title: 2021 Taliban offensive

text: With the fall of Kabul, former Northern Alliance members and other anti-Taliban forces based in Panjshir, led by Ahmad Massoud and former Vice President Amrullah Saleh, became the primary organized resistance to the Taliban in Afghanistan. The Afghan embassy in Tajikistan replaced their presidential portrait of Ghani with one of Saleh, and submitted a request to Interpol to have arrest warrants issued for Ghani, along with his chief advisor Fazel Mahmood and National Security Advisor Hamdullah Mohib, on charges of having stolen from the Afghan treasury. On 1 September, talks broke down and fighting resumed as the Taliban attacked resistance positions. On 6 September, the Taliban took full control of the Panjshir province, with resistance fighters retreating to the mountains to continue fighting within the province.


title: 2021 Taliban offensive

text: , in addition to the opposition in the Panjshir, there are also districts in the centre of Afghanistan that are still in resistance against the Taliban, supported by ethnic and religious minorities.


title: 2021 Taliban offensive

text: On 17 August, a small protest was held by several women in Kabul demanding equal rights for women, the first reported women's protest against the new regime.


title: 2021 Taliban offensive

text: On 18 August, larger protests also attended by men emerged in three eastern Pashtun-dominated cities: Jalalabad, Khost, and Asadabad, with protestors waving the flag of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, and taking down the Taliban flag. In Jalalabad, the Taliban opened fire, killing three and wounding over a dozen. On 19 August, demonstrations spread to various parts of Kabul, including one large protest near Kabul Airport where cars and people waved the flag of the republic, and another with over 200 people gathered near the presidential palace in Kabul before it was violently dispersed by the Taliban. Protests continued in Khost and Asadabad as well, with the Taliban using violence to disperse protests in both. In Asadabad, protests were reported as swelling to the hundreds.


title: 2021 Taliban offensive

text: More than three weeks after the fall of Kabul, the new Taliban rulers announced the creation of a government cabinet for the new state named Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan. The cabinet is all male, and is heavily dominated by ethnic Pashtuns, with only three members being of other ethnicity. Hasan Akhund was named acting prime minister.


title: 2021 Taliban offensive

text: As of March 13, 2022, there is no other country that has officially recognized the Taliban's new state. However, Turkish foreign minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu has expressed the intention to internationally recognize the Islamic Emirate.


title: 2021 Taliban offensive

text: Some Afghan politicians closely associated with the US-backed Afghan government, including Gul Agha Sherzai, the former governor of Nangahar province, congratulated Taliban on their victory.


title: 2021 Taliban offensive

text: Iran's president, Ebrahim Raisi, said that the 'defeat' of United States in Afghanistan should offer an opportunity to “revive life, security and lasting peace” in Afghanistan. Raisi also said that Iran wanted good relations with Afghanistan and that Iran is closely monitoring the situation in Afghanistan.


title: 2021 Taliban offensive

text: Pakistan's National Security Committee (NSC) reiterated that Pakistan wants an inclusive form of political settlement in Afghanistan which represents all Afghan ethnic groups. The committee also reaffirmed that Pakistan would continue to work with the international community and all Afghan stakeholders to facilitate an inclusive political settlement in Afghanistan. The Pakistani foreign minister stated "concern over the deteriorating situation in Afghanistan" but said that Pakistan has no intention to close its embassy in Kabul. While launching Pakistan's Single National Curriculum, Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan contrasted Pakistan with Afghanistan: he argued that while Pakistan's education system imposed "mental slavery" on its students (by teaching them that foreign cultures were superior), the Afghans had recently broken the "shackles of slavery". His remarks were criticized (with critics pointing out that Khan himself was foreign educated) and Khan said his remarks were taken out of context. Pakistan Intelligence Agency's (ISI) chief Faiz Hameed visited Kabul and met with Taliban leadership as well as other Afghan leaders including former prime minister Gulbuddin Hekmatyar. The meeting was seen as an unconventional means of contact between the two countries in the absence of a government in Afghanistan. The visit was purportedly to get berths for the Haqqanis in the new Government, demonstrating their, "clout" over the Taliban. According to the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, the Inter-Services Intelligence Directorate shares an undeniable link with the Taliban, especially the Haqqani group.


title: 2021 Taliban offensive

text: United States president Joe Biden stated that he either had to stick to the deal his predecessor made with the Taliban and continue to pull out or send in more troops and risk their lives.


title: 2021 Taliban offensive

text: The Chinese state-run tabloid "Global Times" blamed the United States and its allies for what they called "the disaster in Afghanistan". The Communist Party's "People's Daily" flatteringly credited the Taliban's victory to its supposed adoption of Mao Zedong's "people's war" tactic: rallying the support of the rural population, while drawing the enemy deep into the countryside.


title: 2021 Taliban offensive

text: Russia's UN representative stated that it is time for national reconciliation, with law and order returning to the streets and of "the ending of many years of bloodshed". Russian President, Vladimir Putin said, "It's important not to allow terrorists to spill into neighbouring countries". Zamir Kabulov, President Putin's special envoy to Afghanistan, said the Taliban were easier to negotiate with than the old "puppet government" of exiled President Ashraf Ghani.


title: 2021 Taliban offensive

text: On 14 September, the European Parliament passed a resolution deploring the Taliban for taking over Afghanistan via force of arms, failure to uphold promises for an inclusive government, not respecting human rights and freedoms of the Afghan people, and for fighting the NRF.


title: 2021 Taliban offensive

text: According to a US defense official, the security vacuum left by the withdrawal of US military forces could create an opening for al-Qaeda and other terrorist groups to reorganize. The official added that, while the US would still maintain authority to strike al-Qaeda targets in Afghanistan, the lack of a robust US presence on the ground would hamper the ability to identify potential targets. The CENTCOM commander Kenneth F. McKenzie Jr. said that he has not seen anything that would make him believe the Taliban would stop al-Qaeda from using Afghanistan to strengthen and rebuild.


title: 2021 Taliban offensive

text: British Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said that the vacuum could give terrorist groups like al-Qaeda another chance for a safe haven.


title: 2021 Taliban offensive

text: On 8 August, the head of extremist monitoring group SITE, Rita Katz, said that the Taliban advance resembled the earlier days of the Syrian civil war amid al-Nusra Front's victories, "except now on a completely different scale, given the Taliban's horrifying momentum".


title: 2021 Taliban offensive

text: Kazakh political scientist Dosym Satpaev warned that a Taliban takeover could possibly pave a way for other fundamental Islamist forces in an attempt to form a merger state of Central Asia and Afghanistan.


title: 2021 Taliban offensive

text: After the Taliban seizure of Afghanistan, The Hindu claimed that many Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) cadres were released, the JeM and Taliban have held meetings and the JeM has been assured of all support in carrying out its terrorist activities in India. However, Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid, in an interview with India Today denied any meeting taking place between Taliban and JeM leadership. The spokesman also said that Taliban will not allow Afghanistan to be used against India or any other countries.


title: Unitarian Universalism

text: Unitarian Universalism (UU) is a liberal religion characterized by a "free and responsible search for truth and meaning". Unitarian Universalists assert no creed, but instead are unified by their shared search for spiritual growth, guided by a dynamic, "living tradition". Currently, these traditions are summarized by the Six Sources and Seven Principles of Unitarian Universalism, documents recognized by all congregations who choose to be a part of the Unitarian Universalist Association. These documents are "living", meaning always open for revisiting and reworking. Unitarian Universalist (U.U.) congregations include many atheists, agnostics, and theists and have churches, fellowships, congregations, and societies around the world. The roots of Unitarian Universalism are in protestant liberal Christianity, specifically unitarianism and universalism. Unitarian Universalists state that from these traditions comes a deep regard for intellectual freedom and inclusive love. Congregations and members seek inspiration and derive insight from all major world religions.


title: Unitarian Universalism

text: The beliefs of individual Unitarian Universalists range widely; they can include, but are not limited to: humanism, Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Sikhism, Buddhism, Taoism, syncretism, Omnism, Neopaganism, atheism, agnosticism, pantheism, panentheism, pandeism, deism, and teachings of the Baháʼí Faith.


title: Unitarian Universalism

text: The Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) was formed in 1961 through the consolidation of the American Unitarian Association, established in 1825, and the Universalist Church of America, established in 1793. The UUA is headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts and serves churches mostly in the United States. A group of thirty Philippine congregations is represented as a sole member within the UUA. The Canadian Unitarian Council (CUC) became an independent body in 2002. The UUA and CUC are two of the seventeen members of the International Council of Unitarians and Universalists.


title: Unitarian Universalism

text: Unitarian Universalism was formed from the consolidation in 1961 of two historically separate Christian denominations, the Universalist Church of America and the American Unitarian Association, both based in the United States; the new organization formed in this merger was the Unitarian Universalist Association. At the time of the North American consolidation, Unitarians and Universalists had expanded beyond their roots in liberal Christian theology. Today they draw from a variety of religious traditions. Individuals may or may not self-identify as Christians or subscribe to Christian beliefs. Unitarian Universalist congregations and fellowships tend to retain some Christian traditions, such as Sunday worship with a sermon and the singing of hymns. The extent to which the elements of any particular faith tradition are incorporated into personal spiritual practice is a matter of individual choice for congregants, in keeping with a creedless, non-dogmatic approach to spirituality and faith development.


title: Unitarian Universalism

text: New England Unitarians evolved from the Pilgrim Fathers' Congregational Christianity, which was originally based on a literal reading of the Holy Bible. Liberalizing Unitarians rejected the Trinitarian belief in the tri-personal godhead: Father, Son, and Holy Ghost/Spirit. Instead, they asserted a unitary notion of God. In addition, they rejected the doctrine of original sin, moving away from the Calvinism of the Congregationalists.


title: Unitarian Universalism

text: New England Universalists rejected the Puritan forefathers' emphasis on the select few, the Elect, who were supposed to be saved from eternal damnation by a just God. Instead Universalists asserted that all people will eventually be reconciled with God. Universalists rejected the hellfire and damnation of the evangelical preachers, who tried to revive the fundamentalist Christianity of the early Pilgrim fathers.


title: Unitarian Universalism

text: Universalists claim a long history, beginning with Origen and Gregory of Nyssa, though some modern scholars question whether either of these church fathers taught the defining doctrine of Universalism (universal salvation).


title: Unitarian Universalism

text: This core doctrine asserts that through Christ every single human soul shall be saved, leading to the "restitution of all things" (apocatastasis). In 1793, Universalism emerged as a particular denomination of Christianity in the United States, eventually called the Universalist Church of America. Early American advocates of universal salvation such as Elhanan Winchester, Hosea Ballou and John Murray taught that all souls would achieve salvation, sometimes after a period resembling purgatory. Christian universalism denies the doctrine of everlasting damnation, and proclaims belief in an entirely loving God who will ultimately redeem all human beings.


title: Unitarian Universalism

text: Historically, various forms of Nontrinitarianism have appeared within Christianity. The term may refer to any belief about the nature of Jesus Christ that affirms God as a singular entity and rejects the doctrine of the Trinity, as affirmed by the mainstream Christianity: a consensus of Christian bishops at the First Council of Nicaea in 325. Nontrinitarianism was especially prevalent during the theological turmoils of the Protestant Reformation. A Spanish physician, Michael Servetus, studied the Bible and concluded that the concept of the Trinity, as traditionally conceived, was not biblical. His books "On the Errors of the Trinity" and "Christianismi Restitutio" caused much uproar. Servetus was eventually arrested, convicted of heresy, and burned at the stake in Geneva in 1553.


title: Unitarian Universalism

text: The term "Unitarian" entered the English language via Henry Hedworth, who applied it to the teachings of Laelio Sozzini and the Polish Socinians. Unitarian churches were formally established in Transylvania and Poland (by the Socinians) in the second half of the 16th century. There, the first doctrines of religious freedom in Europe were established (in the course of several diets between 1557 and 1568, see Edict of Torda) under the jurisdiction of John Sigismund, King of Hungary and Prince of Transylvania, the only Unitarian monarch. The early Unitarian church not only rejected the Trinity, but also the pre-existence of Christ as well as, in many cases, predestination and original sin as put forward by Augustine of Hippo, and the substitutionary atonement of Christ developed by Anselm of Canterbury and John Calvin. There were several different forms of Christology in the beginnings of the Unitarian movement; ultimately, the dominant Christology became psilanthropism: that Jesus was a man, but one with a unique relationship to God.


title: Unitarian Universalism

text: Influenced by the teachings of the Polish Socinians, Samuel Clarke (1675–1729) revised the "Book of Common Prayer", removing the Trinitarian Nicene Creed and references to Jesus as God. Theophilus Lindsey also revised the "Book of Common Prayer" to allow a more tolerant, free Unitarian interpretation. Neither cleric was charged under the Blasphemy Act 1697 that made it an "offense for any person, educated in or having made profession of the Christian religion, by writing, preaching, teaching or advised speaking, to deny the Holy Trinity". The Act of Toleration (1689) gave relief to English Dissenters, but excluded Unitarians. The efforts of Clarke and Lindsey met with substantial criticism from the more conservative clergy and laity of the Church of England. In response, in 1774, Lindsey applied for registration of the Essex House as a "Dissenting place of worship" with the assistance of barrister John Lee. On the Sunday following the registration—April 17, 1774—the first true Unitarian congregation discreetly convened in the provisional Essex Street Chapel. In attendance were Lee, Joseph Priestley and the agent of the Massachusetts Colony, Benjamin Franklin. Priestley also founded a reform congregation, but, after his home was burned down in the Priestley Riots, fled with his wife to America, where he became a leading figure in the founding of the church on American soil.


title: Unitarian Universalism

text: Once laity and clergy relaxed their vehement opposition to the Doctrine of the Trinity Act 1813, which finally allowed for protections of dissenting religions, the British and Foreign Unitarian Association was founded in 1825. It has its headquarters in Essex Hall, successor to Lindsey's Essex House. Two that have been significant in national life are the Cross Street Chapel in Manchester and, Newington Green Unitarian Church in north London. Unitarian congregations in Britain today meet under the auspices of the General Assembly of Unitarian and Free Christian Churches. There are 170 communities of Unitarians across Britain. The Chief Officer of the British Unitarians was Liz Slade as of 2020.


title: Unitarian Universalism

text: In the United States, the Unitarian movement began primarily in the Congregational parish churches of New England, which were part of the state church of Massachusetts. These churches, whose buildings may still be seen today in many New England town squares, trace their roots to the division of the Puritan colonies into parishes for the administration of their religious needs. In the late 18th century, conflict grew within some of these churches between Unitarian and Trinitarian factions. In 1805, Unitarians gained key faculty positions at Harvard. In 1819 William Ellery Channing preached the ordination sermon for Jared Sparks in Baltimore, outlining the Unitarian position. The American Unitarian Association was founded as a separate denomination in 1825.


title: Unitarian Universalism

text: By coincidence and unknown to both parties, the AUA was formed on the same day—May 26, 1825—as the British and Foreign Unitarian Association.


title: Unitarian Universalism

text: In the 19th century, under the influence of Ralph Waldo Emerson (who had been a Unitarian minister) and other transcendentalists, Unitarianism began its long journey from liberal Protestantism to its present more pluralist form.


title: Unitarian Universalism

text: After the schism in the Congregational Churches resulting in the foundation (1825) of the American Unitarian Association, some of those churches remained within the Congregational fold and became member congregations of the Congregational organization (later the United Church of Christ), while others voted to become Unitarian. Some of the latter eventually became part of the Unitarian Universalist Association (formed in 1961) during a consolidation of the Unitarian and Universalist churches. Universalist churches in contrast followed a different path, having begun as independent congregations beyond the bounds of the established Puritan churches entirely. Today, the UUA and the United Church of Christ cooperate jointly on social justice initiatives such as the Sexuality Education Advocacy Training project.


title: Unitarian Universalism

text: In 1961 the American Unitarian Association (AUA) was consolidated with the Universalist Church of America (UCA), thus forming the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA). In the same year, the Canadian Unitarian Council (CUC) formed. The Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) was given corporate status in May 1961 under special acts of legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and the State of New York.


title: Unitarian Universalism

text: In 1998 the Canadian Unitarian Council and Unitarian Universalist Association dissolved their financial accord, although they continue to cooperate. The CUC had come into being at Meadville Lombard Theological School in 1961. However the continual decline of denominational churches and the almost complete failure of the Universalist movement in Canada had caused the formation of the Council to prompt a plan to merge with the UUA. Opposition to Liberal religious freedom relaxed, so that by 2002 it was agreed to increase autonomy and funding. The amalgamation proved troublesome for the Canadians, in a small minority, and largely ignored with only 45 congregations and 5,200 members – the Americans were insensitive to cultural differences.


title: Unitarian Universalism

text: Unitarian Universalism is a religion marked by freedom, reason, and acceptance. As such, Unitarian Universalists practice a non-creedal religion that does not require one to believe in any particular belief or doctrine. Rather than sharing common beliefs, Unitarian Universalists are united by a common history, the affirmation of each person's individual spiritual quest, and a covenant to uphold the community's shared spiritual values. As such, Unitarian Universalists vary greatly in their beliefs, and Unitarian Universalist congregations are often defined by a plurality of beliefs.


title: Unitarian Universalism

text: Unitarian Universalists are encouraged to engage in their own unique spiritual journey and to follow their conscience in what beliefs to hold. Unitarian Universalism is seen as compatible with other spiritual paths, and individual Unitarian Universalists are encouraged to engage in their own spiritual journey, whatever the path. Unitarian Universalists are not required to renounce previous faith traditions to join a Unitarian Universalist congregation. As a result, individual practitioners may simultaneously identify as Unitarian Universalists, as well as other faith traditions.


title: Unitarian Universalism

text: Although Unitarian Universalism draws its roots from Christian sources, contemporary Unitarian Universalists in North America view their religion as multifaith and drawing on a variety of sources, both religious and secular. Unitarian Universalism encourages its members to draw on the world's religions as well as the words and deeds of prophetic people as inspiration for their spiritual journeys. Although members are cautioned to be aware of possible cultural appropriation of traditions that do not belong to them, Unitarian Universalists are encouraged to find wisdom in a diverse spectrum of religions, customs, and cultures from around the world.


title: Unitarian Universalism

text: Part of the covenant among Unitarian Universalist congregations in North America is a list of six sources that contemporary Unitarian Universalism draws from. Although the list, first adopted in 1984 and revised in 1995 and 2018, is not meant to be exhaustive, it lists some major influences on modern Unitarian Universalist practice, including:


title: Unitarian Universalism

text: Although the predecessors of Unitarian Universalism, Unitarianism and Universalism, find their origin in unorthodox beliefs about the nature of the Christian God, modern Unitarian Universalists hold a variety of views about the nature and existence of deity. Most Unitarian Universalist congregations take no formal stance on whether or not a god or gods exist but leave it up to individual members to decide for themselves what they believe. Unitarian Universalists may be atheists, agnostics, and theists. Among those Unitarian Universalists who use language of divinity, both monotheism and polytheism are common, and Unitarian Universalists hold a variety of beliefs about the nature of the divine.


title: Unitarian Universalism

text: The diversity of beliefs about divinity in Unitarian Universalism can be accounted for because of the influence of religious humanism on the movement in the late nineteenth century. Although Unitarian Universalists believe that anyone can be a Humanist, regardless of their position on the use of language of divinity, the rise of religious humanism within Unitarian Universalism enable members to be able to further question the existence and nature of the divine through its encouragement towards reason.


title: Unitarian Universalism

text: Today, the majority of Unitarian Universalists in North America identify as Humanist. Although Humanism is seen as an evolving philosophy where the limits of science and reason are recognized, its tenets continue to play a large role in the thought of Unitarian Universalist congregations. Unitarian Universalist Humanists hold that the naturalism of their Humanism encourages individuals to recognize the awe, beauty, and wonder of the nature world and recognize the interdependence between humans and other beings.


title: Unitarian Universalism

text: In the absence of shared beliefs, Unitarian Universalists often often see their religion as a covenantal (as opposed to a creedal), one. Unitarian Universalists see covenants as the promises that bind congregations, communities, and individuals together in community. In Unitarian Universalism, covenants are mutual promises among individuals and communities about how they will behave and engage with each other. Covenants help create trust and care among Unitarian Universalists and in their congregations.


title: Unitarian Universalism

text: Rather than creating things people have to do, covenants in Unitarian Universalist communities create freedom by helping members know what to expect from each other. In the words of Unitarian Universalist minister Alice Blair Wesley:


title: Unitarian Universalism

text: The use of covenants in Unitarian Universalist community dates back to 1646 and the creation of the Cambridge Platform by the Congregational churches of colonial New England, some of whom would later become Unitarians, predecessors of modern Unitarian Universalists. The Platform was the first formal declaration of the principles of church order and governance in colonial North America. Today, many Unitarian Universalist congregations create their own covenants, often called covenants of right relations, to formally layout the principles of their congregations.


title: Unitarian Universalism

text: In the United States, members of the Unitarian Universalist Association covenant together via the seven Principles and Purposes, a part of article II of the Unitarian Universalist Association's bylaws. These Principles and Purposes are statements of shared values that Unitarian Universalist congregations agree to uphold:


title: Unitarian Universalism

text: These principles, first adopted in 1960 and later revised in 1984 and 1985, proved so popular that many Unitarian Universalists see them as a wisdom source in and of themselves and a guide for participation in Unitarian Universalist congregations.


title: Unitarian Universalism

text: In Canada, members of the Canadian Unitarian Council affirm these seven principles but, along with many individual congregations in the United States, adopted an eighth principle: "Journeying toward spiritual wholeness by working to build a diverse multicultural Beloved Community by our actions that accountably dismantle racism and other oppressions in ourselves and our institutions." In the Philippines, where Unitarian Universalism is much more theistically oriented, member congregations of the Unitarian Universalist Church of the Philippines affirm the seven principles of their North American counterparts in addition to their own first principle, "There is God. God is love."


title: Unitarian Universalism

text: Unitarian Universalism believes that actions taken to make the world a better place are more important than what a person actually believes, as espoused by a common slogan in Unitarian Universalist congregations, "Deeds, not creeds." They hold that belief divorced from action does not change the world, and that good intentions often leads to a worse situation in the long term. Unitarian Universalist thinkers have long recognized the need to bring belief and action together, and encourage their members to go into the larger world and improve it.


title: Unitarian Universalism

text: Because of this importance of action, Unitarian Universalists have long been involved in social, economic, and environmental justice movements, both through organizations created by Unitarian Universalists and through local, regional, national, and international grassroots organizing. Many Unitarian Universalists see this work as inseparable from their Unitarian Universalist faith, and see their participation in justice movements as a deeply important part of their religious faith.


title: Unitarian Universalism

text: Historically, Unitarian Univeralist's predecessor denominations, Unitarianism and Universalism saw members involved in abolitionism, women's suffrage, pacifism, temperance, and prison reform. Today, Unitarian Universalists are deeply involved in causes such as racial justice and the Black Lives Matter movement, LGBT movements, feminism and women's rights, immigration justice, reproductive rights, climate justice, and economic inequality.


title: Unitarian Universalism

text: The Unitarian belief that reason, and not creed, defines the search for truth, and the Universalist belief that God embraces all people equally has led to the current Unitarian Universalist belief that truth and spiritual meaning can be found in all faiths. This is reflected in the wide array of spiritual practices found among Unitarian Universalists today. Many Unitarian Universalist congregations include Buddhist-style meditation groups, Jewish Seder, Yom Kippur and Passover dinners, "iftaar" meals (marking the breaking of Ramadan fast for Muslims), and Christmas Eve/Winter Solstice services. Children's and youth's religious education classes teach about the divinity of the world and the sanctity of world religions. One of its more popular curricula, Neighboring Faiths (formerly Church Across the Street), takes middle and high school participants to visit the places of worship of many faith traditions including a Hindu temple, a Reform or Orthodox synagogue, and a Catholic church.


title: Unitarian Universalism

text: There is great variety among Unitarian Universalist congregations, with some favoring particular religious beliefs or forms of worship over others, with many more home to an eclectic mix of beliefs. Regardless of their orientation, most congregations are fairly open to differing beliefs, though not always with various faith traditions represented to the same degree.


title: Unitarian Universalism

text: There is a wide variety in how congregations conceive of themselves, calling themselves "churches", "societies", "fellowships", "congregations", or eschew the use of any particular descriptor (e.g. "Unitarian Universalists of San Mateo"). Many use the name "Unitarian Universalist", (and a few "Universalist Unitarian"), having gradually adopted this formulation since consolidation in 1961. Others use names that reflect their historic roots by keeping the historical designation "Unitarian" or "Universalist" (e.g. "First Unitarian Church"). A few congregations use neither (e.g. Unity Temple). For some congregations, the name can be a clue to their theological orientation. For others, avoidance of the word "church" indicates a desire to distance itself from traditional Christian theology. Sometimes the use of another term may simply indicate a congregation's lay-led or relatively new status. However, some Unitarian Universalist congregations have grown to appreciate alternative terms such as "fellowship" and retained them even though they have grown much larger or lost features sometimes associated with their use (such as, in the case of fellowships, a traditionally lay-led worship model).


title: Unitarian Universalism

text: Also of note is that there are many more people who identify as Unitarian Universalist on surveys than those who attend Unitarian Universalist congregations (by a factor of four in a recent survey), reflecting those who have never joined (and lapsed members) but nonetheless consider themselves part of the Unitarian Universalist movement.


title: Unitarian Universalism

text: In 2004, "UU World" magazine asked for contributions of "elevator speeches" explaining Unitarian Universalism. These are short speeches that could be made in the course of an elevator ride to those who knew nothing of the religion. Here are examples of the speeches submitted:


title: Unitarian Universalism

text: As in theology, Unitarian Universalist worship and ritual are often a combination of elements derived from other faith traditions alongside original practices and symbols. In form, church services might be difficult to distinguish from those of a Protestant church, but they vary widely among congregations.


title: Unitarian Universalism

text: The most common symbol of Unitarian Universalism is the flaming chalice, often framed by two overlapping rings that many interpret as representing Unitarianism and Universalism (the symbol has no official interpretation). The chalice itself has long been a symbol of liberal religion, and indeed liberal Christianity (the Disciples of Christ also use a chalice as their denomination symbol). The flaming chalice was initially the logo of the Unitarian Service Committee during the Second World War. It was created by Austrian artist Hans Deutsch. The holy oil burning in it is a symbol of helpfulness and sacrifice.


title: Unitarian Universalism

text: Nevertheless, other interpretations have been suggested, such as the chalice used by the followers of Czech Jan Hus, which was supposedly reverential of Eastern Orthodox traditions; although Hus's early National Church was intrinsically an evangelical Protestant. In some agnostic historiographies the flaming chalice displayed a vague resemblance to a cross in some stylized representations, relying on the sepulchral traditions of the Hospitallers. Many Unitarian Universalist congregations light a chalice at the beginning of worship services. Other symbols include an off-center cross within a circle (a Universalist symbol associated with the Humiliati movement in the 1950s, a group of reformist, liturgically minded clergy seeking to revive Universalism).


title: Unitarian Universalism

text: Religious services are usually held on Sundays and most closely resemble the form and format of Protestant worship in the Reformed tradition. Services at a vast majority of congregations follow a structure that focuses on a sermon or presentation by a minister, a lay leader of the congregation, or an invited speaker. Sermons may cover a wide range of topics. Since Unitarian Universalists do not recognize a particular text or set of texts as primary or inherently superior, inspiration can be found in many different religious or cultural texts as well as the personal experiences of the minister.


title: Unitarian Universalism

text: The service also includes hymn-singing, accompanied by organ, piano, or other available instruments, and possibly led by a song leader or choir. The most recent worship songbook published by the denomination, "Singing the Journey" contains 75 songs and is a supplement to the older "Singing the Living Tradition" which contains readings as well. Hymns typically sung in Unitarian Universalist services come from a variety of sources—traditional hymn tunes with new or adapted lyrics, spirituals, folk songs from various cultures, or original compositions by Unitarian Universalist musicians are just a few. Instrumental music is also a common feature of the typical worship service, including preludes, offertory music, postludes, or music for contemplation.


title: Unitarian Universalism

text: Pastoral elements of the service may include a time for sharing Joys and Sorrows/Concerns, where individuals in the congregation are invited to light a candle or say a few words about important events in their personal lives. Many also include a time of meditation or prayer, led by the minister or service leader, both spoken and silent. Responsive readings and stories for children are also typical. Many congregations also allow for a time at the end of the service, called "talk back", where members of the congregation can respond to the sermon with their own insights and questions, or even disagree with the viewpoint expressed by the minister or invited speaker.


title: Unitarian Universalism

text: Many Unitarian Universalist congregations no longer observe the Christian symbols of baptism, communion, or confirmation, at least in their traditional forms or under their traditional names. Congregations that continue these practices under their more traditional names are often federated churches or members of the Council of Christian Churches within the Unitarian Universalist Association (CCCUUA), or may have active chapters associated with the Unitarian Universalist Christian Fellowship or similar covenant groups. "Child dedications" often replace more traditional infant baptisms (such "dedications" are sometimes practiced even in "orthodox" Christian communities that do not baptize infants for theological reasons). Annual celebrations of Water Communion and Flower Communion may replace or supplement Christian-style communion (though many pluralist and Christian-oriented congregations may celebrate or otherwise make provisions for communion on Christian holy days). Confirmation may be replaced by a "Coming of Age" program, in which teenagers explore their individual religious identity, often developing their own credo. After they have completed exploring their spiritual beliefs, they write a speech about it which they then personally deliver to the congregation.


title: Unitarian Universalism

text: In the 19th century, Unitarians and Universalists were active in abolitionism, the women's movement, the temperance movement, and other social reform movements. The


title: Unitarian Universalism

text: second women's rights convention was held at the First Unitarian Church of Rochester, New York. Additionally, four Presidents of the United States were Unitarians: John Adams, John Quincy Adams, Millard Fillmore, and William Howard Taft.


title: Unitarian Universalism

text: Historically, Unitarian Universalists have often been active in political causes, notably the civil rights movement, the LGBT rights movement, the social justice movement, and the feminist movement.


title: Unitarian Universalism

text: Susan B. Anthony, a Unitarian and Quaker, was extremely influential in the women's suffrage movement. Unitarian Universalists and Quakers still share many principles. It is therefore common to see Unitarian Universalists and Quakers working together.


title: Unitarian Universalism

text: Unitarian Universalists were and are still very involved in the fight to end racism in the United States. John Haynes Holmes, a Unitarian minister and social activist at The Community Church of New York—Unitarian Universalist was among the founders of both the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) in 1909 and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), chairing the latter for a time. James J. Reeb, a minister at All Souls Church, Unitarian, in Washington, D.C. and a member of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, was clubbed in Selma, Alabama on March 8, 1965, and died two days later of massive head trauma. Two weeks after his death, Viola Liuzzo, a Unitarian Universalist civil rights activist, was murdered by white supremacists after her participation in the protest march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama. The Selma to Montgomery marches for voting rights are best known for Bloody Sunday, which refers to March 7, 1965, the most violent of the three marches.


title: Unitarian Universalism

text: The past head of the Unitarian Universalist Association 2001–2009, William G. Sinkford, is African-American, making Unitarian Universalism one of the first traditionally white denominations to be headed by a member of a racial minority.


title: Unitarian Universalism

text: While political liberals make up a clear majority of Unitarian Universalists, the movement aspires to diversity, and officially welcomes congregants regardless of their political views. Politically conservative Unitarian Universalists point out that neither theological liberalism nor the Principles and Purposes of the UUA require liberal politics. Like the beliefs of Unitarian Universalists, politics are decided by individuals, not by congregations or the denomination.


title: Unitarian Universalism

text: Several congregations have undertaken a series of organizational, procedural and practical steps to become acknowledged as a "Welcoming Congregation": a congregation which has taken specific steps to welcome and integrate gay, lesbian, bisexual & transgender (LGBT) members. Unitarian Universalist ministers perform same-sex unions and now same-sex marriages where legal (and sometimes when not, as a form of civil protest). On June 29, 1984, the Unitarian Universalists became the first major church "to approve religious blessings on homosexual unions." Unitarian Universalists have been in the forefront of the work to make same-sex marriages legal in their local states and provinces, as well as on the national level. Gay men, bisexuals, and lesbians are also regularly ordained as ministers, and a number of gay, bisexual, and lesbian ministers have, themselves, now become legally married to their partners. In May 2004, Arlington Street Church, in Boston, Massachusetts, was the site of the first state-sanctioned same-sex marriage in the United States. The official stance of the UUA is for the legalization of same-sex marriage—"Siding with Love". In 2004 UU minister Debra Haffner of The Religious Institute on Sexual Morality, Justice, and Healing published "An Open Letter on Religious Leaders on Marriage Equality" to affirm same-sex marriage from a multi-faith perspective. In December 2009, Washington, D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty signed the bill to legalize same-sex marriage for the District of Columbia in All Souls Church, Unitarian (Washington, D.C.)


title: Unitarian Universalism

text: Unitarian Universalists for Polyamory Awareness engages Unitarian Universalist ministers and other leaders to educate them on polyamory. At the 2015 UUA General Assembly, the Association's non-discrimination rule was amended to include the category of "family and relationship structures"; the UUA has yet to take specific follow-up action on this, however.


title: Unitarian Universalism

text: Many congregations are heavily involved in projects and efforts aimed at supporting environmental causes and sustainability. These are often termed "seventh principle" activities because of the seventh principle quoted above.


title: Unitarian Universalism

text: The lack of formal creed has been a cause for criticism among some who argue that Unitarian Universalism is thus without religious content. In May 2004, Texas Comptroller Carole Keeton Strayhorn ruled that Unitarian Universalism was not a "religion" because it "does not have one system of belief", and stripped the Red River Unitarian Universalist Church in Denison, Texas, of its tax-exempt status. However, within weeks, Strayhorn reversed her decision.


title: Unitarian Universalism

text: There are separate movements and organizations who hold to classical Unitarian or Christian universalist Christian theology and neither belong to the Unitarian Universalist Association nor consider themselves Unitarian Universalists. The American Unitarian Conference and the Christian Universalist Association are the two most significant organizations representing these theological beliefs today. Christians who hold these beliefs tend to consider themselves the true Unitarians or Universalists and heirs of the theological legacy of the original American Unitarian Association or Universalist Church of America, and they do not wish to be confused with Unitarian Universalists. The Unity Church is another denomination that is often confused with Unitarian Universalism.


title: Unitarian Universalism

text: In 1992, the UUA published statements opposing the BSA's policies of discriminating against homosexuals, atheists, and agnostics; and in 1993, the UUA updated the curriculum guidance of its "Religion in Life" emblems program for young people in scouting to include criticism of the BSA policies. On account of the published criticism, in 1998 the BSA withdrew its recognition of UUA's Religion in Life emblem program. Subsequently, the UUA removed the objectionable material from the program curriculum and the BSA renewed recognition of the Religion in Life program. Later, the UUA issued internal, supplemental material to emblems-program workbooks that included general statements critical of discrimination on bases of sexual orientation or personal religious viewpoint. When the BSA learned of those (internal) statements it again withdrew recognition of the UUA Religion in Life emblems program.


title: Unitarian Universalism

text: In 2004, the Unitarian Universalist Scouters Organization (UUSO), a group not affiliated with the UUA, established their "Living Your Religion" emblems program for UU-BSA scouts. Without the knowledge or approval of the UUA, the program was approved by the BSA Religious Relationships committee in 2005. Upon being noticed of the UUSO program the UUA issued a statement (March 16, 2005) clarifying that UUSO was not an affiliate organization of the UUA and asserting that, contrary to reports otherwise, UU congregations were still awarding the UUA Religion in Life emblem to their youth members in BSA Scouts—which emblems then were worn on the Scouts' uniforms without complaint from the BSA. Further, the statement made clear that the UUA still maintained its criticism of both the BSA’s ongoing discrimination against gay Scouts and gay Scout leaders and the BSA requirement of a religious litmus test for membership.


title: Unitarian Universalism

text: Later events made these issues moot: In 2013, BSA opened its membership to gay youth, followed by opening membership to gay adults in 2015, which policy changes resolved the main UUA objection to supporting BSA. The UUSO dissolved in 2015 and by 2016, via a memorandum of understanding, the UUA religious emblems program was again formally recognized by BSA.


title: Unitarian Universalism

text: During the presidency of William Sinkford, debate roiled the Unitarian Universalist (U.U.) movement over his call to return to, or to re-create, an authentic Unitarian Universalist "language of reverence." Sinkford suggested that as Unitarian Universalists abandoned traditional religious language they would relinquish, to others, religion's words of power. These other religionists would proceed to dictate their meanings of religious words and language, including scripture, in the public sphere. He advocated that Unitarian Universalists should regain their proper seat at the interfaith table by making this language their own. In response, others saw his idea as an effort to return Unitarian Universalist congregations to more orthodox Christian worship patterns. Indeed, some were concerned that it might be a call to oppose the growing influence among UUs of humanism and atheism, the adherents of which would be made unwelcome within the community. Sinkford denied such motives, citing the words of Unitarian Universalist humanists as examples of what he meant by "language of reverence".


title: Unitarian Universalism

text: The growth of humanism among Unitarian Universalists stemmed in part from the congregational commitment to reach a universal audience while educating U.U. folk in biblical literacy, many of whom were born into families that eschewed or minimized religious or moral catechisms. (In addition to humanists, these people comprehend atheists and theists, agnostics, skeptics and seekers, non-member affiliates, the religion-alienated and others among the larger UU congregation.)


title: Unitarian Universalism

text: The debate saw the publication of a book by the UUA Beacon Press, written by former UUA President John Buehrens and titled "Understanding the Bible: An Introduction for skeptics, seekers, and religious liberals". Meant to serve as a kind of handbook to be read alongside the Bible, it provides interpretative strategies from a liberal religious perspective for the reader to engage in conversation about the Bible—what it says and what it means today. Positive engagement is intended rather than to relinquish all public conversation to others over interpretation of the Bible. Another important work by Buehrens, with Forrest Church, is "A Chosen Faith: An Introduction to Unitarian Universalism", in which the authors present the many sources of the Unitarian Universalist faith.


title: Unitarian Universalism

text: The "borrowing" of religious rituals from other faith traditions by Unitarian Universalists was discussed at the Unitarian Universalist General Assembly in 2001 during a seminar titled "Cultural Appropriation: Reckless Borrowing or Appropriate Cultural Sharing" by the Religious Education Dept, UUA. Of particular discussion was the borrowing rituals and practices that are sacred to specific tribes or using spiritual practices without real context.


title: Unitarian Universalism

text: Internal controversy over the hiring of the UUA's Southern Region Lead (a white man from outside the region over a Latina woman from within the region) led to resignations and apologies in 2017. UUA President Peter Morales, the denomination's first Latino president, resigned amid criticism of his failure to address the diversity controversies. The three co-presidents who took over commissioned a "racism audit" to address white supremacy within the denomination. In April 2018, "The Washington Post" reported that the UUA "in the past year has been asked to help resolve 15 congregational conflicts involving religious professionals of color".


title: Unitarian Universalism

text: As of December 2020, the UUA had 1,048 Unitarian Universalist member congregations in the United States and 1,043 Unitarian Universalist member congregations when including two congregations in the U.S. Virgin Islands, 19 in Canada, six in other countries, plus 28 multi-denominational member congregations: 17 in MA, four in IL, three in NH, two in VT, and one each in ME and D.C. Seven of the ten US states with the most congregations are also among the most populous states; the state with the most congregations and members is Massachusetts; Vermont is No. 1 relative to its total population. A map using 2010 U.S. Census data showing the relative number of congregations per 1 million people is posted here. And as of September 2014 there are 46 Unitarian Universalist congregations and emerging groups in Canada affiliated with the CUC. In 2015, there were 156,620 adult congregational members and 47,623 children enrolled in religious education programs.


title: Unitarian Universalism

text: In 1956, Sam Wells wrote, "Unitarians and Universalists are considering merger which would have total U.S. membership of 160,000 (800,000 in the world)". In 1965 Conkin wrote, "In 1961, at the time of the merger, membership [in the United States] was 104,821 in 651 congregations, and the joint membership soared to its historically highest level in the mid-1960s (an estimated 250,000) before falling sharply back in the 1970s ...". According to the 2008 "Yearbook of American & Canadian Churches", the Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations claimed 214,738 members in 2002.


title: Unitarian Universalism

text: In the United States, the American Religious Identification Survey reported 629,000 members describing themselves as Unitarian Universalist in 2001, an increase from 502,000 reported in a similar survey in 1990. The highest concentrations are in New England and around Seattle, Washington.


title: Unitarian Universalism

text: The U.S. Religious Landscape Survey, conducted in 2007 by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life and featuring a sample size of over 35,000, puts the proportion of American adults identifying as Unitarian Universalist at 0.3%.


title: Unitarian Universalism

text: The 2001 Canadian census done by Statistics Canada put Canadian Unitarians at 17,480, and the September 2007 membership statistics from the CUC show they had at that time 5,150 official members. In 2015, the CUC reported 3,804 members.


title: Unitarian Universalism

text: Currently (as of 2020) Unitarian Universalism has over 800,000 members, 1048 churches and is in 31 countries across the world.


title: Somebody That I Used to Know

text: "Somebody That I Used to Know" is a song by Belgian-Australian singer-songwriter Gotye, featuring New Zealand singer Kimbra. The song was released in Australia and New Zealand by on 5 July 2011 as the second single from Gotye's third studio album, "Making Mirrors" (2011). It was later released by Universal Music in December 2011 in the United Kingdom, and 20 January 2012 in the United States and Ireland. "Somebody That I Used to Know" was written and recorded by Gotye at his parents' house on the Mornington Peninsula in Victoria, Australia, and is lyrically related to the experiences he has had with relationships.


title: Somebody That I Used to Know

text: "Somebody That I Used to Know" is a mid-tempo ballad. It samples Luiz Bonfá's instrumental "Seville" from his 1967 album "Luiz Bonfa Plays Great Songs". The song received a positive reception from critics, who noted the similarities between the song and works by Sting, Peter Gabriel, and American folk band Bon Iver. In Australia, the song won the Triple J Hottest 100 poll at the end of 2011, as well as ARIA Awards for song of the year and best video, while Kimbra was voted best female artist and Gotye was named best male artist and producer of the year. The song came ninth in the Triple J Hottest 100 of the Past 20 Years, 2013. In 2013, the song won two Grammy Awards for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance and Record of the Year.


title: Somebody That I Used to Know

text: Commercially, "Somebody That I Used to Know" was a global success and became both artists' signature song. It reached atop of the charts in the US, UK, Australia and New Zealand, as well as 25 other official charts, and reached the top 10 in more than 30 countries around the world. It was the most commercially successful song of 2011 in Flanders (Belgium), the most successful song of 2012 in Wallonia (Belgium), Canada, Israel, the UK, and the US, and the most successful song of the 2010s decade by an Australian artist in Australia. It is certified Multiplatinum in ten countries, including Diamond in Australia. The song has sold more than 13 million copies worldwide, becoming one of the best-selling digital singles of all time. In addition to the Hot 100, it was also placed at the top of "Billboard"'s year-end Adult Pop Songs and Alternative Songs charts and many other charts around the world.


title: Somebody That I Used to Know

text: "Somebody That I Used to Know" has been performed several times on major US TV shows such as "The Voice", "American Idol", and "Saturday Night Live". It was covered by Canadian indie rock group Walk Off the Earth using a single guitar played simultaneously by all five band members and by actors Darren Criss and Matt Bomer in the "Glee" episode "Big Brother". The hit song's accompanying music video was directed by Australian artist Natasha Pincus. The video, which has received over 2 billion views on YouTube as of November 2022, premiered on 5 July 2011. It shows Gotye and Kimbra naked against a white backdrop. While they sing, a pattern of paint gradually covers their skin and the backdrop via stop motion animation.


title: Somebody That I Used to Know

text: "Somebody That I Used to Know" is a mid-tempo art pop song and has a length of four minutes and five seconds. Gotye uses a sample of Brazilian jazz guitarist Luiz Bonfá's 1967 instrumental song "Seville", with additional instrumentations of beats and a xylophone playing a melody based on Baa, Baa, Black Sheep. It was written and produced by Gotye himself, while in his parents' barn on the Mornington Peninsula, Victoria. Gotye commented that he wrote the song "in quite a linear way", explaining that "I wrote the first verse, the second verse, and I'd got to the end of the first chorus and for the first time ever I thought, 'There's no interesting way to add to this guy's story'. It felt weak."


title: Somebody That I Used to Know

text: The track was recorded between January and May 2011 with Gotye struggling to find a suitable female vocalist, as a "'high profile' female vocalist" cancelled the collaboration at the last minute, and Kimbra "lucked out as the replacement". He tested his girlfriend, Tash Parker, but "somehow their happiness meant that it didn't work out" so he followed the recommendation of the song's mixer and used Kimbra's vocals. Martin Davies from Click Music considered the song "instantly captivating", and named Kimbra's voice "clean and sugar-soaked", further commenting that it bears an "uncanny resemblance" to singer Katy Perry.


title: Somebody That I Used to Know

text: Gotye stated that the song was "definitely drawn from various experiences I've had in relationships breaking up, and in the parts of the more reflective parts of the song, in the aftermath and the memory of those different relationships and what they were and how they broke up and what's going on in everyone's minds. Yeah, so it's an amalgam of different feelings but not completely made up as such". In an interview with "Rolling Stone" (Australia), he described the song as "a curated reflection of multiple past relationships".


title: Somebody That I Used to Know

text: The song received generally positive reviews, winning the Grammy for Record of the Year. Take 40 Australia elaborated on the audience's reception at the July 2011 Splendour in the Grass festival, "Gotye's latest song featuring Kimbra 'Somebody That I Used To Know' had become somewhat of an unofficial anthem for the festival ... every car was cranking it over their speakers all day, every day ... and the question on everyone's lips was whether or not Kimbra would join him on the track. Fortunately, dreams came true ... he smashed out an incredible set climaxing with a version of the song with Kimbra on co-lead vocals that people couldn't stop talking about all weekend long". Allmusic's Jon O'Brien felt the track was an "unexpected chart-topper ... [it] is an oddball break-up song whose stuttering rhythms, reggae hooks, and hushed vocals sound like The Police as remixed by The xx".


title: Somebody That I Used to Know

text: Writing for Digital Spy, Lewis Corner rated the song four stars out of five and described it as "a Bon Iver-styled ballad for the music-buying masses". Martin Davies from Click Music gave the song five stars out of five and stated that the song is "that rare example of a track that hits you squarely between the eyes".


title: Somebody That I Used to Know

text: In November 2011, music blog This Must Be Pop predicted the song as a post-Christmas UK hit. John Watson, who co-manages Gotye with Danny Rogers, said of the single's success: "We've never seen any song make a deeper or more immediate connection with so many people. It's a really special recording and video". Talking about the overwhelming reception and the amount of coverage received, Gotye commented that "I don't really feel like it [the song] belongs to me anymore." He further explained that "sometimes I feel like I'm a bit sick of it. My inbox, on any given day, has at least five covers or parodies or remixes of it and there's only so many times you can listen to the one song."


title: Somebody That I Used to Know

text: In the week commencing 18 July 2011, "Somebody That I Used to Know" debuted at number 27 on the ARIA Singles Chart. It was released on 5 July 2011 in Australia and New Zealand by as the second single from his third studio album, "Making Mirrors" (2011). Despite an initial lack of airplay on major radio stations, the song reached number 1 in the week ending 15 August, becoming the first single by either artist to do so and their most successful single. Until 2014, the song was one of the two-second-longest-running Australian number-one songs, with eight weeks at the top, tied with Savage Garden's 1997 song "Truly Madly Deeply", and behind Daddy Cool's 1971 hit "Eagle Rock", which stayed there for ten weeks. In August 2011, the song was released in Belgium and the Netherlands. After a few weeks in the charts, it reached number 1 in both countries, topping the Belgian Singles Chart for 12 weeks. Also in August, "Somebody That I Used to Know" debuted at number 4 in New Zealand on the RIANZ Singles Chart, reaching number 1 three weeks later, thus making Gotye the first Australian artist to reach number 1 since Guy Sebastian did so in February 2011 with "Who's That Girl". The song debuted on the Irish Singles Chart on 13 January 2012 at number 47, later reaching number 1 position. In the United Kingdom, "Somebody That I Used to Know" spent five non-consecutive weeks at number 1.


title: Somebody That I Used to Know

text: In the United States, it debuted at number 91 on the "Billboard" Hot 100 on 14 January 2012. In its fifteenth week on the chart – after it was performed by Matt Bomer and Darren Criss on "Glee" on 10 April; by Phillip Phillips and Elise Testone on the eleventh season of "American Idol" before more than 16 million viewers on 11 April; and by Gotye and Kimbra on "Saturday Night Live" on 14 April – the song rose to number 1, where it stayed for eight consecutive weeks. thus becoming the longest-running number 1 by a solo male artist since Flo Rida's "Low" led for ten weeks in 2008. The song had the fourth highest-selling single week ever with 542,000 digital downloads sold, and was the first Australian single to top the Hot 100 since Savage Garden's "I Knew I Loved You" in 2000. The song also topped the Alternative Songs chart for twelve weeks tying with Fuel's Hemorrhage (In My Hands) and Linkin Park's Numb and New Divide, as well as topping the Radio Songs, Digital Songs, On-Demand Songs, Pop Songs, Adult Pop Songs, Adult Contemporary, and Hot Dance Club Songs charts in that country. On 2 May 2012 the song became the first to reach digital sales of at least 400,000 for three consecutive weeks, and the following week it became the first to simultaneously top the Alternative Songs, Hot Dance Club Songs, and Dance Mix Show Airplay charts. It also became the number 1 song of 2012 on the Alternative Songs, Adult Pop Songs, and Billboard Hot 100 charts. By 22 February 2013, the song became the tenth longest-charting song in the history of the "Billboard" Hot 100, at 59 weeks on the chart. As of October 2015, the song has sold 7.9 million copies in the US, making it the country's fourth all-time best-selling digital single.


title: Somebody That I Used to Know

text: "Somebody That I Used to Know" reached number one in more than 23 national charts and charted inside the top ten in more than 30 countries around the world. By the end of 2012, the song became the best-selling song of that year with 11.8 million copies sold, ranking among the best-selling digital singles of all time. As of April 2012, it is the most downloaded song ever in Belgium, as well as being the third best-selling digital single in Germany with sales between 500,000 and 600,000 copies, and the most successful song in the history of the Dutch charts. As of January 2013 it has received eleven Platinum certifications in Australia, accounting for shipments exceeding 770,000 units. In New Zealand, it was certified four times Platinum. The song was the best-selling single of 2012 in the UK with 1,318,000 copies sold.


title: Somebody That I Used to Know

text: Gotye has not monetised the song or any of his others through advertisements on YouTube, as he believes that there is too much advertising in the world. He has licensed its use to student films free of charge, but has turned down approaches from some commercial films: "If someone wants to use it commercially I look at what the budget is and the creativity of the project".


title: Somebody That I Used to Know

text: In July 2011, the song finished third in the Vanda & Young Global Songwriting Competition Earlier that year, Gotye had first noticed Kimbra when both were short-listed as finalists for the competition. At the ARIA Music Awards of 2011, "Somebody That I Used to Know" won Single of the Year, Best Pop Release, Best Video (for Natasha Pincus), Engineer of the Year (for François Tétaz) and Producer of the Year (for Gotye). Gotye also won Best Male Artist for the song while Kimbra won Best Female Artist for her previous single, "Cameo Lover". At the APRA Music Awards of 2012, "Somebody That I Used to Know" won Most Played Australian Work and Song of the Year and Gotye won Songwriter of the Year. It was also nominated at the 2012 Teen Choice Awards for "Choice Rock Song" and "Choice Break-Up Song". The song was nominated at the 55th Grammy Awards for Record of the Year and Best Pop Duo/Group Performance, winning both awards. "The Village Voice"s Pazz & Jop annual critics' poll ranked "Somebody That I Used to Know" at number eight of the best music of 2012.


title: Somebody That I Used to Know

text: In 2019, "Stereogum" ranked the song as the 161st best song of the 2010s. In January 2018, as part of Triple M's "Ozzest 100", the 'most Australian' songs of all time, "Somebody That I Used to Know" was ranked number 98. In 2021, its first year of eligibility, "Somebody That I Used to Know" was inducted into the National Film and Sound Archive's Sounds of Australia as an Australian sound recording with "cultural, historical and aesthetic significance."


title: Somebody That I Used to Know

text: The music video for "Somebody That I Used to Know" was produced, directed and edited by Australian artist Natasha Pincus and filmed by Australian cinematographer Warwick Field. It shows Gotye and Kimbra naked throughout the clip, and as they sing, his skin is gradually painted into the backdrop via stop motion animation. In the director's cut, this went as far as to feature concealed nudity, though this version was never posted. The video's background is based on a 1980s artwork created by Gotye's father, Frank de Backer, who also designed the cover art for the related album, "Making Mirrors". Emma Hack, an Australian artist and skin illustrator based in Adelaide, was hired by Pincus to work on the body paintings for Gotye and Kimbra. Melbourne Scenic Artist Howard Clark painted the backdrop. According to Hack, it took more than 23 hours to paint both Gotye and Kimbra to fit with Howard's background. Their painting symbolises their combined relationship.


title: Somebody That I Used to Know

text: Before its official premiere, the music video was leaked on Take 40 Australia's website. According to Pincus, "It was stolen out of our system. I guess it's always wanted to get out there. Within five minutes it was everywhere". On 30 July 2011 it was officially premiered on YouTube and on the Australian music show "Rage". The music video was well received for its artistic style, picking up 200,000 views in its first two weeks, as well as receiving promotion on Twitter by actor Ashton Kutcher and Katy Perry.


title: Somebody That I Used to Know

text: "What a video!" Snow Patrol's Gary Lightbody enthused to "Q". "I have become obsessed with it and not just because I'm in love with Kimbra. Gotye himself is an engaging character for sure... his solemnly expressive eyes finish a journey his lyrics only begin. 'Told myself that you were right for me but felt so lonely in your company' – simple, pure, and devastating. None more than the title line when it speaks of the end of love with prosaic brutality: 'Now you're just somebody that I used to know.' Great video, powerful lyrics, and a stunning voice. Oh, and Kimbra... my poor heart..."


title: Somebody That I Used to Know

text: On November 1st, 2022, the video hit 2 billion views and 13 million likes on YouTube. The video for "Somebody That I Used to Know" was voted number 1 in the annual "Rage" Fifty countdown. Andy Samberg and Taran Killam parodied the video in a "Saturday Night Live" "digital short" that coincided with Gotye's 14 April 2012 performance on the show. The video was nominated for Video of the Year and Best Editing in a Video at the 2012 MTV Video Music Awards. As of January 2015, "Billboard" named the video as one of the 20 best of the 2010s (so far).


title: Somebody That I Used to Know

text: "Somebody That I Used to Know" has been covered by several artists including a cappella group Pentatonix who created a viral YouTube video in February 2012 and released the track on their EP, "PTX Volume 1" on 26 June 2012 In addition Ingrid Michaelson, The Fergies, Benee and Sam Tsui have covered the song. In February 2012, Rita Ora covered the song at BBC Radio 1's Live Lounge. A cover by Right the Stars featuring Karmina, which was also uploaded to YouTube, was recommended by Miley Cyrus. Dutch DJ Tiësto remixed the song for his album "". Phillip Phillips and Elise Testone covered the song on the eleventh season of "American Idol" on 11 April 2012.


title: Somebody That I Used to Know

text: In February 2012, Gotye made his American television debut on "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" where he performed the song. The song has since been featured on the TV series "90210", "Gossip Girl", and "The Voice of Ireland" by Andy Mac Unfraidh. The song was featured in the film "Boyhood". On 16 May 2012, fun. along with Paramore's front vocalist Hayley Williams covered the song at BBC Radio 1's Live Lounge. On 23 May 2012, Internet cartoon band Your Favorite Martian did a cover of the song. "Somebody That I Used to Know" was also first played live by Coheed and Cambria on 29 April 2012, as a frequent feature on their 2012 headlining tour. In May 2012, American duo Karmin made a cover of the song on Sirius XM Hits.


title: Somebody That I Used to Know

text: The song was covered in the "Glee" episode "Big Brother" and performed by Darren Criss (as Blaine Anderson) and Matt Bomer (as Cooper Anderson). It sold 152,000 digital downloads in its first week of release and debuted on the Digital Songs chart at number 10 and the Hot 100 at number 26.


title: Somebody That I Used to Know

text: English fingerstyle guitarist Mike Dawes released a technically virtuosic arrangement of the song on his debut album "What Just Happened?" in 2013, garnering much praise, including from Gotye himself. Jazz pianist Jacky Terrasson included the song in his 2015 album "Take This".


title: Somebody That I Used to Know

text: Gotye paid tribute to the overwhelming number of cover versions of the song by personally creating a video remix, released in August 2012, using segments from hundreds of online covers to create a new, unique version of the track, titled "Somebodies: A YouTube Orchestra". Gotye states the concept "was directly inspired here by Kutiman's Thru-You project", released in March 2009, which edited numerous YouTube videos to create a new cohesive song. A similar mixing style is seen in the performance of "Since U Been Gone" in the September 2012 film release "Pitch Perfect". "Weird Al" Yankovic recorded a cover as part of his polka medley "NOW That's What I Call Polka!" for his 2014 album "Mandatory Fun".


title: Somebody That I Used to Know

text: On 22 July 2020, Canadian rock band Three Days Grace released a cover of the song, charting in Canada and the U.S.


title: Somebody That I Used to Know

text: In January 2012, Canadian indie rock group Walk Off the Earth uploaded a cover of "Somebody That I Used to Know" to YouTube. Their version uses a single guitar played simultaneously by all five band members. As of April 2012, the song had sold 187,000 units in the United States.


title: Somebody That I Used to Know

text: The alternative rock band Mayday Parade released a cover of this song featuring Pierce The Veil's lead vocalist Vic Fuentes for the fifth edition of the compilation album "Punk Goes Pop", which features bands of the punk, alternative, and hardcore genres covering hit pop songs. Their cover became the first single from a "Punk Goes..." compilation album to chart on a "Billboard" chart, reaching number 18 on US Rock Songs. "Alternative Press" named their version as the fourth best "Top 50 Punk Goes Pop covers of all time".


title: Somebody That I Used to Know

text: In 2020, Canadian rock band Three Days Grace covered the song and released it as a non-album single. A music video (directed by Mike Filsinger) was also released for this version, which features the band performing in a Sketch-like background. This version reached number 7 on the Billboard Canada Rock charts and number 19 on the US Rock Airplay charts. Lead vocalist Matt Walst also noted about the song, saying: ""The first time I heard “Somebody That I Used to Know” I got goosebumps! This has only happened to me a few times in my life. I remember listening to it over and over and just being happy. Music releases a mood enhancing chemical in the brain that can set good moods and peak enjoyment. Music is truly the best drug!".


title: Jerrod Carmichael

text: Rothaniel Jerrod Carmichael ( ; born April 6, 1987) is an American stand-up comedian, actor, writer, and filmmaker. He has released three stand-up comedy specials on HBO: "Love at the Store" (2014), "8" (2017), and "Rothaniel" (2022). He also co-created, co-wrote, produced, and starred in the semi autobiographical NBC sitcom "The Carmichael Show" (2015–2017). Carmichael directed, produced, and starred in On the Count of Three (2021). In 2022, he won a Primetime Emmy Award for writing "Rothaniel" and was nominated for guest hosting "Saturday Night Live" that same year.


title: Jerrod Carmichael

text: Jerrod Carmichael was born in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, on April 6, 1987. He has an older brother named Joe. Jerrod Carmichael grew up poor, which is a frequent topic in his stand-up comedy. In fifth grade, he hosted a morning news show on his elementary school's local access channel. In 2005, he graduated from Robert B. Glenn High School in Kernersville, North Carolina. His early comedic influences were George Carlin, Bill Cosby, Richard Pryor, and Sinbad.


title: Jerrod Carmichael

text: Carmichael moved to Los Angeles at the age of 20 to pursue his dream of being a stand-up comedian although he had never performed comedy. His first time doing stand-up was at an open mic night at The Comedy Store in West Hollywood. Working his way up through the clubs he appeared in the "New Faces" showcase at the 2011 Just for Laughs Festival in Montreal. He appeared on the show "The Goodwin Games" (2013) and had his breakout role as an actor in the film "Neighbors" in 2014. His first HBO stand-up comedy special, "Love at the Store" (2014), was directed by filmmaker Spike Lee and filmed at The Comedy Store.


title: Jerrod Carmichael

text: Carmichael's second stand-up comedy special, "8" (2017), was directed by comedian Bo Burnham and filmed in the Grand Lodge Room of New York's Masonic Hall. Carmichael next co-created, co-wrote, produced, and starred in the semi-biographical NBC sitcom "The Carmichael Show" (2015–2017) which was well-received and was notable for pushing the envelope broaching topics including the Black Lives Matter movement, LGBT issues, gun rights, politics, and the reality of being black in America. He also served as an executive producer for the Fox sitcom "Rel" (2018–2019) and directed Drew Michael's stand-up comedy special "Drew Michael" in 2018 which was acclaimed for its unusual style. Michael talks directly to the camera in a dark room without an audience; there are also scenes of him in varying degrees of confrontation with an unidentified woman played by English actress Suki Waterhouse.


title: Jerrod Carmichael

text: Carmichael made an appearance on Tyler, the Creator's fifth album "IGOR" in 2019, narrating the album using short phrases to find logic in the title character Igor's state of mind. In the same year, he was hired by Quentin Tarantino to co-write a film adaptation based on the "Django/Zorro" crossover comic book series. He created, directed, produced, and starred in the HBO documentaries "Home Videos" (2019) and "Sermon on the Mount" (2019) which are autobiographical. He directed and starred in the comedy thriller film "On the Count of Three" in 2021. His third HBO special, "Rothaniel" (2022), was also directed by Burnham. Two days after the release of "Rothaniel", Carmichael hosted "Saturday Night Live" for the first time.


title: Jerrod Carmichael

text: Carmichael lives in New York City. He has discussed his relationships with both men and women during his documentary series "Home Videos" (2019). He came out as gay in his comedy special "Rothaniel" (2022).


title: Supermax prison

text: A super-maximum security (supermax) or administrative maximum (ADX) prison is a "control-unit" prison, or a unit within prisons, which represents the most secure levels of custody in the prison systems of certain countries.


title: Supermax prison

text: The objective is to provide long-term, segregated housing for inmates classified as the highest security risks in the prison system and those who pose an extremely serious threat to both national and global security.


title: Supermax prison

text: According to the National Institute of Corrections, an agency of the United States government, "a supermax is a stand-alone unit or part of another facility and is designated for violent or disruptive incarcerated individuals. It typically involves up to 23-hour-per-day, single-cell confinement for an indefinite period of time. Those incarcerated in supermax housing have minimal contact with staff and other inmates," a definition confirmed by a majority of prison wardens.


title: Supermax prison

text: In 2001, academics Leena Kurki and Norval Morris wrote that there was no universal, agreed upon definition for "supermax" and that prisons are classified inconsistently. They identified four general features of supermax prisons:


title: Supermax prison

text: Those who are in a supermax prison are placed not as a punishment of their crimes but by their previous history when incarcerated or based on reliable evidence of an impending disruption, such as a gang leader or the leader of a radical movement. These decisions are made as administrative protection measures and the prisoners in a supermax are deemed by correctional workers as a threat to the safety and security of the institution itself.


title: Supermax prison

text: The amount of programming for those in prison varies from jurisdiction to jurisdiction. Certain jurisdictions provide entertainment for their incarcerated population in the form of television, educational and self-help programs. Others provide instructors who speak through the cell door to individuals who are incarcerated. Some jurisdictions provide no programming to its incarcerated population. In a supermax, incarcerated people are generally allowed out of their cells for only one hour a day (one-and-a-half hours in California state prisons). Exercise is done in indoor spaces or small, secure, outdoor spaces, usually alone or in a pair and always watched by correctional officers. Group exercise is offered only to those who are in transition programs.


title: Supermax prison

text: People in these prisons are under constant surveillance, usually with closed-circuit television cameras. Cell doors are usually opaque, while the cells may be windowless. Furnishings are plain, with poured concrete or metal furniture. Cell walls, and sometimes plumbing, may be soundproofed to prevent communication between people.


title: Supermax prison

text: Supermax and Security Housing Unit (SHU) prisons are controversial. One criticism is that the living conditions in such facilities violate the United States Constitution, specifically, the Eighth Amendment's proscription against "cruel and unusual" punishments. A 2011 New York Bar association comprehensive study suggested that supermax prisons constitute "torture under international law" and "cruel and unusual punishment under the U.S. Constitution". In 2012, a federal class action suit against the Federal Bureau of Prisons and officials who run ADX Florence SHU ("Bacote v. Federal Bureau of Prisons", Civil Action 1:12-cv-01570) alleged chronic abuse, failure to properly diagnose prisoners, and neglect of prisoners who are seriously mentally ill.


title: Supermax prison

text: An early form of supermax-style prison unit appeared in Australia in 1975, when "Katingal" was built inside the Long Bay Correctional Centre in Sydney. Dubbed the "electronic zoo" by inmates, Katingal was a super-maximum security prison block with 40 prison cells having electronically operated doors, surveillance cameras, and no windows. It was closed down two years later over human rights concerns. Since then, some maximum-security prisons have gone to full lockdown as well, while others have been built and dedicated to the supermax standard. In September 2001, the Australian state of New South Wales opened a facility in the Goulburn Correctional Centre to the supermax standard. While its condition is an improvement over that of Katingal of the 1970s, this new facility is nonetheless designed on the same principle of sensory deprivation. It has been set up for 'AA' prisoners who have been deemed a risk to public safety and the instruments of government and civil order or are believed to be beyond rehabilitation. Corrections Victoria in the state of Victoria also operates the Acacia and Melaleuca units at Barwon Prison which serve to hold the prisoners requiring the highest security in that state including Melbourne Gangland figures such as Tony Mokbel, and Carl Williams, who was murdered in the Acacia unit in 2010.


title: Supermax prison

text: In 1985, the state government of São Paulo created an annex to a psychiatric penitentiary hospital meant to house the most violent inmates of the region and established the Penitentiary of Rehabilitation Center of Taubaté, also known as Piranhão. Previously, high-risk inmates were housed at a prison on Anchieta Island; however, that closed down after a bloody massacre. At Taubaté, inmates spent 23 hours of a day in solitary confinement and spent 30 minutes a day with a small group of seven to ten inmates. Ill-treatment of inmates occurred on a daily basis, causing major psychological impairment.


title: Supermax prison

text: Throughout the 1990s, and the early-2000s, Brazil faced major challenges with gang structures within its prisons. The gang Primeiro Comando da Capital (PCC) gained notoriety in the prison system and had new members joining within the prisons. Riots were a common occurrence and the gang culture became uncontrollable, leading authorities to pass the controversial Regime Disciplinar Diferenciado (RDD), a culture founded from disciplinary punishment.


title: Supermax prison

text: Stammheim Prison, in Stuttgart, Germany, opened as a supermax-style prison in 1964, with an additional wing built in 1975 to house members of the far-left militant Red Army Faction. At the time, it was considered one of the most secure prisons in the world.


title: Supermax prison

text: His Majesty's Prison Service in England and Wales has had a long history in controlling prisoners that are high-risk. Prisoners are categorized into four main classifications (A, B, C, D) with A being "highly dangerous" with a high risk of escaping to category D in which inmates "can be reasonably trusted in open conditions."


title: Supermax prison

text: The British government formed the Control Review Committee in 1984 to allow for regulating long-term disruptive prisoners. The committee proposed special units (called CRC units) which were formally introduced in 1989 to control for highly-disruptive prisoners to be successfully reintegrated. Yet a series of escapes, riots, and investigations by authorities saw the units come to a close in 1998. They would soon be replaced by Close Supervision Centres (CSC), which was meant to provide relief for long-term prisons which are still used in the present day. It was reported to hold 60 of the most dangerous men in the UK in 2015.


title: Supermax prison

text: The United States Penitentiary Alcatraz Island, opened in 1934, has been considered a prototype and early standard for a supermax prison. A push for supermax prisons began in 1983, after two correctional officers, Merle Clutts and Robert Hoffman, were stabbed to death by inmates at Federal Penitentiary in Marion, Illinois. Norman Carlson, the director of the Federal Bureau of Prisons, argued for a new type of prison to isolate uncontrollable inmates who "show absolutely no concern for human life". USP Marion became the first "supermax" prison where inmates were isolated for 23 hours in their cells. By 1999, the United States contained at least 57 supermax facilities, spread across 30–34 states.


title: Supermax prison

text: In recent years a number of U.S. states have downgraded their supermax prisons, as has been done with Wallens Ridge State Prison, a former supermax prison in Big Stone Gap, Virginia. Other supermax prisons that have gained notoriety for their harsh conditions and attendant litigation by inmates and advocates are the former Boscobel (in Wisconsin), now named the Wisconsin Secure Program Facility, Red Onion State Prison (in western Virginia, the twin to Wallens Ridge State Prison), Tamms (in Illinois), and the Ohio State Penitentiary. Placement policies at the Ohio facility were the subject of a U.S. Supreme Court case ("Wilkinson v. Austin") in 2005 where the Court decided that there had to be some, but only very limited, due process involved in supermax placement.


title: Supermax prison

text: There is only one supermax prison remaining in the U.S. federal prison system, ADX Florence in Florence, Colorado. It houses numerous inmates who have a history of violent behavior in other prisons, with the goal of moving them from solitary confinement (up to 23 hours a day) to a less restrictive prison within three years.


title: Supermax prison

text: However, it is best known for housing several inmates who have been deemed either too dangerous, too high-profile or too great a national security risk for even a maximum-security prison. They include several prisoners convicted of domestic and international terrorism, such as Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols, who perpetrated the Oklahoma City Bombing; Richard Reid and Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, who separately attempted to detonate explosives on a commercial airplane flight; and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, convicted for the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing. Other notable inmates include Robert Hanssen, convicted of espionage for the Soviet Union and Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, the head of the Mexican Sinaloa Cartel and the world's most powerful drug lord, convicted in 2019.


title: Supermax prison

text: However, many states now have created supermax prisons, either as stand-alone facilities or as secure units within lower-security prisons. State supermax prisons include Pelican Bay in California and Tamms in Illinois. In 2006, USP Marion, the original model for the modern supermax prison, was downgraded to a medium-security prison. The California State Prison, Corcoran (COR) is a hybrid model, incorporating a supermax partition, housing or having housed high-security prisoners such as Charles Manson.


title: Supermax prison

text: There is no set definition of a supermax prison; however, the United States Department of Justice and the National Institute of Corrections do agree on their purpose: "these units have basically the same function: to provide long-term, segregated housing for inmates classified as the highest security risks in a state’s prison system."


title: Supermax prison

text: Building a supermax prison, or even retrofitting an existing prison, is expensive. Construction of ADX Florence cost $60 million when it opened in 1994.


title: Supermax prison

text: Compared to a maximum security facility, supermax prisons cost about three times more on average. The 1999 average annual cost for inmates at Colorado State Penitentiary, a supermax facility, was $32,383, compared with the annual inmate cost of $18,549 at the Colorado Correctional Center, a maximum-security prison (less than twice as expensive). The increased cost is due to the technology needed to further maintain a supermax: high-security doors, fortified walls, and sophisticated electronic systems, and because more people must be hired to maintain the buildings and facilities.


title: Supermax prison

text: Most of these facilities only contain supermax wings or sections, with other parts of the facility under lesser security measures.


title: Supermax prison

text: In Brazil, the ""regime disciplinar diferenciado"" (differentiated disciplinary regime), known by the acronym RDD, and strongly based on the Supermax standard, was created primarily to handle inmates who are considered capable of continuing to run their crime syndicate or to order criminal actions from within the prison system, when confined in normal maximum security prisons that allow contact with other inmates. Since its inception, the following prisons were prepared for the housing of RDD inmates:


title: Reggie Jackson

text: Reginald Martinez Jackson (born May 18, 1946) is an American former professional baseball right fielder who played 21 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Kansas City / Oakland Athletics, Baltimore Orioles, New York Yankees, and California Angels. Jackson was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1993.


title: Reggie Jackson

text: Jackson was nicknamed "Mr. October" for his clutch hitting in the postseason with the Athletics and the Yankees. He helped Oakland win five consecutive American League West divisional titles, three straight American League pennants and three consecutive World Series titles from 1972 to 1974. Jackson helped New York win four American League East divisional pennants, three American League pennants and back to back World Series titles, in 1977 and 1978. He also helped the California Angels win two AL West divisional titles in 1982 and 1986. Jackson hit three consecutive home runs at Yankee Stadium in the clinching game six of the 1977 World Series.


title: Reggie Jackson

text: Jackson hit 563 career home runs and was an American League (AL) All-Star for 14 seasons. He won two Silver Slugger Awards, the AL Most Valuable Player (MVP) Award in 1973, two World Series MVP Awards and the Babe Ruth Award in 1977. The Yankees and Athletics retired his team uniform number in 1993 and 2004. Jackson currently serves as a special advisor to the Houston Astros, and a sixth championship associated with Jackson came with Houston's win in the 2022 World Series.


title: Reggie Jackson

text: Jackson led his teams to first place ten times over his 21-year baseball career and suffered only two losing seasons.


title: Reggie Jackson

text: Jackson was born in the Wyncote neighborhood of Cheltenham Township, just north of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. His father, Martinez Jackson, who was half Puerto Rican, worked as a tailor and was a former second baseman with the Newark Eagles of Negro league baseball. He was the youngest of his mother Clara's four children. He also had two half-siblings from his father's first marriage. His parents divorced when he was four; his mother took four of his siblings with her, while his father took Jackson and one of the siblings from his first marriage, though one sibling later returned to Wyncote. Martinez Jackson was a single father, and theirs was one of the few black families in Wyncote.


title: Reggie Jackson

text: Jackson graduated from Cheltenham High School in 1964, where he excelled in football, basketball, baseball, and track and field. A tailback in football, he injured his knee in an early season game in his junior year in the fall of 1962. He was told by the doctors he was never to play football again, but Jackson returned for the final game of the season. In that game, Jackson fractured five cervical vertebrae, which caused him to spend six weeks in the hospital and another month in a neck cast. Doctors told Jackson that he might never walk again, let alone play football, but Jackson defied the odds again. On the baseball team, he batted .550 and threw several no-hitters. In the middle of his senior year, Jackson's father was arrested for bootlegging and was sentenced to six months in jail.


title: Reggie Jackson

text: For football, Jackson was recruited by Alabama, Georgia, and Oklahoma, all of whom were willing to break the color barrier just for Jackson. (Oklahoma had black football players before 1964, including Prentice Gautt, a star running back recruited in 1957, who played in the NFL.) Jackson declined Alabama and Georgia because he was fearful of the South at the time, and declined Oklahoma because they told him to stop dating white girls. For baseball, Jackson was scouted by Hans Lobert of the San Francisco Giants who was desperate to sign him. The Los Angeles Dodgers and Minnesota Twins also made offers, and the hometown Philadelphia Phillies gave him a tryout but declined because of his "hitting skills".


title: Reggie Jackson

text: His father wanted his son to go to college, where Jackson wanted to play both football and baseball. He accepted a football scholarship from Arizona State University in Tempe; his high school football coach knew ASU's head football coach Frank Kush, and they discussed the possibility of his playing both sports. After a recruiting trip, Kush decided that Jackson had the ability and willingness to work to join the squad.


title: Reggie Jackson

text: One day after football practice, he approached ASU baseball coach Bobby Winkles and asked if he could join the team. Winkles said he would give Jackson a look, and the next day while still in his football gear, he hit a home run on the second pitch he saw; in five at-bats he hit three home runs. He was allowed to practice with the team, but could not join the squad because the NCAA had a rule forbidding the use of freshman players. Jackson switched permanently to baseball following his freshman year, as he did not want to become a defensive back. To hone his skills, Winkles assigned him to a Baltimore Orioles-affiliated amateur team. He broke numerous team records for the squad, and the Orioles offered him a $50,000 signing bonus if he joined the team. Jackson declined the offer stating that he did not want to forfeit his college scholarship.


title: Reggie Jackson

text: In the beginning of his sophomore year in 1966, Jackson replaced Rick Monday (the first player ever selected in the Major League Baseball draft and a future teammate with the A's) at center field. He broke the team record for most home runs in a single season, led the team in numerous other categories and was first team All-American. Many scouts were looking at him play, including Tom Greenwade of the New York Yankees (who discovered Mickey Mantle), and Danny Murtaugh of the Pittsburgh Pirates. In his final game at Arizona State, he showed his potential by being only a triple away from hitting for the cycle, making a sliding catch, and having an assist at home plate. Jackson was the first college player to hit a home run out of Phoenix Municipal Stadium.


title: Reggie Jackson

text: In the 1966 Major League Baseball draft on June 7, Jackson was selected by the Kansas City Athletics. He was the second overall pick, behind 17-year-old catcher Steve Chilcott, who was taken by the New York Mets. According to Jackson, Winkles told him that the Mets did not select him because he had a white girlfriend. Winkles later denied the story, stating that he did not know the reason why Jackson was not drafted by the Mets. It was later confirmed by Joe McDonald that the Mets drafted Steve Chilcott because of need, the person running the Mets at the time was George Weiss, so the true motive may never be known.


title: Reggie Jackson

text: Jackson, age 20, signed with the A's for $95,000 on June 13 and reported for his first training camp with the Lewis-Clark Broncs of the short season Single-A Northwest League in Lewiston, Idaho, managed by Grady Wilson. He made his professional debut as a center fielder in the season opener on June 24 at Bethel Park in Eugene, Oregon, but was hitless in five at-bats. In the next game, Jackson singled in the first inning and homered in the ninth. In the home opener at Bengal Field in Lewiston on June 30, he hit a double and a triple. In his final game as a Bronc on July 6, Jackson was hit in the head by a pitch in the first inning, but stayed in the game and drove in runs with two sacrifice flies. Complaining of a headache, he left the game in the ninth inning, was admitted to St. Joseph's Hospital in Lewiston, and remained overnight for observation.


title: Reggie Jackson

text: Jackson played for two Class A teams in 1966, with the Broncs for just 12 games, and then 56 games with Modesto in the California League, where he hit 21 homers. He began 1967 with the Birmingham A's in the Double-A Southern League in Birmingham, Alabama, being one of only a few blacks on the team. He credits the team's manager at the time, John McNamara, for helping him through that difficult season.


title: Reggie Jackson

text: Jackson debuted in the major leagues with the A's in 1967 in a Friday doubleheader in Kansas City on June 9, a shutout sweep of the Cleveland Indians by scores of and at Municipal Stadium. (Jackson had his first career hit in the nightcap, a lead-off triple in the fifth inning off of long reliever Orlando Peña.)


title: Reggie Jackson

text: The Athletics moved west to Oakland prior to the 1968 season. Jackson hit 47 home runs in 1969, and was briefly ahead of the pace that Roger Maris set when he broke the single-season record for home runs with 61 in 1961, and that of Babe Ruth when he set the previous record of 60 in 1927. Jackson later said that the sportswriters were claiming he was "dating a lady named 'Ruth Maris.'"


title: Reggie Jackson

text: Slumping at the plate in May 1970, Athletics owner Charlie O. Finley threatened to send Jackson to the minors. Jackson hit 23 home runs while batting .237 for the 1970 season. The Athletics sent him to play in Puerto Rico, where he played for the Santurce team and hit 20 homers and knocked in 47 runs to lead the league in both departments. Jackson hit a memorable home run in the 1971 All-Star Game at Tiger Stadium in Detroit. Batting for the American League against Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Dock Ellis, the ball he hit soared above the right-field stands, striking the transformer of a light standard on the right field roof. While with the Angels in 1984, he hit a home run over that roof.