food stamps to be electronically fingerprinted.[24] New York State stopped fingerprinting food-stamp recipients in 2007, but the practice continued in New York City under the Bloomberg administration.[24]

Humanitarian efforts[]

On December 26, 2012, Quinn wrote a letter to President Obama formally requesting that he commute Jonathan Pollard's lifetime sentence for providing classified information to Israel. She wrote, "I know I share similar views with many past and current American elected officials," and asked Obama to "use [his] constitutional power to treat Mr. Pollard the way others have been treated by our nation's justice system."[25][26][27]

LGBT issues[]

Quinn was a vigorous LGBT advocate during her tenure on the City Council. In 2006 she boycotted the annual St. Patrick's Day Parade in New York due to the policy of the parade's sponsor, the Ancient Order of Hibernians, against gays marching openly. The same year she tried unsuccessfully to broker a deal with the organizers to allow her to wear a gay pride pin.[28][29] Subsequently, she was named 2008 Irish-American of the Year by the New York-based Irish Echo[30] and has boycotted the parade every year since, marching instead in St. Patrick's Day parades in other cities around the world.[31]

In November 2009 Quinn urged the New York Senate to pass same-sex marriage legislation, saying that "she and her partner, lawyer Kim Catullo, [would] not get married until they [could do so] in New York. Near tears, she added: 'This is literally a moment when people can stand up and say that everybody's family matters, that everybody's home is a blessed place and that everybody has the same rights.'"[32]

On July 28, 2012, Quinn sent a letter demanding that the president of NYU end its relationship with Chick-Fil-A, because of the stance of the company's CEO, Dan Cathy, against same-sex marriage.[33]

Term limits[]

According to New York, "[for] years, Quinn opposed term limits, a position that helped her get elected speaker by fellow Council members in 2005. Once in the job, though, she commissioned a poll, and it showed that the public opposed tinkering with them. In December 2007, Quinn declared that repealing term limits would be 'anti-democratic,' a position she called 'firm and final.'"[34] But in 2008 Quinn backed Mayor Michael Bloomberg's effort to overturn the two-term limit for New York City elected officials,[35] saying she had changed her position due to concern about the impact a change in leadership could have on the city's economic recovery.[34] In 2008 the Council voted to extend term limits to allow the mayor, City Council members, and borough presidents to run for third terms, reversing the results of the two previous public referenda.[36] Bloomberg was subsequently elected to a third term as mayor, and Quinn to a third term on the City Council.[37]

Public Advocate Betsy Gotbaum, among others, denounced this move. In June 2009 the City Council approved a 40% cut in the budget of the Public Advocate's Office. Gotbaum declared herself a victim of "political payback" because of her opposition to the changes in the term limits law,[38] a notion Quinn claimed was "ridiculous". All five candidates for Public Advocate showed up at City Hall in June to protest the move,[39] and in 2010 New Yorkers again voted overwhelmingly to limit politicians to two consecutive terms.[40]

2013 mayoral election[]

Main article: 2013 New York City mayoral election

On March 10, 2013, after much speculation, Quinn announced that she was running for mayor of New York City.[41] (Michael Bloomberg, the incumbent, was term-limited and could not run again.)[42]

Widely viewed as Bloomberg's heir apparent,[43] Quinn was considered the early frontrunner in the nine-candidate race for the Democratic nomination.[44] During her mayoral campaign, multiple media outlets reported on Quinn's temper; The New York Times reported that her staff had her City Council office soundproofed due to her outbursts.[45][46][47][48] Quinn's rivals attacked her for reversing her position on mayoral term limits and supporting Bloomberg's bid for a third term in 2009.[49] In August 2013 The Washington Post opined that Quinn's primary chances were damaged by Bloomberg's "tacit endorsement" of her campaign,[50] and in September The New York Times asserted that her change in position on term limits had also harmed her chances.[51] Quinn's campaign faded as time went on, and she finished third in the primary.[52] She received 15.5% of the vote, while winner Bill de Blasio received 40.3% and Bill Thompson 26.2%.[53]

Post-council activities[]

In 2013 Quinn's memoir, With Patience and Fortitude – A Memoir, was published by William Morrow. It sold poorly, with The New York Times reporting only 100 copies sold its first week.[54]

In October 2014 Quinn stumped for the Women's Equality Party established by New York Governor Andrew Cuomo in July 2014. When asked about the Working Families Party's criticism of the creation of a competing progressive party, she said, "Change is hard."[55] In January 2015 Cuomo hired Quinn as a special advisor.[56]

In 2015, Quinn became president and CEO of Women in Need (WIN), a nonprofit organization that is one of New York City's largest providers of services to homeless women and children.[57] Her annual salary is $350,000.[58] Since Quinn's first job was as a housing organizer for poor and homeless people, she noted that she had come full circle with her new job. Quinn said she was hoping to continue the good work of WIN's previous longtime leader, Bonnie Stone, and use a holistic approach to help women facing domestic violence, eviction, and other issues.[59][60] However, prior to accepting the position at WIN, Quinn fought against a homeless shelter planned for her own neighborhood of Chelsea.[61][62][63]

Quinn made headlines in 2018 for her comments about Cynthia Nixon's campaign for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination. Referring to her own 2013 mayoral candidacy, Quinn said, "Cynthia Nixon was opposed to having a qualified lesbian become mayor of New York City", and added, "Now she wants to be an unqualified lesbian to be the governor of New York. [Being] an actress and celebrity doesn’t make you qualified for public office".[64][65][66]

In 2019, Quinn and WIN drew criticism from the press (including a masthead editorial in The New York Daily News) for two contracts to operate homeless shelters in South Park Slope, Brooklyn.[67] The allegations, verified by multiple journalists, included that the contracts contained up to $89 million of unexplained and apparently inflated costs. WIN and Quinn repeatedly declined to comment when asked for an explanation of the cost.[68][69][70]

Though Quinn was designated an elector in the 2020 presidential election,[71] Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer served as her alternate.[72]

Personal life[]

Quinn resides in Chelsea, Manhattan, with her wife, Kim Catullo, a lawyer.[73][74] The couple married on May 19, 2012,[75] and spend their summer weekends at a home they purchased in 2004 in Bradley Beach, New Jersey.[76] Her former partner, Laura Morrison,[77] was chief of staff to former State Senator Thomas Duane.

Quinn joined the board of Athlete Ally, an organization fighting homophobia in sports, in February 2014.[78] She is Catholic.[79]

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ "NY Observer: Christine Quinn Fails to Confront Rob Astorino in Midtown". womensequalityparty.org. Archived from the original on September 25, 2018. Retrieved March 5, 2019.
  2. ^ Jump up to: a b Chibbaro, Jr., Lou. "Most powerful" gay politician in the country, Washington Blade, January 20, 2006. Retrieved on 04-11-2007.
  3. ^ Jump up to: a b Clary, Greg (October 11, 2009), "Thousands march for gay rights in Washington", CNN, archived from the original on October 15, 2009, retrieved October 11, 2009
  4. ^ Dwyer, Jim (April 5, 2012). "Christine Quinn Retraces Grandmother's Trip on Titanic". The New York Times.
  5. ^ Jump up to: a b "Quinn Remembers Her Grandmother, a Titanic Survivor | WNYC | New York Public Radio, Podcasts, Live Streaming Radio, News". WNYC.
  6. ^ "Christine C. Quinn profile". Nytimes.com. January 4, 2006. Retrieved December 1, 2011.
  7. ^ "Member Bio". Council.nyc.gov. Retrieved July 25, 2013.
  8. ^ "New York City Council 03 Special Race - Nov 02, 1999". Our Campaigns. Retrieved March 15, 2014.
  9. ^ "New York City Council 03 Race - Nov 06, 2001". Our Campaigns. Retrieved March 15, 2014.
  10. ^ "New York City Council 03 Race - Nov 08, 2005". Our Campaigns. Retrieved March 15, 2014.
  11. ^ "New York City Council 03 Race - Nov 03, 2009". Our Campaigns. Retrieved March 15, 2014.
  12. ^ Saltonstall, David (February 15, 2006). "COURT TILTS TO MIKE. KOs gay-partner equal benefits statute and allows him to override Council laws". New York: NY Daily News. Retrieved July 25, 2013.
  13. ^ Cardwell, Diane (December 19, 2002). "Smoking Ban Is Adopted As Council Ends Its Year". The New York Times. New York. Retrieved February 23, 2018.
  14. ^ Humm, Andy (January 5–11, 2006). "Christine Quinn Assumes Speakership". Gay City News. Retrieved February 23, 2018.
  15. ^ Lombardi, Frank (January 6, 2010). "City council re-elects Christine Quinn as speaker in a racially-charged session". New York Daily News. Retrieved February 23, 2018.
  16. ^ Parsons, Claudia (September 20, 2007). "NY university urged to cancel Ahmadinejad speech". Reuters. Retrieved September 24, 2007.
  17. ^ Jump up to: a b Grynbaum, Michael M. (March 27, 2013). "Quinn, on CNN, Denies Being Vindictive". The New York Times.
  18. ^ Rivera, Ray; Buettner, Russ (April 4, 2008). "Phony Allocations by City Council Reported". The New York Times. Retrieved March 5, 2013.
  19. ^ "New York City's City Council Slush Fund Allocations Cloud the Political Future of City Council President Christine Quinn and of Mayor Mike Bloomberg". parentadvocates.org. Retrieved March 5, 2013.
  20. ^ Rivera, Ray; Buettner, Russ (April 12, 2008). "Investigations Into Spending Lead Speaker to Hire Lawyer". The New York Times. Retrieved March 5, 2013.
  21. ^ "QUINN-WIN $ITUATION-24% OF MYSTERY FUND WENT TO HER DISTRICT". New York Post. April 6, 2008. Archived from the original on April 11, 2013. Retrieved March 5, 2013.
  22. ^ Goldenberg, Sally (September 19, 2011). "100G slush-fund hangover". New York Post. Retrieved February 19, 2012.
  23. ^ Mogul, Fred (January 3, 2012). "Food Stamps Increasingly Deployed at Greenmarkets". WNYC. Archived from the original on June 17, 2013. Retrieved 2013-07-25.
  24. ^ Jump up to: a b Taylor, Kate (October 12, 2011). "Quinn opposes fingerprinting of food stamp recipients". The New York Times.
  25. ^ "Quinn's letter". Retrieved April 10, 2014.
  26. ^ "My Winners and Losers of 2012 List". Archived from the original on April 21, 2014. Retrieved April 10, 2014.
  27. ^ "Speaker Quinn Sends Letter To Obama Requesting Him To Free Pollard". Hamodia. December 26, 2012. Retrieved April 10, 2014.
  28. ^ "NY Snubbed In Gay Row". Sky News. March 5, 2007. Archived from the original on July 4, 2007. Retrieved July 25, 2013.
  29. ^ Chan, Sewell (March 5, 2007). "Quinn to March for St. Patrick, but in Dublin". The New York Times. Retrieved March 5, 2007.
  30. ^ O'Hanlon, Ray (December 31, 2008). "Irish American of the Year: Christine Quinn". The Irish Echo Online. Archived from the original on March 22, 2009. Retrieved July 25, 2013.
  31. ^ "Christine Quinn, St. Patrick's Day Parade: Speaker's Prominence Highlights Tensions Between Event, LGBT Community". Huffington Post. March 15, 2013.
  32. ^ Lombardi, Frank (November 9, 2009). "An emotional City Council Speaker Christine Quinn urges state senate to pass same-sex marriage bill". New York Daily News. Retrieved February 23, 2018.
  33. ^ "The Chick-fil-A Business". The New York Times (Editorial). July 30, 2012. Retrieved July 25, 2013.
  34. ^ Jump up to: a b Smith, Chris (April 28, 2013). "Is Quinn's Flip Showing?". New York. Retrieved February 23, 2018.
  35. ^ "N.Y. City Council extends term limits for mayor, other officials". CNN. October 23, 2008. Archived from the original on July 13, 2012. Retrieved February 28, 2013.
  36. ^ Paybarah, Azi (October 12, 2008). "It's Official: Quinn Backs Bloomberg's Term Limits Plan". The Observer. Archived from the original on October 14, 2008. Retrieved February 28, 2013.
  37. ^ Rubenstein, Dana (October 25, 2012). "Betting that voters will still care about Christine Quinn's term-limits deal in 2013". Capital. Retrieved February 28, 2013.
  38. ^ "N.Y. City Council extends term limits for mayor, other officials". The New York Times. January 1, 2010. Retrieved February 28, 2013.
  39. ^ Chen, David W. (June 23, 2009). "Rivals Unite to Protest Public Advocate Budget Cut". The New York Times. Retrieved February 28, 2013.
  40. ^ Hernandez, Javier C. (November 3, 2010). "Once Again, City Voters Approve Term Limits". The New York Times. Retrieved February 28, 2013.
  41. ^ Goldenberg, Sally (March 10, 2013). "Christine Quinn officially announces she's running for NYC mayor". New York Post. Retrieved July 25, 2013.
  42. ^ "Bye-bye, Bloomberg". Economist. November 2, 2013. Retrieved March 5, 2019.
  43. ^ Barbaro, Michael (September 4, 2013). "Seeking to Succeed Bloomberg, While Keeping Him at a Distance". Retrieved March 5, 2019 – via NYTimes.com.
  44. ^ "NYC mayoral race front-runner Christine Quinn formally launches bid". CBS News. March 10, 2013. Retrieved July 25, 2013.
  45. ^ Grynbaum, Michael M.; Chen, David W. (March 25, 2013). "Offstage, Quinn Isn't Afraid to Let Fury Fly". Retrieved March 5, 2019 – via NYTimes.com.
  46. ^ "Quinn in the Slush". NYMag.com. Retrieved March 5, 2019.
  47. ^ "Christine Quinn Responds to "Hot Temper" Reports". NBC New York. Retrieved March 5, 2019.
  48. ^ Paybarah, Azi. "You wouldn't like Christine Quinn when she's angry". Politico PRO. Retrieved March 5, 2019.
  49. ^ Taylor, Kate (April 23, 2013). "Rivals Challenge Quinn on Term-Limit Stance That Helped Bloomberg". nytimes.com. Retrieved March 5, 2019.
  50. ^ Horowitz, Jason (August 6, 2013). "N.Y. mayoral candidate Christine Quinn struggles in the shadow of scandal" – via www.washingtonpost.com.
  51. ^ Barbaro, Michael; Halbfinger, David M. (September 1, 2013). "Quinn Reversal, Meant to Help Her, Now Hurts". Retrieved March 5, 2019 – via NYTimes.com.
  52. ^ Dwyer, Jim (September 10, 2013). "Quinn Smiles Gamely, but Primary Wasn't Supposed to Be This Hard". The New York Times. Retrieved September 11, 2013.
  53. ^ "2013 New York City Primary Results" – via NYTimes.com.
  54. ^ Bosman, Julie; Grynbaum, Michael M. (June 19, 2013). "Buyers Are Scarce for Quinn's Memoir". Retrieved March 5, 2019 – via NYTimes.com.
  55. ^ "Does New York really need a Women's Equality Party?". Fortune. Retrieved March 5, 2019.
  56. ^ "Gov. Cuomo hires former NYC council speaker Christine Quinn as special adviser". SILive.com. January 17, 2015. Retrieved February 23, 2018.
  57. ^ West, Melanie Grayce (02/26/2016). Christine Quinn Embraces Homeless Work.. Wall Street Journal - Online Edition. p. 1 - 1. (ISSN: 2574-9579)
  58. ^ "Women in Need, Inc. 2018 Form 990" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on July 23, 2019.
  59. ^ Stewart, Nikita (September 17, 2015). "Christine Quinn to Lead Nonprofit Group for New York's Homeless Women and Children". Retrieved March 5, 2019 – via NYTimes.com.
  60. ^ A Discussion on New York City and Its Future: A Conversation with New York City Council Speaker Christine Quinn. Author: QUINN, CHRISTINE C. Journal: New York Law School law review ISSN: 0145-448X Date: 07/01/2013 Volume: 58 Issue: 1 Page: 55-69
  61. ^ "Quinn pushes to shut down homeless shelter". The Real Deal New York. June 13, 2011. Retrieved July 23, 2019.
  62. ^ Secret, Mosi (May 23, 2011). "Chelsea Shelter Opposed by Neighbors as Too Big". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved July 23, 2019.
  63. ^ "Council Speaker Christine Quinn Says Homeless Shelter Illegal". DNAinfo New York. Archived from the original on July 23, 2019. Retrieved July 23, 2019.
  64. ^ "'Unqualified lesbian': Christine Quinn slams Cynthia Nixon over bid for N.Y. governor". NBC News. Retrieved March 5, 2019.
  65. ^ Sanchez, Luis (March 20, 2018). "New York politician clarifies 'unqualified lesbian' remark about Cynthia Nixon". TheHill. Retrieved March 5, 2019.
  66. ^ Campanile, Carl (March 20, 2018). "Christine Quinn bashes 'unqualified lesbian' Cynthia Nixon". nypost.com. Retrieved March 5, 2019.
  67. ^ Board, Daily News Editorial. "The cost of homelessness: Why do two new homeless shelters in Brooklyn cost so much?". nydailynews.com. Retrieved July 23, 2019.
  68. ^ "De Blasio's Department Of Homeless Services Can't Fully Explain High Costs Of New Park Slope Shelters". Gothamist. July 11, 2019. Archived from the original on July 19, 2019. Retrieved July 23, 2019.
  69. ^ "Park Slope Homeless Shelters Could Cost $89M More Than Elsewhere". Park Slope, NY Patch. July 19, 2019. Retrieved July 23, 2019.
  70. ^ ""Someone Is Getting Very, Very Rich": Neighbors Call For More Details To Be Released About Park Slope Homeless Shelters - BKLYNER". bklyner.com. Retrieved July 23, 2019.
  71. ^ Brehm, Robert A.; Valentine, Todd D. (November 3, 2020). "AMENDED Certification for the November 3, 2020 General Election" (PDF). New York State Board of Elections. pp. 5, 10. Archived (PDF) from the original on November 23, 2020. Retrieved January 5, 2021.
  72. ^ Cuomo, Andrew M.; Stewart-Cousins, Andrea; Heastie, Carl E. (November 5, 2019). "2020 Electoral College Results; New York Certificate of Vote 2020". National Archives. pp. 3, 2. Retrieved January 5, 2021.
  73. ^ "Christine C. Quinn Biography". Council.nyc.gov. Retrieved July 25, 2013.
  74. ^ Chen, David W. (March 16, 2009). "Quinn to Mark St. Patrick's Day Elsewhere". The New York Times.
  75. ^ Taylor, Kate (May 19, 2012). "Amid New York's Political Elite, Council Speaker Weds Her Longtime Partner". The New York Times. Retrieved May 20, 2012.
  76. ^ Chen, David W (July 25, 2012). "For Council Speaker, Home on Weekends Is at Jersey Shore". The New York Times. Retrieved August 10, 2012. Christine C. Quinn, the New York City Council speaker, in the weekend home in Bradley Beach, N.J., that she and her spouse, Kim M. Catullo, bought in 2004.
  77. ^ "Building Ties That Bind New Councilwoman Quinn Looks To Common Good". New York Daily News. New York. February 20, 1999.
  78. ^ "EXCLUSIVE: Former Speaker Christine Quinn joins board of nonprofit for gay athletes". New York Daily News, February 4, 2014.
  79. ^ Quinn, Christine (June 24, 2012). "'Who I Am': N.Y.C. Council Speaker On Politics, Faith" (Transcript) (Interview). Interviewed by David Greene. NPR.

External links[]

Political offices
Preceded by
Thomas Duane 		Member from 3rd district
1999–2013 		Succeeded by
Corey Johnson
Preceded by
Gifford Miller 		Speaker
2006–2013 		Succeeded by
Melissa Mark-Viverito
Retrieved from ""