title: James Morrison (singer)

text: Morrison has alluded to an unhappy childhood affected by poverty and illness; he said of his hometown, "The best thing is I've got memories of being a kid there, and the worst thing is I've got memories of being a kid there." When Morrison was only a few weeks old, he contracted whooping cough and was given a 30% chance of survival from doctors, who believed that if he survived he would be severely brain damaged. He states that he "went blue and stopped breathing and [doctors] had to resuscitate me four times." After the experience, his parents divorced when he was four years old, and he suffered from low self esteem at school, where he was ostracized for being involved in music rather than sports. He finally gained confidence when he moved to Cornwall as a teenager, where people were more accepting of his musical inclinations.


title: James Morrison (singer)

text: According to Morrison, he was influenced by music from a very young age, listening to artists such as Stevie Wonder, Otis Redding, Van Morrison, and Al Green. Morrison said that the first time he heard Stevie Wonder's voice he was close to tears, and he has since been fascinated by the way he uses his voice.


title: James Morrison (singer)

text: Working in Derby, Morrison found an Irish bar called Ryan's Bar & Scream, which runs an open mic night on Wednesdays and Sundays. Ben Wilson and Morrison became acquainted with Kevin Andrews, who produced Morrison's first demo tape and co-wrote the song "One Last Chance," which later was re-recorded and appeared on his debut studio album, "Undiscovered". His demos were eventually picked up by Polydor Records.


title: James Morrison (singer)

text: He achieved worldwide success with debut single "You Give Me Something", which reached No. 2 in the Netherlands and the No. 5 spot in the UK. He released his debut album "Undiscovered" on 31 July 2006. The album received generally positive reviews, with "The Sun" claiming, "There isn't a bad track on it". An equally positive review by "The Times" stated that "Undiscovered may prove to be the least apposite album title for years". It topped the UK Albums Chart on its first week of its release. The album sold over 1 million copies around the world by the end of 2006., making Morrison the best-selling male solo artist of 2006 in the UK.


title: James Morrison (singer)

text: The album's second single was "Wonderful World", which broke into the top ten in the UK after its CD single release, peaking at No. 8. The song fared just as well in the Netherlands, where it peaked at No. 8. This was his second top ten single after the success of "You Give Me Something". On 18 December 2006 Morrison's third single, "The Pieces Don't Fit Anymore," was released. It peaked at No. 30 in the UK. The fourth single from "Undiscovered" was the title song, "Undiscovered," which was released on 13 March 2007. "Undiscovered" peaked at No. 63. The song fared better in the Netherlands, where it peaked at No. 30.


title: James Morrison (singer)

text: Morrison was scheduled to play at the 2006 V Festival in one of the smaller tents. However, the audience was much larger than expected and couldn't fit into the tent allocated for him. As a result, he had a ten-minute set on the main stage before Hard-Fi came on (Weston Park). At the 2007 V Festival he played his full set on the main stage. He also performed "You Give Me Something" at the 2006 Royal Variety Performance before Prince Charles and The Duchess of Cornwall. He appeared on "Live from Abbey Road" after his live recording session at Abbey Road Studios on 5 January 2007.


title: James Morrison (singer)

text: After the release of "Undiscovered", Morrison made his first appearance on national TV in the United States, on the "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" show, in addition to appearing on NBC's "Today Show" on 16 March 2007, performing "You Give Me Something" with just guitar and Wurlitzer piano. The album debuted at No. 24 in the US, with 24,000 copies in its first week.


title: James Morrison (singer)

text: In 2007 Morrison was nominated for 3 BRIT Awards and won the Best British Male Solo Artist category. (Other nominations were for the Best British Breakthrough Act and Best British Single Shortlist.) On 4 April 2007, he was awarded the title of an AOL Breaker artist, a contest that was voted on by the British public.


title: James Morrison (singer)

text: At the Concert for Diana on 1 July 2007, he performed the songs "Wonderful World" and "You Give Me Something" in honour of Princess Diana. During the summer of 2007, Morrison headlined the Forestry Commission's Forest Tour. His fifth UK single, "One Last Chance", was released on 2 July 2007 as a download only. The video was shown on The Hits, The Box and Smash Hits music channels. The video was shot in Canada in April 2007. On 29 November 2007, he performed in KL Convention Center for the Acoustic "Live&Loud KL '07", a music festival in Malaysia. Morrison performed alongside Rick Price and local singer Dayang Nurfaizah.


title: James Morrison (singer)

text: Morrison collaborated with Jason Mraz on the track "Details in the Fabric" on Mraz's studio album, "We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things.", which was released on 13 May 2008.


title: James Morrison (singer)

text: On 29 September 2008, Morrison's second album, "Songs for You, Truths for Me," was released. In writing this album he worked with Ryan Tedder, Dan Wilson, Martin Terefe, Martin Brammer, Chris Braide, and Steve Robson. The album also features a duet with Nelly Furtado titled "Broken Strings," co-written with Fraser T Smith and Nina Woodford. From October 2008 until the end of the year Morrison toured throughout Europe. The album performed well, debuting in the top three of the UK Albums Chart and spending 5 weeks in the top ten. When talking about the album, Morrison stated that the music had "moved on" a lot from the first album but not to the point where fans of his previous album wouldn't be able to "get it".


title: James Morrison (singer)

text: "You Make It Real" was released a week before the release of the album as the lead single. As part of the promotion, Morrison performed the single on GMTV, Radio 1's Live Lounge, and the BBC Children in Need charity appeal. The song debuted at number 7 on the UK Singles Chart, giving Morrison his third top ten hit. "You Make It Real" spent a total of eight weeks on the chart. The second single of the album was "Broken Strings," the collaboration with Nelly Furtado. The single was released on 15 December 2008. It entered the singles charts at number 73 and slowly rose for four weeks until, after a performance of the song with Girls Aloud on The Girls Aloud Party, it broke into the top ten at number 6, giving Morrison his fourth top ten hit. The next week the song hit a new high, rising to number 4 on the 2008 Christmas chart. This makes Broken Strings Morrison's most successful single by peak position to date in the UK as on 11 January 2009 it climbed to number two, being held off the top spot by Just Dance, the debut single from Lady Gaga. The song's highest entry was in Germany's Single Top 100, where it entered the chart in the top spot.


title: James Morrison (singer)

text: After initial success, Broken Strings, which had been gradually descending the album chart, made a leap from number forty-eight to twenty-nine and then, two weeks later, re-entered the top ten at number seven. It rose again the next week to number four and was charting at number five, twenty weeks after release. The same effect allowed "Songs For You, Truths For Me" to gain success in Ireland. After dropping off the Irish Albums Chart completely, it re-entered the chart at number seventy-three. It rose for several weeks until it was charting at number thirteen. The next week the album climbed to the top of the chart, entering the top ten at number one. This gave "Songs For You, Truths For Me" its first number one chart placement and gave Morrison his second number one album.


title: James Morrison (singer)

text: On 30 April 2009, it was announced on Take That's official site that Morrison would be supporting the band at some venues and dates on their 2009 tour. Morrison performed along with singer Gary Go at the Sunderland Stadium of Light on 5 June, the Coventry Ricoh Arena on 9 June, the Cardiff Millennium Stadium on 16 June and 17, the Glasgow Hampden Park on 20 June, the Manchester Old Trafford Cricket Ground on 26 June, and London's Wembley Stadium on 1 July. That same year, Morrison wrote a song, "Watch and Wait", for the German comedy film "Men in the City".


title: James Morrison (singer)

text: In 2010 Morrison wrote a song called "Quello Che Dai" for Italian singer Marco Carta from his upcoming album "Il Cuore Muove". On 25 June 2010, Morrison performed a cover of Michael Jackson's "Man in the Mirror" live near the River Thames in London as part of CBS's "The Early Show" special remembrance event, titled "The King of Pop: One Year Later." The song was released as a single on iTunes on 24 June 2010 and in the November 2009 European double CD re-issue of "Songs For You, Truths For Me". On 26 June 2010 he performed as part of the bill for the second day of Hard Rock Calling, which included Corinne Bailey Rae, Jamiroquai, and headliner Stevie Wonder, who was celebrating his 60th birthday that day.


title: James Morrison (singer)

text: In 2010, Morrison announced that he had been working on his third studio album. In a June 2010 interview he stated, "I've sung too many love ballads. I want to go a bit deeper than that and find more substance. I still don't feel confident enough to write by myself, but that is my aim. I just keep convincing myself that I'm not good enough. There are plenty of good singers out there – it's writing that's the key thing. When I'm working with other people I've heard them say 'Let's try to write a James Morrison chorus.' I want to pretend that I haven't made any albums at all and start afresh."


title: James Morrison (singer)

text: He announced one of the tracks on the album might be called "The Awakening," saying, "I want to write about this idea of an awakening of some kind. I've written a song with that title, which I'm really happy with. There's some funky digeridoo going on".


title: James Morrison (singer)

text: In May he stated on his Facebook page that he had almost finished his album and would be releasing it very soon.


title: James Morrison (singer)

text: On 11 July, he stated on Twitter that the new album was called "The Awakening" and was due to release on 26 September. The first single was "I Won't Let You Go". The track list includes a duet with Jessie J on a track called "Up". Regarding the album's lyrics, Morrison has admitted that its themes draw on recent events in his personal life, which include becoming a father while losing his own father after the latter's long battle with alcoholism and depression.


title: James Morrison (singer)

text: To promote the album, he ran a competition in conjunction with NUS and MUZU TV to offer students across the UK the chance for him to play live in their living room.


title: James Morrison (singer)

text: The lead single, "Demons," had its official music video premiere on 10 September 2015. The music video for second single, "Stay Like This," premiered on 23 October 2015. "I Need You Tonight", the third single, was released as a music video on 6 March 2016.


title: James Morrison (singer)

text: Morrison's fifth studio album, You're Stronger Than You Know, was released on 8 March 2019. The album spawned 2 singles, "My Love Goes On", which features Joss Stone, and "Feels Like The First Time". He completed tours in South Africa, Australia, the UK and Europe in 2019 as well as playing festivals across the UK and Europe, including Glastonbury.


title: James Morrison (singer)

text: Morrison and his wife, Gill Catchpole, have two daughters, Elsie (born 2008) and Ava Rose (born 2018).


title: Don't be evil

text: "Don't be evil" is a phrase that was used in Google's corporate code of conduct, which it also formerly preceded as a motto.


title: Don't be evil

text: Following Google's corporate restructuring under the conglomerate Alphabet Inc. in October 2015, Alphabet took "Do the right thing" as its motto, also forming the opening of its corporate code of conduct. The original motto was retained in Google's code of conduct, now a subsidiary of Alphabet. In April 2018, the motto was removed from the code of conduct's preface and retained in its last sentence.


title: Don't be evil

text: The motto was first suggested either by Google employee Paul Buchheit at a meeting about corporate values that took place in early 2000 or in 2001 or, according to another account, by Google engineer Amit Patel in 1999. Buchheit, the creator of Gmail, said he "wanted something that, once you put it in there, would be hard to take out", adding that the slogan was "also a bit of a jab at a lot of the other companies, especially our competitors, who at the time, in our opinion, were kind of exploiting the users to some extent".


title: Don't be evil

text: While the official corporate philosophy of Google does not contain the words "Don't be evil", they were included in the prospectus (on Form S-1) of Google's 2004 IPO (a letter from Google's founders, later called the "'Don't Be Evil' manifesto"): "Don't be evil. We believe strongly that in the long term, we will be better served—as shareholders and in all other ways—by a company that does good things for the world even if we forgo some short term gains." The motto is sometimes incorrectly stated as "Do no evil".


title: Don't be evil

text: "Don't be evil." Googlers generally apply those words to how we serve our users. But "Don't be evil" is much more than that...


title: Don't be evil

text: Between 21 April and 4 May 2018, Google removed the motto from the preface, leaving a mention in the final line: "And remember… don't be evil, and if you see something that you think isn't right – speak up!"


title: Don't be evil

text: In their 2004 founders' letter prior to their initial public offering, Larry Page and Sergey Brin argued that their "Don't be evil" culture prohibited conflicts of interest, and required objectivity and an absence of bias:


title: Don't be evil

text: In 2009, Chris Hoofnagle, director of University of California, Berkeley Law's information privacy programs, stated that Google's original intention expressed by the "don't be evil" motto was linked to the company's separation of search results from advertising. However, he observed that clearly separating search results from sponsored links is required by law, thus, Google's practice had since become mainstream and was no longer remarkable or good. Hoofnagle argued that Google should abandon the motto because:


title: Don't be evil

text: In a 2013 NPR interview, Eric Schmidt revealed that when Larry Page and Sergey Brin recommended the motto as a guiding principle for Google, he "thought this was the stupidest rule ever", but then changed his opinion after a meeting where an engineer successfully referred to the motto when expressing concerns about a planned advertising product, which was eventually cancelled. Journalists have raised questions about the actual definition of what Google considered "evil". On the user-facing 'What We Believe' page, Google appeared to replace the original motto altogether (a carefully reworded version stood as of 10 April 2015, ""You can" make money without doing evil", which varied significantly from the absolute imperative of "DON'T be" evil).


title: Don't be evil

text: Critics of Google frequently spin the motto in a negative way, such as InfoWorld's 2014 article "Google? Evil? You have no idea". Google's 2012 announcement to "begin tracking users universally across all its services" (via "Google Plus" accounts) resulted in public backlash on the motto, like "Google's Broken Promise: The End of 'Don't Be Evil'" on Gizmodo. In the same year, major social networks even co-developed a "Don't be evil" browser bookmarklet (specifically to expose alleged SERP manipulation promoting Google-owned content over that of others).


title: Don't be evil

text: On 16 May 2013, Margaret Hodge MP, the chair of the United Kingdom Public Accounts Committee, accused Google of being "calculated and unethical" over its use of highly contrived and artificial distinctions to avoid paying billions of pounds in corporation tax owed by its UK operations. The company was accused by the committee, which represents the interests of all UK taxpayers, of being "evil" for not paying its "fair amount of tax". She told Matt Brittin, head of Google UK, "I think that you do evil". In 2015, the UK Government introduced a new law intended to penalise Google and other large multinational corporations' artificial tax avoidance.


title: Don't be evil

text: In 2015, the Commercial Appeal reported that "critics say Google's recent moves belie search giant's motto".


title: Don't be evil

text: On 29 November 2021, former Google employees filed a lawsuit claiming that Google broke their own moral code by firing them as retaliation for their part in drawing attention to and organizing employees against “controversial projects” which were “doing evil”. The employees felt that they were acting in alignment with the Code of Conduct; "since Google's contract tells employees that they can be fired for failing to abide by the motto, 'don't be evil'”, the motto “amounts to a contractual obligation that the tech giant has violated.”


title: Mazinho

text: Iomar do Nascimento (born 8 April 1966), known as Mazinho, is a Brazilian football manager and former player. Mazinho played primarily as a defensive midfielder and a full-back in his professional playing career. As a manager, he had a short spell at Greek club Aris in 2009.


title: Mazinho

text: A former central midfielder, Mazinho played 35 internationals for Brazil national team, winning the 1989 Copa América, 1994 FIFA World Cup and the silver medal at the 1988 Olympics. He was also named in the squads for the 1990 World Cup and 1991 Copa América.


title: Mazinho

text: Mazinho played with Vasco da Gama, Palmeiras and Vitória in his homeland, with Lecce and Fiorentina in Italy, and with Valencia, Celta de Vigo and Elche in Spain. Starting his career as left back, he moved to the midfield in the early 1990s.


title: Mazinho

text: Mazinho was a three-time winner of the Campeonato Brasileiro (Brazilian championship) with Vasco da Gama and Palmeiras. He received the Brazilian Silver Ball award in 1987 and 1988.


title: Mazinho

text: Mazinho earned 35 caps with the Brazil national team, the first coming in May 1989 in a friendly against Peru and the last during the 1994 FIFA World Cup. At the 1994 World Cup, a tournament Brazil went on to win, he was the third member of the "three men and baby" celebration with Bebeto and Romário in the quarter-final win against the Netherlands. Mazinho was also a Copa América winner in 1989, at which point he was playing as a full-back.


title: Mazinho

text: Another player nicknamed "Mazinho" – Waldemar Aureliano de Oliveira Filho – played for Brazil at the 1991 Copa América, and was known as "Mazinho Oliveira" or "Mazinho II" to avoid confusion between the two men.


title: Mazinho

text: In January 2009, Mazinho was appointed as a new head coach of Greek side Aris, replacing Spanish Quique Hernández. Mazinho, however, was later replaced with former Valencia coach Héctor Cúper in November 2009.


title: Mazinho

text: Mazinho is the father of current players, Thiago of Liverpool and Rafinha of Al-Arabi. His wife, Valéria, was a former volleyball player.


title: Tom Kenny filmography

text: Tom Kenny has been featured in films, television shows, and video games. He is known for voicing the title character in the "SpongeBob SquarePants" franchise. In addition, Kenny has voiced many other characters in the series, including Gary the Snail, the French Narrator, and his live action portrayal as Patchy the Pirate whom Patchy was featured in various other appearances from the episodes Christmas Who? (2000) to SpongeBob's Road to Christmas (2021). His other roles include Heffer Wolfe in "Rocko's Modern Life"; the Ice King in "Adventure Time"; the Narrator and Mayor in "The Powerpuff Girls"; Carl Chryniszzswics and Brother Ernie in "Johnny Bravo"; Dog and Cliff in "CatDog"; Hank and Jeremy in "Talking Tom and Friends"; and Spyro from the "Spyro the Dragon" video game series. His live-action work includes the comedy variety shows "The Edge" and "Mr. Show". He currently voices Augie Doggie, Top Cat, Hardy Har Har, Ding-A-Ling Wolf, Undercover Elephant and Ricochet Rabbit.


title: Tom Kenny filmography

text: Kenny has won two Daytime Emmy Awards and two Annie Awards for his voice work as SpongeBob SquarePants and the Ice King. Kenny often collaborates with his wife Jill Talley, who plays Karen on the aforementioned series.


title: Lollardy

text: Lollardy, also known as Lollardism or the Lollard movement, was a proto-Protestant Christian religious movement that existed from the mid-14th century until the 16th-century English Reformation. It was initially led by John Wycliffe, a Catholic theologian who was dismissed from the University of Oxford in 1381 for criticism of the Roman Catholic Church. The Lollards' demands were primarily for reform of Western Christianity. They formulated their beliefs in the Twelve Conclusions of the Lollards.


title: Lollardy

text: "Lollard", "Lollardi", or "Loller" was the popular derogatory nickname given to those without an academic background, educated (if at all) only in English, who were reputed to follow the teachings of John Wycliffe in particular, and were certainly considerably energized by the translation of the Bible into the English language. By the mid-15th century, "lollard" had come to mean a heretic in general.


title: Lollardy

text: The alternative, "Wycliffite", is generally accepted to be a more neutral term covering those of similar opinions, but having an academic background.


title: Lollardy

text: The term is said to have been coined by the Anglo-Irish cleric Henry Crumpe, but its origin is uncertain. The earliest official use of the name in England occurs in 1387 in a mandate of the Bishop of Worcester against five "poor preachers", "nomine seu ritu Lollardorum confoederatos". According to the "Oxford English Dictionary", it most likely derives from Middle Dutch "" ("mumbler, mutterer"), from a verb "lollen" ("to mutter, mumble"). The word is much older than its English use; there were Lollards in the Netherlands at the beginning of the 14th century who were akin to the Fraticelli, Beghards, and other sectaries similar to the recusant Franciscans.


title: Lollardy

text: Originally the Dutch word was a colloquial name for a group of the harmless buriers of the dead during the Black Death, in the 14th century, known as Alexians, Alexian Brothers or Cellites. These were known colloquially as ' (Middle Dutch for "mumbling brothers"), or ', from ("to sing softly"), from their chants for the dead. Middle English "" (akin to the verb "loll", "lull", the English cognate of Dutch "lollen" "to mutter, mumble") is recorded as an alternative spelling of "Lollard", while its generic meaning "a lazy vagabond, an idler, a fraudulent beggar" is not recorded before 1582.


title: Lollardy

text: Two other possibilities for the derivation of "Lollard" are mentioned by the "Oxford English Dictionary":


title: Lollardy

text: Lollardy was a religion of vernacular scripture. Lollards opposed many practices of the Catholic church. Anne Hudson has written that a form of "sola scriptura" underpinned Wycliffe's beliefs, but distinguished it from the more radical ideology that anything not permitted by scripture is forbidden. Instead, Hudson notes that Wycliffe's "sola scriptura" held the Bible to be "the only valid source of doctrine and the only pertinent measure of legitimacy."


title: Lollardy

text: With regard to the Eucharist, Lollards such as John Wycliffe, William Thorpe, and John Oldcastle, taught a view of the real presence of Christ in Holy Communion known as "consubstantiation" and did not accept the doctrine of transubstantiation, as taught by the Roman Catholic Church. "The Plowman's Tale", a 16th-century Lollard poem, argues that theological debate about orthodox doctrine is less important than the Real Presence:


title: Lollardy

text: Wycliffite teachings on the Eucharist were declared heresy at the Blackfriars Council of 1382. William Sawtry, a priest, was reportedly burned in 1401 for his belief that "bread remains in the same nature as before" after consecration by a priest. In the early 15th century a priest named Richard Wyche was accused of false doctrine. When asked about consecration during his questioning, he repeated only his belief in the Real Presence. When asked if the host was still bread even after consecration, he answered only: "I believe that the host is the real body of Christ in the form of bread". Throughout his questioning he insisted that he was "not bound to believe otherwise than Holy Scripture says". Following the questioning, Wyche eventually recanted, after he was excommunicated and imprisoned. A suspect in 1517 summed up the Lollards' position: "Summe folys cummyn to churche thynckyng to see the good Lorde – what shulde they see there but bredde and wyne?"


title: Lollardy

text: Lollard teachings on the Eucharist are attested to in numerous primary source documents; it is the fourth of the "Twelve Conclusions" and the first of the "Sixteen Points on which the Bishops accuse Lollards". It is discussed in "The Testimony of William Thorpe", the "Apology for Lollard Doctrines", "Jack Upland", and "Opus Arduum".


title: Lollardy

text: Simon Fish was condemned for several of the teachings in his pamphlet "Supplication for the Beggars" including his denial of purgatory and teachings that priestly celibacy was an invention of the Antichrist. He argued that earthly rulers have the right to strip Church properties, and that tithing was against the Gospel.


title: Lollardy

text: The Lollards did not believe that the church practices of baptism and confession were necessary for salvation. They considered praying to saints and honouring of their images to be a form of idolatry. Oaths, fasting and prayers for the dead were thought to have no scriptural basis. They had a poor opinion of the trappings of the Catholic Church, including holy bread, holy water, bells, organs, and church buildings. They rejected the value of papal pardons. Special vows were considered to be in conflict with the divine order established by Christ and were regarded as anathema. Sixteenth-century martyrologist John Foxe described four main beliefs of Lollardy: opposition to pilgrimages and saint worship, denial of the doctrine of transubstantiation, and a demand for English translation of the Scriptures.


title: Lollardy

text: One group of Lollards petitioned Parliament with The Twelve Conclusions of the Lollards by posting them on the doors of Westminster Hall in February 1395. While by no means a central statement of belief of the Lollards, the Twelve Conclusions reveal certain basic Lollard ideas. The first Conclusion rejects the acquisition of temporal wealth by Church leaders, as accumulating wealth leads them away from religious concerns and towards greed. The fourth Conclusion deals with the Lollard view that the Sacrament of the Eucharist is a debatable doctrine that is not clearly defined in the Bible. Whether the bread remains bread or becomes the literal body of Christ is not specified uniformly in the gospels. The sixth Conclusion states that officials of the Church should not concern themselves with secular matters when they hold a position of power within the Church, since this constitutes a conflict of interest between matters of the spirit and matters of the State. The eighth Conclusion points out the ludicrousness, in the minds of Lollards, of the reverence that is directed toward images of Christ's suffering. "If the cross of Christ, the nails, spear, and crown of thorns are to be honoured, then why not honour Judas's lips, if only they could be found?"


title: Lollardy

text: The Lollards stated that the Catholic Church had been corrupted by temporal matters and that its claim to be the true Church was not justified by its heredity. Part of this corruption involved prayers for the dead and chantries. These were seen as corrupt since they distracted priests from other work; instead, all should be prayed for equally. Lollards also had a tendency toward iconoclasm. Expensive church artwork was seen as an excess; they believed effort should be placed on helping the needy and preaching rather than working on expensive decorations. Icons were also seen as dangerous since many seemed to be worshipping the icons more fervently than they worshipped God.


title: Lollardy

text: Believing in a universal priesthood, the Lollards challenged the Church's authority to invest or to deny the divine authority to make a man a priest. Denying any special status to the priesthood, Lollards thought confession to a priest was unnecessary since according to them priests did not have the ability to forgive sins. Lollards challenged the practice of clerical celibacy and believed priests should not hold government positions as such temporal matters would likely interfere with their spiritual mission.


title: Lollardy

text: Lollards did not follow restrictions for fasting and abstinence in the Catholic Church. In heresy proceedings against Margery Baxter it was presented as evidence that a servant girl found bacon in a pot of oatmeal during the first Saturday of Lent. Non-observance of dietary restrictions was used as evidence of heresy in another Norfolk case against Thomas Mone where it was alleged that a piglet was eaten for Easter dinner when eating meat was forbidden.


title: Lollardy

text: Although Lollardy was denounced as a heresy by the Catholic Church, initially Wycliffe and the Lollards were sheltered by John of Gaunt and other anti-clerical nobility, who may have wanted to use Lollard-advocated clerical reform to acquire new sources of revenue from England's monasteries. The University of Oxford also protected Wycliffe and similar academics on the grounds of academic freedom and, initially, allowed such persons to retain their positions despite their controversial views. Lollards first faced serious persecution after the Peasants' Revolt in 1381. While Wycliffe and other Lollards opposed the revolt, one of the peasants’ leaders, John Ball, preached Lollardy. The royalty and nobility then found Lollardy to be a threat not only to the Church, but to English society in general. The Lollards' small measure of protection evaporated. This change in status was also affected by the 1386 departure of John of Gaunt who left England to pursue the Crown of Castile.


title: Lollardy

text: A group of gentry active during the reign of Richard II (1377–99) were known as "Lollard Knights" either during or after their lives due to their acceptance of Wycliffe's claims. Henry Knighton, in his Chronicle, identifies the principal Lollard Knights as Thomas Latimer, John Trussell, Lewis Clifford, Sir John Peche (son of John Peche of Wormleighton), Richard Storey, and Reginald Hilton. Thomas Walsingham's Chronicle adds William Nevil and John Clanvowe to the list, and other potential members of this circle have been identified by their wills, which contain Lollard-inspired language about how their bodies are to be plainly buried and permitted to return to the soil whence they came. There is little indication that the Lollard Knights were specifically known as such during their lifetimes; they were men of discretion, and unlike Sir John Oldcastle years later, rarely gave any hint of open rebellion. However, they displayed a remarkable ability to retain important positions without falling victim to the various prosecutions of Wycliffe's followers occurring during their lifetimes.


title: Lollardy

text: Religious and secular authorities strongly opposed Lollardy. A primary opponent was Thomas Arundel, Archbishop of Canterbury, assisted by bishops like Henry le Despenser of Norwich, whom the chronicler Thomas Walsingham praised for his zeal. Paul Strohm has asked: "was the Lollard a genuine threat or a political pawn, agent of destabilising challenge, or a hapless threat of self-legitimizing Lancastrian discourse?"


title: Lollardy

text: As a prelude to the 16th-century "Acts of Supremacy" that mark the beginning of the English Reformation, "De heretico comburendo" was enacted in 1401 during the reign of Henry IV; traditionally heresy had been defined as an error in theological belief, but this statute equated theological heresy with sedition against political rulers.


title: Lollardy

text: By the early 15th century, stern measures were undertaken by Church and state which drove Lollardy underground. One such measure was the 1410 burning at the stake of John Badby, a layman and craftsman who refused to renounce his Lollardy. He was the first layman to suffer capital punishment in England for the crime of heresy.


title: Lollardy

text: John Oldcastle, a close friend of Henry V of England and the basis for Falstaff in the Shakespearean history "Henry IV, Part 1", was brought to trial in 1413 after evidence of his Lollard beliefs was uncovered. Oldcastle escaped from the Tower of London and organized an insurrection, which included an attempted kidnapping of the king. The rebellion failed, and Oldcastle was executed. Oldcastle's revolt made Lollardy seem even more threatening to the state, and persecution of Lollards became more severe.


title: Lollardy

text: A variety of other martyrs for the Lollard cause were executed during the next century, including the Amersham Martyrs in the early 1500s and Thomas Harding in 1532, one of the last Lollards to be made victim. A gruesome reminder of this persecution is the 'Lollards Pit' in Thorpe Wood, now Thorpe Hamlet, Norwich, Norfolk, ""where men are customablie burnt"", including Thomas Bilney.


title: Lollardy

text: Lollards were effectively absorbed into Protestantism during the English Reformation, in which Lollardy played a role. Since Lollards had been underground for more than a hundred years, the extent of Lollardy and its ideas at the time of the Reformation is uncertain and a point of debate. Ancestors of Blanche Parry (the closest person to Elizabeth I for 56 years) and of Blanche Milborne (who raised Edward VI and Elizabeth I) had Lollard associations. However, many critics of the Reformation, including Thomas More, equated Protestants with Lollards. Leaders of the English Reformation, including Archbishop Thomas Cranmer, referred to Lollardy as well, and Bishop Cuthbert Tunstall of London called Lutheranism the "foster-child" of the Wycliffite heresy. Scholars debate whether Protestants actually drew influence from Lollardy or whether they referred to it to create a sense of tradition.


title: Lollardy

text: Despite the debate about the extent of Lollard influence there are ample records of the persecution of Lollards from this period. In the Diocese of London, there are records of about 310 Lollards being prosecuted or forced to abjure from 1510 to 1532. In Lincoln diocese, 45 cases against Lollardy were heard in 1506–1507 and in 1521 there were 50 abjurations and 5 burnings of Lollards. In 1511, Archbishop Warham presided over the abjuration of 41 Lollards from Kent and the burning of 5.


title: Lollardy

text: The extent of Lollardy in the general populace at this time is unknown, but the prevalence of Protestant iconoclasm in England suggests Lollard ideas may still have had some popular influence if Huldrych Zwingli was not the source, as Lutheranism did not advocate iconoclasm. Lollards were persecuted again between 1554 and 1559 during the Revival of the Heresy Acts under the Catholic Mary I, which specifically suppressed heresy and Lollardy.


title: Lollardy

text: The similarity between Lollards and later English Protestant groups such as the Baptists, Puritans, and Quakers also suggests some continuation of Lollard ideas through the Reformation.


title: Lollardy

text: The Roman Catholic Church used art as an anti-Lollard weapon. Lollards were represented as foxes dressed as monks or priests preaching to a flock of geese on misericords. These representations alluded to the story of the preaching fox found in popular medieval literature such as "The History of Reynard the Fox" and "The Shifts of Raynardine". The fox lured the geese closer and closer with its words until it was able to snatch a victim to devour. The moral of this story was that foolish people are seduced by false doctrines.


title: Flag of Croatia

text: The national flag of Croatia () or The Tricolour () is one of the state symbols of Croatia. It consists of three equal size, horizontal stripes in colours red, white and blue. In the middle is the coat of arms of Croatia.


title: Flag of Croatia

text: The flag combines the colours of the flags of the Kingdom of Croatia (red and white), the Kingdom of Slavonia (blue and white) and partially of the Kingdom of Dalmatia (blue and yellow).


title: Flag of Croatia

text: The red-white-blue tricolour has been used as the Croatian flag since 1848, and the pan-Slavic colours are widely associated with romantic nationalism.


title: Flag of Croatia

text: While the Banovina of Croatia existed within the Kingdom of Yugoslavia, it had a similar flag without the modern crown above the chequy. After the Kingdom of Yugoslavia was invaded and Croatia became the Independent State of Croatia, the crown was removed and a "U" was placed at the top left of the flag. Also, the first field of the Croatian chequy was white. After Nazi Germany collapsed and the SFR Yugoslavia was created, Croatia's flag had a five-pointed red star with a yellow border in place of the coat of arms. The star was replaced by the coat of arms in May 1990, shortly after the first multiparty elections. The current flag and the coat of arms were officially adopted on 21 December 1990, about ten months before the proclamation of independence from Yugoslavia and a day before the Constitution of Croatia on 22 December 1990.


title: Flag of Croatia

text: The shield is in the red and white checks of Croatia. Above is a crown made of shields of its various regions. From left to right they are the ancient arms of Croatia, Dubrovnik, Dalmatia, Istria and Slavonia.


title: Acamprosate

text: Acamprosate, sold under the brand name Campral, is a medication used along with counselling to treat alcohol use disorder.


title: Acamprosate

text: Acamprosate is thought to stabilize chemical signaling in the brain that would otherwise be disrupted by alcohol withdrawal. When used alone, acamprosate is not an effective therapy for alcohol use disorder in most individuals; studies have found that acamprosate works best when used in combination with psychosocial support since the drug facilitates a reduction in alcohol consumption as well as full abstinence.


title: Acamprosate

text: Serious side effects include allergic reactions, abnormal heart rhythms, and low or high blood pressure, while less serious side effects include headaches, insomnia, and impotence. Diarrhea is the most common side-effect. Acamprosate should not be taken by people with kidney problems or allergies to the drug.


title: Acamprosate

text: Until it became generic in the United States, Campral was manufactured and marketed in the United States by Forest Laboratories, while Merck KGaA markets it outside the US.


title: Acamprosate

text: Acamprosate is useful when used along with counseling in the treatment of alcohol use disorder. Over three to twelve months it increases the number of people who do not drink at all and the number of days without alcohol. It appears to work as well as naltrexone for maintenance of abstinence from alcohol, however naltrexone works slightly better for reducing alcohol cravings and heavy drinking, and acamprosate tends to work more poorly outside of Europe where treatment services are less robust.


title: Acamprosate

text: Acamprosate is primarily removed by the kidneys and should not be given to people with severely impaired kidneys (creatinine clearance less than 30 mL/min). A dose reduction is suggested in those with moderately impaired kidneys (creatinine clearance between 30 mL/min and 50 mL/min). It is also contraindicated in those who have a strong allergic reaction to acamprosate calcium or any of its components.


title: Acamprosate

text: The US label carries warnings about increases of suicidal behavior, major depressive disorder, and kidney failure.


title: Acamprosate

text: Adverse effects that caused people to stop taking the drug in clinical trials included diarrhea, nausea, depression, and anxiety.


title: Acamprosate

text: Potential adverse effects include headache, stomach pain, back pain, muscle pain, joint pain, chest pain, infections, flu-like symptoms, chills, heart palpitations, high blood pressure, fainting, vomiting, upset stomach, constipation, increased appetite, weight gain, edema, sleepiness, decreased sex drive, impotence, forgetfulness, abnormal thinking, abnormal vision, distorted sense of taste, tremors, runny nose, coughing, difficulty breathing, sore throat, bronchitis, and rashes.


title: Acamprosate

text: The pharmacodynamics of acamprosate are complex and not fully understood; however, it is believed to act as an NMDA receptor antagonist and positive allosteric modulator of GABA receptors.


title: Acamprosate

text: Its activity on those receptors is indirect, unlike that of most other agents used in this context. An inhibition of the GABA-B system is believed to cause indirect enhancement of GABA receptors. The effects on the NMDA complex are dose-dependent; the product appears to enhance receptor activation at low concentrations, while inhibiting it when consumed in higher amounts, which counters the excessive activation of NMDA receptors in the context of alcohol withdrawal.


title: Acamprosate

text: Ethanol and benzodiazepines act on the central nervous system by binding to the GABA receptor, increasing the effects of the inhibitory neurotransmitter GABA (i.e., they act as positive allosteric modulators at these receptors). In alcohol use disorder, one of the main mechanisms of tolerance is attributed to GABA receptors becoming downregulated (i.e. these receptors become less sensitive to GABA). When alcohol is no longer consumed, these down-regulated GABA receptor complexes are so insensitive to GABA that the typical amount of GABA produced has little effect, leading to physical withdrawal symptoms; since GABA normally inhibits neural firing, GABA receptor desensitization results in unopposed excitatory neurotransmission (i.e., fewer inhibitory postsynaptic potentials occur through GABA receptors), leading to neuronal over-excitation (i.e., more action potentials in the postsynaptic neuron). One of acamprosate's mechanisms of action is the enhancement of GABA signaling at GABA receptors via positive allosteric receptor modulation. It has been purported to open the chloride ion channel in a novel way as it does not require GABA as a cofactor, making it less liable for dependence than benzodiazepines. Acamprosate has been successfully used to control tinnitus, hyperacusis, ear pain, and inner ear pressure during alcohol use due to spasms of the tensor tympani muscle.


title: Acamprosate

text: In addition, alcohol also inhibits the activity of "N"-methyl--aspartate receptors (NMDARs). Chronic alcohol consumption leads to the overproduction (upregulation) of these receptors. Thereafter, sudden alcohol abstinence causes the excessive numbers of NMDARs to be more active than normal and to contribute to the symptoms of delirium tremens and excitotoxic neuronal death. Withdrawal from alcohol induces a surge in release of excitatory neurotransmitters like glutamate, which activates NMDARs. Acamprosate reduces this glutamate surge. The drug also protects cultured cells from excitotoxicity induced by ethanol withdrawal and from glutamate exposure combined with ethanol withdrawal.


title: Acamprosate

text: The substance also helps re-establish a standard sleep architecture by normalizing stage 3 and REM sleep phases, which is believed to be an important aspect of its pharmacological activity.


title: Acamprosate

text: Acamprosate is not metabolized by the human body. Acamprosate's absolute bioavailability from oral administration is approximately 11%, and its bioavailability is decreased when taken with food. Following administration and absorption of acamprosate, it is excreted unchanged (i.e., as acamprosate) via the kidneys.


title: Acamprosate

text: Its absorption and elimination are very slow, with a Tmax of 6 hours and an elimination half life of over 30 hours.


title: Acamprosate

text: Acamprosate was developed by Lipha, a subsidiary of Merck KGaA. and was approved for marketing in Europe in 1989.


title: Acamprosate

text: As of 2015 acamprosate was in development by Confluence Pharmaceuticals as a potential treatment for fragile X syndrome. The drug was granted orphan status for this use by the FDA in 2013 and by the EMA in 2014.


title: Acamprosate

text: "Acamprosate" is the INN and BAN for this substance. "Acamprosate calcium" is the USAN and JAN. It is also technically known as "N"-acetylhomotaurine or as calcium acetylhomotaurinate.


title: Acamprosate

text: In addition to its apparent ability to help patients refrain from drinking, some evidence suggests that acamprosate is neuroprotective (that is, it protects neurons from damage and death caused by the effects of alcohol withdrawal, and possibly other causes of neurotoxicity).


title: The Book of Souls

text: The Book of Souls is the sixteenth studio album by English heavy metal band Iron Maiden, released in 4 September 2015. It is the band's first studio double album, and also their longest to date, with a total length of 92 minutes and 11 seconds. Its launch and supporting tour were delayed to allow vocalist Bruce Dickinson time to recover from the removal of a cancerous tumour in early 2015. It is also their first album to be released on Parlophone, since the end of their 30-year relationship with EMI Records.


title: The Book of Souls

text: Produced by long-time Iron Maiden collaborator Kevin Shirley, "The Book of Souls" was recorded at , Paris from September to December 2014, which they had previously used for 2000's "Brave New World". The band wrote and immediately recorded many tracks in the studio, resulting in a spontaneous live feel. The album's first single, "Speed of Light", was issued as a music video on 14 August, and simultaneously as a digital download and CD single exclusive to Best Buy. In addition to being their longest studio record, it also contains the band's longest song to date, "Empire of the Clouds", at 18 minutes in length, which was also issued as a single for Record Store Day on 16 April 2016. While not a concept album, references to the soul and mortality are prominent, realised in the Maya-themed cover artwork, created by Mark Wilkinson.


title: The Book of Souls

text: A critical and commercial success, "The Book of Souls" topped the album charts in 24 countries. It earned the band their fifth (first consecutive) UK No. 1, following 1982's "The Number of the Beast", 1988's "Seventh Son of a Seventh Son", 1992's "Fear of the Dark" and 2010's "The Final Frontier". In the US, it matched "The Final Frontier"<nowiki>'</nowiki>s success on the "Billboard" 200, repeating the group's highest placement at No. 4 until it was surpassed by 2021's "Senjutsu" at No. 3. At the time of its release, "The Book of Souls" marked the longest gap between studio releases in the group's entire career; at five years, following "The Final Frontier".


title: The Book of Souls

text: The band's intention to record a sixteenth studio album was first revealed by vocalist Bruce Dickinson in September 2013, who expected a possible release in 2015. The album was recorded at Guillaume Tell Studios, Paris with producer Kevin Shirley from September to December 2014, with the finishing touches added in early 2015. They had previously used the studios for 2000's "Brave New World", with Dickinson stating "the studio holds special memories for all of us. We were delighted to discover the same magical vibe is still alive and very much kicking there!" The band originally intended to release the record earlier in 2015, but it was pushed back to 4 September while Dickinson received treatment for a cancerous tumour.


title: The Book of Souls

text: The album's title, artwork and track listing were revealed on 18 June 2015. Released by Parlophone, this is the band's first original studio album not to be issued by EMI, after both companies were acquired by Warner Music Group in 2013. In the US, the album was issued by Sanctuary Copyrights/BMG, following BMG's purchase of Sanctuary Records in 2013. On 14 August, the band issued a music video for the song "Speed of Light", directed by Llexi Leon. In addition, the song was simultaneously made available as a digital download and was issued as a single-track CD via Best Buy in the US.


title: The Book of Souls

text: "The Book of Souls" is the band's first album since 1995's "The X Factor" to use their original logotype (with the extended letters R, M and N) on the cover. The artwork was created by Mark Wilkinson, whose previous works for Iron Maiden include "Live at Donington" (1998 remastered version) and "Best of the 'B' Sides" (2002 compilation), as well as "The Wicker Man" and "Out of the Silent Planet" singles covers. According to bassist Steve Harris, the cover art ties in with the title track, as the depiction of the band's mascot, Eddie, is based on the Maya civilization, who "believe that souls live on [after death]". To check the accuracy of the artwork, the band hired Mayanist scholar Simon Martin, who also translated the song titles into hieroglyphs. According to Martin, although the civilisation had no Book of Souls, "the Mayans are very big on souls ... So as a title, it's appropriate to Mayan culture, but it's very much Iron Maiden's own thing." Although not a concept album, references to the soul appear throughout, as do ruminations on mortality in general, with Harris explaining "as you get older, you start thinking about your own mortality and these things more".


title: The Book of Souls

text: A supporting tour based on the album was delayed until early 2016 so that Dickinson could fully recuperate from his cancer treatment. The Book of Souls World Tour began in February with the band performing in 35 countries across North and South America, Asia, Australasia, Africa and Europe.


title: The Book of Souls

text: Harris states that many of the songs were written and immediately recorded in the studio, adding to the record's "live feel". Guitarist Janick Gers explains that this involved abandoning their previous approach of spending several weeks writing and rehearsing, which meant that they "went into the studio with only outlines and finished writing the songs in the studio - so we were actually learning them, rehearsing them, and putting them down all at once". According to guitarist Adrian Smith, the pressure this created was positive "because it snaps you into action". Gers states that each member brought in approximately an hour of original music to the sessions, even though they "might only want to use 15 minutes of it", the result being "a really broad spectrum of musical ideas". As with all of their studio collaborations with Shirley, most of the album was recorded live with lots of first takes used for added spontaneity.


title: The Book of Souls

text: "Shadows of the Valley", "Death or Glory", "Speed of Light" and "If Eternity Should Fail" were the first songs written for the album, the last of which, according to Dickinson, was originally written for a potential solo album and features the band's first collective use of drop D tuning. Smith states that "Speed of Light" and "Death or Glory" were two of a small minority of tracks completed prior to the recording sessions, and mark the first collaboration between Smith and Dickinson (without Harris) since both members rejoined Iron Maiden in 1999. With both tracks, Smith and Dickinson deliberately wrote shorter songs in an attempt to hark back to previous singles "2 Minutes to Midnight" (1984) and "Can I Play with Madness" (1988). According to Dickinson, "Death or Glory" is about First World War triplanes.


title: The Book of Souls

text: Unlike the band's previous two albums, 2006's "A Matter of Life and Death" and 2010's "The Final Frontier", Harris does not receive a writing credit for all of the record's songs. This is because Harris suffered two bereavements during the writing stage ("an old schoolfriend and a member of the family") which affected his creative output. The result was a more collaborative effort, with all members except drummer Nicko McBrain receiving a writing credit. One of Harris' contributions, "Tears of a Clown", which he co-wrote with Smith, is praised by Dickinson as his favourite track from "The Book of Souls" and is based on comedian Robin Williams' depression and suicide in 2014.


title: The Book of Souls

text: The release's final song, "Empire of the Clouds", replaces "Rime of the Ancient Mariner" (from 1984's "Powerslave") as the band's longest song at 18 minutes in duration. The track features Dickinson on piano for the first time and is based on the 1930 R101 airship crash. According to Smith, Dickinson spent most of the album's recording sessions alone writing the song in a "soundproof glass box with his piano", which he completed with assistance from McBrain. Smith states that it was a challenge to record as Dickinson "laid down the piano on his own" and the band then "played along to that" while following Dickinson and Shirley's instructions. For Record Store Day 2016, "Empire of the Clouds" was issued as a single on 16 April. Along with opener "If Eternity Should Fail", it marks the first Iron Maiden album since "Powerslave" which features two tracks written solely by Dickinson. For the first time since 1998's "Virtual XI", the final track wasn't written or co-written by Steve Harris. "The Book of Souls" is also the second album in Iron Maiden's history (following 1986's "Somewhere in Time") in which Harris has not written or co-written any of its released singles.


title: The Book of Souls

text: At 92 minutes in length, it is both the longest Iron Maiden studio album and their first double studio record. Dickinson comments "we all agreed that each track was such an integral part of the whole body of work that if it needed to be a double album, then double it's going to be!"


title: The Book of Souls

text: At Metacritic, the album holds a score of 80 out of 100 based on 20 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". It was scored 9/10 by "Classic Rock", who stated, "it's hard to think of another band of this vintage that would be capable of sounding this vital and inspired". "Kerrang!" and "Metal Hammer" gave it full marks: the former labelling it "an album of extraordinary vision"; the latter "a gargantuan emotional journey through some career-best performances that more than makes up for a five-year wait". Blabbermouth.net were also extremely positive, scoring it 9.5/10 and deeming it "Iron Maiden's most comprehensive and confident work since "Brave New World" and for certain one of their finest achievements overall". PopMatters awarded 9 stars out of 10, praising the band for returning to "the very top of their game in a way we haven't seen since 1988". AllMusic awarded it 4 out of five, stating, "With repeated listening it earns shelf space with their finest records." "The Guardian" also scored it 4 out of 5 and, despite criticising the "lumbering 'Shadows of the Valley'", exclaimed that ""The Book of Souls" is marked by an impressive rawness that scratches against the album's more grandiloquent moments".


title: The Book of Souls

text: "Rolling Stone" and "Billboard" were more critical, rating it 3.5 stars out of 5, the latter describing it as "outsized" but "surprisingly engaging overall". "Paste" rated it 7.9/10, saying "it's an impressive piece of work, but it gets bogged down by the band's own ambition", although still concluding that it is "the best Maiden record from Dickinson's second act, and an impressive achievement", while "Uncut" awarded it 7 out of 10, stating that "an epic, if somewhat ruminative tone dominates". Both "Q" and "Record Collector" gave the album a mixed score of 3 stars out of 5, the former criticising its "lengthy longueurs" and concluding that it is "not one of their best", while the latter asserted that "too much of the album is made up of endless midtempo guitar chug" and that it "sounds much like any other Maiden album from their career-twilight period".


title: The Book of Souls

text: The closing, 18-minute "Empire of the Clouds" was the subject of particular praise, with PopMatters calling it a "masterpiece" and "every bit as spellbinding as 1984's 'Rime of the Ancient Mariner' [from 1984's "Powerslave"]". AllMusic described it as "a heavy metal suite, unlike anything in their catalogue". Although Blabbermouth.net and "NME" did not agree that it matches "Rime of the Ancient Mariner", the former stated that it is "worth every single minute as a cinematic-sounding encapsulation of the band's career", while the latter called it "the pièce-de-résistance". It also received a positive response from "Classic Rock", who deemed it a "stunning piece of work", while "Billboard" labelled it "a highlight". Sputnikmusic rated it "a significant improvement" on the closing tracks from the band's two previous studio records ("The Legacy" from 2006's "A Matter of Life and Death" and "When the Wild Wind Blows" from 2010's "The Final Frontier"), calling it "cerebral and evocative". "The Guardian", however, argued that it is unlikely to appeal to enthusiasts of the band's older material, although they did say that "said [fans] might be mollified by Harris's 'The Red and the Black. "The Guardian" complimented the 13-and-a-half-minute "The Red and the Black" for its "genuine urgency and agility", while PopMatters dubbed it "as predictable as [Harris's] songwriting gets, [but] this time around it's a delight to hear". In contrast, "Paste" were slightly critical of all three of the album's longer songs (also including the 10-minute title track), stating "in the end, the prog-jam logjam causes these songs to lose some of their impact, even after multiple listens", although they did commend "The Red and the Black" for having "the pace and feel of "Powerslave"<nowiki>'</nowiki>s "Rime of the Ancient Mariner.


title: The Book of Souls

text: "The Book of Souls" received the Album of the Year award at the 2015 Classic Rock Roll of Honour Awards, collected the 2016 "Metal Hammer" Golden Gold Award for Best Album, and won in the Best International Album category at the 2016 Bandit Rock Awards. In addition, it was listed among the best albums of the year by some publications:


title: The Book of Souls

text: The album was a commercial success, reaching the no. 1 spot in 24 countries in addition to 19 other territories which no longer publish retail charts. It was their fifth record to top the UK albums chart with sales of over 60,000 units, out-selling their previous record, "The Final Frontier", which sold 44,385 copies but reached the same chart position. In the US, the record charted at no. 4, their joint highest position on the "Billboard" 200 along with "The Final Frontier" up until that point, although "The Book of Souls" was again the better seller with 74,000 sales compared to 63,000. According to "Billboard", this marks the band's best sales week in the US since the Nielsen SoundScan tracking system began operating in 1991. As of January 2016, "The Book of Souls" has sold more than 148,000 copies in the US.


title: Gold Base

text: Gold Base (also variously known as Gold, Golden Era Productions, Int Base, or Int) is the "de facto" international headquarters of the Church of Scientology, located north of San Jacinto, California, United States, about from Los Angeles. The heavily guarded compound comprises about fifty buildings surrounded by high fences topped with blades and watched around the clock by patrols, cameras and motion detectors. The property is bisected by a public road, which is closely monitored by the Church with cameras recording passing traffic.


title: Gold Base

text: The property had previously been a popular Inland Empire spa resort called Gilman Hot Springs, which was established in the 1890s. However, the resort went bankrupt in the late 1970s due to changes in American vacation habits. Secretly bought for cash in 1978 by Scientology, using the alias of the "Scottish Highland Quietude Club", it has since been developed and expanded considerably.


title: Gold Base

text: Gold Base houses numerous Scientology organizations and subsidiaries, including its in-house media production division, Golden Era Productions, which has its own movie studio on the site. Scientology leader David Miscavige, senior church officials, and up to 1,000 of the church's elite Sea Org live and work on the base. It is also the location of a $10 million mansion built for Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard. Although he never lived there before his death in 1986, the mansion and his living quarters are still maintained in anticipation of his predicted reincarnation. A number of prominent Scientologists have studied Scientology at the base, notably Tom Cruise.


title: Gold Base

text: According to some former members of Scientology, conditions within Gold Base are harsh, with staff members receiving sporadic paychecks of $50 at most, working seven days a week, and being subjected to punishments for failing to meet work quotas. Media reports have stated that around 100 people a year try to escape from the base but most are soon caught and returned by "pursuit teams". Despite many accounts of mistreatment from ex-members, law enforcement investigations and lawsuits against Scientology have been thwarted by the First Amendment's guarantees of religious freedom and the Church's ability to rely on "ministerial exemptions" in employment law. Scientology denies any mistreatment and calls the base "the ideal setting for professional and spiritual growth".


title: Gold Base

text: Gold Base is located at the base of the San Jacinto Mountains. The base covers an area of near 19712 Gilman Springs Road, south-east of its intersection with California State Route 79, in unincorporated Riverside County, California, north of San Jacinto and Hemet. It consists of compounds on either side of Gilman Springs Road with underground pedestrian tunnels connecting them. Both parts of the property are surrounded by a chain link fence topped with "Ultra Barrier" spikes and razor wire, with motion sensors and lights. There are five heavily guarded gates into the base, three on the south side of Gilman Spring Road and two on the north.


title: Gold Base

text: Scientology spokesperson Catherine Fraser told the "Valley Chronicle" newspaper in 2009 that the spikes on the fences were intended to "prevent people and animals from intruding." When asked why half the spikes face inwards towards the interior of the compound (as pictured below), Church spokesman Tommy Davis told KESQ-TV that "that's just how they were installed".


title: Gold Base

text: There are around fifty buildings on the property, many built in a mock-Scottish highlands style. Most are obscured from public view by tall hedges and high walls, monitored by video cameras. According to the "Riverside Press-Enterprise", Scientology employees in uniform and guards on motorcycles can be glimpsed by motorists through the metal fence that surrounds the compound. Although the road which goes through the middle of the compound is public property, the church has video cameras and lights installed adjacent to traffic signs to record traffic heading in both directions.


title: Gold Base

text: The south side of Gold Base is primarily used by Golden Era Productions, Scientology's in-house film studio. It includes a studio in the style of a Scottish castle, which was built in 1997–1998 at a cost of $10.8 million to serve as a production facility for the Church's training and promotional films and videos. The building, known as the "Cine Castle", replaced an earlier building known as "The Gym" which used to house Golden Era's shooting stage, make-up, costumes, camera, lighting, and set sound departments.


title: Gold Base

text: The name of the Gym is said to have come from the cover story used by Scientology to conceal its activities at the base. According to Marc Headley, who worked on the base for fifteen years; "the permit to build the studio was applied for under the guise of a 'basketball gym.' Any and all references to the building were to be specified as the 'Gym'." The Gym still stands and is now reported to be used as a small (supplementary) studio and special effects facility.


title: Gold Base

text: A short distance to the east, a garage formerly used as a public gas station is now the location of Motor Pool Gold and serves as the maintenance facility for the entire property. The base's Estates Division, responsible for maintenance and construction work, is located here. The western part of the building was formerly used by Golden Era's set & props departments before the construction of the Cine Castle. In the 2000s, the garage was reportedly used to house a makeshift shower for the inmates of "The Hole", a punishment facility on the base.


title: Gold Base

text: Various buildings are located nearby for use in connection with the studio's administrative and production activities. Scientology's E-meters are manufactured on the base in a building known as Building 36, which houses production facilities for HEM (Hubbard E-Meter Manufacturing). It also houses tape production facilities and Golden Era's administrative functions.


title: Gold Base

text: A number of "Staff Berthing" blocks are located a few hundred yards away, housing around 1,000 members of Scientology's Sea Org. In keeping with the base's Scottish theme, each building is named after a different Scottish clan and bears its crest. The "G Units" – VIP accommodations – are situated on the far eastern edge of the base. Tom Cruise is reported to have stayed there in the late 1980s and early 1990s when he was studying Scientology at the base. Tunnels allow crossing from the Staff Berthing and Massacre Canyon Inn buildings to the north side of the base without having to exit the compound.


title: Gold Base

text: The rest of the southern part of the complex is a landscaped open area with a lake and sports facilities, including basketball and volleyball courts and a baseball diamond. As of 2008, they were reported to be disused. The lake was reportedly used for punishment on various occasions in the 2000s. According to author Janet Reitman, Miscavige ordered dozens of senior executives at the base to go outdoors in the middle of the night and assemble at the lake or the base's open-air swimming pool. They would then jump or be pushed into the water, often in freezing conditions, while fully clothed and with Miscavige watching. Scientology acknowledges this practice took place but characterises it as part of its "ecclesiastical justice" system for dealing with poor performance.


title: Gold Base

text: A "Purification Center" stands near the lake and is used to administer Scientology's Purification Rundown program to staff on the base. Nearby is a now-overgrown circular feature which was formerly used for the "running program", ostensibly part of the Purification Rundown but reportedly used sometimes as a punishment. Vicki Aznaran, formerly the president of the Church of Scientology's Religious Technology Center, alleged that after she disagreed with a plan to restructure the Church's finances in 1982, she was ordered to run around an orange pole every day from 7 am to 9:30 pm for about 120 days, with ten-minute breaks every half-hour and thirty-minute rests for lunch and dinner.


title: Gold Base

text: The Church of Scientology's international management is based on the north side of Gold Base. Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard's mansion, "Bonnie View", occupies a prominent spot on high ground with panoramic views of the San Jacinto Valley. According to property records, the residence cost $9.4 million and is equipped with a lap pool and a movie theater. It has been described as "high-end beautiful but not ostentatious", but Hubbard died long before it was completed. According to ex-members of Scientology, it is meant to be used by him when he returns after being reincarnated. It is used in part as a museum, housing most of Hubbard's belongings.


title: Gold Base

text: Bonnie View is still maintained as if Hubbard is due to turn up tomorrow, with glasses of water covered with plastic wrap, toothbrushes set out in Hubbard's multiple personal bathrooms and "identical sets of Thom McAn black thongs ready for him to step into after a shower or bath." A full-time staff regularly launders Hubbard's clothes and cleans the property. His cars are kept in the garage with full tanks of gas and the keys in the ignition, ready to be used at a moment's notice. The rear of the house incorporates guest apartments and amenities which have reportedly been used by Tom Cruise on some of his visits to the base.


title: Gold Base

text: Adjacent to Bonnie View is the RTC Building, the headquarters of the Religious Technology Center chaired by David Miscavige, Scientology's current leader. The building, which was completed in 2004, is said to have cost over $70 million to construct. According to Tom de Vocht, who was put in charge of completing it after it fell years behind schedule and vastly overbudget, it had been already completed twice over at a cost of over $47 million – $1,200 per square foot – but on each occasion the entire interior had to be ripped out as it did not meet with Miscavige's approval. De Vocht discovered the building had been so shoddily built, it would have collapsed during even a minor earthquake. The walls were not connected to the floors; the building had a tilt; and there were no architectural drawings, only renderings of how it should appear. De Vocht was ordered to rebuild it, which cost a further $23 million. Millions more had to be spent on landscaping after Miscavige decreed the building, which is situated in the middle of the Californian desert, should appear to be set in a forest.


title: Gold Base

text: Three villas left over from the old resort, known as the Upper, Middle and Lower Villas, stand below Bonnie View. They have been used as executive apartments by Miscavige and other senior figures. Alongside the Villas is the "Star of California", a replica clipper ship now used as a site for community events. Other buildings located nearby include the "Ranchos", a cluster of buildings used to house the book compilation, editing, design and typesetting units; the "Del Sol" building (formerly the Hotel Del Sol) used for staff training; and various additional facilities for Golden Era Productions.


title: Gold Base

text: One of these buildings, known as "Studio One", houses the "LRH [L. Ron Hubbard] Music Studio Complex" with state-of-the-art music recording facilities. Headley describes it as containing "very upscale conference and dining facilities for visiting musicians that are brought up to the Studio for recordings." Another studio on the north side, known as "Studio Two", houses additional audio production facilities.


title: Gold Base

text: A pair of double-wide trailers adjacent to the highway were installed to house Scientology's Central Marketing Unit (CMU) and various Golden Era technical facilities, and were later used as the offices of the Commodore's Messenger Org International (CMO Int) and the International Executive Strata (Exec Strata). They have since become known as "The Hole", where up to 100 senior Scientology executives have reportedly been confined in "degrading conditions" since 2004. A building known as "The Spa", which used to be the center of the old spa resort that existed on the property before Scientology acquired it, is now used by the base's Qualifications Division.


title: Gold Base

text: At the extreme west end of the north part of Gold Base is a compound within the compound, physically separated from the rest by chain fencing. A building called "OGH" (Old Gilman House, named after the family who built the old resort and lived in the house) is located here. It is reportedly used as a detention facility where staff are kept under guard while being "handled" or being prepared for "offloading" (expulsion). Some are reported to live there permanently, having been forbidden to leave the base. On the hillside above the base is a heavily camouflaged "sniper-style nest bunker" called Eagle that overlooks the entire property and the surrounding area. It was reportedly used as a lookout post where security staff with telescopes noted the license plate numbers of vehicles that lingered too long near the compound.


title: Gold Base

text: The Golden Era Golf Course is located to the east of the main part of the base, south of the highway and outside the main boundary fence. It was built between 1988 and 1991 on the site of the resort's original golf course. It was open to the public between 1991 and 2007 but is now a private golf course. Although it is used for charitable golfing tournaments and other community events, base staff are reportedly not allowed to use it.


title: Gold Base

text: The land on which the base now stands was originally known as San Jacinto Hot Springs. It was first developed in the late 19th century by Sidney Branch of Riverside. He built the Relief Springs Hotel there in 1888. In 1890, Branch bought a parcel of land north of San Jacinto on which were natural hot springs that had been known to local Native Americans for centuries. He developed it into a resort called Relief Hot Springs before selling it in 1913 to the three Gilman brothers – W. Earl, Grant and Forest Gilman.


title: Gold Base

text: The Gilmans purchased the property for $53,000 ($ today) and changed the name, first to Gilman Relief Hot Springs and ultimately to Gilman Hot Springs. Gilman Hot Springs is located on California State Route 79, north-northwest of San Jacinto. Gilman Hot Springs has a post office which opened in 1938; its ZIP code is 92583, which it shares with San Jacinto.


title: Gold Base

text: It was one of three hot springs resorts near San Jacinto that offered vacationers the opportunity to relax, bathe in and drink hot mineral waters bubbling up from the San Jacinto Fault, an offshoot of the San Andreas Fault.


title: Gold Base

text: The Gilmans substantially expanded the resort, which they owned until 1978. In 1913 they built a bathhouse and added a swimming pool the following year, which was later expanded to an Olympic size. A hotel was built to accommodate guests but had to be rebuilt after burning down in 1918. Many visitors came to Gilman Hot Springs by train via San Jacinto, where they were met by representatives of the hotel to be transported to the resort. By the 1940s, the hotel had 200 rooms. The resort also had a post office, garage and service station for the use of its visitors. Many cottages were also built at the resort for visitor use.


title: Gold Base

text: There were four main springs found on the property – Black Sulphur, White Sulphur, Soda and Lithia, which were claimed to have health benefits for drinkers. By the 1920s advertisements for Gilman's were calling it "the ALL YEAR RESORT where the sick can be won back to health and where those in health can keep that way." Other visitor activities included walks within the resort, hiking in the nearby hills, mud bathing and dancing on Friday nights in the resort's own dance hall, with a pianist, violinist and drummer contributing the music.


title: Gold Base

text: The resort was the site of many popular events such as beauty contests and golfing on the resort's own course. Built alongside the San Jacinto River, the course was originally opened with nine holes in 1930 and later expanded to 27 holes. The golf course was later destroyed by flooding.


title: Gold Base

text: The Massacre Canyon Inn, named after a nearby beauty spot, was opened in 1963 on the south side of Gilman Springs Road to accommodate dining and dancing. A training camp for boxers was also built in the grounds of the resort and was in use in the late 1960s. Among the boxers who used the facility were Muhammad Ali, Evander Holyfield, Sugar Ray Leonard, Ray Mancini, Armando Muniz, Ruben Navarro, Ken Norton and Jerry Quarry.


title: Gold Base

text: Changing vacation habits and a decline of public interest in mineral waters meant that by the late 1970s Gilman Hot Springs was no longer a viable business. After it went bankrupt in 1978, L. Ron Hubbard authorized the purchase of the property to serve as a headquarters. The Church claims that Hubbard "had a fascination with all things Scottish [and] chose the Gilman Hot Springs property after discovering it while scouting filming locations that looked like Scotland".


title: Gold Base

text: The property was acquired in conditions of extraordinary secrecy. $2.7 million in cash was paid by the new owners, who called themselves the "Scottish Highland Quietude Club". A Los Angeles attorney named Richard Hoag, acting for the owners, said that the resort had been purchased for a condominium project. The money for the purchase was fronted by the "November 1, 1978 Private Trust", a secret trust of which Hoag served as the trustee.


title: Gold Base

text: According to a Scientology defector, Silvia Garritano, "Hubbard disguised his operation at Gilman Hot Springs as the 'Hoag Scholarship Foundation'. The idea was to convince local businessmen that ... Hoag owned the place and that he conducted a program designed to help young people learn trades and skills. Hubbard's purpose was to conceal from public scrutiny the management level of Scientology." Hoag himself was unaware of the identity of the buyer and said later: "I think they really didn't want people to know because it was controversial."


title: Gold Base

text: Scientology spokesman Heber Jentzsch told the "Riverside Press-Enterprise" that he had "no information" of any Scientology involvement with the former resort. Other spokesmen for the trust that bought the property claimed that it had been purchased by "wealthy Eastern investors" or wealthy investors from the Palm Springs area. The Riverside County Sheriff's Office took an interest after it was rumoured that pornographic films were being made there or that an organized crime group had taken over the resort, but the property was hurriedly vacated before an official investigation could begin.


title: Gold Base

text: Signs posted at the entrance to the property did not mention Scientology. One, erected in the fall of 1979, attributed ownership to the "Western States Scientific Communications Association" while another, replacing the first in April 1980, proclaimed: "Massacre Canyon Development Co. – Future sites condominiums and homes." A man calling himself "Dan Pook" met with local civic groups to explain the condominium project, telling residents in March 1980 that the site was to be used for the construction of "condominiums, mobile homes and single-family residences". He was later identified as Ronald Pook, a Scientology public relations official responsible for disseminating "shore stories" (or cover stories) about the Church's plans for the property.


title: Gold Base

text: The intense secrecy was due to Scientology's acute legal difficulties at the time. The Church was embroiled in a huge scandal that posed major dangers for Hubbard personally. His wife Mary Sue and a number of other Scientologists had been arrested by the FBI the previous year and charged with running an enormous espionage network, Operation Snow White, against the U.S. government. Hubbard himself was named as an "unindicted co-conspirator". He went into hiding in a desert ranch in La Quinta, which was codenamed "W" (for "winter headquarters"). Gilman Hot Springs was similarly codenamed "S", for "summer headquarters". The La Quinta property was closed down in March 1978 and Hubbard moved to an apartment complex in Hemet, codenamed "X".


title: Gold Base

text: Hubbard's personal staff, known as the Commodore's Messengers, shuttled between "X" and "S" using various counter-surveillance methods to shake off anyone tracking them: switching between locations, using secret meeting points, relaying information covertly, using aliases and so on. Nobody was allowed to travel directly between the two locations but had to make indirect trips of up to 120 miles. Hubbard himself was at the centre of an elaborate security system with buzzers and red lights to warn him if strangers turned up. Staff were drilled to deny any knowledge of him and maintained a getaway car for Hubbard that was accessible through a garage that opened onto a different street. The existence of Gilman Hot Springs was kept secret even from other Scientologists. Staff members on the base were not allowed to make telephone calls or to send mail directly. If they did get permission to use the telephone, they were instructed to say that they were calling from Clearwater, Florida, where Scientology's Flag Land Base is located.


title: Gold Base

text: Hubbard did not live at Gilman Hot Springs but ordered that Bonnie View, a Tudor-style house on the property should be renovated for his use. He instructed that it was to be "dust-free, defensible" and that high walls with "openings for gun emplacements" were to be constructed around it. Scientologists who had been posted to the Rehabilitation Project Force (RPF) – a kind of punishment unit – were made to carry out the work of redecorating the house and ensuring that it was free of dust and odors. The original house was eventually torn down and rebuilt but the new construction was not finished until 2000, long after Hubbard's death in January 1986.


title: Gold Base

text: In February 1980, "Riverside Press-Enterprise" reporter Dick Lyneis broke the story that Hubbard was living in Hemet and working at Gilman Hot Springs. The disclosure caused Hubbard to flee Hemet and sparked a panic at the base which Scientology's national spokesman, Robert Vaughn Young, was sent in to resolve. He decided to present what Scientology would call an "acceptable truth", turning a small, shut-down film and audio unit in the compound into a working facility called Golden Era Studios which could be presented to the press as the "real" function of the base. The conversion happened overnight:


title: Gold Base

text: After the "flap" had died down, the international management staff moved back into the base and have remained there ever since. The tight security remained, nonetheless; the "Boston Globe" noted that "curious, unannounced visitors are quickly surrounded by guards, photographed, asked for identification, then urged to leave. Before they do, the license plate numbers on their cars are jotted down for good measure."


title: Gold Base

text: The jailing of Mary Sue Hubbard on conspiracy charges in 1981 set off a power struggle within Scientology that was won by the Commodore's Messenger Organization, a group of mostly young Scientologists – many of them teenagers, some of them as young as ten years old – which took over international Church management by the end of 1981. That year a body called the All Clear Unit was set up at Gilman Hot Springs under the management of the then 21-year-old David Miscavige. Its purpose was to make it "All Clear" for Hubbard to come out of hiding. They were sufficiently confident of success that, in 1982, a mock ship called the "Star of California" was built at the property as a present to the nautically minded Hubbard. It is a full-size replica of the deck and interior of a three-masted 19th-century clipper ship, constructed at a reported cost of $500,000. Scientology was able to reduce costs by using its own staff as labor, paying them less than $20 for a 100-hour week.


title: Gold Base

text: In February 1988, Scientology won permission from the Riverside County Planning Commission to rebuild the golf course at Gilman Hot Springs. The Church's application was opposed by many area residents, who were concerned about the disruption that the development would cause. The commission's public meeting was packed by nearly 200 people, mostly Scientologists wearing lapel buttons supporting the Church's expansion and renovation program. Scientology also disclosed plans to construct additional studios, offices, storage buildings, housing and recreational facilities, as well as renovating 35 existing buildings to bring them up to required standards. The Church was given a year to complete the golf course, but it was only reopened in 1991.


title: Gold Base

text: Since 1998, Scientology has spent at least $45 million expanding the base and acquiring dozens of nearby homes and vacant lots. According to an April 2011 map published by the "Press-Enterprise", the Church now owns almost all of the land on either side of Gilman Springs Road from the intersection with Sanderson Avenue to the road's terminus at State Street, a total distance of . Scientology says that it intends to expand the golf course but has not yet developed any specific plans.


title: Gold Base

text: Scientology has also undertaken a considerable amount of community outreach to improve its relationship with its neighbors. The base has hosted Chamber of Commerce events and has allowed the local high school band to use its recording studio. Fishing tournaments for children have been held at the compound's lake and politicians and public officials have been invited to liaise with base staff.


title: Gold Base

text: The section of Gilman Springs Road that bisects the two parts of the base has undergone major changes at the behest of Scientology. Until the early 1990s, the two parts of the base were accessed via gates on either side of the highway. This presented safety and security problems; moving hundreds of people across the road at meal times posed a hazard to traffic. These issues were tackled by building pedestrian tunnels under the road for staff to use and rebuilding the configuration of the road to narrow it and slow down through traffic. However, a number of accidents have subsequently occurred on that section of road. In 2001, a 16-year-old girl was decapitated by a tractor operated by a Golden Era contractor who was operating it without a valid driver's license. In 2011 a man was killed in a head-on collision outside the compound.


title: Gold Base

text: Anti-Scientology demonstrators began picketing Gold Base in 1997, prompting litigation from Scientology against one protester, Keith Henson. A Church bid to impose a temporary restraining order on Henson was overturned in February 1998 when Judge Stephen D. Cunnison of Riverside Superior Court ruled that Henson was legitimately exercising his right to free speech. He told Scientology's attorney, Kendrick Moxon: "You don't have a situation here where the defendant is stopping people. This is not an abortion clinic situation." Moxon complained that Henson's one-man demonstration was threatening the safety of Golden Era employees and motorists along the state highway. Henson was later convicted of a misdemeanor charge arising out of a demonstration at the base and was sentenced to 180 days in jail.


title: Gold Base

text: Members of the hacktivist group Anonymous picketed Gold Base in November 2008. The demonstration was held outside the property but prompted clashes between Scientology guards and demonstrators which were recorded on video. As giant loudspeakers in the base broadcast noise to drown out the demonstrators, guards tackled one demonstrator to the ground and tripped another one with a leg sweep. They told Riverside County Sheriff's deputies that the first demonstrator had bitten one of them and that he was guilty of trespassing on private land. Scientology subsequently lobbied county authorities to ban the demonstrations. At a public hearing in December 2008 the Riverside County Supervisor, Jeff Stone, accused the protesters of "oppressing Jews, Christians and black people and encouraging youth suicide and terrorism." County supervisors approved a proposal, fast-tracked by Stone, to impose restrictions barring picketers from approaching within of a targeted residence.


title: Gold Base

text: Stone did not disclose at the time that his political fund had received a $5,400 donation from the law firm that represented Scientology at the hearing, and another $600 from the head of the public relations department at Gold Base. After the donations were disclosed, he was fined $16,000 by the California Fair Political Practices Commission for failing to properly report $84,052 in contributions. The measure, known as Ordinance 884, was adopted in March 2009 but attracted controversy for what critics said were its unconstitutional restrictions on free speech. The distance was eventually reduced to and then to just after county supervisors found that they had effectively banned their own existing practice of protesting against sex offenders living in the county.


title: Gold Base

text: In 2009, Scientology officials began lobbying to close Gilman Springs Road, which is used by about 17,000 cars daily. The request was opposed "under any circumstances" by the San Jacinto City Council. Scientology subsequently backed a proposal to realign the road to go around the base, but a decision was put off indefinitely by the Riverside County Board of Supervisors after discussions in January 2011.


title: Gold Base

text: Scientology maintains strict criteria for those living and working at Gold Base. Many are the children of high-ranking Scientologists, including some of Hubbard's own children and grandchildren. According to author Janet Reitman, those seeking to be assigned to Gold Base had to be members of the Sea Org. They were required to undergo IQ tests and pass a battery of leadership, personality and security tests. Members with family connections to the government or media, or with any friends or family who had left Scientology on bad terms, were not allowed to work there. They were also not allowed to disclose the location of the base or to discuss their jobs or activities there with anyone outside the base, even fellow Sea Org members. They were banned from taking any form of public transport or taxis, and instead had to travel on special Scientology buses or in private vehicles driven by approved staff members.


title: Gold Base

text: According to Marc and Claire Headley, two Scientologists who left the Church in 2005, residents at the base are not permitted to leave without the permission of a supervisor and have to work at least sixteen hours a day, from 8 am to past midnight, with shorter hours on Sundays and little time for socialising. Communications with the outside world are effectively cut off; cellphones and Internet access are generally banned, mail is censored and can only be sent via the internal mail system. Passports are kept in a locked filing cabinet.


title: Gold Base

text: Although this system was reportedly dropped around 2000, workers are still subject to a regime of privileges and punishments. Weekly pay is said to be only around $50, given out in cash on Fridays. This amount is only nominal, however, as fines for infractions are commonplace; according to author Lawrence Wright, the amount actually paid is often as little as $13 or $14 a week.


title: Gold Base

text: Claire Headley describes how staff lived in constant paranoia due to being required to submit "knowledge reports" on each other if they heard any critical statements or casual asides. Becoming the subject of a report meant that the accused person was interrogated and made to recant or publicly confess their "crimes" against Scientology. Reitman comments that "everyone at the Int Base lived in fear of everyone else and what they might be saying, or reporting, about one another."


title: Gold Base

text: Food is basic, consisting of meat, potatoes and salad for those not being punished, or rice and beans for those who are. The average cost per meal, according to Marc Headley (who was involved with the financial planning), was only 75 cents per head in 2005 – significantly less than is spent on California prison inmates. Unmarried staff live in dormitories, while married couples share two-bedroom apartments with two other couples, meaning that one pair gets to spend each night sleeping on the couch. Many of those on the base are reported to have not left the property for over a decade. Scientology describes conditions at the base as being "like one would find in a convent or seminary, albeit much more comfortable."


title: Gold Base

text: In the mid-1980s, women with children under the age of six were banned from joining the Sea Org, as Scientology no longer wanted it to provide child care for the very young. A new policy was formally enacted in 1996 which banned Sea Org members from having children at all, as they were seen as "interfering with the productivity" of the staff. Ex-members of Scientology have said that they were pressured to terminate their pregnancies to comply with the policy. According to Claire Headley, somewhere between sixty and eighty percent of the women on the base had at least one abortion, with some claiming indigence to get the county to pay for the procedure. Reitman comments: "If a pregnant woman refused, she would be separated from her husband, put on heavy manual labor, and vigorously 'sec checked' [interrogated]. If she still refused to get an abortion, she would be sent from the base in disgrace, alone." Scientology has denied that it has pressured anyone into having an abortion and says that it does not consider pregnant women to be "degraded beings."


title: Gold Base

text: The "Tampa Bay Times" reports that dozens of workers tried to escape from the base – some of them repeatedly – but were caught and returned by Sea Org "pursuit teams". The odds are stacked against escapees, as the compound is out in the desert, there is only one road in either direction and the surrounding terrain is mountainous and barren with plenty of scrub and rattlesnakes to hinder movement across country. Wright describes how one successful escapee, Guy White, managed to get away from the base in October 1988:


title: Gold Base

text: According to Reitman, whenever someone escapes or "blows", a special "blow drill" is launched to recover the escapee. The individual's files are combed to work out where they are likely to be headed, such as friends or family on the outside. "Blow teams" stake out bus and train stations, airports and hotels in the vicinity to intercept the runaway. Another method was to call hotels, motels and airlines in the guise of a sick relative to try to find out if the escapee was booked in for a flight or a stay. Although such information was supposed to be confidential, company privacy rules were evaded by escalating the calls to an ever-higher level of seniority until an answer had been gotten. On one occasion reported by Wright, the vice-president of an airline was cajoled into giving up an escapee.


title: Gold Base

text: Some escapees were tracked down through their personal interests. Gary Morehead, who worked as the chief of security at Gold Base in the 1990s, cites the example of a senior executive who fled in 1992. The executive was known to be a baseball fan. A week later, Morehead caught him in the parking lot of the San Francisco Giants stadium. If all else failed, according to Morehead, the homes of the blown member's friends and family were staked out by Scientologists using scanners to listen in on cordless phones and cell phones, and tracing the license plates of any vehicles that turned up.


title: Gold Base

text: Captured escapees are said to have been subjected to isolation, interrogation and punishment after being brought back to the compound. According to Wright, they often did not even argue when they were caught, knowing that they would have to spend months or even years being punished while working their way back into good standing.


title: Gold Base

text: For its part, Scientology says that the compound is "the ideal setting for professional and spiritual growth," where its members can focus on furthering Scientology's goals while avoiding the distractions of big-city life. It denies that blow drills exist.


title: Gold Base

text: Compared to the conditions in which ordinary staff members work, life at Gold Base is reported to be more comfortable for Miscavige and celebrity Scientologists. Most staff were not permitted to have their own vehicles, but Miscavige was reported to have a customized Yamaha motorcycle which he rode around the base as well as a range of other vehicles, including a Mazda Miata roadster, a Range Rover luxury SUV and a high-performance BMW M6 as well as a custom-made armored GMC van equipped as a mobile office. According to Claire Headley, who managed Miscavige's finances from 2000 to 2004, his food costs ranged between $3,000 to $20,000 a week, with food flown in fresh from the East Coast or Canada. His villa is said to have a $150,000 sound system and its own private screening room.


title: Gold Base

text: According to Wright, Miscavige is also a dog lover and has kept up to five dogs on the base. They wear their own miniature Sea Org uniforms and hold the rank of captain. Staff are required to salute the dogs as they pass by. On April 30 each year, staff are encouraged to donate their back pay to buy a birthday present for Miscavige. One year he was given a $70,000 motorcycle; in other years, he received diving equipment, high-end cameras and Italian shoes. Church spokesman Tommy Davis has said that "from [the staff's] perspective, it was the least they could do to express their affection."