title: Anjem Choudary

text: The UK government had investigated expelling Bakri even before the terrorist attacks of 11 September 2001, and in July 2003 the headquarters of al-Muhajiroun, and the homes of Bakri and Choudary, were raided by the police. The following year, under new anti-terrorist legislation, the government announced that it wanted to ban al-Muhajiroun. In 2005, Bakri learned that he was at risk of prosecution for his support of the 7 July 2005 London bombers, and in August left the UK for Lebanon, where he claimed that he was on holiday. After leaving a television station where he said "I will not return to Britain unless I want to go there as a visitor or as a tourist", he was detained by Lebanon's general security department and held in a Beirut prison. Several days later, Bakri was excluded from returning to Britain by the Home Secretary, Charles Clarke, on the grounds that his presence in Britain was "not conducive to the public good." Choudary condemned the decision and demanded to know what Bakri had done to justify the ban. He claimed that ministers were inventing rules to ensure that Bakri could not return. In November, Choudary and three other followers of Bakri were deported from Lebanon and returned to the UK. Choudary blamed the Foreign and Commonwealth Office for orchestrating their deportations, claiming that the four were there to help Bakri set up a madrasah.


title: Anjem Choudary

text: Following his deportation, Choudary attended the launch in London of Ahlus Sunnah wal Jamaah, the intended successor organisation to al-Muhajiroun. Choudary said that Bakri was not on the committee of the new group, but that "we would love for the sheikh to have a role." The organisation operates mainly through an invitation-only internet forum, to which Choudary contributes under the screen name Abou Luqman. A reporter visiting the site found calls for holy war, and recordings by Osama Bin Laden, Ayman al-Zawahiri, and Omar Bakri Mohammed.


title: Anjem Choudary

text: Al-Muhajiroun attempted a relaunch in June 2009 at Conway Hall, in Holborn. Several speakers were invited to share a platform with Choudary, but some later claimed that they had been invited under false pretences. When the group refused to allow women into the meeting, the chairman of the society that runs the hall cancelled the event. He was heckled by many of those in the audience. Choudary took the microphone from the chairman and led chants of "Sharia for UK", saying in reference to the exclusion of women: "Jews and Christians will never make peace with you until you either become like them or adopt their ways." Outside the hall, Choudary criticised British society, predicting that Muslims would make up the majority within one or two decades. When asked why, if society were so bad, he lived here, he replied: "We come here to civilise people, get them to come out of the darkness and injustice into the beauty of Islam."


title: Anjem Choudary

text: Choudary was also a spokesman for Al Ghurabaa, believed to have been an offshoot of al-Muhajiroun. It was proscribed in 2006 by the then Home Secretary John Reid. Choudary was outraged: "The easy option when one is losing an argument is to ban the opposition voice. ... We [al-Ghurabaa] are not a military organisation; we have only been vociferous in our views—views concerning everything from the government's foreign policy in Iraq and Afghanistan to the host of draconian laws, which they've introduced against us in this country."


title: Anjem Choudary

text: In November 2008, Choudary organised a meeting of the then recently formed Islam4UK, which, according to its website, was "established by sincere Muslims as a platform to propagate the supreme Islamic ideology within the United Kingdom as a divine alternative to man-made law", and to "convince the British public about the superiority of Islam ... thereby changing public opinion in favour of Islam in order to transfer the authority and power ... to the Muslims in order to implement the Sharee’ah (here in Britain)".


title: Anjem Choudary

text: According to Ed Husain, co-founder of the counter-terrorism think-tank the Quilliam Foundation, Islam4UK was a "splinter group of al-Muhajiroun and Hizb ut-Tahrir, the originators of extremism in Britain." Islam4UK was "previously known as al-Muhajiroun, al-Ghurabaa and Muslims Against Crusades", according to the Dutch intelligence agency AIVD. The meeting, advertised as a conference to "rise to defend the honour of the Muslims", was held at the Brady Arts and Community Centre in Tower Hamlets. Choudary then announced that Bakri would be speaking, via a video-conference link, although technical problems meant that his address was instead given over a telephone line. When asked by a Muslim woman how the comments of one of the event's speakers could be justified, with regard to Islam being a religion of peace, Choudary stated, "Islam is not a religion of peace ... It is a religion of submission. We need to submit to the will of Allah."


title: Anjem Choudary

text: With the announcement by Islam4UK that it planned to hold a protest march through Wootton Bassett (known for the military funeral repatriations of dead British soldiers returning from the war in Afghanistan), Choudary said "You may see one or two coffins being returned to the UK every other day, but when you think about the people of Afghanistan its a huge number [being killed] in comparison ... I intend to write a letter to the parents of British soldiers telling them the reality of what they died for." Choudary's open letter was published on 3 January 2010. It explained his reasons for proposing the march, endorsed his religious beliefs, and claimed that UK politicians had been lying about the war. Choudary wrote that the proposed march was to "engage the British public's minds on the real reasons why their soldiers are returning home in body bags and the real cost of the war." In an interview with Sky News, he stated that the location was chosen to effect a level of media attention which "it would not have gained anywhere else". The proposal was condemned by the British Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, who said that to offend the families of dead or wounded troops would be "completely inappropriate". The Minhaj-ul-Quran International UK centre in Forest Gate also condemned the proposal, as did the Muslim Council of Britain, which stated that it "condemns the call by the fringe extremist group Islam4UK for their proposed march in Wootton Bassett." The planned march was cancelled by the group on 10 January 2010.


title: Anjem Choudary

text: From 14 January 2010, Islam4UK was proscribed under the Terrorism Act 2000, making membership illegal and punishable by imprisonment. Choudary condemned the order. In an interview on BBC Radio he said "we are now being targeted as an extremist or terrorist organisation and even banned for merely expressing that" and "I feel this is a failure of the concept of democracy and freedom." Following his arrest and subsequent release in September 2014 on suspicion of encouraging terrorism, Choudary claimed he was questioned about his membership of or support for proscribed groups including Islam4UK and Need4Khalifah, both of which the government believes are successors to al-Muhajiroun.


title: Anjem Choudary

text: Choudary has regularly attended public marches and, following a protest march outside the Danish Embassy in London on 3 February 2006, held in response to the "Jyllands-Posten" Muhammad cartoons controversy. As a member of a panel of interviewees on the BBC news programme "Newsnight" he claimed that the police had inspected and allowed the controversial placards used in the demonstration. Choudary was criticised by his fellow panellists, who included Ann Cryer (then MP for Keighley), Humera Khan (al-Nisa Muslim Women's Group, who accused him of demonising Islam), Sayeeda Warsi (vice-chair of the Conservative Party), Professor Tariq Ramadan (who claimed that Choudary's actions were designed to evoke a strong response from the media), and Roger Knapman (leader of the UK Independence Party).


title: Anjem Choudary

text: On 15 March 2006, he was among five men arrested in connection with the demonstration, which had been organised by al Ghurabaa. He was arrested again on 4 May at Stansted Airport for an alleged breach of bail, and charged with organising the protest without notifying police. He was bailed to appear before Bow Street Magistrates Court on 11 May. On 4 July 2006 he was convicted and fined £500 with £300 court costs.


title: Anjem Choudary

text: The following day, at an Al Ghurabaa press conference at the Al Badr centre in Leyton, Choudary claimed that the blame for the London bombings lay with the British government, and said that the then Prime Minister, Tony Blair, had "blood on his hands". He also urged Muslims to defend themselves against perceived attacks by "whatever means they have at their disposal", and referred to the 2 June 2006 Forest Gate raid in which Mohammed Abdul Kahar was shot in the shoulder. He encouraged Muslims not to cooperate with the police under any circumstances. Local council leader Clyde Loakes criticised Choudary's comments, stating "I am sure the vast majority of Waltham Forest residents do not support these views."


title: Anjem Choudary

text: Several days later, on 9 June 2006, Choudary organised a demonstration outside the Forest Gate police station in London, to protest against the arrest of the two Forest Gate men. The men's families said that an extremist protest would "only give another opportunity for our community to be portrayed in a negative light" and sent a statement to more than twenty mosques (read to worshippers during prayers) urging them to disassociate themselves from the event. About 35 men and 15 women attended the demonstration.


title: Anjem Choudary

text: In September 2006, Pope Benedict XVI gave a speech on the question of the "reasonableness" of the Christian faith, to the University of Regensburg in Germany. In the Regensburg lecture he spoke about rationality in faith, and cited comments by the fourteenth-century Byzantine emperor Manuel II Palaiologos, who, as the Pope put it, said "show me just what Mohamed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." The citation attracted severe criticism from Muslims around the world, including the parliament of Pakistan, which condemned the Pope for his comments and sought an apology from him. Following the speech, on 17 September Choudary led a protest outside Westminster Cathedral, where he told reporters "Whoever insults the message of Mohammed is going to be subject to capital punishment." The Metropolitan Police investigated his comments, but concluded that "no substantive offences" were committed during the demonstration. The Shadow Home Secretary, David Davis, who had called for action to be taken against Choudary, said: "It is quite disgraceful. It sends out a message to Muslim extremists that we, as a country, do not have the moral courage to stand up to them." However, unnamed sources claim that UK law enforcement had, on multiple occasions, sufficient evidence to make an arrest. They were prevented from doing so as he was allegedly being monitored by British Security Services.


title: Anjem Choudary

text: He attempted to enter France to demonstrate against the French government's decision to ban the burka, but was stopped at the port of Calais. His passport was seized and he was issued documents banning him from France indefinitely.


title: Anjem Choudary

text: On 13 December 2013, Choudary led a march in Brick Lane, organised by the east London-based Sharia Project, demanding a ban on alcohol being sold by Muslim establishments. An East London Mosque official, speaking of the patrols, identified The Shariah Project as "strongly linked" to Anjem Choudary's banned group Al-Muhajiroun. Abu Rumaysah of The Shariah Project had predicted "hundreds" would join the demonstration, claiming that groups of Muslims would come from as far away as the Midlands to take part. In the event, only a few dozen protesters took part in the march.


title: Anjem Choudary

text: Choudary afterwards explained its purpose: "What we did is we posted a notice to the shop owners saying that under Sharia and under the Koran the sale of alcohol is prohibited and if one were to also drink alcohol, that would be 40 lashes. We were there to teach them that just because they are living among non-Muslims is no excuse because Sharia law will be implemented in Britain, and so they should be aware that just because it is not Sharia today, they can't just do whatever they like." He said the Shariah Project group would be arranging many more such rallies.


title: Anjem Choudary

text: For decades, Choudary had "stayed the right side of the law"—other than a minor conviction for failing to notify police of a demonstration. But in June 2014, the terror group ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and Syria) broke through the border between Syria and Iraq. They declared their leader a caliph, their law Sharia, and themselves "The" Islamic State. Since Choudary had called for the establishment of an Islamic state for many years in his lectures, "he came under intense sustained pressure from his acolytes", to declare his support for the new state. In a private social media message, one supporter, Abu Rumaysah al-Britani, demanded, "We have to declare our position - enough stalling!" Shortly after, Choudary pledged allegiance to the Islamic State's “caliphate,” and its "caliph" (Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi) "'via Skype, text and phone' during dinner at a restaurant in London."


title: Anjem Choudary

text: But there were legal implications to swearing allegiance. Journalist Dominic Casciani pointed out that Choudary might circumvent laws on terrorism if "he was supporting a political concept" ("an" Islamic state) - "not the proscribed terrorist group behind it" ("the" Islamic State). Choudary believed he had, but British detectives "found the evidence — including a crucial IS oath of allegiance published by one of his Indonesian supporters that could be traced back to private social media conversations".


title: Anjem Choudary

text: On 5 August 2015, Choudary was charged with one offence under section 12 of the Terrorism Act 2000 for inviting support of a proscribed organisation, namely Islamic State, between June 2014 and March 2015. The trial was postponed to 27 June 2016, and was expected to last no more than four weeks. Choudary was convicted on 28 July 2016. At the Old Bailey on 6 September 2016, Mr Justice Holroyde sentenced Choudary to five years and six months in prison, telling him that he had "crossed the line between the legitimate expression of your own views and a criminal act".


title: Anjem Choudary

text: Choudary was released from prison on 19 October 2018. Shortly after his release, it was reported that Choudary would be placed in a probation hostel in London Borough of Camden for six months where he would be required to abide by a number of conditions, such as a ban on speaking in public and talking to the media.


title: Anjem Choudary

text: In mid-May 2019, Choudary was released from a probation hostel and began "the gradual process of becoming a free man". Other members of his organization were also released around that time, and began to "remobilize" their campaign to replace democracy in the U.K. with a caliphate ruled by Shariah law. Their area of focus (according to "The New York Times"), included East London and Bedfordshire (including the town of Luton). Their methods included "lower-profile tactics, ... encrypted apps"; instead of recruiting with "provocative public preaching and demonstrations", they now employ "secret internet forums and smaller group meetings in inconspicuous locations". These meeting are legal if the group holding the meeting uses a name that has not been "identified as that of a terrorist outfit" or otherwise banned.


title: Anjem Choudary

text: On 18 July 2021, Choudary's ban on speaking in public was lifted—though he was banned from Twitter almost immediately.


title: Anjem Choudary

text: Choudary referred to the 11 September 2001 terrorists as "magnificent martyrs". In 2003, he said that al-Muhajiroun would "encourage people to fulfil their Islamic duties and responsibilities", although he also said that the group was a political movement and not responsible for individual actions. In 2004, he said that a terror attack on British soil was "a matter of time". He refused to condemn the 7 July 2005 London bombings, but accused the Muslim Council of Britain (who had) of "selling their souls to the devil". He blamed the 2013 murder of Lee Rigby, an off-duty British soldier, on British foreign policy.


title: Anjem Choudary

text: Choudary has voiced support for the Muslim community in Somalia, who, he claims, have been "violated" by Christian-backed Ethiopians, and has also called for other members to fight jihad.


title: Anjem Choudary

text: "The Wall Street Journal" describes Choudary as a supporter of "the fundamentalist strain of Islamic teaching known as Salafism". He believes in the primacy of Islam over all other faiths, and the implementation of Sharia Law, in its entirety, in the UK. In 2001, he stated that his allegiance is to Islam, and not a country. He believes that, for a true Muslim, "a British passport is no more than a travel document."


title: Anjem Choudary

text: In October 2006, he addressed an audience at Trinity College, Dublin to oppose the motion that "This house believes that Islamist violence can never be justified". In February 2008 the Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, commented that "as a matter of fact certain provisions of sharia are already recognised in our society and under our law". Choudary responded by saying that Sharia "has to be adopted wholesale", and that "it will come either by embracing Islam because it is the fastest growing religion in the country, or by an Islamic country conquering Britain or by elements embracing Islam and imposing it."


title: Anjem Choudary

text: In 2008, he spoke of the "flag of Sharia" flying over Downing Street by 2020, claimed that some Muslim families in east London were having "10 or 12 children each", and that hundreds were converting to Islam each day. Choudary has spoken against elements of the Christian faith. In December 2008, he posted a sermon on an Islamic website, in which he stated: "Every Muslim has a responsibility to protect his family from the misguidance of Christmas, because its observance will lead to hellfire. Protect your Paradise from being taken away – protect yourself and your family from Christmas".


title: Anjem Choudary

text: In an interview with Iran's Press TV (which was subsequently posted online on 11 April 2013), Choudary stated "As Muslims, we reject democracy, we reject secularism, and freedom, and human rights. We reject all of the things that you espouse as being ideals ... There is nothing called a republic in Islam. When we talk about the shari'a, we are talking about only the shari'a. We are talking about rejecting the U.N., the IMF, and the World Bank."


title: Anjem Choudary

text: In September 2014, Choudary described Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, leader of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, as "the caliph of all Muslims and the prince of the believers".


title: Anjem Choudary

text: Facing a court sentence for inciting terrorism, Choudhary wanted to move to the Islamic State, and said that he thought it a much better society in terms of welfare benefits and other factors.


title: Anjem Choudary

text: In interviews with Graeme Wood, Choduary gave explanations for some of his beliefs on the necessity of Sharia, terror and caliphate government.


title: Anjem Choudary

text: Sharia provides the best form of law enforcement (according to Choduary) because many of its punishments (hand chopping, head chopping, stoning, etc.) though severe, deter crime; while its exemptions (stolen goods must be non-perishable and of significant value, the thief cannot be very poor, etc.) and provisions for preventing false conviction, mean the punishments are seldom enforced, and so demonstrate mercy.


title: Anjem Choudary

text: However, "maybe 85% of the Shariah" is "in abeyance until we have "khilafah"" (caliphate). Sharia punishments, for example, can not be done by vigilantes but require legal system, "with courts and an executive", which a caliphates provides. While it is true the Islamic State has been criticised for administering stonings, beheadings and amputations at a much higher rate than in classical Muslim times, this is to be expected because "the Islamic State is new and the people living under it have spent many years under "kafir" governments", so it really should not be "any surprise that they would require correction"


title: Anjem Choudary

text: Another distinction between Islam without a caliphate and Islam with, is that "defensive" jihad can be performed without a caliphate, but "offensive" jihad ("jihad al talab") to forcibly expand the realm of true Islam into countries ruled by non-Muslims (in fact all countries, since "Muslim" countries are actually ruled by apostates), requires a caliphate. And offensive jihad will not be an option for the caliphate but an obligation. "The caliph must wage war to expand the domain of Islam, or remove obstacles to its practice, at least once a year", with its goal being world conquest. Because the caliphate should be working to gain territory from neighboring countries, is forbidden by Islamic law (according to Choduary) to have fixed borders with them, and forbidden to have treaties and ceasefires with the enemy lasting more than a decade, (treaties may be renewed but "may not be applied to all enemies at once").


title: Anjem Choudary

text: "Shirk" -- polytheism—the worst sin in Islam, is found in a great many things that others might find innocent of that vice (according to Choduary) — diplomacy, sending an ambassador to the United Nations, voting in UK elections. This is because these things "recognize an authority other than God's".


title: Anjem Choudary

text: The brutality of terrorism is justified because it leads to "less suffering". By striking terror into the enemy with slaughter and enslavement, jihadis will hasten victory and thus prevent a long drawn out war with more suffering.


title: Anjem Choudary

text: On 30 March 2017, Choudary was declared a Specially Designated Global Terrorist by the United States Department of State. The designation blocks his assets and prohibits him from engaging in trade or financial transactions with US persons.


title: Anjem Choudary

text: On 15 October 2018, Choduary was added into the Al-Qaida Sanctions Committee list of the United Nations Security Council. The designation means that each UN member state is legally obliged to freeze financial assets belonging to Choudary, prevent him from entering or transiting their countries and stop any weapons reaching him.


title: Anjem Choudary

text: "It is hard to overstate the role Mr. Choudary has played in motivating Islamic extremists", in the words of Ceylan Yeğinsu.


title: Anjem Choudary

text: According to journalist Graeme Wood, quoting Raffaello Pantucci, "members of Choudary's group have been linked to 23 out of 51" terrorist events in Britain as of circa 2015. These include the murder of Lee Rigby in Woolwich in 2013 and the July 7, 2005 bombings in London which killed 52. "The New York Times" estimates Choudary's group, was linked to "25% of all Islamist terrorism-related convictions in Britain between 1998 and 2015".


title: Anjem Choudary

text: Usman Khan, a convicted terrorist and the main perpetrator in the London Bridge terrorist attack on 29 November 2019, was said to be a member of his group. In 2019, the BBC reported that Abdul Lathief Jameel Mohamed, one of the attackers in the 2019 Sri Lanka Easter bombings, that killed more than 250 people, was radicalized by Choudary after attending his sermons in the U.K. in 2006.


title: Anjem Choudary

text: The British government estimates that "Choudary and his followers" have "inspired or influenced" more than 100 foreign fighters to fight in jihad.


title: Anjem Choudary

text: “These men have stayed just within the law for many years, but there is no one within the counter-terrorism world that has any doubts of the influence that they have had, the hate they have spread and the people that they have encouraged to join terrorist organisations.


title: Anjem Choudary

text: “Over and over again we have seen people on trial for the most serious offences who have attended lectures or speeches given by these men.”


title: Anjem Choudary

text: AIVD, the Dutch intelligence agency, also assessed Choudary "to be a key influence in the spread of the jihadi movement in the Netherlands". Groups led by Choudary were “the single biggest gateway to terrorism in recent British history”, according to "the leftwing group Hope Not Hate". In 2013, Hope not Hate presented a report which identified Choudary as "a serious player on the international Islamist scene", saying that although there was no evidence that he was directly responsible for instigating any terrorist plots, "he helped shape the mindset of many of those behind them" and "through his networks linked them up to terror groups and supporters across the world." Choudary dismissed the claims as "fanciful", saying that if they were true, UK security services would have arrested him.


title: Anjem Choudary

text: Choudary has enjoyed wide exposure in the UK through "frequent media appearances", and according to Graeme Wood, "accepting absolutely every media request that he receives".


title: Anjem Choudary

text: He has been heavily criticised by most UK newspapers, some of which describe him as an extremist, or radical cleric or preacher. In January 2010, "Guardian" contributor Mehdi Hasan wrote: "Is Choudary an Islamic scholar whose views merit attention or consideration? No. Has he studied under leading Islamic scholars? Nope. Does he have any Islamic qualifications or credentials? None whatsoever. So what gives him the right to pontificate on Islam, British Muslims or 'the hellfire'? Or proclaim himself a 'sharia judge'?", and claimed that Choudary was "as unrepresentative of British Muslim opinion, as he is of British anti-war opinion."


title: Anjem Choudary

text: The Conservative Party leader David Cameron said that Choudary "is one of those people who needs to be looked at seriously in terms of the legality of what he's saying because he strays, I think, extremely close to the line of encouraging hatred, extremism and violence."


title: Anjem Choudary

text: Salma Yaqoob, then leader of the Respect Party, said in 2010 of Choudary: "He is a bigot whose goal in life is to provoke division. He engages in these provocations because he is deeply hostile to any coming together of Muslims and non-Muslims. For him, the fact that a majority of the British people – Muslim and non-Muslim – oppose the war in Afghanistan is not something to be celebrated, but is something to be feared."


title: Anjem Choudary

text: Rod Liddle, writing in "The Spectator", said: "Anjem Choudray ... is one of those thick-as-mince gobby little chancers who could only possibly come from Britain." Conservatives in the United States have also been critical of Choudary. Fox News host Sean Hannity invites Choudary on "regularly" (according to journalist Graeme Wood), where he "plays to type" serving as a "howling weird-beard of radical Islam ... in the villain-hero dichotomy of pro wrestling, a Muslim 'heel' to Sean Hannity's Christian 'face'." (Hannity has called Choudary "one sick, miserable, evil S.O.B." during a segment on his show discussing the 2011 Egyptian protests).


title: Anjem Choudary

text: Choudary has been denounced by mainstream Muslim groups. However, in January 2010, Jamie Bartlett, a writer for "The Daily Telegraph", speculated that he might have "some" support among the minority of Muslims in the UK who could be considered to hold similar views. The following year, Peter Oborne, defending Baroness Warsi's criticism of how British Muslims have been treated, singled out Choudary as an exception to the majority that were "decent people". According to journalist Graeme Wood, despite his "genius for publicity", Choudary has "considerable ignorance" of Islam and the language of its scriptures -- Arabic. When "confronted on fine details of Islamic law, his main tactic is to change the subject". According to Wood, his Muslim critics "destroy" him in public debate, and Wood quotes one British Muslim as saying, 'How the hell he passes himself off as a Shariah court judge, I'll never know.' At least one fellow Islamic State supporter (Musa Cerantonio) has criticized him and his followers on doctrinal grounds—for their acceptance of qiyas (eye-for-an-eye punishment), their veneration of Omar Bakri Muhammad (whom they consider a "mujaddid"), and failure to emigrate to the Islamic State ("we say, 'Some of you have got passports! Why are you still there?'").


title: Anjem Choudary

text: Tabloid criticism of Islam4UK and Choudary since news of the proposed march first became public has, generally, been vitriolic, calling him a "hate preacher".


title: Anjem Choudary

text: Among the claims made about him is that he collects Jobseeker's Allowance (with four children he collects £25,000, or almost US$39,000 per year), and has explained "to followers how to receive government assistance they can use to fund a Muslim holy war". In a "secretly recorded video" he called the allowance ""Jizya"" (protection money or tribute paid to Muslims by non-Muslims) "which is ours anyway".


title: Anjem Choudary

text: He has written many pamphlets and articles, including "Human Rights: Comparison between the Declaration of Human Rights and Divine Rights in Islam" and "Groups and Parties in Islam: The Islamic Verdict."


title: Julian Bond

text: Horace Julian Bond (January 14, 1940 – August 15, 2015) was an American social activist, leader of the civil rights movement, politician, professor, and writer. While he was a student at Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia, during the early 1960s, he helped establish the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC). In 1971, he co-founded the Southern Poverty Law Center in Montgomery, Alabama, and served as its first president for nearly a decade.


title: Julian Bond

text: Bond was elected to serve four terms in the Georgia House of Representatives and later he was elected to serve six terms in the Georgia State Senate, serving a total of twenty years in both legislative chambers. Following his career in the legislature, he was a professor of history at the University of Virginia from 1990 to 2012. From 1998 to 2010, he was chairman of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP).


title: Julian Bond

text: Bond was born in 1940 at Hubbard Hospital in Nashville, Tennessee, to parents Julia Agnes ( Washington) and Horace Mann Bond. His father was an educator, then president of Fort Valley State College. His mother, Julia, was a former librarian at Clark Atlanta University, also a historically black college.


title: Julian Bond

text: The family resided on campus at Fort Valley State College. The house of the Bonds was a frequent stop for scholars, activists, and celebrities passing through, such as W. E. B. Du Bois and Paul Robeson.


title: Julian Bond

text: In 1945, Bond's father accepted the position of president of Lincoln University, where he was its first African-American president, and the family moved North.


title: Julian Bond

text: In 1957, Bond graduated from George School, a private Quaker preparatory boarding school near Newtown in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. He started attending Morehouse College, a historically black college in Atlanta, Georgia.


title: Julian Bond

text: Bond left Morehouse College in 1961 to work on civil rights in the South. From 1960 to 1963, Bond led student protests against segregation in public facilities and other Jim Crow laws of Georgia. From January 1961 to September 1966, he served as the communications director of SNCC. During this period, he traveled frequently in Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, and Arkansas to help organize civil rights and voter registration drives.


title: Julian Bond

text: With Morris Dees, Bond helped found the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), a public-interest law firm based in Montgomery, Alabama. Bond served as its president from 1971 until 1979. Bond was an emeritus member of the Southern Poverty Law Center board of directors at the time of his death in 2015. Bond also advocated for Africans in Europe.


title: Julian Bond

text: In addition to his organizing, Bond ran for political office in Georgia. In 1965, he was one of 11 African Americans elected to the Georgia House of Representatives. They were aided by expansion of the franchise for blacks in the state, who largely supported Democratic Party candidates, after national passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Voting Rights Act of 1965. The latter especially had brought federal oversight to enforce the constitutional rights of blacks to vote. As states ended discriminatory practices in voter registration, African Americans regained the ability to vote and entered the political process.


title: Julian Bond

text: Although initially undecided about his party affiliation, Bond ultimately ran and was elected as a Democrat, the party of President Lyndon B. Johnson, who had supported civil rights, and signed the Civil Rights Act and Voting Rights Act into law. On January 10, 1966, Georgia representatives voted 184–12 not to seat Bond after the election, because he had publicly endorsed SNCC's policy of opposition to United States involvement in the Vietnam War. Five of the representatives who did vote to seat Bond were white, including Republican Rodney Cook. They disliked his stated sympathy for persons who were "unwilling to respond to a military draft."


title: Julian Bond

text: Bond took the legislature to court. A three-judge panel of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia ruled in a 2–1 decision that the Georgia House had not violated any of Bond's constitutional rights. The case reached the Supreme Court of the United States in 1966, which ruled 9–0 in the case of "Bond v. Floyd" (385 U.S. 116) that the Georgia House of Representatives had denied Bond his freedom of speech and was required to seat him. From 1967 to 1975, Bond was elected to four terms in the Georgia House, where he organized the Georgia Legislative Black Caucus.


title: Julian Bond

text: In January 1967, Bond was among eleven Georgia House members who refused to vote when the legislature elected segregationist Democrat Lester Maddox of Atlanta as governor of Georgia over the Republican Bo Callaway. Callaway had led in the 1966 general election by some three thousand votes. Under the Georgia Constitution of 1824, the state legislature had to settle the election because neither major party candidate had polled a majority in the general election. Former Governor Ellis Arnall polled more than fifty thousand votes as a write-in candidate, a factor which led to the impasse. Bond would not support either Maddox or Callaway, although he was ordered to vote by lame duck Lieutenant Governor Peter Zack Geer.


title: Julian Bond

text: Throughout his House career, Bond had to deal with repeated redistricting of his district by the state legislature:


title: Julian Bond

text: Bond was elected in 1974 for the first of six terms in the Georgia Senate, where he served from 1975 to 1987.


title: Julian Bond

text: During the 1968 presidential election, Bond led an alternate delegation from Georgia to the Democratic National Convention in Chicago. There he was the first African American to have his name entered into nomination as a major-party candidate for Vice President of the United States. The 28-year-old Bond quickly declined, citing the constitutional requirement that one must be at least 35 years of age to serve in that office.


title: Julian Bond

text: Bond ran for the United States House of Representatives from Georgia's 5th congressional district (encompassing Atlanta) in 1986. He lost the Democratic nomination in a primary runoff to rival civil rights leader John Lewis in a bitter contest. During it Bond was accused of using cocaine and other drugs. During the campaign, Lewis challenged Bond to take a drug test (Lewis had said he took one and passed). Bond refused, saying the drug test was akin to McCarthyism and trivialized the issue of drugs.


title: Julian Bond

text: While Bond had raised twice as much money as Lewis and had a larger national reputation, Lewis cast himself as the man on the front lines of the Civil Rights Movement and ran up large margins over Bond among white liberals in Atlanta. As the district had a very large Democratic majority, winning the Democratic primary meant that Lewis was almost certain to win the general election. After he did so, he served in Congress for 30 years until his death on July 17, 2020.


title: Julian Bond

text: Still dogged by allegations of drug use, Bond resigned from the Georgia Senate the following year. Bond's estranged wife, Alice, who had publicly accused him of using cocaine, later retracted her statements.


title: Julian Bond

text: After leaving politics, Bond taught at several universities in major cities in the North and South, including American University, Drexel, and Harvard.


title: Julian Bond

text: Bond taught the history of the civil rights movement at the University of Virginia from 1990 to 2012. While there he shared his experiences of the movement with thousands of students through stories, newsreels, music, and film. Bond was on the Board of Selectors of Jefferson Awards for Public Service.


title: Julian Bond

text: Bond became the first president of the Southern Poverty Law Center in 1971. He served until 1979, remaining a board member and president emeritus for the rest of his life.


title: Julian Bond

text: In 1998, Bond was selected as chairman of the NAACP. Bond once referred to leading the NAACP as "the most powerful job a Black man can have in America." In November 2008, he announced that he would not seek another term as chairman. Bond agreed to stay on in the position through 2009, as the organization celebrated its 100th anniversary. Roslyn Brock was chosen as Bond's successor on February 20, 2010.


title: Julian Bond

text: Bond was also an outspoken supporter of the rights of gays and lesbians. He publicly stated his support for same-sex marriage. Most notably, he boycotted the funeral services for Coretta Scott King on the grounds that the King children had chosen an anti-gay megachurch as the venue. This was in conflict with their mother's longstanding support for the rights of gay and lesbian people.


title: Julian Bond

text: African Americans ... were the only Americans who were enslaved for two centuries, but we were far from the only Americans suffering discrimination then and now ... Sexual disposition parallels race. I was born this way. I have no choice. I wouldn't change it if I could. Sexuality is unchangeable.


title: Julian Bond

text: In a 2007 speech on the Martin Luther King Day Celebration at Clayton State University, Bond said, "If you don't like gay marriage, don't get gay married." His positions pitted elements of the NAACP against religious groups in the Civil Rights Movement who oppose gay marriage. Most resistance came from within the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), which was partially blamed for the success of the gay marriage ban amendment in California. On October 11, 2009, Bond appeared at the National Equality March in Washington, D.C., and spoke about the rights of the LGBT community, a speech that was aired live on C-SPAN.


title: Julian Bond

text: Bond was a strong critic of policies that contribute to anthropogenic climate change. He was among a group of protesters arrested at the White House for civil disobedience in opposition to the Keystone XL pipeline in February 2013.


title: Julian Bond

text: Bond was a strong critic of the George W. Bush administration, in large part because he believed it was illegitimate. Twice in 2001, first in February when he spoke to the NAACP board and then in July when he spoke at that organization's national convention, he attacked the administration for selecting Cabinet secretaries "from the Taliban wing of American politics". Bond specifically criticized Attorney General John Ashcroft, who had opposed affirmative action, and Interior Secretary Gale Norton, who defended the Confederacy in a 1996 speech on states' rights. In the selection of these individuals, Bond said, Bush had appeased "the wretched appetites of the extreme right wing and chosen Cabinet officials whose devotion to the Confederacy is nearly canine in its uncritical affection". House Majority Leader Dick Armey responded to Bond's statement with a letter in which he accused NAACP leaders of "racial McCarthyism". Bond later said at the annual NAACP convention that year, that since Bush's election, he had "had his picture taken with more black people than voted for him."


title: Julian Bond

text: On May 14, 2013, while appearing on MSNBC, Bond called the Tea Party the "Taliban wing of American politics". It was under review by the IRS. Bond told MSNBC, "I think it's entirely legitimate to look at the Tea Party." But he also said, "It was wrong for the IRS to behave in this heavy-handed manner. They didn't explain it well before or now what they're doing and why they're doing it." He called Tea Party members "a group of people who are admittedly racist, who are overtly political, who've tried as best as they can to harm President Obama in every way they can". He added, "We all ought to be a little worried about them."


title: Julian Bond

text: From 1980 to 1997, Bond hosted "America's Black Forum". He was also a commentator for radio's "Byline" and NBC's "The Today Show". He authored the nationally syndicated newspaper column "Viewpoint", and narrated the critically acclaimed PBS series "Eyes on the Prize" in 1987 and 1990.


title: Julian Bond

text: Bond hosted "Saturday Night Live" on April 9, 1977, becoming the first black political figure to do so. In the same year, he also appeared in the Richard Pryor vehicle "Greased Lightning". In 1978, Bond played himself in the miniseries "King". He also had a small appearance playing State Representative John E. White in the movie "Ray" (2004), and played himself in the movie "5 to 7" (2014).


title: Julian Bond

text: On July 28, 1961, Bond married Alice Clopton, a student at Spelman College. They had five children: Phyllis Jane Bond-McMillan, Horace Mann Bond II, Michael Julian Bond (an Atlanta City councilman), Jeffrey Alvin Bond, and Julia Louise Bond. They divorced on November 10, 1989.


title: Julian Bond

text: In 1990 Bond married Pamela Sue Horowitz, a former SPLC staff attorney. Bond died from complications of vascular disease on August 15, 2015, in Fort Walton Beach, Florida, at the age of 75. He is survived by his wife, his five children, and eight grandchildren, and his brother James and sister Jane Bond Moore.


title: ROH World Television Championship

text: The ROH World Television Championship is a professional wrestling world television championship in the Ring of Honor (ROH) promotion. With the introduction of the ROH World Television Championship, the television type championship returned to national exposure. The current champion is Samoa Joe, who is in his first reign.


title: ROH World Television Championship

text: On January 20, 2010, the creation of the ROH World Television Championship was announced via ROH's official website. An eight-man single elimination tournament was then planned to determine the inaugural champion. The tournament was to start on February 4 and conclude on February 6 at The Arena in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania at the tapings of ROH's television program "Ring of Honor Wrestling". Regarding the new championship addition, ROH President Cary Silkin said: "We've been talking about adding a secondary championship for some time. Not only will this give the athletes of Ring of Honor another tremendous goal to work towards, it will also give our great partner, HDNet, a championship that is sure to be defended on the television program. We’re happy to publicly give thanks to HDNet for giving us the chance to add this title to the television show."


title: ROH World Television Championship

text: It is ROH's second secondary singles championship in their history. The first secondary singles championship, the ROH Pure Championship, was initially used from February 14, 2004, until it was unified with the ROH World Championship on August 12, 2006. The ROH Pure Championship would ultimately return as a secondary singles championship in January 2020. After the ROH World Television Championship announcement, wrestling columnist James Caldwell gave his comments: "I like the idea. It gives mid-card wrestlers on ROH's roster something to fight for in the context of trying to win a wrestling match to "move up the company ladder." Caldwell further remarked that "ROH bringing back the TV Title to national TV is consistent with ROH's current marketing under Jim Cornette to "re-capture an old-school flavor" to their product."


title: ROH World Television Championship

text: After the "Ring of Honor Wrestling" show was canceled in March 2011, the title became inactive. Although Daniels stopped defending it, he still carried the belt with him as part of his villainous character. With the sale of ROH to the Sinclair Broadcast Group, and a new television show scheduled to air in September, ROH reinstated the title for June's Best in The World event.


title: ROH World Television Championship

text: The inaugural championship tournament was scheduled to span over a two-day weekend, starting on February 5, 2010, and ending on February 6 at events recorded for later broadcast on "Ring of Honor Wrestling". However, due to severe weather conditions in the Philadelphia area, the second day of taping was canceled. It was not until almost a month later, on March 5, that ROH held the second recorded event, which closed out the tournament. The first four seeds of eight in the tournament were announced on January 22, 2010: Rhett Titus (8), El Generico (7), Eddie Edwards (6), and Delirious (5). The other four seeds were announced on January 26, 2010: Kevin Steen (1), Kenny King (2), Colt Cabana (3), and Davey Richards (4). The first round was determined at the first event on February 5, with Steen, King, Richards, and Edwards all advancing to round two. On March 5, Edwards and Richards both advanced to the final, where Edwards defeat Richards to be crowned the first ROH World Television Champion. The matches were scheduled to span over six episodes of "Ring of Honor Wrestling". The first match from round one that aired pitted Steen against Titus, which Steen won, on the March 8 episode. On the same episode, King versus El Generico was featured, with King advancing. Cabana versus Edwards was the third match from round one to air, when it was broadcast on the March 15 episode. Richards defeated Delirious in the final match from round one, which aired later in the same episode. The first match from round two, Steen versus Edwards, was featured on the April 12 episode, in which Edwards advanced to the final. On the April 19 episode, Richards defeated King to advance to the final. On the April 26 episode, Edwards defeated Richards in the final of the tournament to become the first ROH World Television Champion.


title: ROH World Television Championship

text: The first championship belt design was introduced on March 5, 2010, when it was given to the newly crowned inaugural champion Eddie Edwards. The physical championship belt was designed by All Star Championship Belts d/b/a ASCB, LLC. The title's base was a black leather strap that was covered with four small silver plates. The center of the title had one large silver plate. All plates had an inner blue covering. The two small outer plates had a caricature of the earth and a satellite in orbit. The middle plates had figures resembling a cameraman filming a television production. Underneath each figure were the ROH logo and the words "Ring of Honor Wrestling". The central plate had the engravings of the ROH logo as well as the statement "World Television Wrestling Champion" hovering above the backdrop of a city, with a television lying on top of a globe with an overhead shot of a wrestling ring between them in front of the skyline.


title: ROH World Television Championship

text: In November 2012, the design was changed during the reign of Adam Cole. The new design seemed to be based on the WCW World Six-Man Tag Team Championship.


title: ROH World Television Championship

text: Between 2014 and 2015, during Jay Lethal's second record-setting reign, the belt design was modified to emphasize the "ROH Champion" portion of the title. Lethal claimed the Television championship was more prestigious than the ROH World Championship since he was the champion.


title: ROH World Television Championship

text: In January 2018, in addition to other ROH championship belts, the ROH World Television Championship received a new design.


title: ROH World Television Championship

text: As of 28, 2022, there have been 30 reigns between 25 champions. Eddie Edwards was the inaugural champion. Jay Lethal's first reign is the longest at 567 days, while Will Ospreay's reign is the shortest at 2 days. Lethal also has the longest combined reign at 798 days. Minoru Suzuki is the oldest champion, winning the title at the age of 53, while Adam Cole is the youngest when he won the title at 22 years.


title: ROH World Television Championship

text: Samoa Joe is the current champion in his first reign. He defeated Minoru Suzuki on April 13, 2022 in New Orleans, Louisiana on "AEW Dynamite".


title: Richard Ruccolo

text: Richard Robert Ruccolo (born March 2, 1972) is an American television and film actor, best known for his lead role in the sitcom "Two Guys and a Girl" (originally titled "Two Guys, a Girl and a Pizza Place").


title: Richard Ruccolo

text: Ruccolo was born in Marlton, New Jersey. He attended Cherokee High School in Evesham Township, New Jersey. It was there Ruccolo first discovered his love of acting while starring as the lead in the high school's production of "Oklahoma!" After graduating he moved to Los Angeles to find work as an actor. Throughout his auditions, Ruccolo slept on his friend's sofa until he found work.


title: Richard Ruccolo

text: Gradually Ruccolo began to find guest roles in such dramas as "Beverly Hills, 90210" and "The X-Files". He starred in nationally televised commercials for Wendy's, Skittles and 7 Up. However, it was not until 1998 that Ruccolo became recognized. Ruccolo found fame as Pete Dunville in the sitcom "Two Guys and a Girl". When the series was canceled in 2001, Ruccolo starred in "All Over the Guy", "The One", "Missing in the USA", and "Anacardium". In 2005, he guest starred in three episodes of "Joey" as Glen.


title: Richard Ruccolo

text: Ruccolo was once engaged to former "Saved by the Bell" star Tiffani Thiessen. They met in 2000 when Thiessen guest starred in several episodes of "Two Guys and a Girl". Their relationship ended in March 2003. In 2008, he married Lauren Rees.


title: The Other One (TV series)

text: The Other One is a British television comedy series broadcast on BBC One, written and directed by Holly Walsh and starring Ellie White, Lauren Socha, Rebecca Front and Siobhan Finneran.


title: The Other One (TV series)

text: The sitcom follows young Catherine "Cathy" Walcott (Ellie White) & her half sister, Catherine "Cat" Walcott (Lauren Socha), who had no idea of each other's existence until their father's untimely death at a birthday party.


title: The Other One (TV series)

text: Walsh was inspired to write the sitcom after hearing a true story about a man with two families who gave his kids the same name to avoid confusion or being sprung.


title: The Other One (TV series)

text: "The Other One" was broadcast on BBC1 weekly from Friday 5 June 2020 at 9p.m., with all of the seven episodes of the first series available to watch on BBC iPlayer.


title: The Other One (TV series)

text: Critic Emily Baker in the "i" newspaper gave the first episode four stars and commented on the “stellar acting”.


title: Talus bone

text: The talus (; Latin for ankle or ankle bone), talus bone, astragalus (), or ankle bone is one of the group of foot bones known as the tarsus. The tarsus forms the lower part of the ankle joint. It transmits the entire weight of the body from the lower legs to the foot.


title: Talus bone

text: The talus has joints with the two bones of the lower leg, the tibia and thinner fibula. These leg bones have two prominences (the lateral and medial malleoli) that articulate with the talus. At the foot end, within the tarsus, the talus articulates with the calcaneus (heel bone) below, and with the curved navicular bone in front; together, these foot articulations form the ball-and-socket-shaped talocalcaneonavicular joint.


title: Talus bone

text: The talus is the second largest of the tarsal bones; it is also one of the bones in the human body with the highest percentage of its surface area covered by articular cartilage. It is also unusual in that it has a retrograde blood supply, i.e. arterial blood enters the bone at the distal end.


title: Talus bone

text: In humans, no muscles attach to the talus, unlike most bones, and its position therefore depends on the position of the neighbouring bones.


title: Talus bone

text: Facing anteriorly, the head carries the articulate surface of the navicular bone, and the neck, the roughened area between the body and the head, has small vascular channels.


title: Talus bone

text: The body features several prominent articulate surfaces: On its superior side is the trochlea tali, which is semi-cylindrical, and it is flanked by the articulate facets for the two malleoli. The ankle mortise, the fork-like structure of the malleoli, holds these three articulate surfaces in a steady grip, which guarantees the stability of the ankle joint. However, because the trochlea is wider in front than at the back (approximately 5–6 mm) the stability in the joint vary with the position of the foot: with the foot dorsiflexed (toes pulled upward) the ligaments of the joint are kept stretched, which guarantees the stability of the joint; but with the foot plantarflexed (as when standing on the toes) the narrower width of the trochlea causes the stability to decrease. Behind the trochlea is a posterior process with a medial and a lateral tubercle separated by a groove for the tendon of the flexor hallucis longus. Exceptionally, the lateral of these tubercles forms an independent bone called os trigonum or accessory talus; it may represent the "tarsale proximale intermedium". On the bone's inferior side, three articular surfaces serve for the articulation with the calcaneus, and several variously developed articular surfaces exist for the articulation with ligaments.


title: Talus bone

text: The "head of talus" looks forward and medialward; its anterior articular or navicular surface is large, oval, and convex. Its inferior surface has two facets, which are best seen in the fresh condition.


title: Talus bone

text: The medial, situated in front of the middle calcaneal facet, is convex, triangular, or semi-oval in shape, and rests on the plantar calcaneonavicular ligament; the lateral, named the anterior calcaneal articular surface, is somewhat flattened, and articulates with the facet on the upper surface of the anterior part of the calcaneus.


title: Talus bone

text: The neck of talus is directed anteromedially, and comprises the constricted portion of the bone between the body and the oval head.


title: Talus bone

text: Its upper and medial surfaces are rough, for the attachment of ligaments; its lateral surface is concave and is continuous below with the deep groove for the interosseous talocalcaneal ligament.


title: Talus bone

text: The body of the talus comprises most of the volume of the talus bone (ankle bone). It presents with five surfaces; a superior, inferior, medial, lateral and a posterior:


title: Talus bone

text: The talus bone lacks a good blood supply. Because of this, healing a broken talus can take longer than most other bones. One with a broken talus may not be able to walk for many months without crutches and will further wear a walking cast or boot of some kind after that.


title: Talus bone

text: Talus injuries may be difficult to recognize, and lateral process fractures in particular may be radiographically occult. If not recognized and managed appropriately, a talus fracture may result in complications and long-term morbidity. A 2015 review came to the conclusion that isolated talar body fractures may be more common than previously thought.


title: Talus bone

text: A fractured talar body often has a displacement that is best visualised using CT imaging. In case a talus fracture is accompanied by a dislocation, restoration of articular and axial alignment is necessary to optimize ankle and hindfoot function.


title: Talus bone

text: Dice were originally made from the talus of hoofed animals, leading to the nickname "bones" for dice. Colloquially known as "knucklebones", these are approximately tetrahedral. Modern Mongolians still use such bones as shagai for games and fortune-telling, with each piece relating to a symbolic meaning.


title: Talus bone

text: The talus apparently derives from the fusion of three separate bones in the feet of primitive amphibians; the "tibiale", articulating with tibia, the "intermedium", between the bases of the tibia and fibula, and the "fourth centrale", lying in the mid-part of the tarsus. These bones are still partially separate in modern amphibians, which therefore do not have a true talus.


title: Talus bone

text: The talus forms a considerably more flexible joint in mammals than it does in reptiles. This reaches its greatest extent in artiodactyls, where the distal surface of the bone has a smooth keel to allow greater freedom of movement of the foot, and thus increase running speed.


title: Talus bone

text: In modern crocodiles the astragalus bears a peg which inserts into a corresponding socket on the calcaneum, and the hinge of the ankle joint runs between the two tarsals; this condition is referred to as "croc-normal"; this "croc-normal" condition was likely ancestral for archosaurs. In dinosaurs (including modern birds) and pterosaurs, the hinge of the ankle instead is distal to the two tarsals. Far rarer are archosaurs with a "croc-reversed" ankle joint, in which the calcaneus bears a peg whilst the astragalus bears a socket.


title: Talus bone

text: In the theropod dinosaur lineage leading to birds, the astragalus gradually increases in size until it forms the entire proximal facet of the ankle articulation; additionally the anterior ascending process gradually extends increasingly proximally. In modern birds the astragalus is fused with the tibia to form the tibiotarsus.


title: Skullcandy

text: Skullcandy Inc. is an American company based in Park City, Utah, that markets headphones, earphones, hands-free devices, audio backpacks, MP3 players, and other products.


title: Skullcandy

text: Skullcandy's products are primarily targeted at the outdoor action sports demographic (snowboarders, skateboarders, etc.) and general consumer market, but they have expanded in recent years into the premium audio market with products such as the Crusher headphones. Skullcandy products are sold through retailers, specialty outlets, corporate incentive programs and the company's online store.


title: Skullcandy

text: Skullcandy was founded by Rick Alden and Cris Williams in 2003. The first Skullcandy product, the Skullcandy Portable Link, was introduced at the 2003 International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, Nevada. The LINK system combines headphones with hands-free cellular technology, allowing users to listen to music from a portable audio device, while making and receiving calls through their cellphone. Skullcandy holds a patent for the wireless version of LINK technology.


title: Skullcandy

text: In December 2008, Skullcandy products were described as "the world's coolest ear bud," by "Fortune" magazine.


title: Skullcandy

text: In April 2011, Skullcandy purchased headphones manufacturer Astro Gaming from Astro Studios for an unknown amount of cash.


title: Skullcandy

text: On January 28, 2011, Skullcandy filed for an initial public offering with the Securities and Exchange Commission. This announcement was met with some criticism from financial press.


title: Skullcandy

text: On June 24, 2016, Incipio, a maker of phone cases, wireless speakers, and other accessories, announced plans to acquire Skullcandy for $177million; however, the deal later fell through as Incipio refused to submit a proposed amendment to the merger agreement and Skullcandy terminated the agreement. Skullcandy considered numerous other offers, eventually agreeing to be acquired by Mill Road Capital for $196.9million at $6.35 per share. The deal was finalized and completed on October 3, 2016, and the company became a private business again.


title: Splatterhouse

text: Marketing for the game heavily emphasized its violent nature; for example, the TurboGrafx-16 port of "Splatterhouse" had a faux parental advisory warning printed on the front of the box that read, "The horrifying theme of this game may be inappropriate for young children... and cowards."


title: Splatterhouse

text: "Splatterhouse" is an arcade-style sidescrolling beat 'em up with platform elements, in which the player controls Rick, a parapsychology college major who is trapped inside West Mansion. After his resurrection by the Terror Mask, Rick makes his way through the mansion, fighting off hordes of creatures in a vain attempt to save his girlfriend Jennifer from a grisly fate. The game is influenced by western horror films, such as "Friday the 13th", "Evil Dead II", "Poltergeist", "Rejuvenatrix", and "Parasite", as well as imagery inspired by the works of horror writer H. P. Lovecraft such as "Herbert West–Reanimator".


title: Splatterhouse

text: Similar to many sidescrolling beat 'em up games, Rick can only move in a two-dimensional environment. He has the ability to jump and can punch and kick. Rick also has a Special Attack, where he will perform a dropkick that sends him skidding along the ground, damaging any enemies he hits. Rick can also perform a low kick, low punch, and jumping attacks, as well as pick up and use various weapons placed in the levels.


title: Splatterhouse

text: All of the levels consist of walking left to right, with occasional auto-scrolling segments. However, alternative pathways through sections of the house are possible by falling down through holes or jumping up onto ladders. In this way, branching gameplay is possible, if only prevalent in the middle levels. Levels culminate in boss fights that take place in a single room.


title: Splatterhouse

text: Unlike traditional sidescrolling fighters, boss fights have varying objectives and styles. Unlike most arcade games in the genre, "Splatterhouse" sends players back to checkpoints after losing lives or receiving a game over, discouraging "credit feeding" as a method of overcoming the various challenges.


title: Splatterhouse

text: Two students at the local university, Rick Taylor and Jennifer Willis, take refuge from a storm in West Mansion, a local landmark known as "Splatterhouse", for the rumors of hideous experiments purportedly conducted there by Dr. West, a renowned and missing parapsychologist. As they enter the mansion and the door shuts behind them, Jennifer screams.


title: Splatterhouse

text: Rick awakens in a dungeon under the mansion having been resurrected thanks to the influence of the "Terror Mask", or in some versions, the "Hell Mask", a Mayan sacrificial artifact from West's house which is capable of sentient thought. The mask attaches itself to Rick, fusing with his body and transforming him into a monster with superhuman strength. With the mask's encouragement, Rick goes on a rampage through the dungeon and the mansion grounds, killing hordes of monsters.


title: Splatterhouse

text: Inside the mansion, Rick finds Jennifer, prone on a couch and surrounded by a throng of creatures that retreat upon his arrival. After their departure, Jennifer transforms into a slightly taller, fanged monster that attempts to kill Rick while begging him for help. Rick is forced to kill Jennifer, who transforms back to normal and thanks him before she dies. Infuriated, Rick tracks the remaining monsters to a giant, bloody hole in the mansion's floor.


title: Splatterhouse

text: Upon entering it, Rick discovers that the mansion itself is alive. He follows a bloody hallway to the house's "womb", which produces fetus-like monsters that attack him. Rick destroys the womb, which causes the house to burst into flames as it "dies".


title: Splatterhouse

text: Escaping the burning mansion, Rick comes across a grave marker. The Terror Mask releases energy into the grave, reviving a giant monster named "Hell Chaos" that claws its way up from the earth and attempts to kill Rick. Rick destroys the creature, which unleashes a tormented ghost that dissipates into a series of bright lights. As the lights vanish, the mask shatters, turning Rick back to normal, and he flees as the house burns to the ground and the credits roll. However, after he leaves and the credits end, the Terror Mask reassembles itself and laughs evilly for several seconds as the word "END" appears in the bottom right corner of the screen.


title: Splatterhouse

text: Home versions of "Splatterhouse" were released on the TurboGrafx-16, FM Towns and PC. In addition to loss of graphical detail and removal of some sounds (standard for a port to less powerful hardware), the following edits were made to both the Japanese PC-Engine and North American TurboGrafx-16 versions of the game:


title: Splatterhouse

text: The TG-16 version was released on the Wii's Virtual Console in Europe on March 16, 2007; in North America on March 19, 2007; in Japan on July 3, 2007; and in Australia on July 20, 2007. The arcade version was released on May 26, 2009 on the Japanese Virtual Console.


title: Splatterhouse

text: The FM Towns version, ported by Ving Co. and released only in Japan in 1992, is a pixel-perfect rendition of the original arcade, with no substantial changes apart from a new menu interface in the title screen. A few sound effects were changed or even removed, such as the intro theme to Stage 4 being cut and the thunder in Stage 3 sounding heavier compared to the original. There was also an LCD handheld version released, titled "Splatter House", but it is not a port of either games. It is considered to be an original "Splatterhouse" game in and of itself, though many elements in it are similar to the original game.


title: Splatterhouse

text: In 2010, the game was ported to J2ME/BREW mobile phones, Windows Mobile and iOS platforms to coincide with the release of the remake. The only change was in the Java-based mobile phone version, where Rick's mask is modeled after the skull-like one present in the remake. This change is not present in iOS version of the game, but it includes a "Splatter Rush" mode instead, where enemies continuously spawn from both ends of a wide screen. The remake also included the uncensored Japanese arcade version as an unlockable extra.


title: Splatterhouse

text: It was also included as a part of the "Namco Museum" compilation for the Nintendo Switch, through the Nintendo eShop.


title: Splatterhouse

text: In Japan, "Game Machine" listed "Splatterhouse" on their December 15, 1988 issue as being the sixth most-popular arcade game at the time. Following its European release at the ATEI show in January 1989, "Computer and Video Games" gave the arcade version a positive review.


title: Splatterhouse

text: Splatterhouse received positive reviews upon release, with praise for its graphics, music and general gameplay. It is also known for its graphic violence, which was inspired by classic ’80s horror movies. The game did receive some criticism for its lack of variety and simplistic nature, but it was otherwise praised for being challenging.


title: Splatterhouse

text: The PC-Engine/Turbografx-16 versions also received praise for their faithful recreations of the arcade game but the North-American console version was criticised for its “toned-down gore” due to controversy while the Japanese PC-Engine version saw less changes, the most notable being Rick’s mask being nearly identical to the arcade version, but still sharing the occasional censorship of the American version.


title: Splatterhouse

text: IGN's Lucas M. Thomas gave a mixed review of "Splatterhouse". He stated that "Putting aside the aesthetic design and just looking at the game on the merits of its mechanics, Splatterhouse is lacking." He complained about the limited variety of attacks, one way scrolling, and censorship present in the North American console version. Thomas did, however, compliment the game's horror themes and music, noting that the console graphics, despite being "toned down", are a "good representation of the arcade original".


title: Splatterhouse

text: Frank Provo of "GameSpot" had similar complaints: "Ultimately, the problem with Splatterhouse is that there's not much to it. There are only seven levels, and you'll finish each one in just a few minutes," he wrote, going on to explain that the enemies all follow easily memorized patterns, making the game very simple to play. In particular, Provo criticized the fact that the Virtual Console version was the censored console version, noting how he missed the meat cleavers and extra violence of the arcade game.


title: The Chainsmokers discography

text: The discography of American DJ duo the Chainsmokers consists of four studio albums, one soundtrack, fifteen extended plays, forty singles, three promotional singles, thirty-three music videos, and thirty-eight remixes.


title: The Chainsmokers discography

text: Their 2014 song "#Selfie" became their first ever single to chart in a country, peaking at number two in Sweden, number sixteen on the US "Billboard" Hot 100 chart, number three in Australia, and number eleven in the United Kingdom. They released their debut EP, "Bouquet", in October 2015. Their following single "Roses" reached the top ten on the "Billboard" Hot 100, while "Don't Let Me Down" became their first top five single. Later in 2016, the duo released another single "Closer". It became the Chainsmokers' first number-one single on the "Billboard" Hot 100, staying at number one for 12 consecutive weeks, and in the top five for 26 consecutive weeks. They released their second EP, "Collage", in November 2016. In April 2017, they released their debut studio album "Memories...Do Not Open", which debuted at number one on the US "Billboard" 200 and was certified platinum after five months.


title: The Chainsmokers discography

text: They released their second album "Sick Boy" on December 14, 2018. It features the hit single "This Feeling" featuring Kelsea Ballerini.


title: The Chainsmokers discography

text: Their third album "World War Joy" was released on December 6, 2019. It features the hit singles "Who Do You Love" featuring 5 Seconds of Summer and "Call You Mine" featuring Bebe Rexha.


title: The Chainsmokers discography

text: Their fourth and latest album "So Far So Good", was released on May 13, 2022. It features the hit single "High".


title: Rockfish

text: Rockfish is a common term for several species of fish, referring to their tendency to hide among rocks.


title: Rockfish

text: The name rockfish is used for many kinds of fish used for food. This common name belongs to several groups that are not closely related, and can be arbitrary.


title: Remington MSR

text: The Modular Sniper Rifle, or MSR, is a bolt-action sniper rifle developed and produced by Remington Arms for the United States Army. It was introduced in 2009, and was designed to meet specific United States Army and USSOCOM Precision Sniper Rifle requirements. The MSR initially won the PSR competition, and was called the Remington Mk 21 Precision Sniper Rifle in U.S. military service. However, it was then decided that the Mk 21 did not conform to SOCOM requirements at the time in 2018, and the program was re-competed with the Barrett MRAD selected in 2019 as the Mk 22 Advanced Sniper Rifle solution.


title: Remington MSR

text: On 7 March 2013, MSR was declared the winner of the Precision Sniper Rifle competition. Remington announced that the MSR had won on March 8, and it was publicly confirmed on March 9. This was followed by a $79.7 million contract for 5,150 rifles with suppressors, along with 4,696,800 rounds of ammunition to be supplied over the next ten years. The contract was awarded on 12 September 2013. Remington Defense produces the sniper rifles and utilizes two other companies for other system components, with Barnes Bullets for ammunition and Advanced Armament Corporation for muzzle brakes and suppressors; all three companies are subsidiaries of Freedom Group Incorporated.


title: Remington MSR

text: In 2015, the U.S. Army was considering the PSR to replace both the .300 Winchester Magnum M2010 Enhanced Sniper Rifle and the .50 BMG M107 Long Range Sniper Rifle for regular snipers, although no decision has been made. The U.S. Marine Corps was also considering the Mk 21 to replace their M40A5 sniper rifle, but is unlikely to adopt the Mk 21 due to the higher cost of the system, particularly the ammunition, as compared to the 7.62mm NATO M40A5.


title: Remington MSR

text: The Remington MSR is a manually operated bolt-action weapon with a rotary locking bolt. To facilitate caliber change, the bolt is equipped with removable bolt heads, with bolt faces matched for appropriate calibers. Bolt heads have three radial locking lugs. The MSR rifle is built upon an aluminum alloy "chassis", which hosts a compact receiver, adjustable trigger unit, pistol grip, and fully adjustable side-folding buttstock. The quick-change barrels are free-floated inside the tubular handguard which is provided with a number of user-installable Picatinny type accessory rails. The top of the receiver also is fitted with a monolithic Picatinny rail used to install sighting equipment (telescope sights or night vision sights). Additional equipment includes a detachable folding bipod and a quick-detachable suppressor which installs over the specially designed muzzle brake.


title: Remington MSR

text: The model that won the PSR competition is a modified version of the original MSR. It can be chambered in 7.62×51mm NATO, .300 Winchester Magnum, and .338 Lapua Magnum. It is reported to have 0.7 MOA average accuracy at with both Barnes and ATK .338 Lapua Magnum ammunition.


title: Remington MSR

text: On 14 August 2014, the Army announced it was seeking sources to produce .338 Lapua armor-piercing (AP) ammunition for use in the Mk 21 PSR to effectively engage targets out to . The main objective is for the rifle to defeat level IV body armor at 400 meters, whether suppressed or unsuppressed, in temperature ranges of . Other minimum requirements include a projectile velocity of or more at , of kinetic energy at , and the ability to defeat both of rolled homogeneous armor (RHA) and of cast iron at .


title: Prince-Archbishopric of Salzburg

text: The Prince-Archbishopric of Salzburg () was an ecclesiastical principality and state of the Holy Roman Empire. It comprised the secular territory ruled by the archbishops of Salzburg, as distinguished from the much larger Catholic diocese founded in 739 by Saint Boniface in the German stem duchy of Bavaria. The capital of the archbishopric was Salzburg, the former Roman city of ".


title: Prince-Archbishopric of Salzburg

text: From the late 13th century onwards, the archbishops gradually reached the status of Imperial immediacy and independence from the Bavarian dukes. Salzburg remained an ecclesiastical principality until its secularisation to the short-lived Electorate of Salzburg (later Duchy of Salzburg) in 1803. Members of the Bavarian Circle from 1500, the prince-archbishops bore the title of ", though they never obtained electoral dignity; actually of the six German prince-archbishoprics (with Mainz, Cologne and Trier), Magdeburg, Bremen and Salzburg received nothing from the Golden Bull of 1356. The last prince-archbishop exercising secular authority was Count Hieronymus von Colloredo, who was a patron of the Salzburg-native composer, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.


title: Prince-Archbishopric of Salzburg

text: The prince-archbishopric's territory was roughly congruent with the present-day Austrian state of Salzburg. It stretched along the Salzach river from the High Tauern range—Mt. Großvenediger at —at the main chain of the Alps in the south down to the Alpine foothills in the north. Here it also comprised the present-day Rupertiwinkel on the western shore of the Salzach, which today is part of Bavaria. The former archepiscopal lands are traditionally subdivided into five historic parts ("Gaue"): Flachgau with the Salzburg capital and Tennengau around Hallein are both located in the broad Salzach valley at the rim of the Northern Limestone Alps; the mountainous ("Innergebirg") southern divisions are Pinzgau, Pongau around Bischofshofen, and southeastern Lungau beyond the Radstädter Tauern Pass.


title: Prince-Archbishopric of Salzburg

text: In the north and east, the prince-archbishopric bordered on the Duchy of Austria, a former Bavarian margraviate, which had become independent in 1156 and, raised to an archduchy in 1457, developed as the nucleus of the Habsburg monarchy. The Salzkammergut border region, today a UNESCO World Heritage Site, as an important salt trade region was gradually seized by the mighty House of Habsburg and incorporated into the Upper Austrian lands. In the southeast, Salzburg adjoined the Duchy of Styria, also ruled by the Habsburg (arch-)dukes in personal union since 1192. By 1335, the Austrian regents had also acquired the old Duchy of Carinthia in the south, the Styrian and Carinthian territories were incorporated into Inner Austria in 1379. The Habsburg encirclement was nearly completed, when in 1363 the archdukes also attained the County of Tyrol in the west. Only in the northwest did Salzburg bordered on the Duchy of Bavaria (raised to an Electorate in 1623), and the tiny Berchtesgaden Provostry, which was able to retain its independence until the Mediatisation in 1803.


title: Prince-Archbishopric of Salzburg

text: The "Vita Sancti Severini" biography by the Early Christian chronicler Eugippius reported that during the Decline of the Roman Empire about 450 AD the local capital "Iuvavum" in the "Noricum ripense" province was already home to two churches and a monastery. Very little is known of the early bishopric during the Migration Period, and the legendary Saint Maximus of Salzburg is the only abbot-bishop known by name. A disciple of Saint Severinus, he was martyred in the retreat from Noricum, after the Germanic Western Roman officer Odoacer had deposed the last Emperor Romulus Augustulus and declared himself King of Italy in 476. In his conflict with the Rugii tribes, Odoacer had his brother Onoulphus evacuate the "Noricum ripense" province in 487/88, whereby "Iuvavum" was abandoned and with it the bishopric. Saint Severinus had already died in 482 in the "castrum" of "Favianis" (present-day Mautern in Lower Austria), six years before the departure of the Roman legions from the region.


title: Prince-Archbishopric of Salzburg

text: From the sixth century onwards, the northern areas of the later archbishopric were resettled by Germanic Bavarii tribes, who established themselves among the remaining Romance population, while Slavic tribes moved into the southern Pongau and Lungau parts. About 696 Saint Rupert, then Bishop of Worms in Frankish Austrasia and later called the apostle of Bavaria and Carinthia, came to the region from the Bavarian town Regensburg and laid the foundations for the re-establishment of the Salzburg diocese. After erecting a church at nearby Seekirchen he discovered the ruins of "Iuvavum" overgrown with brambles and remnants of the Romance population, who had maintained Christian traditions. The former theory that he arrived already in c. 543 during the time of the unsourced early Bavarian dukes appears less likely than that he worked during the reign of the Agilolfing duke Theodo II (c. 680–717), when the Bavarian stem duchy came under Frankish supremacy. The bishops of Salzburg traditionally marked the foundation of their diocese as being the year 582, and struck coins commemorating the 1,200 year anniversary of the event in 1782. In any case, it was not until after 700 that Christian civilisation re-emerged in the region.


title: Prince-Archbishopric of Salzburg

text: Rupert established a monastery dedicated to Saint Peter at the site of a Late Antique church in former "Iuvavum". St Peter's Abbey received large estates in the Flachgau (Rupertiwinkel) and Tennengau regions from the hands of Duke Theodon II, including several brine wells and salt evaporation ponds which earned "Iuvavum" its German name "Salzburg". In 711 Rupert also founded the "Cella Maximiliana" in the Pongau region, the later town of Bischofshofen. His niece Erentrude established a Benedictine nunnery at nearby Nonnberg about 713. In 739 Archbishop Boniface, with the blessing of Pope Gregory III, completed the work of Saint Rupert and raised Salzburg to a bishopric, placed under the primatial see of the Archdiocese of Mainz. St. Vergilius, abbot of St. Peter's since about 749, had quarrelled with St. Boniface over the existence of antipodes. He nevertheless became bishop about 767.


title: Prince-Archbishopric of Salzburg

text: Arno, bishop since 785, enjoyed the respect of the Frankish king Charlemagne who assigned to him the missionary territory between the rivers Danube in the north, the Rába "(Raab)" in the east and the Drava in the south, an area which had recently been conquered from the Avars. Monasteries were founded and all of Carinthia was slowly Christianised. While Arno was in Rome attending to some of Charlemagne's business in 798, Pope Leo III appointed him Archbishop over the other bishops in Bavaria (Freising, Passau, Regensburg, and Säben). When the dispute over the ecclesiastical border between Salzburg and the Patriarchate of Aquileia broke out, Charlemagne declared the Drava to be the border.


title: Prince-Archbishopric of Salzburg

text: Archbishop Adalwin (859–873) suffered great troubles when King Rastislav of Moravia attempted to remove his realm from the ecclesiastical influence of East Francia. In 870 Pope Adrian II appointed the "Apostle of the Slavs" St. Methodius the Archbishop of Pannonia and Moravia at Sirmium, entrusting him large territories under the overlordship of the Salzburg diocese. It was only when Rastislav and Methodius were captured by King Louis the German that Adalwin could adequately protest the invasion of his rights. Methodius appeared at the Synod of Salzburg where he was struck in the face and imprisoned in close confinement for two and a half years.


title: Prince-Archbishopric of Salzburg

text: Soon after, the Magyars ravaged Great Moravia and not a church was left standing in Pannonia. Archbishop Dietmar I fell in battle in 907. It was not until the Battle of Lechfeld in 955 that the Magyars suffered a crushing defeat, and ecclesiastical life in Salzburg returned to normal. The following year after Archbishop Herhold allied with Liudolf, Duke of Swabia and Duke Conrad the Red of Lorraine, he was deposed, imprisoned, blinded, and banished. Archbishop Bruno of Cologne, called the Bishop-Maker, appointed Frederick I archbishop and declared the Abbacy of St. Peter independent.


title: Prince-Archbishopric of Salzburg

text: In the era beginning with Pope Gregory VII, the Latin Christendom entered a period of internal conflict. The first archbishop of the era was Gebhard, who during the Investiture Controversy remained on the side of the Pope. Gebhard thus suffered a nine-year exile, and was allowed to return shortly before his death and was buried in Admont. After King Henry IV abdicated and Conrad I of Abensberg was elected Archbishop. Conrad lived in exile until the Calistine Concordat of 1122. Conrad spent the remaining years of his episcopate improving the religious life in the archdiocese.


title: Prince-Archbishopric of Salzburg

text: Archbishop Eberhard II of Regensberg was made a prince of the Empire in 1213, and created three new sees: Chiemsee (1216), Seckau (1218) and Lavant (1225). In 1241, at the Council of Regensburg he denounced Pope Gregory IX as "that man of perdition, whom they call Antichrist, who in his extravagant boasting says, I am God, I cannot err." During the German Interregnum, Salzburg suffered confusion. Philip of Spanheim, heir to the Dukedom of Carinthia, refused to take priestly consecrations, and was replaced by Ulrich, Bishop of Seckau.


title: Prince-Archbishopric of Salzburg

text: King Rudolph I of Habsburg quarrelled with the archbishops through the manipulations of Abbot Henry of Admont, and after his death the archbishops and the Habsburgs made peace in 1297. The people and archbishops of Salzburgs remained loyal to the Habsburgs in their struggles against the Wittelsbachs. When the Black Death reached Salzburg in 1347, the Jews were accused of poisoning the wells and suffered severe persecution.


title: Prince-Archbishopric of Salzburg

text: In 1473, he summoned the first provincial diet in the history of the archbishopric, and eventually abdicated. It was only Leonard of Keutschach (reigned 1495–1519) who reversed the situation. He had all the burgomasters and town councillors (who were levying unfair taxes) arrested simultaneously and imprisoned in the castle. His last years were spent in bitter struggle against Matthäus Lang of Wellenburg, Bishop of Gurk, who succeeded him in 1519.


title: Prince-Archbishopric of Salzburg

text: Matthäus Lang was largely unnoticed in official circles, although his influence was felt throughout the archbishopric. He brought in Saxon miners, which brought with them Protestant books and teachings. He then attempted to keep the populace Catholic, and during the Latin War was besieged in the Hohen-Salzburg, declared a "monster" by Martin Luther, and two later uprisings by the peasants lead to suffering to the entire archdiocese. Later bishops were wiser in the ruling and spared Salzburg the religious wars and devastation seen elsewhere in Germany. Archbishop Wolf Dietrich von Raitenau gave the Protestants the choice of converting to Catholicism or leaving Salzburg. The cathedral was rebuilt in such splendour that it was unrivalled by all others north of the Alps.


title: Prince-Archbishopric of Salzburg

text: Archbishop Paris of Lodron led Salzburg to peace and prosperity during the Thirty Years' War in which the rest of Germany was thoroughly devastated. During the reign of Leopold Anthony of Firmian, the remaining Protestants in Salzburg were expelled in 1731. He invited the Jesuits to Salzburg and asked for help from the emperor, and finally ordered the Protestants to recant their beliefs or emigrate. Over 20,000 Salzburg Protestants were forced to leave their homes, most of whom accepted an offer of land by King Frederick William I of Prussia.


title: Prince-Archbishopric of Salzburg

text: The last Prince-Archbishop, Hieronymus von Colloredo, is probably best known for his patronage of Mozart. His reforms of the church and education systems alienated him from the people.


title: Prince-Archbishopric of Salzburg

text: In 1803, Salzburg was secularised as the Electorate of Salzburg for the former Grand Duke Ferdinand III of Tuscany (brother of Emperor Francis II), who had lost his throne. In 1805, it became part of Austria. In 1809, it became part of Bavaria which closed the University of Salzburg, banned monasteries from accepting novices, and banned pilgrimages and processions. The archdiocese was reestablished as the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Salzburg in 1818 without temporal power.


title: Prince-Archbishopric of Salzburg

text: Up to today, the Archbishop of Salzburg has also borne the title "Primas Germaniae" ("First Bishop of Germany"). The powers of this title – non-jurisdictional – are limited to being the Pope's first correspondent in the German-speaking world, but had once included the right to preside over the Princes of the Holy Roman Empire. The Archbishop also has the title of "Legatus Natus" ("born legate") to the Pope, which, although not a cardinal, gives the Archbishop the privilege of wearing red vesture (which is much deeper than a cardinal's scarlet), even in Rome.


title: Silly Symphony

text: Silly Symphony is an American animated series of 75 musical short films produced by Walt Disney Productions from 1929 to 1939. As the series name implies, the "Silly Symphonies" were originally intended as whimsical accompaniments to pieces of music. As such, the films usually did not feature continuing characters, unlike the "Mickey Mouse" shorts produced by Disney at the same time (exceptions to this include "Three Little Pigs", "The Tortoise and the Hare", and "Three Orphan Kittens", which all had sequels). The series is notable for its innovation with Technicolor and the multiplane motion picture camera, as well as its introduction of the character Donald Duck making his first appearance in the "Silly Symphony" cartoon "The Wise Little Hen" in 1934. Seven shorts won the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film.


title: Silly Symphony

text: The series also spawned a "Silly Symphony" newspaper comic strip distributed by King Features Syndicate, and a Dell comic book series "Silly Symphonies", as well as several children's books, many of which were based on "Silly Symphony" cartoons.


title: Silly Symphony

text: The "Silly Symphonies" returned to theaters with its re-issues and re-releases, and eventually tied with Joseph Barbera and William Hanna's "Tom and Jerry"'s record for most Oscar wins for a cartoon series in the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film category.


title: Silly Symphony

text: While Walt Disney and Carl Stalling, a theatre organist from Kansas City, were in New York to add sound to the Mickey Mouse shorts "The Gallopin' Gaucho", "The Barn Dance" and "Plane Crazy", Stalling suggested the idea of making a series of musical animated shorts that combined the latest sound technology with storytelling. At first Walt did not seem interested, but when they returned to New York in February to record the sound for a fifth Mickey Mouse cartoon, "The Opry House", they also recorded the soundtrack for "The Skeleton Dance", the type of short that Stalling had suggested and the first Silly Symphony cartoon.


title: Silly Symphony

text: Within the animation industry, the series is known for its use by Walt Disney as a platform for experimenting with processes, techniques, characters, and stories in order to further the art of animation. It also provided a venue to try out techniques and technologies, such as Technicolor, special effects animation, and dramatic storytelling in animation, that would be crucial to Disney's plans to eventually begin making feature-length animated films.


title: Silly Symphony

text: Shortly after the switch to United Artists, the series became even more popular. Walt Disney had seen some of Dr. Herbert Kalmus' tests for a new three-strip, full-color Technicolor process, which would replace the previous two-tone Technicolor process. Disney signed a contract with Technicolor which gave the Disney studio exclusive rights to the new three-strip process through the end of 1935, and had a 60% complete "Symphony", "Flowers and Trees", scrapped and redone in full color. "Flowers and Trees" was the first animated film to use the three-strip Technicolor process, and was a phenomenal success. Within a year, the now-in-Technicolor "Silly Symphonies" series had popularity and success that matched (and later surpassed) that of the "Mickey Mouse" cartoons. The contract Disney had with Technicolor would also later be extended another five years as well.


title: Silly Symphony

text: The success of "Silly Symphonies" would be tremendously boosted after "Three Little Pigs" was released in 1933 and became a box office sensation; the film was featured in movie theaters for several months and also featured the hit song that became the anthem of the Great Depression, "Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf". Several "Silly Symphonies" entries, including "Three Little Pigs" (1933), "The Grasshopper and the Ants" (1934), "The Tortoise and the Hare" (1935), "The Country Cousin" (1936), "The Old Mill" (1937), "Wynken, Blynken, and Nod" (1938), and "The Ugly Duckling" (1939, with an earlier black-and-white version from 1931), are among the most notable films produced by Walt Disney.


title: Silly Symphony

text: Due to problems related to Disney's scheduled productions of cartoons, a deal was made with Harman and Ising to produce three Silly Symphonies: "Merbabies", "Pipe Dreams", and "The Little Bantamweight". Only one of these cartoons, "Merbabies", ended up being bought by Disney, the remaining two Harman-Ising Silly Symphonies were then sold to MGM who released them as Happy Harmonies cartoons. Disney ceased production of "Silly Symphonies" in 1939.


title: Silly Symphony

text: The series was first distributed by Pat Powers from 1929 to 1930 and released by Celebrity Productions (1929–1930) indirectly through Columbia Pictures. The original basis of the cartoons was musical novelty, and the musical scores of the first cartoons were composed by Carl Stalling.


title: Silly Symphony

text: After viewing "The Skeleton Dance", the manager at Columbia Pictures quickly became interested in distributing the series, and gained the perfect opportunity to acquire Silly Symphonies after Disney broke with Celebrity Productions head Pat Powers after Powers signed Disney's colleague Ub Iwerks to a studio contract. Columbia Pictures (1930–1932) agreed to pick up the direct distribution of the Mickey Mouse series on the condition that they would have exclusive rights to distribute the "Silly Symphonies" series; at first, "Silly Symphonies" could not even come close to the popularity Mickey Mouse had. The original title cards to the shorts released by Celebrity Productions and Columbia Pictures were all redrawn after Walt Disney stopped distributing his cartoons through them. Meanwhile, more competition spread for Disney after Max Fleischer's flapper cartoon character Betty Boop began to gain more and more popularity after starring in the cartoon "Minnie the Moocher"; by August 1932, Betty Boop became so popular that the Talkartoon series was renamed as Betty Boop cartoons.


title: Silly Symphony

text: In 1932, after falling out with Columbia Pictures, Disney began distributing his products through United Artists. UA refused to distribute the "Silly Symphonies" unless Disney associated Mickey Mouse with them somehow, resulting in the "Mickey Mouse presents a "Silly Symphony"" title cards and posters that introduced and promoted the series during its five-year run for UA. United Artists also agreed to double the budget for each cartoon from $7,500 to $15,000.


title: Silly Symphony

text: In 1937, Disney signed a distribution deal with RKO Radio Pictures to distribute the Silly Symphony cartoons, along with the Mickey Mouse series. RKO would continue to distribute until the end of the series in 1939.


title: Silly Symphony

text: Several "Symphonies" have been released in home media, most of the time as bonus shorts that relate to something within various Disney films. For instance, the original "Dumbo" VHS included "Father Noah's Ark", "The Practical Pig" and "Three Orphan Kittens" as bonus shorts to make up for the film's short length. In the UK, several "Symphonies" were released in compilations under Walt Disney Home Video's "Storybook Favourites" brand. The three "Storybook Favourites Shorts" volumes released included among others, "Three Little Pigs", "The Tortoise and the Hare" and the remake of "The Ugly Duckling".


title: Silly Symphony

text: On December 4, 2001, Disney released "" as part of its DVD series "Walt Disney Treasures". On December 19, 2006, "" was released, completing the collection and allowing the cartoons to be completely available to the public.


title: Silly Symphony

text: Some Disney Blu-ray discs includes "Silly Symphonies" as high definition special features. "Show White and the Seven Dwarves" includes six, "Beauty and the Beast" and "Dumbo" both contain two and Pixar's "A Bug's Life" contains one.


title: Silly Symphony

text: The "Silly Symphony" shorts originally aired on Turner Classic Movies' period program block "Treasures from the Disney Vault".


title: Silly Symphony

text: Disney's experiments were widely praised within the film industry, and the "Silly Symphonies" won the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film seven times, maintaining a six-year-hold on the category after it was first introduced. This record was matched only by MGM's "Tom and Jerry" series during the 1940s and 1950s.


title: Silly Symphony

text: The "Symphonies" changed the course of Disney Studio history when Walt's plans to direct his first feature cartoon became problematic after his warm-up to the task "The Golden Touch" was widely seen (even by Disney himself) as stiff and slowly paced. This motivated him to embrace his role as being the producer and providing creative oversight (especially of the story) for "Snow White" while tasking David Hand to handle the actual directing.


title: Silly Symphony

text: "Silly Symphonies" brought along many imitators, including Warner Bros. cartoon series "Looney Tunes" and "Merrie Melodies", MGM's "Happy Harmonies", and later, Universal's "Swing Symphony".


title: Silly Symphony

text: Years later after the Silly Symphonies ended, Disney occasionally produced a handful of one-shot cartoons, playing the same style as the "Silly Symphony" series. Unlike the "Silly Symphonies" canon, most of these "Specials" have a narration, usually by Disney legend Sterling Holloway.


title: Silly Symphony

text: The 1999–2000 television series "Mickey Mouse Works" used the "Silly Symphonies" title for some of its new cartoons, but unlike the original cartoons, these did feature continuing characters.