title: Silver King (wrestler)

text: During 2003 NJPW began to phase out most of the Luchadors they had employed over the years and thus Black Tiger began working regularly in Mexico for CMLL, this marked the first time the gimmick was used for a longer period of time outside of NJPW. Since the storyline in Mexico was that Black Tiger was Japanese they could not acknowledge the fact that he and Dr. Wagner Jr. were brothers (in Japan Black Tiger had always been portrayed by a foreigner). He usually ended up as Dr. Wagner Jr.'s back-up but on 31 March 2001, Black Tiger, Dr. Wagner Jr., and Universo 2000 won the CMLL World Trios Championship from Atlantis, Black Warrior, and Mr. Niebla. The team would hold the Trios title for over a year until being unseated on 9 July 2004, by Black Warrior, El Canek, and Rayo de Jalisco Jr. When their father (Dr. Wagner) died on 12 September 2004, Dr. Wagner Jr. was turned "tecnicó" (good guy) by sympathy but since González was working as Black Tiger and not publicly acknowledged as the son of Dr. Wagner he remained a "rudó" (bad guy). Dr. Wagner Jr.'s turn meant that Black Tiger did not have a partner or a direction, he began working for CMLL's associate International Wrestling Revolution Group (IWRG) and some smaller CMLL shows, basically in a holding pattern.


title: Silver King (wrestler)

text: González kept working as Black Tiger even when NJPW introduced Rocky Romero as the latest Black Tiger (Black Tiger IV) but due to their working relationship with NJPW, CMLL decided that when González worked for them he needed a different "persona". He was repackaged as "El Bronco" complete with a new mask and promoted as someone new to CMLL. González made his debut as "El Bronco" teaming up with Elektro (who had just jumped from AAA to CMLL) and L.A. Park against the original members of Los Guerreros del Infierno (Último Guerrero, Rey Bucanero, and Tarzan Boy). The match was seen as a letdown as the crowd did not appreciate Elektro and did not buy into the "El Bronco" gimmick and the scheduled rematch was rebooked with Hijo de Lizmark and Místico taking over their roles in the match and González as El Bronco replacing Lizmark Jr. in the 2005 Gran Alternativa tournament where his team lost in the first round. After the Gran Alternativa González only made sporadic CMLL appearances as González. González continued wrestling as Black Tiger in IWRG and in other independent Mexican wrestling promotions. On 4 February 2006, González finally gave up the Black Tiger name as he lost a "Lucha de Apuestas" to L.A. Park and was unmasked. After losing his mask González went back to working as Silver King.


title: Silver King (wrestler)

text: In late 2007, Silver King started working for All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW) where he became masked once again. In a break from tradition. Silver King did not change gimmicks but remasked under the same gimmick he was unmasked as in 1987. Silver King won the World Junior Heavyweight Championship on 1 March 2008, by defeating Katsuhiko Nakajima. He held the title for under two months as he lost it to Ryuji Hijikata on 29 April 2008.


title: Silver King (wrestler)

text: On 13 June 2008, Silver King made his debut with AAA, teaming with La Parka (AAA) and Chessman to face La Legion Extranjera (Electro Shock, Bobby Lashley, and Kenzo Suzuki) at AAA's Triplemania XVI show. Silver King participated in the second annual "Copa Antonio Peña" tournament Gauntlet match. He was the eleventh entrant and lost to eventual winner El Mesias. During a television taping on 7 February 2009, Silver King turned on his tag team partners La Parka (AAA) and X-Pac to side with Konnan's La Legión Extranjera.


title: Silver King (wrestler)

text: After "La Legión Extranjera" was defeated in the main event of Triplemania XVII and Konnan lost control of AAA, Silver King went on to form the stable "Los Wagnermaniacos" with Dr. Wagner Jr., Electroshock, and Ultimo Gladiator. Following Electroshock's AAA Mega Championship win at Rey de Reyes in March 2010, Silver King, Electroshock, and Ultimo Gladiator all turned on Dr. Wagner Jr. and adopted the new stable name "Los Maniacos". In the weeks leading up to Triplemania XVIII, it was announced that the winners of a tag team match between Silver King and Último Gladiador against "La Hermandad 187" (Nicho and Joe Líder) would be given a chance to wrestle for the AAA World Tag Team Championship at Triplemania XVIII. The match between the two teams ended in a draw, leaving it undecided if both or neither teams will wrestle at Triplemania XVIII.


title: Silver King (wrestler)

text: On 6 June 2010, at Triplemania XVIII, Silver King was officially billed as "Silver Cain", both as a reference to the biblical Cain and Abel, as well as a way for AAA to get around him wearing a mask again. The Mexican Boxing and Wrestling Commission had been giving González problems due to the fact that he had previously lost his mask and this was a way to get around it since he was allowed to wear a mask under a new character. He would only have to use the new name when wrestling in Mexico City. On that night he and Último Gladiador outlasted three other teams, pinning James Storm of Beer Money, Inc. to win the AAA World Tag Team Championship, Silver King's first AAA title. Following the match, "Los Junior Capos" (Máscara Año 2000 Jr. and Hijo de Cien Caras) from IWRG came to the ring to challenge the new champions for the title. On 26 June, Silver King defeated Máscara Año 2000 Jr. to win the IWRG Intercontinental Heavyweight Championship in an AAA/IWRG inter-promotional match.


title: Silver King (wrestler)

text: Silver King went on to challenge Dr. Wagner Jr. for the AAA Mega Championship in a three-way match, which also included Vampiro, on 15 August at Verano de Escandalo, but failed to win the title, when Wagner pinned Vampiro. After the match King played an audiotape, where the late father of the two brothers claimed that King was the more talented of the two of them. This revelation led to a match on 1 October at Héroes Inmortales IV, where Wagner Jr. defeated Silver King in a singles match to retain the AAA Mega Championship.


title: Silver King (wrestler)

text: In September 2010 Silver King and Último Gladiador had announced they were joining "La Sociedad". Initially, Electroshock made no official announcement on whether he would be following them but agreed to represent the group at "Héroes Inmortales V" in order to get his hands on Heavy Metal, with whom he had been feuding the past weeks. However, on 14 November he announced he was not part of "La Sociedad" and urged Silver King and Último Gladiador to leave the group. After Electroshock turned "La Sociedad" down for the second time on 18 November, Silver King and Último Gladiador turned on him and beat him down with "La Milicia". On 27 November Silver King officially kicked Electroshock out of "Los Maniacos", while also announcing his spot in the group would be taken by a new member.


title: Silver King (wrestler)

text: On 5 December at "Guerra de Titanes" Silver King and Último Gladiador successfully defended the AAA World Tag Team Championship in a three–way ladder match against "La Hermandad 187" and fellow "La Sociedad" members Hernandez and El Ilegal. On 21 March 2011, "Los Maniacos" lost the AAA World Tag Team Championship to Extreme Tiger and Jack Evans. In IWRG, "Los Maniacos" was joined by Joe Líder, with whom Silver King and Último Gladiador held the IWRG Intercontinental Trios Championship from 3 March to 24 April when they lost them during IWRG's "Guerra de Empresas" show. After losing the title to "Los Psycho Circus", King and Gladiador turned on Líder and kicked him out of the group. Shortly thereafter, King and Gladiador joined forces with Chessman to form "La Maniarquía". On 18 June at Triplemanía XIX, "La Maniarquía" was defeated by Electroshock, Heavy Metal and Joe Líder in a Tables, Ladders and Chairs match. In April 2012, Silver King made peace with Dr. Wagner Jr. as the two came together to battle "El Consejo" stable. However, the alliance was short-lived as on 5 August during the main event of "Triplemanía XX", Silver King turned on Wagner Jr., who, despite the betrayal, managed to defeat Máscara Año 2000 Jr. in a Mask vs. Mask match. Afterward, Silver King revealed that he had been behind "El Consejo" from the beginning, revealing himself as the leader of the "rudo" stable. However, Silver King quickly began having problems with his new stablemates, with Máscara Año 2000 Jr. asking how they could trust a man who was capable of betraying his own brother. The storyline was dropped after both Máscara Año 2000 Jr. and Toscano left "El Consejo". On 8 December 2013, at "Guerra de Titanes", Silver King, El Texano Jr., and "El Consejo"'s newest member, El Hijo del Fantasma, unsuccessfully challenged "Los Psycho Circus" for the AAA World Trios Championship. He left AAA in 2014.


title: Silver King (wrestler)

text: On 25 November 2017, King returned to AAA where he worked in a Bull Terrier Four Way match against Silver King Jr, La Parka Negra and La Parka. His last match with AAA was on 29 December 2018 teaming with Dave the Clown losing to La Parka and Murder Clown.


title: Silver King (wrestler)

text: After leaving AAA in 2014, Silver King worked in many independent circuit Mexican promotions. On 27 June 2015 he lost to his brother Dr. Wagner Jr at Lucha Libre Espectacular in Palmetto, Florida. He also worked in England in 2016 and 2017. On 14 March 2019, he returned to Japan where he participated in a shared event with World Wonder Ring Stardom and Tokyo Gurentai teaming with Fuerza Guerrera and Diamante losing to Ultimo Dragon, El Hijo del Santo and Shiryu.


title: Silver King (wrestler)

text: In 2005, González was cast as the villain opposite Jack Black's character in the Paramount Pictures film "Nacho Libre". In the film, González wears a golden mask and outfit and plays the top luchador known as "Ramses". After the film premiered, González wore the golden outfit at least once during a defense of his UWA World Junior Light Heavyweight Championship.


title: Silver King (wrestler)

text: During a match in Camden Town, London, England, against Juventud Guerrera on 11 May 2019, González collapsed in the ring and died a short time later, from a heart attack at the age of 51. Following his death, his body was delayed in being transported from London to Mexico. His body arrived in Mexico City on 19 May, and then it was moved to Monterrey and later by land to Torreón, Coahuila, his native city. His funeral was held at the Funeraria Gayosso where fans were able to attend, and he was later buried at the Jardines del Tiempo in Torreón alongside his father. An autopsy confirmed that González 's cause of death was due to a fulminant myocardial infarction and that there were no drugs or medications in his blood.


title: Silver King (wrestler)

text: After González's death, it was reported that Daniel "El Satanico" Lopez, who runs the commission in Zapopan in Guadalajara, decided that shows held in that state would need two ambulances on-site, one paramedic, one doctor, and referees trained in CPR.


title: Silver King (wrestler)

text: On 22 May 2019 a tribute in memory for González was held at the Arena Campeones de Torreón. On 3 August at Triplemanía XXVII, he was posthumously inducted into the AAA Hall of Fame as part of the 2019 class.


title: Internal Troops

text: The Internal Troops, full name Internal Troops of the Ministry for Internal Affairs (MVD) (; abbreviated "ВВ", VV), alternatively translated as "Interior (Troops or Forces)", is a paramilitary gendarmerie-like force mostly in successor states of the Soviet Union and in other countries as well, including in Russia (until 2016), Ukraine (until 2014), Georgia (until 2004), Kazakhstan (until 2014), Kyrgyzstan, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Turkmenistan, and Tajikistan. It is also maintained as reserve forces in the Armed Forces of Mongolia. Internal Troops are subordinated to the interior ministries of the respective countries.


title: Internal Troops

text: They were designed to be used to support and reinforce the "Militsiya" (police forces), deal with large-scale crowd control, internal armed conflicts, prison security (except in Russia) and safeguarding of highly-important facilities (like nuclear power plants). As such, the force was and is involved in the various conflicts and violent disturbances in the history of the Soviet Union and modern Russia, including the Russian Civil War, World War II, mass repressions of Stalinist era, and the Chechen Wars. During wartime, the Internal Troops fall under armed forces military command and fulfill the missions of local defence and rear area security.


title: Internal Troops

text: The Soviet Internal Troops were formed in 1919 under the Cheka (later NKVD, and were known as "NKVD Troops", formerly the "Internal Security Forces" (Russian: Voyska vnutrenney okhrany Respubliki or VOHR)), remained there with all the mergers and splittings of Soviet state security services and ended up under the control of the police-like MVD. The most well-known of the Internal Troops divisions is OMSDON based near Moscow which traces its roots to the "OSNAZ" detachment of the VChK (formerly of the VTsIK). It was later reorganized into the DON (Special-Purpose Division) of the OGPU and the NKVD.


title: Internal Troops

text: In July 1941, formations of the NKVD were providing security for government installations, railway lines, and industrial centres. Railway security forces totalled 62,100, comprising nine divisions and five brigades securing 1,700 sites. Operational forces, the direct forerunners of the Internal Troops, included 11 regiments stationed in the western military districts, seven regiments and three battalions in the internal districts, and the F. E. Dzerzhinsky Independent Special Designation Division in Moscow (transferred from the OGPU in 1934). In October 1940, a specialised NKVD force had also been formed to assist with local air defence for important areas. By June 1941 this new Main Directorate for Local Antiaircraft Defence had three regiments, including in Moscow, and four battalions, all engineer-anti-chemical units. Another division and five brigades totalling just under 30,000 men were in the process of formation.


title: Internal Troops

text: During World War II, most units of the NKVD Internal Troops were engaged alongside Red Army forces against Axis troops. They participated in the defense of Moscow, Leningrad, the Brest Fortress, Kiev, Odessa, Voronezh, Stalingrad, the North Caucasus and were heavily engaged during the Battle of Kursk.


title: Internal Troops

text: Typically, NKVD Internal Troops were defensive in nature, although they played a particularly instrumental role during the Battle of Moscow, the Siege of Leningrad, and the Battle of Stalingrad where the 10th NKVD Rifle Division suffered almost 90% casualties during the battle. Large VV units also stayed in the rear to maintain order, fight enemy infiltrators and to guard key installations (such as the armament manufacturing complex at Tula, protected by the 156th NKVD regiment in 1941) and the railway installations guarded by the 14th Railway Facilities Protection Division NKVD.


title: Internal Troops

text: Altogether, more than 53 Internal Troops divisions and 20 Internal Troops brigades were on active duty during the war. Of those, 18 units were awarded battle honors (military decorations or honorary titles). A total of 977,000 servicemen were killed in action. More than 100,000 soldiers and officers received awards for gallantry in the face of the enemy, and 295 servicemen were awarded the "Hero of the Soviet Union" title.


title: Internal Troops

text: After the war's end, Internal Troops played an important role in fighting local anti-Soviet partisans in the Baltic states (such as the Forest Brothers) and the Ukrainian Insurgent Army. In 1953, the Internal Troops suppressed the Vorkuta labor camp uprising with gunfire, which resulted in death of at least 100 political prisoners.


title: Internal Troops

text: A series of Internal Troops districts supervised many divisions, brigades, regiments, and battalions. Among them was the headquarters for Internal Troops in the Baltic area, which became Directorate Internal Troops NKVD-MVD-MGB Baltic Military District (Управление ВВ НКВД-МВД-МГБ Прибалтийского округа). This headquarters supervised several Internal Troops divisions, including the 14th Railway Facilities Protection Division from 1944 to 1951. Other divisions in the Baltic MD included the 4th, 5th, and 63rd Rifle Divisions NKVD.


title: Internal Troops

text: In 1969, the internal forces were managed by the Main Department of Internal Troops MVD of the USSR. By an order of the Ministry of Internal Affairs number 007 of 22 February 1969 on the basis of the Internal Troops, Internal and Escort of the Interior Ministry of the Ukrainian SSR, the Ukrainian SSR and the Moldavian SSR MVD Internal Troops Directorates were officially established.


title: Internal Troops

text: Ten other convoy divisions were formed up to the 1990s (42nd (Vilnius), 68th Division (Gorky), 75th (Alma-Ata), 86th, 101st, 102nd, 38th, 39th, 48th, 50th and 76th (77th?) Convoy Division (Petrovsky). On January 11, 1978 was established Interior Ministry forces in the Far East and Eastern Siberia. On April 23, 1979, on the basis of Headquarters 89th Convoy Division (Novosibirsk's Military Unit Number 7540) was created the Directorate of Internal Troops (UVV) MIA Western Siberia (with the inclusion of the 90th and 102nd convoy divisions). On the basis of the 44th Convoy Division the UVV MIA North-West and the Baltic States was created.


title: Internal Troops

text: With the beginning of the Khrushchev era and de-Stalinisation, the Internal Troops became significantly reduced in size, but retained their pre-war functions. After the Chernobyl disaster in 1986, Internal Troops personnel were among the cleanup crews ('liquidators'), engaged in security and emergency management activities; hundreds of servicemen were exposed to heavy radiation and dozens died. By 1989, with the increasing popular discontent nationwide that had begun to manifest in the USSR, the Internal Troops of the MVD, on orders from the Presidum of the Supreme Soviet, officially became a reporting agency of the MIA after years as a part of the Ministry of Defense.


title: Internal Troops

text: On 1 October 1989, the Ground Forces' 14th Tank Division at Novocherkassk (Rostov Oblast) was transferred into the MVD as the 100th Motorised Division for Special Use VV MVD SSSR.


title: Internal Troops

text: Prior to the 1990s, there were 180 regiments (of varying size) of Internal Troops, of which 90 were mainly guards of correctional institutions, important public facilities and public order. Some of them became engaged in the ethnic conflicts that occurred during the Dissolution of the Soviet Union. Their activities during this period included the 1989 violent incident in Tbilisi when VV servicemen used entrenching shovels to decimate a crowd of unarmed Georgian civilians.


title: Internal Troops

text: The pattern of Internal Troops was copied by many countries of the Warsaw Pact. In 1945 in Poland the Internal Security Corps was established, in East Germany a similar unit or the "Volkspolizei-Bereitschaft" ("People's Police Alert Units") was created in 1955.


title: Internal Troops

text: These units were created for a further reason as well: to have additional ground troop capacities in the event of a war, that did not show up at armaments negotiations, because those internal troops were not part of the military and still had suitable and compatible equipment.


title: Internal Troops

text: During Cold War the West German "Bundesgrenzschutz /BGS" (Federal Border Guard) was a paramilitary police with infantry units as well, for a short period there was even a mandatory service in force.


title: Internal Troops

text: After the fall of Soviet Union in 1990–91, local Internal Troops units were resubordinated to the respective new independent states, except for the three Baltic countries. Azerbaijan (Internal Troops of Azerbaijan), Kazakhstan, the Russian Federation (Internal Troops of Russia), Tajikistan (Tajik Internal Troops) and Ukraine (Internal Troops of Ukraine) retained the name, organization and tasks of their Internal Troops. Up until December 2002, Armenia maintained a Ministry of Internal Affairs, but along with the Ministry of National Security, it was reorganised as a non-ministerial institution (the two organisations became the Police of Armenia and the National Security Service). Georgia detached a militarized branch from its Ministry of Internal Affairs and transferred its former Internal Troops under the command of the Ministry of Defence in November 2004. The Internal Troops of Kazakhstan was dissolved in April 2014 and was replaced with the National Guard of Kazakhstan.


title: Internal Troops

text: In 2014 the Ukrainian Internal Troops were disbanded due the negative reputation gained during the Euromaidan and as part of a general military and governamental reform. They were reorganized into the National Guard of Ukraine (NGU), which still serves in similar role to the Internal Troops.


title: Internal Troops

text: In 2016, the Russian Internal Troops, as well other units under the Russian Ministry of Interior—mainly SOBR and OMON—were transferred and merged under a new organization named the National Guard of Russia (Rosgvardiya). Differently from the old Interior Troops, the Rosgvarsyia is not subordinated to the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MVD), but under the Security Council of Russia, which in practice puts it under direct control of the President of Russia.


title: Internal Troops

text: Despite being subordinated to a civilian police authority, Internal Troops are a military force with centralized system of ranks, command and service. The chief commander and staff of the Troops report only to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, maintaining their separate chain of command. Soviet VV units were predominantly formed up of conscripts drafted by the same system as for the Soviet Army. Modern troops in Russia and Ukraine are experiencing a slow transition to the contract personnel system. VV officers are trained in both own special academies and the Army's military academies.


title: Internal Troops

text: The main kinds of Internal Troops are field units, prison security units, various facility-guarding units and special forces like Rus. Since the 1980s, the several special forces units that developed within the VV, were created to deal with terrorism and hostage crises. Fields units are essentially light motorized infantry, similar to respective regular army units by their organization and weapons.


title: Internal Troops

text: Soviet prison security units (; criminal slang: "vertuhai") originally consisted of the units that guard the perimeters of the prisons, and the prisoner transport teams (actually "konvoi", literally "convoy"). In post-Soviet countries, some or all of the prison-related tasks were transferred to other agencies.


title: Internal Troops

text: "The Guard" is a Soviet 1990 drama film, based on the real story of VV soldier who killed his entire prisoner transport unit as a result of dedovschina (brutal hazing system).


title: A23 battery

text: The A23 battery (also referred to as 23AE, GP23A, V23GA, LRV08, 8LR932, 8LR23, MN21, L1028 or ANSI-1181A) is a dry battery consisting of eight LR932 cells, with a nominal voltage of 12 V.


title: A23 battery

text: It is mainly used in small electronic keychain radio devices, such as keyless vehicle entry systems, home security systems, garage door openers, and Bluetooth headsets.


title: A23 battery

text: An A23 battery is cylindrical and approximately two-thirds the length of an AAA battery, measuring 28.2 mm long and 10.0 mm in diameter, with a typical weight of 8 grams. An A23 battery is an 8-cell device with a nominal voltage of 12 V. The higher voltage is necessary for the radio frequency-transmitting and receiving devices which A23 batteries often power. It has a capacity of around 55 mAh.


title: A23 battery

text: The A23 battery is close in size to the N battery, which has a voltage of 1.25 V to 1.5 V. It is also similar to the A27 battery, which has the same 12 V nominal voltage and almost the same length but is smaller in diameter by about 20% .


title: Gary Kurtz

text: Gary Douglas Kurtz (July 27, 1940 – September 23, 2018) was an American film producer whose list of credits includes "American Graffiti" (1973), "Star Wars" (1977), "The Empire Strikes Back" (1980), "The Dark Crystal" (1982) and "Return to Oz" (1985). Kurtz also co-produced the 1989 science fiction adventure film "Slipstream", which reunited him with "Star Wars" star Mark Hamill.


title: Gary Kurtz

text: During 1965, Kurtz was an assistant director on a Monte Hellman Western, "Ride in the Whirlwind", starring Jack Nicholson for Proteus Films. He then served as production manager on "Voyage to the Prehistoric Planet" with Basil Rathbone and Faith Domergue for American International Pictures. Kurtz additionally worked as an assistant director and second unit director, as well as a camera operator for the second unit, on the musical comedy "Beach Ball" for Paramount Pictures. In 1966, Kurtz was again production manager on "Queen of Blood", with John Saxon, Basil Rathbone, and Dennis Hopper, as well as acting as a sound technician on "Blood Bath", both for American International Pictures. Kurtz then worked as an assistant camera operator on another Monte Hellman western, "The Shooting", starring Warren Oates and Jack Nicholson, and finally wore multiple hats as production manager, assistant director, and editor on the Harry Dean Stanton-starring "The Hostage", both for Crown International Pictures.


title: Gary Kurtz

text: Kurtz' film career was interrupted between 1966 and 1969, when he served in the U.S. Marine Corps. Raised as a Quaker, Kurtz enlisted as a conscientious objector, refusing to wear a sidearm, and served as a combat cameraman.


title: Gary Kurtz

text: After leaving military service, Kurtz moved up to the world of studio pictures, acting as the associate producer on the neo-noir Warren Oates-starring "Chandler" for Metro-Goldwyn Mayer; and "Two-Lane Blacktop" with Monte Hellman for Universal Pictures, both in 1971.


title: Gary Kurtz

text: Gary Kurtz and George Lucas' first collaboration was on the 1973 film "American Graffiti". Lucas and producer Kurtz initially took the script to American International Pictures, which expressed interest but ultimately deemed "American Graffiti" not violent or sexual enough by the studio's standards. The pair eventually found favor at Universal Pictures, who allowed Lucas total artistic control and the right of final cut privilege on the condition that he and Kurtz make "American Graffiti" on a strict, low budget.


title: Gary Kurtz

text: Universal initially projected a $600,000 budget, but added an additional $175,000 once producer Francis Ford Coppola signed on to co-produce with Kurtz. This would allow the studio to advertise "American Graffiti" as "From the Man Who Gave You "The Godfather"." Production proceeded with virtually no input or interference from Universal.


title: Gary Kurtz

text: The film was released in the United States on August 1, 1973, to sleeper hit reception. The film cost only $1.27 million to produce and market, but yielded worldwide box office gross revenues of more than $55 million. It had only modest success outside the United States, but became a cult film in France. Universal reissued "Graffiti" in 1978 and earned an additional $63 million, which brought the total revenue for the two releases to $118 million. At the end of its theatrical run, "American Graffiti" had one of the best cost-to-profit ratios of any motion picture ever. It was the thirteenth-highest-grossing film of all time in 1977, and, adjusted for inflation, is currently the forty-third highest. By the 1990s, "American Graffiti" had earned more than $200 million in box office gross and home video sales. In December 1997, "Variety" reported that the film had earned an additional $55.13 million in rental revenue.


title: Gary Kurtz

text: "American Graffiti" went on to receive widespread critical acclaim. Based on 33 reviews collected by "Rotten Tomatoes", 97% of the critics enjoyed the film with an average score of 8.3/10. The consensus reads, "One of the most influential of all teen films, "American Graffiti" is a funny, nostalgic, and bittersweet look at a group of recent high school grads' last days of innocence."


title: Gary Kurtz

text: Kurtz and Coppola were nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture but lost to "The Sting". Further nominations at the 46th Academy Awards included Best Director (George Lucas), Best Original Screenplay (Lucas, Willard Huyck and Gloria Katz), Best Supporting Actress (Candy Clark) and Best Film Editing (Verna Fields and Marcia Lucas). Kurtz and Coppola went on to win the Best Motion Picture (Musical or Comedy) at the 31st Golden Globe Awards, while Paul Le Mat won Most Promising Newcomer. Lucas was nominated for Best Director and Richard Dreyfuss was nominated for Best Actor in a Comedy or Musical. More nominations included Cindy Williams by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts for Best Actress in a Supporting Role, Lucas for the Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directing, and Lucas, Huyck and Katz by the Writers Guild of America for Best Original Comedy.


title: Gary Kurtz

text: In 1995, the film was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress for being "culturally, historically, and aesthetically significant."


title: Gary Kurtz

text: In 1973, at approximately the same time as he began his collaboration with George Lucas, Kurtz formed his own company, Kinetographics, in San Rafael, California.


title: Gary Kurtz

text: Kurtz continued his collaboration with Lucas on "Star Wars" (later subtitled "Episode IV – A New Hope"), released in 1977.


title: Gary Kurtz

text: When principal photography began on "Star Wars" on March 22, 1976, in the Tunisian desert for the scenes on the planet Tatooine, the project faced several problems. Lucas fell behind schedule in the first week of shooting due to a rare Tunisian rainstorm, malfunctioning props, and electronic breakdowns. He also clashed with cinematographer Gilbert Taylor, BSC, whom Kurtz called "old-school" and "crotchety".


title: Gary Kurtz

text: Produced with a budget of $11 million and released on May 25, 1977, the film earned $460 million in the United States and $314 million overseas, surpassing "Jaws" as the nominal highest-grossing film and remaining that way until being surpassed by "E.T. the Extra Terrestrial" in 1982. When adjusted for inflation, it is the second highest-grossing film in the US and Canada and is the third highest-grossing in the world .


title: Gary Kurtz

text: Among the many awards the film received were ten Academy Award nominations, winning six; the nominations including Kurtz himself for Best Picture, and Alec Guinness for Best Supporting Actor. The film is often ranked among the best films of all time.


title: Gary Kurtz

text: In 1989, it was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress for being "culturally, historically, and aesthetically significant."


title: Gary Kurtz

text: Kurtz's final collaboration with Lucas, "The Empire Strikes Back", was an expensive and difficult production. Records at Elstree Studios indicate that the movie took 175 shooting days, having been budgeted at 100, which forced Lucas to borrow $10 million to complete the film. Kurtz had to help direct along with David Tomblin, Irvin Kershner, Harley Cokeliss and John Barry (who died of meningitis during production) to bring the film in on even this revised schedule and budget. The actual completion of photography occurred a month after the film's 'wrap party' in late August 1979, which Kurtz and his wife hosted. Kurtz was actively involved from post production through its release in theatres in the US and the UK, but was replaced four weeks before filming wrapped by Howard Kazanjian. On Kurtz's parting of ways with Lucasfilm following the movie's release, Kazanjian took over the producer's reins for "Return of the Jedi". Kurtz decided not to produce the latter film as he found its story to be too commercial, as well as redundant of the first film in the trilogy.


title: Gary Kurtz

text: "The Empire Strikes Back" was released on May 21, 1980, becoming the most critically acclaimed chapter in the "Star Wars" saga and one of the most highly rated films in history. It earned more than $538 million worldwide over the original run and several re-releases, making it highest-grossing film in 1980. When adjusted for inflation, it is the twelfth-highest-grossing film in the U.S. and Canada . In 2010, the film was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress for being "culturally, historically, and aesthetically significant."


title: Gary Kurtz

text: Kurtz claimed that he and George Lucas clashed over how to progress the "Star Wars" series. Kurtz claimed that after "Raiders of the Lost Ark" in 1981, Lucas became convinced that audiences no longer cared about the story and were simply there for thrills and entertainment, and began to deviate from the originally planned plotlines for "Return of the Jedi", at which point Kurtz quit the series—though opposing sources state that he was fired by Lucas due to his mishandling of "The Empire Strikes Back", which went massively overbudget and overschedule. Kurtz also claimed Lucas changed the emphasis from storytelling to prioritizing toy merchandising. In a 2010 interview for the "L.A. Times", Kurtz revealed he had become disillusioned with what he saw as the commercially driven direction the franchise was taking, as well as the related changes that Lucas made to the plot of the third movie, which was originally much darker, and supposedly included the death of Han Solo. He stated that:


title: Gary Kurtz

text: I could see where things were headed. The toy business began to drive the empire. It's a shame. They make three times as much on toys as they do on films. It's natural to make decisions that protect the toy business but that's not the best thing for making quality films.


title: Gary Kurtz

text: Kurtz was particularly displeased with Lucas' decisions in "Return of the Jedi" to resurrect the Death Star and to change the plot outline from one that ended on a "bittersweet and poignant" note to one having a "euphoric ending where everyone was happy".


title: Gary Kurtz

text: Kurtz' next production was "The Dark Crystal", a 1982 American-British fantasy film directed by Jim Henson and Frank Oz. The screenplay was written by David Odell, who had previously worked with Henson as a staff writer on "The Muppet Show". The film was shot at Elstree Studios, and exterior scenes were shot in the Scottish Highlands; Gordale Scar, North Yorkshire, England; and Twycross, Leicestershire, England. At the scoring stage, Kurtz had composer Trevor Jones scrap his initial notion of reflecting the settings' oddness by using acoustical instruments, electronics and building structures, in favor of a more sweeping orchestral score so as not to alienate audiences.


title: Gary Kurtz

text: "The Dark Crystal" was released in 858 theaters in North America on December 17, 1982. Initially going up against heavy Christmas competition, including "Tootsie" and the already massively successful "E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial"., the film nevertheless presented substantial staying power in its following weeks and into 1983. By the end of its U.S. box office run, it had made $40,577,001 domestically, profiting over its modest $15 million budget. On its international release later in 1983, "The Dark Crystal" continued to add to its U.S. box office takings, was the highest-grossing box office release for the year in both France and Japan, and managed to out-gross "E.T." as the most successful foreign film in Japan until "Titanic" took over the spot 14 years later. The film has gained a cult following over the years since its release.


title: Gary Kurtz

text: Japanese producer Yutaka Fujioka had approached George Lucas in 1978 to help produce a film of "Little Nemo in Slumberland", but Lucas found problems with the storyline, as did American animator Chuck Jones. The project was officially announced in 1982, and Kurtz' company TMS/Kinetographics began to recruit staff. Kurtz was brought onto the production and appointed producer of the American production side, initially hiring Ray Bradbury and later Edward Summer to write screenplays. Japanese animators Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata were briefly involved, but left due to creative differences with Fujioka. Miyazaki later described his involvement on the film as "the worst experience of his professional career." Kurtz himself would likewise step down in the fall of 1984. Many writers and filmmakers followed Kurtz in boarding and leaving the project over the years. Eventually, the film was released in Japan, on July 15, 1989, under the title "".


title: Gary Kurtz

text: Kurtz next production was "Return to Oz", a 1985 fantasy adventure film based on L. Frank Baum's Oz books, in particular "The Marvelous Land of Oz" and "Ozma of Oz". Directed by Walter Murch, an editor and sound designer, development began 1980 during a brainstorming session with Murch and Walt Disney Pictures production chief Tom Wilhite. In the time between the development period and actual shooting, there was a change of leadership at the Walt Disney studios, with Wilhite being replaced by Richard Berger, and the movie's budget increased. Once shooting began, Murch began to fall behind schedule, leading to pressure from the studio, with Murch being fired as director for a short period before later being reinstated. Unfortunately, the film did not draw in an audience in theaters and the film was considered a flop upon release.


title: Gary Kurtz

text: The film received an Academy Award nomination for Best Visual Effects, but lost to "Cocoon". Fairuza Balk and Emma Ridley were nominated for Young Artist Awards. The film received three Saturn Award nominations for Best Fantasy Film, Best Younger Actor for Fairuza Balk, and Best Costumes for Raymond Hughes.


title: Gary Kurtz

text: "Slipstream" proved to be a disastrous financial and critical flop. Its failure reportedly drove Kurtz into bankruptcy. "Slipstream" had a short cinema run in the United Kingdom, where it was considered a flop, and Australia, where the film grossed just $66,836 during its entire theatrical run. The film was never released in theaters in North America and enjoyed only moderate VHS sales. Fans awaiting a director's cut have been disappointed after Kurtz said in an interview that the script was originally much more violent, but that these violent scenes, which would have made the plot more coherent, were never filmed.


title: Gary Kurtz

text: Gary Kurtz and the films he has produced have both been nominated for and won a number of awards. Below is a selection of the main "Best Picture" awards and nominations. The pages of individual films contain more detailed breakdowns of cast and crew awards.


title: Gary Kurtz

text: Kurtz was married first to Meredith Alsup and then to Roberta Jiminez. However, both of these marriages ended in divorce. He had two daughters, Tiffany and Melissa, with Alsup and a son, Dylan, with Jiminez. His final marriage was to Clare Gabriel and this endured until his death. Born in Los Angeles, he moved to London, England for the production of "Star Wars" and elected to permanently remain and raise his family there. He was a Quaker. He died of cancer in north London on September 23, 2018.


title: Sundown (Gordon Lightfoot song)

text: "Sundown" is a song by Canadian folk artist Gordon Lightfoot, from the titular album, released as a single in March 1974.


title: Sundown (Gordon Lightfoot song)

text: "Sundown" reached No. 1 on the U.S. "Billboard" Hot 100 and easy listening charts and No. 13 on the Hot Country singles chart, as well as No. 1 in Canada on "RPM"s national singles chart. It was Lightfoot's only single to reach No. 1 on the Hot 100.


title: Sundown (Gordon Lightfoot song)

text: The song's lyrics seem to describe a troubled romantic relationship (often cited as Cathy Smith), with the narrator recounting an affair with a "hard-loving woman [who's] got me feeling mean".


title: Juan Williams

text: Juan Antonio Williams (born April 10, 1954) is a Panamanian-born American journalist and political analyst for Fox News Channel. He writes for several newspapers, including "The Washington Post", "The New York Times", and "The Wall Street Journal", and has been published in magazines such as "The Atlantic" and "Time". Williams has worked as an editorial writer, an op-ed columnist, a White House correspondent, and a national correspondent. He is a registered Democrat.


title: Juan Williams

text: Williams is the author of "Eyes on the Prize: America's Civil Rights Years, 1954–1965" (1987), a companion to the documentary series of the same name about the civil rights movement; "Thurgood Marshall: American Revolutionary" (2000), a biography of Thurgood Marshall, the first black American to serve on the Supreme Court; and "Enough" (2006), which was inspired by a Bill Cosby speech at an NAACP gala and deals with Williams' critique of black leaders in America. Williams has received an Emmy Award and critical praise for his television documentary work and he has won awards for investigative journalism and for his opinion columns. He has been at Fox News since 1997.


title: Juan Williams

text: Williams was born in Colón, Panama, on April 10, 1954, to Alma Géraldine and Rogelio L. Williams. Williams' father was from the West Indies and his mother was from Panama. His family spoke Spanish. In a 2018 op-ed, Williams stated he had legally emigrated from Panama to the United States aboard a banana boat with his mother and his two siblings when he was four years of age. The family briefly lived in Pleasantville, New Jersey before settling in Brooklyn, New York. Williams received a scholarship to attend Oakwood Friends School, a Quaker school in Poughkeepsie, New York. While at Oakwood, he was elected "student clerk" for his senior year, was editor of the school newspaper, and played sports. After graduating from Oakwood in 1972, Williams attended Haverford College, graduating with a bachelor's degree in philosophy in 1976.


title: Juan Williams

text: Some days after Williams wrote a column defending Supreme Court nominee Clarence Thomas against sworn testimony by Anita Hill charging sexual harassment by Thomas, it was revealed several female employees of the "Post" had filed sexual harassment charges against Williams. The paper took disciplinary action against Williams and published an apology by him. On November 2, 1991, Williams wrote: "It pained me to learn during the investigation that I had offended some of you. I have said so repeatedly in the last few weeks, and repeat here: some of my verbal conduct was wrong, I now know that, and I extend my sincerest apology to those whom I offended."


title: Juan Williams

text: Williams joined NPR in 2000 as host of the daily afternoon talk show "Talk of the Nation". He then served as senior national correspondent for NPR. In 2009, NPR's president and CEO Vivian Schiller requested Fox News stop identifying him as an NPR host after Williams commented on "The O'Reilly Factor": "Michelle Obama, you know, she's got this Stokely Carmichael in a designer dress thing going. If she starts talking...her instinct is to start with this blame America, you know, I'm the victim. If that stuff starts coming out, people will go bananas and she'll go from being the new Jackie O to being something of an albatross". NPR Ombudsman Alicia Shepard maintained that: "Williams tends to speak one way on NPR and another on Fox."


title: Juan Williams

text: NPR terminated his contract on Wednesday, October 20, 2010, two days after he made remarks on "The O'Reilly Factor". He had commented, "Look, Bill, I'm not a bigot. You know the kind of books I've written about the civil rights movement in this country. But when I get on the plane, I got to tell you, if I see people who are in Muslim garb and I think, you know, they are identifying themselves first and foremost as Muslims, I get worried. I get nervous." According to NPR, the remarks were "inconsistent with our editorial standards and practices, and undermined his credibility as a news analyst with NPR." As to the reason for the termination of Williams' contract, NPR's president and CEO Vivian Schiller offered the following comment: "News analysts may not take personal public positions on controversial issues; doing so undermines their credibility as analysts..." On October 21, 2010, Schiller told an audience at the Atlanta Press Club that Williams' feelings about Muslims should be between him and "his psychiatrist or his publicist—take your pick." Schiller later apologized stating, "I spoke hastily and I apologize to Juan and others for my thoughtless remark."


title: Juan Williams

text: Some observers have questioned whether NPR actually fired Williams for making the comments on Fox News, as opposed to making them in another forum. William Saletan of Slate.com compared the Williams situation to that of Shirley Sherrod, saying that both Sherrod and Williams had their words taken out of context in a way that made them appear racist and led to the loss of their jobs, except that Williams was victimized by liberals, rather than conservatives as in Sherrod's case. Saletan said that while Williams' confessed fears of Muslims were "unsettling", the context was Williams' argument that such fears should not be used to curtail the rights of Muslims or anyone else, and that Williams consistently argued that Muslims in general should not be blamed for the terrorist activities of Muslim extremists. NPR has been criticized by Williams and others for practicing a double standard in the firing, compared to their not firing Cokie Roberts, Nina Totenberg and other NPR reporters and analysts for their opinionated statements.


title: Juan Williams

text: Williams has been a Fox News Contributor since 1997. He has appeared on "Special Report with Bret Baier", "FOX News Sunday with Chris Wallace" and was a regular co-host of "The Five", until announcing on 5 May 2021, that he would leave the New-York office to work in the D.C. office in order to spend more time with his family in D.C.. He also appeared on "The O'Reilly Factor" and occasionally served as a guest host in O'Reilly's absence. After NPR announced his termination from their network in October 2010, Fox News offered him a new $2 million (a "considerable" raise) three-year contract and an expanded role at their network that included a regular guest-host role Friday nights on "The O'Reilly Factor".


title: Juan Williams

text: Following his firing from NPR, Williams appeared on "The O'Reilly Factor" and discussed his thoughts on how his role at Fox played into NPR's decision: "I don't fit in their box. I'm not a predictable black liberal. You [O'Reilly] were exactly right when you said you know what this comes down to. They were looking for a reason to get rid of me because I'm appearing on Fox News. They don't want me talking to you." On December 9, 2016, on Fox Business Channel, Stuart Varney asked Williams, "Do you see yourself ever joining the Republican Party?" Williams answered, "I have two sons in the Republican Party, so, yes."


title: Juan Williams

text: Williams is the recipient of an Emmy Award for his work in television documentary writing and has earned critical praise for a series of television documentaries including "Politics: The New Black Power", "A. Philip Randolph: For Jobs and Freedom", "Civil Rights and The Press", "Riot to Recovery" and "Dying for Healthcare".


title: Juan Williams

text: Williams' 1988 book, "Eyes on the Prize: America's Civil Rights Years, 1954–65", was written with the Blackside production team as a companion to the first season of the PBS series "Eyes on the Prize". His 2003 book, "This Far by Faith", is also a companion to a PBS series.


title: Juan Williams

text: Williams is a contributor to a number of national magazines, including "Fortune", "The New Republic", "The Atlantic Monthly", "Ebony magazine", "TIME" and "GQ" and frequents a wide range of television programs including ABC's "Nightline", "Washington Week" on PBS, and "The Oprah Winfrey Show".


title: Juan Williams

text: Williams has spoken at the Smithsonian's celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Supreme Court's "Brown v. Board of Education" decision, which ended legal segregation in public schools, and was selected by the United States Census Bureau as moderator of its first program beginning its 2010 effort. He has received honorary doctorates from Lafayette College, Wittenberg University, and Long Island University, among other institutions.


title: Juan Williams

text: In October 1991 Williams was accused of sexual harassment by four female Washington Post colleagues. His colleagues recalled him making sexually suggestive comments about them. William published an article apologizing for his comments.


title: Juan Williams

text: A February 2013 column written by Williams for "The Hill" was found to contain content that had been plagiarized. Williams asserted that a researcher was responsible for the plagiarism and that he himself had been unaware of it.


title: Juan Williams

text: Williams married Susan Delise in July 1978. They are the parents of one daughter, Rae, and two sons, Antonio ("Tony") and Raphael ("Raffi"). Tony, who was a Senate page and intern for GOP Senator Strom Thurmond from 1996 to 1997, was a speechwriter and legislative correspondent for Republican Senator Norm Coleman from 2004 to 2006; in 2006, Tony ran unsuccessfully for a seat on the Council of the District of Columbia, losing to Tommy Wells. The younger son, Raffi, studied anthropology and played lacrosse at Haverford College, his father's "alma mater" in Pennsylvania. He has worked for the House Rules Committee and as the communications director for Michigan Republican Dan Benishek's successful 2012 congressional campaign, and was a deputy press secretary for the Republican National Committee. Raffi served as press secretary to former Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Ben Carson.


title: Juan Williams

text: Williams has described himself as "a black guy with a Hispanic name", and identifies as Afro-Panamanian.


title: Juan Williams

text: Williams has been active on the Haverford College Board of Managers, in the Aspen Institute Communications and Society Program, and in the Washington Journalism Center. He sits on the board of directors of the New York Civil Rights Coalition.


title: Juan Williams

text: Williams has received many awards, including honorary doctorates from Haverford College and State University of New York.


title: Doug Sahm

text: Douglas Wayne Sahm (November 6, 1941 – November 18, 1999) was an American musician, singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist born in San Antonio, Texas. Sahm is regarded as one of the main figures of Tex-Mex music, and as an important performer of Texan Music. He gained fame along with his band, the Sir Douglas Quintet, with a top-twenty hit in the United States and the United Kingdom with "She's About a Mover" (1965). Sahm was influenced by the San Antonio music scene that included conjunto and blues, and later by the hippie scene of San Francisco. With his blend of music, he found success performing in Austin, Texas, as the hippie counterculture soared in the 1970s.


title: Doug Sahm

text: Sahm began singing at age five and learned to play the steel guitar at age six. He was considered a child prodigy on the instrument. By the age of eight, he had appeared on the "Louisiana Hayride". He made his recording debut as "Little Doug" in 1955, and was influenced by rock and roll during his teenage years. Sahm had local hit records, while he played clubs as a musician for other bands. In 1965, Huey P. Meaux produced Sahm and the Sir Douglas Quintet's "She's About a Mover". The same year, Sahm moved to California. In 1971, he returned to San Antonio, and soon after he moved to Austin. Atlantic Records signed Sahm and released his debut solo album "Doug Sahm and Band" in 1973.


title: Doug Sahm

text: After a continuing decline in record sales, Sahm kept performing in clubs in Austin, and moved through different record labels. Meanwhile, he enjoyed success in Sweden and in Canada. In 1989, Sahm formed the supergroup the Texas Tornados with fellow Tex-Mex musicians Augie Meyers, Freddy Fender and Flaco Jiménez. The Texas Tornados toured successfully, and one of their releases earned a Grammy Award. In 1999, Sahm died during a vacation trip. A posthumous album, "The Return of Wayne Douglas", was released in 2000. Sahm received multiple honors in the state of Texas, including hall of fame inductions and memorials in public places.


title: Doug Sahm

text: Doug Sahm was born in San Antonio, Texas, on November 6, 1941, to Victor A. Sahm, Sr. and Viva Lee (née Goodman). The Sahm family had migrated to the United States from Germany early in the 20th century, and settled initially in Galveston, Texas. Sahm's grandparents, Alfred and Alga, owned a farm near Cibolo, Texas. Alfred Sahm was a musician who played with the polka band The Sahm Boys. During the Great Depression, Sahm's parents moved to San Antonio, where Victor worked at Kelly Field Air Force base.


title: Doug Sahm

text: Sahm began singing at age five, and took up the steel guitar at age six. The same year, he appeared on San Antonio's radio station KMAC and performed the Sons of the Pioneers' "Teardrops in My Heart". He was regarded as a child prodigy on the steel guitar. His mother took him to a local music school, but his teacher turned him down soon after. His teacher explained he could not teach Sahm to read music, and the boy could already play by ear. Sahm often appeared at a local club, The Barn, which his uncle co-owned with Charlie Walker. By the time he was eight, he could play the fiddle and mandolin, and he began to appear on the "Louisiana Hayride" as "Little Doug". He also performed shows with Hank Williams, Faron Young and Hank Thompson. At age thirteen, he was offered a spot on the "Grand Ole Opry" that his mother declined, wanting him to finish school. In 1953, Sahm met Augie Meyers while he purchased baseball cards at Meyer's mother's grocery store, and the two became friends. Meyers and Sahm discussed forming a band, but nothing came of it as both played with different groups. Meyers mastered the accordion, piano and rhythm guitar. Sahm grew up on the East side of San Antonio, a predominantly black neighborhood. He listened from his home to the live performances of T-Bone Walker and other blues artists who appeared at a nearby blues bar, the Eastwood Country Club. Sahm's neighbor, Homer Callahan, introduced him to the records of Howlin' Wolf, Lonesome Sundown, Fats Domino, Jimmy Reed, and Atlantic and Excello Records.


title: Doug Sahm

text: In 1955, producer Charlie Fitch released Sahm's debut single on Sarg Records. Cataloged with the number 113-45 on the label's releases, the paring of "A Real American Joe" with "Rollin' Rollin'" was credited to Little Doug. The same year, Sahm formed his first band, The Kings. A year later, one of his concerts in school was interrupted by the principal after Sahm started imitating Elvis Presley's gyrations. The students left the auditorium and headed to Sahm's house to continue listening to the band. As he continued performing country music, fiddler J. R. Chatwell, who played with bandleader Adolph Hofner, mentored him. The music of Lefty Frizzell, Howlin' Wolf, Lonesome Sundown, Elvis Presley, Little Richard, T-Bone Walker, Floyd Tillman, and San Antonio musicians Johnny Owen and Ricky Aguirre influenced him during his teenage years.


title: Doug Sahm

text: Sahm enjoyed success performing in San Antonio nightclubs, as he played a blend of music that consisted of rhythm and blues with the addition of the West Side tenor saxophone player Eracleo "Rocky" Morales. The "West Side Sound", characteristic of San Antonio, consisted of a blend of genres: country music, conjunto, rhythm and blues, polka and rock and roll. Meanwhile, Sahm performed on guitar six nights a week with Jimmy Johnson's band. Saxophonist Spot Barnett invited him to play at the Ebony rhythm and blues club.


title: Doug Sahm

text: Sahm fronted three bands: The Pharaohs, The Dell-Kings and The Markays. He released the song "Crazy Daisy" (1959), and he had a local hit with "Why Why Why" (1960) on Renner Records. Sahm graduated from high school the same year. He had another local hit with "Crazy, Crazy Feeling" (1961); "Just A Moment" (1961) and "Lucky Me" (1963) followed. By 1964, Sahm was dropped by the Renner label and he tried to convince Huey P. Meaux to sign him. Meaux, the owner of SugarHill Recording Studios, was enjoying success with Dale and Grace and Barbara Lynn, and turned Sahm down.


title: Doug Sahm

text: Meaux produced songs that appeared on the music charts in the 1960s, but because of Beatlemania and the British Invasion, his records stopped selling well. Determined to find the reason for the commercial success of The Beatles sound, Meaux said he purchased several of their records and rented three rooms at the Wayfarer Hotel in San Antonio. According to his account, he drank a case of Thunderbird wine in the process. Meaux felt the Beatles' songs shared a common ground with traditional two-step Cajun music. He called Sahm and asked him to write songs based on that style, and to let his hair grow. Sahm and Meyers appeared with The Dave Clark Five in San Antonio, where they were featured on the program, with their respective bands, as the opening acts. Sahm appeared with the Markays, and Meyers the Goldens. Meyers attributed Meaux's interest in recording Sahm and himself to their performance at the concert.


title: Doug Sahm

text: Sahm put together a band with Meyers (keyboard), Frank Morin (saxophone), Harvey Kagan (bass) and Johnny Perez (drums). Based on The Beatles' "She's a Woman", Sahm wrote a song that integrated their style with the sounds characteristic of tejano music. Sahm called his new composition "She's A Body Mover". Meaux purchased the song from him for $25 (), but he felt the title would not help it get airplay. Instead, he renamed it "She's About a Mover". The song was released on Tribe Records in 1965 and credited to the Sir Douglas Quintet—an "English-sounding" name created by Meaux to capitalize on the success of the British Invasion. The first publicity pictures of the band were taken in silhouette to conceal the appearances of Frank Morin and Johnny Perez, the Latino members of the band. "She's About a Mover" peaked at number 13 on the "Billboard" Hot 100, and reached number 15 on the UK Singles Chart. The success of the song propelled the Sir Douglas Quintet to tour, and to become an opener for The Beatles and The Beach Boys. They appeared on "Hullabaloo", and host Trini Lopez revealed the real origin of the band. The quintet toured the United States with James Brown, and Europe with The Beach Boys and the Rolling Stones.


title: Doug Sahm

text: After meeting Sahm in New York City in 1965, Bob Dylan said in an interview he felt the Sir Douglas Quintet would be a commercial success on radio. Dylan and Sahm met again in London while the Sir Douglas Quintet toured England. During a stop in Corpus Christi, Texas, in December 1965, Sahm and Morin were arrested for possession of marijuana upon their arrival at the Corpus Christi International Airport. The bond for the musicians' release was set at $1,500 (). Sahm got the money from his family in San Antonio. The band pleaded guilty to the charge of "receiving and concealing marijuana without paying the required transfer tax". Judge Reynaldo Guerra Garza sentenced them to probation with supervision for five years in March 1966. Meyers was forbidden from leaving Texas for the duration of his probation. A series of appearances with the band in small towns around the state made Sahm unhappy. After his parole officer allowed him to leave Texas the same year, he decided to move to California with his wife and children.


title: Doug Sahm

text: Sahm moved to Salinas, California, and became involved in San Francisco's burgeoning hippie scene. He gathered again with the musicians of the Sir Douglas Quintet, excluding Meyers, whose parole officer did not allow to leave Texas. Sahm became acquainted with the music acts playing in the Haight-Ashbury district, and performed at venues including The Fillmore and the Avalon Ballroom. Through audio engineer Dan Healy, Sahm met and befriended Jerry Garcia. The Sir Douglas Quintet opened for the Grateful Dead in Oakland, California, and in October 1966 performed with Big Brother and the Holding Company featuring Janis Joplin. Helped by lawyer Brian Rohan, who represented the Grateful Dead, Sahm was signed to Mercury Records and its subsidiary labels. In December 1968, Sahm appeared with his son, Shawn, on the cover of "Rolling Stone" magazine. His arrival in San Francisco with the other Texan musicians was covered in the feature "Tribute to the Lone Star State: Dispossessed Men and Mothers of Texas". During the photo shooting, Sahm took his son and sat him on his lap to emulate a childhood photograph that had been taken of him with Hank Williams. In 1969, Meyers joined Sahm in San Francisco for the recording of "Mendocino". The album's title track reached number 27 on the "Billboard" Hot 100".


title: Doug Sahm

text: Sahm left California in 1971 and returned to San Antonio. He released an album entitled "The Return of Doug Saldaña" with the Sir Douglas Quintet; Chicano musicians in San Antonio had given him the nickname "Saldaña". A cover of "Wasted Days and Wasted Nights" on the album helped to reignite the career of its original singer, Freddy Fender. The same year, "Rolling Stone" featured Sahm on its cover again and ran his interview with Chet Flippo.


title: Doug Sahm

text: Sahm moved to Austin that year as the local hippie scene grew. He appeared at the Armadillo World Headquarters and the Soap Creek Saloon in Austin. In 1972, he disbanded the Sir Douglas Quintet. The same year, he made a cameo appearance in the film "Cisco Pike", starring Kris Kristofferson. Sahm performed on the film's song "Michoacan", but radio stations refused to play it because of its references to marijuana.


title: Doug Sahm

text: Jerry Wexler signed Sahm to the newly created progressive country division of Atlantic Records in 1972. In October 1972, he recorded "Doug Sahm and Band" in New York City with guest appearances by Bob Dylan, Dr. John, David "Fathead" Newman, Flaco Jimenez, David Bromberg and Kenny Kosek. The release garnered mixed reviews and sold poorly, reaching number 125 on "Billboard"s Top LPs & Tapes. In February 1973, he joined Willie Nelson during the recording of "Shotgun Willie" in New York City and featured on the album with his own musicians. Sahm also joined the Grateful Dead's recording sessions. As he continued to enjoy success in Austin's venues, Sahm used material left over from his October 1972 sessions with Atlantic Records for his 1973 release "Texas Tornado". Atlantic folded its country music division in 1973. The following year Warner Records released his next album, "Groover's Paradise", featuring Doug Clifford and Stu Cook, former musicians in Creedence Clearwater Revival. "Texas Monthly" wrote the album captured Austin's "insouciant essence" as a "carefree hippie mecca". As he toured to promote the album, Sahm made his debut performance at Carnegie Hall.


title: Doug Sahm

text: Sahm's record sales continued to decline, and he rarely performed concerts outside the Austin club scene. In 1975, he produced former 13th Floor Elevators front man Roky Erickson following Erickson's release from Rusk State Hospital. In 1976, Sahm collaborated again with Meaux on the release of "Texas Rock For Country Rollers". Besides vocals, Sahm played lead guitar, fiddle and piano. Meyers also joined the project and performed on the piano and organ. The same year, Sahm appeared on the fifth episode of the first season of "Austin City Limits". In 1979, he made a cameo appearance in the film "More American Graffiti".


title: Doug Sahm

text: Sahm released two albums on Takoma Records: the solo record "Hell of a Spell" (1980), followed by a collaboration with the Sir Douglas Quintet on "Border Wave" (1981). Sahm reformed the band after it had gained momentum from the success of new wave music, and the use of organs featured by Elvis Costello and The Attractions. Sahm and the Sir Douglas Quintet then signed a record deal with the Swedish label Sonet Records in 1983. Their release "Midnight Sun", became a success: It sold 50,000 copies in Sweden, another 50,000 copies in the rest of Scandinavia, and reached number 27 on the Topplistan. Its single "Meet Me in Stockholm" became a hit. "Midnight Sun", and their second release with the label, "Rio Medina", were recorded in the United States. Sahm and the Sir Douglas Quintet toured Scandinavia and also played in the Netherlands. By 1985, Sahm had moved to Canada after he visited friends in Vancouver, but he returned to Austin every year to take part in the South by Southwest festival. He formed the band The Texas Mavericks in Austin in 1987 with Alvin Crow (fiddle), Speedy Sparks (bass), John Reed (guitar), and Ernie Durawa (drums). Sahm sang under the pseudonym "Samm Dogg", and he and the band performed wearing wrestling masks. Meanwhile, in Canada, along with Amos Garrett and Gene Taylor, he recorded "The Return of the Formerly Brothers". The release earned them the Juno Award for Best Roots and Traditional Album in 1989. In September 1989, six years after his last record release in the United States, Sahm partnered with club owner and blues impresario Clifford Antone for the release of "Juke Box Music" on Antone's Record Label. By the end of the decade, Sahm often performed at the Austin night club Antone's. He used the club's house band on the recording.


title: Doug Sahm

text: In 1989, Sahm formed the Texas Tornados with Meyers (organ, vocals), Fender (guitar, vocals) and Jimenez (accordion, vocals). The group's songs featured the Tex-Mex sound—a mixture of rock, country music, conjunto and blues. Warner Brothers signed the band to a recording contract, and in 1991 they released "Texas Tornados". The album charted at number five on "Billboard's" Top Country Albums. Meanwhile, it earned the Grammy Award for Best Mexican/Mexican-American Album. A version of the album sung in Spanish entitled "Los Texas Tornados" was released at the same time. The band appeared in Europe and Japan. Along with Willie Nelson, the Texas Tornados were featured at the first inauguration of Bill Clinton. The band performed at the America's Reunion on the Mall event, as well as in other venues around Washington, D.C. during their stay.


title: Doug Sahm

text: In 1994, Sahm and Meyers formed a new version of the Sir Douglas Quintet. It included Sahm's sons Shawn on guitar and Shandon on drums. The band released the album "Day Dreaming at Midnight". Sahm then formed The Last Real Texas Blues Band with the musicians he performed with at Antone's. In 1995, the group, composed of Rocky Morales (tenor saxophone), Sauce Gonzalez (Hammond organ), Meyers (piano), Denny Freeman (guitar) and Derek O'Brian (guitar), recorded a studio album of their live performances. Antone's Record Label released it as "The Last Real Texas Blues Band Featuring Doug Sahm". The album included standards by T-Bone Walker and Lowell Fulson. It was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Traditional Blues Album.


title: Doug Sahm

text: Sahm and the Texas Tornados' song "A Little Bit is Better Than Nada" was featured in the 1996 film "Tin Cup". In 1998, Sahm collaborated with The Gourds for the release "S.D.Q. 98'". The same year, he joined the Latino supergroup Los Super Seven. By 1999, impressed by Dallas singer Ed Burleson, Sahm assembled a band that consisted of Bill Kirchen (guitar), Tommy Detamore and Clay Baker (steel guitars) and Alvin Crow (fiddle). Sahm booked the Cherry Ridge Studios in Floresville, Texas, and he assisted with the recording of Burleson's debut album "My Perfect World". The album was the first release on Sahm's own label, Tornado Records. Using the same band, Sahm extended the booking at Cherry Ridge Studios for a series of recording sessions during July and August 1999.


title: Doug Sahm

text: Sahm met Violet Morris at a Christmas party in 1961. At the time, Morris worked as an executive secretary at a Montgomery Ward department store. The couple married in 1963. Morris had three children from a previous marriage, and in 1964, she gave birth to Dawn Sahm. As he was responsible for his wife and four children, Sahm was classified 1-Y on the Selective Service System. His first son, Shawn, was born in 1965, and Shandon in 1969.


title: Doug Sahm

text: In 1973, during a visit to the Mexican restaurant La Rosa in San Antonio, Sahm was apprehended by police officers who searched him, his car, and his companions for drugs. As they searched the car, his fiddle was broken. After being handcuffed, Sahm was beaten by the police officers as he continued to protest and move. He was arrested for public intoxication. The case was dismissed at his trial in June 1973, and Sahm unsuccessfully tried to sue the city. Violet had already been unhappy with the marriage because of Sahm's numerous affairs, and after his arrest, they divorced.


title: Doug Sahm

text: Sahm was a dedicated follower of baseball. He followed several teams and visited their training camps through the years. He often refused to attend rehearsals to watch games, and on one occasion, he rejected a tour to be able to watch the World Series.


title: Doug Sahm

text: By the end of 1999, Sahm decided to take a vacation trip to New Mexico. He planned to visit a friend in Taos, New Mexico, then continue to a cabin in the Sangre de Cristo Range and finish the trip with a visit to Dan Healy in San Francisco. Sahm left for New Mexico after a brief visit with his son Shawn in Boerne, Texas. During the trip, Sahm called his son to inform him he had been feeling sick and that he often had to pull over to vomit. Sahm checked into the Kachina Lodge Hotel in Taos, New Mexico. His son continued calling him over the next few days. Sahm's girlfriend, Debora Hanson, and Shawn offered to fly to New Mexico and drive him back to Texas. Sahm initially refused, but he agreed to drive himself to Albuquerque, New Mexico, to meet Hanson there for the drive back to Texas. As his condition worsened, he asked a clerk about local doctors who would do house calls. Sahm was advised to visit the local emergency room, but he did not do so. On November 18, 1999, Sahm was found dead in his hotel room. Local authorities determined it to be a death by natural causes, but an autopsy was ordered. The results of the autopsy determined that Sahm died of arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease, described as a heart attack. The Austin Music Network aired a three-hour tribute to Sahm, while KUT dedicated an episode of one of its shows to his music. A memorial concert was announced to take place at Antone's in December 1999.


title: Doug Sahm

text: On November 23, 1999, Sahm's funeral took place at the Sunset Memorial Home in San Antonio. Loudspeakers were placed outside of the funeral home for the service to be heard by the estimated one thousand mourners in attendance. According to the "Austin American Statesman", the crowd consisted of people "across all lines of age, race and social standing". The viewing lasted an hour and a half, as the mourners passed Sahm's casket and left keepsakes. Freddy Fender chose not to attend the funeral to avoid distracting the crowds with his presence. Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, then-Texas governor George W. Bush and Willie Nelson reached out to the family to express their condolences. A planned tribute by a local radio station had to be called off, as the viewing took longer than expected, and the station's programming moved to the broadcast of the weather report. Sahm was buried in a private ceremony at Sunset Memorial Park in San Antonio, next to his mother and father.


title: Doug Sahm

text: In July 2000, the songs recorded at the Cherry Ridge Studios sessions the previous year were released on the posthumous album "The Return of Wayne Douglas".


title: Doug Sahm

text: His long hair and sideburns, his use of sunglasses and his preference for western attire including cowboy hats and boots characterized Sahm's look. His music style encompassed country music, blues, rock and roll, Cajun music, rhythm and blues, doo-wop and tejano music. Psychedelic music during his time in San Francisco, jazz and the compositions of Bob Dylan later influenced him. Sahm's presence was described as "impulsive, restless and energetic" by "Texas Monthly", while his way of talking was characterized by a "rapid-fire" style and the use of hippie jargon. A multi-instrumentalist, Sahm mastered the steel guitar, mandolin, fiddle, electric guitar, electric bass, dobro, bajo sexto, drums and piano.


title: Doug Sahm

text: "Rolling Stone" wrote that "Lone Star music, at its best, in every form, was religion to Sahm." The magazine ranked him at number 60 on their 100 Greatest Country Artists of All Time in 2017. To "Billboard", Sahm was a "central figure in the world of Tex-Mex". "New Musical Express" considered him "an unpaid PR man for the state of Texas and all things Texan". The "New York Times" saw Sahm as "a patriarch of Texas rock and country music". "Lone Star Music Magazine" called him "the Godfather of San Antonio rock 'n' roll". The "Austin Chronicle" commented: "If Texas had such designation, Douglas Wayne Sahm would be the State Musician of Texas." "AllMusic" deemed the singer "a highly knowledgeable and superbly competent performer of Texan musical styles".


title: Doug Sahm

text: Sahm was featured in the 1974 mural "Austintatious" at the Drag portion of Guadalupe street in Austin. He was inducted into the Austin Music Awards Hall of Fame with the 1982–1983 class. In 2002, the Americana Music Association gave him the President's Award. On October 13, 2002, San Antonio's mayor Ed Garza declared the date "Doug Sahm Day" in the city. In 2008, Sahm was an inaugural inductee to the Austin Music Memorial. On April 10, 2008, Austin City Council approved the motion to rename the spiral hill in Butler Metro Park to Doug Sahm Hill, in recognition of his "great talents in the music industry". The hill is the highest point in the park, with a 360° view of Austin's skyline. In November 2009, artist David Blancas completed "La Música de San Anto" for the San Anto Cultural Arts Community Mural Program. Located on the west side of San Antonio, the mural features San Antonio musicians including Sahm. Blancas restored the mural in 2020. Federico Archuleta also painted two murals in Austin depicting Sahm.


title: Doug Sahm

text: In 2009, a tribute album recorded by San Antonio musicians, "Keep Your Soul: A Tribute to Doug Sahm", was released. On Sahm's birthday, November 6, 2010, a plaque was added to the top of Doug Sahm Hill. The plaque features a caricature of Sahm by Kerry Awn and a short biography written by "Austin Chronicle's" music columnist Margaret Moser. Also in 2010, Shawn Sahm and the Texas Tornados released the album "¡Está bueno!". Sahm's son and the surviving members of the group toured promoting the album. In 2015, Sahm was inducted to the South Texas Music Walk of Fame. The same year, music writer Joe Nick Patoski premiered his documentary on Sahm "Sir Doug and the Genuine Texas Cosmic Groove" at the South by Southwest festival. Patoski started a petition to induct Sahm into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The film was re-released in 2022, and a special screening in San Antonio featured a Q&A section that included original Sir Douglas Quintet members Meyers and Jack Barber. Music producer Kevin Kosub established a small museum featuring memorabilia from Sahm's career.


title: Pyeongchang County

text: Pyeongchang (; in full, "Pyeongchang-gun" ; ) is a county in the province of Gangwon-do, South Korea, located in the Taebaek Mountains region. It is home to several Buddhist temples, including Woljeongsa. It is about east southeast of Seoul, the capital of South Korea, and connected by expressways and high-speed passenger railways. Pyeongchang's slogan, "Happy 700 Pyeongchang", is taken from its average elevation of approximately .


title: Pyeongchang County

text: Pyeongchang hosted the 2018 Winter Olympics and the 2018 Winter Paralympics. It was officially rebranded as "PyeongChang" (with a capital 'C') for the purposes of the 2018 Games, in order to avoid confusion with Pyongyang in North Korea.


title: Pyeongchang County

text: Pyeongchang region was ruled by the Goguryeo Dynasty during the Three Kingdoms period, and it was called Uk-o-hyeon (욱오현). After the Silla dynasty conquered the Goguryeo Dynasty and Baekje Dynasty, it was renamed Baek-o-hyeon (백오현).


title: Pyeongchang County

text: After the Goryeo Dynasty was established, it renamed Pyeongchang-hyeon. Then, it was under control of Wonju. When a 10-provincial system was enforced, the north of Pyeongchang region was involved in Sakbang-do, and the south of the region was involved in Jungwon-do. When a new administrative system was carried out by King Hyeonjong, the east of the region was involved in Dong-gyeo, and the rest of it was included in Yanggwang-do. An administrator for the region was sent from the central government, and it became independent of Wonju in 1299.


title: Pyeongchang County

text: When the Joseon Dynasty was founded in 1392, the region was promoted from a "hyeon" to a county ("gun"). After the territory was divided into 8 Provinces under the reign of King Taejong, it was involved in Gangwon-do. After the territory was divided into 23 districts in 1895 with the 8-provincial system abolished, it was included in Chugju-bu. When a 13-provincial system was enacted in 1896, it was involved in Gangwon-do.


title: Pyeongchang County

text: The altitude of Pyeongchang is wide-ranging, with 84% of its territory comprising mountains with average elevations of .


title: Pyeongchang County

text: Its best-known place, the township of Daegwallyeong-myeon, averages between above sea level, with some areas over high.


title: Pyeongchang County

text: Under the Köppen climate classification, Pyeongchang County experiences a hot-summer humid continental climate ("Dwa") and a warm-summer humid continental climate ("Dwb"). Pyeongchang's winters are long and very snowy, while summers are relatively short.


title: Pyeongchang County

text: Average temperature of Pyeongchang from 2001 to 2010 was 7.0 °C, and it was lower than Gangwon's 8.9 °C. Annual precipitation of the region from 2001 to 2010 was 1,555.0 mm, and it was more than Gangwon's 1,491.5 mm.


title: Pyeongchang County

text: In Pyeongchang, 16 heritage sites were registered by the South Korean government, and 45 Heritages were registered by the Gangwon Provincial Office.


title: Pyeongchang County

text: Sangwonsa is a temple on Odaesan Mountain that was originally established as Jinyeowon in 705. Although the Joseon Dynasty's policy was the prohibition of Buddhism, it constantly donated to rebuild the temple. In 1401, King Taejong donated to the construction of Sajaam Hermitage. In 1465, King Sejo and administrators donated to rebuild the temple. Sejo's son, King Yejong designated it as a memorial for his father. During the Third Battle of Seoul, the United Nations Command ordered that the temple be burned, but a Buddhist monk prevented it. Instead, the Command agreed to burn only the doors of the temple.


title: Pyeongchang County

text: Woljeongsa is a temple on Odaesan Mountain established by Jajang the monk in 643. After it was established, it was consistently rebuilt. During the Third Battle of Seoul, 10 buildings were


title: Pyeongchang County

text: totally destroyed by fire. Tanheo the monk restored Jeokgwangjeon, one of the burnt buildings, in 1964, and Manhwa the monk gradually reconstructed other buildings.


title: Pyeongchang County

text: The Pyeongchang Odaesan Historic Archive (Historic Site No. 34) was one of five archival locations in the latter part of the Joseon Dynasty for the Annals of the Joseon Dynasty and Sonwon-kyebo-kiryak.


title: Pyeongchang County

text: Odaesan Mountain is the home of historical Buddhist temples including Sangwonsa and Woljeongsa. It was designated as a national park in 1975. The highest peak, Birobong Peak is high.


title: Pyeongchang County

text: Two major ski resorts in the county were the home of the 2018 Winter Olympics. Alpensia ski resort has six slopes for skiing and snowboarding, with runs up to long, for beginners and advanced skiers, and an area reserved for snowboarders. The resort is open year-round. Alpensia hosted the majority of the Olympic snow events. Yongpyong Resort, which has a total of 28 ski slopes, hosted the technical alpine skiing events.


title: Pyeongchang County

text: Alpensia will be the focus of the 2018 Cultural Olympiad, with a new, purpose-built concert hall within the resort with an indoor water park.


title: Pyeongchang County

text: Samyang Ranch is the largest highlands farm in Asia, located in the hills of Daegwallyeong at 850 to 1,470 meters above sea level. It is operated as a petting zoo and features a pastoral landscape. The ranch is operated by the leading Korean food and dairy company Samyang food, the first company to introduce ramyeon instant noodles into a poverty-ridden South Korea in the 1960s.


title: Pyeongchang County

text: Pyeongchang hosted the 1999 Asian Winter Games and 2013 Special Olympics World Winter Games. The 2018 Winter Olympics were also held in Pyeongchang, as well as the 2009 IBU Biathlon World Championships.


title: Pyeongchang County

text: The Asian Winter Games was held in 1999 in Gangwon Province including Pyeongchang. Originally, it hoped to host the 3rd Asian Winter Games, which North Korea gave up; however, Harbin was announced to host the 3rd Games. It was decided that Gangwon would host the 4th Asian Winter Games at the same time.


title: Pyeongchang County

text: In total, 799 athletes participated in the Games. Alpine skiing, cross-country skiing, biathlon, short track speed skating, and figure skating events were held in Pyeongchang.


title: Pyeongchang County

text: On 6 July 2011, Pyeongchang was announced as the host of the 2018 Winter Olympics and the 2018 Winter Paralympics. The other candidates were Annecy, France and Munich, Germany. It is the third Winter Games in Asia after the 1972 games in Sapporo, Japan and the 1998 games in Nagano, Japan. It also is the first Asian locality to host the Winter Games outside Japan. Pyeongchang won their 2018 bid after two previous failed attempts for the 2010 and 2014 Winter Olympics, to which it lost to Vancouver, Canada, and Sochi, Russia, respectively.


title: Pyeongchang County

text: For the 2018 Olympics, Pyeongchang was marketed with the CamelCase spelling of "PyeongChang", so the global audience would not confuse it with Pyongyang, the capital of neighboring North Korea. The two main facilities created for the 2018 Winter Olympics were the PyeongChang Olympic Plaza (where the opening / closing ceremonies and victory ceremonies were held) and the Gangneung Olympic Park (where the men's and women's short track, speed skating, figure skating, ice hockey, curling events were held). The 2018 Winter Paralympics was held in the same venues starting 9 March 2018.


title: Pyeongchang County

text: In preparation for the 2018 Olympics, the region built facilities including hotels and a world-class ski resort, named Alpensia.


title: Pyeongchang County

text: The region also ran the "2018 Dream Program", a program initially created in relation to the 2010 bid. The 2018 Dream Program was the fifth iteration of this sports and cultural program, involving 124 participants from 31 countries, who were invited because they live where there is no snowfall and have no opportunity to participate in winter sports.


title: Pyeongchang County

text: Gangwon Province, which includes Pyeongchang, was chosen as the host for the 2024 Winter Youth Olympics. Outdoor venues in Pyeongchang used in the 2018 Winter Olympics will be reused for these games.


title: Pyeongchang County

text: Pyeongchang County is traversed from west to east by the Gyeonggang Line and Yeongdong Expressway. The railway and expressway both originate in the Seoul metropolitan region.


title: Pyeongchang County

text: A new KTX line, named the Gyeonggang Line, was built between Wonju and Gangneung via Pyeongchang for the 2018 Winter Olympics, connecting Pyeongchang to Seoul with a journey time of less than 80 minutes. The new line, which was officially opened on 22 August 2017, provides a main-line high-speed rail service that passes through Pyeongchang from west to east, with KTX trains calling at Pyeongchang station and Jinbu station (for the Olympic Stadium). KTX trains to Jinbu station were increased for the duration of the 2018 Olympics.


title: Pyeongchang County

text: Pyeongchang Bus Terminal and Jangpyeong Bus Terminal, Jinbu Bus Station and Hoenggye Bus Station are the main intercity bus terminals of the county. Daehwa Bus Station is also served by intercity buses.


title: Pyeongchang County

text: Local transit operators connect communities in the county to hubs at Pyeongchang Bus Station, Jangpyeong Bus Terminal, and Jinbu Bus Station.


title: Pyeongchang County

text: Yeongdong Expressway passes through Pyeongchang from west to east. After the expressway was expanded in 1999 for the Winter Asian Games, it takes about two hours from Seoul to Pyeongchang by car.


title: Pyeongchang County

text: Pyeongchang County is traversed from west to east by National Routes 6 and 42; National Routes 31 and 59 pass through from north to south.


title: Illinois House of Representatives

text: The Illinois House of Representatives is the lower house of the Illinois General Assembly. The body was created by the first Illinois Constitution adopted in 1818. The House under the current constitution as amended in 1980 consists of 118 representatives elected from individual legislative districts for two-year terms with no limits; redistricted every 10 years, based on the 2010 U.S. census each representative represents approximately 108,734 people.


title: Illinois House of Representatives

text: The house has the power to pass bills and impeach Illinois officeholders. Lawmakers must be at least 21 years of age and a resident of the district in which they serve for at least two years.


title: Illinois House of Representatives

text: The Illinois General Assembly was created by the first Illinois Constitution adopted in 1818. The candidates for office split into political parties in the 1830s, initially as the Democratic and Whig parties, until the Whig candidates reorganized as Republicans in the 1850s.


title: Illinois House of Representatives

text: Abraham Lincoln began his political career in the Illinois House of Representatives as a member of the Whig party in 1834. He served there until 1842. Although Republicans held the majority of seats in the Illinois House after 1860, in the next election it returned to the Democrats. The Democratic Party-led legislature worked to frame a new state constitution that was ultimately rejected by voters After the 1862 election, the Democratic-led Illinois House of Representatives passed resolutions denouncing the federal government's conduct of the war and urging an immediate armistice and peace convention, leading the Republican governor to suspend the legislature for the first time in the state's history. In 1864, Republicans swept the state legislature and at the time of Lincoln's assassination at Ford's Theater, Illinois stood as a solidly Republican state.


title: Illinois House of Representatives

text: The Cutback Amendment was proposed to abolish this system. Since its passage in 1980, representatives have been elected from 118 single-member districts formed by dividing the 59 Senate districts in half, a method known as nesting. Each senator is "associated" with two representatives.


title: Illinois House of Representatives

text: Since the adoption of the Cutback Amendment, there have been proposals by some major political figures in Illinois to bring back multi-member districts. A task force led by former governor Jim Edgar and former federal judge Abner Mikva issued a report in 2001 calling for the revival of cumulative voting, in part because it appears that such a system increases the representation of racial minorities in elected office. The Chicago Tribune editorialized in 1995 that the multi-member districts elected with cumulative voting produced better legislators. Others have argued that the now-abandoned system provided for greater stability in the lower house.


title: Illinois House of Representatives

text: The Democratic Party won a majority of House seats in 1982. Except for a brief two-year period of Republican control from 1995 to 1997, the Democrats have held the majority since then.


title: Illinois House of Representatives

text: The first two African-American legislators in Illinois were John W. E. Thomas, first elected in 1876, and George French Ecton, elected in 1886. In 1922, Lottie Holman O'Neill became the first woman elected to the Illinois House of Representatives. In 1958, Floy Clements became the first African American woman to serve as state Representative. In 1982, Joseph Berrios became the first Hispanic American state representative. Theresa Mah became the first Asian American to serve in the Illinois House when she was sworn into office January 10, 2017.


title: Illinois House of Representatives

text: The Illinois House of Representatives meets at the Illinois State Capitol in Springfield, Illinois. It is required to convene on the second Wednesday of January each year. Along with the Illinois Senate and governor, it is vested with the power to make laws, come up with a state budget, act on federal constitutional amendments, and propose constitutional amendments to the state constitution. The Illinois House of Representatives also holds the power to impeach executive and judicial officials.


title: Illinois House of Representatives

text: A person must be a U.S. citizen and two-year resident of an electoral district of at least 21 years of age to serve in the Illinois House of Representatives. Members of the House cannot hold other public offices or receive appointments by the governor while in office.


title: Illinois House of Representatives

text: The current Speaker of the Illinois House of Representatives is Emanuel Chris Welch (D-Hillside), who represents the 7th district. The Democratic Party of Illinois currently holds a majority of seats in the House. Under the Constitution of Illinois, the office of minority leader is recognized for the purpose of making certain appointments. Jim Durkin (R-Western Springs), representing the 82nd district, currently holds the post. On January 25, 2021, Speaker Welch announced the Democratic leadership team for the 102nd General Assembly. Minority Leader Durkin did likewise.


title: Illinois House of Representatives

text: , the 102nd General Assembly of the Illinois House of Representatives consists of the following members:


title: Leonard Leo

text: Leonard A. Leo (born 1965) is an American lawyer and conservative legal activist. He was the longtime vice president of the Federalist Society and is currently, along with Steven G. Calabresi, the co-chairman of the organization's board of directors.


title: Leonard Leo

text: Leo has been instrumental in building a network of influential conservative groups funded mostly by anonymous donors, including The 85 Fund and Concord Fund which serve as funding hubs for nonprofits in the network. He assisted Clarence Thomas in his Supreme Court confirmation hearings and led campaigns to support the nominations of John Roberts, Samuel Alito, Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh, and Amy Coney Barrett.


title: Leonard Leo

text: Leo was born on Long Island, New York, in 1965, and raised in suburban New Jersey to a family of practicing Catholics. His grandfather, an Italian immigrant, was a vice-president of Brooks Brothers. Leo attended Cornell University, graduating with a bachelor's degree in 1986, and working as an intern in the office of Senator Orrin Hatch. Leo completed a J.D. degree at Cornell Law School in 1989, then clerked for federal judge A. Raymond Randolph of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.


title: Leonard Leo

text: While studying law at Cornell, Leo founded a student chapter of the Federalist Society in 1989, and subsequently went to work for the Society in 1991 in Washington, D.C. He met Clarence Thomas while clerking in the Appeals Court, and the two became close friends. Leo delayed his start at the Federalist Society to assist Thomas in his Supreme Court confirmation hearings. Leo served at the Federalist Society in various capacities for more than 25 years. In 2019, "The Washington Post" reported that the Federalist Society had paid Leo an annual salary of more than $400,000 for a number of years.


title: Leonard Leo

text: Leo took leaves of absence from the Federalist Society to organize efforts in support of the confirmations of John Roberts and Samuel Alito to the U.S. Supreme Court. Leo helped to push the Bush administration's nomination of Miguel Estrada to the judiciary.


title: Leonard Leo

text: In 2003, when George W. Bush intended to criticize the practice of affirmative action in a speech but praise racial diversity, Leo called White House officials to complain; he said that the praise for racial diversity would "disgust any conservative who thinks that this is a matter of principle." Leo told "The Washington Post", he "was conveying the widely shared belief among conservatives that discriminating on the basis of race is always wrong and inconsistent with the dignity and worth of every person."


title: Leonard Leo

text: In 2016, after the death of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, Leo raised funds to rename George Mason University's Law School the Antonin Scalia Law School. Leo worked with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to block President Barack Obama's replacement appointee, Merrick Garland and first contacted Gorsuch about the possibility of President Donald Trump appointing Gorsuch to the seat vacated by Scalia's death.


title: Leonard Leo

text: Leo was heavily involved in the campaign to prevent Merrick Garland from filling the Supreme Court seat previously occupied by Antonin Scalia; the Judicial Crisis Network, linked to Leo, reported that it spent more than $7 million to prevent Garland's confirmation. Leo was connected to two dozen conservative nonprofit entities that raised over $250 million between 2014 and 2017. Donors who contributed to this network included Charles Koch and Rebekah Mercer.


title: Leonard Leo

text: In 2017, legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin wrote that Leo was "responsible, to a considerable extent, for one third of the justices on the Supreme Court."


title: Leonard Leo

text: In 2017, Kris Mauren of the Acton Institute said that Leo has played "a significant leadership role in the selection and successful confirmation of a third of the currently sitting justices on the Supreme Court."


title: Leonard Leo

text: In 2019, "The Washington Post" wrote of Leo, "few people outside government have more influence over judicial appointments now than Leo." Leo described himself in 2019 as "a leader of the conservative legal movement." Leo has said of Mitch McConnell, who has broken records in seating Republican judicial nominees, that he was "the most consequential majority leader, certainly, in modern history."


title: Leonard Leo

text: In January 2020, Leo announced that he would be leaving his position as vice president at the Federalist Society to start a new group, CRC Advisors. CRC Advisors is a conservative public affairs consulting firm modeled off of the liberal advisory group Arabella Advisors. CRC Advisors has lobbied against climate change mitigation policies. Leo remained in his role as co-chairman of the Federalist Society's board of directors.


title: Leonard Leo

text: In October 2018, Leo appeared on an episode of "Firing Line". When asked about a possible vacancy on the Supreme Court in a future election year, he replied by saying: "If a vacancy occurs in 2020, the vacancy needs to remain open until a president is elected and inaugurated and can pick. That's my position, period." Leo said he would advise Trump not to act on an election year Supreme Court vacancy, saying he had never asked Trump about the possible scenario, but that it was Leo's opinion that he should not act on a 2020 Supreme Court vacancy, should it arise.


title: Leonard Leo

text: After the death of Ruth Bader Ginsburg in September 2020, Leo said the impending Supreme Court nomination fight "can be an important galvanizing force for President Trump." In September 2020, "The Wall Street Journal" reported that Leo was involved in the selection process for a Supreme Court nominee to replace Ginsburg; this ultimately resulted in the appointment of Amy Coney Barrett.


title: Leonard Leo

text: Leo was national co-chairman of Catholic outreach for the Republican National Committee, and as the 2004 Bush presidential campaign's Catholic strategist. He was appointed by President George W. Bush and the United States Senate to three terms on the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom.


title: Leonard Leo

text: In 2012, Leo was on the boards of the Catholic Association and its affiliate Catholic Association Foundation. These two organizations ran campaigns opposing the legalization of same-sex marriage. In 2016, Leo received $120,000 for his work for the Catholic Association.


title: Leonard Leo

text: While Leo was the chairman of the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom, a Muslim policy analyst filed a complaint against the group with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission alleging that she had been the victim of anti-Muslim discrimination. Leo denied the claims of discrimination against the organization, and no specific claims were made regarding Leo. The EEOC complaint was dismissed.