Early life, education, and medical career.

Coburn was born in Casper, Wyoming, the son of Anita Joy (née Allen) and Orin Wesley Coburn. Coburn's father was an optician and founder of Coburn Optical Industries, and a named donor to O. W. Coburn School of Law at Oral Roberts University.  Coburn graduated with a B.S. in accounting from Oklahoma State University, where he was also a member of Sigma Nu fraternity. In 1968, he married Carolyn Denton, the 1967 Miss Oklahoma; their three daughters are Callie, Katie and Sarah, a leading operatic soprano. One of the top ten seniors in the School of Business, Coburn served as president of the College of Business Student Council.  From 1970 to 1978, Coburn served as a manufacturing manager at the Ophthalmic Division of Coburn Optical Industries in Colonial Heights, Virginia. While Coburn was manager, the Virginia division of Coburn Optical grew from 13 employees to over 350 and captured 35 percent of the U.S. market.  After recovering from an occurrence of malignant melanoma, Coburn pursued a medical degree and graduated from the University of Oklahoma Medical School with honors in 1983. He then opened Maternal & Family Practice in Muskogee, Oklahoma, and served as a deacon in a Southern Baptist Church. During his career in obstetrics, he treated over 15,000 patients, delivered 4,000 babies and was subject to one malpractice lawsuit, which was dismissed without finding Coburn at fault. Together Coburn and his wife were members of First Baptist Church of Muskogee.

Sterilization controversy.

A sterilization Coburn performed on a 20-year-old woman, Angela Plummer, in 1990, became what was called "the most incendiary issue" of his Senate campaign. Coburn performed the sterilization on the woman during an emergency surgery to treat a life-threatening ectopic pregnancy, removing her healthy intact fallopian tube as well as the one damaged by the surgery. The woman sued Coburn, alleging that he did not have consent to sterilize her, while Coburn claimed he had her oral consent. The lawsuit was ultimately dismissed with no finding of liability on Coburn's part.  The state attorney general claimed that Coburn committed Medicaid fraud by not reporting the sterilization when he filed a claim for the emergency surgery. Medicaid did not reimburse doctors for sterilization procedures for patients under 21 and according to the attorney general, Coburn would not have been reimbursed at all had he disclosed this information. Coburn says since he did not file a claim for the sterilization, no fraud was committed. No charges were filed against Coburn for this claim.

Political career.

House career.

In 1994, Coburn ran for the House of Representatives in Oklahoma's 2nd congressional district, which was based in Muskogee and included 22 counties in northeastern Oklahoma. Coburn initially expected to face eight-term incumbent Mike Synar. However, Synar was defeated in a runoff for the Democratic nomination by a 71-year-old retired principal, Virgil Cooper. According to Coburn's 2003 book, "Breach of Trust: How Washington Turns Outsiders Into Insiders", Coburn and Cooper got along well, since both were opposed to the more liberal Synar. The general election was cordial since both men knew that Synar would not return to Washington regardless of the outcome. Coburn won by a 52%–48% margin, becoming the first Republican to represent the district since 1921.  Coburn was one of the most conservative members of the House. He supported "reducing the size of the federal budget," wanted to make abortion illegal and supported the proposed television V-chip legislation.  Despite representing a heavily Democratic district and President Bill Clinton's electoral dominance therein, Coburn was reelected in 1996 and 1998.  In the House, Coburn earned a reputation as a political maverick due to his frequent battles with House Speaker Newt Gingrich. Most of these stand-offs stemmed from his belief that the Republican caucus was moving toward the political center and away from the more conservative Contract With America policy proposals that had brought the Republicans into power in Congress in 1994 for the first time in 40 years.  Coburn endorsed conservative activist and former diplomat Alan Keyes in the 2000 Republican presidential primaries. Coburn retired from Congress in 2001, fulfilling his pledge to serve no more than three terms in the House. His congressional district returned to the Democratic fold, as attorney Brad Carson defeated Andy Ewing, a Republican endorsed by Coburn. After leaving the House and returning to private medical practice, Coburn wrote "Breach of Trust", with ghostwriter John Hart, about his experiences in Congress. The book detailed Coburn's perspective on the internal Republican Party debates over the Contract With America and displayed his disdain for career politicians. Some of the figures he criticized (such as Gingrich) were already out of office at the time of the book's publishing, but others (such as former House Speaker Dennis Hastert) remained influential in Congress, which resulted in speculation that some congressional Republicans wanted no part of Coburn's return to politics.  During his tenure in the House, Coburn wrote and passed far-reaching pieces of legislation. These include laws to expand seniors' health care options, to protect access to home health care in rural areas and to allow Americans to access cheaper medications from Canada and other nations. Coburn also wrote a law intended to prevent the spread of AIDS to infants. "The Wall Street Journal" said about the law, "In 10 long years of AIDS politics and funding, this is actually the first legislation to pass in this country that will rescue babies." He also wrote a law to renew and reform federal AIDS care programs. In 2002, President George W. Bush chose Coburn to serve as co-chair of the Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS (PACHA).  During his three terms in the House, Coburn also played an influential role in reforming welfare and other federal entitlement programs.

"Schindler's List" TV broadcast.

As a congressman in 1997, Coburn protested NBC's plan to air the R-rated Academy Award-winning Holocaust drama "Schindler's List" during prime time. Coburn stated that, in airing the movie without editing it for television, TV had been taken "to an all-time low, with full-frontal nudity, violence and profanity." He also said the TV broadcast should outrage parents and decent-minded individuals everywhere. Coburn described the airing of "Schindler's List" on television as "irresponsible sexual behavior. I cringe when I realize that there were children all across this nation watching this program."  This statement met with strong criticism, as the film deals mainly with the Holocaust. After heavy criticism, Coburn apologized "to all those I have offended" and clarified that he agreed with the movie being aired on television, but stated that it should have been on later in the evening. In apologizing, Coburn said that at that time of the evening there are still large numbers of children watching without parental supervision and stated that he stood by his message of protecting children from violence, but had expressed it poorly. He also said, "My intentions were good, but I've obviously made an error in judgment in how I've gone about saying what I wanted to say."  He later wrote in "Breach of Trust" that he considered this one of the biggest mistakes in his life and that, while he still felt the material was unsuitable for a 7 p.m. television broadcast, he handled the situation poorly.

Senate career.

After three years out of politics, Coburn announced his candidacy for the Senate seat being vacated by four-term incumbent Republican Don Nickles. Former Oklahoma City Mayor Kirk Humphreys (the favorite of the state and national Republican establishment) and Corporation Commissioner Bob Anthony joined the field before Coburn. However, Coburn won the primary by an unexpectedly large margin, taking 61% of the vote to Humphreys's 25%. In the general election, he faced Brad Carson, the Democrat who had succeeded him in the 2nd District and was giving up his seat after only two terms.  In the election, Coburn won by a margin of 53% to Carson's 42%. While Carson routed Coburn in the generally heavily Democratic 2nd District, Coburn swamped Carson in the Oklahoma City metropolitan area and the closer-in Tulsa suburbs. Coburn won the state's two largest counties, Tulsa and Oklahoma, by a combined 86,000 votes, more than half of his overall margin of 166,000 votes cast.  Coburn's Senate voting record was as conservative as his House record.  Coburn was re-elected in 2010. He received 90% of the vote in the Republican primary and 70% in the general election. While he already planned on not seeking a third term in tbe Senate due to his self-imposed two-term term limit, on January 16, 2014, Coburn announced he would resign his office before his term ended at the end of the year due to his declining health.  On April 29, 2014, Coburn introduced the Insurance Capital Standards Clarification Act of 2014 (S. 2270; 113th Congress) into the Senate and it passed on June 3, 2014.

Use of Senate hold.

Coburn used the Senate hold privilege to prevent several bills from coming to the Senate floor. Coburn earned a reputation for his use of this procedural mechanism. In November 2009 Coburn drew attention for placing a hold on a veterans benefits bill known as the Veterans' Caregiver and Omnibus Health Benefits Act. Coburn also placed a hold on a bill intended to help end hostilities in Uganda by the Lord's Resistance Army.  On May 23, 2007, Coburn blocked two bills honoring the 100th birthday of Rachel Carson. Coburn called Carson's scientific work "junk science," proclaiming that Carson's landmark book "Silent Spring" was "the catalyst in the deadly worldwide stigmatization against insecticides, especially DDT." Democratic Senator Benjamin L. Cardin of Maryland had intended to submit a resolution celebrating Carson for her "legacy of scientific rigor coupled with poetic sensibility," but Coburn blocked it, saying that "the junk science and stigma surrounding DDT—the cheapest and most effective insecticide on the planet—have finally been jettisoned."  In response to Coburn's holds, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid introduced the Advancing America's Priorities Act,, in July 2008. S. 3297 combined thirty-five bills which Coburn had blocked into what Democrats called the "Tomnibus" bill. The bill included health care provisions, new penalties for child pornography, and several natural resources bills. The bill failed a cloture vote.  Coburn opposed parts of the legislation creating the Lewis and Clark Mount Hood Wilderness Area, which would add protections to wildlands in Oregon, Washington, and Idaho. Coburn exercised a hold on the legislation in both March and November 2008, and decried the required $10 million for surveying and mapping as wasteful. The Mount Hood bill would have been the largest amount of land added to federal protection since 1984.  In March 2009, those wilderness areas became protected under the Omnibus Public Land Management Act, which passed the Senate 73–21.  According to the "Boston Globe", Coburn initially blocked passage of the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (GINA), objecting to provisions in the bill that allow discrimination based on genetic information from embryos and fetuses. After the embryo loophole was closed, Coburn lifted his hold on the bill.  Coburn had initially blocked passage of the LRA Disarmament and Northern Uganda Recovery Act, which would help to disarm the Lord's Resistance Army, a political group accused of human rights abuses. On March 9, 2010, Coburn lifted his hold on the LRA bill freeing it to move to the Senate floor after reaching a compromise regarding the funding of the bill, and an eleven-day protest outside of his office.

John Ensign scandal.

Coburn was affiliated with a religious organization called The Family. Coburn previously lived in one of the Family's Washington, D.C. dormitories with then-Senator John Ensign, another Family member and longtime resident of the C Street Center who admitted he had an extramarital affair with a staffer in 2009. The announcement by Ensign of his infidelity brought public scrutiny of the Family and its connection to other high-ranking politicians, including Coburn.  Coburn, together with senior members of the Family, attempted to intervene to end Ensign's affair in February 2008, before the affair became public, including by meeting with the husband of Ensign's mistress and encouraging Ensign to write a letter to his mistress breaking off the affair. Ensign was driven to a branch of Federal Express from the C Street Center to post the letter, shortly after which Ensign called to tell his mistress to ignore it.  Coburn refused to speak about his involvement in Ensign's affair or his knowledge of the affair well before it became public, asserting legal privilege due to his separate statuses as a licensed physician in the State of Oklahoma and a deacon.  In October 2009, Coburn did make a statement to "The New York Times" about Ensign's affair and cover-up: "John got trapped doing something really stupid and then made a lot of other mistakes afterward. Judgment gets impaired by arrogance and that's what's going on here."  In May 2011, the Senate Ethics Committee identified Coburn in their report on the ethics violations of Senator John Ensign. The report stated that Coburn knew about Ensign's extramarital affair and was involved in trying to negotiate a financial settlement to cover it up.

Whistleblower rights.

Coburn was involved in the Bush Administration's struggle with Congress over whistleblower rights. In the case of "Garcetti v. Ceballos", the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that government employees who testify against their employers did not have protection from retaliation by their employers under the First Amendment of the Constitution. The free speech protections of the First Amendment have long been used to shield whistleblowers from retaliation.  In response to the Supreme Court decision, the House passed H.R. 985, the Whistleblower Protection Act of 2007. Bush, citing national security concerns, promised to veto the bill should it be enacted into law by Congress. The Senate's version of the Whistleblower Protection Act (S. 274) was approved by the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs on June 13, 2007. However, that version failed to reach a vote by the Senate, as Coburn placed a hold on the bill; effectively preventing the passage of the bill, which had bipartisan support in the Senate.  Coburn's website features a news item about United Nations whistleblower Mathieu Credo Koumoin, a former employee for the U.N. Development Program in West Africa, who has asked U.N. ethics chief Robert Benson for protection under the U.N.'s new whistleblower protection rules. The site has a link to the "United Nations Watch" of the Republican Office of the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs' Subcommittee on Federal Financial Management, Government Information and International Security, of which he was the ranking minority member. Coburn's website also features a tip line for potential whistleblowers on government waste and fraud.

Council on American–Islamic Relations.

Coburn joined Congressmen Sue Myrick (R-NC), Trent Franks (R-AZ), John Shadegg (R-AZ), Paul Broun (R-GA) and Patrick McHenry (R-NC) in a letter to IRS Commissioner Douglas H. Shulman on November 16, 2009, asking that the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) be investigated for excessive lobbying and failing to register as a lobbying organization. The request came in the wake of the publication of a book, "Muslim Mafia", the foreword of which had been penned by Myrick, that portrayed CAIR as a subversive organization allied with international terrorists.

Criticism of the National Science Foundation.

On May 26, 2011 Coburn released his 73-page report, "", receiving immediate attention from such media outlets as "The New York Times", Fox News and MSNBC.

STOCK Act.

Coburn was one of three senators who voted against the Stop Trading on Congressional Knowledge Act (STOCK Act). On February 3, 2012, Coburn released the following statement regarding the Act:

Committee assignments.

Coburn was a member of the following committees:

Political positions.

Abortion.

Coburn opposed abortion, with the exception of abortions necessary to save the life of the mother. In 2000, he sponsored a bill to prevent the Food and Drug Administration from developing, testing, or approving the abortifacient RU-486. On July 13, the bill failed in the House of Representatives by a vote of 182 to 187. On the issue, Coburn sparked controversy with his remark, "I favor the death penalty for abortionists and other people who take life." He noted that his great-grandmother was raped by a sheriff.  Coburn was one of the original authors of the federal Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act upheld by the United States Supreme Court in "Gonzales v. Carhart". The act relied on an expansive view of the Constitution's Commerce Clause, as it applies to "any physician who, in or affecting interstate or foreign commerce, knowingly performs a partial-birth abortion." The Act's reliance on such a broad reading of the Commerce Clause was criticized by Independence Institute scholar David Kopel and University of Tennessee law professor Glenn Reynolds, who noted that "[u]nless a physician is operating a mobile abortion clinic on the Metroliner, it is not really possible to perform an abortion 'in or affecting interstate or foreign commerce.'" When Coburn later called Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan "ignorant" due to her "very expansive view" of the Commerce Clause, his support for the Act was used by Kagan supporters who charged him with hypocrisy on the issue.  On September 14, 2005, during the confirmation hearings for Supreme Court nominee John G. Roberts, Coburn began his opening statement with a critique of Beltway partisan politics while, according to news reports, "choking back a sob." Coburn had earlier been completing a crossword puzzle during the hearings, and this fact was highlighted by "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart" to ridicule Coburn's pathos. Coburn then began his questioning by discussing the various legal terms mentioned during the previous day's hearings. Proceeding to questions regarding both abortion and end-of-life issues, Coburn, who noted that during his tenure as an obstetrician he had delivered some 4,000 babies, asked Roberts whether the judge agreed with the proposition that "the opposite of being dead is being alive."

Fiscal conservatism.

The best-known of Coburn's amendments was an amendment to the fiscal 2006 appropriations bill that funds transportation projects. Coburn's amendment would have transferred funding from the Bridge to Nowhere in Alaska to rebuild Louisiana's "Twin Spans" bridge, which was devastated by Hurricane Katrina. The amendment was defeated in the Senate, 82–14, after Ted Stevens, the senior senator from Alaska, threatened to resign his office if the amendment were passed. Coburn's actions did result in getting the funds made into a more politically feasible block grant to the State of Alaska, which can use the funds for the bridge or other projects. The renovations for the Elizabethtown Amtrak Station were cited by Coburn as an example of pork barrel spending in the stimulus bill.  Coburn was also a member of the Fiscal Watch Team, a group of seven senators led by John McCain, whose stated goal is to combat "wasteful government spending."  On April 6, 2006, Coburn and Senators Barack Obama, Thomas Carper and John McCain introduced the Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act of 2006. The bill requires the full disclosure of all entities and organizations receiving federal funds beginning in fiscal year (FY) 2007 on a website maintained by the Office of Management and Budget. The bill was signed into law on September 26, 2006.  Coburn and McCain noted that the practice of members of Congress adding earmarks had risen dramatically over the years, from 121 earmarks in 1987 to 15,268 earmarks in 2005, according to the Congressional Research Service.  In July 2007, Coburn criticized pork-barrel spending that Nebraska Senator Ben Nelson had inserted into the 2007 defense spending bill. Coburn said that the earmarks would benefit Nelson's son Patrick's employer with millions in federal dollars and that the situation violated terms of the Transparency Act, which was passed by the Senate but had not yet been voted on in the House. Nelson's spokesperson said the Senator did nothing wrong. At that time, newspapers in Nebraska and Oklahoma noted that Coburn failed to criticize very similar earmarks that had benefited Oklahoma.  In 1997, Coburn introduced a bill called the HIV Prevention Act of 1997, which would have amended the Social Security Act. The bill would have required confidential notification of HIV exposure to the sexual partners of those diagnosed with HIV, along with counseling and testing.  In 2010, Coburn called for a freeze on defense spending. The following year, along with Democratic Maryland Senator Ben Cardin, he introduced a bill to "get rid of the most venerable big ethanol subsidy: the blenders tax credit." Coburn served on the Simpson-Bowles debt reduction commission in 2010 and was one of the only Republicans in Congress open to tax increases as a means of balancing the budget.  In 2011 Coburn broke with Americans for Tax Reform with an ethanol amendment that gathered 70 votes in the Senate. He said that anti-tax activist Grover Norquist's influence was overstated, and that revenue increases were needed in order to "fix the country."  In 2012, Coburn identified less than $7 billion a year in possible defense savings and over half of these savings were to be through the elimination of military personnel involved in supply, transportation, and communications services.  In May 2013, after tornadoes ripped through his state, Coburn said that any new funding allocated for disaster relief needed to be offset by cuts to other federal spending.  Coburn was a fierce critic of the plan to attempt to defund the Affordable Care Act by shutting down the federal government, saying that the strategy was "doomed to fail" and that Ted Cruz and others who supported the plan had a "short-term goal with lousy tactics".

Gun rights.

In regards to the Second Amendment, Coburn believed that it "recognizes the right of individual, law-abiding citizens to own and use firearms," and he opposed "any and all efforts to mandate gun control on law-abiding citizens." On the Credit CARD Act of 2009, which aimed "to establish fair and transparent practices relating to the extension of credit under an open-end consumer credit plan and for other purposes," Coburn sponsored an amendment that would allow concealed carry of firearms in national parks. The Senate passed the amendment 67–29.  Coburn placed a hold on final Senate consideration of a measure passed by the House in the wake of the Virginia Tech shootings to improve state performance in checking the federal watch list of gun buyers. However, after the Sandy Hook massacre in December 2012, Coburn (who had already announced he would not run for re-election) reversed himself and came out in support of universal background checks. Coburn partnered with Democratic members of the Senate such as Charles Schumer and Joe Manchin (to whose re-election campaign Coburn donated money) to determine what a universal background check measure should look like. However, these talks ultimately broke down, and in April 2013, Coburn was one of 46 senators to vote against the amendment in its final form, defeating its passage.

Health care reform.

Coburn voted against the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act in December 2009, and against the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010.  Coburn co-authored the Patients Choice Act of 2009 (S. 1099), a Republican plan for health care reform in the United States, which in part 1) Requires the U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to convene an interagency coordinating committee to develop a national strategic plan for prevention. The act provided for health promotion and disease prevention activities consistent with such a plan. Secondly it set forth provisions governing the establishment and operation of state-based health care exchanges to facilitate the individual purchase of private health insurance and the creation of a market where private health plans compete for enrollees based on price and quality. Thirdly it intended to amend the Internal Revenue Code to allow a refundable tax credit for qualified health care insurance coverage. Fourth it sets forth programs to prevent Medicare fraud and abuse, including ending the use of social security numbers to identify Medicare beneficiaries. Fifth it sought to terminate the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

Presidential nominations to the Judicial and Executive branches of government.

During the administration of President George W. Bush, Coburn spoke out against the threat by some Democrats to filibuster nominations to judicial and Executive Branch positions. He took the position that no presidential nomination should ever be filibustered, in light of the wording of the U.S. Constitution. Coburn said, "There is a defined charge to the president and the Senate on advice and consent."  In May 2009, Coburn was the only Senator to vote against the confirmation of Gil Kerlikowske as the Director of the National Drug Control Policy.

Same-sex marriage.

Coburn opposed same-sex marriage. In 2006, he voted in support of a proposed constitutional amendment to ban it.

War in Iraq.

On May 24, 2007, the U.S. Senate voted 80–14 to fund the war in Iraq, which included U.S. Troop Readiness, Veterans' Care, Katrina Recovery, and Iraq Accountability Appropriations Act, 2007. Coburn voted nay. On October 1, 2007, the Senate voted 92–3 to fund the war in Iraq. Coburn voted nay. In February 2008, Coburn said, "I will tell you personally that I think it was probably a mistake going to Iraq."  On December 15, 2014, Coburn stalled the Clay Hunt Suicide Prevention for American Veterans Act aimed at stemming veteran suicides. The bill would require a report on successful veteran suicide prevention programs and allow the United States Veterans Administration to pay incentives to hire psychiatrists. Paul Rieckhoff, CEO of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, said that despite his reputation as a budget hawk, Coburn should have recognized that the $22 million cost of the bill is worth the lives it would have saved. "It's a shame that after two decades of service in Washington, Sen. Coburn will always be remembered for this final, misguided attack on veterans nationwide," he said. "If it takes 90 days for the new Congress to re-pass this bill, the statistics tell us another 1,980 vets will have died by suicide. That should be a heavy burden on the conscience of Sen. Coburn and this Congress." Speaking out against the legislation, Coburn said "I object, not because I don't want to save suicides, but because I don't think this bill will do the first thing to change what's happening," arguing that the bill" "throws money and doesn't solve the real problem"

Post-Senate career.

After resigning from the U.S. Senate, Coburn joined Citizens for Self-Governance as a senior advisor to the group's Convention of States project, which seeks to convene a convention to propose amendments to the United States Constitution. In 2017, he authored a book on the subject titled "Smashing the DC Monopoly: Using Article V to Restore Freedom and Stop Runaway Government".  Coburn was affiliated with the Manhattan Institute for Policy Research, consulting on the Institute's Project FDA, an effort to promote faster drug approval processes. In 2016, he became a Manhattan Institute senior fellow.

Awards.

In 2013, Coburn received the U.S. Senator John Heinz Award for Greatest Public Service by an Elected or Appointed Official, an award given out annually by the Jefferson Awards.

Personal life.

In spite of their ideological differences, Coburn was a friend of President Barack Obama. They became friends in 2005 when they both arrived in the Senate at the same time. They worked together on political ethics reform legislation, to set up an online federal spending database and to crack down on no-bid contracting at the Federal Emergency Management Agency in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. In April 2011, Coburn spoke to Bloomberg TV about Obama, saying, "I love the man. I think he's a neat man. I don't want him to be president, but I still love him. He is our President. He's my President. And I disagree with him adamantly on 95% of the issues, but that doesn't mean I can't have a great relationship. And that's a model people ought to follow."  Before the 2009 BCS game between the Oklahoma Sooners and the Florida Gators, Coburn made a bet over the outcome of the game with Florida Senator Bill Nelson—the loser had to serenade the winner with a song. The Gators defeated the Sooners and Coburn sang Elton John's "Rocket Man" to Nelson, who had once flown into space.

Health and death.

In November 2013, Coburn made public that he had been diagnosed with prostate cancer. In 2011, he had prostate cancer surgery while also surviving colon cancer and melanoma.  Coburn died from prostate cancer at his home in Tulsa on March 28, 2020.

Thomas Allen Coburn (March 14, 1948 – March 28, 2020) was an American politician and physician. A Republican, he was a United States Representative and later a United States Senator from Oklahoma.

汤姆·科博恩(Tom Coburn;1948年-3月14日-2020年-3月28日)是美国的一位政治人物和医生。在2005年至2015年期间,他是俄克拉荷马州的两位参议院议员之一。他的党籍是共和党。汤姆·科博恩在1994年当选众议院议员,是共和党革命的当选者之一。2010年当选参议院议员后,他表示不会寻求连任。


Gameplay.

"Final Fantasy XI" is a massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG), and differs from previous titles in the series in several ways. Unlike the predefined main characters of previous "Final Fantasy" titles, players are able to customize their characters in limited ways, including selecting from one of five races and choosing their gender, facial style, hair color, body size, job, and nation allegiance. Also diverging from previous games in the series, the game takes place in a fully three-dimensional landscape with enemies freely roaming in it, allowing battles to occur in real time as opposed to the random encounters used in previous games - a trend continued in every numbered "Final Fantasy" title since.  There are currently 16 public game worlds available for play, down from 32 at the game's height, with approximately 15,000 to 20,000 players in each. A private Test Server was opened to eligible players to aid in feedback of updates in development for the game in mid-2011. The servers are named after summoned monsters from previous "Final Fantasy" titles, such as Ifrit and Diabolos. Players have the ability to move between servers, though Square-Enix charges a "world transfer" fee to do so. There are no region-specific or system-specific servers, and unlike most online games, players of different languages play in the same world and can interact through automatic language translation from a library of translated phrases. The game servers are run by Square-Enix as part of their PlayOnline network.

Interface.

Players have the option of using any combination of a keyboard, mouse, and controller to play "Final Fantasy XI". While by default, a player using a PlayStation 2 or an Xbox 360 uses a virtual/in-game keyboard option, the player is able to use an external keyboard that is USB compatible for communication within the game. The head-up display in "Final Fantasy

Basic gameplay.

Story related gameplay in "Final Fantasy XI" consists of two major components: missions, through which the main storyline of the game is told, and quests, which do not advance the main storyline, but fill out the game's fantasy world. Completing missions allows a player to advance in rank, which grants access to new areas, several privileges, and various other storylines. At first, a player may only complete missions for his home nation, though they are able to change allegiances later on, allowing access to other nations' storylines. Quests may be undertaken for their various rewards, or to acquire "fame," which allows a character to become well-known and respected by NPCs; a higher fame rating will open up new interactions and quests with NPCs. At release, over one hundred quests were available to play and each expansion pack has added its own set of missions and quests. Players obtain in-game money known as gil by completing missions, quests and defeating Beastmen, though unlike previous "Final Fantasy" games, these monsters drop only small amounts. Gil can then be exchanged amongst players for goods through

Battle and party system.

Battles in "Final Fantasy XI" take place in the world in which players move around, a first in the series, where battle had previously taken place in a separate screen via random encounters. The surprise of the random encounter system is achieved via aggressive monsters, who will attack players based on different factors such as sight and sound. This format would continue in future "Final Fantasy" games. Monsters within the game operate under a system of "claim" and "enmity". A monster

Job system.

"Final Fantasy XI" uses the concept of changing Jobs in a similar fashion to "Final Fantasy III", and currently has twenty-two Jobs as of the latest expansion pack in 2013. There are six "standard Jobs" available to choose from at the start of the game. After one standard Job has reached Level 30, the "extra Jobs" are accessible upon completing certain quests. Players are able to change their jobs any time from inside their house or by speaking with a Nomad Moogle. In June 2010, the long-standing level limit of 75 was incrementally increased to the higher level cap of 99, finishing in the December 2011 version update.  Jobs have a combination of unique "job traits", "job abilities", and magic spells, giving them a specific role within group play due to their area of expertise. Job traits are passive abilities that are

Crafting and hobbies.

In addition to completing quests and missions, players can participate in several side-minigames and other activities. One such minigame is fishing, where players can measure their strength against the fish they attempt to catch. Another is clamming, where players collect as many fish or sea creatures as possible without going over their bucket's size limit. Gardening allows players to raise plants in their residence, or "Mog House" as it is known in the game. The raising and breeding of Chocobos was a long-requested activity enabled in the summer 2006 update. Chocobo racing began in March 2007, which allowed for the racing of player-raised Chocobos against non-player characters (NPCs). Winning racers can earn "Chocobucks", which can be used to buy, for example, items that assist

Game economy.

"Final Fantasy XI" has a largely player-based economy, with a heavy reliance on auction houses in each of the major cities of Vana'diel. There are certain economic controls in place mainly in the form of fees for putting items up for auction. Transportation, auction house, item storage, and fees do not go to players; these gil sinks effectively remove money from the economy to prevent inflation. The city of Jeuno used to levy a tax on bazaar purchases inside the city, but it was removed in a patch

Synopsis.

Setting.

The setting of "Final Fantasy XI" is the world of Vana'diel, a rich world with diverse climates, ranging from northern glaciers and southern deserts, to ethereal realms and sky landmasses. Vana'diel is divided into a number of regions, which are subdivided into areas known as "zones". These zones are available for exploration and consist of outdoor areas, dungeons, cities, and towns. Players are able to explore a portion of Vana'diel, including the Middle Lands, Near East, and with the release of "Seekers of Adoulin", the near west. Six city states exist in the available lands, The Republic of Bastok, The Kingdom of San d'Oria, The Federation of Windurst, The Grand Duchy of Jeuno, The Empire of Aht Urhgan and the Sacred City of Adoulin. While most areas are accessible by walking, various modes of transportation, ranging from the classic "Final Fantasy" Chocobo and airships to special spells, facilitate movement across the game world.  Ancient lore states that Vana'diel was created as a playground for the Gods and their children, who themselves were spawned from an enormous and sentient Crystal. Eventually wishing to be

Characters.

"Final Fantasy XI" features five playable races known as the "Enlightened Races":  In addition to the playable races, there are two other non-playable Enlightened Races, known as the Zilart and the Kuluu. These ancient races were thought to be extinct, and are the focus of the first two-game expansions. There is also a large supporting cast of NPCs involved in quests, missions and the game's storylines. The game features several typical "Final Fantasy" fiends, including

Plot.

The storyline is primarily followed with missions through the governing nations that exist in the base game as well as each expansion that the player is affiliated with. Nation or governing body affiliation is relatively simple, sometimes requiring prerequisite quests being completed and have several stages of progression to achieve higher recognition and reward throughout each story. Some missions are even required to be completed to further progress into the start of the additional storylines of each expansion or specific areas.  Players begin the game as residents of one of the three main countries: San d'Oria, Bastok, and Windurst, and must help band the nations together against the resurrected Shadow Lord.  The expansion "Rise of the Zilart" reveals that the Crystal War and the resurrection of the Shadow Lord had been masterminded by the Zilart princes Eald'Narche and Kam'lanaut, who survived the extinction of their race. The two Zilarts plan to become Gods by opening the path to paradise, and the player is charged with thwarting their plans.  "Chains of Promathia" revolves around an Elvaan girl named Prishe and the dead Twilight God Promathia, who had originally cursed the

Development.

The idea to develop "Final Fantasy XI" as an online game was conceived by Hironobu Sakaguchi when establishing Square Pictures headquarters in Hawaii. Impressed by western MMORPGs that he discovered there, such as "EverQuest", Sakaguchi convinced Square to begin the development of their own MMORPG and suggested that it be based on the "Final Fantasy" series. The team responsible for "Chrono Cross" was assigned to the development of "Final Fantasy XI" after the English localization of the former title. Development began in November 1999. The game was the first developed under Square's new philosophy to develop for "all platforms and media". Hiromichi Tanaka, the producer of the game, has stated "Final Fantasy XI" is heavily influenced by "Final Fantasy III", especially in its battle and magic systems. According to Tanaka, Square put in "Final Fantasy XI" what they could not put in the first "Final Fantasy" titles due to technical limitations, thus making "Final Fantasy XI" the "most [representative] "Final Fantasy" of all the episodes". The game was developed and ran on the Nvidia GeForce 4 Ti GPU, which the President of Square Yoichi Wada described as the most powerful graphics processor available at the time. The game cost two to three billion yen (~$17–25 million) to create along with the PlayOnline Network Service and was assumed to become profitable over a five-year timespan. By creating a unified game world instead of different ones balkanized by language, development costs were cut 66%. Since recurring monsters of the series are known by different names in the Japanese and English versions of the other installments, it was decided for "Final Fantasy XI" to use both Japanese and English names for different varieties of the same monsters. It was originally announced that there would be a simultaneous release on the PlayStation 2 and Microsoft Windows as well as concurrent Japanese and American release, but this was later changed. There was also discussion of an Xbox release, but it was abandoned mainly because of its small 8 GB hard drive. Originally announced in January 2000 at the Yokohama Millennium Conference, there was a great deal of negative press. There were questions raised about naming the game the eleventh in the series, since it was not clear whether the game would have a structured story, which it ended up having, and the title of "Final Fantasy Online" was suggested. Following an August 2001 beta test in Japan, a public Japanese beta test was done in December 2001.  Following its PC release, "Final Fantasy XI" was listed as one of IGN's most anticipated PlayStation 2 games of 2004. Sony launched a multimillion-dollar ad campaign to promote "Final Fantasy XI" along with the PlayStation 2 hard drive add-on which the game required. Having been released on the PlayStation 2 as well as the personal computer, it became the first cross-platform MMORPG ever created. On June 14, 2002, the game server was down for four hours for maintenance to the database servers, bug fixes on the text interface, and a new patch for the game client. This is thought to be the first patch ever released for a console game. Other early issues included complaints by American players that experienced Japanese players had already completed all the quests. Square Enix responded by adding new servers in order to have game worlds with fewer expert players.  "Final Fantasy XI" is one of the first cross-console video games, and has continued to update its software to allow the game to run on new consoles. On March 8, 2007, a patch was released to enable gameplay in French and German. Square Enix noted that Nintendo's use of "friend codes" was the primary reason "Final Fantasy XI" was not brought to the Wii. In December 2006, the PlayStation 2 versions of PlayOnline and "Final Fantasy XI" were able to install and run on the PlayStation 3. The "Vana'diel Collection 2008" discs for the PlayStation 2 had installation issues on the PlayStation 3, causing them to be unusable at first since they weren't on Sony's list of HDD compatible titles in the firmware the PlayStation 3 had at the time. This problem was fixed on December 18, 2007 when Sony released firmware update 2.10 for the PlayStation 3. This allowed all backwards compatible models—20GB model #CECHB01, 60GB model #CECHA01 and 80GB model #CECHE01—to play FFXI. After working with Microsoft to resolve "Final Fantasy XI"s incompatibility issues with Windows Vista, Square Enix released a downloadable version of the PlayOnline client which is compatible with the operating system, although small bugs have appeared.  On September 1, 2010, Akihiko Matsui became the director of "Final Fantasy XI". Only three months later, on December 10, 2010, Matsui left the "Final Fantasy XI" team to work as "Lead Combat System Designer" on Square Enix's new MMO, "Final Fantasy XIV". His replacement as director of "Final Fantasy XI" is Mizuki Ito. On July 13, 2011, information from a Famitsu interview with former "Final Fantasy XI" producer Hiromichi Tanaka revealed that Square Enix is looking into the possibility of porting "Final Fantasy XI" to Sony PlayStation Vita. On June 24, 2012, at the end of VanaFest 2012, a festival in Yokohama, Japan to celebrate 2012's tenth anniversary of the Japanese launch of "Final Fantasy XI", Hiromichi Tanaka announced that, due to health reasons, he was stepping down as producer of the game and leaving Square-Enix. Akihiko Matsui has been selected to replace him.  In 2006, between 200,000 and 300,000 active players logged in per day, with 500,000 total active players and around 150,000 online at any one time. In April 2009, Square Enix announced that the total number of active characters exceeded 2 million for the first time. In June 2012, Square Enix president Yoichi Wada announced that "Final Fantasy XI" had become the most profitable title in the "Final Fantasy" series.

Expansions and add-ons.

"Final Fantasy XI" has additions released every few years. Expansion packs add new story, jobs, zones, quests, and content to the game, while add-ons are smaller in scale,

Reception.

Critical reception.

"Final Fantasy XI" received positive reviews from critics. Aggregating review websites GameRankings and Metacritic gave the PlayStation 2 version 85% based on 57 reviews and 85/100 based on 49 reviews, the PC version 82% based on 44 reviews and 85/100 based on 25 reviews the Xbox 360 version 69% based on 32 reviews and 66/100 based on 25 reviews. "Famitsu" rated the game 38 out of 40. "Computer and Video Games Magazine" noted that it was one of the most welcoming MMORPGs despite the cumbersome initial registration and setup. IGN called it a well done but unoriginal game and also noted that North American players were forced to play

Sales and subscriptions.

The user base for the PlayStation 2 version was truncated initially because of limited sales of the PlayStation 2's hard drive and network adapters that were needed for the game. The Japanese release of "Rise of the Zilart" was the number one selling game when it debuted in 2003 with 90,000 copies sold in the first week. The "Treasures of Aht Urhgan", released three years later, sold over 103,000 copies for the PlayStation 2 in Japan during 2006. In the United States, "Final Fantasy XI"s computer version sold 340,000 copies ($15.5 million) by August 2006, after its release in October 2003. It was the country's 51st best-selling computer game between January 2000 and August 2006. The "Final Fantasy XI All-in-One Pack" was number 36 and "Wings of

Awards and legacy.

"Final Fantasy XI" was awarded the grand prize from the Japan's Consumer Entertainment Software Association (CESA) for 2002–2003 along with "Taiko no Tatsujin". It has also received GameSpy's 2003 PC MMORPG Game of the Year Award and IGN's Game of the Month for March 2004, citing the game's huge customization and its successful cross-platform and cross-language game world. "Final Fantasy XI" was referenced in the online game "Minna no Golf Online" in the form of a "Final Fantasy XI"-themed lobby. At 2009's Electronic Entertainment Expo, Square Enix revealed "Final Fantasy XIV Online", which was Square Enix's next MMORPG.

Final Fantasy XI, also known as Final Fantasy XI Online, is a massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG), developed and published by Square (later Square Enix) as part of the "Final Fantasy" series. Designed and produced by Hiromichi Tanaka, it was released in Japan on May 16, 2002, for PlayStation 2 and Microsoft Windows-based personal computers in November of that year. The game was the first MMORPG to offer cross-platform play between PlayStation 2 and personal computer. It was also the Xbox 360's first MMORPG. All versions of the game require a monthly subscription to play.

是由史克威尔(后来为史克威尔艾尼克斯)开发的大型多人在线角色扮演游戏(MMORPG),为最终幻想系列的一作。游戏由田中弘道设计并制作,于2002年5月16日在日本索尼PlayStation 2平台首发,次年又在Microsoft Windows平台个人电脑发行。游戏是首款跨平台MMORPG,也是Xbox 360的首款MMORPG。各版本的游戏皆需每月缴纳订阅金。


Gameplay.

Throughout the game, the player directly controls the on-screen character from a third-person perspective to interact with people, objects, and enemies. Unlike previous games in the series, the player can also control the camera with the right analog stick, allowing for a 360° view of the surroundings. While in towns and cities, the player may only see from the perspective of Vaan, but any character may be controlled in the field. The world of "Final Fantasy XII" is rendered to scale relative to the characters in it; instead of a caricature of the character roaming around miniature terrain, as found in the earlier "Final Fantasy" games, every area is represented proportionally. The player navigates the overworld on foot, Chocobo, or by airship. Players may save their game to a memory card using save crystals or gate crystals, and may use the latter to teleport between gate crystals. An in-game bestiary provides incidental information about the world of "Final Fantasy XII".  "Final Fantasy XII" restructures the system of earning gil, the currency of the "Final Fantasy" games; instead of gil, most enemies drop "loot" which can be sold at shops. This ties into a new battle mechanic which rewards the player with improved loot for slaying a particular type of enemy multiple times in a row. Selling different types of loot also unlocks a bazaar option in shops, which provides items at a lower cost, or items exclusive to the bazaar.

Battle system.

Excluding the massively multiplayer online role-playing game "Final Fantasy XI", "Final Fantasy XII" is the first entry in the main "Final Fantasy" series not to include random encounters. Instead, enemies are visible in the overworld and the player may choose to fight or avoid them. Battles unfold in real time using the "Active Dimension Battle" (ADB) system. Battles begin when the party comes within range of an aggressive enemy, the party attacks an enemy, or a story event initiates a confrontation. When a character or enemy begins an action, target lines connect characters to

Growth system.

As in many role-playing games (RPGs), characters "level up" each time they earn a set number of experience points from defeating enemies; each level gained increases the character's statistics and improves performance in battle. Statistics include hit points, the amount of damage a character can receive; strength, the power of the character's physical attacks; and magic, the potency of the character's magical spells.  In addition to leveling up, players may improve their characters via the License Board.

Plot.

Setting.

"Final Fantasy XII" is set within the land of Ivalice during an age when "magic was commonplace" and "airships plied the skies, crowding out the heavens". At this time, magicite, a magic-rich mineral, is commonly used in magic spells and in powering airships—a popular form of transportation in Ivalice. Ivalice is divided into three continents: Ordalia, Valendia, and Kerwon. Ordalia is located in the western part of Ivalice. The Rozarrian Empire makes its home in the vast inland plains of this continent as the eastern portion of

Characters.

The six main playable characters in "Final Fantasy XII" are Vaan, an energetic orphan of Rabanastre who dreams of becoming a sky pirate; Ashe, a determined princess of Dalmasca who lost her father and her husband in the Archadian invasion; Basch, a disgraced knight of Dalmasca charged with treason for slaying the king; Balthier, a gentlemanly sky pirate who pilots his airship, the "Strahl"; Fran, Balthier's partner and a Viera exile whose knowledge extends to legends and myths; and Penelo, Vaan's childhood friend who accompanies him on journeys to "keep an eye on him".  The Archadian Empire is ruled

Story.

In Dalmasca's capital city of Rabanastre, Princess Ashelia (Ashe) of Dalmasca and Prince Rasler of Nabradia have just wed, as the Archadian Empire invades the two countries. Rasler is killed in the war, the city of Nabudis is destroyed in a single explosion, and the Dalmascan King Raminas is assassinated moments after signing a treaty of surrender. Marquis Ondore announces that the assassin was Dalmascan captain Basch, who has been sentenced to death, and that Princess Ashe has committed suicide.  Two years later, Vaan, a Rabanastre street urchin, ignores his friend Penelo's objections and infiltrates the palace during a dinner celebrating the appointment of Archadian prince Vayne Solidor as consul. In the treasury he finds a piece of magicite, a powerful magical crystal. He is discovered by Balthier and Fran, a pair

Development.

Development for "Final Fantasy XII" began in December 2000 and was headed by "Final Fantasy Tactics" director Yasumi Matsuno and "Final Fantasy IX" director Hiroyuki Ito. Matsuno provided the original concept and plot but was forced to bow out a year before release due to health concerns. The team was restructured as a consequence: the new directorial duo consisted of Ito and Hiroshi Minagawa, while Akitoshi Kawazu of "SaGa" series fame became the game's executive producer. Series creator Hironobu Sakaguchi was disappointed by Matsuno's departure and declined to play the game beyond its introduction.  The desire to move away from random encounters was present since the beginning of development. This desire fueled the development of the Active Dimension Battle system so players could seamlessly move from battle to exploration. The gambit system was conceived early on as a way to facilitate this change. Battle system designer Hiroshi Tomomatsu said that it gradually moved away from a complex and rigid formula to the more flexible form seen in the final version of the game. Ito drew inspiration for gambits from plays in American football where each team member has a specific job to do based on the conditions and desired outcome. As for the license system, he explained that needing "licenses" to perform certain actions was a natural extension of the rigid structured society of Archadia, as epitomized by its Judges.  At the early stages of development, Minagawa revealed that numerous ideas and features were planned for the game, but were dropped from the final stages due to certain constraints and hardware limitations. Some of these included the ability for a second player to join in the gameplay, enabling a two-player mode. Another idea that was given a considerable amount of thought was the ability to recruit non-player characters to join in the mob hunts. Due to the technical limitations of the console and multiple number of characters joining the fray, the development phase took longer than expected, causing delays.  Design inspiration came from a mix of medieval Mediterranean countries as demonstrated by the architectural styles found throughout Ivalice along with many of the races populating the region. The art team, led by art directors Hideo Minaba and Isamu Kamikokuryō, visited Turkey, which influenced the game's Mediterranean-style setting. The developers also used styles and deco from other sources including areas in India and New York City. Of note is the use of Sanskrit in the city of Bhujerba. Phrases such as "svagatam" (welcome) and titles like "parijanah" (guide) are lifted directly from Sanskrit. Minaba mentions that the team tried to bring out Arabic culture in the design of the game. War is a prominent theme of the game and the developers stated that the cutscene battles are influenced by Ancient Rome. When asked to comment on the fan observation of "Star Wars" similarities, Minaba replied that although he was a fan of the series, it was not necessarily an influence to the game's designs. It has also been noted that the similarities originate from "The Hidden Fortress", the 1958 Akira Kurosawa film that inspired "Star Wars".  Basch was initially meant to be the main protagonist of the story, but the focus was eventually shifted to Vaan and Penelo when the two characters were created later in development. The development team explained that their previous game, "Vagrant Story", which featured a "strong man in his prime" as the protagonist had been unsuccessful and unpopular; the change regarding "Final Fantasy XII" from a "big and tough" protagonist to a younger, youthful one was thus decided after targeting demographics were considered. With the casting of actor Kouhei Takeda for the voice acting and motion capture, Vaan became less feminine and more "active, upbeat bright and positive". Comments were made about the similarity between main character designer and background design supervisor Akihiko Yoshida's creations and those of Tetsuya Nomura, another Square Enix character designer. Yoshida feels this connection is sparked by the style of color used by both artists, which involves a color consistency between the characters and the environments. The designers stated that non-human characters and races feature a prominent role in the game, which was influenced by an interest in history among the developers.  Miwa Shoda wrote a storyline for the game premised on the basis of the cutscenes and world setting that had already been finished when she joined the team. Scenario writer Daisuke Watanabe in turn fleshed out Shoda's plot into a script. During the English localization process, Alexander O. Smith, who had previously worked on "Vagrant Story" and "Final Fantasy X", acted as producer and translator. While still preserving the meaning behind the Japanese script, Smith made the decision to use different dialects of English to reproduce the regional differences in pronunciation found in the Japanese version. He also tried to distance the game from the "flat reads" found in other dubbed work by casting voice actors who had experience in theatre work. In terms of general changes, the localization team introduced widescreen 16:9 ratio support and reinserted scenes that were left out of the original Japanese version for political reasons and to preserve an "All Ages" CERO rating.  On November 15, 2005, a playable demo of the game was shipped with the North American release of "Dragon Quest VIII". To commemorate the release of "Final Fantasy XII", playable demos of the English version were available at DigitalLife's Gaming Pavilion in New York City on October 11, 2006, a day dubbed ""Final Fantasy XII" Gamer's Day". Additionally, Square Enix gave fans the chance to cosplay as characters from "Final Fantasy XII". Each person was asked to show Square Enix three photos of his or her costume for a chance to win a trip to New York and participate in the "Final Fantasy XII" Gamer's Day event.  "Final Fantasy XII" once held the Guinness World Record for longest development period in a video game production, with a total of five years, spanning from 2001 until its release in 2006. At a "Final Fantasy XII" "postmortem" at MIT in March 2009, Hiroshi Minagawa mentioned that several years of production were devoted to the creation of custom tools used for the development of the game. It was also listed as 8th on the Guinness top 50 games of all time in 2009.

Merchandise.

On March 16, 2006, Sony Computer Entertainment Japan released a special "Final Fantasy XII" package, which contained a PlayStation 2 game system, the "Final Fantasy XII" game, a standard DualShock controller, and a vertical console stand. The Japanese third-party manufacturer Hori also released "Final Fantasy XII" memory cards on the day of the game's release; stickers of "Final Fantasy XII" characters are included. Game peripheral maker Logicool (Logitech's Japanese branch) released a special edition "Final Fantasy XII" controller on the same day. Suntory produced "Final Fantasy XII Potion"—a drink containing such ingredients as royal jelly, chamomile, sage, thyme, and marjoram. The drinks became commercially available in Japan on March 7, 2006. Suntory also released a "Final Fantasy XII" Premium Box, which came with a "Final Fantasy XII" collector's card. The Potion was a limited edition product and is no longer available. "Final Fantasy XII" was also adapted into a manga by Gin Amou. Square Enix published the series in a total of five "tankōbon" volumes from December 22, 2006 to August 22,

Reception.

Sales.

"Final Fantasy XII" sold more than 1,764,000 copies in its first week in Japan, almost equaling the sales of "Final Fantasy X" in its first week. A Square Enix conference report stated that "Final Fantasy XII" sold more than 2.38 million copies in Japan in the two weeks since

Critics.

According to review aggregator Metacritic, "Final Fantasy XII" received "universal acclaim". On March 16, 2006, it became the sixth game to receive a perfect score from the Japanese gaming magazine "Famitsu", making it the first "Final Fantasy" game, first Hiroyuki Ito game, and only PlayStation 2 game to do so. It is also the second Yasumi Matsuno game to garner a perfect score, the first being "Vagrant Story". The game was praised for its graphics, scenarios, game system, and the freshness it brought to the "Final Fantasy" series. It was praised for its seamless transitions between full motion video segments and the in-game engine, and was voted number one for Best Art Style on IGN's weekly Top Ten. "Newtype USA" named "Final Fantasy XII" its "Game of the Month" for November 2006, praised the gameplay, graphics, and story, and called it "the best RPG to have been released for any Sony platform".  Although GameSpot lauded the gambit and license systems as an innovative and in-depth way for the player to control the characters, it criticized them for being too complicated and difficult to

Sequels and rereleases.

"International Zodiac Job System".

An expanded version of the game, "Final Fantasy XII International Zodiac Job System", was released in Japan on August 10, 2007. It includes twelve license boards (instead of the original game's one), each corresponding to a different Zodiac sign and job. The player can control

"Revenant Wings".

A sequel", ", was released for the Nintendo DS in 2007. It takes place one year after the events

"Fortress".

"Fortress", a spin-off action game developed by Grin, was to have been a spin-off

"The Zodiac Age".

In July 2017, Square Enix released "Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age," a high-definition remaster of the Japanese-only "International Zodiac Job System" for the PlayStation 4. It adds trophy support, a remastered soundtrack with a few new tracks, and improved technical performance. "The Zodiac Age" was nominated for "Best Remake/Remaster" at IGN's Best of 2017 Awards, and won "Best Remaster" at "Game

Legacy.

The "Final Fantasy XII" gambit system inspired the Tactics system used in "". Final Fantasy XIV also used the gambit system as a base for its "Trust System", a mechanic that pairs online players with story characters controlled by artificial intelligence. The game also incorporated several regions and characters from Final Fantasy XII into its game world, alongside other games from the Ivalice universe. Michael-Christopher Koji Fox, the translation director of Final Fantasy XIV indicated in an interview that the team have a lot of people who worked on Final Fantasy XII and "is one of the games they wanted to borrow heavily from because they thought it was really cool, and they really liked the imagery and lore that it had". The localization of "Final Fantasy XII" was praised as a high point of the series and video games as a whole. Lead localizers Alexander O. Smith and Joseph Reeder went on to collaborate again on "", the remake of a previous Yasumi Matsuno game, with its localization also receiving high praise. Producers of "The Zodiac Age" stated they were considering another game set in the Ivalice universe, adding that earlier projects faded away due to original development members working on other games.

The game takes place in the fictional land of Ivalice, where the empires of Archadia and Rozarria are waging an endless war. Dalmasca, a small kingdom, is caught between the warring nations. When Dalmasca is annexed by Archadia, its princess, Ashe, creates a resistance movement. During the struggle, she meets Vaan, a young adventurer who dreams of becoming a sky pirate in command of an airship. They are quickly joined by a band of allies; together, they rally against the tyranny of the Archadian Empire.

是史克威尔艾尼克斯为PlayStation 2开发并发行的电子角色扮演游戏。本作是最终幻想系列第12部正传,于2006年发行。游戏就系列而言有多项开创设计,包括无缝战斗系统、可控镜头、由玩家设定角色自动行动规则的“策略”系统,以及决定角色可用能力和装备的“执照”系统。游戏沿用召唤兽、陆行鸟和莫古利等系列常驻元素。


School system overview.

Basic education in Thailand is free. It is divided into three levels: pre-primary, primary, and secondary. Pre-primary education was introduced in 2004 and made free in 2009. State schools offer two years of kindergarten (; ) (three- and four-year-olds) and one year of pre-school studies (five-year-olds). Participation in pre-primary education is "nearly universal". At the age of six, education begins. It lasts for nine years, consisting of primary, "prathom" () (grades P1-6), and lower secondary, "matthayom" () (grades M1-3), starting at the age of 12. Upper secondary education, grades 4-6, is also not compulsory. It is divided into general and vocational tracks.  Ninety-nine percent of students complete primary education. Only 85 percent complete lower secondary. About 75 percent move on to upper secondary (ages 16–18). For every 100 students in primary schools, 85.6 students will continue studies in M1, 79.6 students will continue until M3, and only 54.8 will go on to M6 or occupational schools.  There are academic upper secondary schools, vocational upper secondary schools, and comprehensive schools offering academic and vocational

History.

Formal education has its early origins in the temple schools, when it was available to boys only. From the mid-sixteenth century Thailand opened up to significant French Catholic influence until the mid-seventeenth century when it was heavily curtailed, and the country returned to a strengthening of its own cultural ideology. Unlike other parts of South and Southeast Asia, particularly the Indian subcontinent, Myanmar (Burma), Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia, the Malay Peninsula, Indonesia and the Philippines which had all benefited from the influence of countries with centuries of educational tradition, Thailand has never been colonised by a Western power. As a result, structured education on the lines of that in developed countries was slow to evolve until it gained new impetus with the reemergence of diplomacy in the late nineteenth century.

Early education.

It is possible that one of the earliest forms of education began when King Ram Khamhaeng the Great invented the Thai alphabet in 1283 basing it on Mon, Khmer, and southern Indian scripts. Stone inscriptions from 1292 in the new script depict moral, intellectual and cultural aspects. During the Sukhothai period (1238–1378), education was dispensed by the Royal Institution of Instruction ("Rajabundit") to members of the royal family and the nobility, while commoners were taught by Buddhist monks.  In the period of the Ayutthaya kingdom from 1350 to 1767 during the reign of King Narai the Great (1656–1688), the "Chindamani", generally accepted as the first textbook of the Thai language, collating the grammar.

Development.

Through his reforms of the Buddhist Sangha, King Rama I (1782–1809), accelerated the development of public education and during the reign of King Rama IV (1851–1865) the printing press arrived in Thailand making books available in the Thai language for the first time; English had become the "lingua franca" of the Far East, and the education provided by the monks was proving inadequate for government officials. Rama IV decreed that measures be taken to modernise education and insisted that English would be included in the curriculum.  King Rama V (1868–1910) continued to influence the development of education and in 1871 the first relatively modern concept of a school with purpose constructed building, lay teachers and a time-table was opened in the palace to teach male members of the royal family and the sons of the nobility. The Command Declaration on Schooling was proclaimed, English was being taught in the palace for royalty and nobles, and schools were set up outside the palace for the education

Education for Sustainable Development.

Thailand has a particular interpretation of education for sustainable development (ESD) as the ‘philosophy of sufficiency economy’ has played a leading role in shaping policy, including the National Economic and Social Development Plan and the National Education Act. ESD is highly integrated into the curriculum of primary and secondary education in Thailand through the framework of sufficiency economy. The National Curriculum of Thailand, which integrates the country’s ‘philosophy of sufficiency economy’, is an important case in point. Since 2002, the country’s education plan has promoted the inclusion of ESD

Thailand education reform 1995-1997.

In 1995, the minister of education, Sukavich Rangsitpol, launched a series of education reforms in

Twelve values.

Prayut Chan-o-cha, Thailand's prime minister and junta leader, said in 2017 that school reform was urgently needed. Following the military takeover of May 2014, Prayut, in a televised broadcast in July, ordered schools to display a list of 12 "Thai" values he composed.

Military training for kindergartners.

The military government under Prayut Chan-o-cha instituted a "land defender battalion" program to teach uniformed children aged four and five to do push-ups, crawl under netting, salute, and eat from metal trays on the floor. "Soldiers showed children military operations

2015 IQ survey results.

A 2015 survey by the Ministry of Public Health found the average IQ of Thai students to be 93, down from 94 in 2011, and below the international standard of 100.  One cause of lower IQs might be nutrition, specifically iodine deficiency.  In July 2015, the Thai Department of Health initiated a program to provide better nutrition and health education at Thai public schools. Its aims are to increase average IQ from 94 to 100 and boost the average height of children. Currently boys measure on average 167 cm and girls 157 cm. Over the 10-year life of the program heights are targeted to increase to

Secondary school admissions protest.

In May 2012, parents and students at the prestigious Bodindecha (Sing Singhaseni) School, commonly referred to as "Bodin", in Bangkok staged a hunger strike to protest what they viewed as admissions irregularities. The issue arose when 200 Bodin students were denied the right to continue their studies at the school at the

Status of teachers.

Thai society holds teachers in high regard as evidenced by naming one day of the year as "Teacher's Day." "Thai teachers, as well as university lecturers, are not as well paid as their colleagues in Malaysia

Organisation.

Administration.

Thailand has had 21 education ministers in the past 18 years (2000–2018). Each lasts an average of nine months. The complexity of administration of Thai education gives rise to duplication among the many ministries and agencies

Budget.

For FY2019 the budget of the Ministry of Education is 487,646 million baht. The Thai national budget allocates considerable resources to education. In FY2017, educational expenditures represented almost 20 percent of the national budget, or four percent of GDP. This is high in comparison with the educational expenditures of other countries, especially developing countries, with China at 13

Elementary and secondary levels.

At elementary levels, students study eight core subjects each semester: Thai language, mathematics, science, social science, health and physical education, arts and music, technology, and foreign languages. At age 16 (Matthayom 4), students are allowed to choose one or two elective courses. The science program (Wit-Kanit) and the mathematics-English

Vocational education.

The Vocational Education Commission manages 416 vocational institutions of higher learning in Thailand.  Technical and vocational education (TVE) begins at the senior high school level where students begin to follow either general or vocational education tracks. At present, around 60 percent of students follow the general education programmes. However, the government is endeavouring to achieve an equal balance between general and vocational education.  Three levels of TVE are offered: the Certificate in Vocational Education ("Bor Wor Chor") which is taken during the upper secondary period; the Technical Diploma ("Bor Wor Sor"), taken after school-leaving age; and the Higher Diploma on which admission to university for a bachelor's degree programme may be granted. Vocational education is also provided by private institutions.

Dual vocational training (DVT).

Essential to DVT is the active participation of the private sector. In 1995, the Department of Vocational Education launched an initiative to introduce dual vocational training programmes which involve the students in hand-on training at selected organisations in the private sector.  DVT is a regular element of the DoVE "certificate" and "diploma" program. The training is for a period of three years with more than half of the time devoted to practical training on-the-job, spread over two days a week, or for longer periods depending on the distance, throughout the semesters.  Two levels of DVT are offered: the three-year certificate level for skilled workers where students and trainees are admitted at the age of 15

Enrollment.

there were 674,113 students

Concerns of multi-national corporations.

Shiro Sadoshima, the Japanese ambassador to Thailand, believes that the Thai government must invest more in education to produce a labour force that can meet the demands of Japanese industry. He noted that while Thailand has a policy to improve vocational skills and cultivate skilled labour, the skills exhibited by Thai workers are not up to Japanese standards.

Higher education.

Universities.

There are 170 institutions of higher education in Thailand, both public and private, offering 4,100 curricula. For the 2015 academic year, the universities could accommodate 156,216 new students, but only 105,046 applied to take entrance exams. Exacerbating the student shortfall, the National Economic and Social Development Board projects that the number of Thais in the school-age group 0–21 years will fall to 20 percent of the population by 2040, a drop from 62.3 percent in 1980.  Many public universities

Programs.

Most bachelor's degree courses are four year, full-time programs. Exceptions are education and architecture that require five years, and the doctor of dental surgery, medicine, pharmacy, and veterinary medicine that require six years of study. Master's degree programs last for either one or two years and the degree is conferred on

Admission.

At present, there are two methods to select students for admission to universities in Thailand. The first method is the direct admission system operated by each university. The second method is the original admission system managed by the National Institute of Education Testing Service (NIETS).  On graduating from high school, students need to pass the CUAS (Central University Admission System) which contains 50% of O-NET and A-NET results and the other half of the fourth level GPA (grade point average). Many changes and experiments in the university admissions system have taken place since 2001, but by late 2007 a nationwide system had yet to be accepted by the students, the universities, and the government. In 2008, the newly formed coalition led by the People's

NIETS clearinghouse.

In 2013, NIETS began to use a clearinghouse system. It is designed to avoid the problem of having the same student be accepted by several universities. After completing the exam and deciding on a university to attend, the student's name will automatically be removed from other university databases and admissions system. Universities currently in the system are Chulalongkorn University, Kasetsart University, Thammasat University, King Mongkut's Institute of Technology Ladkrabang, and 14 other state universities.  The required qualifications

Grade point average.

Grade point average is an

National Educational Test.

It is composed of O-NET, N-NET, V-NET, and GAT-PAT.

International schools.

The ministry of education defines international schools as, "...an educational institution providing an international curriculum or international curriculum which its subject's detail has been adjusted or a self-organised curriculum, which is not the Ministry of Education's. A foreign language is used as the medium of teaching and learning and students are enrolled without restriction or limitation on nationality or religion or government regime, and are not against the morality or stability of Thailand."  Prior to 1992, only a very small number of international schools existed in Thailand, and they catered entirely to the children of expatriates, as Thai law prohibited Thai nationals from enrolling. When the first international school, International School Bangkok, relocated to a new campus outside of the city proper, a group of parents worked with United Nations staff to lobby the Ministry of Education to change this law and open the first new international school in decades. This led to the establishment of New International School of Thailand

Distance learning by TV.

Established in 1996, DLTV (Distance Learning via TV) broadcasts 15 educational channels from Klai Kangwon Palace School, Hua Hin. It broadcasts via the Ku-band beam on the Thaicom 5 satellite to 17,000 schools

Teacher development and performance.

In recent years, the number of fresh graduates from teacher-training schools has ranged from 50,000 to 60,000 annually, raising concerns about quality and oversupply. The government is trying to reduce the number of graduates from teacher-education programmes to no more than 25,000 a year and direct those graduates to underserved localities. "We need to focus on quality, not quantity," a spokesperson said. In September 2015, the Office of the Higher Education Commission (OHEC) put forward an initiative to provide 58,000 grants to student-teachers over a 15-year period. The bulk of the grants would go to those who would be sent to work in areas with a shortage of teachers.  In 2010 the Office of the Basic Education Commission (OBEC), for the first time, tested secondary

English language education.

Thai university applicants scored an average 28.34 percent in English in recent university entrance exams. Thailand produces a "workforce with some of the world's weakest English-language skills." In a recent IMD World Competitiveness Yearbook Thailand was ranked 54th out of 56 countries globally for

Rural–urban and ethnic divides.

Place of birth is a significant marker for predicting academic success in Thailand. Students in ethnic minority areas, predominantly rural, score consistently lower in standardized national and international tests. Students from poor families living in remote areas

Violence.

A third of Thai students aged 13 to 15 suffered bullying at school between 2010

Sex education.

Thai researcher Wichit Wongwarithip asserts that Thailand does not deliver on sex education. It fails with regard to gender diversity, gender equality, and safe sex. "Society tends to think that 'good morals' are the solutions to all problems and that Thai culture is the best," said Wichit. Thai sex education rests on the bedrock of the traditional values of heterosexuality and patriarchy. Instead of encouraging safe sex, Thai sex education tells schoolgirls to abstain until they are ready to form a family. Some Thai textbooks characterise masturbation as deviant behaviour and recommend meditation to suppress sexual desire. Jiraphon Arunakon, Director of the Gender Variation Clinic, says that sex education as taught in Thailand lags behind or ignores scientific research. The International Classification of Diseases (ICD) removed homosexuality from the "disease" classification in 1990 and

Uniforms.

Uniforms are compulsory for all students with very few variations from the standard model throughout the public and private school systems, including colleges and universities.  University uniforms are standard throughout the country and consist of a white blouse and plain or pleated skirt for females, and long black trousers, a white long-sleeved shirt with a dark blue or black tie for males. Thammasat University is the first university in Thailand that broke the uniform stereotype by providing choice for students to wear a polite uniform as a result of the democracy movement in 1932. Cracks in the university uniform policy began to appear in 2018 as a result of student agitation. The Faculty of Arts at Chulalongkorn University (CU) abolished the compulsory uniform requirement. CU has long claimed that its student uniform is prestigious as it was bestowed upon CU students by King Rama V, the university's founder.

Education in Thailand is provided mainly by the Thai government through the Ministry of Education from pre-school to senior high school. A free basic education of fifteen years is guaranteed by the constitution.

泰国教育主要是由管理。学龄儿童必须就学,直到完成初级中学前三年的课程,这些学生可以就读公立或私立学校,这些学校的学制分为小学六年的初等教育、以及中学六年的中等教育。少数偏远地区学校的学制只包含六年小学和三年初级中学。


Early life.

Daniels was born on December 24, 1959 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the son of Clara Watson and William L. Daniels. His younger sister, Leah Daniels-Butler, is a television and film casting director credited with casting many of his projects. He graduated from Radnor High School in 1978, and then Lindenwood University in St. Charles, Missouri.  Daniels couldn't afford film school, so he started at a liberal arts college in Missouri but realized it wasn't for him, and moved to Hollywood, eventually working as a receptionist in a nursing agency. Realizing he could do it on his own, he quit the job and started his own agency. He sold the company and went to work casting actors using his skills from "casting" nurses. He began his career in entertainment as a casting director and manager after a chance meeting with a Hollywood producer, working on such projects as "Under the Cherry Moon" and "Purple Rain". He continued managing talent. The documentary "My Big Break" features Daniels early in his career when he was managing actor Wes Bentley, who starred as Ricky Fitts in "American Beauty". In the documentary, Daniels comments on Bentley's reluctance to capitalize on his newfound celebrity status.  His father, Philadelphia police officer William Daniels, was "killed in the line of duty" when Daniels was a teenager in 1975. Daniels has been very open about his father being physically abusive towards him, even trying "to beat it [being gay] out of me."

Career.

"Monster's Ball", the debut production of Lee Daniels Entertainment, was a critical and box office success. Halle Berry won the Oscar for Best Actress; the film was also nominated for Best Original Screenplay. Daniels said he did not attend the Oscars when the film won, citing his challenges with addiction and his struggle over whether he "deserved" to attend, according to an emotional interview on MSNBC in 2019.  His 2004 production "The Woodsman", starring Kevin Bacon, Kyra Sedgwick, and Mos Def, premiered at the Sundance Film Festival. It went on to garner three nominations at the 2005 Independent Spirit Awards, the CICAE Arthouse Prize at the Cannes Film Festival, the Jury Prize at the Deauville International Film Festival, and a "Special Mention for Excellence in Filmmaking" award from the National Board of Review. Former president Bill Clinton persuaded Daniels to produce public service announcements to encourage young people of color to vote. The campaign was launched in March 2004 and featured Grammy winners LL Cool J and Alicia Keys.  His first directorial effort, 2006's "Shadowboxer", debuted at the Toronto International Film Festival. It starred Helen Mirren, Cuba Gooding Jr., Stephen Dorff, Vanessa Ferlito, Mo'Nique, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and Macy Gray. It was nominated for Best New Director at the San Sebastian Film Festival.  His 2008 production "Tennessee" was written by Russell Schaumberg and directed by Aaron Woodley ("Rhinoceros Eyes"); the film is about two brothers, played by Adam Rothenberg and Ethan Peck, who travel from New Mexico to Tennessee to search for their estranged father. Along the way they meet Krystal (Mariah Carey), an aspiring singer who flees her controlling husband (Lance Reddick) to join them on their journey.  His 2009 film "Precious" told the story of an obese, illiterate, 16-year-old girl (Gabourey Sidibe) who lives in a Section 8 tenement in Harlem. She has been impregnated twice by her father, Carl, and suffers long-term physical, sexual, and emotional abuse from her unemployed mother, Mary (Mo'Nique). Carey appeared as a social worker. The film screened at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival and went on to garner widespread acclaim. Mo'Nique won the Academy award for best supporting actress, Daniels was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Director and the film received a Best Picture nomination. It was a financial success grossing $63 million worldwide against a budget of $10 million.  In 2010 Grace Hightower De Niro, who appeared in "Precious", presented Daniels with the Pratt Institute's Creative Spirit Award.  Daniels directed "The Paperboy" (2012), based on the 1995 novel by Pete Dexter who penned the original script which was further developed by Daniels; it starred Matthew McConaughey, Zac Efron, John Cusack, and Nicole Kidman. The film competed for the Palme d'Or at the 2012 Cannes Film Festival.  He directed the historical fiction drama film "The Butler" (2013), starring Forest Whitaker, John Cusack, Jane Fonda, Mariah Carey, Terrence Howard, Alan Rickman, and Oprah Winfrey. "The Butler" received positive reviews from critics and grossed over a $100 million in the United States against a budget of $30 million.  "Empire", a television series created by Daniels, premiered on January 7, 2015. Daniels directed the first episode and co-wrote it with "The Butler" screenwriter Danny Strong. The series stars Terrence Howard and Taraji P. Henson, and is about a family's music empire.  In 2015, Daniels was listed as one of the nine runners-up for "The Advocate"'s Person of the Year.  In June 2016, the Human Rights Campaign released a video in tribute to the victims of the 2016 Orlando gay nightclub shooting; in the video, Daniels and others told the stories of the people killed there.  On December 2, 2016, Daniels received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for his contributions to the television industry.  On February 8, 2018, amfAR, The Foundation for AIDS Research paid tribute to Daniels at their 20th annual amfAR Gala New York at Cipriani Wall Street. Award-winning actress, singer, and songwriter Queen Latifah presented him the amfAR Award of Courage, describing his past work with HIV/AIDS patients. She also shared that as a gifted creative force, he creates “unfailingly human” characters, who are “often striving to rise above difficult circumstances.” In his acceptance speech, he spoke about a generation lost to AIDS and said that the crisis had taken at least 40 of his personal friends. In the fight against AIDS, he said it is important to “step up when it matters.”

Controversy.

On September 16, 2015, Daniels was asked about actor Terrence Howard saying that his first wife "was talking to me real strong, and I lost my mind and slapped her in front of the kids" and that he got physical with his second wife too in a September 2015 "Rolling Stone" interview. Daniels excused the domestic violence and called Howard "that poor boy." Then he said that Howard hasn’t done anything that Sean Penn hasn’t done. A week later, Daniels was sued by Penn in a $10 million defamation lawsuit. The lawsuit states that "Daniels falsely equates Penn with Howard...Penn (unlike Howard) has never been arrested, much less convicted, for domestic violence, as his ex-wives (including Madonna) would confirm and attest." Penn dropped the lawsuit in May 2016 after Daniels retracted his statement and apologized.

Personal life.

Daniels lives in Manhattan. He is gay. He and his then-partner, casting director Billy Hopkins, adopted Daniels's biological niece and nephew, Clara and Liam.  Hopkins and Daniels later separated.  In 2015, Daniels clarified his sexuality by stating that despite being gay men, both he and "Empire" actor Jussie Smollett are sexually fluid.Jussie and I both share the same feeling that, yes, even though we are gay, we’re sexual human beings...And we do occasionally want to sleep with a woman. [Laughs] Maybe once every 10 or 15 years, but it happens! And there are a lot of people who don’t want to hear about that. It’s such a complicated conversation. It's not necessarily the body one is attracted to. You can be sexually attracted to the spirit, the energy, the life force in another person. We're showing life on "Empire", and I won't apologize for it.  Daniels is the cousin of "RuPaul's Drag Race" season 11 contestant Honey Davenport.  Daniels is quoted saying his favourite current band is Ought.

Lee Louis Daniels (born December 24, 1959) is an American film and television writer, director, and producer. He produced "Monster's Ball" and directed "Precious", which received six Oscar nominations, including Best Director; it won two of the awards.

李·丹尼尔斯(英语:Lee Louis Daniels,1959年-12月24日)是一名非裔美国男演员、电影导演和制片人。


Early years.

Mazeroski was born in Wheeling, West Virginia, of Polish descent and grew up in Rush Run, Ohio. He attended Warren Consolidated High School in Tiltonsville, Ohio, excelling in both baseball and basketball. He started on the varsity baseball team as a freshman.  As a 17-year-old in 1954, Mazeroski signed with the Pittsburgh Pirates. Originally a shortstop, he was moved to second base and made his major league debut on July 7, 1956; he played for the Pirates his entire career.

Baseball career.

Mazeroski was noted for his defensive prowess and earned his first of eight Gold Glove Awards in. He had a career.983 fielding percentage, led the National League in assists nine times, and holds the MLB record for double plays by a second baseman. Baseball analyst Bill James has written that, "Bill Mazeroski's defensive statistics are probably the most impressive of any player at any position". In 2015, Bill James updated his fielding metrics; Fox Sports said of his second basemen results: "Bill Mazeroski isn't just atop the list of second basemen with at least 1,000 games at second base; he the list. There's as much space between Mazeroski and the No. 2 guy on the list as between the No. 2 guy and the No. 20 guy."  While his defensive ability typically overshadowed his contributions with a bat—Pirates broadcaster Bob Prince used to call him simply "The Glove"—Mazeroski had several fine offensive seasons. His best was in 1958, when he batted.275, hit 19 home runs (a career best), had 68 RBIs, good enough that along with his sterling mitt he was considered for the MVP Award. In he knocked in 82, a career best. During his peak (1957–68), he drove in more runs than any other middle infielder of the period. Mazeroski's power numbers were held down by the distant fences in Forbes Field. In his career, he hit over twice as many home runs on the road as he did in his home park – 45 home runs at home versus 93 on the road. By comparison, the Chicago Cubs slugging second baseman Ryne Sandberg hit only 118 of his 282 career home runs away from the comfy confines of Wrigley Field.  In the 1960 World Series, Mazeroski won the title for Pittsburgh in Game 7 with a game-winning home run off New York Yankees pitcher Ralph Terry in the bottom of the ninth inning. The Yankees had rallied with two runs to tie the game at 9 in the top of the inning, setting up Mazeroski's heroics. A 14-year-old fan named Andy Jerpe retrieved the ball outside the ground and had it signed by Mazeroski, but it was later lost when used in a game.  In spite of his reputation as a non-slugger, Mazeroski actually hit another decisive home run in the 1960 Series, tallying half of the Pirate team total in the series. In the fourth inning of Game 1, with Don Hoak on base, Mazeroski hit a shot off Jim Coates that went over the left field scoreboard; it extended Pittsburgh's lead to 5–2 and provided the edge in their 6–4 victory.  Mazeroski and Roberto Clemente were the last remaining Pirate players from the 1960 World Series winners, when the Pirates won the World Series in 1971 and lost the NL championship series in 1972. Mazeroski was ex-teammate Bill Virdon's third-base coach with the Pirates in, a year after retiring from playing. He was also the third-base coach for the Seattle Mariners in and.

Hall of Fame selection and other honors.

Mazeroski was elected into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2001. On induction day at Cooperstown he only made it as far into his prepared remarks as thanking the Veterans Committee voters for choosing a player based largely on defensive skills (a rarity) before getting so overcome with emotion he had to stop. Apologizing to those who "had to come all the way up here to hear this crap!" he then sat down to a long and loud standing ovation from the audience and his fellow Hall-of-Famers.  Today, a portion of the brick center field wall from Forbes Field remains standing on the University of Pittsburgh campus in Pittsburgh's Oakland District as a memorial; locally, the wall is usually referred to as "Mazeroski's Wall." Although this is technically not the actual section of wall that Mazeroski's famous home run cleared, a nearby plaque in the sidewalk of Roberto Clemente Drive does mark the spot where the sudden-victory homer cleared the wall. A Little League Softball field dedicated to Mazeroski lies on the other side. In 1979, Mazeroski was inducted into the National Polish-American Sports Hall of Fame.  In 1987, Mazeroski ran for the Democratic nomination for County Commissioner in his home of Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania but his bid was unsuccessful.  In 1995, Harrison Central High school, located in Cadiz, Ohio had a field donated by Bill which would later be known as "Mazeroski Field"  In 2003, the Ohio Buckeye Local High School in Rayland (which had since absorbed Warren Consolidated) honored him by naming their new baseball field after him, placing a monument behind home plate in recognition.  In 2004, the Ohio Valley Athletic Conference saluted Mazeroski by electing him among the inaugural members of their Hall of Fame, alongside Boston Celtic great John Havlicek and former Olympic wrestler Bobby Douglas.  Mazeroski was recognized by Major League Baseball by being selected to throw out the first pitch of the Home Run Derby that preceded the 2006 All Star Game at Pittsburgh's PNC Park, receiving a long standing ovation. He also was picked to manage the National League during the All-Star Legends and Celebrity Softball Game during the All Star week celebrations there.  In September 2010, a statue of Mazeroski was unveiled outside PNC Park, depicting his famed celebration—running with both arms extended, ball cap in right hand—after his Game 7 walk-off home run to win the 1960 Series. "Sports Illustrated" ranked that home run eighth on its list of the 100 Greatest Moments in Sports History.

Film cameo.

Mazeroski was the focus of a staged game-ending triple play as part of a cameo appearance in the 1968 Hollywood hit film "The Odd Couple". In the scene, Oscar Madison was distracted from witnessing the play by an annoying phone call from Felix Ungar (immediately after sarcastically predicting to fellow sportswriter Heywood Hale Broun that the Mets still had a chance to win if Mazeroski hit into a triple play). In reality, Mazeroski never suffered such an inglorious moment during his playing days, but according to the Society for American Baseball Research was part of triple plays in both 1966 and 1968 as a fielder.  According to an anecdote recorded at the Internet Movie Database web page on "The Odd Couple", the scene was actually filmed just prior to the start of a regular game at Shea Stadium on June 27, 1967. Maz reported that he was given only 10 minutes to get it done:  Jack Fisher was the pitcher for the Mets in that scene.

Life after baseball.

Mazeroski serves as special infield instructor for the Pirates in spring training and is retired in Panama City, Florida. He was also in a commercial for FSN Pittsburgh featuring former Pirates first baseman Sean Casey.  His son Darren is a retired junior college baseball coach.  His son Dave is an atmospheric scientist and did not pursue a career in baseball.  He would have been the guest of honor at the first showing in 50 years of the previously-lost television footage of Game 7 of the 1960 World Series, but was unable to attend due to hospitalization.  Mazeroski hosts an annual golf tournament, The Bill Mazeroski Golf Tournament.

William Stanley Mazeroski (born September 5, 1936) is an American former baseball second baseman who played 17 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Pittsburgh Pirates, from 1956–1972. Nicknamed "Maz", he was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2001.

威廉·史丹利·马泽罗斯基(英语:William Stanley Mazeroski,1936年-9月5日),绰号「马兹」,为美国职棒大联盟的二垒手。大联盟生涯17个赛季都效力于匹兹堡海盗,并在2001年入选名人堂。