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92-533: The Whiskey Au Go Go fire was a fire that occurred at 2:08 am on Thursday 8 March 1973, in the Whiskey Au Go Go nightclub in Fortitude Valley , Brisbane , Australia that killed 15 people. The Whiskey Au Go Go nightclub occupied the first floor of a building which still exists on the corner of Amelia Street and St Paul's Terrace. The space was previously occupied by another club called

184-403: A federal crime across a computer system, phone, by mail, or in using any instrument of interstate commerce . Extortion requires that the individual sent the message willingly and knowingly as elements of the crime. The message only has to be sent (but does not have to reach the intended recipient) to commit the crime of extortion. In England and Wales extorting property and money by coercion

276-402: A club culture with many Italian American, African American, gay, and Hispanic people. In addition to the dance and fashion aspects of the disco club scene, there was also a thriving drug subculture , particularly for recreational drugs that would enhance the experience of dancing to the loud music and the flashing lights, such as cocaine (nicknamed "blow"), amyl nitrite " poppers ", and

368-414: A law where for every three men, there was one woman. The women often sought these experiences to seek safety in a venue that embraced the independent woman – with an eye to one or more of the same or opposite sex or none. Although the culture that surrounded disco was progressive in dance couples, cross-genre music, and a push to put the physical over the rational, the role of women looked to be placed in

460-417: A mass phenomenon. In Germany, the first discothèque on record that involved a disc jockey was Scotch-Club , which opened in 1959. Its, and therefore the world's first DJ was 19-year-old local cub reporter Klaus Quirini who had been sent to write a story about the strange new phenomenon of public record-playing; fueled by whisky , he jumped on stage and started announcing records as he played them and took

552-644: A nightclub are Friday and Saturday nights. Most nightclubs cater to a particular music genre or sound for branding effects. Some nightclubs may offer food and beverages (including alcoholic beverages). In some countries, nightclubs are also referred to as "discos" or "discothèques" ( German : Disko or Diskothek (outdated; nowadays: Club ); French : discothèque ; Italian , Portuguese , and Spanish : discoteca, antro (common in Mexico), and boliche (common in Argentina, Uruguay, and Paraguay), discos

644-532: A piano or a jukebox. With the repeal of Prohibition in February 1933, nightclubs were revived, such as New York's 21 Club , Copacabana , El Morocco , and the Stork Club . These nightclubs featured big bands . During America's Prohibition, new speakeasies and nightclubs appeared on a weekly basis. Texas Guinan opened and ran many, and had many padlocked by the police. Harlem had its own clubs including

736-486: A police officer. In this era, nightclubbing was generally the preserve of those with money. In Paris, Josephine Baker ran several nightclubs during the 1920s including Chez Josephine, as did her friend Bricktop who ran Bricktops. Jazz singer and Broadway star Adelaide Hall and her husband Bert Hicks opened the nightclub La Grosse Pomme on Rue Pigalle in Montmartre on December 9, 1937. Hall and Hicks also owned

828-424: A protracted legal battle for release and continuing their self-harm to draw attention to their protest. In one incident Stuart sewed his lips together using wire paperclips. This occurred during a strike by warders when police had taken charge of the prison; Stuart had previously warned warders he would do this to prevent police from questioning him. During this period Finch kept up a tirade of abuse against police in

920-426: A security leak or launch an attack that will harm the company's network. The message sent through the email usually demands money in exchange for the prevention of the attack. In March 2008, Anthony Digati was arrested on federal charges of extortion through interstate communication. Digati put $ 50,000 into a variable life insurance policy by New York Life Insurance Company and wanted a return of $ 198,303.88. When

1012-529: A significant role in the evolution of clubbing , DJ culture, and nightlife. Significant New York nightclubs of the period were Area , Danceteria , and The Limelight . However, the seismic shift in nightlife was the emergence of rave culture in the UK. A mixture of free and commercial outdoor parties were held in fields, warehouses, and abandoned buildings, by various groups such as Biology, Sunrise, Confusion, Hedonism, Rage & Energy, and many others. This laid

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1104-422: A single turntable when a jukebox was not available. These discothèques were also patronized by anti- Vichy youth called zazous . In Nazi Germany , there were underground discothèques patronized by anti-Nazi youth called the " Swing Kids ". The end of World War II saw the beginning of a transformation in the nightclub: no longer the preserve of a moneyed elite, over several decades, the nightclub steadily became

1196-432: A threat used to elicit actions, money, or property from the object of the extortion. Such threats include the filing of reports (true or not) of criminal behavior to the police, revelation of damaging facts (such as pictures of the object of the extortion in a compromising position), etc. In law extortion can refer to political corruption , such as selling one's office or influence peddling , but in general vocabulary

1288-458: A wheelchair-using woman with a terminal illness. Finch won his battle for release in 1988, after almost 15 years in prison. As part of his parole conditions he was deported back to his birth country, England. There, in October 1988, he confessed to the crime. He told The Sun newspaper in a videotaped interview that he had tipped two drums of fuel into the doorway of the nightclub building before

1380-399: Is also known as shakedown , and occasionally exaction. Extortion is distinguished from robbery . In robbery, whether armed or not, the offender takes property from the victim by the immediate use of force or fear that force will be immediately used. Extortion, which is not limited to the taking of property, involves the verbal or written instillation of fear that something will happen to

1472-482: Is commonly used in all others in Latin America). In Japanese ディスコ, disuko refers to an older, smaller, less fashionable venue; while クラブ, kurabu refers to a more recent, larger, more popular venue. The term night is used to refer to an evening focusing on a specific genre, such as " retro music night" or a "singles night". In Hong Kong and China, nightclub is used as a euphemism for a hostess club , and

1564-518: Is credited as the first modern nightclub, being built in 1886 and starting off as a "social hall", originally functioning as a home for dance and political activism events. Reisenweber's Cafe is credited for introducing jazz and cabaret to New Yorkers. The jukebox (a coin-operated record-player) was invented by the Pacific Phonograph Company in 1889 by its managers Louis Glass and his partner William S. Arnold. The first

1656-409: Is often used metaphorically to refer to usury or to price-gouging , though neither is legally considered extortion. It is also often used loosely to refer to everyday situations where one person feels indebted against their will, to another, in order to receive an essential service or avoid legal consequences. Neither extortion nor blackmail requires a threat of a criminal act, such as violence, merely

1748-588: Is the offence of blackmail which covers any "unwarranted demand with menaces" including physical threats. See section 21 of the Theft Act 1968 plus sections 29 and 30 of the Larceny Act 1916 . A group of people may also be committing conspiracy . Extortion is a common law crime in Scotland of using threat of harm to demand money, property or some advantage from another person. It does not matter whether

1840-405: Is the practice of obtaining benefit (e.g., money or goods) through coercion . In most jurisdictions it is likely to constitute a criminal offence ; the bulk of this article deals with such cases. Robbery is the simplest and most common form of extortion, although making unfounded threats in order to obtain an unfair business advantage is also a form of extortion. Extortion is sometimes called

1932-763: The Cotton Club . Midtown New York had a string of nightclubs, many named after bandleaders such as Paul Whiteman , Vincent Lopez , and Roger Wolfe Kahn who opened Le Perroquet de Paris at a cost of $ 250,000. It was billed as America's most beautiful and sophisticated nightclub and featured the young Kahn and his band most evenings. Pre-World War II Soho in London offered café society , cabaret , burlesque jazz, and bohemian clubs similar to those in New York, Paris , and Berlin . Nightclubs in London were tied much to

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2024-707: The Delphi Filmpalast ), Kakadu , Femina-Palast , Palais am Zoo , Gourmenia-Palast , Uhlandeck , and the Haus Vaterland . In the 1920s, the nightlife of the city was dominated by party drugs such as cocaine . Hundreds of venues in the city, which at the time had a sinful reputation, offered in addition to bars, stages, and dance floors an erotic nightlife, such as small booths where lovers could withdraw to for intimate moments. These venues were aimed at rich and poor people, gays , lesbians , nudists , and gangsters alike. In 1930s Shanghai ,

2116-608: The Electric Circus , and Dom. While the discothèque swept Europe throughout the 1960s, it did not become widely popular in the United States until the 1970s, where the first rock and roll generation preferred rough and tumble bars and taverns to nightclubs until the disco era. In the early 1960s, Mark Birley opened a members-only discothèque nightclub, Annabel's , in Berkeley Square , London. In 1962,

2208-467: The Federal Bureau of Investigation and Digati was apprehended. On February 15, 2011, Spanish police apprehended a man who attempted to blackmail Nintendo over customer information he had stolen. The man stole personal information about 4,000 users and emailed Nintendo Ibérica, Nintendo's Spanish division, and accused the company of data negligence. He threatened the company that he would make

2300-574: The Middle Earth club (at 43 King Street) and eventually the Roundhouse in 1968. Both the UFO Club and Middle Earth were short-lived but saw performances by artists such as house-band Pink Floyd , Soft Machine , Procol Harum , Fairport Convention , Arthur Brown , and Jimi Hendrix ; DJ John Peel was a regular. These clubs germinated what would later become the underground gig scene of

2392-682: The Peppermint Lounge in New York City became popular and is the place where go-go dancing originated. Sybil Burton opened the "Arthur" discothèque in 1965 on East 54th Street in Manhattan on the site of the old El Morocco nightclub and it became the first, foremost, and hottest disco in New York City through 1969. In Germany in the 1960s, when Berlin was divided by the Wall , Munich became Germany's epicenter of nightlife for

2484-528: The Wigan Casino , known for the acrobatic dancing of its clubgoers; each of these clubs was known for all-nighters. Disco has its roots in the underground club scene. During the early 1970s in New York City, disco clubs were places where oppressed or marginalized groups such as gay people, African Americans , Latinos , Italian Americans , and Jews could party without following male to female dance protocol or exclusive club policies. Discothèques had

2576-495: The communist victory in 1949 as The Red Capitol Cinema , dedicated to Maoist propaganda films, before fading into obscurity. It reopened as The Paramount in 2008. In occupied France , jazz and bebop music, and the jitterbug dance were banned by the Nazis as "decadent American influences", so as an act of resistance, people met at hidden basements called discothèques where they danced to jazz and swing music , played on

2668-606: The extortion scheme and had returned to Australia 12 days prior to the bombing. Police claimed Finch had privately confessed to them and had implicated Stuart. The police reported that Finch had willfully set the fire while Stuart had plotted to establish a false lead that "southern criminals" were planning an extortion racket in Brisbane. During the supreme court trial Finch and Stuart loudly protested their innocence, claiming they had been " verballed " and convicted based on false confessions. They both pleaded not guilty. Similar to

2760-586: The glam rock ( T. Rex , David Bowie, Roxy Music ) and punk rock cultures in London produced their own set of nightclubs, starting with Billy's at 69 Dean Street (known for its David Bowie nights), Louise's on Poland Street (the first true punk club and hangout of the Sex Pistols , Siouxsie Sioux plus the Bromley Contingent , and then Blitz (the home of the Blitz Kids ). Crackers

2852-651: The time   —   or the stolen patient data would be published. The extorters published 100 patient records a day on a Tor message board to add pressure for their demands. The leaked patient records contained patients' full names, home addresses, social security numbers, and the therapists' and doctors' notes from each session. After the extortion of the company failed, the extorters sent victims an email demanding they pay either 200   euros within 24   hours or 500   euros in 48   hours in order to avoid publishing their sensitive personal data. The company's security practices were found to be inadequate:

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2944-465: The world's wealthiest people , accused the National Enquirer and its parent company American Media, Inc ., of attempting to extort him by threatening to reveal nude pictures of him unless he publicly stated that he "[has] no knowledge or basis for suggesting that AMI's coverage was politically motivated or influenced by political forces." This threat was in response to Bezos investigating

3036-416: The " protection racket " because the racketeers often phrase their demands as payment for "protection" from (real or hypothetical) threats from unspecified other parties; though often, and almost always, such "protection" is simply abstinence of harm from the same party, and such is implied in the "protection" offer. Extortion is commonly practiced by organized crime . In some jurisdictions, actually obtaining

3128-406: The "other quintessential 1970s club drug Quaalude , which suspended motor coordination and turned one's arms and legs to Jell-O ". The "massive quantities of drugs ingested in discotheques by newly liberated gay men produced the next cultural phenomenon of the disco era: rampant promiscuity and public sex . While the dance floor was the central arena of seduction, actual sex usually took place in

3220-723: The 1960s, along with musicians such as the Beatles . Discothèques began to appear in New York City in 1964: the Village Vanguard offered dancing between jazz sets; Shepheard's, located in the basement of the Drake Hotel , was small but popular; L'Interdit and Il Mio (at Delmonico's ) were private; the El Morocco had an on-premises disco called Garrison; and the Stork Club had one in its Shermaine suite. Larger discos opened in 1966: Cheetah, with room for 2000 dancers,

3312-887: The 1960s, but especially with the rise of electronic dance music since the late 1980s. VJing gained more and more importance. VJs ("video jockeys") mix video content in a similar manner that DJs mix audio content, creating a visual experience that is intended to complement the music. The 2020s started with the global COVID-19 pandemic , which closed nightclubs worldwide – the first ever synchronized, global shutdown of nightlife. In response, online "virtual nightclubs" developed, hosted on video-conferencing platforms such as Zoom . As countries relaxed lockdown rules following drops in case numbers, some nightclubs reopened in repurposed form as sat-down pubs. As vaccine rollouts reached advanced stages, nightclubs were able to reopen with looser restrictions, such as producing certification of full vaccination upon entry. Extortion Extortion

3404-583: The 1970s and 1980s, at venues such as the 100 Club and The Clarendon in Hammersmith . During the 1960s, the Clarendon was a country & western club, having earlier been an upmarket jazz, dining , and dancing club in the pre-War era. In the north of England, the distinct northern soul movement spanned Manchester 's Twisted Wheel Club , the Blackpool Mecca , Cleethorpes Pier , and

3496-949: The 1980s, during the New Romantic movement, London had a vibrant nightclub scene, which included clubs like The Blitz, the Batcave , the Camden Palace , and Club for Heroes . These clubs grew out of the earlier Mandrake and Billy's (later Gossip's) at 69 Dean Street, in the basement below the ground floor Gargoyle Club . Both music and fashion embraced the aesthetics of the movement. Bands included Depeche Mode , Yazoo , The Human League , Duran Duran , Eurythmics , and Ultravox . Reggae -influenced bands included Boy George and Culture Club , and electronic vibe bands included Visage . At London nightclubs, young men would often wear make-up and young women would wear men's suits. Leigh Bowery 's Taboo (which opened in 1985) bridged

3588-987: The Celebrity Cabaret which closed due to financial pressures. Seeing an opportunity, band manager John Hannay approached the Little brothers (Brian and Ken) and suggested they rent the vacant space for a new nightclub. They did so in March 1972 and named the new cabaret the Whiskey Au Go Go. John Andrew Stuart, a career criminal, was sent to jail in 1966 for the attempted murder of fellow criminal Robert Steele. After his release from prison in New South Wales in July 1972, he returned to his hometown of Brisbane and immediately started vague rumors of criminals from Sydney wanting to extort nightclubs in Brisbane. He told this both to reporter Brian Bolton and Detective Basil Hicks. At

3680-710: The New Romantic and acid house scenes. With the birth of house music in the mid-1980s and then acid house, kickstarted by Chris Sullivan's The Wag Club (on the site of the earlier The Flamingo Club ), a cultural revolution swept around the world; first in Chicago at the Warehouse and then London and New York City. London clubs such as Clink Street , Revolution in Progress (RiP), Philip Sallon's The Mudd Club , Danny Rampling 's Shoom (starting in December 1987 in

3772-532: The Saturday after the fire the Queensland Government had offered a $ 50,000 reward for information on the bombing. Based on Stuart's foreknowledge of the fire, he was the number one suspect. As the police had insufficient evidence to arrest him, as he had an alibi at the time of the fire, the police fabricated evidence that he threatened someone with a knife. He was duly arrested. James Richard Finch

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3864-776: The Starship Discovery One. In San Francisco, there was the Trocadero Transfer , the I-Beam , and the End Up . In Spain during the 1970s, the first clubs and discos opened in Ibiza , an island which had been a popular destination for hippie travelers since the 1960s and now was experiencing a tourist boom. The first ever " Superclub " in Ibiza was the now-abandoned "Festival Club" at Sant Josep de sa Talaia , which

3956-454: The UK government's Criminal Justice Act , which largely ended the rave movement by criminalizing any gathering of 20 or more people where music ("sounds wholly or predominantly characterized by the emission of a succession of repetitive beats") was played. Commercial clubs immediately capitalized on the situation causing a boom in "Superclubs" in the UK, such as Ministry of Sound (London), Renaissance , and Cream ( Liverpool ). These developed

4048-476: The arsonist(s) are untrue. The practice at the club was to place used cooking oil containers against the wall of the escape route. These were upended in the stampede and the fats spread by foot as the patrons fled. The fire resulted in the deaths of 15 people. They had died of carbon monoxide poisoning and were dead before firefighters arrived. Of the six person band Trinity , two musicians were killed. Three staff members and ten patrons also lost their lives. On

4140-505: The association of the term with the sex trade has driven out the regular usage of the term. In the United States , New York increasingly became the national capital for tourism and entertainment. Grand hotels were built for upscale visitors. New York's theater district gradually moved northward during this half century, from The Bowery up Broadway through Union Square and Madison Square , settling around Times Square at

4232-513: The basement of Southwark's Fitness Centre), Paul Oakenfold 's Spectrum , and Nicky Holloway 's The Trip fused the eclecticism and ethos of [Ibiza with the new electronic music from the US. The largest UK cities like Birmingham , Leeds (The Orbit), Liverpool ( Quadrant Park and 051), Manchester ( The Haçienda ), Newcastle , and Swansea , and several key European places like Paris ( Les Bains-Douches ), Ibiza ( Pacha ), and Rimini , also played

4324-490: The benefit is not required to commit the offense, and making a threat of violence which refers to a requirement of a payment of money or property to halt future violence is sufficient to commit the offense. Exaction refers not only to extortion or the demanding and obtaining of something through force, but additionally, in its formal definition, means the infliction of something such as pain and suffering or making somebody endure something unpleasant. The term extortion

4416-629: The big clubs were The Paramount Club (opened in 1933) and Ciro's (opened in 1936). Other clubs of the era were the Metropole and the Canidrome . Jazz bands , big bands, and singers performed for a bowtied clientele. The Paramount and Ciro's in particular were fiercely rivalrous and attracted many customers from the underworld. Shanghai's clubs fell into decline after the Japanese invasion of 1937 and eventually closed. The Paramount reopened after

4508-639: The chic Florida Club in London's Mayfair. In Germany during the Golden Twenties , there was a need to dance away the memories of the First World War . In Berlin, where a " tango fever" had already swept dancing establishments in the early 1910s, 899 venues with a dancing licence were registered by 1930, including the Moka Efti , Casanova , Scala , Delphi-Palast (destroyed in WW2, replaced by

4600-576: The city. In 1967, Germany's first large-scale discothèque opened in Munich as the club Blow Up , which because of its extravagance and excesses quickly gained international reputation. In parallel, the hippie movement spawned Britain's first club for psychedelic music , the UFO Club (at the Blarney Club, 31 Tottenham Court Road , London from 23 Dec 1966 to Oct 1967) which then became

4692-418: The club at the time of ignition. Some escaped by jumping from broken windows onto an awning and dropping 4.5m to the ground. Others escaped via the windows in the men's and women's changing rooms. Patrons had difficulty escaping due to the large quantities of grease that covered the escape path and the 1.8m high fence which blocked the side alley. The persistent rumors that the escape was deliberately greased by

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4784-464: The club-as-spectacle theme pioneered in the 1970s and 1980s by Pacha (Ibiza) and Juliana's Tokyo (Japan), creating a global phenomenon; however, many clubs such as The Cross in London, preserved the more underground feel of the former era. Since the late 2000s, venues that received high media attention include Berghain in Berlin and Fabric in London. Video art has been used in nightclubs since

4876-549: The committal hearing, the start of the full court trial had been delayed. On 20 August, Stuart told the Government Medical Officer that he had swallowed some pieces of metal. He would repeat the exercise and be absent for most of the trial. Through his incarcerations Stuart underwent a total of five operations to remove foreign objects from his stomach. During the committal trial, Finch had amputated one of his fingers. On 23 October 1973, both were convicted of

4968-423: The demand itself is legitimate (such as for money owed) as the crime can still be committed when illegitimate threats of harm are used. Cyber extortion is when an individual or group uses the internet as a mean of demanding some sort of material gain. The group or individual usually sends a company a threatening email stating that they have received confidential information about their company and will exploit

5060-441: The end of 1972, he gave specific intelligence to Bolton stating an empty club would be firebombed first and then a second, Whiskey Au Go Go, would be firebombed when it was full of people. Bolton wrote numerous newspaper articles and personally notified the police commissioner and police minister of the threat. Stuart's warning was verified when an empty club, Torinos, was destroyed by arson on 25 February 1973. The Whiskey Au Go Go

5152-620: The end of the 19th century. Stars such as Edwin Booth and Lillian Russell were among the early Broadway performers. Prostitutes served a wide variety of clientele, from sailors on leave to playboys. The first nightclubs appeared in New York City in the 1840s and 1850s, including McGlory's, and the Haymarket. They enjoyed a national reputation for vaudeville , live music, and dance. They tolerated unlicensed liquor, commercial sex, and gambling cards, chiefly Faro . Practically all gambling

5244-401: The federal Racketeering Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, 18 USC In blackmail , which always involves extortion, the extortionist threatens to reveal information about a victim or their family members that is potentially embarrassing, socially damaging, or incriminating unless a demand for money, property, or services is met. In the United States , extortion may also be committed as

5336-633: The firebombing. He also repeated claims that he had been "verballed" by the original police investigators (i.e. that they lied about words Finch had purportedly said, and that those lies were used as evidence). He also claimed that a policeman named at the enquiry had ordered the bombing. He later recanted the confession. Jana Wendt interviewed Finch on A Current Affair by satellite to further discuss that admission. Wendt says that "When I suggested to him that his admission might mean that he could also be extradited to Australia to face other murder charges, his behaviour suddenly changed dramatically. He said he

5428-518: The firm did not comply, he threatened to send out six million spam emails . He registered a domain in February 2008 that contained New York Life's name in the URL to display false public statements about the company and increased his demand to $ 3 million. According to prosecutors, Digati's intent was not to inform or educate but he wanted to "damage the reputation of New York Life and cost the company millions of dollars in revenue,". New York Life contacted

5520-480: The government would re-open the coronial inquest into the fire. Nightclub Nightclubs generally restrict access to people in terms of age, attire , personal belongings , and behaviors. Nightclubs typically have dress codes to prohibit people wearing informal, indecent, offensive, or gang-related attire from entering. Unlike other entertainment venues, nightclubs are more likely to use bouncers to screen prospective patrons for entry. The busiest nights for

5612-584: The ground for what was unfold in the 1990s, initially in the United Kingdom, Germany, and the United States and then worldwide from the 2000s onwards. In Europe and North America, nightclubs play disco-influenced dance music such as house music , techno , Eurodance and other dance music styles such as electronica , breakbeat , and trance . Most nightclubs in major cities in the U.S. that have an early adulthood clientele, play hip hop , dance-pop , house, and/or trance music. These clubs are generally

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5704-583: The idea of " high society ", via organisations such as the Kit Kat Club (which took its name from the political Kit-Cat Club in Pall Mall, London ) and the Café de Paris . The 43 Club on Gerrard Street was run by Kate Meyrick the 'Night Club Queen'. Meyrick ran several London nightclubs in the 1920s and early 1930s, during which time she served prison sentences for breaching licensing laws and bribing

5796-518: The idea of dancing to records at her premises' basement in 1957. It stayed popular into the 1960s. It later became a 1940s-themed club called the Black Gardenia but has since closed. The Flamingo Club on Wardour Street in London ran between 1952 and 1967 and was known for its role in the growth of rhythm and blues and jazz in the UK. It earned a controversial reputation with gangsters and prostitutes said to have been frequent visitors in

5888-567: The information public and complain to the Spanish Data Agency if his demands were not met. After Nintendo ignored his demands, he published some of the information on an Internet forum. Nintendo notified authorities and the man was arrested in Málaga . No information has been revealed as to what the man demanded from Nintendo. On February 7, 2019, Jeffrey P. Bezos , owner of Amazon and The Washington Post and currently one of

5980-507: The jukebox with two turntables that she operated herself so there would be no breaks between the music. This was the world's first-ever "discothèque". The Whisky à Gogo set into place the standard elements of the modern post-World War II discothèque -style nightclub. In London, by the end of the 1950s, several of the coffee bars in London's Soho introduced afternoon dancing. These prototype discothèques were nothing like modern-day nightclubs, as they were unlicensed, daytime venues where coffee

6072-581: The largest and most frequented of all of the different types of clubs. Techno clubs are popular around the world since the early 1990s. Well known examples of the 1990s include Tresor , E-Werk , and Bunker in Berlin ; Omen and Dorian Gray in Frankfurt ; Ultraschall , KW – Das Heizkraftwerk , and Natraj Temple in Munich; and Stammheim in Kassel . The Castlemorton Common Festival in 1992 triggered

6164-429: The most prestigious clubs had elaborate lighting systems that throbbed to the beat of the music. The genre of disco has changed through the years. It is classified both as a musical genre and as a nightclub; and in the late seventies, disco began to act as a safe haven for social outcasts. This club culture that originated in downtown New York, was attended by a variety of different ethnicities and economic backgrounds. It

6256-554: The murder of Jennifer Denise Davie. The jury found that the fire was lit as part of an extortion-terror campaign aimed at Brisbane nightclub operators, and they were sentenced to life in prison. Stuart made Australian legal history: he was sentenced despite not being in court. At the time he was in hospital recovering from his third stomach operation as a result of him swallowing wire. During their imprisonment in Boggo Road Gaol they continued to protest their innocence, fighting

6348-450: The nether regions of the disco: bathroom stalls, exit stairwells, and so on. In other cases, the disco became a kind of "main course" in a hedonist 's menu for a night out." Well known 1970s discothèques included celebrity hangouts such as Manhattan's Studio 54 , which was operated by Steve Rubell and Ian Schrager . Studio 54 was notorious for the hedonism that went on within; the balconies were known for sexual encounters, and drug use

6440-451: The next two decades with numerous nightclubs and discothèques such as Big Apple , PN hit-house , Tiffany , Domicile , Hot Club , Piper Club , Why Not , Crash , Sugar Shack , the underwater discothèque Yellow Submarine , and Mrs. Henderson , where stars such as Mick Jagger , Keith Richards , Freddie Mercury , and David Bowie went in and out and which led to artists such as Giorgio Moroder , Donna Summer , and Mercury settling in

6532-552: The original batch, and being London's longest running one-nighter club, Gaz's Rockin' Blues , is still going as of 2020. The new wave music scene grew out of Blitz and the Cha Cha Club in Charing Cross . Whilst overall, the club scene was fairly small and hidden away in basements, cellars, and warehouses, London's complicated mix of punk, New Romantic , New Wave, and gay clubs in the late 1970s and early 1980s paved

6624-895: The prison, once emptying his sanitary bucket over them. In February 1984, the High Court of Australia granted a permanent injunction restraining Finch from proceeding with a petition he had lodged with the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council , seeking leave to appeal a decision of the High Court. Finch appealed this decision in order to appeal the decisions of the Queensland Court of Criminal appeal made in 1974 and 1978. Those decisions had dismissed Finch's original appeal and his later application for special leave to appeal. The Australian Government, with

6716-513: The role of safety net. It brought together people from different backgrounds. These clubs acted as safe havens for homosexual partygoers to dance in peace and away from public scrutiny. By the late 1970s, many major U.S. cities had thriving disco club scenes centered on discothèques, nightclubs, and private loft parties where DJs would play disco hits through powerful PA systems for the dancers. The DJs played "a smooth mix of long single records to keep people 'dancing all night long ' ". Some of

6808-486: The stage-name DJ Heinrich. In the US, Connie's Inn and the Cotton Club in Harlem , NY were popular venues for white audiences. Before 1953 and some years thereafter, most bars and nightclubs used a jukebox or mostly live bands. In Paris, at a club named Le Whisky à Gogo , founded in 1947 on the rue de Seine by Paul Pacine, Régine Zylberberg in 1953 laid down a dance floor, suspended coloured lights, and replaced

6900-503: The support of the Queensland Government, sought an injunction to prevent Finch proceeding in London. On 28 June, the High Court of Australia refused this injunction, and the appeal reached the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council in London on 6 July 1984. The Judicial Committee of the Privy Council took less than thirty minutes to dismiss the application. The five member bench decided that the matter brought before it by Finch

6992-532: The tabloid for publishing details about his relationship with Lauren Sanchez , which led to Bezos and his wife Mackenzie announcing their divorce on January 9 of that year. Bezos refused and posted the threat on Medium . On October 21, 2020, the news sources reported that roughly 40,000 patient records had been stolen from the Finnish private health care provider Vastaamo . The extorters demanded 40   bitcoins   —   roughly 450,000 euros at

7084-459: The two career criminals had known each other for at least seven years before. At the trial, Finch was described by police as "an active young criminal and associate of the most violent criminals in Sydney." Finch had been paroled after serving seven years of that sentence. Immediately after their arrest, both loudly protested their innocence at their first court appearance. It was reported that there

7176-410: The victim if they do not comply with the extortionist's will. Another key distinction is that extortion always involves a verbal or written threat, whereas robbery may not. In United States federal law, extortion can be committed with or without the use of force and with or without the use of a weapon. Violation of many state extortion statutes constitutes "racketeering activity" under Section 1961 of

7268-592: The way for acid house to flourish in the late 1980s, initially with Shoom and two acid house nights at Heaven : Spectrum and Rage. In the north of England, what later became the "alternative" scene was centred around the Roxy/Bowie room at Pips in Manchester, which opened in 1972; as small as this scene was, many notable figures attended the club, and Joy Division played their first gig there, billed as "Warsaw" before changing their name that night. During

7360-426: The word usually first brings to mind blackmail or protection rackets. The logical connection between the corruption sense of the word and the other senses is that to demand bribes in one's official capacity is blackmail or racketeering in essence (that is, "you need access to this resource, the government restricts access to it through my office, and I will charge you unfairly and unlawfully for such access"). Extortion

7452-598: Was a key part of the jazz- funk scene and also the early punk scene via its Vortex nights. The underground warehouse party scene was kicked off by Toyah Willcox with her Mayhem Studios at Patcham Terrace in Battersea . The emergence of this highly experimental artistic scene in London can be credited almost entirely to Rusty Egan , Steve Strange , the Bromley Contingent's Philip Sallon , and Chris Sullivan. Dozens of clubs came and went, but one of

7544-652: Was an inexpensive activity to indulge in, and discos united a multitude of different minorities in a way never seen before; including those in the gay and psychedelic communities. The music ultimately was what brought people together. Some cities had disco dance instructors or dance schools that taught people how to do popular disco dances such as "touch dancing", the " hustle ", and the " cha-cha-cha ". There were also disco fashions that discotheque-goers wore for nights out at their local disco, such as sheer, flowing Halston dresses for women and shiny polyester Qiana shirts for men. Disco clubs and "hedonistic loft parties" had

7636-455: Was built between 1969 and 1972 and serviced tourists who were bused in until it closed in 1974. Responding to this influx of visitors, locals opened the first large clubs Pacha , Amnesia , and the Ku-club (renamed Privilege in 1995). By the early 1980s, the term "disco" had largely fallen out of favour in the United States . In parallel to the disco scene and quite separate from it,

7728-604: Was commotion in the dock when the men were brought before the Brisbane Magistrates court after their arrest for arson and 15 counts of murder. Stuart was restrained by six detectives while Finch was relatively quiet and restrained by one detective. During this hearing Finch claimed he was innocent, that on his arrest police had presented him with a prepared written confession, and had beaten him. The committal hearing heard that Finch, previously resident of Australia, had been imported by Stuart from his native England for

7820-469: Was firebombed in the early hours of 8 March 1973 with fire begun by the ignition of two drums (four and five gallons) of petrol in the building's foyer. When ignited, the burning petrol sent carbon monoxide up to the club's main room on the first floor. The only escape route was the rear stairs which were poorly signposted and cluttered with crates of bottles. The club has been described as a deathtrap. About 50 patrons, bar staff, and entertainers had been in

7912-548: Was illegal in the city (except upscale horseracing tracks), and regular payoffs to political and police leadership was necessary. Prices were high and they were patronized by an upscale audience. Timothy Gilfoyle called them "the first nightclubs". By contrast, Owney Geoghegan ran the toughest nightclub in New York from 1880 to 1883. It catered to a downscale clientele and besides the usual illegal liquor, gambling, and prostitution, it featured nightly fistfights and occasional shootings, stabbings, and police raids. Webster Hall

8004-676: Was installed at the Palais Royale Saloon, San Francisco on November 23, 1889, becoming an overnight sensation. The advent of the jukebox fueled the Prohibition -era boom in underground illegal speakeasy bars, which needed music but could not afford a live band and needed precious space for paying customers. Webster Hall stayed open, with rumors circulating of Al Capone 's involvement and police bribery. From about 1900 to 1920, working class Americans would gather at honky tonks or juke joints to dance to music played on

8096-498: Was not a matter that should be heard by the council. Stuart was found dead on 2 January 1979 in his cell of Boggo Road Gaol after a six-day hunger strike . The cause of death was recorded as an acute heart infection, possibly the result of a virus. Although some believe he was murdered, his self mutilation practices and poor mental health explains his death. At the time it was reported that many police regarded him as Australia's most violent criminal. In 1986, Finch married Cheryl Cole,

8188-520: Was now confused and could not recall murdering anybody. He claimed he had been brainwashed." Finch was unaware he had been only charged for one murder and fourteen other charges were outstanding. Recently, Vincent O'Dempsey was charged with the murder of a woman and her two daughters. On 2 June 2017, following the conviction and sentencing of O'Dempsey and Garry DuBois for the McCulkin murders case, Queensland Attorney-General Yvette D'Ath announced that

8280-590: Was rampant. Its dance floor was decorated with an image of the " Man in the Moon " that included an animated cocaine spoon . Other 1970s discothèques in New York City were Manhattan's Starship Discovery One at 350 West 42nd Street , Roseland Ballroom , Xenon , The Loft , the Paradise Garage , a recently renovated Copacabana , and Aux Puces, one of the first gay disco bars. The album cover of Saturday Night Band's Come On and Dance, Dance featured two dancers in

8372-471: Was subsequently arrested at the suburban Jindalee shopping centre. In 1966, Finch had been sentenced to 14 years prison after being found guilty of malicious wounding with a firearm and carrying an unlicensed pistol. Finch had fired two shots during an altercation near a petrol station in Oxford Street, Paddington , Sydney , injuring two men. Finch gave Stuart the offending firearm post shooting and

8464-474: Was the drink of choice and that catered to a very young public – mostly made up of French and Italians working illegally, mostly in catering, to learn English, as well as au pair girls from most of western Europe. A well known venue was Les Enfants Terribles at 93 Dean St., in Soho , London. Initially opening as a coffee-bar, it was run by Betty Passes who claimed to be the inventor of disco after she pioneered

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