title: Bundy standoff

text: On December 1, 2019, an investigation commissioned by the Washington House of Representatives reported Washington state legislator, white supremacist Matt Shea had planned and participated in domestic terrorism on at least three occasions. This included his participation, organizing, planning, and promotion of the 2014 standoff in Nevada, the 2015 armed conflict in Priest River, Idaho, and the 2016 armed seizure of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge by a group led by the Bundys. Shea led a delegation of right-wing legislators from Oregon, Washington and Idaho that met with law enforcement on January 9, 2016, in Burns, Oregon where they were appraised of confidential intended law enforcement strategies for dealing with the refuge occupiers. Shea then disclosed those details to the Bundys, according to the report.


title: Bundy standoff

text: Republican Senator Dean Heller of Nevada said of the Bundy supporters, "These people are patriots." Heller made that statement during the same television interview in which Senator Harry Reid described the Bundy supporters as "domestic terrorists." Heller also complained of federal actions during the standoff, saying, "I told him [BLM Director Neil Kornze] very clearly that law-abiding Nevadans must not be penalized by an over-reaching BLM." After the resolution he stated, "emotions and tensions are still near the boiling point." Later on he said that Bundy should pay the BLM the more than $1 million in grazing fees owed to the agency.


title: Bundy standoff

text: After the BLM left the area for safety concerns, Nevada's senior U.S. Senator and then Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said, "Well, it's not over. We can't have an American people that violate the law and then just walk away from it. So it's not over." Reid also referred to the militia supporting Bundy as "domestic terrorists."


title: Bundy standoff

text: Republican Representative Chris Stewart (R-Utah) decried the BLM and other agencies for staffing their departments with what he called "paramilitary units" and "SWAT team[s]." However, the BLM does not have a SWAT team, according to "The Salt Lake Tribune", which editorialized that Stewart's views "may be one of the worst ideas in the history of bad ideas."


title: Bundy standoff

text: In response, a BLM agency's spokeswoman said that the BLM doesn't have any SWAT or tactical teams. An Interior Department representative said that the BLM "had law enforcement personnel present to provide safety for their employees and the public."


title: Bundy standoff

text: On April 19, 2014, Texas Republican Steve Stockman sent a letter to President Barack Obama, Department of the Interior Secretary Sally Jewell, and BLM Director Neil Kornze, stating that the BLM was overreaching its law enforcement authority with what he called a "paramilitary raid."


title: Bundy standoff

text: In a July 20, 2014 column in "The Washington Post" titled "Nevada: Burned by the Rants of Hotheads'", then-Representative Steven Horsford (D-Nevada) described recent incidents of violence in his district and nearby states, and criticized the "nonstop attention and demagoguery from media and politicians alike," saying: "There can be reasonable disagreements about the Bundy Ranch. But we can disagree without offering refuge to dangerous individuals on the fringe."


title: Bundy standoff

text: Nevada Governor Brian Sandoval sided with Bundy, saying, "No cow justifies the atmosphere of intimidation which currently exists nor the limitation of constitutional rights that are sacred to all Nevadans. The BLM needs to reconsider its approach to this matter and act accordingly."


title: Bundy standoff

text: Nevada Assemblywoman Michele Fiore, who supported Bundy, aiding him with his returned calves, said, "It's time for Nevada to stand up to the federal government and demand the return of the BLM lands to the people of Nevada."


title: Bundy standoff

text: On April 15, 2014, a group of Republican state legislators from Arizona, including Representatives Bob Thorpe (R-Flagstaff), David Livingston (R-Peoria), Kelly Townsend (R-Mesa), Senators Judy Burges (R-Sun City West), and Kelli Ward (R-Lake Havasu City) traveled to Mesquite, Nevada, to support Bundy in his standoff with the BLM. Arizona Representative Kelly Townsend said that the scenes at the ranch amid the dispute gave her a "visceral reaction ... It sounds dramatic, but it reminded me of Tiananmen Square. I don't recognize my country at this point." Her colleague, Bob Thorpe of Flagstaff, said that he was one of about three dozen state legislators who had sent a letter about the standoff to Nevada and federal officials. Congressman Paul Gosar also joined the group.


title: Bundy standoff

text: Media personalities have weighed in on the confrontations. During the standoff, Bundy was interviewed (via remote link) by television host Sean Hannity. Hannity stated that some fear events could wind up mirroring the Waco siege and Ruby Ridge and said, "This is public land, and it's not being used, in my mind, and I'm not a rancher, (but) I would think the federal government might be thankful because you're cutting the lawn for free, and they're charging huge amounts of money, right, to let your cattle graze there with these fees." In contrast, a comparison of BLM grazing fees with private land market prices demonstrated the Bundy's are getting a 93% discount by grazing on BLM land.


title: Bundy standoff

text: Joy Reid and others mocked Cliven Bundy calling him a welfare cowboy as a derogatory term inspired by Welfare queen.


title: Bundy standoff

text: Editorial responses from newspapers have been mixed. The "Las Vegas Review-Journal" wrote that the BLM was right to defuse the situation, but that the confrontation showed the problems of federal land ownership in the state and called for the federal government to sell off the land in question. The "Las Vegas Sun" wrote that "Bundy hit a trifecta of sorts: He violated the laws Congress made, ignored the judicial branch's orders, and defied the executive branch's efforts to enforce those laws and orders ... In the end, Bundy isn't the victor; anarchy is. The rule of law, and society as a whole, lost." The "Casper Star-Tribune" wrote that Bundy was cheating taxpayers, an "embarrassment to ranchers in Wyoming and across the West who work hard, pay their taxes and maintain good relationships with managers of federal land on which their cattle graze."


title: Bundy standoff

text: In response to Bundy supporter Mike Vanderboegh's comment, "Don't poke the wolverine with a sharp stick, Harry [Reid], unless you want your balls ripped off", a writer for "The Nation" framed the remark as part of a larger, right-wing obsession with castration. "Gawker" lampooned militia crowdfunding attempts as a "welfare drive" to "sit around doing nothing."


title: Bundy standoff

text: About 1,500 Bundy supporters attended a celebration on April 18, where they ate Bundy beef, read cowboy poetry, and wore "domestic terrorist" name tags, referencing a comment made by Nevada Senator Harry Reid. Bundy said he would continue holding a daily news conference.


title: Bundy standoff

text: Some Tea Party Movement supporters expressed solidarity with the Bundys, including three Southern Nevada Tea Party groups that organized a protest outside Las Vegas police headquarters on April 11, 2014, claiming that Sheriff Doug Gillespie had failed in his duty to protect Nevadans from abuse by the federal government.


title: Bundy standoff

text: The Bundy family claimed victory on having its cattle returned. In an interview after the BLM's withdrawal, Sean Hannity asked Bundy if he had a reply to Senator Harry Reid's comment that the situation was not over. Bundy said, "I don't have a response for Harry Reid, but I have a response for every county sheriff across the United States. Disarm the federal bureaucrats."


title: Bundy standoff

text: An Oklahoma militia with members present in Nevada stated their support for Cliven Bundy. During an appearance on "The O'Reilly Factor", host Bill O'Reilly asked Scott Shaw, a co-founder of the Oklahoma Volunteer Militia, what made Cliven Bundy different from Occupy Wall Street supporters. Shaw replied that Cliven Bundy is "providing the country with beef" and that the two groups have different methods of dissent.


title: Bundy standoff

text: In Texas, Michael Joseph Kearns, a convicted felon with alleged ties to the sovereign citizen movement who describes himself as a "self-taught paralegal", filed a motion seeking to overturn a 2013 ruling allowing the BLM to seize Bundy's cattle. After the judge ruled that Kearns had no standing, Kearns filed another motion. He wrote that the judge's "orders, judgments and mandates, have no rightful or lawful force and effect upon the people of the United States." Describing Kearns as an "abusive filer", the judge directed the federal clerk to return, "without docketing," any future documents Kearns tries to file. Kearns, who has denied that he is part of the sovereign citizen movement, was convicted in 1996 of one count conspiracy to defraud the United States and seven counts of aiding and abetting mail fraud. Kearns was released from federal prison on May 3, 2006.


title: Bundy standoff

text: During an interview with a journalist following the standoff, Bundy cited Article 1, Section 8, Clause 17 of the Constitution to assert the federal government is limited to owning ten square miles of land, though the clause actually limits the District of Columbia to "ten Miles square."


title: Bundy standoff

text: "Atlantic" reporter Matt Ford pointed out that Bundy's claim, "I abide by all of Nevada state laws. But I don't recognize the United States government as even existing," is at odds with Nevada's law, specifically the state's constitution. Framed during the Civil War, Nevada's constitution specifically mentions the rights of the federal government, stating in Article 1, Section 2,


title: Bundy standoff

text: The Salt Lake City "Tribune" published an editorial on April 15 entitled "Bundy is a lawbreaker, not a hero", in which it said, "Don't let him get away with it" and "The only winner in this was a scofflaw who has twice lost in the courts for running cattle where they don't belong and skipping out on grazing fees. Some 20,000 ranchers in Western states abide by BLM regulations, so what makes Bundy special?" To sum it up, the "Tribune" said, "When some manage to avoid justice by extralegal means, the rule of law is weakened for all Americans."


title: Bundy standoff

text: Dallas Hyland, in his column in Utah's "St. George News", wrote, "The stand-down was necessary to prevent bloodshed, but it must be recognized that if Bundy and a multitude of his supporters, militia friends, and even family members who broke the law, are allowed to go unpunished, anarchy will follow. In the case of Bundy and the Gold Butte designations, the government did it right. They continued to do it right in the face of the lawless behavior of a rancher and his militia henchmen."


title: Bundy standoff

text: "Indian Country Today Media Network" wrote that government treatment of Cliven Bundy "stands in stark contrast to what was done to the Dann sisters and other Indigenous Peoples on Shoshone territory" and that "United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination found "credible information alleging that the Western Shoshone indigenous people are being denied their traditional rights to land." An editorial in the "Las Vegas Review-Journal" also contrasted Bundy's dispute with that of the Dann Sisters.


title: Bundy standoff

text: A Las Vegas news outlet reported that the Moapa band of Paiute Indians had provided them with a map indicating that a federal treaty had promised them the land on which the Bundy ranch is situated."


title: Bundy standoff

text: David Damore, a political science professor at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, said that there is "a great ability on the part of these folks to overlook the reality of how much the federal government subsidized Nevada in terms of big projects – the Hoover Dam, the mining subsidies. It's a welfare cowboy mindset."


title: Bundy standoff

text: Elaine Hurd, a resident of nearby Mesquite Nevada, told local television station KLAS "I feel that the rule of law supersedes armed militias coming in from all over the country to stand with a law-breaking rancher, which is what he is."


title: Bundy standoff

text: Brad Knickerbocker of the "Christian Science Monitor" saw the events as echoing the Sagebrush Rebellion, a 1970s movement to transfer control of public domain lands to the states.


title: Bundy standoff

text: The nonprofit Center for Biological Diversity stated, "Despite having no legal right to do so, cattle from Bundy's ranch have continued to graze throughout the Gold Butte area, competing with tortoises for food, hindering the ability of plants to recover from extensive wildfires, trampling rare plants, damaging ancient American Indian cultural sites and threatening the safety of recreationists."


title: Bundy standoff

text: Rob Mrowka, also with the Center for Biological Diversity, said that the BLM "is allowing a freeloading rancher and armed thugs to seize hundreds of thousands of acres of the people's land as their own. It's backing down in the face of threats and posturing of armed sovereignists."


title: Bundy standoff

text: Environmentalists held that the BLM's withdrawal sent the wrong message to law-abiding ranchers who do secure grazing permits and operate within the law.


title: Bundy standoff

text: Twenty months after the incident, Bundy had not paid the fees and continued to graze cattle on Federal land. A spokesperson for the Bureau of Land Management wrote in response to a reporter's inquiry: "Our primary goal remains to resolve this matter safely and according to the rule of the law." The response added "The Bureau of Land Management remains resolute in addressing issues involved in efforts to gather Mr. Bundy's cattle and we are pursuing the matter through the legal system." The BLM spokesperson also said "The Department of Justice has the lead on any investigation of federal crimes that may have been committed." The US Attorney's Office in Las Vegas would neither confirm or deny that there was a criminal investigation.


title: Bundy standoff

text: Roger Taylor, a retired BLM district manager in Arizona, said the agency's decision to release the cattle would have repercussions. "The (agency) is going to be in a worse situation where they will have a much more difficult time getting those cattle off the land and getting Bundy in compliance with regulations," he said.


title: Bundy standoff

text: On February 10, 2016, Cliven Bundy traveled to Portland, Oregon, in response to federal law enforcement moving to end a standoff led by his sons Ammon and Ryan at the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge. He was arrested at the airport by the FBI and was incarcerated at the Multnomah County Jail. He was indicted for 16 federal felonies on February 17, along with Ammon and Ryan Bundy, militia leader Ryan Payne, and broadcaster Peter Santilli, who were already under arrest for their role in the Malheur standoff. Another 14 individuals were charged on March 3, 2016. Santilli subsequently pled guilty to felony conspiracy to injure or impede a federal officer.


title: Bundy standoff

text: On January 8, 2018, U.S. District Judge Gloria Navarro in Las Vegas dismissed with prejudice the criminal charges against Cliven Bundy, his sons Ammon and Ryan, and co-defendant Ryan Payne regarding the standoff.


title: Bundy standoff

text: The first criminal case resulting from the standoff, against six Bundy supporters, was declared a mistrial by U.S. District Judge Gloria Navarro on April 24, 2017. Six men had been charged with conspiring with Cliven Bundy to prevent a court-ordered cattle seizure. The mistrial was declared hours after the jury convicted two men of some of the 10 counts in the indictment. The jurors reported to the court they were "hopelessly deadlocked" on the remaining counts and defendants, despite the judge having sent them back to deliberate further but they were unable to reach any unanimous verdicts for four defendants, described by prosecutors as the "least culpable" of the 17 who were charged, and on the remaining counts for the two who were convicted. Over 50 prosecution witnesses testified in the two-month trial. Former militia group member, Gregory Burleson, of Arizona, who has also been a paid FBI informant, was convicted of assault upon and threatening of a federal officer, aiding extortion via both interstate commerce and travel, obstruction of justice, plus multiple gun counts. He faces a 57-year mandatory minimum sentence. Idaho activist Todd Engel was found guilty of obstruction of justice and interstate travel in aid of extortion. Representing himself at trial, he may be sentenced to as much as 30 years in federal prison on the first two charges. At his July 26 sentencing, Burleson was given 68 years for recruiting others in Arizona to join the standoff, and posting "alcohol fueled' rants encouraging others to do the same. Engel was to be sentenced on the following day with Cliven, Ammon and Ryan Bundy and two others expected to be tried later in 2017. Retrials of the first six and the trials of the remaining eleven defendants were originally scheduled for June 26th by Judge Navarro.


title: Bundy standoff

text: The retrial for the four defendants for whom no verdict was reached in April began on July 11, 2017, in Las Vegas. The Jury began deliberations on August 15, 2017. On August 22nd, they found two of the defendants not guilty on all charges and cleared the other two of most charges, but they could not reach verdicts on four charges against Eric Parker and two charges against Scott Drexler.


title: Bundy standoff

text: The first defendant to be sentenced is Gerald "Jerry" DeLemus of Rochester, New Hampshire who tried to change his guilty plea to "not guilty." He received a little more than seven years from Judge Navarro, for conspiracy and interstate travel in aid of extortion, with credit for the 16 months he has already served.


title: Bundy standoff

text: A verdict of not guilty was returned on two defendants August 22, 2017 by the jury after 3 days of deliberation. Two others were found not guilty of several of the charges and unable to come to a decision on other charges. Ricky Lovelien and Steven Stewart were acquitted of all 10 charges and ordered released. There were not-guilty findings on most charges against Scott Drexler and Eric Parker. On August 23, 2017, the court scheduled a retrial for September 25, 2017 on both Drexler and Parker and ordered them released to return to Idaho, pending retrial. On August 31, 2017, the court scheduled a trial date for October 10, 2017 for Cliven Bundy, Ammon Bundy, Ryan Bundy, Ryan Payne and Peter Santilli. Included with this group will be the retrial of Scott Drexler and Eric Parker. On October 6, 2017, the court rescheduled to October 30, 2017, the trial for 6 of the 7 defendants. Peter Santilli pled guilty to conspiracy to injure or impede federal officers by blocking BLM law enforcement officers in with his car, and was released pending sentencing in January 2018. On October 23, 2017, Scott Drexler and Eric Parker each pled guilty to a single count of obstruction of a court order, a misdemeanor charge. Both men will be sentenced on February 2, 2018. On November 14, 2017, Micah McGuire pled guilty to a single charge of conspiracy to impede federal officers, and was released pending sentencing on February 14, 2018


title: Bundy standoff

text: During a sealed court hearing on November 29, 2017, judge Gloria M. Navarro considered multiple defense motions seeking dismissal of the case due to alleged withholding of exculpatory evidence by the federal government. After the sealed hearing, judge Navarro granted pretrial release to Cliven Bundy, his son Ammon Bundy, and co-defendant Ryan Payne.


title: Bundy standoff

text: On December 4, 2017, U.S. Magistrate Judge Peggy Leen ordered the pretrial release of the remaining defendants.


title: Bundy standoff

text: On December 20, 2017, Judge Navarro declared a mistrial, stating that federal prosecutors had willfully violated evidence rules and failed to turn over pertinent documents to the defense. Both sides were instructed to submit legal briefs by December 29 on whether the government should be allowed to pursue a new trial with a hearing to be held on January 8, 2018. A new tentative trial date was set for February 26, 2018.


title: Bundy standoff

text: On December 21, 2017, United States Attorney General Jeff Sessions ordered an examination into the federal prosecution's mishandling of the Bundy case.


title: Bundy standoff

text: On January 8, 2018, U.S. District Court Judge Gloria Navarro dismissed with prejudice the criminal charges against Cliven Bundy, his sons Ammon and Ryan, and co-defendant Ryan Payne regarding the standoff. At that time she also scheduled a February 26, 2018 trial date for "Tier 3" defendants Melvin Bundy, Dave Bundy, Jason Woods and Joseph O'Shaughnessy. On February 7, 2018, the federal government moved to dismiss with prejudice the indictments against the remaining defendants "in the interests of justice." On July 19, 2018, Todd Engel was sentenced to 14 years in federal prison after being convicted on charges of obstruction of justice and interstate travel in aid of extortion. On August 9, 2018, Scott Drexler was sentenced to time served while Eric Parker received one year of supervised release. On September 11, 2018, Pete Santilli was sentenced to time served plus two years of supervised release. On September 27, 2018, Blaine Cooper was sentenced to 20 months already spent in custody and faces a combined three years of supervised release. On January 15, 2019, Brian Cavalier was sentenced to the 20 months he already served in custody.


title: Bundy standoff

text: On May 29, 2020, the Justice Department began motions to start a retrial of the Bundys and others. On August 6, 2020, the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit upheld the decision to dismiss felony conspiracy and weapon charges against Cliven, Ammon and Ryan Bundy along with Ryan Payne. The court also vacated the 2018 conviction of Todd Engel and ordered a new trial.


title: Bundy standoff

text: On August 6, 2020, the 9th United States Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco denied an appeal by United States prosecutors to reinstate the criminal prosecution of the Bundys related to the 2014 armed standoff in Nevada and the 2016 armed protest and occupation of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in Oregon. The appeals court ruled that the dismissal of the case against the Bundys due to the prosecution withholding documents and other materials requested by the defense attorneys was proper and supported by the record of the case. The appeals court stopped short of affirming that prosecutorial misconduct had occurred and stated that "misjudgments" by prosecutors did not rise to professional misconduct in the case.


title: Bundy standoff

text: On August 9, 2018, Rick Lovelien and Steven Stewart filed a $60 million lawsuit in United States district court in Washington, D.C. Named as defendants are Las Vegas prosecutors Steven Myhre, Daniel Schiess and Nadia Ahmed along with former FBI Director James Comey, former Director of the Bureau of Land Management Neil Kornze and the agencies of the FBI and BLM. On October 31, 2018, Ryan Bundy filed a federal civil rights lawsuit in United States district court in Washington D.C. Named as defendants are the former United States Attorney General Jeff Sessions, former attorney generals Eric Holder and Loretta Lynch, former FBI director James Comey and former BLM director Neil Kornze.


title: Fist of Fury

text: Fist of Fury is a 1972 Hong Kong action martial arts film written and directed by Lo Wei, produced by Raymond Chow, and starring Bruce Lee in his second major role after "The Big Boss" (1971). Lee, who was also the film's action choreographer, plays Chen Zhen, a student of Huo Yuanjia, who fights to defend the honor of the Chinese in the face of foreign aggression, and to bring to justice those responsible for his master's death.


title: Fist of Fury

text: The film was produced by the Golden Harvest film production company, still in its infancy at the time, and it was Lee's second kung fu film. The film touched on sensitive issues surrounding Japanese colonialism, and featured fairly realistic fight choreography for its time. It differs from other films in the genre for its historical and social references, especially to Japanese imperialism.


title: Fist of Fury

text: The film grossed an estimated worldwide (equivalent to over adjusted for inflation), against a budget of $100,000. It was the highest-grossing Hong Kong film up until Lee's "The Way of the Dragon" (1972).


title: Fist of Fury

text: Set in late Summer 1910 Shanghai, Chen Zhen returns to Jingwu School to marry his fiancée Yuan Li'er. However, he learns that his master Huo Yuanjia has died, apparently from illness, which devastates Chen. During the funeral, people from a Japanese dojo in Hongkou District arrive to taunt the Jingwu students. Wu En, translator and advisor for the Japanese dojo's grandmaster Hiroshi Suzuki, taunts Chen by slapping him on the cheek several times, and dares him to fight one of Suzuki's protégés.


title: Fist of Fury

text: They present a sign to Jingwu School, bearing the words "Sick Man of East Asia", seemingly to insult Huo Yuanjia, describing the Chinese as "weaklings" in comparison to the Japanese. The protégé taunts the Jingwu students to fight him and promises, "I'll eat those words if any Chinese here dare to fight and defeat me". Chen Zhen wants to retaliate, but is prevented from doing so by Fan Junxia, the most senior student in the school. Shortly afterwards, Chen Zhen goes to the Hongkou dojo alone to return the sign. He winds up fighting the Japanese students, defeating all of them, including their sensei, single-handedly. He smashes the glass on the sign and makes the students who taunted him earlier chew up the paper bearing the derogatory words, so as to make them literally "eat their words".


title: Fist of Fury

text: Later, Chen takes a stroll to a park. A Sikh guard refuses him entry, due to a posted sign that forbids dogs and Chinese in the park. After the guard allows a foreigner to bring her pet dog into the park, a Japanese man approaches Chen and tells him that if he behaves like a dog, he will be allowed to go in. Chen beats up the man and his friends in anger. After the fight, Chen breaks the sign. The guard blows his whistle to alert the police, but the citizens who watched the whole fight help Chen to escape the park. The Japanese students and their master retaliate by attacking Jingwu School on Suzuki's orders. After causing severe damage, the Japanese students leave. Wu, accompanying the Japanese students, warns Jingwu School to hand over Chen.


title: Fist of Fury

text: Chen returns and realises that he has caused big trouble. His fellow students refuse to hand him over to the Japanese, so they make plans to help him escape from Shanghai. That night, Chen discovers that Master Huo had actually been poisoned by Tian, the cook. Chen then sees Tian and Feng Guishi, the caretaker, talking. Chen kills Tian, followed by Feng while trying to determine why they killed Master Huo. Chen hangs Tian and Feng's bodies from a lamp post. Chen's fiancée, Yuan Li'er, finds him hiding near Huo's grave, and they share a passionate moment together. Meanwhile, Suzuki forces the local police inspector, Inspector Lo, to arrest Chen, but he eludes them. Then, while Suzuki is entertaining his visiting friend Petrov, Chen kills Wu and hangs his body from the lamp post as well.


title: Fist of Fury

text: The angry Suzuki heads to the Japanese Consulate and reports Chen, then on Tian's brother's advice sends his men to Jingwu School to kill everyone inside. That same night, Chen barges into the dojo to take his revenge, killing the students' master present, Yoshida, Petrov, and Suzuki. Chen returns to Jingwu School and finds most from Jingwu School and the Hongkou dojo dead. However, a few Jingwu students - among them Yuan, Fan Junxia, and Xu - are still alive, as they had also been searching for Chen at the grave site, acting on a tip from Yuan. Inspector Lo arrives at Jingwu to arrest Chen, who agrees to surrender himself to Lo to protect his master's legacy.


title: Fist of Fury

text: Lo tells Chen that he can always trust him since he is Chinese. As they exit the school, Chen faces a line of armed Japanese soldiers and officials at the outer gate, all pointing their guns at him. Furious, Chen charges the line and makes a flying kick, where the soldiers shoot him, thus implying his death and final sacrifice.


title: Fist of Fury

text: Robert Baker was a student and friend of Bruce Lee's and was recommended for the role by Lee. His voice was dubbed in the Cantonese and Mandarin versions by Lee as well.


title: Fist of Fury

text: Jackie Chan appeared in "Fist of Fury", both as an extra and as a stunt double for the Japanese villain Hiroshi Suzuki (portrayed by Riki Hashimoto), particularly during the final fight scene where Lee kicks him and he flies through the air.


title: Fist of Fury

text: Lee was not a fan of the director or his direction. According to Jackie Chan, he saw Lo Wei and Bruce Lee get into a verbal altercation that nearly escalated to a physical altercation. Lo Wei then hid behind his wife who was then able to calm Lee down.


title: Fist of Fury

text: "Fist of Fury" was accidentally released in the U.S. under the title "The Chinese Connection". That title was a means of tapping the popularity of another film, "The French Connection" (starring Gene Hackman), released in the U.S. in 1971. That title was intended to be used for the U.S. release of another Bruce Lee film, "The Big Boss", which also involved drug smuggling. However, the U.S. titles for "Fist of Fury" and "The Big Boss" were accidentally switched, resulting in "Fist of Fury" being released in the U.S. under the title "The Chinese Connection" until 2005, while "The Big Boss" was released as "Fists of Fury".


title: Fist of Fury

text: Recent television screenings and the current official DVD release (by 20th Century Fox, originally available in "The Bruce Lee Ultimate Collection" box set) in the U.S. have restored the original titles of all the films starring Bruce Lee. "Fist of Fury" is now officially known as "Fist of Fury" in the U.S.. The current DVD version also has a subtitle that reads "A.K.A. The Chinese Connection" when the "Fist of Fury" title appears on screen, as the source material is the Fortune Star digital remasters.


title: Fist of Fury

text: Sync sound was not widely used in Hong Kong cinema for a long time so the voices (even on the original Cantonese track) for the film were dubbed. The voice of the Russian fighter Petrov on the original Mandarin track was dubbed by Bruce Lee, with added reverb.


title: Fist of Fury

text: This film marks one of the few times that a DVD has an alternative new commentary. Media Asia UK distributor Hong Kong Legends has released this film as a "Special Collector's Edition" and a "Platinum Edition". Bey Logan recorded two alternative commentaries for both releases. The usual process with re-releases on DVD is that the commentary is passed on to the next release. Logan decided to re-record his second commentary as he wanted to give it a new light, being an avid fan of this film. The re-dubbed theme song was played by Mike Remedios. Bey Logan had previously done a commentary track for the Media Asia Megastar DVD release, which is almost word for word the same as the commentary he did for Hong Kong Legends years later. Donnie Yen did the Cantonese language commentary on the same Megastar DVD.


title: Fist of Fury

text: In 2021, Fist of Fury was dubbed to Noongar, a native Australian dialect, which was the first film to be dubbed to said language.


title: Fist of Fury

text: The film was released on 22 March 1972 in Hong Kong by Golden Harvest, and first released in the United States on 7 November 1972 in New York before Lee's first major film, "The Big Boss", was released there.


title: Fist of Fury

text: The film was originally distributed in the U.S. by National General Pictures beginning in 1973, shortly before the release of "Enter the Dragon". Columbia Pictures acquired the U.S. distribution rights to the film, after the demise of National General Pictures, in 1980 and re-released it, along with "The Big Boss", as a studio-sanctioned double feature with the tagline "What's better than a Bruce Lee movie? Two Bruce Lee Movies!"


title: Fist of Fury

text: In Japan, the film was released on 20 July 1974. Several scenes in the Japanese version were censored due to Raymond Chow's concerns over how the film's anti-Japanese sentiments would be received by Japanese audiences.


title: Fist of Fury

text: Upon its Hong Kong release, "Fist of Fury" grossed 4,431,423, beating the previous box office record set by Lee's "The Big Boss" in the previous year. During its initial run, it grossed more than in Southeast Asia and across Asia.


title: Fist of Fury

text: In the United States and Canada, the film topped the box office in June 1973, and earned in distributor rentals by the end of 1973, equivalent to an estimated box office gross revenue of approximately . Upon its July 1973 release in South Korea, the film sold 317,780 tickets in the capital city of Seoul. The film was also a success in the United Kingdom, where it released on 19 July 1973, a day before Lee's death. In France, it became the 12th highest-grossing film of 1974 (below two other Lee films in the top ten, "Enter the Dragon" and "Way of the Dragon"), with 3,013,676 ticket sales. In Spain, the film sold 2,034,752 tickets.


title: Fist of Fury

text: In Japan, despite the film's negative portrayal of Japanese villains, the film went on to be a surprise blockbuster in the country. Most Japanese audiences did not identify with the Japanese villains who they perceived as "unreal" and "stupid" but instead identified with Lee's "Chinese warrior" spirit which reminded them of the "bushido" spirit depicted in older Samurai cinema. "Fist of Fury" became the year's seventh highest-grossing film in Japan, with in distributor rental earnings.


title: Fist of Fury

text: Against a tight budget of $100,000, the film went on to gross an estimated worldwide (equivalent to approximately adjusted for inflation), earning times its budget. It was the highest-grossing Hong Kong film up until Lee's "The Way of the Dragon" (1972).


title: Fist of Fury

text: Upon release in Asia, a review for "Variety" magazine in November 1972 called it a "Naive Hong Kong-made meller, of little U.S. commercial appeal" despite the "charm of Lee's invincible heroics." The reviewer felt that it was an "exuberant novelty act" unlikely to find Western appeal but that Lee's "aggressive boyish charm" could "prove appealing to U.S. femmes."


title: Fist of Fury

text: Upon release in North America, John Gillett of the "Monthly Film Bulletin" reviewed a 106 minute dubbed version of the film in May 1973. Gillett commented on Bruce Lee stating that he had "somewhat rudimentary and charmless acting style (all curled lips, sinister glances and clenched fists), but he performs his main function-that of keeping the action going through a series of furious karate fights-with considerable aplomb and proves as adept with his feet as with his fists." While finding the story "extremely naive" and that the "anti-Japanese bias is more rather more pronounced" while the fight sequences "are staged with tremendous vigour (and a judicious use of slow-motion)" concluding that "the production values are only moderate, with a rather uneasy fusion of studio interiors and real street locations, and the English dubbing is unusually inept."


title: Fist of Fury

text: "Fist of Fury" deals with topics of injustice, grief, revenge and consequences. Chen Zhen goes through a great deal of grief after the death of his master. This grief eats away at Zhen as well as the injustice he and his peers deal with from the Japanese racism towards them. The movie shows Zhen going out to get revenge but the cost is dear, losing the majority of his peers and his freedom.


title: Fist of Fury

text: In the United Kingdom, the film was watched by 600,000 viewers on Channel 5 in 2009, making it the year's most-watched foreign-language film on Channel 5.


title: Fist of Fury

text: The film spawned three sequels: One starring Jackie Chan titled "New Fist of Fury" (1976), followed by "Fist of Fury II" (1977), "Fist of Fury III" (1979), and the South Korean spin-off "Last Fist of Fury" (1979). The film also has a loose remake in the 1990s titled "Fist of Legend" (1994) starring Jet Li. A year after, the film spawned the television series "Fist of Fury" (1995) starring Donnie Yen as Chen Zhen. Donnie Yen reprised his role as Chen Zhen on the show’s 15th anniversary in "" (2010).


title: Government of Pakistan

text: The Government of Pakistan () abbreviated as GoP, is a federal government established by the Constitution of Pakistan as a constituted governing authority of the four provinces, two autonomous territories, and one federal territory of a parliamentary democratic republic, constitutionally called the Islamic Republic of Pakistan.


title: Government of Pakistan

text: Effecting the Westminster system for governing the state, the government is mainly composed of the executive, legislative, and judicial branches, in which all powers are vested by the Constitution in the Parliament, the Prime Minister and the Supreme Court. The powers and duties of these branches are further defined by acts and amendments of the Parliament, including the creation of executive institutions, departments and courts inferior to the Supreme Court. By constitutional powers, the President promulgates ordinances and passes bills.


title: Government of Pakistan

text: The President acts as the ceremonial figurehead while the people-elected Prime Minister acts as the Chief Executive (of the executive branch) and is responsible for running the federal government. There is a bicameral Parliament with the National Assembly as a Lower house and the Senate as an upper house. The most influential officials in the Government of Pakistan are considered to be the Federal Secretaries, who are the highest ranking bureaucrats in the country and run cabinet-level ministries and divisions. The judicial branch systematically contains an apex Supreme Court, Federal Shariat Court, High courts of five provinces, district, anti-terrorism, and the green courts; all inferior to the Supreme Court.


title: Government of Pakistan

text: The full name of the country is the "Islamic Republic of Pakistan". No other name appears in the Constitution, and this is the name that appears on money, in treaties, and in legal cases. The "Pakistan Government" or "Government of Pakistan" are often used in official documents representing the federal government collectively. Also, the terms "Federal" and "National" in government institutions or program names generally indicate affiliation with the federal government. As the seat of government is in Islamabad, "Islamabad" is commonly used as a metonym for the federal government. On 4 August 2020, the Government released a new political map that maintained the Pakistani claims on Junagadh, Manavadar, and Sir Creek. The map also showed the Islands of Churna and Astola as part of Pakistan for the first time.


title: Government of Pakistan

text: The Constitution of Pakistan established and constituted the federal government of four provinces of federation of nation-state, known as State of Pakistan. The Constitution reads as:


title: Government of Pakistan

text: The basic civil and criminal laws governing the citizens of Pakistan are set down in major parliamentary legislation (a term inherited from the United Kingdom), such as the Exit Control List, the Pakistan Penal Code, and the Frontier Crimes Regulations. By the Article 246th and Article 247th to the constitution, the Islamic "Jirga" (or "Panchayat") system has become an institution for local governance. The 1950s reforms in the government administration, the constitutional law and jurisprudence in Pakistan have been greatly influenced by the United States Of America ' legal system. Since the 1970s, the traditional jirga-based law has also been in place in a few areas, and has influenced the country's judicial development.


title: Government of Pakistan

text: The Parliament enjoys parliamentary supremacy. All the Cabinet ministers as well as the Prime Minister must be members of Parliament (MPs), according to the constitution. The Prime Minister and the Cabinet Ministers are jointly accountable to the Parliament. If there is a policy failure or lapse on the part of the government, all the members of the cabinet are jointly responsible. If a vote of no confidence is passed against the government, then the government collapses and a new one must be formed.


title: Government of Pakistan

text: By general definition, the executive branch of government is the one that has sole authority and responsibility for the daily administration of the state bureaucracy. The division of power into separate branches of government is central to the republican idea of the separation of powers. The separation of powers system is designed to distribute authority away from the executive branch – an attempt to preserve individual liberty in response to tyrannical leadership throughout history.


title: Government of Pakistan

text: The Prime Minister of Pakistan (Urdu: ; lit: 'Wazir-e- Azam"), is the executive head of government of Pakistan, constitutionally designated as the Chief Executive (CE). Popularly elected by direct elections in the parliament, the Prime minister is responsible for appointing a cabinet as well as running the government operations.


title: Government of Pakistan

text: The Cabinet can have a maximum of 11 percent (50 members including the Prime Minister) of the total strength of the Parliament.


title: Government of Pakistan

text: Each Cabinet member must be a member of Parliament (MP). The Cabinet Ministers chair the Cabinet and are further assisted by the Cabinet Secretary of Pakistan, whose appointment comes from the Civil Services of Pakistan. Other Ministers are Ministers of State, junior members who report directly to one of the Cabinet Ministers, often overseeing a specific aspect of government.


title: Government of Pakistan

text: Once appointed by the Prime Minister, all Cabinet Ministers are officially confirmed to their appointment offices by the President in a special oath of ceremony.


title: Government of Pakistan

text: The President of Pakistan (Urdu: ) is a ceremonial figurehead, a ceremonial head of state representing the unity of the country.


title: Government of Pakistan

text: Elected for a five-year term by an indirect election, the electoral college consisting of members of the Senate, National Assembly and the four provincial assemblies, the president is now not eligible for reelection (18th amendment). However no individual may hold the office for more than two consecutive terms. The president may resign or be impeached and removed from office for incapacity or gross misconduct by a two-thirds vote of the members of the parliament.


title: Government of Pakistan

text: The President enjoys all constitutional powers and exercises them directly or through officers subordinate to him as per the aforesaid Article 41-Article 47.


title: Government of Pakistan

text: The President, as Head of State also receives the credentials of Ambassadors from other countries, whilst the Prime Minister, as Head of Government, receives credentials of High Commissioners from other members of the Commonwealth, in line with historical tradition.


title: Government of Pakistan

text: The President of Pakistan can grant a pardon to or reduce the sentence, reprieve and respite, and remit, suspend or commute any sentence passed by any court, tribunal or other authority, particularly in cases involving a death sentence. The decisions involving pardoning and other rights by the President are independent of the opinion of the Prime Minister or the Parliamentary majority. In most other cases, however, the President exercises his or her executive powers on the advice of the Prime Minister.


title: Government of Pakistan

text: Pakistan's independent judicial system began under the British Raj, and its concepts and procedures resemble those of Anglo-Saxon countries. Institutional and judicial procedures were later changed, in 1950s, under the influence of American legal system to remove the fundamental rights problems. The judiciary consists of the Supreme Court of Pakistan, Provincial High Courts, District Courts, Anti-terrorism courts, "Sharia" courts, and Environmental courts all over the country; Supreme Court being the superior court. The Supreme Court of Pakistan consists of a Chief Justice, and Senior Justices appointed by the President after consultation with the Chief Justice of Pakistan. The Constitution does not fix the number of justices of the Supreme Court, though it can be fixed by Parliament through an act signed by the President.


title: Government of Pakistan

text: The Constitution grants powers to the Supreme Court to make judicature transfers. Although the proceedings in the Supreme Court arise out of the judgement or orders made by the subordinate courts, the Supreme Court reserves the right to transfer any case, appeal or proceedings pending before any High Court to any other High Court.


title: Government of Pakistan

text: Misconduct of judges is highly intolerable as is mentioned in the constitution. Under the mainframe of the Supreme Judicial Council Article 209 an inquiry into the capacity or conduct of a Judge, who is a member of the council, may be conducted.


title: Government of Pakistan

text: The civil service of Pakistan is the permanent bureaucracy of the Government of Pakistan. The civil servants are the permanent officials of the government, occupying a respected image in the civil society. Civil servants come from different cadres (e.g. Pakistan Administrative Service, Police Service of Pakistan etc.) after passing the CSS examinations. Not all the employees of the Government of Pakistan are civil servants; other employees of the Government of Pakistan come from the scientific institutions, state-owned corporations and commissioned military science circles.


title: Government of Pakistan

text: In the parliamentary democracy, the ultimate responsibility for running the administration rests with the elected representatives of the people who are the ministers. These ministers are accountable to the legislatures which are also elected by the people on the basis of universal adult suffrage. The cabinet and its ministers are expected to lay down the policy guidelines, and the civil servants are responsible for implementing and enforcing it.


title: Government of Pakistan

text: The federal secretaries are the most senior, experienced, and capable officials in the country. Each ministry/division has its Secretary to oversee and enforce the public policy matters.


title: Government of Pakistan

text: The secretaries, who are basic pay scale (BPS)-22 grade officers, are largely considered to be the most powerful officials in the country. Due to the importance of their respective assignments, there are twelve specific federal secretaries which are considered to be the most vital in the Government of Pakistan. These include the Secretary Establishment (responsible for civil service matters), Secretary Commerce (responsible for trade), Secretary Cabinet (responsible for Cabinet Division), Secretary to the Prime Minister (responsible for Prime Minister's Office), Secretary Interior (responsible for law and order), Secretary Finance (responsible for the country's treasury), Secretary Foreign Affairs (responsible for foreign relations), Secretary Maritime Affairs (responsible for ports and shipping), Secretary Power (responsible for the electricity and power sector), Secretary Planning and Development (responsible for development projects), Secretary Petroleum (responsible for the petroleum sector) and Secretary Industries (responsible for industrial development).


title: Government of Pakistan

text: Management of major crisis situations in the country and coordination of activities of the various Ministries in such situations are the functions of the Cabinet Division. Appointment for the chairman of the FPSC, the prestigious body responsible for the recruitment of elite bureaucrats, is made by the President after consulting the Prime Minister, according to Article 242 of the Constitution.


title: Government of Pakistan

text: Since 1947, Pakistan has an asymmetric federal government, with elected officials at the national (federal), provincial, tribal, and local levels. Constitution has set the limit of government for five years, but if a Vote of no confidence movements takes place in the parliament (and prelude of movements are proved at the Judicial branch), the government falls and immediately replaced with caretaker government initiated by the president (consultation of Prime Minister also required to make such move), in regards to Article 58 of the constitution.


title: Government of Pakistan

text: There has been four times that the martial law has been in effect, and controversially approved by the supreme court. Through a general election where the leader of the majority winning party is selected to be the Prime Minister. All members of the federal legislature, the Parliament, are directly elected. Elections in Pakistan take place every five years by universal adult suffrage.


title: Government of Pakistan

text: There are four provincial governments that rule the four provinces of the state. The Chief Minister heads the provincial government. All provincial assemblies are unicameral, elected for five years. The Governors appointed by President after consulting the Prime minister, act only as representatives of federal government in the province and do not have any part in running the government.


title: Government of Pakistan

text: The provincial governments tend to have the greatest influence over most Pakistanis' daily lives. The tribal and Local government functions at the basic level. It is the third level of government, consisting "Jirga" in rural tribal areas.


title: Government of Pakistan

text: Pakistan has a complex taxation system of more than 70 unique taxes administered by at least 37 tax collection institutions of the Government of Pakistan. Taxation is a debated and controversial issue in public and political science circle of the country, and according to the International Development Committee, Pakistan had a lower-than-average tax take. Only 0.57% of Pakistanis, or 768,000 people out of a population of 190 million pay income tax.


title: Government of Pakistan

text: The Finance Minister of Pakistan presents the annual federal budget in the Parliament in the midst of the year, and it has to be passed by both houses of the Parliament. The budget is preceded by an economic survey which outlines the broad direction of the budget and the economic performance of the country for the outgoing financial fiscal year.


title: Government of Pakistan

text: Constituted under the Article 160 of the Constitution of Pakistan by the Constitution, the National Finance Commission Award (NFC) program is a series of planned economic programs to take control of financial imbalances and equally manage the financial resources for the four provinces to meet their expenditure liabilities while alleviating the horizontal fiscal imbalances.


title: Government of Pakistan

text: According to stipulations and directions of the Constitution, the provisional governments and Federal government compete to get higher share of the program's revenues in order to stabilize their own financial status.


title: Personal union

text: A personal union is the combination of two or more states that have the same monarch while their boundaries, laws, and interests remain distinct. A real union, by contrast, would involve the constituent states being to some extent interlinked, such as by sharing some limited governmental institutions. Unlike the personal union, in a federation and a unitary state, a central (federal) government spanning all member states exists, with the degree of self-governance distinguishing the two. The ruler in a personal union does not need to be a hereditary monarch.


title: Personal union

text: The term was coined by German jurist Johann Stephan Pütter, introducing it into "Elementa iuris publici germanici" (Elements of German Public Law) of 1760.


title: Personal union

text: They can also be codified (i.e., the constitutions of the states clearly express that they shall share the same person as head of state) or non-codified, in which case they can easily be broken (e.g., by the death of the monarch when the two states have different succession laws).


title: Personal union

text: The concept of personal union has almost never crossed over from monarchies into republics, but there have been exceptions.


title: Personal union

text: King Chungseon reigned as King of Goryeo in 1298 and 1308–1313 and as King of Shenyang or King of Shen from 1307 (according to the "History of Yuan") or 1308 (according to "Goryeosa") to 1316. At that time, Goryeo had already become a vassal of Yuan dynasty and the Yuan imperial family and the Goryeo royal family had close relationship by marriages of convenience. Because he was a very powerful man during Emperor Wuzong's reign, he could become the King of Shenyang where many Korean people lived in China. However, he lost his power in the Yuan imperial court after the death of the Emperor Wuzong. Because the Yuan dynasty made Chungseon abdicate the crown of the Goryeo in 1313, the personal union was ended. King Chungsuk, Chungseon's eldest son, became the new King of Goryeo. In 1316, the Yuan dynasty made Chungseon abdicate the crown of Shen in favour of Wang Go, one of his nephews, resulting in him becoming the new King of Shen.


title: Personal union

text: Even though France is now a republic with a president and not a monarchy, it has nevertheless been in personal union with the neighbouring nominal monarchy (non-hereditary) of Andorra since 1278.


title: Personal union

text: Note: The point at issue in the War of the Spanish Succession was the fear that the succession to the Spanish throne dictated by Spanish law, which would devolve on Louis, "le Grand Dauphin" — already heir to the throne of France — would create a personal union that would upset the European balance of power; France had the most powerful military in Europe at the time, and Spain the largest empire.


title: Personal union

text: In 1826, the newly created Duchy of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha was initially a double duchy, ruled by Duke Ernest I in a personal union. In 1852, the duchies were bound in a political and real union. They were then a quasi-federal unitary state, even though later attempts to merge the duchies failed.


title: Personal union

text: The duchies of Saxe-Weimar and Saxe-Eisenach were in personal union from 1741, when the ruling house of Saxe-Eisenach died out, until 1809, when they were merged into the single duchy of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach.


title: Personal union

text: The kings of Denmark at the same time being dukes of Schleswig and Holstein 1460–1864. (Holstein being part of the Holy Roman Empire, while Schleswig was a part of Denmark). The situation was complicated by the fact that for some time, the Duchies were divided among collateral branches of the House of Oldenburg (the ruling House in Denmark and Schleswig-Holstein). Besides the "main" Duchy of Schleswig-Holstein-Glückstadt, ruled by the Kings of Denmark, there were states encompassing territory in both Duchies. Notably the Dukes of Schleswig-Holstein-Gottorp and the subordinate Dukes of Schleswig-Holstein-Beck, Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Augustenburg and Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg.


title: Personal union

text: The duchies of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt and Schwarzburg-Sondershausen were in personal union from 1909, when Prince Günther of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt succeeded also to the throne of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen, until 1918, when he (and all the other German monarchs) abdicated.


title: Personal union

text: Because heads of state and government of republics are ordinarily chosen from within the citizens of the state in question, sovereign republics rarely share common leaders. However, there have been exceptions over time:


title: Mrs.

text: Mrs. (American English) or Mrs (British English; standard English pronunciation: ) is a commonly used English honorific for women, usually for those who are married and who do not instead use another title (or rank), such as "Doctor", "Professor", "President", "Dame", etc. In most Commonwealth countries, a full stop (period) is usually not used with the title. In the United States and Canada a period (full stop) is usually used (see Abbreviation).


title: Mrs.

text: "Mrs" originated as a contraction of the honorific "Mistress" (the feminine of "Mister" or "Master") which was originally applied to both married and unmarried women. The split into "Mrs" for married women and "Miss" for unmarried began during the 17th century; the 17th century also saw the coinage of a new unmarked option


title: Mrs.

text: It is rare for "Mrs" to be written in a non-abbreviated form, and the unabbreviated word lacks a standard spelling. In literature it may appear as "missus" or "missis" in dialogue. A variant in the works of Thomas Hardy and others is "Mis'ess", reflecting its etymology. "Misses" has been used but is ambiguous, as this is a commonly used plural for "Miss". The plural of "Mrs" is from the French: "Mesdames". This may be used as-is in written correspondence, or it may be abbreviated "Mmes".


title: Mrs.

text: "Mrs" was most often used by a woman when married, in conjunction with her husband's first and last names (e.g., "Mrs John Smith"). A widow would also be addressed with the same title as when she was married. "Mrs" was rarely used before a woman's first name, her birth name, or a hyphenated surname her husband was not using. For example, "Mrs Jane Smith", "Mrs Miller" (wife of John Smith), or "Mrs Miller-Smith" were considered incorrect by many etiquette writers, especially of the early 20th century.


title: Mrs.

text: In several languages, the title for married women such as "Madame", "Señora", "Signora", or "Frau", is the direct feminine equivalent of the title used for men; the title for unmarried women is a diminutive: "Mademoiselle", "Señorita", "Signorina", or "Fräulein". For this reason, usage had shifted toward using the married title as the default for all women in professional usage. This had long been followed in the United Kingdom for some high-ranking household staff, such as housekeepers, cooks, and nannies, who were called "Mrs" as a mark of respect regardless of marital status.


title: Mrs.

text: In the United Kingdom, the traditional form for a divorcée was "Mrs Jane Smith". In the U.S., the divorcée originally retained her full married name unless she remarried. Later, the form "Mrs Miller Smith" was sometimes used, with the birth surname in place of the first name. However, the form "Mrs Jane Miller" eventually became widely used for divorcées, even in formal correspondence; that is, "Mrs" preceded the divorcée's maiden name.


title: Mrs.

text: Before social mores relaxed to the point where single women with children were socially acceptable, the unwed mother was often advised by etiquette mavens like Emily Post to use "Mrs" with her maiden name to avoid scrutiny.


title: Mrs.

text: The separation of "Miss" and "Mrs" became problematic as more women entered the white-collar workforce. Women who became famous or well known in their professional circles before marriage often kept their birth names, stage names, or "noms de plume". "Miss" became the appellation for celebrities (e.g., Miss Helen Hayes, or Miss Amelia Earhart) but this also proved problematic, as when a married woman "did" use her husband’s last name but was still referred to as "Miss"; see more at Ms and Miss.


title: Mrs.

text: It is now very uncommon for a woman to be addressed by her husband's first name; however, this still sometimes occurs if a couple is being addressed jointly, such as in "Mr and Mrs John Smith".


title: Mrs.

text: Many married women still use the title with their spouse's last name but retaining their first name (e.g., "Mrs Jane Smith"). Other married women choose not to adopt their spouse's last name at all. It is generally considered polite to address a woman by "Ms" rather than "Mrs", unless the preference of the woman in question is clearly known. This is especially true in written communication, as dictated by professional etiquette.


title: Mrs.

text: Modern etiquette provides various options in addressing married couples in which the wife uses her own last name, or uses a title such as "Dr", "Mayor", or "Ms". Etiquette writer Judith Martin ("Miss Manners") generally advises that, in non-standard situations, the individuals be addressed on separate lines when writing invitations (e.g., "Dr Sue Martin/Mr John Martin").


title: Mrs.

text: In direct address, a woman with the title "Mrs" may be addressed "Mrs [Lastname]", or with the stand-alone "Madam" or "Ma'am", although the latter two are more often used for any adult woman, regardless of marital status, in modern conversation. It is normally considered correct to address a woman as "Ms [Lastname]", regardless of her marital status.


title: Mrs.

text: A woman who has a long-term sexual relationship with a partner who is married may be referred to as that person's "mistress".


title: Harland Williams

text: Harland Michael Williams (born November 14, 1962) is a Canadian actor, comedian and writer. After several years of stand-up in Toronto and Los Angeles he made his film debut in "Dumb and Dumber" (1994) before playing starring roles in the short-lived sitcom "Simon" (1995–96) and the Disney comedy "RocketMan" (1997). He co-starred in "Half Baked" and played a psychopathic hitch-hiker in "There's Something About Mary" in 1998. He later appeared in films such as "The Whole Nine Yards" (2000), "Freddy Got Fingered" (2001) and "Sorority Boys" (2002), and provided voices in works such as "Gary & Mike", "Robots" (2005), "Meet the Robinsons" (2007), and "Sausage Party" (2016). He is also an author of children's books, and creator of the children's animated series "Puppy Dog Pals".


title: Harland Williams

text: Harland Williams was born on November 14, 1962, in Toronto, Ontario, to Lorraine Mary (née O'Donnell), a social worker and writer, and John Reesor Williams, a lawyer who served as a member of the Ontario legislature. He grew up in Toronto's Willowdale neighborhood with four sisters. He is the brother of special effects artist Steve "Spaz" Williams, and a cousin to Barenaked Ladies keyboardist Kevin Hearn.


title: Harland Williams

text: Williams enrolled in Sheridan College in 1983, where he studied animation and media arts, while periodically working as a forest ranger at Fort Frances.


title: Harland Williams

text: Williams began in stand-up comedy in 1984, when still at Sheridan College. He performed in Toronto for seven years before relocating to Los Angeles in 1992. He credits a 1993 appearance on "Late Night with David Letterman" for a break through, and Jim Carrey for bringing him to the attention of the Farrelly brothers, who cast Williams in his debut role as a police officer in "Dumb and Dumber" (1994).


title: Harland Williams

text: Other film roles include "Freddy Got Fingered", "There's Something About Mary", "Half Baked", "RocketMan", "Sorority Boys", "Down Periscope", "Superstar" and "Employee of The Month". He has performed his stand-up comedy routines on "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno", "Late Night with Conan O'Brien", HBO, Comedy Central and at comedy clubs throughout the country.


title: Harland Williams

text: His improvisational skills led to him winning the award for 'Best Improviser' on an episode of NBC's prime time series "Thank God You're Here" in 2007.


title: Harland Williams

text: Williams's ventures include voicing 'Monster' on Nickelodeon's animated series "Robot and Monster" and starring as Warwick the Warlock in Disney's direct-to-DVD movie "Spooky Buddies".


title: Harland Williams

text: He is the author and illustrator of several children's books, including a series about a dinosaur named Lickety Split, as well as books for adults.


title: Harland Williams

text: He has appeared on "Tom Green's House Tonight" and on the Adam Carolla Podcast numerous times. He is known for his performance of bird sounds on Carolla's show.


title: Harland Williams

text: In August 2012 he began filming in Vancouver a 13-part Citytv comedy series called "Package Deal", in which he stars.


title: Xylene

text: In organic chemistry, xylene or xylol (; IUPAC name: dimethylbenzene) are any of three organic compounds with the formula . They are derived from the substitution of two hydrogen atoms with methyl groups in a benzene ring; which hydrogens are substituted determines which of three structural isomers results. It is a colorless, flammable, slightly greasy liquid of great industrial value.


title: Xylene

text: The mixture is referred to as both xylene and, more precisely, xylenes. Mixed xylenes refers to a mixture of the xylenes plus ethylbenzene. The four compounds have identical empirical formulas . Typically the four compounds are produced together by various catalytic reforming and pyrolysis methods.


title: Xylene

text: Xylenes are an important petrochemical produced by catalytic reforming and also by coal carbonisation in the manufacture of coke fuel. They also occur in crude oil in concentrations of about 0.5–1%, depending on the source. Small quantities occur in gasoline and aircraft fuels.


title: Xylene

text: Xylenes are produced mainly as part of the BTX aromatics (benzene, toluene, and xylenes) extracted from the product of catalytic reforming known as reformate.


title: Xylene

text: Several million tons are produced annually. In 2011, a global consortium began construction of one of the world's largest xylene plants in Singapore.


title: Xylene

text: Xylene was first isolated and named in 1850 by the French chemist Auguste Cahours (1813–1891), having been discovered as a constituent of wood tar.


title: Xylene

text: Xylenes are produced by the methylation of toluene and benzene. Commercial or laboratory-grade xylene produced usually contains about 40–65% of "m"-xylene and up to 20% each of "o"-xylene, "p"-xylene and ethylbenzene. The ratio of isomers can be shifted to favor the highly valued "p"-xylene via the patented UOP-"Isomar" process or by transalkylation of xylene with itself or trimethylbenzene. These conversions are catalyzed by zeolites.


title: Xylene

text: ZSM-5 is used to facilitate some isomerization reactions leading to mass production of modern plastics.


title: Xylene

text: The physical properties of the isomers of xylene differ slightly. The melting point ranges from ("m"-xylene) to ("p"-xylene)—as usual, the para isomer's melting point is much higher because it packs more readily in the crystal structure. The boiling point for each isomer is around . The density of each isomer is around 0.87 g/mL (7.26 lb/U.S. gallon or 8.72 lb/imp gallon) and thus is less dense than water. The odor of xylene is detectable at concentrations as low as 0.08 to 3.7 ppm (parts of xylene per million parts of air) and can be tasted in water at 0.53 to 1.8 ppm.


title: Xylene

text: Xylenes form azeotropes with water and a variety of alcohols. The azeotrope with water consists of 60% xylenes and boils at 94.5 °C. As with many alkylbenzene compounds, xylenes form complexes with various halocarbons. The complexes of different isomers often have dramatically different properties from each other.


title: Xylene

text: "p"-Xylene is the principal precursor to terephthalic acid and dimethyl terephthalate, both monomers used in the production of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastic bottles and polyester clothing. 98% of "p"-xylene production, and half of all xylenes produced is consumed in this manner. "o"-Xylene is an important precursor to phthalic anhydride. The demand for isophthalic acid is relatively modest, so "m"-xylene is rarely sought (and hence the utility of its conversion to the "o"- and "p"-isomers).


title: Xylene

text: Xylenes are used as a solvent in printing, rubber, and leather industries. It is a common component of ink, rubber, and adhesives. In thinning paints and varnishes, it can be substituted for toluene where slower drying is desired, and thus is used by conservators of art objects in solubility testing. Similarly it is a cleaning agent, e.g., for steel, silicon wafers, and integrated circuits. In dentistry, xylene can be used to dissolve gutta percha, a material used for endodontics (root-canal treatments). In the petroleum industry, xylene is also a frequent component of paraffin solvents, used when the tubing becomes clogged with paraffin wax.


title: Xylene

text: Xylene is used in the laboratory to make baths with dry ice to cool reaction vessels, and as a solvent to remove synthetic immersion oil from the microscope objective in light microscopy. In histology, xylene is the most widely used clearing agent. Xylene is used to remove paraffin from dried microscope slides prior to staining. After staining, microscope slides are put in xylene prior to mounting with a coverslip.


title: Xylene

text: In one large-scale application, para-xylene is converted to terephthalic acid. The major application of ortho-xylene is as a precursor to phthalate esters, used as plasticizer. Meta-xylene is converted to isophthalic acid derivatives, which are components of alkyd resins.


title: Xylene

text: Generally, two kinds of reactions occur with xylenes: those involving the methyl groups and those involving the ring C–H bonds. Being benzylic and hence weakened, the C–H bonds of the methyl groups are susceptible to free-radical reactions, including halogenation to the corresponding xylene dichlorides (bis(chloromethyl)benzenes), while mono-bromination yields xylyl bromide, a tear gas agent. Oxidation and ammoxidation also target the methyl groups, affording dicarboxylic acids and the dinitriles. Electrophiles attack the aromatic ring, leading to chloro- and nitroxylenes.


title: Xylene

text: Xylene is flammable but of modest acute toxicity, with ranges from 200 to 5000 mg/kg for animals. Oral for rats is 4300 mg/kg. The principal mechanism of detoxification is oxidation to methylbenzoic acid and hydroxylation to hydroxylene.


title: Xylene

text: The main effect of inhaling xylene vapor is depression of the central nervous system (CNS), with symptoms such as headache, dizziness, nausea and vomiting. At an exposure of 100 ppm, one may experience nausea or a headache. At an exposure between 200 and 500 ppm, symptoms can include feeling "high", dizziness, weakness, irritability, vomiting, and slowed reaction time.


title: Xylene

text: The side effects of exposure to low concentrations of xylene () are reversible and do not cause permanent damage. Long-term exposure may lead to headaches, irritability, depression, insomnia, agitation, extreme tiredness, tremors, hearing loss, impaired concentration and short-term memory loss. A condition called chronic solvent-induced encephalopathy, commonly known as "organic-solvent syndrome" has been associated with xylene exposure. There is very little information available that isolates xylene from other solvent exposures in the examination of these effects.


title: Xylene

text: Hearing disorders have been also linked to xylene exposure, both from studies with experimental animals, as well as clinical studies.


title: Xylene

text: Xylene is also a skin irritant and strips the skin of its oils, making it more permeable to other chemicals. The use of impervious gloves and masks, along with respirators where appropriate, is recommended to avoid occupational health issues from xylene exposure.


title: Xylene

text: Xylenes are metabolized to methylhippuric acids. The presence of methylhippuric acid can be used as a biomarker to determine exposure to xylene.


title: 2011 Canadian federal election

text: The 2011 Canadian federal election was held on May 2, 2011, to elect members to the House of Commons of Canada of the 41st Canadian Parliament.


title: 2011 Canadian federal election

text: The writs of election for the 2011 election were issued by Governor General David Johnston on March 26. Prime Minister Stephen Harper advised the Governor General to dissolve parliament after the House of Commons passed a motion of non-confidence against the government, finding it to be in contempt of Parliament. A few days before, the three opposition parties had rejected the minority government's proposed budget.


title: 2011 Canadian federal election

text: The Conservative Party remained in power, increasing its seat count from a minority to a majority government, marking the first time since 1988 that a right-of-centre party formed a majority government. The Liberal Party, sometimes dubbed the "natural governing party", was reduced to third party status for the first time as they won the fewest seats in its history, and party leader Michael Ignatieff was defeated in his riding. The Bloc Québécois lost official party status for the first time since contesting general elections in 1993. Party leader Gilles Duceppe was defeated in his riding and subsequently resigned as leader. The New Democratic Party led by Jack Layton won the largest number of seats in its history, enabling it to form the Official Opposition for the first time in the party's history, as they made a major breakthrough in Quebec. The Green Party elected its first member to the House of Commons with its leader, Elizabeth May, becoming MP for Saanich—Gulf Islands.


title: 2011 Canadian federal election

text: The 2008 federal election resulted in the continuation of the incumbent Conservative minority government, headed by Stephen Harper. The 40th Parliament was marked by two controversial prorogations: the first in December 2008 which ended an attempted opposition coalition, and the second a year following, which prompted public protests. Following the first prorogation, Michael Ignatieff and the Liberal Party provided support for the government of Prime Minister Stephen Harper. On August 31, 2009, the Liberals withdrew their backing but the NDP under Jack Layton abstained and the Conservatives survived the confidence motion.


title: 2011 Canadian federal election

text: Ignatieff's attempt to force a September 2009 election was reported as a miscalculation, as polls showed that most Canadians did not want another election. Ignatieff's popularity as well as that of the Liberals dropped off considerably immediately afterwards.


title: 2011 Canadian federal election

text: In 2011, Elections Canada laid charges against the Conservative Party, alleging contraventions of the Canada Elections Act five years earlier. This issue, along with the Bloc Québécois announcing its intention to vote against the budget, unless it contained numerous changes including $2 billion in compensation to Quebec for harmonizing PST and GST and funding for a new NHL arena in Quebec City, increased the speculation that there would be an election called soon as the Conservatives rejected the Bloc demands as "blackmail".


title: 2011 Canadian federal election

text: On March 9, 2011, Speaker of the House of Commons Peter Milliken ruled that Bev Oda, a minister of the Crown, and, separately, the Cabinet itself could both possibly be in contempt of parliament, the latter for its ongoing refusal to meet opposition requests for details of proposed bills and their cost estimates. Milliken directed both matters to committee and set as the deadline for its report March 21, 2011, one day before the budget was to be tabled. The committee found the government to be in contempt of Parliament. The vote divided along party lines, with the governing but minority Conservative members of Parliament (MPs) opposing the finding and issuing a dissenting report. After the committee released its findings, opposition leader and head of the Liberal Party Michael Ignatieff proposed a motion of no confidence against the Crown-in-Council and, on March 25, 2011, the House of Commons voted on the motion, the majority agreeing, by a margin of 156 to 145, with the committee's conclusions. A cabinet being found in contempt of parliament was without precedent in Canada or any other Commonwealth country. Earlier that week, all three opposition parties had indicated that they would oppose the government's budget; the NDP said that the concessions that the Conservatives made did not go far enough.


title: 2011 Canadian federal election

text: On March 29, the consortium of broadcasters playing host to the debates (the CBC, CTV, Global, Radio-Canada and TVA) announced that it would only invite the leaders of the four recognized parties in the House of Commons, namely, the Conservative Party, the Liberal Party, the Bloc Québécois and the New Democratic (NDP). Therefore, the Green Party was excluded, despite earning 6.8 per cent of the popular vote in the 2008 federal election.


title: 2011 Canadian federal election

text: On March 30, Stephen Harper challenged Michael Ignatieff to a one-on-one televised debate. Although Ignatieff accepted the challenge, this was opposed by the other opposition parties. The idea was later rejected by the broadcast consortium and cancelled.


title: 2011 Canadian federal election

text: On April 1, comedian Rick Mercer suggested over Twitter hosting a one-on-one debate between Stephen Harper and Michael Ignatieff at Toronto's Massey Hall. He later added he would donate $50,000 to the charities of their choosing if they were willing to participate. Ignatieff immediately accepted the challenge and named the Alzheimer Society as his charity of choice, as his mother succumbed to Alzheimer's disease in 1992. Harper did not respond to the challenge.


title: 2011 Canadian federal election

text: In an interview with "The Globe and Mail" published on April 1, Troy Reeb, the broadcast consortium chairman, discussed the process behind setting up the leaders' debates and the rationale for various decisions made, including the decision to exclude the Green Party's leader Elizabeth May.


title: 2011 Canadian federal election

text: On April 5, the Federal Court rejected the Green Party's request for an expedited hearing on the matter prior to the scheduled debates.


title: 2011 Canadian federal election

text: On April 10, the date of the French leaders debate was changed from April 14 to 13 due to worries of broadcasting conflicts with the NHL playoffs scheduled for April 14. Also on April 10, Elizabeth May participated in a panel interview on CHCH-TV in Hamilton, which she was invited to attend, as were the leaders of the Bloc, Liberals, New Democrats and Conservatives, by Channel Zero, whose president was disappointed by May's exclusion from the leaders' debates.


title: 2011 Canadian federal election

text: A joint press conference and public forum was staged by 11 of the 18 registered parties and one unregistered party on April 23, 2011, at York University. Forum organizers invited the leaders from all registered political parties who do not have seats in parliament. Parties were able to explain their platforms and responded to questions from the audience. As a forum, the goal was an inter-party discussion of major issues, however some debate did occur.


title: 2011 Canadian federal election

text: Participants in the forum were the Animal Alliance Environmental Voters, the Canadian Action Party, the Christian Heritage Party, the Communist Party, the First Peoples National, the Libertarian Party, the Marijuana Party, the Marxist–Leninist Party, the Rhinoceros Party, and the Pirate Party.


title: 2011 Canadian federal election

text: Green Party leader Elizabeth May refused to participate in the forum claiming they are not one of "the small, fringe parties".


title: 2011 Canadian federal election

text: In the week before the leaders debate, on April 8, a poll showed the New Democratic Party (NDP) support at 13.2%.


title: 2011 Canadian federal election

text: A reversal of fortune began on April 16, when an Angus Reid poll indicated a tie in support for the NDP and the Liberals, both polling at 25%. The New Democrats' poll numbers then moved significantly ahead of the Liberals and slightly or moderately behind the Conservatives.


title: 2011 Canadian federal election

text: The surge began in Quebec, with the NDP surprising many observers by surpassing the previously front-running Bloc in Quebec. In the entirety of Canada, the NDP surged past the Liberals to take the second place behind the Conservatives; in Quebec, the NDP took first place. The NDP surge became the dominant narrative of the last week of the campaign, as other parties turned their attacks on the party. Ruth Ellen Brosseau, the NDP candidate in Berthier—Maskinongé, won despite not running a campaign, barely speaking French at this time and being on holiday in Las Vegas at the time of the election. The NDP's rise in popularity was nicknamed "Orange Crush", an allusion to the soft drink with the same name and the party's colour. It was also nicknamed the "Orange Wave".


title: 2011 Canadian federal election

text: Pre-campaign, there are no limits to what a political party, candidate, or third party can spend — spending rules are only in force once the writ is dropped and the campaign has officially begun.


title: 2011 Canadian federal election

text: Most major newspapers endorsed the Conservatives, and none solely endorsed the Liberals or Greens. Canada's highest circulated newspaper, the "Toronto Star", endorsed the NDP but also advised readers to vote against the Conservatives.


title: 2011 Canadian federal election

text: Pairing off the top three parties, percentage of seats swung between the parties can be calculated as:


title: 2011 Canadian federal election

text: With an overall voter turnout of 61.4% and 14,823,408 ballots cast, the Conservative Party remained in power, moving from a minority to a majority government by winning 166 of the 308 seats. The New Democratic Party won the largest number of seats in their history, including a large majority of seats in Quebec (where they had previously only ever elected two candidates) and formed the Official Opposition for the first time. The Liberal Party won the fewest seats in their history and party leader Michael Ignatieff was defeated in his own riding. The Bloc Québécois, which had always won at least a majority of seats in Quebec in every election of their existence, lost nearly all their seats, and thus also their official party status, including the seat of their leader Gilles Duceppe. Green Party leader Elizabeth May became the first Member of Parliament elected to represent the party.


title: 2011 Canadian federal election

text: Elections Canada ordered three judicial recounts, and an elector initiated a fourth. The Canada Elections Act states that "a judicial recount is required when the difference in votes between the first- and second-place candidates is less than one one-thousandth of the total votes cast in a riding," and allows an elector or candidate in any riding to approach a judge and request a recount regardless of the final result. In all four ridings, Etobicoke Centre, Montmagny—L'Islet—Kamouraska—Rivière-du-Loup, Nipissing—Timiskaming, and Winnipeg North, the validated result was confirmed:


title: 2011 Canadian federal election

text: Ignatieff announced on May 3, 2011, that he would step down as leader of the Liberal Party when it chose his successor. Ignatieff took a teaching position at the University of Toronto after his defeat in Etobicoke—Lakeshore. He decided to teach classes in the law faculty, the department of political science, the Munk School of Global Affairs and the School of Public Policy and Governance. Ignatieff stated that, "The life that I like the best is teaching. It's the end of my life as a politician". Bob Rae, Liberal MP for Toronto Centre and former Premier of Ontario (1990 to 1995, as a New Democrat), subsequently became interim leader of the Liberal Party, with a Liberal leadership election which took place April 14, 2013, during which Justin Trudeau was chosen as leader.


title: 2011 Canadian federal election

text: Duceppe resigned as Bloc Québécois leader on election night following his defeat. Louis Plamondon, MP for Bas-Richelieu—Nicolet—Bécancour and Dean of the House, subsequently became interim parliamentary leader of the Bloc. Former MP Daniel Paillé, who lost his seat in the election, won the Bloc leadership election to succeed Duceppe on December 11, 2011.


title: 2011 Canadian federal election

text: On July 25, 2011, Jack Layton took a leave of absence to fight a newly diagnosed cancer. Nycole Turmel, former union leader and newly elected MP for Hull—Aylmer, was named interim leader of the New Democratic Party. On August 22, Layton died. Turmel became opposition leader. A leadership election was held on March 24, 2012, and Tom Mulcair was elected leader of the New Democratic Party.


title: 2011 Canadian federal election

text: The losing parties in the Berthier—Maskinongé riding claimed that the nomination papers for Ruth Ellen Brosseau, the newly elected NDP Member of Parliament for the riding, had irregularities. Some of the alleged irregularities include writing an address instead of signing, missing signatures, people thinking they were signing a petition for the NDP to name a candidate in the riding and one person not remembering that he signed her nomination papers even though he admitted that the signature looks like his. The NDP denied the allegations. Elections Canada has insisted that Brosseau's nomination papers were legitimate. Elections Canada stated that "The decision to overturn or uphold the results is at the discretion of the courts and not Elections Canada".


title: 2011 Canadian federal election

text: The Liberal Party of Canada attracted controversy regarding the past racist comments and White supremacist history of one of its candidates in northern Quebec, Andre Forbes. His history as a white supremacist activist and past hate speech against Muslims, First Nations and LGBTQ+ people was uncovered by the NDP. Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff immediately removed Forbes as a candidate.


title: 2011 Canadian federal election

text: In early 2012, there were allegations of voter suppression during the election, starting the robocall scandal. Elections Canada and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) investigated claims that robocalls were used in an attempt to dissuade voters from casting their ballot by telling them their poll stations had changed location. While the Elections Canada investigation initially focused on calls sent into Guelph amidst nationwide complaints, the investigation continued to expand in scope and to examine complaints in other ridings across the country. Reports of fraudulent automated or live calls targeting opposition supporters were published in 100 ridings and Elections Canada acknowledged it was investigating telephone election fraud complaints in 247 of Canada's 308 federal ridings.


title: 2011 Canadian federal election

text: On March 27, 2012, the Council of Canadians announced that they had launched a lawsuit in the Federal Court of Canada to ask for by-elections to be ordered in seven ridings where complaints were received and where Conservatives had won by slim margins. The ridings named were Don Valley East, Winnipeg South Centre, Saskatoon-Rosetown-Biggar, Vancouver Island North, Yukon, Nipissing-Timiskaming and Elmwood-Transcona. The case was heard over two weeks starting December 9, 2012. Justice Richard G. Mosley ruled in May 2013 that fraud had occurred in Guelph and that voting irregularities and misconduct occurred in all six of the contested ridings, but that it was not significant enough to warrant overturning the election results. The judge also ruled that the mostly likely source of the fraud was the Conservative Party of Canada's (using the CIMS database) and that there was no evidence that its use was approved by the CPC.


title: 2011 Canadian federal election

text: In April 2013, a criminal charge in the matter was laid on Michael Sona, a former Conservative staffer who was the communications officer and official Ottawa liaison for the Guelph Conservative campaign. In August 2014, he was convicted of the charge.


title: 2011 Canadian federal election

text: In a further scandal, Elections Canada was called on to investigate the finances of Associate Minister of National Defence Julian Fantino's election finances after three former Conservative riding executives from Vaughan signed affidavits alleging impropriety in Fantino's 2010 and 2011 election campaigns. They alleged there was a second, secret, illegal bank account containing $300,000.


title: 2011 Canadian federal election

text: Pundits in the wake of the 2011 election widely believed in a theme of major political realignment. The "Economist" said, "the election represents the biggest realignment of Canadian politics since 1993." Lawrence Martin, commentator for "The Globe and Mail", claimed that "Harper has completed a remarkable reconstruction of a Canadian political landscape that endured for more than a century. The realignment sees both old parties of the moderate middle, the Progressive Conservatives and the Liberals, either eliminated or marginalized." Writing for "Maclean's", Andrew Coyne proclaimed "The West is in and Ontario has joined it," observing that the Conservatives achieved their majority predominantly due to strength in both Ontario and the western provinces (an electoral combination that was historically unlikely due to the low population of the latter); this, he argued, marked "the new axis of Canadian politics", and that "the Conservatives are now in a position to replace the Liberals as the natural governing party in Canada." Books such as "The Big Shift" by John Ibbitson and Darrell Bricker, and Peter C. Newman's "When the Gods Changed: The Death of Liberal Canada", provocatively asserted that the Liberals had become an "endangered species" and that an NDP-led opposition would mean that "fortune favours the Harper government" in subsequent campaigns. However, the resurgence of the Liberal Party in the 2015 election has since challenged that narrative.


title: Aquamarine (film)

text: Aquamarine is a 2006 American teen fantasy romantic comedy film directed by Elizabeth Allen, loosely based on the 2001 young adult novel of the same name by Alice Hoffman. It stars Emma Roberts, Joanna "JoJo" Levesque, and Sara Paxton. The film was released in the United States on March 3, 2006, by 20th Century Fox.


title: Aquamarine (film)

text: Best friends Claire and Hailey are enjoying their last few days of summer vacation in their small beach town of Baybridge, near Tampa, before Hailey moves to Australia due to her mother's job as a marine biologist. Hailey prays to the ocean god for a miracle to make her mother change her mind about moving; minutes later, a violent storm occurs.


title: Aquamarine (film)

text: The next night, the girls sneak into the local pool, where they discover a mermaid named Aquamarine, who was washed in by the storm. Aquamarine befriends the girls and explains that she ran away from home because she had been forced into an arranged marriage. To end the engagement, Aquamarine must to prove to her father that true love exists.


title: Aquamarine (film)

text: Aquamarine (who is able to change her tail into legs during the day as long as they do not get wet) has set her eyes on Raymond, the lifeguard Hailey and Claire have had a crush on for years. They are reluctant to help her woo Raymond, but when Aquamarine explains that anyone who helps a mermaid is granted a wish, they agree, hoping they can prevent Hailey from moving.


title: Aquamarine (film)

text: As Aquamarine is not human, she does not understand how love works and is rejected by Raymond when they first meet. The girls promise to make Raymond fall in love with her in the next three days, using strategies found in teen magazines. But a group of popular girls headed by Cecilia, the local meteorologist's spoiled daughter who is also interested in Raymond, gets in the way.


title: Aquamarine (film)

text: Aquamarine and Raymond bond at a local dance but she is forced to leave since her legs turn into a tail at sunset. Before departing, she kisses him and asks him to meet her on the pier in the morning. Cecilia follows the three girls to the water tower where Aquamarine is staying, and discovers her secret. She unhooks the ladder to prevent Aquamarine from getting down and calls the news so she can expose her on national television. But the town's mysterious handyman helps Aquamarine escape and she grants him a wish. Cecilia's father confiscates her car as punishment for embarrassing the family on national television.


title: Aquamarine (film)

text: The next morning, Aquamarine asks Raymond if he loves her. Raymond says he likes her but has not fallen in love with her yet, since they have been on only one date, and that he wants to get there with her slowly. Aquamarine is heartbroken. Cecilia interrupts and pushes her into the ocean, where Aquamarine turns back into a mermaid. Raymond is shocked but rushes to get his rescue board to save her, much to Cecilia's dismay.


title: Aquamarine (film)

text: Aquamarine's father summons a giant storm, dragging Aquamarine back homeward, but Hailey and Claire jump into the ocean to her aid. When Aquamarine asks why, they respond that they love her. The power of the girls' friendship finally convinces Aquamarine's father of true love's existence and the storm abates. The girls receive their wish but decide to not use it to keep Hailey from moving away, because her mother worked hard for the job in Australia. Instead, they save the wish and say goodbye to Aquamarine, who promises to visit. Raymond also asks her to visit him and they kiss. Back on shore, Raymond thanks the girls for their bravery and for introducing him to Aquamarine. Hailey and Claire tell each other they will miss each other and part ways.


title: Aquamarine (film)

text: In the stage booklet, it is revealed that Claire, Raymond, and Aquamarine meet up with Hailey in Australia a year later and explore the Great Barrier Reef together.


title: Aquamarine (film)

text: Principal photography for the movie began in Australia in February 2005, and wrapped up the following April.


title: Aquamarine (film)

text: In its opening weekend, "Aquamarine" grossed $7.5 million in 2,512 theaters, ranking #5 at the box office. By the end of its run, the film grossed $18.6 million domestically, and $4.4 million internationally, for a worldwide total of $23 million.


title: Aquamarine (film)

text: On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 51% based on reviews from 88 critics, with an average rating of 5.44/10. The site's consensus states: "A lighthearted, gum-smacking, boy-crazy film with a hopeful message for young girls." On Metacritic, "Aquamarine" has a weighted average score of 51 out of 100, based on 27 reviews, indicating "mixed or average reviews". Audiences surveyed by CinemaScore gave the film a grade of "A−" on scale of A to F.


title: Aquamarine (film)

text: Michael Rechtshaffen of "The Hollywood Reporter" called "Aquamarine" a "bright and breezy tween fantasy romantic comedy that coasts along on its charming performances and the light comedic touch of first-time feature director Elizabeth Allen." "Variety"'s Joe Leydon praised the film, writing, "The high-concept premise ... has been fleshed out with inventive wit, unsticky warmth and more than a little wackiness. Result is an unusually likeable family-friendly comedy that could appeal far beyond its target [audience]".


title: Aquamarine (film)

text: Numerous critics praised the film's themes and message. Grading the film a "B−", Chris Kaltenbach of "The Baltimore Sun" liked how ""Aquamarine" exhibits a welcome empathy for adolescent girls and an understanding of how they interact" while teaching the difference between "what is important (friendship, self-confidence, altruism) and what seems important (puppy love, trendiness, running with the pack)." Describing "Aquamarine" as engendering a "vision of cherished sisterhood", Callie Ahlgrim of "Insider" wrote that the film "is a rom-com insofar as it tells a boy-meets-girl story—but the deeper, more honest love between its young female leads is the film's true emotional core." Wesley Morris of "The Boston Globe" wrote that "Aquamarine" "is unique because it's the rare movie that fiercely respects the altruistic loyalty that bonds girls to one another." Ruthe Stein of the "San Francisco Chronicle" found that while the film "has a sweetness and innocence that makes it near perfect entertainment for its target audience", "Aquamarine" "avoids seeming coy and doesn't flinch from taking on serious issues that illustrate that life isn't all fluff even for the young." Rating the film 3 out of 5 stars, Roger Moore of the "Orlando Sentinel" wrote, ""Aquamarine" really is just an adorable movie. And along the way, life lessons about love, friendship, adjusting to bad news and overcoming grief are passed along in a not-that-obvious fashion." Rating it 3 out of 4 stars, Todd Hertz of "Christianity Today" wrote, "The movie scores a major victory in reaching its audience with the all-too-important message that they are fine just the way they are."