title: AEC Routemaster

text: They operated in various "Northern" red and cream liveries receiving the poppy red corporate livery and NBC "Northern" fleetnames in the National Bus Company era. The RMF fleet wore the long-standing adverts characteristic of buses in the north-east of England, "Shop at Binns". Northern Routemasters were well liked by their crews: the high axle ratio meant a good turn of speed on long-distance routes such as Newcastle to Darlington, and power steering was well appreciated on busy urban services in Gateshead and Sunderland. Their service in the north also produced the odd sight of a Routemaster with a rollsign "X1 Scandinavia", connecting with the DFDS ferry from North Shields to Scandinavia.


title: AEC Routemaster

text: However, throughout the 1970s it became increasingly uneconomic to have conductors on inter-urban services. Despite driver and customer satisfaction, Northern had little option but to replace them. Northern placed a large order for Bristol VRs with Eastern Coach Works and Willowbrook bodywork in 1977 to replace them. Withdrawals began in May 1977 with the last withdrawn in October 1980. Most were scrapped although 14 were sold to London Transport. Only one entered service, as an open-top with London Coaches.


title: AEC Routemaster

text: British European Airways purchased 65 RMAs built to the shorter length (with trailers) in 1966/67 for use on its airport bus service between the West London Air Terminal and Heathrow Airport. They were geared for 70 mph running on the M4 Motorway. Withdrawals started in January 1975 with British Airways discontinuing the service in March 1979. All 65 RMAs were eventually sold to London Transport.


title: AEC Routemaster

text: The open platform is potentially dangerous, as passengers can board, alight, and stand on the platform at any time, even with the bus travelling at speed. The presence of a conductor to regulate access to the platform helps, but the conductor also has to collect fares throughout the bus, and even if on the platform cannot prevent all incidents. Former London mayor Ken Livingstone said in 2013 that the Routemasters were too dangerous, with around twelve people per year losing their lives after falling from them during his mayoralty.


title: AEC Routemaster

text: With the Routemaster's longevity, examples were painted to celebrate both the Queen's Silver and Golden Jubilees. In 1977, 25 Routemasters were painted silver and temporarily renumbered SRM1 to SRM25 to celebrate the Silver Jubilee and, in 2002, 50 buses were painted gold including three RMs and 12 RMLs.


title: AEC Routemaster

text: During privatisation in London from 1986, several private operators won contracts to operate services, including Routemaster-operated routes. Before an 80% red rule for liveries was introduced in 1997 by London Transport, the contract tendering authority, some of these new entrants ran Routemasters in non-red liveries, most notably Kentish Bus on route 19 and Borehamwood Travel Services on route 13.


title: AEC Routemaster

text: The Routemaster appealed to the many new operators outside London that appeared post-1986 in the UK following bus deregulation. Several traditional operators purchased second-hand Routemasters as a cheap way of expanding their fleets in response to competition from new operators after deregulation, and new operators also chose it as a distinctive-looking bus. Painted in a variety of colours, they were used in regular service in Bedford, Blackpool, Burnley, Carlisle, Corby, Doncaster, Dundee, Glasgow, Hull, Manchester, Perth, Rotherham. Scarborough, Southampton and Southend-on-Sea.


title: AEC Routemaster

text: One of the earliest examples, if not the earliest, of deregulated use of Routemasters was early in the history of the Stagecoach Group, by 2014 one of the largest operators in the UK. Stagecoach used vintage Routemasters in its new corporate livery of all-over white with red, orange and blue stripes, to start one of its first operations, Magic Bus, in Glasgow in the late 1980s.


title: AEC Routemaster

text: In the mid 1980s Clydeside Scottish purchased 114 Routemasters for use in Glasgow, with many repainted at Aldenham Works. Most were withdrawn in 1990.


title: AEC Routemaster

text: Towards the end of this period, in July 1994 in Reading, new operator Reading Mainline built up a 45-strong Routemaster fleet to compete with the established operator, Reading Buses, in the process becoming the largest operator of Routemasters outside London. They used conductors to compete on speed in the town centre and, in the outskirts, took advantage of the rear platform to operate hail and ride sections of route. In 1998 Reading Mainline was sold to Reading Buses; some Routemasters continued in use until July 2000.


title: AEC Routemaster

text: With the costs of running elderly two-crew buses, and with a general reduction in the number of operators, buses, and services in the years following deregulation as competitors merged or closed, use of Routemasters outside London declined through the 1990s. Many of these buses found their way back to London to assist with the refurbishment programme, as spares donors or to increase fleet size.


title: AEC Routemaster

text: Withdrawal from mainstream London service saw another resurgence in the use of Routemasters outside London, but on a smaller scale than immediately after deregulation. After 2000 Routemasters were mostly used on small novelty or seasonal routes.


title: AEC Routemaster

text: The first green Routemasters, apart from prototype CRL4, now RMC4, were 69 RMCs (Routemaster Coach) for Green Line work. These were the same length as the RMs but had luxury seating, luggage racks, strip lights and platform doors. The later 43 RCLs (Routemaster Coach Lengthened) were the same length as the RMLs but again with coach seating and platform doors.


title: AEC Routemaster

text: One hundred green Routemasters, based on the RMLs, were delivered in 1965/66 for Country area bus work. Three of these were transferred to the Central (Red) fleet in 1969 in exchange for three XA Leyland Atlanteans.


title: AEC Routemaster

text: On 1 January 1970 these green Routemasters were transferred to the newly formed London Country Bus Services, a National Bus Company subsidiary formed to take over London Transport's Country Area. London Country announced that it intended to convert all its services to one-man operation, which it achieved by 1981, making all the Routemasters redundant. Many were sold back to London Transport, the RMCs becoming trainers along with most of the RCLs.


title: AEC Routemaster

text: Most of the ex-Country RMLs that were sold back to LT in the late 1970s served longer with red livery than with their original green (Most did 14 years as green buses but over 20 as red buses).


title: AEC Routemaster

text: Some RCLs had the platform doors removed and entered service as red buses. RMC4 (ex CRL4) was kept by London Country but was later sold when the NBC was sold off.


title: AEC Routemaster

text: The peak era of the Routemaster was in its first 25 years of operation, until September 1982, when the type started to be withdrawn and transferred to training fleets, due to service reductions.


title: AEC Routemaster

text: The first London bus route to be operated by the Routemaster was route 2, on 8 February 1956, with RM1. The same bus, with a revised front end, appeared at the Lord Mayor's Show in November 1956. The RM class entered service from 1959 to replace trolleybuses, which finished in May 1962. Subsequent Routemasters, the last 500 of which were RMLs, began replacing the previous generation of buses, the AEC Regent RT and Leyland Titan RTL and RTW. RMLs also displaced RMs on central routes to cope with higher loadings. The last Routemaster entered service in March 1968.


title: AEC Routemaster

text: The original concept included the routine overhaul and refurbishment of the fleet at LT's Aldenham Works, usually every five years. The buses were completely stripped down and rebuilt, and left the works almost as new. As the number of Routemasters declined, financial cutbacks and newer buses not suited to this practice were introduced, the overhaul routine was abandoned and Aldenham Works closed in November 1986. The thoroughness of the Aldenham system was the primary reason why the Routemaster and its predecessors lasted so long in London service.


title: AEC Routemaster

text: Many routes were converted to driver-only operation ("DOO" or "OMO") in the 1970s, to reduce operating costs and in response to staff shortages. There was also for a time a parts shortage for Routemasters, aggravated by the closure of AEC. With the introduction of single-deck Red Arrow services and successful conversion to modern, rear-engined OMO buses around the country, London Transport considered replacing Routemasters with modern buses.


title: AEC Routemaster

text: The operation of the Routemaster gradually contracted to central areas only, with RMLs replacing RMs, where it was felt that the Routemaster still provided an efficient means of transporting large enough numbers of people to justify the economics of two-crew operation. The rapid acceleration and rugged construction of the Routemaster proved to be more suited to urban conditions than some more modern designs.


title: AEC Routemaster

text: The fleet remained largely intact for around 15 years after production ended in 1968, with withdrawals mainly due to fires. Following the defeat of the Greater London Council in the House of Lords over its subsidised fare scheme, major service reductions followed in September 1982. Consequently, the first withdrawals commenced, with many of these early disposals being for scrap. The continued practice of route conversion to one-person operation resulted in a steady trickle of withdrawals. This practice had largely halted by 1988, with comparatively few withdrawn up to 1992.


title: AEC Routemaster

text: In 1986 some of the Routemasters purchased from British European Airways, London Country and Northern General, which had doors rather than an open platform, were overhauled at Aldenham Works and put in service on London Transport's revived sightseeing operation The Original London Sightseeing Tour, alongside RCLs (some converted to open top buses), RMFs and RMAs.


title: AEC Routemaster

text: In April 1989, in preparation for the privatisation of London bus services, London Buses was divided into 11 arm's-length business units based on different garages. Eight units inherited Routemasters: CentreWest, East London, Leaside, London Central, London General, London Northern, London United and South London. During this time, following the failure and premature withdrawal of heralded replacement vehicle classes such as the Daimler Fleetlines, the Routemasters that had not yet been disposed of saw their lives extended for use until privatisation. Where new route tenders called for Routemaster operation, these were leased from London Buses.


title: AEC Routemaster

text: Between September and November 1994, all of the business units were sold. In the new London route tendering process, all but one of the Routemaster-operated routes (139) retained their now privately owned Routemasters for the five-year contract period and further refurbishments resulted.


title: AEC Routemaster

text: Following the ending of production at AEC Southall, and the later closure of the Aldenham Works, new options for extending the life of the Routemaster became necessary if they were to continue to run. This made sense as, even by 1987, when some buses looked decidedly worn out, inspections by London Buses revealed the basic structure of the buses was still sound, requiring only replacement of engines and interior/exterior renewal.


title: AEC Routemaster

text: From 1992 to 1994, all but two of the RMLs were refurbished for ten years' further service. This work, which included updating the interior to modern tastes and substituting Cummins or Iveco engines, was carried out by South Yorkshire Transport, TB Precision, Nottingham Truck & Bus and by one of the new London Buses business units, Leaside Buses. One hundred RMs were also re-engined. Post-privatisation, in 1996, London Central's RMs on route 36, Stagecoach London's RMLs for routes 8 and 15, and Arriva London's RMs for route 159 received new Scania engines and a number of subtle reworks including hopper style windows.


title: AEC Routemaster

text: In 2001/02, under new Mayor of London Ken Livingstone, Transport for London purchased 50 RMs from a variety of sources, including Reading Mainline and two from Italy. Of these, 43 were refurbished by Marshall Bus between May 2001 and August 2002, receiving Cummins engines coupled to an Allison automatic gearbox. They also received a full body overhaul including new hopper windows. The first 22 were leased to London Sovereign for use on route 13 with ten going to Arriva London for use on route 38 and others to First London, London Central and London United. After Marshall Bus went into administration, Arriva London completed a further six, albeit without the heavy body overhauls and retaining the quarter-drop windows.


title: AEC Routemaster

text: At the beginning of the 2000s, there was debate concerning the issue of whether to replace or retain the Routemaster in London service. Supporters cited its continued mechanical fitness, speed of boarding and tourist potential, while opponents pointed to the economics of running increasingly elderly buses when newer, larger, accessible buses were now available. Opponents also pointed specifically to the lack of accessibility of the Routemaster in light of impending relevant legislation, which meant all new buses now entering service in London would be required to have a low-floor design. The emergence of off-bus ticketing technology also reduced the argument for better dwell times, whereby the Oyster card and off-bus ticket machines would reduce the time it took passengers to board the bus.


title: AEC Routemaster

text: Livingstone was initially supportive of retaining the Routemasters and their conductors, reintroducing 49 refurbished buses into service. However, Livingstone decided to replace the Routemaster fleet with low-floor buses, following a campaign by disabled rights groups, the large number of people injured by falling off the open rear platform and a realisation of the difficulty of trying to use high-floor buses with his children.


title: AEC Routemaster

text: In March 2003, Peter Hendy, then managing director of Surface Transport for TfL noted that the implementation of a low floor, accessible bus fleet was a higher priority than keeping the historic Routemaster buses. Despite criticism from the media and the public, remaining services were consequently replaced from August 2003 onwards by low-floor double decker or articulated buses, as existing bus contracts were renewed.


title: AEC Routemaster

text: On 8 December 2005, 24 special buses, including preserved RMs and RMLs and their predecessors from the AEC Regent III RT bus family made guest appearances on route 159.


title: AEC Routemaster

text: On 9 December 2005, the last Routemasters ran on route 159. On police advice, instead of doing a normal shift until around 23:00, the last Routemaster services ran in the middle of the day. RM2217 operated the final departure from Marble Arch at 12:08. Heavily delayed, it took 10 minutes to turn the final corner into Brixton garage, arriving at 14:06. The last services were greeted by crowds of bus enthusiasts, as well as disability rights protesters welcoming the withdrawal.


title: AEC Routemaster

text: As a consequence of the withdrawal, all London bus routes used low-floor buses by January 2006, thanks to the largest accessible bus fleet in the world.


title: AEC Routemaster

text: In November 2005 heritage routes 9 and 15 were introduced, operating daily until 18:30, duplicating short sections of two regular London bus routes. Heritage Routes 9 and 15 were withdrawn on 25 July 2014 and 29 September 2019.


title: AEC Routemaster

text: The two operators, First London and Stagecoach London, each operated ten buses selected from the batch overhauled by Marshall Bus in 2001/02.


title: AEC Routemaster

text: During the operation of Heritage Route 15, Stagecoach East London refurbished their Routemasters, removing some of the modern features that had been added during the Marshall refurbishments and replacing them with replicas of the original equipment. This was done by Hants & Dorset Trim, and involved a full overhaul and repaint inside and out, the return of gold lettering, black registration plates and fitting of modern LED indicators on the front and LED indicators and lights on the rear. (The LED assemblies were designed to appear similar to the round lights that were originally fitted.) The yellow hand rails were replaced with white-coated steel ones, also a nod to the original design. The first refurbished vehicle was delivered back to Stagecoach East London in January 2016.


title: AEC Routemaster

text: TfL confirmed the cancellation of the heritage routes in 2021, thus ending scheduled service with the Routemaster temporarily anywhere in the United Kingdom.


title: AEC Routemaster

text: In 2022, TfL approved the opening of a privately operated tourist heritage route, by operator Londoner Buses. From 15 October 2022, 'Route A' will run from Waterloo Station to Piccadilly Circus, 7 days a week. The route will go past iconic attractions like Big Ben and Westminster Bridge, and will be solely operated by AEC Routemaster buses. Unlike previous heritage routes, a higher price is charged than the standard TfL bus fare, however the ticket is valid all day.


title: AEC Routemaster

text: The London Bus Museum as well as other transport societies sometimes hold events once or twice a year with a Routemaster (or other bus vehicles) running a certain route and open to the public.


title: AEC Routemaster

text: Aside from the London heritage route, the last major operation of Routemasters was in Edinburgh, where Lothian Buses' tour operation, Mac Tours used open-top Routemasters on regular tours. The last were withdrawn in October 2016.


title: AEC Routemaster

text: The Afternoon Tea Bus Tour operates as a tourist service in London. Many Routemasters remain in service as charter buses, both with the companies that operated them in London and with niche charter operators.


title: AEC Routemaster

text: Routemasters have also been exported, with some seeing further service in Australia, Canada (Victoria, British Columbia, Niagara Falls, Ontario and Toronto), China, Colombia, Croatia, the Falkland Islands, Malaysia, New Zealand, Sri Lanka and the United States. A number of Stagecoach Routemasters have been exported to Montreal in Canada, where Stagecoach provides a tourist service around the city.


title: AEC Routemaster

text: The red double-decker bus is an emblem of London. The BBC states, "ubiquitous black cabs and red double-decker buses all have long and tangled stories that are deeply embedded in London’s traditions" It featured at the 2008 Beijing Olympics closing ceremony where David Beckham, Jimmy Page and Leona Lewis represented Britain during the handover segment for the 2012 Olympics (to take place in London) with the three riding a Routemaster into the stadium and Page and Lewis performing "Whole Lotta Love".


title: AEC Routemaster

text: In December 2014, the PepsiCo brand 7 Up worked with the inventor of yarn bombing, Magda Sayeg, to completely knit an original Routemaster bus. The "Number 7up" as it was called, took to London's streets for 2 days in December 2014.


title: AEC Routemaster

text: In June 2015, Music Heritage London introduced a scheduled bus service using Routemaster RMLs on a loop between Richmond, Twickenham and Teddington to highlight the immense impact the area made to one of the most defining decades in 20th Century Britain and the counterculture that spawned Swinging 60s London. The "Swinging 60s Shuttle Bus" route and bus number was the "60s" with 18 allocated bus stops along its one-hour route. This shuttle service ran until the end of the Rugby World Cup in October 2015 and has now been replaced by "the Swinging 60s Tour Bus" which still uses Routemaster RMLs on its many tours around London music venues and locations


title: AEC Routemaster

text: The Prodigy used the bus for the cover of their 2018 album "No Tourists". The opening of Episode 1 of Series 7 of "Hustle" employed an open-top AEC Routemaster on Westminster Bridge in which the Hustle crew showed Japanese investors available properties for purchase, and closing a sale implicitly including Big Ben and/or the Houses of Parliament.


title: AEC Routemaster

text: Such was the popularity of the Routemaster that many calls continued to be made for a new version of the vehicle to be produced. On 3 September 2007, Conservative mayoral candidate Boris Johnson announced that he was contemplating introducing a modern-day version of the Routemaster (and scrapping articulated bus operation). In December 2007, UK magazine "Autocar" commissioned leading bus designer Capoco, designer of the innovative Optare Solo, to come up with detailed proposals for a new-generation Routemaster.


title: AEC Routemaster

text: Johnson backed the Capoco design in principle and suggested that he would hold a formal design competition to develop a new Routemaster if he became London mayor in 2008. After he was elected, this competition was held for general ideas and detailed designs, with cash prizes for the winning entries. The results of the competition were published on 19 December 2008, with the winning and other good proposals being passed to bus manufacturers to draw up a final design. The winners included two joint "whole bus" designs, one submitted by Capoco and one submitted by Aston Martin and Foster + Partners.


title: AEC Routemaster

text: Initially named the New Bus for London and later the New Routemaster, eight prototypes entered service on route 38 in February 2012, with route 24 being the first route fully converted in June 2013. By 2017 the fleet numbered 1,000.


title: AEC Routemaster

text: In 2010, the government of the Republic of Macedonia ordered 202 double-decker buses from the Chinese manufacturer Yutong, two of which were cabriolet buses with removable roofs to be used by tourists, and the remaining 200 as city buses for the capital city of Skopje. The buses were to be in a "retro" style, similar to Routemasters. Former London double-deckers were used in Skopje until the 1963 Skopje earthquake in which 75%–80% of the city's infrastructure was destroyed.


title: AEC Routemaster

text: The prototype bus appeared on the streets of Skopje on 1 March 2011. The first cabriolet buses (with removable roofs) and 65 city buses entered service on 6 September 2011, all under the name City Master. The rest of the buses, as well as another 15 cabriolet buses ordered in late 2011, were due to arrive by the end of 2013.


title: AEC Routemaster

text: Owing to its design and status, a relatively large number of Routemasters have ended up in the hands of private owners and companies after being withdrawn from use in London.


title: AEC Routemaster

text: Bus dealer Ensignbus handled disposals of the Routemasters, as it had long done for other London buses. In December 2004, Ensignbus held a raffle for 32 Routemasters, available for £2,000 to those who could prove they had the finances to store and care for them.


title: AEC Routemaster

text: On 25 July 2004, 98 Routemasters were lined up in Finsbury Park, in celebration of the 50th anniversary of the first appearance of RM1. A repeat event occurred in July 2014 for the 60th anniversary and a record breaking 136 Routemasters attended. Both events were organised by the Routemaster Association.


title: 2015 Thalys train attack

text: On 21 August 2015, a man opened fire on a Thalys train on its way from Amsterdam to Paris. Four people were injured, including the assailant. French, American and British passengers confronted the attacker and subdued him when his rifle jammed. For their heroism, they received France's highest decoration, the Legion of Honour. The assailant, later identified as Ayoub El Khazzani, initially claimed to be only a robber, but later confessed that he had wanted to "kill Americans" as revenge for bombings in Syria.


title: 2015 Thalys train attack

text: Thalys passenger train 9364 from Amsterdam to Paris crossed the Belgium border to France at approximately 17:45 CEST on 21 August 2015. A 25-year-old Moroccan man named Ayoub El Khazzani emerged from the lavatory room of car No. 12. He was shirtless and brandishing a Draco carbine. In addition to the folding-stock carbine with a 30-round magazine, he was wearing a knapsack containing eight more loaded magazines, a 9mm Luger pistol, a utility knife, and a bottle of gasoline.


title: 2015 Thalys train attack

text: As El Khazzani exited the lavatory, he encountered 28-year-old Frenchman "Damien A." On seeing the shirtless and heavily armed Moroccan, Damien attempted to restrain the gunman, but was overpowered and fell to the floor. Seated nearby, American-born Frenchman Mark Moogalian (age 51) saw the scuffle, got up, and in the ensuing struggle wrested the rifle from El Khazzani. As Moogalian turned to move his wife out of harm's way, El Khazzani pulled out a concealed 9mm Luger pistol and shot Moogalian in the back, with the bullet passing through his lung and exiting via his neck. Moogalian fell to the floor and remained still, playing dead. El Khazzani retrieved his dropped carbine, walked to the passenger area and attempted to fire the weapon at the occupants of the car, but the weapon misfired.


title: 2015 Thalys train attack

text: Sitting about 10 meters down the aisle from El Khazzani were three American friends, two of them off-duty members of the United States Armed Forces: 23-year-old Airman First Class Spencer Stone, 22-year-old Specialist Alek Skarlatos, and 23-year-old Anthony Sadler. Alarmed by the sound of the gunshot that injured Moogalian, and seeing the shirtless Moroccan with an assault rifle, Skarlatos cried out to his friends "Get him!" Stone moved first, running up the aisle, straight at the gun-wielding El Khazzani and putting him into a chokehold. El Khazzani dropped the carbine, but repeatedly cut Stone in the hand, head, and neck with the utility knife; Stone's thumb was nearly severed. Skarlatos seized the jammed rifle off the floor and began "muzzle-thumping" El Khazzani about the head, while Stone continued his choke-hold. El Khazzani fell unconscious. In a video taken in the immediate aftermath, an American voice can be heard exclaiming, "Dude, I tried to shoot him."


title: 2015 Thalys train attack

text: British passenger Chris Norman (age 62) and a French train driver helped to hold El Khazzani down, and they used Norman's T-shirt to tie his arms behind his back. About his joining the struggle to subdue the shooter, Norman said, "I'm not going to be the guy who dies sitting down." "If you're going to die, try to do something about it."


title: 2015 Thalys train attack

text: Skarlatos then swept the other cars for more gunmen with the assault rifle and pistol in hand. He noted that the assault rifle was jammed and the pistol was missing a magazine and had no rounds in the chamber; neither gun was fire-ready. Stone, a military-trained medic, tried to stop the severe bleeding from Moogalian's gunshot wound by wrapping his shirt around the injury. This proved ineffective, so he inserted two fingers into the neck wound and pushed down on an artery, which stopped the bleeding.


title: 2015 Thalys train attack

text: The train was carrying 554 passengers and was passing Oignies in the Pas-de-Calais department when the attack took place, and it was rerouted to the station of Arras. Moogalian was airlifted to the University Hospital in Lille, while Stone was later treated for thumb and eye injuries and other wounds. The remaining passengers were taken to Arras, where they were searched and identified before being allowed to proceed to Paris.


title: 2015 Thalys train attack

text: Ayoub El Khazzani (born 3 September 1989, also spelled El-Khazzani and el-Qazzani) from Morocco was identified as the assailant by French and Spanish authorities; he had boarded the train in Brussels. He carried no identification but was identified by his fingerprints. He had resided in Aubervilliers, Seine-Saint-Denis, France, since 2014. He was originally from Tétouan in northern Morocco and moved to Spain in 2007, two years after his father had legalized his status there. He was an employee at the mobile phone operator firm Lycamobile for two months in early 2014 before having to leave due to not having the right work papers.


title: 2015 Thalys train attack

text: El Khazzani was known to French authorities and had been tagged with a "fiche "S"" (S file or security file), the highest warning level for French state security. He had been similarly profiled by Belgian, Spanish, and German authorities. He had reportedly lived in the Spanish cities of Madrid and Algeciras from 2007 to March 2014. During his time in Spain, he attracted the attention of authorities after making speeches defending jihad, attending a known radical mosque, and being involved in drug trafficking. He then moved to France, and the Spanish authorities informed the French of their suspicions. French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve said that he had moved to Belgium first in 2015. He had reportedly spent time between May and July in Syria before moving to France.


title: 2015 Thalys train attack

text: El Khazzani initially told his lawyer that he was simply a homeless man who, while sleeping in a Brussels park, found a suitcase containing a rifle and pistol, and that he had no intention to massacre the passengers but planned to rob them so that he might eat. However, authorities said that his explanations became less plausible with each questioning and that he had eventually stopped talking to investigators. According to prosecutor François Molins, El Khazzani listened to a "YouTube audio file in which the individual exhorted his followers to raise arms and fight in the name of the prophet" and that his Internet browsing history showed "clear evidence of terrorist intent." Prosecutors discovered the files on his phone, which they say he listened to immediately prior to the attack.


title: 2015 Thalys train attack

text: In December 2016, El Khazzani confessed to French courts that he had come from Syria and had traveled to Europe for the express purpose of killing Americans in revenge for bombings in Syria. He told a French judge that "I'm a real jihadist, but we do not kill women and children. I am not a slaughterer. I am a noble fighter. I am a soldier." French authorities did not believe the claims by El Khazzani that he wasn't planning a mass killing in light of the nine fully loaded magazines he had brought on board in order to reload his weapon.


title: 2015 Thalys train attack

text: French newspaper "" said that the gunman in the Thalys attack may have had connections to groups targeted by the Belgian counter-terror operation, and authorities investigated the link. One of the gunmen in the 2015 Île-de-France attacks, Amedy Coulibaly, had purchased automatic weapons and a rocket launcher from Belgian gangs, allegedly in a black market near Gare du Midi in Brussels, the station where El Khazzani boarded the train.


title: 2015 Thalys train attack

text: Preliminary charges were filed against El Khazzani on 25 August 2015 by the Paris prosecutor's office for attempted murder in connection with terrorism, possession of weapons in connection with terrorism, and participation in a terrorist conspiracy. He was remanded in custody. On November 16, 2020, he and three suspected accomplices were put on trial in a Paris court. Three others alleged to have facilitated the attack also await trial. They are Bilal Chatra from Algeria, Mohamed Bakkali and Redouane Sebbar. Their trial went forward in November 2020 and Spencer Stone and Alek Skarlatos were scheduled to testify, but Stone was hospitalized for undisclosed reasons and was unable to be called by the prosecution.


title: 2015 Thalys train attack

text: El Khazzani: The prosecutors got the convictions and the sentences they sought: for attempted murders and conspiracy to commit an act of terrorism, received life and lifetime deportation from France. El Khanazzi claimed at the trial that Abdelhamid Abaaoud, who led the terrorist cell which perpetrated the January 2015 Île-de-France attacks and had been killed in a raid on 18 November 2015, had organized the train attack.


title: 2015 Thalys train attack

text: Bilal Chatra from Algeria got 27 years in prison with a lifetime ban from returning to French territory. It was found that he helped El Khazzani and Abdelhamid Abaaoud travel between Belgium and Syria. The court found the evidence supported Chatra being in Brussels at the time of the attack, something Chatra had denied.


title: 2015 Thalys train attack

text: Mohamed Bakkali received 25 years in prison and a lifetime ban from returning to French territory. According to the prosecution, Bakkali had chauffeured a vehicle to Hungary and Germany to take Abaaoud and El Khazzani to an apartment in Brussels. During the court proceeding, he maintained his innocence. The judge said that the court did not find the protestations of innocence credible and added that police investigations had found many telephone calls proved that he was a close associate of the El Bakraoui brothers, who had killed themselves and victims in the 2016 Brussels suicide bombings.


title: 2015 Thalys train attack

text: Redouane El Amrani Ezzerrifi, a 28-year-old Moroccan, got 7 years in prison. He had aided three people to join the Islamic State in Syria and met Abdelhamid Abaaoud in 2014 and lived with him for a month in Turkey and four days in Athens where Abaaoud planned the attacks in Belgium.


title: 2015 Thalys train attack

text: Norman, Sadler, Skarlatos, and Stone were made Knights of the Legion of Honour ("chevaliers de la Légion d'honneur") on 24 August by French president François Hollande. Moogalian was also made a Knight of the Legion of Honour on 13 September 2015, with Damien A. expected to be similarly honored at a later date; he reportedly received it in the post while preserving his anonymity. Norman, Sadler, and Skarlatos were also awarded the medal of the city of Arras.


title: 2015 Thalys train attack

text: In the United States, Sadler was also awarded the Secretary of Defense Medal for Valor. Skarlatos was awarded the Soldier's Medal, the highest medal awarded to Army personnel for actions outside of combat, while Stone was awarded the Airman's Medal and the Purple Heart. He was also meritoriously promoted two grades on 1 November to Staff Sergeant. Stone and Sadler also received the Civic Medal 1st class from the Prime Minister of Belgium.


title: 2015 Thalys train attack

text: Sadler, Skarlatos, and Stone were naturalized as French citizens in an honorary ceremony at the Alliance française in Sacramento, California on January 31, 2019.


title: 2015 Thalys train attack

text: Koen Geens, the Belgian justice minister, called for increased collaboration within the EU on arms trafficking. Geens said "I do not believe that these weapons are of Belgian origin" and "there are far too many illegal Kalashnikovs and [military surplus] arriving in Belgium from Eastern Europe." He called for more effective arms control outside the Schengen zone, and flagged increased police powers against weapons traffickers. On 29 August, ministers from France, the UK, Germany, Italy, Spain, Belgium, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, and Switzerland met in Paris to discuss train security, including the possibility of using metal detectors for some international train passengers.


title: 2015 Thalys train attack

text: In response to the attack, the Belgian government decided to increase patrols of Belgian police at international train stations and to increase baggage checks. Belgian prime minister Charles Michel called for urgent talks with France, Germany and the Netherlands on increasing security on cross-border trains. The European Commission said that the Schengen treaty is non-negotiable, and that increased security checks cannot include border checks. European Union officials are now considering introducing metal detectors and body scans at all train stations, along with an increase in CCTV cameras inside trains.


title: 2015 Thalys train attack

text: Separate official investigations were launched by the governmental authorities of France, Spain, and Belgium. In addition, Thalys International has launched their own internal investigation.


title: 2015 Thalys train attack

text: On 21 August, the anti-terrorist section of the French public prosecutor's office in Paris took over the investigation based on "the arms used, the events that unfolded, and the context."


title: 2015 Thalys train attack

text: In view of the gravity of the acts he was accused of, the suspect was placed in custody for a period which could be extended to 96 hours. According to the police, based on the modus operandi the attack resembled a terrorist attack.


title: 2015 Thalys train attack

text: In the aftermath of the November 2015 attacks in Paris, it was reported that Abdelhamid Abaaoud was under investigation by French police as a possible link to the Thalys attack.


title: 2015 Thalys train attack

text: On 14 February 2018, French police arrested a Moroccan citizen in Paris who was suspected of involvement in the attack. The man was travelling from his home in Spain to Belgium at the time of his arrest.


title: 2015 Thalys train attack

text: A spokesman for the Belgian Federal Prosecutor's Office announced on 22 August that they had launched an investigation into the attempted attack. They consider that Belgium is involved due to the heavily armed perpetrator having boarded the train at Brussels-South railway station. In October 2017, Belgian police announced that after conducting six searches, they had charged two additional people identified as Mohamed Bakkali who was accused of leading a terrorist group and Youssef Siraj as being a group member involved in the attack. They were transported to France for prosecution.


title: 2015 Thalys train attack

text: At the initiative of the French National Railway's President, Guillaume Pepy, an internal investigation was launched by Thalys in order to shed light on the sequence of events during the attack.


title: 2015 Thalys train attack

text: A reconstruction of the attack was made at El Khazzani's request, in September 2019. He said that he let himself be captured as he felt unable to shoot his first target. He was acting under the orders of Abdelhamid Abaaoud, the coordinator of the "Islamic State" group's cell that struck France and Belgium in 2015 and 2016. He was to attack American soldiers, but could not explain how he knew they were on the train, and who they were. four other men are under investigation in France, primarily Bilal Chatra and Redouane Sebbar. Chatra is implicated as having played the role of people smuggler for El Khazzani and Abaaoud on their return journey from Syria amongst the flow of migrants. Sebbar is thought to have participated in the preparations for the shooting. Mohamed Bakkali is considered an essential logistician in the terrorist cell, and Youssef Siraj is accused of having housed El Khazzani in Brussels before the attack.


title: 2015 Thalys train attack

text: French actor Jean-Hugues Anglade, who was traveling in the last car before the rear engine, alleged that the train crew locked themselves in the engine car and did not come to the aid of passengers. He said they heard gunshots and screaming in the next car, after which several crew members rushed past them to the engine car, opened it with a key and locked themselves inside. He said the dozen passengers in his car banged on it and begged the crew to open it.


title: 2015 Thalys train attack

text: He also said that when Sadler came into their car searching for blankets and a first aid kit for the wounded, Sadler also banged on the door of the engine car to no avail.


title: 2015 Thalys train attack

text: Anglade's claims were denied by the Thalys corporation and he later acknowledged that the two crew members who locked themselves in the engine car with a handful of passengers were not Thalys employees but contractors from a catering company. He added, "The French conductor and the other Thalys employee present in the coach where the assault took place showed ... heroic behavior."


title: 2015 Thalys train attack

text: Agnès Ogier, director-general of Thalys, defended the train employees, who she said "have fulfilled their duty" and were unaware the terrorist had been subdued. She also reported that a male employee took five or six passengers with him while seeking shelter.


title: 2015 Thalys train attack

text: On 26 August, El Khazzani's lawyer, Me Mani Ayadi, criticised the treatment of his client during the latter's transfer to the courthouse, where a handcuffed El Khazzani was walked into the building blindfolded and barefoot. In response, a French official familiar with the case stated that the authorities followed standard security precautions, which dictate that suspects charged with terrorism and organized crime be blindfolded so they cannot later identify the officials escorting them. The official also said the accused refused to wear the shoes offered to him.


title: 2015 Thalys train attack

text: On 1 September, the French public prosecutor's office issued a warning to television network i-Télé after its 25 August broadcast showing suspect El Khazzani arriving at the courthouse in handcuffs. It is illegal in France to publish images of people in handcuffs (prior to their conviction) without their consent, due to the presumption of innocence. i-Télé digitally blurred out El Khazzani's hands, but the prosecutor's office warned the network that this was insufficient, and criminal charges would be brought against it if this reoccurred.


title: 2015 Thalys train attack

text: In 2018, the event was dramatised as the film "", directed by Clint Eastwood with Sadler, Skarlatos and Stone playing themselves.


title: Gauss–Markov theorem

text: In statistics, the Gauss–Markov theorem (or simply Gauss theorem for some authors) states that the ordinary least squares (OLS) estimator has the lowest sampling variance within the class of linear unbiased estimators, if the errors in the linear regression model are uncorrelated, have equal variances and expectation value of zero. The errors do not need to be normal, nor do they need to be independent and identically distributed (only uncorrelated with mean zero and homoscedastic with finite variance). The requirement that the estimator be unbiased cannot be dropped, since biased estimators exist with lower variance. See, for example, the James–Stein estimator (which also drops linearity), ridge regression, or simply any degenerate estimator.


title: Gauss–Markov theorem

text: The theorem was named after Carl Friedrich Gauss and Andrey Markov, although Gauss' work significantly predates Markov's. But while Gauss derived the result under the assumption of independence and normality, Markov reduced the assumptions to the form stated above. A further generalization to non-spherical errors was given by Alexander Aitken.


title: Gauss–Markov theorem

text: where formula_3 are non-random but unobservable parameters, formula_4 are non-random and observable (called the "explanatory variables"), formula_5 are random, and so formula_6 are random. The random variables formula_5 are called the "disturbance", "noise" or simply "error" (will be contrasted with "residual" later in the article; see errors and residuals in statistics). Note that to include a constant in the model above, one can choose to introduce the constant as a variable formula_8 with a newly introduced last column of X being unity i.e., formula_9 for all formula_10. Note that though formula_11 as sample responses, are observable, the following statements and arguments including assumptions, proofs and the others assume under the only condition of knowing formula_12 but not formula_13


title: Gauss–Markov theorem

text: in which the coefficients formula_21 are not allowed to depend on the underlying coefficients formula_3, since those are not observable, but are allowed to depend on the values formula_23, since these data are observable. (The dependence of the coefficients on each formula_4 is typically nonlinear; the estimator is linear in each formula_25 and hence in each random formula_26 which is why this is "linear" regression.) The estimator is said to be unbiased if and only if


title: Gauss–Markov theorem

text: regardless of the values of formula_23. Now, let formula_29 be some linear combination of the coefficients. Then the mean squared error of the corresponding estimation is


title: Gauss–Markov theorem

text: in other words it is the expectation of the square of the weighted sum (across parameters) of the differences between the estimators and the corresponding parameters to be estimated. (Since we are considering the case in which all the parameter estimates are unbiased, this mean squared error is the same as the variance of the linear combination.) The best linear unbiased estimator (BLUE) of the vector formula_31 of parameters formula_32 is one with the smallest mean squared error for every vector formula_33 of linear combination parameters. This is equivalent to the condition that


title: Gauss–Markov theorem

text: of formula_37 and formula_38 (where formula_39 denotes the transpose of formula_40) that minimizes the sum of squares of residuals (misprediction amounts):


title: Gauss–Markov theorem

text: The theorem now states that the OLS estimator is a BLUE. The main idea of the proof is that the least-squares estimator is uncorrelated with every linear unbiased estimator of zero, i.e., with every linear combination formula_42 whose coefficients do not depend upon the unobservable formula_31 but whose expected value is always zero.


title: Gauss–Markov theorem

text: Proof that the OLS indeed MINIMIZES the sum of squares of residuals may proceed as follows with a calculation of the Hessian matrix and showing that it is positive definite.


title: Gauss–Markov theorem

text: Assuming the columns of formula_38 are linearly independent so that formula_49 is invertible, let formula_50, then


title: Gauss–Markov theorem

text: Finally, as eigenvector formula_57 was arbitrary, it means all eigenvalues of formula_53 are positive, therefore formula_53 is positive definite. Thus,


title: Gauss–Markov theorem

text: Let formula_64 be another linear estimator of formula_31 with formula_66 where formula_67 is a formula_68 non-zero matrix. As we're restricting to "unbiased" estimators, minimum mean squared error implies minimum variance. The goal is therefore to show that such an estimator has a variance no smaller than that of formula_69 the OLS estimator. We calculate:


title: Gauss–Markov theorem

text: Since "DD"' is a positive semidefinite matrix, formula_75 exceeds formula_76 by a positive semidefinite matrix.


title: Gauss–Markov theorem

text: As it has been stated before, the condition of formula_77 is a positive semidefinite matrix is equivalent to the property that the best linear unbiased estimator of formula_78 is formula_79 (best in the sense that it has minimum variance). To see this, let formula_80 another linear unbiased estimator of formula_78.


title: Gauss–Markov theorem

text: This proves that the equality holds if and only if formula_85 which gives the uniqueness of the OLS estimator as a BLUE.


title: Gauss–Markov theorem

text: The generalized least squares (GLS), developed by Aitken, extends the Gauss–Markov theorem to the case where the error vector has a non-scalar covariance matrix. The Aitken estimator is also a BLUE.


title: Gauss–Markov theorem

text: In most treatments of OLS, the regressors (parameters of interest) in the design matrix formula_86 are assumed to be fixed in repeated samples. This assumption is considered inappropriate for a predominantly nonexperimental science like econometrics. Instead, the assumptions of the Gauss–Markov theorem are stated conditional on formula_86.


title: Gauss–Markov theorem

text: The dependent variable is assumed to be a linear function of the variables specified in the model. The specification must be linear in its parameters. This does not mean that there must be a linear relationship between the independent and dependent variables. The independent variables can take non-linear forms as long as the parameters are linear. The equation formula_88 qualifies as linear while formula_89 can be transformed to be linear by replacing formula_90 by another parameter, say formula_91. An equation with a parameter dependent on an independent variable does not qualify as linear, for example formula_92, where formula_93 is a function of formula_94.


title: Gauss–Markov theorem

text: Data transformations are often used to convert an equation into a linear form. For example, the Cobb–Douglas function—often used in economics—is nonlinear:


title: Gauss–Markov theorem

text: This assumption also covers specification issues: assuming that the proper functional form has been selected and there are no omitted variables.


title: Gauss–Markov theorem

text: One should be aware, however, that the parameters that minimize the residuals of the transformed equation do not necessarily minimize the residuals of the original equation.


title: Gauss–Markov theorem

text: For all formula_97 observations, the expectation—conditional on the regressors—of the error term is zero:


title: Gauss–Markov theorem

text: where formula_99 is the data vector of regressors for the "i"th observation, and consequently formula_100 is the data matrix or design matrix.


title: Gauss–Markov theorem

text: Geometrically, this assumption implies that formula_101 and formula_102 are orthogonal to each other, so that their inner product (i.e., their cross moment) is zero.


title: Gauss–Markov theorem

text: This assumption is violated if the explanatory variables are measured with error, or are endogenous. Endogeneity can be the result of simultaneity, where causality flows back and forth between both the dependent and independent variable. Instrumental variable techniques are commonly used to address this problem.


title: Gauss–Markov theorem

text: A violation of this assumption is perfect multicollinearity, i.e. some explanatory variables are linearly dependent. One scenario in which this will occur is called "dummy variable trap," when a base dummy variable is not omitted resulting in perfect correlation between the dummy variables and the constant term.


title: Gauss–Markov theorem

text: Multicollinearity (as long as it is not "perfect") can be present resulting in a less efficient, but still unbiased estimate. The estimates will be less precise and highly sensitive to particular sets of data. Multicollinearity can be detected from condition number or the variance inflation factor, among other tests.


title: Gauss–Markov theorem

text: This implies the error term has uniform variance (homoscedasticity) and no serial dependence. If this assumption is violated, OLS is still unbiased, but inefficient. The term "spherical errors" will describe the multivariate normal distribution: if formula_108 in the multivariate normal density, then the equation formula_109 is the formula for a ball centered at μ with radius σ in n-dimensional space.


title: Gauss–Markov theorem

text: Heteroskedasticity occurs when the amount of error is correlated with an independent variable. For example, in a regression on food expenditure and income, the error is correlated with income. Low income people generally spend a similar amount on food, while high income people may spend a very large amount or as little as low income people spend. Heteroskedastic can also be caused by changes in measurement practices. For example, as statistical offices improve their data, measurement error decreases, so the error term declines over time.


title: Gauss–Markov theorem

text: This assumption is violated when there is autocorrelation. Autocorrelation can be visualized on a data plot when a given observation is more likely to lie above a fitted line if adjacent observations also lie above the fitted regression line. Autocorrelation is common in time series data where a data series may experience "inertia." If a dependent variable takes a while to fully absorb a shock. Spatial autocorrelation can also occur geographic areas are likely to have similar errors. Autocorrelation may be the result of misspecification such as choosing the wrong functional form. In these cases, correcting the specification is one possible way to deal with autocorrelation.


title: Gauss–Markov theorem

text: In the presence of spherical errors, the generalized least squares estimator can be shown to be BLUE.


title: Winona, Minnesota

text: Winona is a city in and the county seat of Winona County, in the state of Minnesota. Located in bluff country on the Mississippi River, its most noticeable physical landmark is Sugar Loaf. The city is named after legendary figure Winona, who some sources claimed was the first-born daughter of Chief Wapasha of the Dakota people. The population was 25,948 at the 2020 census.


title: Winona, Minnesota

text: The city of Winona began on the site of a Native American village named Keoxa. The seat of the Wapasha dynasty, Keoxa was home to a Mdewakanton band of the eastern Sioux.


title: Winona, Minnesota

text: European immigrants settled the area in 1851 and laid out the town into lots in 1852 and 1853. The original settlers were immigrants from New England. The population increased from 815 in December, 1855, to 3,000 in December, 1856. In 1856 German immigrants arrived as well. The Germans and the Yankees worked together planting trees and building businesses based on lumber, wheat, steamboating and railroads. Between 1859 and 1900, some 5,000 Poles and closely related Kashubians emigrated to Winona, making up one quarter of the population. Since 80% of them were Kashubians, Winona became known as the "Kashubian Capital of America". As a result of the influx of Polish Catholic immigrants, the Church of St. Stanislaus (now Basilica of St. Stanislaus Kostka) was built. For a time, Winona had more millionaires than any other city of its size in the United States.


title: Winona, Minnesota

text: The railroad and steamboat transportation industries helped Winona grow into a small city that diversified into wheat milling, and lumber production. In 1856, more than 1,300 steamboats stopped at Winona. The Winona and St. Peter Railroad first segment of from Winona to Stockton, Minnesota was completed by the end of 1862. Winona then had the second operational railroad in Minnesota, after the St. Paul and Pacific Line from Saint Paul to St. Anthony Falls. In December 1870, the Mississippi River was bridged at Winona by the Winona Rail Bridge. In 1892, a wagon toll-bridge over the Mississippi, a steel high-bridge, was completed and remained in service until the opening of the Main Channel Bridge in 1942.


title: Winona, Minnesota

text: Winona has two historic districts listed on the National Register of Historic Places that combine into a single local historic district administered by the city's Heritage Preservation Commission.


title: Winona, Minnesota

text: A bandshell was completed in 1924 for outdoor musical performances and events. The Winona Municipal Bands holds concerts there during the summer.


title: Winona, Minnesota

text: According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of ; is land and is water. Lock and Dam 5A spans the Mississippi River in Winona. The highway bridge connecting Winona to the Wisconsin side of the river is at approximately River Mile 726 (USACE map 31).


title: Winona, Minnesota

text: Winona's primary suburbs are Goodview, Stockton, Minnesota City and Rollingstone to the west, Homer to the southeast and Bluff Siding is 3 miles directly across the interstate bridge to the north and Fountain City to the north. Rochester is 44 miles to the west of Winona, La Crescent is 21 miles to the south, and La Crosse is 30 miles to the southeast.


title: Winona, Minnesota

text: Winona is part of the driftless area that includes southeastern Minnesota, northeastern Iowa, southwestern Wisconsin and northwestern Illinois.


title: Winona, Minnesota

text: Just northeast of the city, connected to Winona via a number of bridges, is Latsch Island. Officially part of the city since 1998, Latsch Island has been home to a unique community of houseboat {"Boathouse") residents for several decades.


title: Winona, Minnesota

text: Winona's weather station records the warmest climate of any in Minnesota, with a normal year-round average (1971–2000) temperature of 48.9 °F, (9.38 C°) compared to 43.2° (6.22 C°) in Austin to the city's southwest or 45.4° (7.44 C°) in Minneapolis, to the northwest, which experiences a strong urban heat island effect. Temperatures are generally very mild by Minnesota standards year-round; the January mean is 17.6° (-8 C°), while that of July is 75.8° (24.33 C°). Winona has a humid continental climate (Dfa) with hot, humid summers and cold, snowy winters.


title: Winona, Minnesota

text: The United States Office of Management and Budget has designated Winona as the principal city of the Winona, MN Micropolitan Statistical Area (µSA).


title: Winona, Minnesota

text: As of the census of 2020, the population was 25,948. The population density was . There were 11,525 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 89.3% White, 2.8% Black or African American, 2.2% Asian, 0.3% Native American, 1.3% from other races, and 4.2% from two or more races. Ethnically, the population was 3.2% Hispanic or Latino of any race.


title: Winona, Minnesota

text: As of the census of 2010, there were 27,592 people, 10,449 households, and 5,022 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 10,989 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 93.0% White, 1.9% African American, 0.3% Native American, 2.9% Asian, 0.5% from other races, and 1.3% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.7% of the population.


title: Winona, Minnesota

text: There were 10,449 households, of which 20.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 36.4% were married couples living together, 8.5% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.2% had a male householder with no wife present, and 51.9% were non-families. 35.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.24 and the average family size was 2.84.


title: Winona, Minnesota

text: The median age in the city was 26.7 years. 14.4% of residents were under the age of 18; 33.2% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 18.5% were from 25 to 44; 20.5% were from 45 to 64; and 13.3% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 47.3% male and 52.7% female.


title: Winona, Minnesota

text: As of the census of 2000, there were 27,069 residents. The population density was 1,485.0 people per square mile (573.3/km). There were 10,666 housing units at an average density of 585.1 per square mile (225.9/km). The racial makeup of the city was 94.47% White, 1.13% African American, 0.23% Native American, 2.65% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.47% from other races, and 1.03% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.35% of the population.


title: Winona, Minnesota

text: Ancestries: German (43.2%), Norwegian (15.5%), Polish (14.8%), Irish (13.0%), English (5.5%), French (3.6%).


title: Winona, Minnesota

text: There were 10,301 households, out of which 23.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.4% were married couples living together, 8.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 48.3% were non-families. 35.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.27 and the average family size was 2.94.


title: Winona, Minnesota

text: In the city, the population was spread out, with 18.0% under the age of 18, 27.5% from 18 to 24, 22.2% from 25 to 44, 18.0% from 45 to 64, and 14.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 29 years. For every 100 females, there were 88.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.1 males.


title: Winona, Minnesota

text: The median income for a household in the city was $32,845, and the median income for a family was $48,413. Males had a median income of $31,047 versus $23,302 for females. The per capita income for the city was $16,783. About 6.5% of families and 17.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.5% of those under age 18 and 10.7% of those age 65 or over.


title: Winona, Minnesota

text: U.S. Highway 14, U.S. Highway 61, Minnesota Highway 43 and Wisconsin State Highway 54 are the main routes into the city. Interstate Highway 90 is located a short distance south of the city.


title: Winona, Minnesota

text: Winona was once served by four railroads; Milwaukee Road, Chicago & North Western, Chicago Great Western and Green Bay & Western, with the Burlington Route trains stopping at a station across the river in Wisconsin. Only the former Milwaukee Road station remains and is now served by Amtrak's "Empire Builder" daily in each direction between Chicago and Seattle and Portland. The Milwaukee Road is now owned by Canadian Pacific, as is the Dakota, Minnesota & Eastern, which operates the former Chicago & North Western line from Winona to the west.


title: Winona, Minnesota

text: The Winona Transit Service provides public bus transportation six days per week. The city is also located along the Mississippi River Trail, and the Flyway Trail connects the city to nearby trail systems in Wisconsin. Winona Municipal Airport - Max Conrad Field serves general aviation in the area. It was once served by one passenger airliner, Mississippi Valley Airlines until the mid-1970s.


title: Winona, Minnesota

text: Winona is home to the headquarters of the Watkins Corporation, Fastenal, Thern Inc., Knitcraft Corporation, RTP Company, We-No-Nah Canoe, United Building Centers, Badger Equipment Company, Winona Lighting, Hal Leonard Music, WinCraft Sports, and Winona Pattern & Mold. Bay State Milling operates a grain processing facility in Winona and was founded there in 1899.


title: Winona, Minnesota

text: Winona is also known as the stained glass capital of the United States. Winona is the setting of the Civil War era romance novel, "Ladyslipper" by Winona native, Donna G. Weber (1951–2012).


title: Winona, Minnesota

text: According to the City's 2011 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the top employers in the city are:


title: Winona, Minnesota

text: Winona is located in Minnesota's 1st congressional district, represented by Brad Finstad, a Republican. At the state level, Winona is located in Senate District 28, represented by Republican Jeremy Miller, and in House District 28A, represented by Democrat Gene Pelowski. Nearby House District 28B is represented by Greg Davids, a Republican. Scott Sherman is mayor.


title: Winona, Minnesota

text: Winona became the site of the first normal school west of the Mississippi in 1858 with the establishment of Winona Normal School (now Winona State University). This was the beginning of Winona's tradition as a center of higher education. In 2018-2019, Winona State University (WSU) had approximately 7,200 undergraduate students and 560 graduate students. WSU is part of the Minnesota State college system.


title: Winona, Minnesota

text: Saint Mary's College (now Saint Mary's University) was founded as a private Catholic, Lasallian school in 1912. Later, as the necessary opportunity of higher education for women became apparent, the College of Saint Teresa was created. After Saint Mary's became co-ed in 1969, Saint Teresa closed down in 1988, and its facilities are now used, owned, and/or operated by Saint Mary's University of Minnesota, Winona State University, and Cotter High School. Minnesota State College-Southeast also has a campus in Winona.


title: Winona, Minnesota

text: There is a diverse variety of K-12 educational opportunities. Run by Independent School District 861, the local public school system includes five elementary schools (three in the city of Winona), the Winona Middle School, and the Winona Senior High School. The Winona Area Catholic Schools system includes St. Mary's primary school, St. Stanislaus Elementary School, Cotter Junior High School, and Cotter Senior High School. St. Martin's School, St. Matthew's School, and Hope Lutheran High School are private Lutheran schools in Winona. Two charter schools, Winona Riverway Learning Community (PreK-12) l, and Bluffview Montessori Charter School (K-8) are located in the city. Bluffview is notable as the first charter Montessori and the second charter school overall in the United States.


title: Winona, Minnesota

text: Main Square Montessori (MSM) is a nonprofit Montessori learning center for children from the ages of 16 months to six years old in a partnership between the Hiawatha Education Foundation and Cotter Schools.


title: Winona, Minnesota

text: Several organizations also provide community education. The Minnesota Conservatory for the Arts offers community classes for early childhood through 55+ adult programs in the areas of dance, music, theater, and visual arts. Winona Area Public Schools, Winona State University, The City of Winona Parks and Recreation, and Winona Arts Center offer additional community learning opportunities.


title: Winona, Minnesota

text: Winona has two newspapers: the "Winona Daily News", a daily morning paper; and the "Winona Post", a semi-weekly paper with mid-week and Sunday editions.


title: Winona, Minnesota

text: Winona receives TV signals from neighboring cities, including several channels each from La Crosse, Rochester, Eau Claire, and the Twin Cities, although what can be received depends on the location within the area, as the extensive system of valleys and ridges may block any or all signals. There is one local public broadcasting TV network, HBCI, which is available only to subscribers of the HBC cable company.


title: Man Bites Dog (film)

text: Man Bites Dog (, literally "It Happened Near Your Home") is a 1992 Belgian black comedy crime mockumentary film written, produced and directed by Rémy Belvaux, André Bonzel and Benoît Poelvoorde, who are also the film's co-editor, cinematographer and lead actor respectively.


title: Man Bites Dog (film)

text: The film follows a crew of filmmakers following a serial killer, recording his horrific crimes for a documentary they are producing. At first dispassionate observers, they find themselves increasingly caught up in the chaotic and nihilistic violence, eventually becoming accomplices. The film received the André Cavens Award for Best Film by the Belgian Film Critics Association (UCC). Since its release, the picture has become a cult film, and received a rare NC-17 rating for its release in the U.S.


title: Man Bites Dog (film)

text: Ben is a witty and charismatic but narcissistic and easily-enraged serial killer who holds forth at length about whatever comes to mind, be it the "craft" of murder, the failings of architecture, his own poetry, or classical music, which he plays with his girlfriend Valerie. A film crew joins him on his sadistic adventures, recording them for a fly on the wall documentary. Ben takes them to meet his family and friends while boasting of murdering many people at random and dumping their bodies in canals and quarries. The viewer witnesses these grisly killings in graphic detail.


title: Man Bites Dog (film)

text: Ben ventures into apartment buildings, explaining how it is more cost-effective to attack old people than young couples because the elderly have more cash at home and are easier to kill. In a following scene, he screams wildly at an elderly lady, causing her to have a heart attack. As she lies dying, he casually remarks that this method saved him a bullet. Ben continues his candid explanations and rampage, shooting, strangling, and beating to death anyone who comes his way: women, illegal immigrants and postmen (his favorite targets). He enjoys killing a postman at the start of the month because they tend to have parcels with money and other goods he can steal; enjoys killing women because they don't fight back; and enjoys killing immigrants because he's a total racist (he jokes about having murdered two Muslims and making sure to entomb their bodies in a wall that faces Mecca, and amuses himself by checking out the genitals of a black security guard after he's shot the man in the head).


title: Man Bites Dog (film)

text: The camera crew becomes more and more involved in the murders, starting out as silent accomplices but gradually assisting Ben in his killings. When Ben invades a home and kills an entire family, they help him hold down a young boy and smother him with a pillow, all the while keeping up a casual conversation. During filming, two of Ben's crew are killed; their deaths are later called "occupational hazards" by a crew member and off-handedly mourned. At the abandoned building that Ben uses for a hideout, the crew encounters two Italian criminals or gangsters also hiding out in the building. Ben kills the Italians before discovering that they were actually also being filmed by a competing documentary camera crew. Ben and his camera crew have fun taking turns as they shoot the rival crew members to death and record the whole thing.


title: Man Bites Dog (film)

text: While fooling around with crew, when Ben takes a couple having sex hostage in their own home, he holds the man at gunpoint while he and the crew gang-rape the woman. The following morning, the camera dispassionately records the aftermath: the woman has been butchered with a knife, her entrails spilling out, while the husband had his throat cut. Later, Ben's girlfriend and family receive death threats from the brother of one of the Italian criminals who Ben had killed earlier. Ben's violence becomes more and more random until he kills an acquaintance in front of his girlfriend and friends during a birthday dinner. Spattered with blood, they act as though nothing horrible has happened, continuing to offer Ben gifts. The film crew disposes of the body for Ben.


title: Man Bites Dog (film)

text: After a victim flees before he can be killed, Ben is arrested, but he escapes. At this point, someone, presumably the brother of the dead Italian along with other members of the two dead Italians' criminal organization, starts taking revenge on Ben and his family. Ben discovers that his girlfriend Valerie has been killed: a flautist, she has been murdered in a particularly humiliating manner, with her flute inserted into her anus. He later finds that his parents met the same fate, his mother, who owns a shop and is "not a musician", being sodomized with the end of a broomstick. This prompts Ben to decide that he must leave. He meets the camera crew to say farewell, but in the middle of reciting a poem, he is abruptly shot dead by an off-camera gunman. The camera crew is then picked off one by one. After the camera falls, it keeps running, and the film ends with the death of the fleeing sound recordist.


title: Man Bites Dog (film)

text: "Man Bites Dog" is shot in black and white on 16mm film and was produced on a shoe-string budget by four student filmmakers, led by director Rémy Belvaux. The film's writers, Belvaux, Poelvoorde and Bonzel, all appear in the film using their own first names: Poelvoorde as Ben, the killer; Belvaux as Rémy, the director; and Bonzel as André, the camera operator. The genesis of the idea came from shooting a documentary without any money. "Man Bites Dog" is rated NC-17 by the Motion Picture Association of America for "strong graphic violence".


title: Man Bites Dog (film)

text: Although it is never shown or suggested in the film itself that Benoit kills a baby, the original poster features an image of a baby's pacifier with spattering blood coming from an unseen target at the end of Benoit's gun. For foreign release posters (not including the Region 4/Australian release), the baby's pacifier was changed to a set of dentures. In the R-rated version of the film that was made for the U.S. video audience (as NC-17 rated films were never allowed to be stocked at Blockbuster Video), the scenes where Ben and the crew work together to kill a young child are excised; the following scenes where Ben rapes a woman and the camera crew joins in are included but edited to have less nudity and gore.


title: Man Bites Dog (film)

text: "Man Bites Dog" was screened at the 1992 Cannes Film Festival where it won the International Critics' Prize, the SACD award for Best Feature and the Special Award of the Youth for directors Rémy Belvaux, André Bonzel and Benoît Poelvoorde. The film's controversial content and extreme violence was off-putting to some viewers, and resulted in the film being banned in Sweden. In 2003, the video was banned in Ireland.


title: Man Bites Dog (film)

text: On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, "Man Bites Dog" holds an approval rating of 74%, based on 19 reviews, and an average rating of 7.4/10.


title: Man Bites Dog (film)

text: Kenneth Turan from the "Los Angeles Times" highly praised the film upon its release, writing, ""Man Bites Dog" defines audacity. An assured, seductive chamber of horrors, it marries nightmare with humor and then abruptly takes the laughter away. Intentionally disturbing, it is close to the last word about the nature of violence on film, a troubling, often funny vision of what the movies have done to our souls... The deserving winner of the International Critics Award at Cannes ..." Film critic Rob Gonsalves called the film "[an] original, a stark and (sorry) biting work far more complex, both stylistically and thematically, than first meets the eye." Stephen Holden of "The New York Times" called the film "a grisly sick joke of a film that some will find funny, others simply appalling." Holden concluded his review by stating that the film "gets carried away with its own cleverness. It makes the audience the butt of a nasty practical joke."


title: Man Bites Dog (film)

text: The film grossed $1.2 million in Belgium and more than $2 million in France. In the United States and Canada it grossed $205,569.


title: Belarus national football team

text: The Belarus national football team (; ) represents Belarus in international football and is controlled by the Football Federation of Belarus, the governing body for football in Belarus. Belarus' home ground is Dinamo Stadium in Minsk. Since independence in 1991, Belarus has not yet qualified for a FIFA World Cup or UEFA European Championship.


title: Belarus national football team

text: After the split of the Soviet Union, Belarus played their first match against Lithuania on 20 July 1992. Before that, a number of Belarusian players played for the Soviet Union national team. The first FIFA-recognized international was a friendly against Ukraine on 28 October 1992, and their first win came in a match against Luxembourg on 12 October 1994.


title: Belarus national football team

text: Belarus have never qualified for either the FIFA World Cup, or the UEFA European Championship. The team were defeated by Wales in the last 2002 group stage match, missing the chance to overtake Ukraine, who drew their last game, finishing the group second.


title: Belarus national football team

text: Their Euro 2004 qualifying campaign was very unsuccessful as Belarus lost seven of their eight games.


title: Belarus national football team

text: Belarus achieved some success in minor tournaments. In 2002, the team defeated Russia and Ukraine to win the LG Cup. In 2004 and 2008, they won the 12th and 14th editions of the Malta International Tournament respectively.


title: Belarus national football team

text: During UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying, Belarus finished fourth in their group. With Belarus managing to top their group in the 2018–19 UEFA Nations League D, it qualified for the country's first ever play-offs, and the team was scheduled to play against Georgia. However, they lost 1–0, the team missed out on a place at Euro 2020.


title: Belarus national football team

text: Due to Belarusian involvement in the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, UEFA, the European governing body for football, banned Belarusian national and club teams from hosting international matches and competitions.


title: Belarus national football team

text: In August 2016, the Football Federation announced that the team's nickname would be the "White Wings". The name was influenced by the book The Land Beneath White Wings (1977) by Belarusian writer Uladzimir Karatkevich. The BFF's marketing and communications director said: "We are looking at various ways of establishing links with our literary heritage and cultural traditions", commenting that "If the Belarusian people opt to associate the team with Karatkevich, almost every phrase in the book can be used as a hashtag!"


title: Belarus national football team

text: The team played the majority of its home matches at the Dinamo Stadium in Minsk. In late 2012 Dinamo Stadium was closed for renovation and the team started alternating between different home venues.


title: Belarus national football team

text: Since September 2021 Central Stadium in Kazan, Russia is the home venue because of travel sanctions imposed after an incident with Ryanair Flight 4978.


title: Belarus national football team

text: In 2011, home colors were changed to all red. All-White became the home colour a short time later and now appears with the pattern on the Belarus flag, with the away kit being in Black in 2016, also using an adidas template and placing the flag pattern on it.


title: Belarus national football team

text: The following players were called up for friendly matches against Syria and Oman on 17 and 20 November 2022.


title: Belarus national football team

text: Belarus B national team has been assembled a number of times throughout the history to participate in occasional minor friendly matches and tournaments. The team was most recently assembled for participation in 2017 King's Cup in Thailand on 14–16 July 2017.


title: Pitfall!

text: Pitfall! is a platform video game designed by David Crane for the Atari 2600 and released by Activision in 1982. The player controls Pitfall Harry and is tasked with collecting all the treasures in a jungle within 20 minutes. The world consists of 255 screens which are horizontally connected in a flip screen manner. Each screen has one or more hazards: quicksand, tarpits, rolling logs, crocodiles, snakes, scorpions, campfires, and swinging vines.


title: Pitfall!

text: "Pitfall!" received positive reviews upon release and is now considered one of the greatest video games ever made. It is one of the best-selling games on the Atari 2600, with over four million copies sold. It was the top video game on the Billboard charts for more than a year, and it helped define the flip-screen platform game genre. All versions of the game sold over copies worldwide.


title: Pitfall!

text: The game was followed by several sequels, beginning with "", which was also developed by Crane; it was released for the Atari 2600 in 1984.


title: Pitfall!

text: The player controls Pitfall Harry through 255 horizontally connected screens of jungle in an attempt to recover 32 treasures in a 20-minute time period. Along the way, players must maneuver around pits, quicksand, rolling logs, fire, rattlesnakes, scorpions, and crocodiles. Harry may jump over or otherwise avoid these obstacles by climbing, running, or swinging on vines.


title: Pitfall!

text: Treasure consists of bags of money, gold and silver bars, and diamond rings, which range in value from 2,000 to 5,000 points. There are eight of each treasure type. The player begins the game with three lives and a score of 2,000 points; a perfect score of 114,000 is achieved by collecting all 32 treasures without losing any points by falling into holes or touching logs.


title: Pitfall!

text: Running under every screen is an underground tunnel, which Harry can access by climbing down ladders or falling into holes. Traveling through the tunnel moves Harry forward three screens at a time, which is necessary to collect the treasures within the time limit. However, the tunnels can be blocked by brick walls, forcing the player to return to the surface to find a way around. The tunnels also contain scorpions. The player loses a life if Harry comes in contact with any obstacle (except logs) or falls into a tar pit, quicksand, waterhole, or mouth of a crocodile. The game ends when either all 32 treasures have been collected, all three lives have been lost, or the time has run out.


title: Pitfall!

text: "Pitfall!" was created by David Crane, a programmer who worked for Activision in the early 1980s. In a November 2003 interview with "Edge", he described how in 1979 he had developed the technology to display a realistic running man and in 1982 was searching for a suitable game in which to use it:


title: Pitfall!

text: The game uses non-flickering, multicolored, animated sprites on a system with notoriously primitive graphics hardware. To fit the game on a 4096 byte ROM, a polynomial counter generates the 255 screens within 50 bytes of code. The swinging vines are created by repeatedly displaying a one pixel wide sprite at different offsets.


title: Pitfall!

text: "Pitfall!" was released on August 20, 1982. When the game was originally sold, anyone who scored above 20,000 points could send Activision a picture of their television screen to receive a Pitfall Harry Explorer Club patch. The television commercial for "Pitfall!" featured then-child actor Jack Black at age 13 in his first TV role.


title: Pitfall!

text: "Pitfall!" for the Atari 2600 was the best-selling home video game from late 1982 to the first quarter of 1983. By mid-January 1983, it had been the top-selling game on the "Billboard" chart for seven weeks—much more successful than "E.T.", which Atari had paid $21 million to license—and remained in the number one position for 64 weeks in a row. The game sold units in five months, and went on to sell over units by 1984. It is one of the best-selling games on the Atari 2600, with over four million copies sold . All versions of the game sold over copies worldwide, .


title: Pitfall!

text: Danny Goodman of "Creative Computing Video & Arcade Games" stated that "Pitfall!" was "a standout" among the dozens of 2600 games announced at the summer 1982 Consumer Electronics Show, a "very original cartridge no VCS should be without". "Arcade Express" reviewed the Atari 2600 version of "Pitfall!" in August 1982, stating that it "may well be the best adventure game yet produced for the VCS" and giving it a score of 8 out of 10. "Electronic Games" in June 1983 praised the 2600 version's "superb graphics and varied play-action".


title: Pitfall!

text: Goodman was surprised that the Intellivision version's graphics had not greatly improved on the 2600's. "Video Games" in March 1983 criticized Activision for not enhancing the Intellivision version's graphics: "We all know you can do more with graphics on Intellivision than on the VCS. So why no improvements in Pitfall?"


title: Pitfall!

text: The 2600 version of "Pitfall!" was awarded "Best Adventure Video Game" at the 4th annual Arkie Awards. In 1995, Flux magazine ranked the game 33rd on their "Top 100 Video Games." Game Informer placed the game 41st on their top 100 video games of all time in 2001. In 2004, "Pitfall!" was inducted into GameSpot's list of the greatest games of all time. In 2013 "Entertainment Weekly" listed it as one of the ten best Atari 2600 games.


title: Pitfall!

text: "Pitfall!" is considered one of the most influential games for the Atari 2600 system. It is a prototypical side-scrolling platform game, a genre which would dominate future 8-bit and 16-bit systems, and introduced features that would be common in future platform games, such as the ability to travel up and down on multiple levels of play.


title: Pitfall!

text: Both "Pitfall!" and its sequel "Pitfall II: Lost Caverns" have been included as playable easter eggs in several "Call of Duty" titles, such as "" "and ""."


title: Pitfall!

text: An Atari 2600 sequel developed by David Crane, "", was published in 1984 as one of the last major games for the system. It was reworked into 1987's "Super Pitfall" for the Nintendo Entertainment System.


title: Pitfall!

text: "", in the style of contemporaneous 16-bit platform games, was released for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System and Sega Genesis in 1994. It was later ported to the Sega CD in 1994, the 32X, Windows 95, and the Atari Jaguar in 1995, and the Game Boy Advance in 2001. The original "Pitfall!" game is included as an easter egg.


title: Pitfall!

text: In 1998, "" was released for the PlayStation and, without the 3D designation, Game Boy Color. The game features Bruce Campbell as the voice of Pitfall Harry Jr.


title: Pitfall!

text: In 2004, "" was released for PlayStation 2, GameCube, and Xbox. It includes both the original "Pitfall!" and "Pitfall II" games as extras. It was ported to the Wii as "Pitfall: The Big Adventure" in 2008.


title: Pitfall!

text: In 2012, Activision released "Pitfall!" for iOS followed by a version for Android. The game is a 3D endless runner in the style of "Temple Run". The same year, Crane announced a Kickstarter campaign for "Jungleventure", a spiritual successor to the original games. The goal was US$900,000, but it only raised $31,207. Crane said people thought he was asking for too much money: "everyone turned against me as soon as they saw [the cost]."


title: Pitfall!

text: In 1983, "Pitfall!" made its animated television debut as a segment on the CBS "Saturday Supercade" cartoon lineup, under the name "Pitfall Harry". The plotline involves Harry (voiced by Robert Ridgely), his niece Rhonda (Noelle North), and his cowardly mountain lion Quickclaw (Kenneth Mars) searching for hidden treasure. After only one season, "Pitfall Harry", "Frogger", and "Donkey Kong Jr." were replaced by "Kangaroo" and "Space Ace".


title: Pitfall!

text: An abbreviated version of "Pitfall!" is a demonstration project included with "Garry Kitchen's GameMaker", published by Activision in 1985.


title: Pitfall!

text: "Pitfall!" is mentioned in the movie "Ready Player One" as "One of the only 2600 games that still hasn't ended."


title: Pitfall!

text: "Trapfall" by Ken Kalish is a direct clone for the TRS-80 Color Computer. It was licensed to Microdeal as "Cuthbert in the Jungle" for the Dragon 32.


title: Big Brother (magazine)

text: Big Brother was a skateboarding magazine founded by Steve Rocco in 1992, which was notable for ushering in street skating and the sub-culture of skateboarding. "Big Brother" ceased publication in 2004.


title: Big Brother (magazine)

text: No subject was taboo. Early articles featured step by step ways to commit suicide and rip-off schemes such as how to make a fake ID. They would often use odd gimmicks like printing the magazine in different sizes, packaging it in a cereal box, and throwing in items like trading cards and a cassette tape. Early writers were Sean Cliver, Earl Parker (Thomas Schmidt), Jeff Tremaine, Marc McKee, Mike Ballard, Pat Canale, and others.


title: Big Brother (magazine)

text: They also released a few videos, including "Shit", then "Number Two", with a few stunts and pranks, but the videos were mostly skateboarding-oriented.


title: Big Brother (magazine)

text: A documentary on the magazine's history, "" premiered on Hulu on June 3, 2017. The documentary featured interviews with Bam Margera, Steve-O, Johnny Knoxville, Spike Jonze, Jeff Tremaine, and others who were involved in the magazine's creation.


title: Big Brother (magazine)

text: The magazine contained mostly articles about skateboarding, as well as some nudity, stunts, pranks, and random ramblings from its staff. Its later days were characterized by the clever wordplay of editors Dave Carnie and Chris Nieratko. The magazine was purchased by Larry Flynt in 1997. After Flynt began publishing the magazine, the nudity was toned down or scrapped altogether, though the vulgarity remained.


title: Big Brother (magazine)

text: In 1998, Laura Schlessinger was in Beach Access, a Costa Mesa surf shop, with her son when she began perusing "Big Brother". Schlessinger deemed the magazine to be "stealth pornography" and said so on her radio show. When Tom Moore, the owner of Beach Access, publicly denied that she found pornography in his store, Schlessinger sued Moore for lying and claimed that his denial had hurt her reputation. When Schlessinger's case went to court, the judge said it was a frivolous lawsuit and dismissed it. Moore's $4M countersuit against Schlessinger, lodged for hurting the reputation of his store (defamation), was allowed to stand. The suit has since been settled, but terms of the settlement have not been revealed. Behind the scenes and off the record, Moore's lawyers and friends claimed victory, indicating the settlement was "about the amount of a moderately priced Orange County home" (at the time, $650,000 to $2 million).


title: Big Brother (magazine)

text: In one of the most bizarre episodes of the magazine's history, the subscriber list for "Big Brother" got mixed up with "Taboo", one of Larry Flynt's hardcore magazines: "Big Brother" subscribers were sent pornography, and those who subscribed to "Taboo" got a skate magazine. This incident was parodied on "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" in which one of the band members was delivered an issue of "Big Brother" live on stage, suggesting that he subscribed to "Taboo" and received it in error.


title: Big Brother (magazine)

text: The magazine was unexpectedly dropped by Larry Flynt publications in February 2004. In early 2008, it was announced on Jackassworld.com that "Big Brother" would be returning in a digital format.


title: Big Brother (magazine)

text: Volume 1 No. 1 of "KingShit" Magazine, based in Toronto, Ontario, was released in May 2009. Dave Carnie is the editor-at-large, and Chris Nieratko is a contributing editor.


title: Big Brother (magazine)

text: "Big Brother" was also credited for the development of the television series "Jackass", as Jeff Tremaine recalled in the "Jackass" episode "Where Are They Now?".


title: Curtis Martin

text: Curtis James Martin Jr. (born May 1, 1973) is a former American football running back who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 12 seasons, primarily with the New York Jets. He spent his first three seasons with the New England Patriots, who selected him in the third round of the 1995 NFL Draft, and was named NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year. Martin joined the Jets in 1998, where he spent nine seasons before retiring after the 2006 season. A five-time Pro Bowl selection and a first-team All-Pro, Martin is sixth in total NFL rushing yards. He was inducted to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2012.


title: Curtis Martin

text: Curtis Jr. was born to Rochella Dixon and Curtis Sr. on May 1, 1973. Curtis Sr. left the family in 1978 after turning to drugs and alcohol, leaving Curtis's mother to support the family by working three jobs. During his youth, Curtis often moved around the various neighborhoods of Pittsburgh and was consistently surrounded by violence. His grandmother, Eleanor Johnson, was found murdered with a knife in her chest; at age 15, Martin had a near-death experience when the trigger of a loaded gun pointed at his head was pulled seven times, but never fired.


title: Curtis Martin

text: He and his mother settled in Point Breeze prior to his sophomore year of high school. He began attending Taylor Allderdice High School which was known for its highly regarded academic reputation. He played basketball as a sophomore, but did not participate in any sports during his junior year. At the insistence of his mother, who wanted him to participate in an extracurricular activity as a way to keep him away from crime and violence, Curtis began to play football during his senior year, despite having never cared much for the sport.


title: Curtis Martin

text: Martin was considered a natural athlete, according to former head coach Mark Wittgartner and became an immediate star on the football team. He played at the running back and linebacker positions. He also played on special teams and occasionally at quarterback. He ran for 1,705 yards and scored 20 touchdowns in his lone season of high school football. Martin graduated from Allderdice in 1991 and was inducted into their alumni hall of fame in 2011.


title: Curtis Martin

text: Martin's performance at Allderdice attracted the attention of the University of Pittsburgh's football coach Paul Hackett. Though other offers were available, Martin decided to remain close to home and attend Pittsburgh.


title: Curtis Martin

text: Martin, whom Hackett likened to Tony Dorsett, was expected to be a valued contributor to the Panthers when he arrived in 1991. However, injuries plagued much of his college career. As a junior, he rushed for 1,045 yards and caught 33 passes for 249 yards in ten games but he missed the final two with a sprained shoulder. In 1994, Martin opened his senior year running for a career-high 251 yards against Texas however the following week against Ohio he suffered a sprained ankle that sidelined him for the rest of the season.


title: Curtis Martin

text: Martin had the option to redshirt and play one more season at Pittsburgh or enter the NFL Draft. He chose to enter the draft stating "in the end it was the best thing to do". Draft analysts predicted that had Martin stayed another season at Pittsburgh and remained injury-free he could have been a potential first-round selection. Martin was highly touted for his speed—he ran a 4.4 in the 40-yard dash—and his slashing running style.


title: Curtis Martin

text: The Patriots lost three running backs to free agency upon the conclusion of the 1994 season and sought to fortify their backfield. One running back, Kevin Turner, was signed by the Philadelphia Eagles as a restricted free agent and Philadelphia sent a third round selection to New England. The Patriots used the selection to draft Martin in the 1995 NFL Draft despite concerns about his durability. Martin signed a contract with the team on July 19, 1995, and made his NFL debut in the Patriots' week one win over the Cleveland Browns. Martin ran for 30 yards on his first carry and finished with 102 yards for the day. He became the first Patriots rookie to rush for 100 yards during their debut. Martin continued his impressive streak and rushed for over 100 yards eight more times during the season. He finished the season as the AFC's leading rusher with 1,487 yards and 14 touchdowns. He won the Offensive Rookie of the Year Award and was named to the Pro Bowl.


title: Curtis Martin

text: The following year, Martin only rushed for 100 yards twice during the season but recorded 1,152 yards and 14 rushing touchdowns. In the playoffs, Martin, playing in his first career playoff game, served as a key player in the Patriots' wild card victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers. He rushed for a then franchise-record 166 yards and three touchdowns including a 78-yard touchdown, the second-longest touchdown run in playoff history at the time. The Patriots went on to play in Super Bowl XXXI, but lost to the Green Bay Packers. Martin rushed for 42 yards, caught three passes for 28 yards, and scored a touchdown in the game. It was at this game that a young Adrian Peterson fell in love with his hero Curtis Martin and vowed to wear the number 28 in his honor. Martin was again named to the Pro Bowl.


title: Curtis Martin

text: After the 1997 season, Martin became a restricted free agent. On the first day of the free agency period Martin's agent, Eugene Parker, contacted the New York Jets to gauge their interest in potentially signing the running back. Negotiations ensued between Parker and Jets head coach and general manager Bill Parcells and an offer sheet was formulated. Though Martin had reservations about playing in New York and particularly for a division rival, the presence of his former coach Parcells influenced his decision to ultimately join the Jets. On March 20, 1998, Martin signed a six-year, $36-million poison pill contract. The "poison pill" was a clause in the contract that stated Martin would become an unrestricted free agent after one year if the Patriots matched the offer and it would have forced New England to pay a $3.3 million roster bonus that would have compromised their salary cap. Under these conditions, the Patriots did not match the offer; however, they received the Jets' first and third round selections in the 1998 NFL Draft as compensation after filing a complaint with the NFL management council, claiming the offer sheet violated the terms of the league's collective bargaining agreement at the time.


title: Curtis Martin

text: In his first seven seasons with the Jets, Martin missed only one game and was selected to the Pro Bowl three times. In 1998, Martin gained 182 yards from scrimmage and scored two touchdowns against the Jacksonville Jaguars in a Jets playoff win. Martin rushed for a season-high 196 yards against the Cincinnati Bengals in the team's home opener, and would rush for over 100 yards eight more times that season, finishing with 1,697 yards. Martin won the NFL rushing title by one more yard than runner-up Shaun Alexander and became the oldest player, at age 31, in league history to win the rushing title. Martin was named the FedEx Ground Player of the Year and named an All-Pro and elected to his fifth and final Pro Bowl.