document_title: List of Ghanaian regions by population

question_text: what is the most populated region in ghana

text: List of Ghanaian regions by population

text: This is a list of Ghanaian regions by population, ranked according to the latest census, which took place on 26 September 2010. Past census data (1960, 1970, 1984, and 2000) is included for comparison.

text: (Note: The current boundaries of Ghana's administrative regions were not fully established until 1983. As such, population figures for 1960 and 1970 reflect the analysis of subregional census data from those periods.)

text:
Rank (2010)

Region

Population 2010[1]

Population 2000[2]

Population 1984 [2]

Population 1970 [2]

Population 1960 [2]

Percent of total (2010)

1

Ashanti

4,780,380

3,612,950

2,090,100

1,481,698

1,109,133

19.39%

2

Greater Accra

4,010,054

2,905,726

1,431,099

903,447

541,933

16.26%

3

Eastern

2,633,154

2,106,696

1,680,890

1,209,828

1,044,080

10.68%

4

Northern

2,479,461

1,820,806

1,164,583

727,618

531,573

10.06%

5

Western

2,376,021

1,924,577

1,157,807

770,087

626,155

9.64%

6

Brong-Ahafo

2,310,983

1,815,408

1,206,608

766,509

587,920

9.37%

7

Volta

2,118,252

1,635,421

1,211,907

947,268

777,285

8.59%

8

Central

2,201,863

1,593,823

1,142,335

890,135

751,392

8.93%

9

Upper East

1,046,545

920,089

772,744

542,858

468,638

4.24%

10

Upper West

702,110

576,583

438,008

319,865

288,706

2.85%

All Regions

24,658,823

18,912,079

12,296,081

8,559,313

6,726,815

100.0%


document_title: Flat panel display

question_text: when was the first flat screen tv released

root

text: Flat panel display

text: History[edit]

text: The first engineering proposal for a flat-panel TV was by General Electric as a result of its work on radar monitors.[when?] Their publication of their findings gave all the basics of future flat-panel TVs and monitors. But GE did not continue with the R&D required and never built a working flat panel at that time.[1] The first production flat-panel display was the Aiken tube, developed in the early 1950s and produced in limited numbers in 1958. This saw some use in military systems as a heads up display, but conventional technologies overtook its development. Attempts to commercialize the system for home television use ran into continued problems and the system was never released commercially.[2] The Philco Predicta featured a relatively flat (for its day) cathode ray tube setup and would be the first commercially released "flat panel" upon its launch in 1958; the Predicta was a commercial failure. The plasma display panel was invented in 1964 at the University of Illinois, according to The History of Plasma Display Panels.[3] The first active-matrix addressed display was made by T Peter Brody's Thin-Film Devices department at Westinghouse Electric Corporation in 1968.[4] In 1977, James P Mitchell prototyped and later demonstrated what was perhaps the earliest monochromatic flat panel LED television display LED Display. As of  2012[update], 50% of global market share in flat-panel display (FPD) production is by Taiwanese manufacturers such as AU Optronics and Chimei Innolux Corporation.

tag: p

text: Common types[edit]

text: Liquid crystal displays[edit]

text: Liquid crystal displays (LCDs) are lightweight, compact, portable, cheap, more reliable, and easier on the eyes than cathode ray tube screens. LCD screens use a thin layer of liquid crystal, a liquid that exhibits crystalline properties. It is sandwiched between two electrically conducting plates. The top plate has transparent electrodes deposited on it, and the back plate is illuminated so that the viewer can see the images on the screen. By applying controlled electrical signals across the plates, various segments of the liquid crystal can be activated, causing changes in their light diffusing or polarizing properties. These segments can either transmit or block light. An image is produced by passing light through selected segments of the liquid crystal to the viewer. They are used in various electronics like watches, calculators, and notebook computers.

text: Liquid crystal displays with light-emitting diode (LED) backlighting[edit]

text: Some LCD screens are backlit with a number of light-emitting diodes (LEDs). LEDs are two-lead semiconductor light source that resembles a basic "pn-junction" diode, except that an LED also emits light. This form of LCD (liquid crystal display) is the most prevalent in the 2010s. The image is still generated by the LCD.

text: Plasma panels[edit]

text: A plasma display consists of two glass plates separated by a thin gap filled with a gas such as neon. Each of these plates has several parallel electrodes running across it. The electrodes on the two plates are at right angles to each other. A voltage applied between the two electrodes one on each plate causes a small segment of gas at the two electrodes to glow. The glow of gas segments is maintained by a lower voltage that is continuously applied to all electrodes. In the 2010s, plasma displays have been discontinued by numerous manufacturers.

text: Electroluminescent panels[edit]

text: In an electroluminescent display (ELD), the image is created by applying electrical signals to the plates which makes the phosphor glow.

text: Organic light-emitting diode[edit]

text: An OLED (organic light-emitting diode) is a light-emitting diode (LED) in which the emissive electroluminescent layer is a film of organic compound which emits light in response to an electric current. This layer of organic semiconductor is situated between two electrodes; typically, at least one of these electrodes is transparent. OLEDs are used to create digital displays in devices such as television screens, computer monitors, portable systems such as mobile phones, handheld game consoles and PDAs. A major area of research is the development of white OLED devices for use in solid-state lighting applications.[1][2][3]

text: Quantum dot light emitting diode[edit]

text: QLED- QLED or Quantum Dot LED is a flat panel display technology introduced by Samsung under this trademark. Other television set manufacturers such as Sony have used the same technology to enhance the backlighting of LCD Television already in 2013.[5][6] Quantum dots create their own unique light when illuminated by a light source of shorter wavelength such as blue LEDs. This type of LED TV introduced by Samsung enhances the color gamut of LCD panels, where the image is still generated by the LCD. In the view of Samsung, quantum dot displays for large-screen TVs are expected to become more popular than the OLED displays in the coming years. This is surprising because Samsung Galaxy devices such as smartphones are mainly equipped with OLED displays manufactured by Samsung as well. Samsung states on their website that the QLED TV they produce can determine what part of the display needs more or less contrast. Samsung also announced a partnership with Microsoft that will promote the new Samsung QLED TV.

text: Volatile[edit]

text: Volatile displays require that pixels be periodically refreshed to retain their state, even for a static image. As such, a volatile screen needs electrical power, either from mains electricity (being plugged into a wall socket) or a battery to maintain an image on the display or change the image. This refresh typically occurs many times a second. If this is not done, for example, if there is a power outage, the pixels will gradually lose their coherent state, and the image will "fade" from the screen.

text: Examples[edit]

text: The following flat-display technologies have been commercialized in 1990s to 2010s:

text:
Plasma display panel (PDP)
Active-matrix liquid-crystal display (AMLCD)
Rear projection: Digital Light Processing (DLP), LCD, LCOS
Electronic paper: E Ink, Gyricon
Light-emitting diode display (LED)
Active-matrix organic light-emitting diode (AMOLED)
Quantum dot display (QLED)

tag: ul

text: Technologies that were extensively researched, but their commercialization was limited or has been ultimately abandoned:

text:
Active-matrix Electroluminescent display (ELD)
Interferometric modulator display (IMOD)
Field emission display (FED)
Surface-conduction electron-emitter display (SED, SED-TV)

text: Static[edit]

text: Static flat-panel displays rely on materials whose color states are bistable. This means that the image they hold requires no energy to maintain, but instead requires energy to change. This results in a much more energy-efficient display, but with a tendency towards slow refresh rates which are undesirable in an interactive display. Bistable flat-panel displays are beginning deployment in limited applications (Cholesteric displays, manufactured by Magink, in outdoor advertising; electrophoretic displays in e-book reader devices from Sony and iRex; anlabels).


document_title: Chitty Chitty Bang Bang

question_text: where was chitty chitty bang bang filmed beach

text: Chitty Chitty Bang Bang

text: Plot[edit]

text: Set in the 1910s, the story opens with a montage of European Grand Prix races in which one particular car appears to win every race. In the final race, the car crashes and catches fire, ending its racing career. The car ends up in an old garage in rural England, where two children, Jeremy (Adrian Hall) and Jemima Potts (Heather Ripley), have grown fond of it. However, a man in the junkyard intends to buy the car from the garage owner, Mr. Coggins (Desmond Llewelyn), for scrap. The children, who live with their widowed father Caractacus Potts (Dick Van Dyke), an eccentric inventor, and the family's equally peculiar grandfather, implore their father to buy the car, but Caractacus can't afford it. While playing hooky from school, they meet Truly Scrumptious (Sally Ann Howes), a beautiful upper-class woman with her own motorcar, who brings them home to report their truancy to their father. After she leaves, Caractacus promises the children that he will save the car, but is taken aback at the cost he has committed himself to. He looks for ways to raise money to avoid letting them down.

text: The next morning, Caractacus discovers that the sweets produced by a machine he has invented can be played like a flute. He tries to sell the "Toot Sweets" to Truly's father, Lord Scrumptious (James Robertson Justice), a major confectionery manufacturer. He is almost successful until the whistle attracts a pack of dogs who overrun the factory, resulting in Caractacus's proposition being rejected.

text: Caractacus next takes his automatic hair-cutting machine to a carnival to raise money, but his invention accidentally ruins the hair of a customer. Caractacus eludes the man by joining a song-and-dance act. He becomes the centre of the show and earns enough in tips to buy the car and rebuild it. They name the car "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang" for the unusual noise of its engine. In the first trip in the car, Caractacus, the children, and Truly picnic on the beach. Caractacus tells them a tale about nasty Baron Bomburst (Gert Fröbe), the tyrant of fictional Vulgaria, who wants to steal Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.

text: As Caractacus tells his story, the quartet and the car are stranded by high tide and are attacked by pirates working for the Baron. All of a sudden, Chitty deploys huge flotation devices and transforms into a power boat, and they escape Bomburst's yacht and return to shore. The Baron sends two spies to capture the car, but they capture Lord Scrumptious, then Grandpa Potts (Lionel Jeffries), mistaking each for the car's creator. Caractacus, Truly, and the children see Grandpa being taken away by airship, and they give chase. When they accidentally drive off a cliff, Chitty sprouts wings and propellers and begins to fly. They follow the airship to Vulgaria and find a land without children; the Baroness Bomburst (Anna Quayle) abhors them and imprisons any she finds. Grandpa has been ordered by the Baron to make another floating car, and he bluffs his abilities to avoid being executed. The Potts' party is hidden by the local Toymaker (Benny Hill), who now works only for the childish Baron. Chitty is discovered and taken to the castle. While Caractacus and the toymaker search for Grandpa and Truly searches for food, the children are caught by the Baron's Child Catcher (Robert Helpmann).

text: The Toymaker takes Truly and Caractacus to a grotto beneath the castle where the townspeople have been hiding their children. They concoct a scheme to free the children and the village from the Baron. The Toymaker sneaks them into the castle disguised as life-size dolls for the Baron's birthday. Caractacus snares the Baron, and the children swarm into the banquet hall, overcoming the Baron's palace guards and guests. In the ensuing chaos, the Baron, Baroness, and the evil Child Catcher are captured. The Pottses and Truly fly back to England. When they arrive home, Lord Scrumptious surprises Caractacus with an offer to buy the Toot Sweet as a canine confection. Caratacus, realising that he will be rich, rushes to tell Truly the news. They kiss, and Truly agrees to marry him. As they drive home, he acknowledges the importance of pragmatism, as the car takes off into the air again.

text: Cast[edit]

text: The cast includes:[5]

text:
Dick Van Dyke as Caractacus Potts
Sally Ann Howes as Truly Scrumptious
Adrian Hall as Jeremy Potts
Heather Ripley as Jemima Potts
Lionel Jeffries as Grandpa Bungie Potts
Gert Fröbe as Baron Bomburst
Anna Quayle as Baroness Bomburst
Benny Hill as the Toymaker
James Robertson Justice as Lord Scrumptious
Robert Helpmann as the Evil Child Catcher
Barbara Windsor as Blonde
Davy Kaye as Admiral
Stanley Unwin as the Chancellor
Peter Arne as the Captain of Bomburst's Army
Desmond Llewelyn as Mr. Coggins
Victor Maddern as Junkman
Arthur Mullard as Big Man
Max Wall as Inventor
Gerald Campion as Minister
Max Bacon as Orchestra Leader
Alexander Doré as First Spy
Bernard Spear as Second Spy
Richard Wattis as Sweet Factory Secretary (uncredited)
Phil Collins as Vulgarian Child (scene cut)

text: The part of Truly Scrumptious had originally been offered to Julie Andrews, to reunite her with Van Dyke after their success in Mary Poppins. Andrews rejected the role specifically because she considered that the part was too close to the Poppins mould.[6] Instead, Sally Ann Howes was given the role. Dick Van Dyke was cast after he turned down the role of Fagin from another 1968 musical Oliver! (which ended up going to Ron Moody).

text: Production[edit]

text: The Caractacus Potts inventions in the film were created by Rowland Emett; by 1976, Time magazine, describing Emett's work, said no term other than "Fantasticator...could remotely convey the diverse genius of the perky, pink-cheeked Englishman whose pixilations, in cartoon, watercolor and clanking 3-D reality, range from the celebrated Far Tottering and Oyster Creek Railway to the demented thingamabobs that made the 1968 movie Chitty Chitty Bang Bang a minuscule classic."[7]

text: Six Chitty-Chitty Bang-Bang cars were created for the film, only one of which was fully functional. At a 1973 auction in Florida, one of them sold for $37,000, equal to $199,617 today.[8] The original "hero" car, in a condition described as fully functional and road-going, was offered at auction on 15 May 2011 by a California-based auction house.[9] The car sold for $805,000, less than the $1–2 million it was expected to reach.[10] It was purchased by New Zealand film director Sir Peter Jackson.[11]

text: Locations[edit]

text:
Scrumptious Sweet Co. factory (exterior) – Kempton Waterworks, Snakey Lane, Hanworth, Middlesex, England.[12] This location now includes a steam museum open to the public.
Scrumptious Mansion – Heatherden Hall at Pinewood Studios in Iver Heath, Buckinghamshire, England.[12]
Windmill/Cottage – Cobstone Windmill in Ibstone, near Turville, Buckinghamshire, England.[12]
Duck Pond – Russell's Water, Oxfordshire, England.[12]
Train scene – The Longmoor Military Railway.
Beach – Cap Taillat in St. Tropez, France.
Bridge (river) where spies attempt to blow up Chitty – Iver Bridge, Iver, Buckinghamshire, England.
Bridge (railway) where spies kidnap Lord Scrumptious – Ilmer Bridge, Ilmer, Buckinghamshire, England.
White rock spires in the ocean and lighthouse – The Needles stacks, Isle of Wight, England.
White cliffs – Beachy Head, East Sussex, England.
Baron Bomburst's castle – Neuschwanstein Castle for the exterior, neighboured Hohenschwangau Castle for the interiors, Bavaria, Germany.
Vulgarian village – Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Germany.

text: Reception[edit]

text: Box office[edit]

text: The film was the tenth most popular at the US box office in 1969.[13]

text: Critical[edit]

text: Time began its review saying the film is a "picture for the ages—the ages between five and twelve" and ends noting that "At a time when violence and sex are the dual sellers at the box office, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang looks better than it is simply because it's not not all all bad bad"; the film's "eleven songs have all the rich melodic variety of an automobile horn. Persistent syncopation and some breathless choreography partly redeem it, but most of the film's sporadic success is due to Director Ken Hughes's fantasy scenes, which make up in imagination what they lack in technical facility."[14]

text: The New York Times critic Renata Adler wrote, "in spite of the dreadful title, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang ... is a fast, dense, friendly children's musical, with something of the joys of singing together on a team bus on the way to a game"; Adler called the screenplay "remarkably good" and the film's "preoccupation with sweets and machinery seems ideal for children"; she ends her review on the same note as Time: "There is nothing coy, or stodgy or too frightening about the film; and this year, when it has seemed highly doubtful that children ought to go to the movies at all, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang sees to it that none of the audience's terrific eagerness to have a good time is betrayed or lost."[15]

text: Film critic Roger Ebert reviewed the film (Chicago Sun Times, 24 December 1968). He wrote: "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang contains about the best two-hour children's movie you could hope for, with a marvelous magical auto and lots of adventure and a nutty old grandpa and a mean Baron and some funny dances and a couple of [scary] moments."

text: Film critic and historian Leonard Maltin considered the picture "one big Edsel, with totally forgettable score and some of the shoddiest special effects ever."[16] In 2008, Entertainment Weekly called Helpmann's depiction of the Child Catcher one of the "50 Most Vile Movie Villains."[17]

text: As of March 2014, the film has a 65% "Fresh" rating (17 of 26 reviews) on Rotten Tomatoes.[18]

text: Accolades[edit]

text: The film was nominated for the American Film Institute's 2006 AFI's Greatest Movie Musicals list.[19]

text: Soundtrack[edit]

text: The original soundtrack album, as was typical of soundtrack albums, presented mostly songs with very few instrumental tracks. The songs were also edited, with specially recorded intros and outros and most instrumental portions removed, both because of time limitations of the vinyl LP and the belief that listeners would not be interested in listening to long instrumental dance portions during the songs.

text: The soundtrack has been released on CD four times, the first two releases using the original LP masters rather than going back to the original music masters to compile a more complete soundtrack album with underscoring and complete versions of songs. The 1997 Rykodisc release included several quick bits of dialogue from the film between some of the tracks and has gone out of circulation. On 24 February 2004, a few short months after MGM released the movie on a 2-Disc Special Edition DVD, Varèse Sarabande reissued a newly remastered soundtrack album without the dialogue tracks, restoring it to its original 1968 LP format.

text: In 2011, Kritzerland released the definitive soundtrack album[20], a 2-CD set featuring the Original Soundtrack Album plus bonus tracks, music from the Song and Picture Book Album on disc 1, and the Richard Sherman Demos, as well as six Playback Tracks (including a long version of international covers of the theme song). Inexplicably, this release was limited to only 1,000 units.

text: In April 2013, Perseverance Records re-released the Kritzerland double CD set with expansive new liner notes by John Trujillo and a completely new designed booklet by Perseverance regular James Wingrove.

text: Home video releases[edit]

text: This section does not cite any sources. Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (November 2010) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)

tag: table

text: Chitty Chitty Bang Bang was released numerous times in the VHS format. In 1998 the film saw its first DVD release. The year 2003 brought a two-disc "Special Edition" release. On 2 November 2010, 20th Century Fox released a two-disc Blu-ray and DVD combination set featuring the extras from the 2003 release as well as new features. The 1993 LaserDisc release by MGM/UA Home Video was the first home video release with the proper 2.20:1 Super Panavision 70 aspect ratio.

text: Adaptations[edit]

text: Novelisation of film[edit]

text: The film did not follow Fleming's novel closely. A separate novelisation of the film was published at the time of the film's release. It basically followed the film's story but with some differences of tone and emphasis, e.g. it mentioned that Caractacus Potts had had difficulty coping after the death of his wife, and it made it clearer that the sequences including Baron Bomburst were extended fantasy sequences. It was written by John Burke.[21]

text: Comic book adaption[edit]

text: Gold Key: Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. Gold Key Comics. February 1969. [22]


question_text: who wrote the sanford and son theme song

text:
"Sanford and Son Theme (The Streetbeater)"
1973 7" vinyl single (US)Song by Quincy Jonesfrom the album 'You've Got It Bad, Girl'Released
1973Recorded
1972Genre
Electric blues, funkLength
3:06  0:51 (Theme version)Label
A&MComposer(s)
Quincy JonesProducer(s)
Quincy Jones

text: "Sanford and Son Theme (The Streetbeater)" is the theme to the 1970s sitcom Sanford and Son. It was composed by Quincy Jones.

text: Overview[edit]

text: "The Streetbeater" was first released by A&M Records on Jones' 1973 album You've Got It Bad Girl and as a single from that album.[1][2] It is also featured on his Greatest Hits album.

text: Although the piece itself only reached #294 and did not reach Billboard status for that year, it has maintained mainstream popularity, ranking 9th in a Rolling Stone Reader Poll of Television Themes Songs [3]

text: Other recordings[edit]

text: Harry James recorded a version in 1979 on his album Still Harry After All These Years (Sheffield Lab LAB 11).


document_title: Smoking in Ireland

question_text: when did the smoking ban come into ireland

text: Smoking in Ireland

text: History[edit]

text: Currently, the Irish law prohibits smoking fully in the general workplace, enclosed public places, restaurants, bars, education facilities, healthcare facilities and public transport. Smoking rooms are permitted in hotels.[1]

text: As of July 2009, it is prohibited to advertise cigarettes and sell 10-packs of cigarettes in retail outlets. Additionally, as of February 2013, any tobacco product placed on the market must have graphic warnings.[3] There is legislation being made to introduce plain tobacco packaging and make Ireland the second country to do so, after Australia.[4]

text: Bans on smoking[edit]

text:
Smoking in workplaces in Ireland was banned on 29 March 2004, making Ireland the first country in the world to institute an outright ban on smoking in workplaces. From that date onwards, under the Public Health (Tobacco) Acts, it has been illegal to smoke in all enclosed workplaces. The ban is strictly enforced and includes bars, restaurants, clubs, offices, public buildings, company cars, trucks, taxis and vans. A private residence is considered a workplace when tradespeople, such as plumbers or electricians, are working there.
€3,000 is the maximum fine on the spot, while a prison sentence can also be given at a later time for violators. The law exempts dwellings, prisons, nursing homes, psychiatric wards, hotel rooms charitable accommodation  and college dorm rooms. Certain buildings such as some hospitals forbid smoking anywhere in the grounds.

text: Before the 2004 law, smoking was already outlawed in public buildings, hospitals, schools, restaurant kitchens, cinemas, public pharmacies, public hairdressing premises, public banking halls, and on public transport aircraft and buses and some trains (Intercity trains provided smokers' carriages).[5]

text: Premises must display a sign to inform patrons of the ban (in Irish or English), and the contact person for any complaints. A workplace can be given a fine of €3,000 for each person that is found smoking (this means €15,000 for 5 people in violation). Smoking rooms are not allowed. Any shelter can not have more than 50 percent coverage of walls. There is also a Compliance Line set up by the Office of Tobacco Control, that people can call to report people smoking in a workplace or retail outlets selling tobacco to under-18s.

text: On 18 July 2008, Irish Fine Gael MEP Avril Doyle proposed in a committee in the European Parliament, that she would like to see an EU-wide ban on cigarettes and cigars by 2025.[6]

text: Cigarette packaging and advertising regulations[edit]

text: On 1 July 2009, Ireland banned in-store tobacco advertising and displays of tobacco products at retail outlets and new controls on tobacco vending machines (limiting them to being token-operated in registered bars and clubs only) were also introduced. At the same time a ban on the sale of packets of 10 cigarettes was introduced. Tobacco advertising had already been banned from radio, television and on billboards beforehand. The changes now mean that tobacco products must now be stored out of sight in closed containers behind the counter (accessible by retail staff only) and customers can be shown a card showing all available brands in a pictorial list if they wish to purchase cigarettes. Signs must also be shown informing customers that tobacco is sold at the premises. Ireland was the first country in the EU and third in the world (after Canada and Iceland) to introduce such measures, which are punishable with a fine of €3,000 and/or a six-month prison sentence. However, specialist tobacco shops (of which there are fewer than six) are exempt from the new rules; all retailers selling tobacco must register with the Health Service Executive and the new laws will be enforced by environmental health officers.[citation needed]

text: As of 1 February 2013, any tobacco product placed on the market must have graphic warnings.[3] The Minister for Health, Dr. James Reilly's proposal to introduce plain tobacco packaging was approved by the Cabinet and expected legislation will be in place by early 2014.[4] As of September 2017 all cigarettes must remove all logos and feature plain packaging.[7]

text: Public opinion[edit]

text: The public, according to a Flash Eurobarometer poll conducted by the Gallup Organisation in 2008 for the European Commission, is in favour of a full ban on smoking in restaurants, bars, pubs, clubs, offices and other indoor workplaces.[2]

text:
Flash Eurobarometer poll from 2008 for the EC [2]

 Italy

 Ireland

 EU27

 Austria

 Czech Republic

Totally in favour of ban in restaurants

88.4%

77.9%

62.5%

37.6%

58.4%

Totally in favour of ban in bars, pubs and clubs

86.5%

70.1%

46.7%

24.2%

27.1%

Totally in favour of ban in offices and other indoor workplaces

88.3%

79.1%

72.5%

66%

40.8%

text: According to the above poll there is a majority of people who support the ban on smoking introduced in 2004.

text: Ban on smoking in private vehicles[edit]

text: Since 2009, Irish anti-smoking campaigners and scientists had been urging the government to introduce such a ban.[8][9] In July 2011 the Minister for Health said that he was considering a ban where children are present in the car.[10] On January 1st 2016, regulations make it an offence for a person to smoke in a private vehicle when there is more than one person present and there is a person under the age of 18 present. The offence would fall on the person smoking regardless of their age.[11]

text: The senator and oncologist John Crown put a bill before parliament in 2012 to ban smoking in a car with children.[12][13] This bill was passed into law in December 2014 with an expectation that enforcement by Gardaí would commence in 2015.[14]


document_title: Rick Flag

question_text: who is playing rick flag in suicide squad

text: Rick Flag

text: Fictional character biography[edit]

text: Rick Flag Sr.[edit]

text: Richard Montgomery Flag led a division in World War II called the Suicide Squadron.[2] In his first mission, Flag was the only survivor. After that his team enjoyed increasing success and decreasing casualties. After the war, he married Sharon Race.[3] In 1951, with the disappearance of the Justice Society of America and other super-heroes, President Harry S. Truman again called on Flag when he created Task Force X.[1][4]

text: Task Force X would have two units: the military unit "Argent" (led by "Control"), and the civilian unit "Suicide Squad" which would deal with civilian matters — masked villains and the like.[5] General Jeb Stuart would lead the military side to deal with national and international crises.[5] Though Argent's recorded activity ceased after 1960, Stuart's Suicide Squad continued on.[6] Eventually, Flag sacrificed himself in stopping the former Blackhawks' nemesis, the War Wheel.[1][7]

text: Rick Flag Jr.[edit]

text: This article needs to be updated. Please update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information. (August 2017)

text: Flag was replaced in the Squad by his now-grown son, Richard Rogers Flag. Young Rick headed a new, public team which included his girlfriend, Karin Grace, Dr. Hugh Evans, and Jess Bright.[8] In one tragic mission in Cambodia they were pursued by a Yeti. Evans and Bright and the Yeti fell into a crevasse, presumably to their deaths.[9] Bright survived, angered at being left behind.

text: Bright, frostbitten and near-death, was found by the Chinese who nursed him back to health. He then passed onto the Russians who transformed him into the bionic monster called Koshchei the Deathless. With his expertise in engineering, Bright assisted in the creation of the Rocket Red Brigade and lent a hand to the nation of Qurac in assembling their metahuman team, the Jihad. Grace also secretly bore Flag's son and placed him with an adoptive family. Later, Rick was sent to infiltrate the Forgotten Heroes as a spy for the government.[10] After the "death" of the Forgotten Heroes' leader, the Immortal Man, the team disbanded and Flag worked covertly for the U.S. government.[11]

text: Rick Flag Jr. was then tapped by the government to lead the new Suicide Squad as formed by Amanda Waller, a role he reluctantly assumed. Immediately, Rick showed signs of instability, which were worsened when Karin Grace became the team's medic. Flag hated working with the criminals under his command, and resented the notion that he and Deadshot were alike in any way.[1]

text: There were bright points amongst the Suicide Squad however, as the team was not completely filled with criminals. Nightshade, although she resented Flag at first when she was forced to become an accessory to murder when she became an undercover operative in the Jihad, grew attracted to him. She was never able to admit her feelings to him however, and he took no notice.

text: Flag also held good relationships with Nemesis and the Bronze Tiger, even though both were in some ways opposed to Flag. Although Nemesis had feelings for Nightshade, something to which Flag was oblivious, he stepped out of the way and respected Nightshade's feelings. Similarly, the Tiger was originally tapped to become the Squad's leader, but was instead replaced by Flag, something that the Tiger had no problems with.

text: The loyalty Flag had towards his teammates and Waller was evident in the fact that he did not shy away from a conflict with the Justice League in order to free Nemesis from Soviet captivity. He also threatened a bureaucrat who was threatening Waller's position.

text: This did nothing to ease Flag's mental instability, and it soon worsened. Flag led a different Squad in a deadly mission involving the Doom Patrol in which he was the only survivor.[12] The death of Karin Grace also served to amplify this and it came to a head when US Senator Cray threatened to reveal the existence of the Suicide Squad to the public.

text: Unbeknownst to him, Amanda Waller had already dealt with the threat, and Flag set out to assassinate Cray in order to ensure the existence of the Suicide Squad, even though he loathed some of its members. The Squad set out to stop him, with the clearance to do so by any means necessary. The villain Deadshot found Flag and Cray, but instead of killing Flag however, Deadshot murdered the senator. Flag was forced to flee, and unwittingly, the existence of the Suicide Squad was still revealed.

text: Flag set out to destroy the Jihad team once and for all after learning that his father had previously attacked their stronghold, Jotunheim, during World War II in order to neutralise a Nazi prototype nuclear weapon. He left a note to Nightshade detailing his plans. The bomb was still there, buried under rubble and the Jihad was unaware of its presence. Flag sneaked in and slew his way through to the bomb itself. He battled the Jihad's leader Rustam personally, just before the bomb exploded.

text: After his death, Flag appeared in an issue of Captain Atom, where his soul was saved from an eternity in Purgatory and reunited with Karin in Paradise. His Purgatory self also appears in the Day of Judgement, limited series. Along with other Purgatory bound souls, he battles heavenly agents on the behalf of a still living superhero team. As stated in issue five of the series, his rebellious actions earn him another after-life chance.

text: One Year Later in Checkmate (vol. 2) #6, Rick Flag is revealed to be alive and is rescued from a secret Quraci prison by the Bronze Tiger.[1] He had been imprisoned there for four years until Amanda Waller discovered him and alerted the Tiger to his whereabouts. Rick was later revealed to be leading a clandestine Suicide Squad unit at the behest of Amanda Waller, and against the expressed mandate of the Checkmate organization.

text: Bob Greenberger, who co-created the Suicide Squad alongside John Ostrander, has publicly objected to the resurrection of Rick Flag.[13] According to Greg Rucka, Rick Flag's subsequent re-appearance had nothing to do with Infinite Crisis, and John Ostrander has stated that he knew how Rick Flag could survive the explosion at Jotunheim when he first wrote it.[14]

text: As seen in Suicide Squad: Raise the Flag #2, Rustam used his Scimitar to teleport both Rick Flag and himself to Skartaris. In Raise the Flag #5, General Wade Eiling admits that Rick Flag Jr. is not actually the son of Rick Flag Sr., but is a soldier named Anthony Miller who was brainwashed by Eiling into believing he was Flag's son. Miller's conditioning means that Eiling still has control of him, and uses him as part of his takeover of the Suicide Squad. Forced to activate an explosive implant in Amanda Waller's brain, Miller breaks free from his mind control enough to activate Eiling's implant instead, leaving him helpless enough to be captured. Confronted with the possibility to give up his presumed identity and return home, Miller decides that the Suicide Squad needs a Rick Flag, and refuses the offer.

text: Rick Flag III[edit]

text: Rick Flag Jr.'s young son by Karin Grace who also shared his name was introduced in Suicide Squad #50. The boy was kidnapped by Koschei the Deathless (Jess Bright) a member of the Jihad, but was rescued by Nemesis of the Suicide Squad. He has since appeared in Suicide Squad: Raise the Flag #4, in which Flag Jr and Bronze Tiger visit his adopted home, but Flag Jr. refuses to approach him.

text: In other media[edit]

text: Television[edit]

text:
Colonel Rick Flag Jr. appears in Justice League Unlimited, voiced by Adam Baldwin. This version is the leader of Task Force X, the son of Rick Flag Sr. and a patriot to his country. In the episode "Task Force X", he recruited Captain Boomerang, Clock King, Deadshot and Plastique for a stealth mission to steal the Annihilator from the Watchtower for Amanda Waller and Project Cadmus. Rick Sr. is mentioned when Waller tells Rick that his "father would be proud".
Rick Flag appears in the tenth and final season of Smallville, portrayed by Ted Whittall. In the episode "Lazarus", he captures and interrogates Green Arrow. In the episode "Shield", he is seen as the leader of the Suicide Squad, along with Deadshot and Plastique. He once again appears in the episode "Ambush", along with Emil LaSalle where he takes aim at General Sam Lane threatening his agenda of taking down the Vigilante Registration Act. In the episode "Collateral", Flag has been blackmailed into working for Chloe Sullivan.
Rick Flag was mentioned in Arrow in the episode "Suicidal Tendencies".

text: Film[edit]

text: Live-action[edit]

text: Rick Flag appears in the live action adaptation of Suicide Squad, portrayed by Joel Kinnaman.[15] Tom Hardy, which previously portrayed Bane in The Dark Knight trilogy, was originally set to play the character,[16] but scheduling conflicts with The Revenant forced to drop out of the role.[17] He is a Special Forces officer hired by Amanda Waller to watch over June Moone, with whom he falls in love, and later tasked to lead the Suicide Squad during field missions. His motive during the course of the film is to free June Moone of the ancient goddess Enchantress. When confronted by Deadshot over the mission details after Waller is captured by Enchantress's army, he relieves the Squad of their duties, but chooses to continue, and the rest of the Squad eventually decides to help him. He and El Diabio are the only ones to break out of Enchantress's illusions. When fighting Enchantress, he sets off a bomb and Killer Croc throws it towards Enchantress's "machine" while Deadshot shoots the bomb, forcing it to explode. He threatens Enchantress with her own heart to release June from the curse, and Enchantress refuses and mocks him, and Flag, remembering a promise to June (on which he would have stopped the Enchantress even if it means sacrificing June as well) forces himself to crush the heart, killing Enchantress and seemingly June as well. However, June survives and they're reunited.

text: Animation[edit]

text: Rick Flag Sr. appears in Justice League: The New Frontier, voiced by Lex Lang. He serves as Hal Jordan's instructor, acting similar to a drill sergeant. Flag is also Hal's co-pilot during a mission to Mars, sprung from the Martian Manhunter's arrival. When the spaceship is damaged, Flag detonates several bombs on board the ship, killing Flag while Hal is saved by Superman. The younger Rick Flag Jr. makes a cameo in the end of the movie.

text: Video games[edit]

text: Rick Flag Jr. appears in Batman: Arkham Origins Blackgate, where Adam Baldwin reprises the role. He and Amanda Waller monitor Batman's work at Blackgate Penitentiary. In the post-credits, he and Waller get Deadshot and Bronze Tiger to join the Suicide Squad.


document_title: Bree Van de Kamp

question_text: who does bree van de kamp end up with

question_tokens: who does bree van de kamp end up with

text: Bree Van de Kamp

text: Character profile[edit]

text: Bree Van de Kamp is one of the four main protagonists in Desperate Housewives. Bree grew up in Rhode Island when her father married a woman named Eleanor, after her mother's death, with whom she did not get along. In order to escape her stepmother's demands, Bree left for Lake Forest College near Chicago. Bree also mentioned on one of Eleanor's visits that she had to work for every kind word she ever was given from her step-mother. Bree met Rex Van de Kamp at a meeting of the Young Republicans. After they graduated, they married and had two children, Andrew and Danielle, and moved to Fairview.

text: Bree is very much written as an exaggerated version of the characteristics often attributed to White Anglo-Saxon Protestant Americans; she has been called a "hyper-uptight WASP."[3] Bree is recognized for her perfectionist attitude and work ethic, which at times border on neurosis and obsessive–compulsive disorder. While the writers have shied away from an official diagnosis, the character is recognised as suffering from obsessive–compulsive personality disorder. The character herself refers to her "quirks" in terms of anal retentiveness but Rex once mentioned it by the name. Bree's perfectionism may stem from when her mother was killed in a hit and run: a 10-year-old Bree cleaned her blood off the road outside the house. She said that once everything was spotless, she felt much better.

text: Bree is known for her homemaking talents on the level of Martha Stewart, particularly her gourmet meals, breakfast treats and pineapple bran muffins. She is also well-versed in firearm training; she owns four guns and is a card-carrying member of the National Rifle Association. Bree supports the Republican Party, as stated in the season 3 opener, and is also known for being a member of the local Presbyterian church, as shown in the episode Sunday. Her neighbours Angie Bolen, Gabrielle Solis and Renee Perry have nicknamed her 'Nancy Reagan' on occasions. She has lived at 4354 Wisteria Lane in Fairview since 1994 and is also said to have a timeshare residence in Aspen that she never uses. Bree is based on creator Marc Cherry's own mother, and the Van de Kamp family is based on the family in which he grew up. Bree's family was based on Marc Cherry's teen years, while Lynette Scavo's family is based on Marc Cherry's childhood years.[4] Bree and her first husband, Rex, were both named after the overtly vain characters on two of Marc Cherry's previous failed sitcoms, The 5 Mrs. Buchanans (Bree) and The Crew (Rex).

text: Both of Bree's marriages have broken down and ended in divorce (Rex, however, died before their divorce was finalized). Following the request for divorce, both of Bree's former husbands attempted reconciliation with her. Rex succeeded, whereas her second husband Orson Hodge did not. During the breakdown of her second marriage, Bree had an affair with Karl Mayer, her divorce lawyer and ex-husband of her friend, Susan Delfino. Bree, however, did remarry in the series finale to her lawyer, Trip Weston, making him her third husband.

text: Bree is the only one of the main four housewives not to appear in every episode. Appearing only as a stand-in in "My Husband, The Pig", Bree is totally absent in its six following episodes ("Dress Big", "Liaisons", "God, That's Good", "Gossip", "Into the Woods" and "What Would We Do Without You?") due to Cross' pregnancy.

text: Overview[edit]

text: Season 1[edit]

text: Bree Van de Kamp is introduced in season one as the "perfect" wife and mother. However, it becomes apparent that her emotional coldness and obsession with appearance makes her family resent her and as her husband Rex put it "I just can't live in this detergent commercial anymore."

text: She insists she and Rex have marriage guidance counselling when he wants a divorce and demands that Andrew and Danielle refuse presents from their father if they want to continue living with her. Unfortunately, in Andrew's case, this leads to him drink-driving and accidentally knocking down Juanita Solis, leaving her seriously injured. Rex and Bree conceal this to protect him but Bree is soon disappointed with his lack of remorse. Determined to make him realize that there are consequences to his actions, she reveals, in an anonymous tip-off to the coach of the swimming team, that Andrew keeps marijuana in his locker. This discovery results in him being removed from the team. Bree is determined to keep her family together until Rex has a heart attack, leading her to discover that he regularly visited a prostitute. Worse still, the prostitute turns out to be an acquaintance of hers, Maisy Gibbons, who is later arrested for living off immoral earnings. Maisy is persuaded to do a deal with the District Attorney, naming her clients and despite a request from Bree, does not remove Rex's name. Furious, Bree tells Rex she will divorce him but is "persuaded" by Andrew and Danielle to look after him, while he recuperates from a heart attack. Initially wanting to hurt him, Bree starts dating local pharmacist, George Williams, but ends things when Rex asks her to give their marriage another chance. She and George agree to be just friends. Wanting to stop Rex visiting prostitutes, she reluctantly takes part in S&M scenarios with him.

text: Concerned about Andrew's worsening behaviour, she is cheered when Rex backs her up on one occasion. Unfortunately this doesn't make any difference so Rex and Bree feel that they have no choice but to send Andrew away to a boot camp. While there, Andrew reveals to his parents that he is bisexual. Bree initially tells him that she will always love him regardless but quietly insists to Rex that they take Andrew home immediately, worried about what he might be doing with the other boys at night, and asks their vicar to give Andrew some counselling on lifestyle, believing that his soul is in danger. This has disastrous results, as Andrew thinks she doesn't love him and deliberately hurts her. Bree continues to confide in George about her family problems but, after Rex makes it clear that Bree will stay with him, George begins tampering with Rex's medication. This is uncovered when Rex has a second heart attack. Believing Bree was responsible, Rex writes a note forgiving her and dies. Bree's final scenes in the season involve her receiving the bad news and breaking down in tears.

text: Season 2[edit]

text: In Season 2, Bree's mother-in-law, Phyllis (Shirley Knight), visits for her son's funeral. She so annoys Bree with her constant sniping and excessive displays of grief that Bree tells her that she cannot attend Rex's funeral, but Andrew persuades her to. The final straw, however, is when she discovers Phyllis reported her friendship with George to the company handling Rex's life insurance. Bree sends Phyllis home and is questioned by the police about meddling with Rex's medication. She is cleared and is furious when she discovers the note Rex had left her which claimed he thought she murdered him and she starts dating George. However, George constantly tries to rush things, making her uneasy. When George places an announcement of their engagement in the local paper, an ex-fiancée of his visits Bree to warn her about him. Bree is horrified and sends the woman away but she is proved right when George loses his temper with an old school friend of Bree's, so she ends their relationship. He tries blackmailing her into a reconciliation by taking some pills and admits killing Rex. Devastated, Bree says that she has called an ambulance and it will be there soon, but in reality, she hasn't. She watches him die and tells Andrew, who tries blackmailing her for his trust fund.

text: Events with Rex, George and Andrew take their toll and she starts drinking heavily. She realizes she has a problem when she loses Lynette's children after passing out while babysitting. Andrew later begins making accusations about Bree physically abusing him and tries to seek emancipation rights, which Bree refuses. In denial, but not wanting Andrew to get his trust fund or give up on him, Bree joins AA but only takes it seriously after passing out in a shop changing room and not waking up until late at night. Her AA sponsor, Peter, and a security guard let her out. Bree also faces more turmoil when she discovers her new neighbours, the Applewhites are hiding from the police and is blackmailed into silence. To distract herself from her alcoholism, she has a brief relationship with Peter, who is addicted to sex. However, Andrew discovers this and seduces Peter to get revenge on Bree for denying him his trust fund. She dumps Peter and throws Andrew out after discovering that they slept together and in her bed.

text: Bree's mental health deteriorates rapidly following this and nobody can help her as her behaviour becomes erratic and spirals out of control including creating a scene at Danielle's birthday party. Danielle, meanwhile, starts dating Matthew Applewhite and moves out to be with him. However, Matthew's mother, Betty Applewhite, realizes Matthew murdered an ex-girlfriend, Melanie Foster. She tells Bree, who has checked herself into a psychiatric unit and later escapes after they refuse to let her leave. Bree and Betty rush to Bree's house to find Matthew and Danielle have taken money from Bree's safe. Bree confronts Matthew about Melanie and refuses to let them leave, so he threatens to shoot her, but the police, called by Betty, shoot him first. Bree then has to console Danielle. Bree's final scenes involve her beginning a new friendship with the mysterious Orson Hodge.

text: Season 3[edit]

text: Season three sees Bree marrying Orson after a six-month relationship, but their marriage is troubled by the belief that Orson physically abused his first wife, Alma (Valerie Mahaffey), and murdered her. Shortly after the wedding, Orson persuades Andrew to come home and they reconcile.

text: However, the arrival of Orson's mother, Gloria (Dixie Carter), and Alma's return, cause more trouble. They drug and rape Orson but Bree intervenes, learning that Gloria murdered Orson's mistress, Monique Polier, so he would stay with Alma. Gloria tries to kill Bree but Orson intervenes. Gloria has a severe stroke after Orson holds her head under water to get her to let go of the knife about to be used to kill Bree. Orson carries Gloria's body outside and places it next to Alma's body after she died when falling from the roof of her house.

text: Danielle, meanwhile, finds herself pregnant by Edie's nephew Austin (Josh Henderson). She is sent away so the neighbourhood won't learn of her pregnancy and Bree and Orson decide to fake a pregnancy so they can raise Danielle's child as their own.

text: Bree is not in episodes 3.16 to 3.22 as she is on honeymoon with Orson and Danielle. Bree returns for Gabrielle and Victor's wedding, heavily pregnant or so it seems...

text: Season 4[edit]

text: In season four, Bree and Orson struggle to make people think she is pregnant but is dismayed by people wanting to feel the baby move. Phyllis, Rex’s mother, discovers Bree’s pregnancy hoax and tries convincing Danielle to raise the child herself. Bree and Orson, however, persuade Danielle to give them the baby by offering to send her to college and buy her a convertible. Danielle has a baby boy and gives him to Bree — who names him Benjamin Tyson Hodge (surname later changed to Katz) — and agrees that Bree and Orson will raise him.

text: Bree develops a rivalry with new neighbor, Katherine Mayfair. Bree and Katherine are very similar, leading to a series of feuds before eventually becoming friends and go into business together, catering dinner parties.

text: After a tornado damages Bree’s house, she, Orson and Benjamin stay with Susan, and Orson admits being responsible for putting Mike in a coma. Horrified, Bree kicks him out. During their separation, Edie Britt comes onto Orson, leading to a feud between her and Bree. Edie discovers Benjamin is Bree's grandson and attempts to blackmail her. Bree, however, tells the other housewives the truth, so they all snub Edie.

text: In the season finale, Katherine saves Bree’s life by telling her ex-husband, Wayne, her secrets. When Katherine kills Wayne, Bree and the other housewives tell the police that Katherine was terrified of a stalker so she doesn't go to prison.

text: When the events of the series shift ahead by five years in the fourth-season finale, it is revealed that Bree is now a famous cookbook author and her son, Andrew, works with her as her assistant. Bree and Orson have evidently worked out their problems and are still together.

text: Season 5[edit]

text: The fifth season opens with Bree just having published her own cookbook, and successfully running the catering business. She and Orson reconcile after he went to prison for running over Mike. A flashback sequence reveals that while Bree awaited Orson's release, Danielle returned and took Benjamin, leaving her completely alone. Devastated, Bree relapsed into alcoholism but overcame it, thanks to Katherine.

text: Bree puts her career first, alienating her friends at times and causing a rift between her and Orson. In revenge, Orson begins stealing - initially to punish people who he feels have been rude, and to hurt Bree. Orson agrees to stop stealing, but when Bree learns that he was injured while attempting to rob an old woman (which led to Edie Britt's death) and that he has been trying to convince people that the old woman is senile, she decides she has had enough. She hires Karl Mayer as her divorce lawyer, who convinces her to stage a fake burglary so she can hide her precious/expensive things in a storage unit and not risk losing them in the divorce proceedings. However, Orson discovers her plan, threatening to send her to prison for insurance fraud unless she stays with him. Bree agrees reluctantly but shares a passionate kiss with Karl.

text: Season 6[edit]

text: In the first episode, Bree is unwilling to sleep with Karl, despite her marriage being strained. Orson, however, is determined to salvage their relationship, commenting that guilt is sometimes necessary for happiness, and defending his use of blackmail so that she'll stay with him. Bree takes this motto as her own and consummates her affair with Karl.

text: When Julie is hospitalized after being attacked, Bree worries that she will lose Susan's friendship on hearing that Susan would hypothetically no longer talk to a friend who dated Karl. However, Karl's fragility convinces Bree he needs her and she begins falling for him, acknowledging her feelings when they attend the same event and Karl brings another woman. This distracts her from her business and only realises the extent of Katherine's instability when an event is ruined. Bree dismisses her and, after getting to know new neighbour, Angie Bolen, hires her instead. Meanwhile, Karl's romantic gestures make their affair harder to hide. Suspicious, Orson gets Angie to spy on Bree. She discovers the tryst but confronts Bree, who explains that she connects intellectually with Orson but sexually with Karl, and is worried that their relationship will only ever be physical, despite his promises to change.

text: Bree's fears are realized when Susan also finds out about her and Karl. They fight, but despite her initial unhappiness, Susan eventually gives them her blessing. In order to get away from Orson, Karl suggests Bree threaten him, which she does, indicating she has evidence of him breaking his parole, and demands a divorce. Stunned, Orson tells Bree that he wouldn't send her to prison for fraud and goes to pack, but discovers her affair with Karl. They fight and Bree tries intervening but when an airplane crashes into Wisteria Lane, Karl is killed and Orson is paralyzed. Feeling guilty, Bree insists Orson come home so she can look after him but he is disgusted by her infidelity and takes advantage. Angry about his lack of manners and personal hygiene, Bree hoses him down but stops when he explains how angry he is with the way his life is now. Wanting to help, Bree gets two disabled men to visit, but Orson asks her to let him kill himself, telling her that he wants to die because no one loves him. When asked, Bree can't say the words, but seeing Orson trying to drown himself at a party of an old married couple with such passion causes Bree to realize that she still wants things to work with Orson. She stops him by telling him how much she cares and wants to recapture what they once had, and they reconcile.

text: A young man named Sam Allen (Sam Page) visits Bree, offering himself as a new assistant. Impressed by Sam's skills, Bree promotes him to vice-president, much to Andrew's anger. While visiting Sam's home, Bree is stunned to see a photo of Rex and Sam. Sam admits Rex was his father and that he spent years watching Bree's family, wondering why Rex chose them over him, and after his mother's death, came to see Bree. Shocked by this, Bree welcomes Sam into her life but finds herself at odds with Andrew, who suspects Sam has an ulterior motive. Sam plots to make Bree fire Andrew, which she does, but after she reveals that she and Andrew have a love-and-hate relationship, it's likely that Andrew will return. After she tells Orson about a sabotaged dinner, suspecting Andrew, Orson says Andrew couldn't be responsible because it was well planned, making Bree suspect Sam's true intentions. She discovers that Sam's mother is still alive and reveals that Sam found a letter from Rex, offering to take full custody of him. Bree confronts Sam about his lies and he angrily smashes a vase before leaving. She apologizes to Andrew but tells him and Orson she's not firing Sam for fear of how he might react.

text: In the season finale, Bree does try firing Sam but he retaliates by revealing he knows how Andrew ran over Carlos' mother years before (a drunken Danielle told him). He threatens to tell the police unless Bree turns over control of the company to him. Bree agrees to do so and then says she feels sorry for Sam for losing his chance to be part of a family and suspects no one will ever truly care for the man. Orson, who had not known what Andrew did, calls out Bree on the hypocrisy of demanding he go to jail for his hit-and-run of Mike but hiding Andrew's crime. He is both appalled and furious at Bree for this and announces he's moving out. Bree tells Andrew she now knows Orson was right and is seen about to confess to Gabrielle.

text: Season 7[edit]

text: Bree confesses to covering up the demise of Carlos' mom Mama Solis (Lupe Ontiveros). Gabrielle chooses not to tell her husband. After discovering her ex-husband has a new girlfriend only a week after they separated, Bree decides to redecorate the ground floor of her house, hiring Keith Watson (Brian Austin Green), to help but finds herself attracted to him. While looking at him from her car, she does not see Juanita Solis (Madison De La Garza) behind her before reversing, leading to Juanita being admitted to hospital. Upon finding out that Keith has a girlfriend, she agreed to go out clubbing with Renee Perry. She finds out that Keith broke up with his girlfriend, but he is instead going home with Renee. Bree sabotages their night and eventually asks Keith on a date. This begins Bree and Renee's fight over Keith.

text: Later Bree only mentioned to Richard Watson, father of Keith, that she's finally a divorcee. Learning this, Richard, who has been having feelings for Bree, tries to make a move to destroy Bree's and Keith's relationship so that he could have Bree instead. Keith attempts to propose to Bree and after the second failed attempt, Keith begins to question his relationship with Bree. Richard manipulates Keith's mind by warning him that Bree might be using him as a diversion from her actual feelings after her divorce from Orson. As a result, Keith begins to avoid Bree. Richard then kisses Bree all of a sudden and after he leaves, Bree tells Keith everything about his father's attempts to tear them apart. Later, Keith confronts Richard about this and has a fistfight with him but when rioters, who are opposing Paul Young's plan to open a halfway house for ex-convicts on Wisteria Lane, see the two fight, they mistaken him as an ex-convict due to his tattoos and ex-convict-like clothing and begin to beat Keith up. Bree breaks up the fight by firing a gun into the sky and this triggers fear and panic among the rioters and supporters for the halfway house alike, thinking this is an assassination attempt, proceed to flee, resulting in a riot that goes out of control.

text: Bree is thrown when Orson returns, claiming he was dumped by his girlfriend. Keith is annoyed at how Bree is willing to let Orson stay with them. Over dinner, Orson makes it clear he doesn't think Keith is a good choice for Bree as they have nothing in common and Orson understands her more, the two throwing food at one another. Bree goes to see Orson's ex, who reveals that Orson was the one who broke up with her as he's still in love with Bree. She confronts him and Orson confesses how he feels and thinks Bree is too good for Keith. Keith is angered at Bree continuing to want Orson to stay with them, saying that she's still in love with Orson. Bree responds by shoving him down in her manure-covered lawn, getting herself dirty to prove how much she's changed. When one of Keith's old girlfriends comes by, Bree is suspicious and discovers the woman has been raising Keith's son. She mentions children to Keith, who seems unsure whether he is father material. Bree goes to the girlfriend, lying about how Keith doesn't want to know the child. Keith finds her cutting up her roses as she says "you have to be ruthless to protect what you want." Bree meets the woman later to lend her money and when she leaves her son in Bree's care, Keith drops by the pizza parlor. Seeing Keith and the boy instantly bonding, Bree is overcome with guilt and confesses to Keith that the boy is actually his son. Keith desperately wants to be with his son, but he doesn't want to leave Bree, he pitches the idea of moving to Florida with Bree but she refuses to leave her home and friends. The next day Bree makes the ultimate decision and tells Keith that he must go to Florida for his son. She sacrifices their relationship and Keith leaves.

text: Bree discovers that Andrew has started drinking again, so much so that his husband leaves him. She encourages Andrew to go into rehab but is jarred when he decides to make amends by telling Carlos about running over his mother. When Carlos invites Andrew on a camping trip, Bree and Gabrielle fear the worst and follow them. Seeing Carlos with a bloody towel and a dirty shovel, Bree blurts out what Andrew did, just before her son enters the cabin. Carlos is outraged over this but eventually forgives Andrew. However, when Bree comes to thank him for not pressing charges, Carlos coldly tells her he won't forgive her for hiding the truth all these years and that they're no longer friends and that she and Gabby can no longer be friends. Bree ends up taking Gabby and her daughters into her house when Gabby leaves Carlos after telling him that she will not end her friendship with Bree. While the Solis' are staying with Bree she has a run in with Detective Chuck Vance (Jonathan Cake) who was on Wisteria Lane to check on parolee Felicia Tillman. Juanita Solis calls the police and tells them that Bree is trying to kill her and Celia (after Carlos tells her Bree's involvement in her grandmother's death). Chuck responds to the call at Bree's home and Carlos sorts everything out, explaining that the girls misunderstood what he had told them. Chuck leaves and gives Bree his number and the Solis' move out of Bree's and back with Carlos.

text: Chuck later returns to give Bree his number again after assuming she'd lost it since he hasn't received a call from her. Bree then agrees to go out on a date with him that night and when Bree tells this to Renee, Renee runs a background check on Chuck and reveals to Bree that he's still married (though he had filed for divorce a year ago). At dinner, Bree confronts Chuck with this information but Chuck retaliates by telling her that he had also run a background check on her, therefore becoming more aware of Bree's past. Offended, Bree abruptly ends their date and as Chuck drives her home, Chuck catches a hooker in the street and brings her back to the women's center. There, Chuck tells the hooker (who believes that she'll be a hooker forever) that she can turn her life around, pretending to reveal that Bree once was a prostitute and she had turned over a new leaf by going to school and starting a massive catering company. Moved by Chuck's whole-heartedly words, Bree gives Chuck a second chance and the two agree to go out on another date afterwards.

text: During the "progressive dinner party" celebrating Susan's return to Wisteria Lane, Bree (along with Lynette and Susan) walks into Gaby's house to discover that Carlos has murdered Alejandro Perez, Gaby's stepfather. She spearheads the decision to cover up the murder to protect Carlos, thus earning his forgiveness for keeping the secret about his mother's hit-and-run for all those years.

text: Season 8[edit]

text: Following their agreement to cover up the murder of Alejandro, Bree's relationship with Chuck begins to suffer. She finds herself constantly paranoid that he will discover her involvement, and uses sex as a way to distract him. She then receives a note exactly like the one Mary Alice received when she shot herself. She then seeks out the counsel of Paul Young, asking if he was the one who sent it. Upset over the fact that Bree may still judge him for his past he sends her away. However, he later calls her back urging her to tell the other housewives to spare her Mary Alice's fate, and reveals to her the only other person who he told about the note to was the cop who was looking into Martha Huber's death, Chuck. At first suspicious, Bree decides to break up with Chuck when he tries to propose. He does not take it well, telling her she is making a big mistake. Danielle returns, having been dumped by her husband and Bree is at first supportive until she finds her daughter is now selling adult swings to make money.

text: Having avoided church over her guilt in hiding Alejandro, Bree is convinced to help Ben Faulkner in a soup kitchen. When a passing college student raves over her cooking, the kitchen is soon home to regular people, not the homeless and Bree realizes that's wrong. She tells everyone to leave, giving a speech on how this is meant to help the less fortunate. Ben is impressed and has Bree give a speech to the city council to convince them to let Ben build a homeless shelter in Fairview. At first happy about helping, Bree is horrified to realize the spot Ben is about to break ground on is where the girls buried Alejandro. She, Gabrielle and Lynette go to dig the body back up only to find it gone. It turns out Ben found it earlier, thinking he was just a drifter and Bree convinces him to help keep it quiet. However, Bree soon finds Chuck is suspicious and putting together clues to prove what the girls did. The pressure soon drives Bree to break her sobriety and pour herself a drink.

text: Chuck starts to dig deeper into Gabrielle's stepfather's disappearance. Gabrielle tells Bree that Chuck brought them in for questioning and Bree snaps, causing her to head to a motel. When she arrives she sits at a table in her room, pulls out a bottle of wine and a gun, and begins talking to the spirit of Mary Alice. Bree asks her asking if she is happy after having killed herself who replies, "I'm not unhappy". Bree is ready to kill herself when Renee kicks in the door, mistakenly believing Bree is with Ben. After yelling, threatening to hit her and telling her she's "nothing more than a skank in a Nancy Reagan nightie", Renee noticies the gun and the note. After reading it she takes Bree home and stays there to make sure she's okay. When Renee says she won't let a friend die, Bree points out they're not quite friends, hurting Renee. She confesses to Bree how her own mother committed suicide and makes Bree see it's not the way out. Bree is happy at first, more so when she hears Chuck was killed in a hit-and-run. However, when she opens her mailbox, she finds a note saying "You're welcome."

text: Renee takes Bree to a bar, encouraging her to live a little and Bree ends up going with a man, skinny-dipping in a pool before the owner of the house comes home. Bree soon is going to bed with a succession of men which gets the Reverend concerned about her behavior. Determined to show he's wrong, Bree comes to the bake sale where she meets one of her lovers, only to discover he's married. When Karen McCluskey says that they do not know what Bree is really like, Bree decides to live up her reputation as the new town slut. Bree is soon bed-hopping to the point where she hits upon a man in a bar without remembering she had gone home with him just two nights previously. When they hear about Renee taking Bree to a bar, her friends try and stage an intervention at which point Bree reaches boiling point and blasts them for their less than friend like behavior recently. At the bar, she's approached by a man and realizes how far she's fallen, ready to go home. The man follows her to the parking lot, threatening to assault Bree only to be interrupted by a wheelchair-bound Orson. He uses a taser to knock the man out, telling Bree her friends called him to help and if there's one thing they did well together, it was "cleaning up each other's messes." Orson soon convinces Bree that the girls are still angry at her and to go away with him for a weekend. What Bree doesn't know is that Orson has been stalking her for months, seeing the girls bury Alejandro's body and he was the one leaving Bree the notes as part of his warped scheme to win her back. Bree soon discovers the truth while visiting Orson's apartment and despite his claims he did it all for her, she says she wants nothing to do with him. Orson calls her later, claiming that their love requires sacrifice and Bree believes he's going to kill himself. Instead, Orson mails a folder of evidence to the Fairview Police.

text: Bree is surprised when Andrew comes home, engaged to a woman named Mary Beth. Learning she's an heiress, Bree suspects Andrew is just marrying her for her money. Mary Beth tells Bree she knows Andrew is gay but is still willing to marry him as she's been unlucky in love. Bree convinces Mary Beth to find a man who truly loves her and she breaks up with Andrew. Andrew is upset at losing a chance at the money but Bree tells him he can stay with her and accept her help getting back on his feet.

text: Meanwhile, the police become suspicious of Bree and the murder of Gaby's stepfather and the help of his cover-up, so they tread carefully in trying to get proof that she is one of the suspects. They interview her, and she says that she has nothing to do with it. But as she was drinking her cup of tea, her fingerprints were on the mug. The fingerprint that the police found on the body, and the fingerprint on Bree's cup match. The police go and talk to Ben, still about the murder of Alejandro. Ben keeps Bree's secret, and the police leave, with no more evidence than the fingerprint. - But they do not stop there: a detective tracks down a call of Bree to Ben that night regarding Alejandro's murder, and they record it.

text: In order to defend herself, Bree asks Bob Hunter for legal advice, but he tells her she needs a crime lawyer. He recommends lawyer Trip Weston, whom he calls a "shark". Bree goes to trial but does not tell Trip all the truth, and is about to go to prison until Mrs. McCluskey confesses the murder of Alejandro herself, after Bree and the girls agree to take care of her during her last days of life. Bree is acquitted of all charges. In the end, Bree ends up getting married to Trip and moving to Louisville, Kentucky where she joins a club for conservative women. Later she is encouraged by Trip to run for the city council, then the following November she is elected to the Kentucky Legislature.

text: Reception[edit]

text: Critical[edit]

text: Bree has received wide acclaim, both for the character's storylines, and for Cross' portrayal.[5] In a review of the pilot, Tim Goodman from the San Francisco Chronicle called Cross "almost too perfect as uptight Bree", and applauds her for "managing to give the character more shadings than merely insanely perfect."[6] At the commencement of the second season, Bree was widely considered the series' most prominent role,[7] following the first year's emphasis on Susan Mayer.[8] Though a drop in quality was noted in the second season,[9] Bree's battles with alcohol, her teenage son, and her murderous pharmacist lover, while continuing to deal with the death of her husband, were well received, and considered the focal point of the series in light of the lagging Applewhite mystery. Cross retained her centre-stage position for the show's third season, which widely focused upon the mystery surrounding her new husband Orson.[10] Critics noted an improvement in quality from the second season to the third,[11] and many deemed Bree's storyline to be the most satisfying of the season, as well as noting a "loss of steam" during Cross' maternity leave at the latter part of the season.[12] Season 4's "fake pregnancy" storyline continued to satisfy critics, with one calling it the series' most "hysterical [storyline] yet", and singling Cross out for praise.[13][14] Her friction with Katherine Mayfair was also noted as a highlight. Following the five year leap, a new direction was taken with Bree's character as she made the transition from housewife to author/businesswoman, a development which received positive reception.[15] This change in character development was continued into season 6, with another side to Bree's personality being shown, which includes an affair with Karl Mayer. Critics lauded the comic relief provided by these developments,[15] as well as the more poignant and emotional turn mid-season as Bree deals with Orson's paralysis.[16] In Season 7, Bree finds herself newly divorced and embarks on a relationship with Keith Watson, a move which was praised for allowing "the for-so-long uptight Bree letting her hair down and having some fun for a change."[17] By the climax of season 7, Bree is central in covering up the murder of Gabrielle's stepfather, a move which was praised as a sound set up for the final season.[18]

text: Awards[edit]

text: Marcia Cross has received widespread acclaim for her portrayal of Bree. For her work on the second season of the show, she garnered the Satellite Award for Best Actress - Television Series Musical or Comedy (her second nomination), and has also received the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series twice as part of the cast (being nominated a further three times).

text: In 2005, Cross was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series[19] for her performance in the season one episode, "Running to Stand Still". She also made the Top 10 Pre-Nomination Finalist listing for the same award three subsequent times, for her work on the second-season episode "Next", third-season episode "Listen to the Rain on the Roof", and fourth-season episode "Now You Know". She has received three nominations at the Golden Globe Awards, for Best Actress in a Television Series - Musical or Comedy,[20] for her work on the first three seasons of the show, and has also received three nominations at the Prism Awards (for Performance in a Comedy Series, in relation to Bree's alcoholism), and a nomination from the Television Critics Association for Individual Achievement in Comedy in 2005.

text: Cultural influences and impact[edit]

text: Bree is spoofed in MADtv's Desperate Housewives parody,[21] in which they mock the character's plastic exterior and demeanor. In a 2006 interview with Charmed Magazine, Michelle Stafford admitted that her character Mandi in Charmed episode "Desperate Housewitches" was almost entirely modeled on Marcia Cross as Bree. Looking at pictures and episodes of Bree to gain a sense of her posture and body language, she laughed, "I'm just mimicking her. I'm just ripping her off."

text: In 2007, Madame Alexander released a line of 16-inch fashion dolls of the series' main characters, including Bree.[22]

text: Notes[edit]

text:
Bree is the only housewife who doesn't appear in every episode
Bree has been accused of murder three times:

First with her husband Rex,
then with her ex-boyfriend Chuck Vance
and again with Gaby's stepfather Alejandro.

Bree is the only housewife who remains financially stable through the entire series.
Bree was the first housewife to become a grandmother.
Bree has spearheaded the cover-up of a murder three times:

in Guilty,
Free, and
Come on Over for Dinner