title: Micky Ward

text: George Michael Ward Jr. (born October 4, 1965), often known by his nickname, "Irish" Micky Ward, is an American former professional boxer who competed from 1985 to 2003. He challenged once for the IBF light welterweight title in 1997, and held the WBU light welterweight title in 2000. Ward is widely known for his trilogy of fights with Arturo Gatti, two of which received Fight of the Year awards by "The Ring" magazine, as well as his relentless pressure fighting style. Ward was portrayed by Mark Wahlberg in the 2010 film "The Fighter", which was based on his early career.


title: Micky Ward

text: His maternal great-grandmother Annie Greenhalge (Carroll) was born in Ireland, the daughter of Michael and Mary (Flood) Carroll. His maternal great-great-great grandparents Peter McMahon and Ann Quinn were from County Tyrone, Ireland. They fled Ireland during the 1850s to escape from poverty and oppression and arrived in Boston, Massachusetts. They settled in the Acre neighborhood of Lowell, Massachusetts and worked as laborers and millworkers.


title: Micky Ward

text: Ward was a three-time New England Golden Gloves champion boxer who turned pro in 1985, winning his first fourteen fights. However, his career leveled off, and after losing four consecutive fights in 1990/91, Ward took a hiatus from boxing. During Ward's time away from the sport, he used some of the funds from his day job on a road-paving crew to have surgery on his right hand, which had given him problems during several bouts. The surgery used some of the bone from Ward's pelvis to strengthen and fuse the bones in his hand.


title: Micky Ward

text: Ward was successful in his return, winning his first nine fights, and won the WBU's Intercontinental Light Welterweight Title in a fight against Shea Neary in 2000. He never defended the belt once.


title: Micky Ward

text: In a 1997 match that would come to typify the exceptional power of Ward's left hook to the body, he scored a 7th-round knockout against the then-undefeated Mexican Alfonso Sanchez in a fight that Ward, up to then, was clearly losing on points. Shortly before the punch, Emanuel Augustus said the fight should be stopped (which referee Mitch Halpern had threatened to do if Ward didn't "show [him] something"); afterwards Merchant called it one of the most extraordinary things he'd ever seen in boxing.


title: Micky Ward

text: Ward's left hook to the body later resulted in a first-round knockout of Steve Quinonez, and a nine-count knockdown of Arturo Gatti in their first fight.


title: Micky Ward

text: Ward earned a 1997 IBF Light Welterweight Championship fight against champion Vince Phillips, but did not win the championship, as the fight was stopped in the third round due to cuts, and Phillips was awarded the bout via TKO. One year later, Ward again would come up short in a title fight, as he lost a 12-round decision against Zab Judah.


title: Micky Ward

text: In 2000, Ward traveled to London to take on the WBU Light Welterweight Champion, Shea Neary, and earned a TKO in the eighth round to win the WBU title. Ward, however, never defended the title, and split his next four fights. His ten-round decision victory over Emanuel Augustus (then known as Emanuel Burton) was voted "The Ring" magazine's 2001 Fight of the Year.


title: Micky Ward

text: On May 18, 2002, Ward faced the opponent with whom he became most identified, Arturo Gatti. The fight was a wild one, but a ninth round Ward knockdown of Gatti proved to be the difference, with Ward winning a majority decision. The fight was later named the 2002 "Ring" magazine fight of the year. Both fighters needed care in a trauma center after the match.


title: Micky Ward

text: The two agreed to an immediate rematch, and in November, Gatti was able to win the second wild fight, knocking Ward down in the third round, although he survived to finish the fight. Gatti paid tribute to Ward's tenacity after the fight, saying, "I used to wonder what would happen if I fought my twin. Now I know."


title: Micky Ward

text: They then agreed to a third straight fight, and again, the fight was back and forth. Gatti pounded Ward with punch after punch early on, but Ward fought back and managed a sixth round knockdown of Gatti. Before Gatti could get up, or the referee's count could hit ten, the bell sounded to end the round. Gatti was able to come back and win the fight via a unanimous decision. Again, both men needed a trip to the hospital, due to the injuries they suffered. The fight was named the 2003 "Ring" magazine fight of the year, the third straight for Ward. Ward was the first fighter to achieve this since Rocky Marciano and Carmen Basilio each did so in the 1950s.


title: Micky Ward

text: Ward made approximately $3 million in earnings for his trilogy with Gatti; the most lucrative fights of his career.


title: Micky Ward

text: Ward still lives in Lowell, where he is part owner of both a boxing gym as well as an outdoor hockey rink. Ward is married to Charlene Fleming, his longtime girlfriend, who is also a former athlete. He manages the boxing gym he owns with his half-brother and former trainer, Dicky Eklund, who trains new boxers entering its academy.


title: Micky Ward

text: In his 2012 autobiography, Ward revealed that he had been sexually abused as a child by a friend of Dicky's, another boxer referred to only by his nickname, "Hammer". The abuse began when Ward was nine years old and continued for approximately three years, until he gained the confidence to confront his attacker. Ward would eventually face off against Hammer in one of his first amateur bouts, winning by unanimous decision.


title: Micky Ward

text: The story of Ward's comeback and rise to fame was made into a 2010 feature film, "The Fighter", starring Mark Wahlberg (who was nominated for the Golden Globe for Best Actor) as Ward. In 2011, Wahlberg confirmed to Spike TV that "The Fighter 2" is in the works, which will focus on the legendary fight trilogy between Ward and Arturo Gatti.


title: Micky Ward

text: Lowell hip hop artist D-Tension released the song, '’One Hit to the Body'’ which Micky used as his ring entrance music for the On May 18, 2002 Ward-Gatti bout.


title: Micky Ward

text: Philadelphia hip hop group Jedi Mind Tricks released two remixes to their single, "Animal Rap" from their third album "Visions of Gandhi" (2003), dubbed the "Micky Ward Mix" and "Arturo Gatti Mix".


title: Micky Ward

text: The album "The Warrior's Code" by Dropkick Murphys features Ward on the cover, and he is also the subject of the title song. A live recording of the song is heard in "The Fighter".


title: Micky Ward

text: The game "Fight Night Round 3" (2006) features Ward and Gatti on the cover (PS2 and Xbox versions only).


title: Alden Ehrenreich

text: Alden Caleb Ehrenreich (; born November 22, 1989) is an American actor. He began his career by appearing in "Supernatural" (2005), and Francis Ford Coppola's films "Tetro" (2009) and "Twixt" (2011). Following supporting roles in the 2013 films "Blue Jasmine" and "Stoker", he starred in the Coen brothers comedy "Hail, Caesar!" (2016), for which he gained praise. He went on to play Han Solo in the space Western film "" (2018) and starred in the dystopian television series "Brave New World" (2020).


title: Alden Ehrenreich

text: Ehrenreich was born in Los Angeles, California. He is the only child of Sari (née Newmann), an interior designer, and Mark Ehrenreich, an accountant. He is named after the director Phil Alden Robinson, a family friend. His stepfather, Harry Aronowitz, is an orthodontist. Ehrenreich is Jewish; his ancestors were Jewish emigrants from Austria, Hungary, Russia, and Poland, and he was raised in Reconstructionist Judaism.


title: Alden Ehrenreich

text: Ehrenreich began acting at the Palisades Elementary School in Pacific Palisades, Los Angeles, and continued doing so at Crossroads School in Santa Monica, California. After graduating from high school, he studied acting at New York University at the Stella Adler Studio of Acting, but never finished his degree. In 2009, he co-founded "The Collectin" with his friend Zoë Worth, a group of New York City actors, writers, producers and directors who collaborate on films and theater performances.


title: Alden Ehrenreich

text: Ehrenreich was discovered at a friend's bat mitzvah reception by Steven Spielberg, who watched a comedy video created by Ehrenreich and a friend, "which began in the present and eventually cut to 20 or 30 years later, with Mr. Ehrenreich, in a kimono, screaming to stop a wedding." Ehrenreich has described the comedic performance he gave in the movie as, "I ran around as a skinny little punk, trying on girls' clothes and eating dirt." He was then contacted by DreamWorks, a studio which Spielberg helped found, and met with its casting director. Spielberg said of Ehrenreich:


title: Alden Ehrenreich

text: [He] was in a bat mitzvah video that my daughter acted with him in for their best friend. They showed me the video and I loved it and I got him an agent. That's sort of how it all began... I thought he had a lot of promise in comedy... I didn't know he was going to rogue [into] drama. He was so funny in this video, I thought, "I have found the next really funny comedian." But most of his choices have been in drama and people don't know how really funny he is.


title: Alden Ehrenreich

text: In 2007, Ehrenreich won the role of Bennie Tetrocini in Francis Ford Coppola's "Tetro". Coppola asked Ehrenreich to read a passage from "The Catcher in the Rye" for his main audition. The film was released in limited release in 2009 and received generally positive reviews from critics, who praised Ehrenreich's performance. In 2011, he played a minor role in Coppola's subsequent film "Twixt" and appeared alongside Natalie Portman in the Sofia Coppola-directed Miss Dior Cherie commercial.


title: Alden Ehrenreich

text: In 2013, he starred as Ethan Wate in the film adaptation of the novel "Beautiful Creatures", and appeared as Whip Taylor in Park Chan-wook's thriller film "Stoker". He then played the stepson of Cate Blanchett in the Woody Allen-directed drama film "Blue Jasmine". In 2016, Ehrenreich became more widely known for his co-leading role as Hobie Doyle in the Coen brothers film "Hail, Caesar!", alongside a cast that included Josh Brolin and George Clooney. Many critics praised Ehrenreich's performance in particular. That same year, Ehrenreich starred in the leading role of Frank Forbes in Warren Beatty's romantic comedy-drama "Rules Don't Apply". He then starred in "The Yellow Birds" with Tye Sheridan, Jack Huston, and Jennifer Aniston, which premiered at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival.


title: Alden Ehrenreich

text: Ehrenreich starred as Han Solo in the "Star Wars" anthology film "" (2018), following Solo's early life before the events of the original 1977 "Star Wars". He headlined the "Brave New World" series on NBC, based on the 1932 novel of the same name by Aldous Huxley.


title: Alden Ehrenreich

text: Ehrenreich's upcoming projects include "Cocaine Bear", directed by Elizabeth Banks, "Oppenheimer", directed by Christopher Nolan, and will have a role in the Marvel Cinematic Universe miniseries "Ironheart".


title: Net income

text: In business and accounting, net income (also total comprehensive income, net earnings, net profit, bottom line, sales profit, or credit sales) is an entity's income minus cost of goods sold, expenses, depreciation and amortization, interest, and taxes for an accounting period.


title: Net income

text: It is computed as the residual of all revenues and gains less all expenses and losses for the period, and has also been defined as the net increase in shareholders' equity that results from a company's operations. It is different from gross income, which only deducts the cost of goods sold from revenue.


title: Net income

text: For households and individuals, net income refers to the (gross) income minus taxes and other deductions (e.g. mandatory pension contributions).


title: Net income

text: Net income can be distributed among holders of common stock as a dividend or held by the firm as an addition to retained earnings. As profit and earnings are used synonymously for income (also depending on UK and US usage), net earnings and net profit are commonly found as synonyms for net income. Often, the term income is substituted for net income, yet this is not preferred due to the possible ambiguity. Net income is informally called the bottom line because it is typically found on the last line of a company's income statement (a related term is top line, meaning revenue, which forms the first line of the account statement).


title: Net income

text: In simplistic terms, net profit is the money left over after paying all the expenses of an endeavor. In practice this can get very complex in large organizations. The bookkeeper or accountant must itemise and allocate revenues and expenses properly to the specific working scope and context in which the term is applied.


title: Net income

text: Net income is usually calculated per annum, for each fiscal year. The items deducted will typically include tax expense, financing expense (interest expense), and minority interest. Likewise,


title: Net income

text: preferred stock dividends will be subtracted too, though they are not an expense. For a merchandising company, subtracted costs


title: Net income

text: may be the cost of goods sold, sales discounts, and sales returns and allowances. For a product company, advertising,


title: Net income

text: manufacturing, & design and development costs are included. Net income can also be calculated by adding a company's operating income to non-operating income and then subtracting off taxes.


title: Net income

text: The net profit margin percentage is a related ratio. This figure is calculated by dividing net profit by revenue or turnover, and it represents profitability, as a percentage.


title: Net income

text: Net profit: To calculate net profit for a venture (such as a company, division, or project), subtract all costs, including a fair share of total corporate overheads, from the gross revenues or turnover.


title: Net income

text: Net profit is a measure of the fundamental profitability of the venture. "It is the revenues of the activity less the costs of the activity. The main complication is . . . when needs to be allocated" across ventures. "Almost by definition, overheads are costs that cannot be directly tied to any specific" project, product, or division. "The classic example would be the cost of headquarters staff." "Although it is theoretically possible to calculate profits for any sub-(venture), such as a product or region, often the calculations are rendered suspect by the need to allocate overhead costs." Because overhead costs generally don't come in neat packages, their allocation across ventures is not an exact science.


title: Net income

text: Net sales (revenue) - Cost of goods sold = Gross profit - SG&A expenses (combined costs of operating the company) - Research and development (R&D) = Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) - Depreciation and amortization = Earnings before interest and taxes (EBIT) - Interest expense (cost of borrowing money) = Earnings before taxes (EBT) - Tax expense = Net income (EAT)


title: Roy Rogers

text: Roy Rogers (born Leonard Franklin Slye; November 5, 1911 – July 6, 1998) was an American singer, actor, and television host. Following early work under his given name, first as co-founder of the Sons of the Pioneers and then acting, the rebranded Rogers then became one of the most popular Western stars of his era. Known as the "King of the Cowboys", he appeared in over 100 films and numerous radio and television episodes of "The Roy Rogers Show". In many of his films and television episodes, he appeared with his wife, Dale Evans; his Golden Palomino, Trigger; and his German Shepherd, Bullet. His show was broadcast on radio for nine years and then on television from 1951 through 1957. His early roles were uncredited parts in films by fellow cowboy singing star Gene Autry and his productions usually featured a sidekick, often Pat Brady, Andy Devine, George "Gabby" Hayes, or Smiley Burnette. In his later years, he lent his name to the franchise chain of Roy Rogers Restaurants.


title: Roy Rogers

text: Rogers was born Leonard Franklin Slye, the son of Mattie (née Womack) and Andrew "Andy" Slye in Cincinnati, Ohio. The family lived in a tenement on 2nd Street, where Riverfront Stadium was later constructed. (Rogers later joked that he was born at second base.) Len had three sisters: Kathleen, Mary, and Cleda. Dissatisfied with his job and city life, Andy and his brother Will built a houseboat from salvage lumber, and in July 1912 the Slye family traveled down the Scioto River towards Portsmouth. Desiring a more stable existence in Portsmouth, they purchased land on which to build a house, but the Great Flood of 1913 allowed them to move the houseboat to their property and continue living in it on dry land.


title: Roy Rogers

text: In 1919, the Slye family purchased a farm in Duck Run, near Lucasville, Ohio, about north of Portsmouth, and built a six-room house. Andy soon realized that the farm alone would not provide sufficient income for his family, so he took a job at a Portsmouth shoe factory, living in Portsmouth during the week and returning home on weekends, bearing gifts following paydays. A notable gift was a horse on which young Len learned the basics of horsemanship. Living on the farm with no radio, the family made their own entertainment. On Saturday nights, they often invited neighbors over for square dances, during which Len would sing, play mandolin, and call the square dances. He also learned to yodel during this time, and with his mother they would use different yodels to communicate with each other across distances on the farm.


title: Roy Rogers

text: Len attended high school in McDermott, Ohio, but after he completed his second year there, his family returned to Cincinnati, where his father worked at another shoe factory. Realizing that his family needed his financial help, Len quit school and joined his father at the factory. He tried to attend night school, but after being ridiculed for falling asleep in class, he quit school and never returned.


title: Roy Rogers

text: By 1929, after his older sister Mary and her husband had moved to Lawndale, California, Len and his father quit their factory jobs, packed up their 1923 Dodge, and drove the family to California to visit Mary. They stayed for four months before returning to Ohio. Soon after returning, Len had the opportunity to travel again to California with Mary's father-in-law, and the rest of the family followed in the spring of 1930. The Slye family rented a small house near Mary, and Len and his father found employment driving gravel trucks for a highway construction project.


title: Roy Rogers

text: In spring 1931, after the construction company went bankrupt, Len traveled to Tulare, California, where he found work picking peaches for Del Monte. During this time, he lived in a labor camp similar to those depicted in John Steinbeck's novel "The Grapes of Wrath". The economic hardship of the Great Depression was just as severe in California as it was in Ohio.


title: Roy Rogers

text: After 19-year-old Len's return to Lawndale, his sister Mary suggested that he audition for the "Midnight Frolic" radio program, which was broadcast over KMCS in Inglewood. A few nights later, wearing a Western shirt that Mary had made for him, he overcame his shyness and appeared on the program playing guitar, singing, and yodeling. A few days later, he was asked to join a local country music group, the Rocky Mountaineers. He accepted the group's offer and became a member in August 1931.


title: Roy Rogers

text: For a brief time in 1933, Lubbock, Texas, was headquarters for the O-Bar-O Cowboys. The Cowboys made little money performing at dances and small theaters in such places as Brownfield and Littlefield. The O-Bar-O Cowboys disbanded in Lubbock. Rogers and his associates Bob Nolan and Tim Spencer went on to organize the Sons of the Pioneers in 1934.


title: Roy Rogers

text: By September 1931, Len hired the Canadian-born Bob Nolan, who answered the group's classified ad in the "Los Angeles Herald-Examiner" that read, "Yodeler for old-time act, to travel. Tenor preferred." Nolan stayed with the group only a short time, but Len and he stayed in touch. Nolan was replaced by Tim Spencer.


title: Roy Rogers

text: In the spring of 1932, Len, Spencer, and another singer, Slumber Nichols, left the Rocky Mountaineers to form a trio, which soon failed. Throughout that year, Len and Spencer moved through a series of short-lived groups, including the International Cowboys and the O-Bar-O Cowboys. When Spencer left the O-Bar-O Cowboys to take a break from music, Len joined Jack LeFevre and His Texas Outlaws, who were a popular act on a local Los Angeles radio station.


title: Roy Rogers

text: In early 1933, Len, Nolan, and Spencer formed the Pioneers Trio, with Slye on guitar, Nolan on string bass, and Spencer as lead vocalist. They rehearsed for weeks refining their vocal harmonies. During this time, Len continued to work with his radio singing group, while Spencer and Nolan began writing songs for the trio. In early 1934, the fiddle player Hugh Farr joined the group, adding a bass voice to their vocal arrangements. Later that year, the Pioneers Trio became the Sons of the Pioneers when a radio station announcer changed their name because he felt they were too young to be pioneers. The name was received well and fit the group, which was no longer a trio.


title: Roy Rogers

text: By summer 1934, the popularity and fame of the Sons of the Pioneers extended beyond the Los Angeles area and quickly spread across the country through short syndicated radio segments that were later rebroadcast across the United States. The Sons of the Pioneers signed a recording contract with the newly founded Decca label and made their first commercial recording on August 8, 1934. One of the first songs recorded during that first session was "Tumbling Tumbleweeds", written by Bob Nolan. Over the next two years, the Sons of the Pioneers recorded 32 songs for Decca, including the classic "Cool Water".


title: Roy Rogers

text: From his first film appearance in 1935, Len worked steadily in Western films, including a large supporting role as a singing cowboy while still billed as Leonard Slye in a Gene Autry movie. In 1938, Autry demanded more money for his work, and there was a competition for a new singing cowboy. Many singers sought the job, including Willie Phelps of the Phelps brothers, who appeared in early Western movies. Len ended up winning the contest and was given the stage name Roy Rogers by Republic Pictures, suggesting the western-sounding name Roy and combining it with the surname of the popular western comic entertainer Will Rogers. He was assigned the leading role in "Under Western Stars". He became a matinee idol, a competitor with Autry as the nation's favorite singing cowboy. In addition to his own movies, he played a supporting role in the John Wayne classic "Dark Command" (1940), which also featured one of his future sidekicks, George "Gabby" Hayes. He became a major box-office attraction. Unlike other stars, the vast majority of his leading roles allowed him to play a character with his own name, in the manner of Autry.


title: Roy Rogers

text: In the "Motion Picture Herald" Top Ten Money-Making Western Stars poll, Rogers was listed for 16 consecutive years, from 1939 to 1954, holding first place from 1943 to 1954 until the poll ceased. He appeared in the similar "BoxOffice" poll from 1938 to 1955, holding first place from 1943 to 1952. In the final three years of that poll, he was second only to Randolph Scott. These two polls are only an indication of the popularity of series stars, but Rogers also appeared in the Top Ten Money Making Stars Poll of all films in 1945 and 1946.


title: Roy Rogers

text: Rogers was an idol for many children through his films and television shows. Most of his postwar films were in Trucolor during an era when almost all other B westerns were black and white. Some of his movies would segue into animal adventures, in which his horse, Trigger, would go off on his own for a while with the camera following him.


title: Roy Rogers

text: With money from Rogers' films and from his public appearances going to Republic Pictures, he brought a clause into a 1940 contract with the studio where he would have the right to his likeness, voice, and name for merchandising. There were Roy Rogers action figures, cowboy adventure novels, and playsets, as well as a comic strip, a long-lived Dell Comics comic book series ("Roy Rogers Comics") written by Gaylord Du Bois, and a variety of marketing successes. Rogers was second only to Walt Disney in the number of items featuring his name.


title: Roy Rogers

text: The Sons of the Pioneers continued their popularity and have not stopped performing from the time Rogers started the group, replacing members as they retired or died (all original members are dead). Although he was no longer an active member, they often appeared as his backup group in films, radio, and television, and he would occasionally appear with them in performances up until his death.


title: Roy Rogers

text: He met Dale Evans in 1944 when they were cast in a film together. They were well known as advocates for adoption and as founders and operators of children's charities. They adopted several children. Both were outspoken Christians after their marriage. Beginning in 1949, they were part of the Hollywood Christian Group, founded by their friend, Louis Evans, Jr., the organizing pastor of Bel Air Church. The group met in Henrietta Mears's home and later in the home of Evans and Colleen Townsend, after their marriage. Billy Graham and Jane Russell were also part of this group. In 1956, the Hollywood Christian Group became Bel Air Church. In Apple Valley, California, where they made their home, streets, highways, and civic buildings have been named after them in recognition of their efforts on behalf of homeless and handicapped children. Rogers was also an active Freemason and a Shriner and was noted for his support of their charities.


title: Roy Rogers

text: Rogers and Evans' famous theme song, "Happy Trails", was written by Evans; they sang it as a duet to sign off their television show. In fall 1962, they cohosted a comedy-Western-variety program, "The Roy Rogers and Dale Evans Show", aired on ABC. It was cancelled after three months, losing in the ratings to "The Jackie Gleason Show" on CBS. He also made numerous cameo or guest appearances on other popular television shows, starring as himself or other cowboy-type characters, such as in an episode of "Wonder Woman" called "The Bushwackers".


title: Roy Rogers

text: Rogers owned a Hollywood production company, which produced his own series. It also filmed other undertakings, including the 1955–1956 CBS Western series "Brave Eagle", starring Keith Larsen as a young, peaceful Cheyenne chief, Kim Winona as Morning Star, his romantic interest, and the Hopi Indian Anthony Numkena as Keena, Brave Eagle's foster son.


title: Roy Rogers

text: In 1968, Rogers licensed his name to the Marriott Corporation, which converted its Hot Shoppes restaurants into Roy Rogers Restaurants, with which he otherwise had no involvement.


title: Roy Rogers

text: Rogers owned a thoroughbred racehorse named Triggairo, that won 13 career races, including the 1975 El Encino Stakes at Santa Anita Park.


title: Roy Rogers

text: Rogers returned to Lubbock in 1970 to headline the Texas Tech University Intercollegiate Rodeo with Evans. In 1975, his last motion picture, "Macintosh and T.J." was filmed at the 6666 Ranch in King County, 90 miles east of Lubbock and near the O-


title: Roy Rogers

text: In 1932, a palomino colt foaled in California was named "Golden Cloud"; when Rogers acquired him, he renamed him Trigger. In 1932, Rogers met an admirer named Lucile Ascolese. They were married in 1933 by a justice of the peace in Los Angeles; the marriage failed, and the couple divorced in 1936. Rogers had been on tour with the O-Bar-O Cowboys in June 1933 and while they were performing in Roswell, New Mexico, a caller to a radio station, Grace Arline Wilkins, promised Rogers that she would bake him a pie if he sang "The Swiss Yodel". They were married in Roswell on June 11, 1936, having corresponded since their first meeting. In 1941, the couple adopted a daughter, Cheryl Darlene. Two years later, Grace gave birth to daughter Linda Lou. A son, Roy, Jr. ("Dusty"), was born in 1946; Grace died of complications from the birth a few days later, on November 3.


title: Roy Rogers

text: Rogers met Dale Evans in 1944 when they were cast in a film together. They fell in love soon after Grace's death, and Rogers proposed to her during a rodeo at Chicago Stadium. They married on New Year's Eve in 1947 at the Flying L Ranch in Davis, Oklahoma, where they had filmed "Home in Oklahoma" a few months earlier. Together they had a child and adopted four more: Robin Elizabeth, who had Down syndrome and died of complications with mumps shortly before her second birthday; three adopted daughters, Mimi, Dodie, and Debbie; and one adopted son, Sandy. Evans wrote about the loss of their daughter Robin in her book "Angel Unaware". Rogers and Evans remained married until his death.


title: Roy Rogers

text: In 1955, Rogers and Evans purchased a 168-acre (68 ha) ranch near Chatsworth, California, complete with a hilltop ranch house, expanding it to 300 acres (121 ha). After their daughter Debbie was killed in a church bus accident in 1964, they moved to the 67-acre (27 ha) Double R Bar Ranch in Apple Valley, California, living in the nearby town.


title: Roy Rogers

text: Rogers was a Freemason and a member of Hollywood (California) Lodge No. 355, the Scottish Rite Valley of Los Angeles, and Al Malaikah Shrine Temple. He was also a pilot and the owner of a Cessna Bobcat.


title: Roy Rogers

text: Rogers died of congestive heart failure on July 6, 1998, aged 86, in Apple Valley, California. He was buried at Sunset Hills Memorial Park in Apple Valley, as was his wife Dale Evans three years later.


title: Roy Rogers

text: On February 8, 1960, Rogers was honored with three stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame: for Motion Pictures at 1752 Vine Street, for Television at 1620 Vine Street, and for Radio at 1733 Vine Street. In 1983 he was awarded the Golden Boot Award,


title: Roy Rogers

text: In 1967, Rogers, with Choctaw blood on his mother's side, was named "outstanding Indian citizen of the year" by a group of Western tribes.


title: Roy Rogers

text: In 1976, Rogers and Evans were inducted into the Western Performers Hall of Fame at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and in 1995 he was inducted again as a founding member of the Sons of the Pioneers.


title: Roy Rogers

text: Rogers received recognition from the State of Arkansas, appointed by the governor of that state with an Arkansas Traveler certificate.


title: Roy Rogers

text: Rogers was also twice elected to the Country Music Hall of Fame, first as a member of the Sons of the Pioneers in 1980, and again as a soloist in 1988. As of August 2022, he was the only person elected to the Country Music Hall of Fame twice. In 2001, a Golden Palm Star on the Palm Springs, California, Walk of Stars was dedicated to him and Dale Evans.


title: Roy Rogers

text: Rogers' cultural influence is reflected in numerous songs, including "If I Had a Boat" by Lyle Lovett, "Roy Rogers" by Elton John on his 1973 album "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road", and "Should've Been a Cowboy" by Toby Keith. Rogers himself makes an appearance in the music video for the song "Heroes and Friends" by Randy Travis. Rogers is referenced in numerous films, including "Die Hard" (1988) in which the Bruce Willis character John McClane used the pseudonym "Roy" and remarks, "I was always kinda partial to Roy Rogers actually." In the television series "American Dad!", the character Roger uses "Roy Rogers" as a pseudonym in the episode "Roy Rogers McFreely". In the movie "City Slickers", the Jack Palance character Curly, sings the song "Tumbling Tumbleweeds" while the Billy Crystal character Mitch is playing the harmonica.


title: Tim Minchin

text: Timothy David Minchin AM (born 7 October 1975) is British-Australian comedian, actor, writer, musician, poet, composer, and songwriter.


title: Tim Minchin

text: Born to Australian parents in Northampton, United Kingdom, and raised in Perth, Minchin attended the University of Western Australia (UWA) and the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA), before moving to Melbourne in 2002. He is best known for his musical comedy. He has released six CDs, five DVDs, and live comedy shows that he has performed internationally. He has appeared on television in Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States. His show "Darkside" launched him into the public eye, achieving critical success at the 2005 Melbourne International Comedy Festival and the 2005 Edinburgh Festival Fringe.


title: Tim Minchin

text: Minchin has a background in theatre and has appeared in various stage productions, in addition to small acting roles on Australian television. A documentary film about Minchin, "Rock N Roll Nerd" (directed by Rhian Skirving), was released theatrically in 2008 and broadcast by ABC1 in 2009. He is the composer and lyricist of the Olivier Award-winning, Tony Award-winning and Grammy Award-nominated show "Matilda the Musical" and the Olivier Award-winning and Tony Award-nominated show "Groundhog Day The Musical". In 2013, he played rock star Atticus Fetch on "Californication" and in 2019 he co-wrote and starred as Lucky Flynn in the TV series "Upright."


title: Tim Minchin

text: In 2013, the University of Western Australia awarded Minchin an honorary Doctor of Letters degree for his contribution to the arts. In 2015, he was awarded a second honorary Doctor of Letters degree from the Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts. He was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia in the 2020 Australia Day Honours "for significant service to the performing arts, and to the community".


title: Tim Minchin

text: Timothy David Minchin was born in Northampton on 7 October 1975, the son of Australian parents Ros and David Ellison Minchin. He holds both Australian and British citizenship, as everyone born in the UK before 1983 was automatically a citizen of the country. His father and grandfather were both surgeons in Perth. He is also descended from R. E. Minchin, founding director of Adelaide Zoo. Minchin returned to Australia with his parents and was raised in Perth, alongside his elder brother, Dan, and two younger sisters, Katie and Nel.


title: Tim Minchin

text: Minchin started learning to play the piano at the age of eight, but gave it up after three years because he did not enjoy the discipline. He developed a renewed interest in the instrument after he started writing music with his brother Dan, a guitarist, but still describes himself as a "hack pianist ... a 'more you practise, the better you get' kind of guy". He was educated at Christ Church Grammar School, an independent school in Perth. He graduated from the University of Western Australia (UWA) in 1996 with a BA in English and theatre, and from the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts in 1998 with an Advanced Diploma in contemporary music.


title: Tim Minchin

text: Minchin describes his act as a "funny cabaret show" and sees himself primarily as a musician and songwriter as opposed to a comedian; he has said that his songs "just happen to be funny." His reasoning for combining the disciplines of music and comedy was revealed in one interview when he said: "I'm a good musician for a comedian and I'm a good comedian for a musician but if I had to do any of them in isolation I dunno."


title: Tim Minchin

text: He draws on his background in theatre for his distinctive onstage appearance and persona. In his performances, he typically goes barefoot with wild hair and heavy eye makeup, which is juxtaposed with a crisp suit and tails, and a grand piano. According to Minchin, he likes going barefoot in his shows because it makes him feel more comfortable. He considers the eye makeup important because while he is playing the piano he is not able to use his arms and relies on his face for expressions and gestures; the eyeliner makes his features more distinguishable for the audience. He has said that much of his look and persona is about "treading that line between mocking yourself and wanting to be an iconic figure. Mocking the ridiculousness and completely unrealistic dream of being an iconic figure."


title: Tim Minchin

text: The shows consist largely of Minchin's comedic songs and poetry, with subjects including social satire, inflatable dolls, sex fetishes, and his own failed rock star ambitions. In between songs, he performs short stand-up routines. Several of his songs deal with religion, a subject with which Minchin—an atheist and a fan of Richard Dawkins—says he is "a bit obsessed". He argues that, as one of the most powerful and influential forces in the world, religion should never be off-limits to satirists. He says that his favourite song to perform is "Peace Anthem for Palestine", which reflects his feelings about religious conflict. His comedy also deals with taboos more broadly. A prime example of this is the song "Prejudice", which parodies the power awarded to something as simple as a word. In October 2010 he was made a Distinguished Supporter of the British Humanist Association.


title: Tim Minchin

text: After graduating from WAAPA in 1998, Minchin started out composing music for documentaries and theatre. In 2000, he wrote and starred in the musical "Pop" at the Blue Room Theatre in Perth. He released a CD titled "Sit" with his band Timmy the Dog in 2001 but achieved little success. In 2002, after only one professional acting job, he moved from Perth to Melbourne to pursue work. Minchin struggled initially; he could not get an agent for a year and had been unable to find any acting work. While several record companies gave him positive feedback, they were not sure how his music—a mixture of satirical songs and more serious pop songs—could be marketed. He decided to compile all of his humorous songs into a single live show to "get the comedy stuff off my chest" before going back to more serious music.


title: Tim Minchin

text: Minchin says he entered into comedy "naively", having never even attended a live comedy gig before performing one himself. His break-out show "Darkside" (co-produced by Laughing Stock Productions) achieved critical success at the 2005 Melbourne International Comedy Festival, where it won the inaugural Festival Directors' Award and attracted the notice of Karen Koren, the manager of the well-known Gilded Balloon venues. Koren backed the show's run at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, where Minchin received the Perrier Comedy Award for Best Newcomer. His 2006 show "So Rock" was nominated for the Melbourne International Comedy Festival's top prize, the Barry Award, and in 2007 he was given the award for Best Alternative Comedian at the HBO US Comedy Arts Festival.


title: Tim Minchin

text: Live recordings of his 2005 and 2006 shows, "Darkside" and "So Rock", have been released as CDs. In 2007, he released a DVD titled "So Live", featuring a live recording in the Sydney Opera House Studio with material from both of his previous shows. As this DVD was only released in Australia, he released a DVD in 2008 entitled "So F**king Rock Live" in the UK, containing largely the same material as "So Live".


title: Tim Minchin

text: In August 2008, Minchin debuted his third solo show, "Ready for This?", at the Edinburgh Fringe and subsequently took it on tour across the UK. During the Edinburgh run, he contributed to "The Guardian" newspaper's podcasts, despite his new show containing a song about a "Guardian" critic who once gave his show a negative review. Responding to the song, which contains graphic violence, the critic laconically remarked that he had not yet had time to listen to it: "Life's too short and I've already done my bit by sitting through that show in Edinburgh."


title: Tim Minchin

text: A live recording of this at Queen Elizabeth Hall in London, was released as an album for download via iTunes on 20 July 2009. An Australian recording was released in Australia on DVD on 9 September 2009, and then as a United Kingdom release in the second half of 2010.


title: Tim Minchin

text: It was announced at the end of 2009 that one of Minchin's beat poems, "Storm", was to be made into a short animated movie. A blog was launched to accompany the film-making process, and a short trailer was released on 8 January 2010. The full movie was launched on YouTube on 7 April 2011.


title: Tim Minchin

text: In the movie, he takes on alternative medicine: "By definition alternative medicine has either not been proved to work, or been proved not to work. Do you know what they call alternative medicine that's been proved to work? Medicine."


title: Tim Minchin

text: Minchin was the subject of the winning entry, by painter Sam Leach, in the 2010 Archibald Prize, Australia's most important portraiture competition.


title: Tim Minchin

text: Minchin embarked on a new arena tour called "Tim Minchin and the Heritage Orchestra" starting at the NIA, Birmingham on Wednesday 8 December 2010. A departure from the structure of his previous live shows, his act was scaled up to be performed with the Heritage Orchestra. It contained a mixture of material, including new songs on the subject of prayer and of rationality (themes which often appear in his previous work). Minchin stated that the aim of incorporating the orchestra into his act was to create a comedy show that would not be ruined by being performed in arenas, as stated in the special features of the DVD and Blu-ray. The show toured the UK and Australia, and was filmed at the Royal Albert Hall in London for a Blu-ray and DVD that was released in November 2011.


title: Tim Minchin

text: The show also toured Australia under the title "Tim Minchin vs. The Orchestras", where he performed with the city state orchestra in each location.


title: Tim Minchin

text: On 30 August 2018, Minchin announced he would be returning to touring his musical comedy in a new tour called "BACK", also billed as Old Songs, New Songs, Fuck You Songs. It marked the first time Minchin returned to touring since 2012 (with the exception of a micro tour of Los Angeles in October 2017 called "Leaving LA").


title: Tim Minchin

text: The tour started in Adelaide, touring Australia and New Zealand in March and April 2019, followed by a tour of the UK in October and November 2019. The tour featured new comedic songs such as "Fuck This", "Leaving LA", and "If This Plane Goes Down", as well as songs from his recent musical works such as "When I Grow Up" from "Matilda the Musical" and "Seeing You" from "Groundhog Day". The show also saw Tim reveal a new band that played alongside him for the rest of the night. This band played throughout the show, performing with Minchin for songs ranging from "Cheese" (first introduced in "Tim Minchin and the Heritage Orchestra"), "Prejudice" and new song "I'll Take Lonely Tonight" to a modified version of "If I Didn't Have You". A new song called "15 Minutes (of Shame)" was also performed with the live band.


title: Tim Minchin

text: An Encore tour of "BACK" began touring in Australia in March 2020, however dates were postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia. The tour resumed in Australia in June and July 2021, followed by a tour in the UK in October, November and December 2021. The recording of the final UK shows at the Shepherd's Bush Empire was broadcast to cinemas on 23 November 2022 and will be released on DVD and Blu-ray on 12 December 2022.


title: Tim Minchin

text: In March 2020 it was announced that Minchin had signed a record deal with BMG and would release his debut studio album, "Apart Together", in November 2020. Two songs from the album (also performed on the Back tour) have been released: "Leaving LA" and "I'll Take Lonely Tonight". In August, he released the third song ahead of the album's release, the titular "Apart Together".


title: Tim Minchin

text: "Apart Together" was released on 20 November 2020, with a streamed digital concert coinciding with the full album's debut. It received mixed to positive reviews from critics. The Independent called it "crisply observed and tenderly considered.", stating that "Minchin's unswerving commitment to all that good, decent, truthful stuff is irresistible." However, iNews referred to the album as nothing more than an "hour-long vanity project...Minchin obviously has things to say about the world but he hasn't really found the right way to say them", but also admitted that "There are glimmers of great humanity and honesty, small moments of beauty. Minchin excels when he tries less hard."


title: Tim Minchin

text: Minchin has made appearances on Australian TV shows, including the ABC's "Spicks and Specks" and "The Sideshow". He has also made appearances on Network Ten's panel shows "Good News Week" (February 2010) and "Talkin' 'Bout Your Generation" (March 2010).


title: Tim Minchin

text: Minchin has appeared on several British radio and television shows, including the BBC's "Never Mind the Buzzcocks" (four times, once as guest host), BBC Radio 4's "Mark Watson Makes the World Substantially Better", and two specials on BBC Radio 2. He often performs on his TV appearances, such as his spots on "Friday Night with Jonathan Ross" in October 2009 and July 2010. He performed a specially-written song entitled "Five Poofs and Two Pianos", a parody of the show's house band, 4 Poofs and a Piano. Minchin also appeared as a special guest on the 2009 edition of "The Big Fat Quiz of the Year", performing a song written for the show ("It's Like 1984") in reference to a question regarding Google Street View. On Saturday 13 August 2011, Minchin hosted Prom 40, the first BBC Comedy Promenade Concert at the Royal Albert Hall. He appeared on "Desert Island Discs" on 6 May 2012.


title: Tim Minchin

text: A heavily cut-down version of the show released on DVD as "So F**king Rock Live" has aired several times on British TV channel E4, first on 23 July 2009. It aired at the start of 2011, forming E4's New Year's coverage.


title: Tim Minchin

text: On 8 May 2010, Minchin's musical sitcom pilot "Strings" was broadcast on BBC Radio 2; it was well received, but he decided against creating a full series.


title: Tim Minchin

text: In December 2011, Minchin performed a specially written song called "Woody Allen Jesus" on "The Jonathan Ross Show". However, despite the show's producers and ITV's lawyers approving the composition for broadcast, it was removed at the last minute. Responding on his blog, Minchin stated: "Someone got nervous and sent the tape to ITV's director of television, Peter Fincham. And Peter Fincham demanded that I be cut from the show. He did this because he's scared of the ranty, shit-stirring, right-wing press, and of the small minority of Brits who believe they have a right to go through life protected from anything that challenges them in any way."


title: Tim Minchin

text: In August 2012, Minchin appeared on "Chain Reaction", first being interviewed by Derren Brown, and later interviewing Caitlin Moran.


title: Tim Minchin

text: In 2019, Minchin acted in and wrote "Upright", a television series appearing on Fox Showcase in Australia and Sky Atlantic in the UK.


title: Tim Minchin

text: In 2020, Minchin performed the opening and closing songs for the BAFTA awards ceremony, which took place behind closed doors. The opening number was written specifically for the event. The latter was a version of his song "Carry You". The BBC received widespread condemnation for cutting the final song, which had been prerecorded, short for timing purposes.


title: Tim Minchin

text: In an interview with Forbes in August 2020, Minchin revealed that while living and working in Los Angeles, he had been pitched a semi-autobiographical sitcom. "There was a project that a writer pitched to Warner Bros., which was a vehicle for me along the lines of a Seinfeld, where there was a character called Tim, who was a musical comedian had moved to LA from London. He was a big star in London, but no one cared about him in LA."


title: Tim Minchin

text: Minchin's background is in theatre and he has appeared in various stage productions. He played the title role in the 2006 Perth Theatre Company production of "Amadeus", a fictional play about the downfall of Mozart at the hands of the reigning court composer, a character based on and named after Antonio Salieri. His other stage acting roles have included the title role in the 2004 Perth Theatre Company / Hoopla production of "Hamlet", and The Writer in the original PTC production of Reg Cribb's "The Return". He has also acted for the Australian Shakespeare Company ("Twelfth Night"), the Black Swan Theatre Company ("Così", "One Destiny"), and in various other plays, short films, and television commercials. Roles from his days in musical theatre include Don Quixote in "Man of La Mancha" and Pontius Pilate (and understudying Judas Iscariot twice) in "Jesus Christ Superstar". He has also appeared playing small parts on the ABC telemovie "Loot" and on the show "Comedy Inc.".


title: Tim Minchin

text: Minchin was cast in the role of Judas in the 2012 UK and Ireland arena tour of the Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber rock opera "Jesus Christ Superstar". The tour extended into various other countries due to popular demand, with Minchin reprising the role in the world, with a filmed version being released in Autumn 2012. The filmed version, much to Minchin's annoyance, had his voice autotuned. The production toured Australia from May to July 2013, before returning to the UK and Ireland in Autumn 2013.


title: Tim Minchin

text: Minchin made his Sydney Theatre Company debut in 2013 in Tom Stoppard's "Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead" alongside Toby Schmitz.


title: Tim Minchin

text: On 23 April 2016, Minchin appeared in "Shakespeare Live! From The RSC" at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon (which was also broadcast live on BBC Two) celebrating the birthday and 400 years since the death of William Shakespeare. He appeared as himself in the 'To be, or not to be' sketch alongside Paapa Essiedu, Benedict Cumberbatch, Harriet Walter, David Tennant (who also hosted the event with Catherine Tate), Rory Kinnear, Ian McKellen, Judi Dench and Charles, Prince of Wales (who was in attendance with Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall).


title: Tim Minchin

text: In 2008, Minchin was commissioned by the Royal Shakespeare Company to write the music and lyrics for "Matilda the Musical", adapted by Dennis Kelly and based on the novel of the same name by Roald Dahl. It was revealed that Minchin had already tried to obtain permission from the Dahl estate to write a musical version of the book in the early 2000s for youth theatre in Australia. The director Matthew Warchus approached Minchin after seeing his "Ready for This?" tour and hearing his song "White Wine in the Sun". The musical premiered at the Courtyard Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon, running from 9 November 2010 to 30 January 2011, and it began its West End run at the Cambridge Theatre on 25 October 2011 to great critical acclaim, winning a record-breaking 7 Laurence Olivier Awards including Best New Musical. In 2013, "Matilda" opened on Broadway at the Shubert Theatre, and earned 12 Tony Award nominations, winning 4. The musical has subsequently been presented worldwide winning numerous awards.


title: Tim Minchin

text: In 2015, it was announced he had teamed up again with director Matthew Warchus and the creative team from "Matilda" to write the music and lyrics for the new stage musical "Groundhog Day" based on the 1993 film of the same name alongside Danny Rubin as book writer (who also co-wrote the movie with Harold Ramis) The musical had its premiere at The Old Vic in 2016, before transferring to the August Wilson Theatre on Broadway. "Groundhog Day" began previews in July 2016, with a scheduled run until 19 September 2016. The musical ran on Broadway from 16 March 2017 in previews, officially on 17 April 2017 and closed on 17 September 2017 after 176 performances and 31 previews. The production is due to return to The Old Vic from 20 May to 12 August 2023.


title: Tim Minchin

text: In October 2017 during a Facebook Live Q&A with The Guardian discussing "Matilda" with Dennis Kelly, Minchin expressed interest in the idea of adapting the Neil Gaiman novel "Stardust" into a stage musical, but also revealed it's unlikely he would ever do a family musical again.


title: Tim Minchin

text: In response to a Twitter Q&A, Minchin revealed that he and a British playwright are currently in early development in writing a new musical, and will begin composing mid-2020. He also revealed that the musical is planned to open in Australia and will be a biographical story opposed to an original or adaptation.


title: Tim Minchin

text: Minchin played the role of Tom in the contemporary family drama "Two Fists, One Heart", released 19 March 2009. He also wrote the song "Drowned" for the film's soundtrack.


title: Tim Minchin

text: In 2013, Minchin moved with his family to Los Angeles so that he could work on "Larrikins", a planned Australian-themed animated musical film for DreamWorks Animation, which he wrote the songs for and was set to co-direct with Chris Miller. The film was set to have an all-star Australian voice cast, headed by Hugh Jackman. However, in March 2017, the project was cancelled, possibly in a decision by Comcast, who had bought DreamWorks Animation a year earlier. Minchin called the outcome "unbearable", noting that he had turned down many projects during those four years, and that "there were 120 people working on that film."


title: Tim Minchin

text: In 2021, it was announced that a feature film adaptation of "Matilda the Musical" will be released for Netflix, TriStar Pictures and Working Title Films, with Minchin writing additional music and songs, Dennis Kelly writing the screenplay and will be directed by Matthew Warchus. The film was released on 25 November 2022 in the UK and Ireland and will be released on 25 December 2022 on Netflix across the rest of the world.


title: Tim Minchin

text: During his 2009 interview for Australian Skeptics' podcast "The Skeptic Zone", Minchin addressed his performance style as one that allows bringing up issues that can be upsetting or judgemental to others, such as the "moral hypocrisy about the idea that the Bible is perfect, the only place that you need to go to for your moral guidance ... and about, obviously, prejudice in the church, its role in ostracising homosexuals ... your defences are down when you're laughing as well and it's couched in music. All I'm doing is making things consumable that are otherwise difficult to consume."


title: Tim Minchin

text: As the son and grandson of medical surgeons, Minchin addressed alternative medicine claims by relating that unbiased tests for efficacy are the key:


title: Tim Minchin

text: You're in such a strong position when you understand the scientific process because all you say is, "Do you understand that the great breakthrough of humanity was figuring out how to make decisions about things whilst discarding human foibles? So, anecdotal evidence involves all your subjectivity—if we do it like this we don't have that anymore. Why, surely do you understand how "powerful" that is?" And if they don't, then that's what you have to explain to them. It's an extremely powerful thing and a very basic thing.


title: Tim Minchin

text: I've always been an atheist; I've always been an empiricist really. I've never believed in ghosts or psychics or anything like that 'cause it's quite simple—you don't have to know much to go, ""Really"?" Or, to just apply Occam's Razor, to go, "Is it more likely that souls do circus tricks, or more likely that they're talking to dead people? And if the latter, by what process? What do you mean talking to dead people? Aren't their voice boxes rotten? So without a voice box, how do they talk, and by what means?" It doesn't take much to be skeptical about that. But really understanding, as I'm still learning, why science is powerful, is a new step towards being boring at dinner parties.


title: Tim Minchin

text: When asked if he thought the universe is full of life, Minchin summarised: "The chances of this happening might be one in infinity. Put it this way: the chance that there being intelligent alien life are, for me, infinitely higher than the chance there being a creator god."


title: Tim Minchin

text: In an interview with Independent Investigations Group member John Rael, Minchin explains that what upsets him most about paranormal beliefs is "special pleading" by people who say vague things such as "there is no harm in it". Minchin states that there is very little harm in something like reiki, but asks "where do you draw the line?" when it comes to needing real evidence if a therapy works or not. He states that he is an atheist as well as a skeptic, and cannot understand how someone can be a skeptic and still be religious. "If you apply doubt to anything ... the whole religion thing is obviously a fantasy."


title: Tim Minchin

text: In 2016, during the course of Australia's Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse Minchin wrote "Come Home (Cardinal Pell)", which criticized Cardinal George Pell. Launched on Channel Ten's "The Project", it received wide publicity, but was highly controversial. Immediately after its debut, journalist Steve Price criticised the piece, describing it as "personal abuse" of Pell. Liam Viney described it as being a protest song and analysed its mechanics. Minchin later described it as "the most overt piece of activism I've done".


title: Tim Minchin

text: The royal commission had been called to investigate how institutions like schools, churches, and government organisations have responded to allegations and instances of child sexual abuse. When the royal commissioner granted the 74-year-old George Pell permission to appear as a witness via video link from Rome, rather than attend in person as he had previously done, Minchin wrote the song "Come Home (Cardinal Pell)". In response, a statement from Pell's office said the cardinal had led the battle against child abuse in the church for 20 years. Attorney General George Brandis told ABC TV that giving evidence by video was "not at all unusual".


title: Tim Minchin

text: The song helped fund journeys to Rome for victims of sex abuse so they could watch the cardinal deliver his evidence, with a GoFundMe account set up by "The Project" hosts Meshel Laurie and Gorgi Coghlan. The ABC "7.30" programme noted on 17 February 2016: "the song's going viral with almost 200,000 YouTube views" but "supporters of Cardinal Pell say it's verbal abuse set to music." Jesuit human rights lawyer Frank Brennan said it risked endangering the integrity of the royal commission. Conservative columnist Andrew Bolt described the song as a "hymn of hatred".


title: Tim Minchin

text: "Come Home (Cardinal Pell)" reached No. 11 on the Australian Singles Chart, for the week of 20 February 2016. Later, it was nominated for APRA's Song of the Year, and Kate Miller-Heidke performed the song at the APRA Music Awards ceremony.


title: Tim Minchin

text: During the Australian Marriage Law Postal Survey Minchin sang "I Still Call Australia Homophobic" a re-work of Peter Allen's, "I Still Call Australia Home" that refers to those supporting the "No" case as homophobic and "bigoted cunts". The Minchin video was shown on the ABC Insiders TV current affairs program. He was criticised by politicians Tony Abbott and Mitch Fifield.


title: Tim Minchin

text: Minchin and his wife Sarah, whom he married in 2001 and with whom he has a daughter and a son, returned to Australia from Los Angeles in December 2017. They currently live in Sydney.


title: Tim Minchin

text: In 2013, the University of Western Australia awarded Minchin an honorary Doctor of Letters degree for his contribution to the arts, recognising his outstanding achievements and worldwide acclaim as a composer, lyricist, actor, writer, and comedian. In 2015, he was awarded a second honorary Doctor of Letters degree from Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts. He was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia in the 2020 Australia Day Honours.


title: Tim Minchin

text: The APRA Awards are presented annually from 1982 by the Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA), "honouring composers and songwriters". They commenced in 1982.


title: Tim Minchin

text: The ARIA Music Awards are a set of annual ceremonies presented by Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA), which recognise excellence, innovation, and achievement across all genres of the music of Australia. They commenced in 1987.


title: Tim Minchin

text: The Environmental Music Prize is a quest to find a theme song to inspire action on climate and conservation. It commenced in 2022.


title: Sophie, Countess of Wessex

text: Sophie, Countess of Wessex and Forfar, (born Sophie Helen Rhys-Jones, 20 January 1965) is a member of the British royal family. She is married to Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex and Forfar, the youngest brother of King Charles III.


title: Sophie, Countess of Wessex

text: She grew up in Brenchley, Kent, and later attended West Kent College, training as a secretary. She then worked in public relations, representing firms across the UK, Switzerland and Australia before opening her own agency in 1996. She met Edward in 1987 while working for Capital Radio; they began dating in 1993. Their engagement was announced in January 1999 and they were married on 19 June at St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle. The couple have two children: Lady Louise Mountbatten-Windsor and James Mountbatten-Windsor, Viscount Severn, who are respectively fifteenth and fourteenth in line to the British throne.


title: Sophie, Countess of Wessex

text: In 2002, Sophie closed her business interests and began full-time work as a member of the royal family. She is the patron of over 70 charities and organisations, including Childline and the London College of Fashion. She undertakes over 200 engagements each year, including visits to schools, universities and military bases. Her charity work primarily revolves around people with disabilities, women's rights, avoidable blindness and agriculture.


title: Sophie, Countess of Wessex

text: Sophie Helen Rhys-Jones was born at Radcliffe Infirmary, Oxford, on 20 January 1965 into a middle-class family. Her father, Christopher Bournes Rhys-Jones (born 1931), is a retired sales director for an importer of industrial tyres and rubber goods. Her mother was Mary (née O'Sullivan; 1934–2005), a charity worker and secretary. She has an elder brother, David (born 1963), and was named after her father's sister, Helen, who died in a riding accident in 1960. Her godfather, actor Thane Bettany, was her father's stepbrother; both men spent their early life in Sarawak, North Borneo, then a British Protectorate ruled by the White Rajahs.


title: Sophie, Countess of Wessex

text: She descends from King Henry IV of England and is related to the family of the Viscounts Molesworth; her grandmother, Margaret Rhys-Jones, née Molesworth, was the great-granddaughter of the Rev. John Molesworth, himself the father of Sir Guilford Molesworth and the great-grandson of Robert Molesworth, 1st Viscount Molesworth.


title: Sophie, Countess of Wessex

text: Rhys-Jones was raised in a four-bedroom 17th-century farmhouse in Brenchley, Kent. She began her education at Dulwich Preparatory School, before moving on to Kent College, Pembury, where she was friends with Sarah Sienesi, with whom she subsequently shared a flat in Fulham and who later became her lady-in-waiting. Rhys-Jones then trained as a secretary at West Kent College, Tonbridge.


title: Sophie, Countess of Wessex

text: She began a career in public relations, working for a variety of firms, including four years at Capital Radio, where she was assigned to the press and promotions department, as well as public relations companies The Quentin Bell Organisation and MacLaurin Communications & Media. She also worked as a ski representative in Switzerland and spent a year travelling and working in Australia. In 1996, Rhys-Jones launched her public relations agency, RJH Public Relations, which she ran with her business partner, Murray Harkin, for five years.


title: Sophie, Countess of Wessex

text: While working at Capital Radio, Rhys-Jones met Prince Edward, the youngest son of the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh, for the first time in 1987 when he was dating her friend. She met him again at a promotion shoot for the Prince Edward Summer Challenge to raise money for charity in 1993, and the two began their relationship soon afterwards. In December 1993 and amid growing speculation about whether they were planning to marry, Edward wrote a letter to newspaper editors, in which he denied any wedding plans and asked the media to respect their privacy. Edward proposed to Sophie at a vacation in the Bahamas in December 1998 and their engagement was announced on 6 January 1999. Edward proposed to her with an engagement ring featuring a two-carat oval diamond flanked by two heart-shaped gemstones set in 18-carat white gold. The ring was made by Asprey and Garrard (now Garrard & Co) and is worth an estimated £105,000. Sophie, who was reportedly close to the Queen from the beginning of her relationship with Edward, was allowed to use the royal apartments at Buckingham Palace prior to her engagement.


title: Sophie, Countess of Wessex

text: The wedding took place on 19 June of the same year at St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle, a break from the weddings of Edward's older siblings, which were large, formal events at Westminster Abbey or St Paul's Cathedral. On the day of their marriage, Prince Edward was created a hereditary peer as Earl of Wessex with the subsidiary title of Viscount Severn (derived from the Welsh roots of his wife's family). It is understood that he will be elevated as Duke of Edinburgh when that title reverts to the Crown. The couple spent their honeymoon at Balmoral Castle. Following their union, the Earl and Countess moved to Bagshot Park, their home in Surrey. While their private residence is Bagshot Park, their office and official London residence is based at Buckingham Palace.


title: Sophie, Countess of Wessex

text: In December 2001, the Countess was taken to the King Edward VII Hospital after feeling unwell. It was discovered that she was suffering from an ectopic pregnancy and the foetus had to be removed. Two years later, on 8 November 2003, she prematurely gave birth to her daughter, Lady Louise Mountbatten-Windsor, resulting from a sudden placental abruption that placed both mother and child at risk, and the Countess had to undergo an emergency caesarean section at Frimley Park Hospital, while the Earl of Wessex rushed back from Mauritius. The Countess returned to Frimley Park Hospital on 17 December 2007, to give birth, again by caesarean section, to her son, James Mountbatten-Windsor, Viscount Severn.


title: Sophie, Countess of Wessex

text: The Countess of Wessex's first overseas tour after her marriage was to the Canadian province of Prince Edward Island in 2000.


title: Sophie, Countess of Wessex

text: In December 2011, the Countess of Wessex joined her husband visiting troops in Afghanistan. In February and March 2012, the Earl and Countess visited the Caribbean for the Diamond Jubilee, visiting Saint Lucia, Barbados, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Grenada, Trinidad and Tobago, Montserrat, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Anguilla and Antigua and Barbuda. Highlights of the tour included the 50th Anniversary Independence Day celebrations in Saint Lucia, a joint address from both houses of the Barbados Parliament and a visit to sites affected by the recent volcanic eruptions in Montserrat. In June 2012, as part of the Queen's Diamond Jubilee celebrations, the Earl and Countess of Wessex, represented the Queen during a three-day tour to Gibraltar. The couple attended a Queen's Birthday Parade and toured Main Street, in the historic old town.


title: Sophie, Countess of Wessex

text: In 2013, the couple visited South Africa. Later that year, the Countess made solo trips to India and Qatar as the patron of the sight-saving charity Orbis UK. She made a similar visit to Bangladesh in November 2017. The Countess, as Colonel-in-Chief of Corps of Army Music, visited The Countess of Wessex's String Orchestra at the Royal Artillery Barracks, in London. On 3 March 2014, the Queen approved the title of "The Countess of Wessex's String Orchestra" for the new Army String Orchestra in recognition of the Corps of Army Music's Colonel-in-Chief. In November 2014, the Countess was in Zambia representing the Queen at the State funeral of the late President of Zambia, Michael Sata.


title: Sophie, Countess of Wessex

text: On 26 March 2015, she attended the reburial of Richard III of England in Leicester Cathedral. In May 2015, the Countess represented the Queen in the 70th anniversary celebrations to mark the Liberation Day of the Channel Islands. The Countess delivered a message from the Queen, who paid tribute to the island's continued allegiance and loyalty to the Crown. The Countess visited Canada and the United States in November 2015. While in Toronto, she criss-crossed across the city, making stops at the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair and the UHN's Toronto General Hospital and Toronto Western Hospital, of which she is patron. Sophie then travelled to New York City, paying an emotional visit to the National September 11 Memorial & Museum. The Countess also made an appearance at an Armistice Day service at the Queen Elizabeth II September 11th Garden, which was opened in commemoration of the 67 British victims of the attack. The Countess later attended the 100 Women in Hedge Funds Gala dinner in Manhattan.


title: Sophie, Countess of Wessex

text: The Earl and Countess of Wessex toured Canada in June 2016, visiting Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta. The couple visited a variety of places in and around Regina, Saskatchewan before attending the Globe Theatre's 50th anniversary gala. In March 2017, the Countess embarked on a 4-day visit to Malawi as Vice-Patron of The Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Trust, visiting programmes to end avoidable blindness and champion young leaders. On 9 May 2017, the Countess attended King Harald and Queen Sonja of Norway's 80th Birthday Celebrations on behalf of the royal family. The Earl and Countess of Wessex represented the Queen at the 50th Anniversary Celebrations of Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah's Accession to the Throne of Brunei in October 2017. On 30 November 2017, the Countess visited the 'Making for Change' fashion training and manufacturing unit, a fashion training and manufacturing unit established by the Ministry of Justice and London College of Fashion at HM Prison Downview as patron of the London College of Fashion During her visit, the Countess met staff and prisoners, including female inmates, and awarded participants with certificates as part of their training programme.


title: Sophie, Countess of Wessex

text: An avid supporter of charities that deal with learning disabilities, the Countess made a solo trip to Belfast in January 2018 to visit a number of charities that she had supported through her work over the last decade, including Mencap's children's centre. She also opened the new dementia-friendly unit of Northern Ireland Hospice, the first of its kind in the UK. The Earl and Countess of Wessex visited Sri Lanka in February 2018 to celebrate the 70th Anniversary of Independence, Sri Lanka–United Kingdom relations, the Commonwealth, education and young people. In October 2018, the Earl and Countess of Wessex toured the Baltic states.


title: Sophie, Countess of Wessex

text: In March 2019, the Countess travelled to New York City to attend the 63rd session of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW). The annual event brought together more than 9,000 gender equality representatives from around the world. The CSW is "the principal global intergovernmental body exclusively dedicated to the promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of women." From 29 April to 3 May 2019, the Countess, Vice-Patron of the Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Trust, visited India in her final overseas tour as vice-patron ahead of the Trust's planned closure in January 2020. The Countess saw the work the charitable foundation has supported to tackle avoidable blindness and heard about programmes successfully launched by Queen's Young Leaders.


title: Sophie, Countess of Wessex

text: In July 2019, the Earl and Countess, visited Forfar on their first official visit to the town since the Queen granted the Earl the additional title Earl of Forfar in March 2019. Later in October, the Countess visited Kosovo to meet victims of sexual violence after the Kosovo War and their families. By the end of 2019, Sophie had completed 236 official engagements. In March 2020, Sophie became the first member of the royal family to visit South Sudan. During the visit, which was requested by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, the Countess of Wessex and Forfar met victims and survivors of gender-based violence and promoted their rights by meeting the female political leaders in the country.


title: Sophie, Countess of Wessex

text: In January 2022, the Countess went on a solo visit to Qatar in her capacity as the global ambassador for the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB) to support the organisation's '2030 in Sight' initiative and visit projects by the Qatar Fund and Orbis International aimed at improving eye tests and treatments in India and Bangladesh. As a supporter of the Women Peace and Security Network she met with Afghan women refugees who had been evacuated from the country following the 2021 Taliban offensive. In March 2022, Sophie went on a four-day solo trip to New York City, visiting the Queen Elizabeth II September 11th Garden and Consuls General from across the Commonwealth to mark the Commonwealth Day. She also delivered the keynote address on women's rights in Afghanistan at an event hosted by the UN Women and the Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security.


title: Sophie, Countess of Wessex

text: In April 2022, the Earl and Countess of Wessex and Forfar toured Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and Antigua and Barbuda to mark the Queen's Platinum Jubilee. Their planned visit to Grenada was postponed after talks with the island's government and governor general, and the couple expressed their hopes to visit the country on a later date. In October 2022, she visited the Democratic Republic of the Congo to engage with projects preventing sexual and gender-based violence in conflict, becoming the first member of the royal family to visit the country. The tour also included visits to Rwanda, Botswana, and Malawi.


title: Sophie, Countess of Wessex

text: The Earl and Countess of Wessex established their foundation The Wessex Youth Trust in 1999 to support initiatives and charities that help children and young people. After twenty years of operation, the Wessex Youth Trust was renamed the Earl and Countess of Wessex Charitable Trust in 2019 and its management was transferred to the Private Office of the Earl and Countess of Wessex and Forfar. It was announced that the Trust's broad charitable objectives would not change, however, their future efforts would be aimed towards supporting a different range of charities.


title: Sophie, Countess of Wessex

text: In 2000, she became patron of a number of organisations, including Foundation of Light (formerly Sunderland A.F.C Foundation) which develops educational and community programmes in northern England, based around football. Moved by the death of her friend Jill Dando in 1999, the Countess became a trustee of UCL Jill Dando Institute, an institute of crime science established in her name in 2001. As a full-time member of the royal family, part of her focus became charities that dealt with communications difficulties, including Southampton General Hospital, and the New Haven Trust in Toronto, a learning centre for children with autism. In 2003, she became patron of Tomorrow's People Trust, which helps the disadvantaged to find work, housing and a place in society. In February 2003, Countess became patron and ambassador of Meningitis Now, a charity that supports meningitis patients and raises awareness of the disease. Later that month, she became patron to The Scar Free Foundation, a medical research charity coordinating funds in wound healing, burns and cleft research. In 2003, she succeeded Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother as patron of the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists.


title: Sophie, Countess of Wessex

text: The Countess, who was a Brownie as a child, became the new president of Girlguiding UK in 2003, following the death of Princess Margaret in February 2002. She established the Women in Business Group in 2003 to support the Duke of Edinburgh's Award and reach more young people to help them develop skills that can transform their futures. The Countess became president of the Brainwave Centre in 2003, a charity providing therapy for children with developmental delay. In June 2003, she became patron of the Greater London Fund for the Blind, which raises funds for smaller charities for visually impaired people in London. In August 2003, the Countess received patronage of the National Autistic Society, passed down from The Princess Royal. In 2004, she joined St John Ambulance as Grand President, and heads the work of St John's County Presidents, who provide a variety of support for their local St John members. She was associated with ChildLine for many years, preceding her appointment as their first ever royal patron in 2005. In 2006, she lent her support to the Born in Bradford research project, which investigated causes of low birth weight and infant mortality between 2007 and 2010. In September 2006, she was appointed an Honorary Fellow of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists. In the same year, she became patron of Hockey England.


title: Sophie, Countess of Wessex

text: The Countess is a supporter of agriculture, farming and food production and held the position of Show President of the Royal Bath and West Show in 2010 before becoming Vice Patron in 2011. She is also patron of the Association of Show and Agricultural Organisations and has been Patron of The Border Union Agricultural Society since its bicentennial year in 2012. The Countess works to support the 'Campaign for Wool', which was set up by The Prince of Wales, and aims to promote the use of British wool. During her 2013 trips to India, and Qatar, the Countess visited numerous facilities in her capacity as patron of Vision 2020: The Right to Sight and ambassador for IAPB, in order to raise awareness about preventable blindness. Her work on the issue has been described as influential in creating the Qatar Creating Vision initiative. In 2013, the Countess became the first ever patron of the London College of Fashion and was announced as the royal patron of British Wheelchair Basketball. In June 2013, she was appointed global ambassador for The Duke of Edinburgh's International Award Foundation, an umbrella body co-ordinating organisations running The Duke of Edinburgh's Award worldwide. She has been the founder and chairman of the Duke of Edinburgh's Award Women's Network Forum since January 2014, whose goal is the advancement of gender balance and equality by influencing business leaders, inspiring the next generation and sharing best practice. In June 2014, the Countess was appointed the patron of Ubunye Foundation, based in the Eastern Cape, South Africa, a rural development trust dedicated to unlocking the potential of rural communities.


title: Sophie, Countess of Wessex

text: On the Countess's 50th birthday, she became Vice-Patron of The Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Trust, a charitable foundation established in 2012 for Queen Elizabeth II's Diamond Jubilee. The Trust was a time-limited foundation and closed on 31 January 2020. In February 2015, the Queen gave a joint reception to celebrate the 50th birthdays of the Earl and Countess, as well as their the patronages and affiliations, at Buckingham Palace. Elizabeth, accompanied by the couple, met key supporters, staff, volunteers and alumnus from the charities of their patronage and presidency, as well as representatives from their various military appointments. In November 2015, 100 Women in Hedge Funds announced that the Countess will serve as Global Ambassador of 100WF's Next Generation initiatives. In September 2016, the Countess took part in a cycling challenge from the Holyrood Palace to Buckingham Palace for the Duke of Edinburgh's Award Diamond Challenge. The ride raised more than £180,000 for the Award, which was celebrating its 60th anniversary. The Countess received a diamond pin to mark her completion of the Diamond Challenge. Linking Environment And Farming named the Countess as its new Honorary President in October 2016. In November 2016, she was announced as Women of the Future's official ambassador, which supports and celebrates the successes of young women. In December 2016, the Countess participated in ICAP charity day in order to raise money for Shooting Star Chase, a children's hospice of which she is patron. During the same month. after the Queen stepped down from her position as patron of numerous charities, Sophie replaced her as the principal patron of NSPCC, Blind Veterans UK and British Cycling Federation.


title: Sophie, Countess of Wessex

text: The Countess was elected president of the Devon County Agricultural Association in February 2017. In May 2017, as patron of the British Bobsleigh and Skeleton Association the Countess attended its 90th anniversary and commemorative athlete awards dinner. The Ice Maiden, five British Army women, received royal patronage from the Countess for their ambitious coast-to-coast ski expedition across Antarctica in October 2017. The team aimed to inspire women and girls everywhere to challenge perceptions and grow their ambitions. In January 2018, the Countess became the Royal Patron of the Nursing Memorial Appeal. The Appeal aims to create a memorial dedicated to the 1,500 nurses who gave their lives in First and Second World Wars. In February 2018, Westmorland Agricultural Society welcomed the Countess as its president. In January 2019, the Countess became the patron of the Thames Valley Air Ambulance, which saved her life during her ectopic pregnancy in 2001.


title: Sophie, Countess of Wessex

text: On 29 January, the Countess was elected President of The Royal Smithfield Club, which promotes the education and knowledge to advance best practice in the meat and livestock industry.


title: Sophie, Countess of Wessex

text: On International Women's Day March 2019, the Countess officially announced her involvement in taking a stand against sex crimes in conflict zones, joining Angelina Jolie to work with the Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict Initiative (PSVI) as well as Women, Peace and Security (WPS) formed 20 years ago to tackle the impact of armed conflict on women and girls, and to promote the positive role women play in building peace and stability. On 25 April 2019, it was announced that the Countess, along with her husband, the Earl of Wessex and Forfar and her brother-in-law, the Duke of York, have each been appointed vice president of the annual Royal Windsor Horse Show. In May 2019, she took over the patronage of the Chartered Management Institute from the Duke of Edinburgh.


title: Sophie, Countess of Wessex

text: In April 2020, the Countess helped Rhubarb, a catering company, in preparing and delivering food to NHS staff amidst the coronavirus pandemic, an initiative organised by Ian Wace. To mark the International Nurses Day in May 2020, the Countess helped the Nourish our Nurses charity group with packing and delivering food for nurses and healthcare staff. The Countess has also volunteered at local food banks, including the Hope Hub, in Surrey and delivered parcels to the homeless during the pandemic. In September 2020, Sophie, alongside her husband and children, participated in the Great British Beach Clean at Southsea Beach in support of the Marine Conservation Society. In October 2020, the Earl and Countess visited community engagement programmes in London to commemorate Black History Month. In November 2020, Sophie presented a Commonwealth Points of Light Award on behalf of the Queen during a digital Women Mediators across the Commonwealth Network forum.


title: Sophie, Countess of Wessex

text: In February 2021, as the Grand President of St John Ambulance, the Countess started working as a care volunteer at an NHS vaccination centre. In May 2021, Sophie become royal patron of Wellbeing of Women, a charity focused on all areas of women's reproductive health across a woman's life course, from menstrual health to menopause. A patron of this charity, she later discussed her own struggles with menopause and how it affected her memory. In July 2021, Princess Alexandra handed over the patronage of The Guide Dogs for the Blind Association to Sophie. In December 2022, Sophie was honoured at the Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security, where she received the Hillary Rodham Clinton Award for her work concerning sexual violence in war zones.


title: Sophie, Countess of Wessex

text: At the start of her relationship with Prince Edward, Sophie was referred to as "the girl next door", and noted for her successful career and ordinary background. In the early years of her marriage, Sophie faced public scrutiny for her business interests, and was often compared to the late Diana, Princess of Wales, who had died two years earlier. On her transition to becoming a full-time royal, she later stated: "Certainly it took me a while to find my feet. The frustration was I had to reduce my expectations of what I could actually do. I couldn't turn up at a charity and go, right, I think you should be doing this, because that's what I was used to doing in my working life. I had to take a really big step back and go, OK, they want you to be the icing on the cake, the person to come in to thank their volunteers and funders, not necessarily to tell them how to run their communications plan."


title: Sophie, Countess of Wessex

text: The Countess has since been cited as an under-the-radar "stabilizing influence" and a "safe pair of hands". She has been said to have a low-key approach to royal engagements, and often drives herself to and from events. Amanda Pullinger stated to "Town and Country", "She actually presents herself as an ordinary person and I think that is increasingly what the royal family needs to do." She has also been noted for her long-term work on "gritty" subject matters such as gender-based violence in conflict, and trips to "difficult areas", such as South Sudan and Sierra Leone. The Countess's engagements gained significant attention from the public post-Megxit, with her charity work and style choices receiving increased commentary and analysis. Writer Ingrid Seward states that the Countess "is not a self-publicist...She looks good, without being over-the-top, and she's not craving celebrity. You often wouldn't know she had carried out all those engagements."


title: Sophie, Countess of Wessex

text: The Countess was not initially prominent for her fashion, but eventually began to develop her own style and has worn outfits by many notable designers. The Countess has exclusively worn Jane Taylor millinery designs since 2009 on numerous occasions. In a "Marie Claire" interview, Taylor described her first royal commission: "My first royal client was the Countess of Wessex, and it was quite nerve-racking. But she wears such lovely clothes and she always looks so fabulous, so it's quite easy to design for her. Since she came to see me, she's never worn any other milliner's hats, which is a big compliment. I was really excited, honored, and slightly nervous." Alongside the Princess of Wales and the Duchess of Sussex, Sophie has been named one of the most stylish members of the royal family. The Countess is particularly known for wearing different combinations of hats and coats, and favours silk dresses and frocks. Describing her style in an interview by "Sunday Express" Sophie said: "It's about my charities, but I recognize that I'm on display. [...] When you walk into a room, yes, people are going to talk about what you're doing there, but they're also going to want to know what you're wearing". She also revealed that she has never had a stylist of her own and that she makes her fashion choices herself. In 2015, the Countess was named on "Vanity Fair"s Best Dressed List. Together with the then-Duchess of Cambridge, the Countess hosted the Commonwealth Fashion Exchange reception at Buckingham Palace during the 2018 London Fashion Week.


title: Sophie, Countess of Wessex

text: In May 1999, less than a month before her wedding, "The Sun" published a photo of a topless Sophie with her Capital Radio colleague Chris Tarrant, which was taken during a business trip to Spain in 1988. Buckingham Palace immediately issued a statement saying, "This morning's story in "The Sun" is a gross invasion of privacy and cannot be regarded as in the public interest. It has caused considerable distress." Prime Minister Tony Blair also condemned the publication of the photograph. The Palace made an official complaint to the Press Complaints Commission (PCC). According to Sophie's business partner the incident had left her "distressed", and she was reportedly "devastated" and felt "she was 'letting the side down' before her wedding". Tarrant later said, "There was never, ever the slightest hint of romance between Sophie and myself, let alone these snidey insinuations." Following its publication, the newspaper issued a statement and apologised to Rhys-Jones and the next issue came out with the headline "Sorry, Sophie". It also said that it would again apologise to Sophie in a letter and donate all sale proceeds of the issue to her charities. The photo was sold to the tabloid by Kara Noble, a former friend and colleague of Sophie. Noble later apologised in the following months saying, "I just want to say sorry to everyone who was involved." Both she and the newspaper faced criticism from the public, and Noble was fired from her job at Heart 106.2 FM. The couple later decided not to make a formal complaint.


title: Sophie, Countess of Wessex

text: In 2011, close associates of Jonathan Rees, a private investigator connected to the "News International" phone hacking scandal, stated that he had penetrated Sophie and Edward's bank accounts and sold details about them to the "Sunday Mirror".


title: Sophie, Countess of Wessex

text: In April 2001, Sophie appeared in the media after she was misled in a meeting at the Dorchester by a "News of the World" reporter posing as an Arab sheikh, Mazher Mahmood, who was later exposed for perjury in Southwark Crown Court. It was claimed by the newspapers that during their "secretly taped" conversation, the Countess had insulted the royal family and politicians, calling the Queen "old dear" and criticising the leadership of prime ministers John Major and Tony Blair and Chancellor of the Exchequer Gordon Brown. She also reportedly commented on Prince Charles's relationship with his then-partner Camilla, arguing that a marriage would not be possible as long as the Queen Mother was alive. However, despite some initial reports, the paper acquitted her of referring to Cherie Blair as "absolutely horrid" and mocking Leader of the Opposition William Hague's appearance. Murray Harkin, Sophie's business partner who was also present at the meeting, was recorded discussing his sex life and cocaine use and boasting about Sophie's abilities in securing celebrities for various events. Tabloid newspapers claimed the Countess had sent apology letters to Blair, Hague and Prince Charles.


title: Sophie, Countess of Wessex

text: Buckingham Palace denied the accuracy of the reports, saying: "The Countess of Wessex, who is trying to pursue her own career, is obviously vulnerable to set-ups such as this." The Palace released a statement saying the reported comments were "selective, distorted and in several cases, flatly untrue". The Palace officials stated that the Countess had not insulted the Queen, the Queen Mother, or the politicians, while according to the "Mail on Sunday" four reliable sources had confirmed these reports. The "News of the World" attributed the negative reactions to the jealousy of the rival media, as the outlet had previously conducted an interview with Sophie in which she addressed the rumours about her difficulties in marriage and discussed her husband's sexuality. Sophie had reportedly agreed to the intimate interview on the condition that the newspaper would not publish transcript of the tapes. In a separate statement the Countess said she was "distressed by the carrying out of an entrapment operation" on her, but also regretted her "own misjudgment in succumbing to that subterfuge". Subsequently, in 2002, both the Earl and Countess announced that they would quit their business interests in order to focus on activities and official engagements on behalf of the royal family and aid the Queen in her Golden Jubilee year.


title: Sophie, Countess of Wessex

text: The Countess of Wessex has been criticised for accepting two sets of jewels from the royal family of Bahrain during an official day-long visit to the country in December 2011, as she and her husband returned to the UK from a trip to Afghanistan. She was given one set by Bahrain's king and a second set by the country's prime minister, Sheikh Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa. Her husband, the Earl, received a pen and a watch as well as a silk rug from the Crown Prince of Bahrain, Prince Salman bin Hamad al-Khalifa, who also gave the countess a silver and pearl cup. The value of the jewellery has not been estimated and its precise contents were not disclosed. Given concern about human rights abuses in Bahrain, this gift attracted controversy, with calls for the jewels to be sold, and the proceeds used for the benefit of the Bahraini people.


title: Sophie, Countess of Wessex

text: Critics said the Countess should sell the gems and give the proceeds to political protesters in Bahrain. Denis MacShane, then a Labour Member of Parliament (MP) and previously a Foreign Office minister, said: "Given the appalling suffering and repression of the Bahraini people, it would be a fitting gesture for the Countess of Wessex to auction these trinkets and distribute the proceeds to the victims of the regime."


title: Sophie, Countess of Wessex

text: Royal family guidelines and procedures relating to gifts, published by the government in 2003, state that "before accepting any gift, careful consideration should always be given, wherever practicable, to the donor, the reason for and occasion of the gift and the nature of the gift itself ... Equally, before declining the offer of a gift, careful consideration should be given to any offence that might be caused by such action."


title: Sophie, Countess of Wessex

text: Since her marriage, Sophie has been styled "Her Royal Highness The Countess of Wessex". Since 10 March 2019, she has been known in Scotland as "Her Royal Highness The Countess of Forfar". Since then, she has at times been referred to as the Countess of Wessex and Forfar, such as at the funerals of her father-in-law and mother-in-law.


title: Hindu Kush

text: The Hindu Kush is an mountain range in Central and South Asia to the west of the Himalayas. It stretches from central and western Afghanistan into northwestern Pakistan and far southeastern Tajikistan. The range forms the western section of the "Hindu Kush Himalayan Region" ("HKH"); to the north, near its northeastern end, the Hindu Kush buttresses the Pamir Mountains near the point where the borders of China, Pakistan and Afghanistan meet, after which it runs southwest through Pakistan and into Afghanistan near their border. The eastern end of the Hindu Kush in the north merges with the Karakoram Range. Towards its southern end, it connects with the White Mountains near the Kabul River. It divides the valley of the Amu Darya (the ancient "Oxus") to the north from the Indus River valley to the south. The range has numerous high snow-capped peaks, with the highest point being Tirich Mir or Terichmir at in the Chitral District of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan.


title: Hindu Kush

text: The Hindu Kush range region was a historically significant center of Buddhism, with sites such as the Bamiyan Buddhas. The range and communities settled in it hosted ancient monasteries, important trade networks and travelers between Central Asia and South Asia. While the vast majority of the region has been majority-Muslim for several centuries now, certain portions of the Hindu Kush only became Islamized relatively recently, such as Kafiristan, which retained ancient polytheistic beliefs until the 19th century when it was converted to Islam by the Durrani Empire and renamed Nuristan ("land of light"). The Hindu Kush range has also been the passageway during the invasions of the Indian subcontinent, and continues to be important to contemporary warfare in Afghanistan.


title: Hindu Kush

text: The earliest known usage of the Persian name "Hindu Kush" occurs on a map published about 1000 CE. Some modern scholars remove the space and refer to the mountain range as "Hindukush".


title: Hindu Kush

text: "Hindu Kush" is generally translated as "Killer of Hindus" or "Hindu-Killer" by most writers. The term was earliest used by Ibn Battuta. According to him "Hindu Kush" means Hindu Killer as slaves from the Indian subcontinent died in the harsh climatic conditions of the mountains while being taken from India to Turkestan.