title: Kauai

text: Located on the southeastern side of the island, Lihue Airport is the only commercial airport with commercial airline services on Kauai. Līhue Airport has direct routes to Honolulu, Kahului/Maui, Kona/Hawaii, the United States mainland, and Vancouver, Canada. Other General Aviation airports on the island not offering commercial airline services are Port Allen Airport and Princeville Airport. The Pacific Missile Range Facility has a 6,006-foot runway that is closed to general aviation traffic but could potentially be used during a declared emergency landing.


title: Kauai

text: Kauai is home to thousands of "moa" (feral chickens) who have few natural predators, as the mongoose was never introduced in Kauai as it has been on other Hawaiian islands. Kauai's chickens originated from the original Polynesian settlers, who brought them as a food source. They have since bred with European chickens that have gotten free from farms and cockfighting breeders, as well as escaping during hurricanes.


title: Kauai

text: The Kauai Heritage Center of Hawaiian Culture and the Arts was founded in 1998. Their mission is to nurture a greater sense of appreciation and respect for the Hawaiian culture. They offer classes in Hawaiian language, hula, lei and cordage making, the lunar calendar and chanting, plus trips to cultural sites.


title: Kauai

text: Kauai has been featured in more than 70 Hollywood movies and TV shows, including the musical "South Pacific" and Disney's 2002 animated feature film "Lilo & Stitch" along with its franchise's three sequel films (2003's "Stitch! The Movie", 2005's "", and 2006's "Leroy & Stitch") and first television series (""). Scenes from "South Pacific" were filmed in the vicinity of Hanalei. Waimea Canyon was used in the filming of the 1993 film "Jurassic Park" and its 2015 sequel "Jurassic World". Scenes from the 2016 comedy film "Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates" were also filmed. Parts of the island were also used for the opening scenes of the "Indiana Jones" film "Raiders of the Lost Ark". Other movies filmed here include "Six Days Seven Nights", the 1976 "King Kong" and John Ford's 1963 film "Donovan's Reef". Recent films include "Tropic Thunder" and a biopic of Bethany Hamilton, "Soul Surfer". A scene in the opening credits of popular TV show "M*A*S*H" was filmed in Kauai (helicopter flying over mountain top). Some scenes from "Mighty Joe Young", "Just Go with It", "George of the Jungle", and "" were also filmed in Kauai. "A Perfect Getaway" is set in Kauai.


title: Kauai

text: Parts of the 2002 film "Dragonfly" were filmed there, although the people and the land were presented as South American.


title: Kauai

text: Major acts of two Elvis Presley films, 1961's "Blue Hawaii" and 1966's "Paradise, Hawaiian Style", were filmed at various locations on Kauai. Both films have scenes shot at the famous Coco Palms resort. In 1992 Hurricane Iniki destroyed the Coco Palms and it was never rebuilt.


title: Kauai

text: "The Descendants", a film by Alexander Payne released in November 2011 and starring George Clooney, has major parts shot in Kauai, where the main character and his cousins own ancestral lands which they are considering selling. The film is based on the 2007 novel by the Hawaiian writer Kaui Hart Hemmings.


title: Pro Kabaddi League

text: Pro Kabaddi League (also known as Vivo Pro Kabbadi for sponsorship reasons) or abbreviated to PKL is an Indian men's professional Kabaddi league. It was launched in 2014 and is broadcast on Star Sports. However, Season 8 was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the season commenced on 22 December 2021.


title: Pro Kabaddi League

text: The league's inception was influenced by the popularity of the Kabaddi tournament at the 2006 Asian Games. The format of the competition was influenced by the Indian Premier League. The Pro Kabaddi League uses a franchise-based model and its first season was held in 2014 with eight teams each of which has paid fees of up to US$250,000 to join.


title: Pro Kabaddi League

text: There were doubts over whether the Pro Kabaddi League would be successful, noting that many leagues were attempting to emulate the IPL's business model and success and that, unlike cricket, there were relatively fewer well-known players in Kabaddi. However, it was also noted that kabaddi was widely played in grassroots community settings, and could thus attract a wide variety of rural and metropolitan viewers for advertisers to target if the league gained significant attraction.


title: Pro Kabaddi League

text: The inaugural season was seen by 43.5 crores (435 million) viewers, second to the 2014 Indian Premier League's 55.2 crores (552 million), while the first season final between Jaipur Pink Panthers and U-Mumba was watched by 8.64 crores (86.4 million). Star Sports, the Pro Kabaddi League's broadcaster, subsequently announced in 2015 that it would acquire a 74% stake in the league's parent company Mashal Sports.


title: Pro Kabaddi League

text: For the 2017 and 2018–19 season, the Pro Kabaddi League added four new teams, and changed its format to split the teams into two divisions known as "zones". Soon the league returned to its regular double round-robin format from the 2019 season.


title: Pro Kabaddi League

text: The Pro Kabaddi League's rules are similar to that of the indoor team version of Kabaddi, but with additional rules to encourage more scoring. Kabaddi is a contact team sport, played between two teams of seven players.


title: Pro Kabaddi League

text: The first signing and auction of players for the 8 teams were held on 20 May 2014 in Mumbai. India's national kabaddi captain Rakesh Kumar was the priciest among the players bought for 12.80 lakh by the Patna Pirates. Sports Authority of India's Deepak Niwas Hooda was bought by the Telugu Titans franchise for 12.60 lakh. Tae Deok Eom was the highest paid overseas player bought for 7 lakh by the Patna franchise.


title: Pro Kabaddi League

text: The duration of the season was from 26 July 2014 to 31 August 2014. There were double round-robin matches along with two semifinals, third place and final games. 56 games were to be played in the first round and 4 in the playoff stage, making a total of 60 games. 8 teams took part in the first edition. The first game was played on 26 July between U Mumba and Jaipur Pink Panthers and the final was played on 31 August at Mumbai. Jaipur Pink Panthers beat U Mumba by 35–24 to win the inaugural Pro Kabaddi League.


title: Pro Kabaddi League

text: Star Sports Pro Kabaddi season 2 was from 18 July 2015 to 23 August 2015. There were 60 matches played with two semifinals, a third place play-off and a final. The first game was played on 18 July between U Mumba and Jaipur Pink Panthers and the final was played on 23 August at Mumbai between U Mumba and Bengaluru Bulls. U Mumba beat Bengaluru Bulls with the points 36–30 to win the 2015 season of the Pro Kabaddi League. U Mumba stood first, Bengaluru Bulls stood second and Telugu Titans stood in the third position in the league.


title: Pro Kabaddi League

text: Star Sports Pro Kabaddi season 3 had two editions. The CEO of Star India, Sanjay Gupta, confirmed that Star Sports Pro Kabaddi wants to make Pro Kabaddi, a 5-week event, happen 10 weeks a year by having two editions a year. The idea is to play the tournament once in January–February 2016 and once in June–July 2016.


title: Pro Kabaddi League

text: It also had 8 teams. Patna Pirates beat U Mumba by 3 points in the final in Delhi to take home the trophy. Puneri Paltan came third this season.


title: Pro Kabaddi League

text: The fourth season took place from 25 June to 31 July 2016, with the existing eight teams participating. Patna Pirates beat Jaipur Pink Panthers in the final. Season 4 also saw the launch of the first professional women's kabaddi league, Women's Kabaddi Challenge (WKC). The first season saw 3 teams namely Ice Divas, Fire Birds and Storm Queens battle out to be the first ever WKC champions. In the men's final, Patna Pirates defeated Jaipur Pink Panthers to win the Pro Kabaddi League title for the 2nd time.


title: Pro Kabaddi League

text: The 2017 season was the fifth edition of the Pro Kabaddi League, and it featured 12 teams, including new teams from Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Tamil Nadu, and Gujarat. The team from Haryana is known as Haryana Steelers owned by JSW Sports. Sachin Tendulkar co-owns the Tamil Nadu team named Tamil Thalaivas. The Uttar Pradesh team is named as UP Yoddha owned by GMR group and the Gujarat team is named as Gujarat Fortune Giants owned by Gautam Adani.


title: Pro Kabaddi League

text: Auctions for the new season were held in May, before which the existing teams were allowed to retain one player each. The auction saw over 400 players go under the hammer and ₹46.99 crores spent by the 12 teams.


title: Pro Kabaddi League

text: The most expensive pick of the auction was raider Nitin Tomar, who was bought by the Uttar Pradesh team for a sum of ₹93 lakh. Following in second place was Rohit Kumar after the Bengaluru Bulls picked him for a ₹81 lakhs price. The most expensive foreign player was South Korea's Lee Jang-kun after he was retained by the Bengal Warriors for ₹80.3 lakhs.


title: Pro Kabaddi League

text: The new season was slated to be the biggest league tournament of its kind in the history of Indian sports in terms of geographical coverage and duration. It featured 138 matches spread across a time period of 13 weeks across 11 states.


title: Pro Kabaddi League

text: A children's Kabaddi tournament, known as KBD Juniors, was also organised between schools of the cities in which the matches were held.


title: Pro Kabaddi League

text: Patna Pirates beat Gujarat Fortune Giants by 55–38 in the final with the Man of the Tournament Pardeep Narwal stealing the show with 19 raid points against the Fortune Giants defence for the first time in the tournament.


title: Pro Kabaddi League

text: The award ceremony of the finale was hosted by Pooja Bhamrah. Pardeep Narwal was adjudged the man of the finale.


title: Pro Kabaddi League

text: Auctions for the new season were held in which Haryana Steelers paid ₹1.51 crores for Monu Goyat who became the highest paid player in the history of Pro Kabaddi league.


title: Pro Kabaddi League

text: The most expensive foreign player this season is Fazel Atrachali from Iran. He was bought by U Mumba for ₹1 crore.


title: Pro Kabaddi League

text: Zone B toppers, Bengaluru Bulls beat the Zone A toppers, Gujarat Fortune Giants by 38–33 in the final with the Man of the Tournament Pawan Kumar Sehrawat stealing the show with a record 22 raid points against the young Fortune Giants defence. For a consecutive second time, Gujarat Fortune Giants have lost in the finals. The coach of Bengaluru Bulls, Randhir Singh was happy as his team finally won the tournament after underwhelming finishes in the previous couple of seasons. On the other hand, Manpreet Singh, the coach of the Gujarat Fortune Giants rued the opportunity to win the tournament after losing two successive finals.


title: Pro Kabaddi League

text: The 2019 season is the seventh edition of the Pro Kabaddi League, and it features 12 teams. Auctions for the new season were held in Mumbai on 8 and 9 April. The franchises splashed out over 50 crores to acquire 200 players. Siddharth Sirish Desai became the most expensive buy of the season after Telugu Titans got the winning bid of him at ₹1.45 crore.


title: Pro Kabaddi League

text: The most expensive foreign player of this season was Iranian Mohammad Esmaeil Nabibakhsh who was bought by Bengal Warriors for ₹77.75 lakh.


title: Pro Kabaddi League

text: As termed by the organisers 'Most Toughest Season', the zonal system present in the previous season is removed, and each team will play against all the other teams twice. Top 6 teams will qualify for the playoffs. The top two teams will automatically make the semi-finals while the remaining four will battle it out in eliminators. Dabang Delhi and Bengal Warriors emerged as the winners in the semi finals and qualified to the final for the first time. In the final, Bengal Warriors outplayed Dabang Delhi by a margin of 39–34 and clinched their maiden Pro Kabaddi League title.


title: Pro Kabaddi League

text: The season witnessed several records. Pardeep Narwal became the first ever player to reach 1000 points in the Pro Kabaddi League. Naveen Kumar scored 21 consecutive Super 10s and overall 22. While Pawan Sehrawat registered most individual points in a match (39) against Haryana Steelers. In this season, for the first time three raiders crossed the 300-raid points mark. Among the defenders, Neeraj Kumar of Patna Pirates scored most tackle points (11) in a match and equalled the record of Mohit Chillar (11).


title: Pro Kabaddi League

text: The 2021–22 season is the eighth edition of Pro Kabaddi League. The season began on 22 December 2021. The usual travelling caravan format was changed to a single venue hosting all the matches of the season. Kanteerava Indoor Stadium, Bangalore was initially announced as the venue, but was later changed to the Sheraton Grand Hotel and Convention Center located in Whitefield, Bangalore. Dabang Delhi beat Patna Pirates in final to win their maiden PKL title. Naveen Kumar from Delhi created history by winning 2 back to back MVP awards. Bengaluru skipper Pawan Sehrawat successfully defended his best raider crown and won the award for second season in a row. Sehrawat finished the campaign with 18 super raid's and 304 raid points to his name. Iranian left corner, Mohammadreza chiyaneh from team Patna Pirates took the best defender award home for second season in a row. The rookie set a new PKL record with 10 High 5's and 89 tackle points. Mohit Goyat from pune was name the best new young player.


title: Pro Kabaddi League

text: The 2022 season is the ninth edition of the Pro Kabaddi League. The auction for the season spanned 5-6 August 2022. The most expensive transfer of the season was Pavan Kumar Sehrawat, who was bought by Tamil Thalaivas for Rs 2.26 crore, a record sum for the PKL. The season began on 7 October 2022 and was held with the season divided into three legs, each taking place in a different venue (Kanteerava Indoor Stadium, Shree Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex and Gachibowli Indoor Stadium). Jaipur Pink Panthers beat Puneri Paltan 33-29 in the final to become the 2nd team after Patna Pirates to win more than 1 title of the Pro Kabaddi League.


title: Pro Kabaddi League

text: As per the available data of the opening two weeks, Star Sports Pro Kabaddi viewership on TV increased by nearly 56% from the 2014 year's viewership. During the inaugural season, viewership was 43.5 crore (435 million) viewers, which was the second in India after the 56 crore (560 million) of IPL viewership. The online viewership also increased 1.3 crore unique visitors, which is 18.5 times than of last year's 7 lakh unique visitors. The third season which was flagged off on 30 January, recorded a surge in viewership with the opening week ratings 36 per cent higher than the week one viewership for its last season.


title: Pro Kabaddi League

text: Four teams, U Mumba, Bengaluru Bulls, Bengal Warriors and Dabang Delhi have won the tournament once, and Jaipur Pink Panthers won the tournament twice, while Patna Pirates have won the Pro Kabaddi League thrice and the only champions to have defended their title twice. The current champions


title: Pro Kabaddi League

text: Prize money for the winner of season 6 was ₹3 crore. The first and second runners-up were awarded ₹1.80


title: Pro Kabaddi League

text: The consolidated prize money for season 7 is ₹8 crore. The champions of season 7 will bag ₹3 crore while the runners-up will receive ₹1.8 crore. The losing semifinalists will receive ₹90 lakh each and, the fifth and the sixth-placed teams will earn ₹45 lakh.


title: Annie Besant

text: Annie Besant ( Wood; 1 October 1847 – 20 September 1933) was a British socialist, theosophist, freemason, women's rights activist, educationist, writer, orator, political party member and philanthropist.


title: Annie Besant

text: Regarded as a champion of human freedom, she was an ardent supporter of both Irish and Indian self-rule. She was also a prolific author with over three hundred books and pamphlets to her credit. As an educationist, her contributions included being one of the founders of the Banaras Hindu University. For fifteen years, Besant was a public proponent in England of atheism and scientific materialism. Besant's goal was to provide employment, better living conditions, and proper education for the poor.


title: Annie Besant

text: Besant then became a prominent speaker for the National Secular Society (NSS), as well as a writer, and a close friend of Charles Bradlaugh. In 1877 they were prosecuted for publishing a book by birth control campaigner Charles Knowlton. The scandal made them famous, and Bradlaugh was subsequently elected as a Member of Parliament (MP) for Northampton in 1880.


title: Annie Besant

text: Thereafter, she became involved with union actions, including the Bloody Sunday demonstration and the London matchgirls strike of 1888. She was a leading speaker for both the Fabian Society and the Marxist Social Democratic Federation (SDF). She was also elected to the London School Board for Tower Hamlets, topping the poll, even though few women were qualified to vote at that time.


title: Annie Besant

text: In 1890 Besant met Helena Blavatsky, and over the next few years her interest in theosophy grew, whilst her interest in secular matters waned. She became a member of the Theosophical Society and a prominent lecturer on the subject. As part of her theosophy-related work, she travelled to India. In 1898 she helped establish the Central Hindu School, and in 1922 she helped establish the Hyderabad (Sind) National Collegiate Board in Bombay (today's Mumbai), India. In 1902, she established the first overseas Lodge of the International Order of Co-Freemasonry, Le Droit Humain. Over the next few years, she established lodges in many parts of the British Empire. In 1907 she became president of the Theosophical Society, whose international headquarters were, by then, located in Adyar, Madras, (Chennai).


title: Annie Besant

text: Besant also became involved in politics in India, joining the Indian National Congress. When World War I broke out in 1914, she helped launch the Home Rule League to campaign for democracy in India, and dominion status within the British Empire. This led to her election as president of the Indian National Congress, in late 1917. In the late 1920s, Besant travelled to the United States with her protégé and adopted son Jiddu Krishnamurti, who she claimed was the new Messiah and incarnation of Buddha. Krishnamurti rejected these claims in 1929. After the war, she continued to campaign for Indian independence and for the causes of theosophy, until her death in 1933.


title: Annie Besant

text: Annie Wood was born on 1 October 1847 in London into an upper-middle-class family. She was the daughter of William Burton Persse Wood (1816–1852) and Emily Roche Morris (died 1874). The Woods originated from Devon and her great-uncle was the Whig politician Sir Matthew Wood, 1st Baronet from whom derives the Page Wood baronets. Her father was an Englishman who lived in Dublin and attained a medical degree, having attended Trinity College Dublin. Her mother was an Irish Catholic, from a family of more modest means. Besant would go on to make much of her Irish ancestry and supported the cause of Irish self-rule throughout her adult life. Annie's father died when she was five years old, leaving the family almost penniless. Her mother supported the family by running a boarding house for boys at Harrow School. However, she was unable to support Annie and persuaded her friend Ellen Marryat to care for her. Marryat made sure that she had a good education. Annie was given a strong sense of duty to society and an equally strong sense of what independent women could achieve. As a young woman, she was also able to travel widely in Europe. Annie was an Anglican but would later abandon the faith.


title: Annie Besant

text: In 1867, at age twenty, she married 26-year-old clergyman Frank Besant (1840–1917), younger brother of Walter Besant. He was an evangelical Anglican who seemed to share many of her concerns. On the eve of her marriage, she had become more politicised through a visit to friends in Manchester, who brought her into contact with both English radicals and the Manchester Martyrs of the Irish Republican Fenian Brotherhood, as well as with the conditions of the urban poor.


title: Annie Besant

text: Soon Frank became vicar of Sibsey in Lincolnshire. Annie moved to Sibsey with her husband, and within a few years they had two children, Arthur and Mabel; however, the marriage was a disaster. As Annie wrote in her "Autobiography", "we were an ill-matched pair". The first conflict came over money and Annie's independence. Annie wrote short stories, books for children, and articles. As married women did not have the legal right to own property, Frank was able to collect all the money she earned. Politics further divided the couple. Annie began to support farmworkers who were fighting to unionise and to win better conditions. Frank was a Tory and sided with the landlords and farmers. The tension came to a head when Annie refused to attend Communion. In 1873 she left him and returned to London. They were legally separated and Annie took her daughter with her.


title: Annie Besant

text: Besant began to question her own faith. She turned to leading churchmen for advice, going to see Edward Bouverie Pusey, one of the leaders of the Oxford Movement within the Church of England. When she asked him to recommend books that would answer her questions, he told her she had read too many already. Besant returned to Frank to make a last unsuccessful effort to repair the marriage. She finally left for London.


title: Annie Besant

text: In the late 1880s Besant studied at the Birkbeck Literary and Scientific Institution, where her religious and political activities caused alarm. At one point the Institution's governors sought to withhold the publication of her exam results.


title: Annie Besant

text: Besant fought for the causes she thought were right, starting with freedom of thought, women's rights, secularism, birth control, Fabian socialism and workers' rights. She was a leading member of the National Secular Society alongside Charles Bradlaugh and the South Place Ethical Society.


title: Annie Besant

text: Divorce was unthinkable for Frank and was not really within the reach of even middle-class people. Annie was to remain Mrs. Besant for the rest of her life. At first, she was able to keep contact with both children and to have Mabel live with her; she also got a small allowance from her husband.


title: Annie Besant

text: Once free of Frank Besant and exposed to new currents of thought, she began to question not only her long-held religious beliefs but also the whole of conventional thinking. She began to write attacks on the churches and the way they controlled people's lives. In particular, she attacked the status of the Church of England as a state-sponsored faith.


title: Annie Besant

text: Soon she was earning a small weekly wage by writing a column for the "National Reformer", the newspaper of the NSS. The NSS argued for a secular state and an end to the special status of Christianity and allowed her to act as one of its public speakers. Public lectures were very popular entertainment in Victorian times. Besant was a brilliant speaker and was soon in great demand. Using the railway, she crisscrossed the country, speaking on all of the most important issues of the day, always demanding improvement, reform, and freedom.


title: Annie Besant

text: For many years Besant was a friend of the National Secular Society's leader, Charles Bradlaugh. Bradlaugh, a former soldier, had long been separated from his wife; Besant lived with him and his daughters, and they worked together on many projects. He was an atheist and a republican; he was also trying to get elected as Member of Parliament (MP) for Northampton.


title: Annie Besant

text: Besant and Bradlaugh became household names in 1877 when they published "Fruits of Philosophy", a book by the American birth-control campaigner Charles Knowlton. It claimed that working-class families could never be happy until they were able to decide how many children they wanted. It also suggested ways to limit the size of their families. The Knowlton book was highly controversial and was vigorously opposed by the Church. Besant and Bradlaugh proclaimed in the "National Reformer":


title: Annie Besant

text: We intend to publish nothing we do not think we can morally defend. All that we publish we shall defend.


title: Annie Besant

text: The pair were arrested and put on trial for publishing the Knowlton book. They were found guilty but released pending appeal. As well as great opposition, Besant and Bradlaugh also received a great deal of support in the Liberal press. Arguments raged back and forth in the letters and comment columns as well as in the courtroom. Besant was instrumental in founding the Malthusian League during the trial, which would go on to advocate for the abolition of penalties for the promotion of contraception. For a time, it looked as though they would be sent to prison. The case was thrown out finally only on a technical point, the charges not having been properly drawn up.


title: Annie Besant

text: The scandal cost Besant custody of her children. Her husband was able to persuade the court that she was unfit to look after them, and they were handed over to him permanently.


title: Annie Besant

text: On 6 March 1881 she spoke at the opening of Leicester Secular Society's new Secular Hall in Humberstone Gate, Leicester. The other speakers were George Jacob Holyoake, Harriet Law and Charles Bradlaugh.


title: Annie Besant

text: Bradlaugh's political prospects were not damaged by the Knowlton scandal and he was elected to Parliament in 1881. Because of his atheism, he asked to be allowed to affirm rather than swear the oath of loyalty. When the possibility of affirmation was refused, Bradlaugh stated his willingness to take the oath. But this option was also challenged. Although many Christians were shocked by Bradlaugh, others (like the Liberal leader Gladstone) spoke up for freedom of belief. It took more than six years before the matter was completely resolved (in Bradlaugh's favour) after a series of by-elections and court appearances.


title: Annie Besant

text: Meanwhile, Besant built close contacts with the Irish Home Rulers and supported them in her newspaper columns during what are considered crucial years, when the Irish nationalists were forming an alliance with Liberals and Radicals. Besant met the leaders of the Irish home rule movement. In particular, she got to know Michael Davitt, who wanted to mobilise the Irish peasantry through a Land War, a direct struggle against the landowners. She spoke and wrote in favour of Davitt and his Land League many times over the coming decades.


title: Annie Besant

text: However, Bradlaugh's parliamentary work gradually alienated Besant. Women had no part in parliamentary politics. Besant was searching for a real political outlet, where her skills as a speaker, writer, and organiser could do some real good.


title: Annie Besant

text: In 1893, she was a representative of The Theosophical Society at the World Parliament of Religions in Chicago. The World Parliament is famous in India because of Indian monk Swami Vivekananda addressed in the same event and which has received global recognition.


title: Annie Besant

text: In 1895, together with the founder-president of the Theosophical Society, Henry Steel Olcott, as well as Marie Musaeus Higgins and Peter De Abrew, she was instrumental in developing the Buddhist school, Musaeus College, in Colombo on the island of Sri Lanka.


title: Annie Besant

text: For Besant, politics, friendship and love were always closely intertwined. Her decision in favour of Socialism came about through a close relationship with George Bernard Shaw, a struggling young Irish author living in London, and a leading light of the Fabian Society who considered Besant to be "The greatest orator in England". Annie was impressed by his work and grew very close to him too in the early 1880s. It was Besant who made the first move, by inviting Shaw to live with her. This he refused, but it was Shaw who sponsored Besant to join the Fabian Society. In its early days, the society was a gathering of people exploring spiritual, rather than political, alternatives to the capitalist system. Besant began to write for the Fabians. This new commitment – and her relationship with Shaw – deepened the split between Besant and Bradlaugh, who was an individualist and opposed to Socialism of any sort. While he defended free speech at any cost, he was very cautious about encouraging working-class militancy.


title: Annie Besant

text: Unemployment was a central issue of the time, and in 1887 some of the London unemployed started to hold protests in Trafalgar Square. Besant agreed to appear as a speaker at a meeting on 13 November. The police tried to stop the assembly, fighting broke out, and troops were called. Many were hurt, one man died, and hundreds were arrested; Besant offered herself for arrest, an offer disregarded by the police.


title: Annie Besant

text: The events created a great sensation, and became known as Bloody Sunday. Besant was widely blamed – or credited – for it. She threw herself into organising legal aid for the jailed workers and support for their families. Bradlaugh finally broke with her because he felt she should have asked his advice before going ahead with the meeting.


title: Annie Besant

text: Another activity in this period was her involvement in the London matchgirls strike of 1888. She was drawn into this battle of the "New Unionism" by a young socialist, Herbert Burrows. He had made contact with workers at Bryant and May's match factory in Bow, London, who were mainly young women and were very poorly paid. They were also prey to industrial illnesses, like the bone-rotting Phossy jaw, which was caused by the chemicals used in match manufacture. Some of the match workers asked for help from Burrows and Besant in setting up a union.


title: Annie Besant

text: Besant met the women and set up a committee, which led the women into a strike for better pay and conditions, an action that won public support. Besant led demonstrations by "match-girls", who were cheered in the streets, and prominent churchmen wrote in their support. In just over a week they forced the firm to improve pay and conditions. Besant then helped them to set up a proper union and a social centre.


title: Annie Besant

text: At the time, the matchstick industry was a very powerful lobby, since electric light was not yet widely available, and matches were an essential commodity; in 1872, lobbyists from the match industry had persuaded the British government to change its planned tax policy. Besant's campaign was the first time anyone had successfully challenged the match manufacturers on a major issue and was seen as a landmark victory of the early years of British Socialism.


title: Annie Besant

text: In 1884, Besant had developed a very close friendship with Edward Aveling, a young socialist teacher who lived in her house for a time. Aveling was a scholarly figure and it was he who first translated the important works of Marx into English. He eventually went to live with Eleanor Marx, daughter of Karl Marx. Aveling was a great influence on Besant's thinking and she supported his work, yet she moved towards the rival Fabians at that time. Aveling and Eleanor Marx had joined the Marxist Social Democratic Federation and then the Socialist League, a small Marxist splinter group which formed around the artist William Morris.


title: Annie Besant

text: It seems that Morris played a large part in converting Besant to Marxism, but it was to the SDF, not his Socialist League, that she turned in 1888. She remained a member for a number of years and became one of its best speakers. She was still a member of the Fabian Society; neither she nor anyone else seemed to think the two movements incompatible at the time.


title: Annie Besant

text: Soon after joining the Marxists, Besant was elected to the London School Board in 1888. Women at that time were not able to take part in parliamentary politics but had been brought into the local electorate in 1881.


title: Annie Besant

text: Besant drove about with a red ribbon in her hair, speaking at meetings. "No more hungry children", her manifesto proclaimed. She combined her socialist principles with feminism:


title: Annie Besant

text: "I ask the electors to vote for me, and the non-electors to work for me because women are wanted on the Board and there are too few women candidates." Besant came out on top of the poll in Tower Hamlets, with over 15,000 votes. She wrote in the National Reformer: "Ten years ago, under a cruel law, Christian bigotry robbed me of my little child. Now the care of the 763,680 children of London is placed partly in my hands."


title: Annie Besant

text: Besant was also involved in the London dock strike of 1889, in which the dockers, who were employed by the day, were led by Ben Tillett in a struggle for the "Dockers' Tanner". Besant helped Tillett draw up the union's rules and played an important part in the meetings and agitation which built up the organisation. She spoke for the dockers at public meetings and on street corners. Like the match-girls, the dockers won public support for their struggle, and the strike was won.


title: Annie Besant

text: Besant was a prolific writer and a powerful orator. In 1889, she was asked to write a review for the "Pall Mall Gazette" on "The Secret Doctrine", a book by H. P. Blavatsky. After reading it, she sought an interview with its author, meeting Blavatsky in Paris. In this way, she was converted to Theosophy. Besant's intellectual journey had always involved a spiritual dimension, a quest for transformation of the whole person. As her interest in theosophy deepened, she allowed her membership of the Fabian Society to lapse (1890) and broke her links with the Marxists. In her "Autobiography", Besant follows her chapter on "Socialism" with "Through Storm to Peace", the peace of Theosophy. In 1888, she described herself as "marching toward the Theosophy" that would be the "glory" of her life. Besant had found the economic side of life lacking a spiritual dimension, so she searched for a belief based on "Love". She found this in Theosophy, so she joined the Theosophical Society, a move that distanced her from Bradlaugh and other former activist co-workers. When Blavatsky died in 1891, Besant was left as one of the leading figures in theosophy and in 1893 she represented it at the Chicago World Fair.


title: Annie Besant

text: In 1893, soon after becoming a member of the Theosophical Society, she went to India for the first time. After a dispute the American section split away into an independent organisation. The original society, then led by Henry Steel Olcott and Besant, is today based in Chennai, India, and is known as the Theosophical Society Adyar. Following the split, Besant devoted much of her energy not only to the society but also to India's freedom and progress. Besant Nagar, a neighbourhood near the Theosophical Society in Chennai, is named in her honour.


title: Annie Besant

text: Besant saw freemasonry, in particular Co-Freemasonry, as an extension of her interest in the rights of women and the greater brotherhood of man and saw co-freemasonry as a "movement which practised true brotherhood, in which women and men worked side by side for the perfecting of humanity. She immediately wanted to be admitted to this organisation", known now as the International Order of Freemasonry for Men and Women, "Le Droit Humain".


title: Annie Besant

text: The link was made in 1902 by the theosophist Francesca Arundale, who accompanied Besant to Paris, along with six friends. "They were all initiated, passed, and raised into the first three degrees and Annie returned to England, bearing a Charter and founded there the first Lodge of International Mixed Masonry, Le Droit Humain." Besant eventually became the Order's Most Puissant Grand Commander and was a major influence in the international growth of the Order.


title: Annie Besant

text: Besant met fellow theosophist Charles Webster Leadbeater in London in April 1894. They became close co-workers in the theosophical movement and would remain so for the rest of their lives. Leadbeater claimed clairvoyance and reputedly helped Besant become clairvoyant herself in the following year. In a letter dated 25 August 1895 to Francisca Arundale, Leadbeater narrates how Besant became clairvoyant. Together they clairvoyantly investigated the universe, matter, thought-forms, and the history of mankind, and co-authored a book called "Occult Chemistry".


title: Annie Besant

text: In 1906 Leadbeater became the centre of controversy when it emerged that he had advised the practice of masturbation to some boys under his care and spiritual instruction. Leadbeater stated he had encouraged the practice to keep the boys celibate, which was considered a prerequisite for advancement on the spiritual path. Because of the controversy, he offered to resign from the Theosophical Society in 1906, which was accepted. The next year Besant became president of the society and in 1908, with her express support, Leadbeater was readmitted to the society. Leadbeater went on to face accusations of improper relations with boys, but none of the accusations were ever proven and Besant never deserted him.


title: Annie Besant

text: Until Besant's presidency, the society had as one of its foci Theravada Buddhism and the island of Sri Lanka, where Henry Olcott did the majority of his useful work. Under Besant's leadership there was more stress on the teachings of "The Aryavarta", as she called central India, as well as on esoteric Christianity.


title: Annie Besant

text: Besant set up a new school for boys, the Central Hindu College (CHC) at Banaras which was formed on underlying theosophical principles, and which counted many prominent theosophists in its staff and faculty. Its aim was to build a new leadership for India. The students spent 90 minutes a day in prayer and studied religious texts, but they also studied modern science. It took 3 years to raise the money for the CHC, most of which came from Indian princes. In April 1911, Besant met Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya and they decided to unite their forces and work for a common Hindu University at Banaras. Besant and fellow trustees of the Central Hindu College also agreed to the Government of India's precondition that the college should become a part of the new University. The Banaras Hindu University started functioning from 1 October 1917 with the Central Hindu College as its first constituent college.


title: Annie Besant

text: Blavatsky had stated in 1889 that the main purpose of establishing the society was to prepare humanity for the future reception of a "torch-bearer of Truth", an emissary of a hidden Spiritual Hierarchy that, according to theosophists, guides the evolution of mankind. This was repeated by Besant as early as 1896; Besant came to believe in the imminent appearance of the "emissary", who was identified by theosophists as the so-called "World Teacher".


title: Annie Besant

text: In 1909, soon after Besant's assumption of the presidency, Leadbeater "discovered" fourteen-year-old Jiddu Krishnamurti (1895–1986), a South Indian boy who had been living, with his father and brother, on the grounds of the headquarters of the Theosophical Society at Adyar, and declared him the probable "vehicle" for the expected "World Teacher". The "discovery" and its objective received widespread publicity and attracted a worldwide following, mainly among theosophists. It also started years of upheaval and contributed to splits in the Theosophical Society and doctrinal schisms in theosophy. Following the discovery, Jiddu Krishnamurti and his younger brother Nityananda ("Nitya") were placed under the care of theosophists and Krishnamurti was extensively groomed for his future mission as the new vehicle for the "World Teacher". Besant soon became the boys' legal guardian with the consent of their father, who was very poor and could not take care of them. However, his father later changed his mind and began a legal battle to regain guardianship, against the will of the boys. Early in their relationship, Krishnamurti and Besant had developed a very close bond and he considered her a surrogate mother – a role she happily accepted. (His biological mother had died when he was ten years old.)


title: Annie Besant

text: In 1929, twenty years after his "discovery", Krishnamurti, who had grown disenchanted with the "World Teacher Project", repudiated the role that many theosophists expected him to fulfil. He dissolved the Order of the Star in the East, an organisation founded to assist the World Teacher in his mission, and eventually left the Theosophical Society and theosophy at large. He spent the rest of his life travelling the world as an unaffiliated speaker, becoming in the process widely known as an original, independent thinker on philosophical, psychological, and spiritual subjects. His love for Besant never waned, as also was the case with Besant's feelings towards him; concerned for his wellbeing after he declared his independence, she had purchased of land near the Theosophical Society estate which later became the headquarters of the Krishnamurti Foundation India.


title: Annie Besant

text: As early as 1902 Besant had written that "India is not ruled for the prospering of the people, but rather for the profit of her conquerors, and her sons are being treated as a conquered race." She encouraged Indian national consciousness, attacked caste and child marriage, and worked effectively for Indian education. Along with her theosophical activities, Besant continued to actively participate in political matters. She had joined the Indian National Congress. As the name suggested, this was originally a debating body, which met each year to consider resolutions on political issues. Mostly it demanded more of a say for middle-class Indians in British Indian government. It had not yet developed into a permanent mass movement with a local organisation. About this time her co-worker Leadbeater moved to Sydney.


title: Annie Besant

text: In 1914 World War I broke out, and Britain asked for the support of its Empire in the fight against Germany. Echoing an Irish nationalist slogan, Besant declared, "England's need is India's opportunity". As editor of the "New India" newspaper, she attacked the colonial government of India and called for clear and decisive moves towards self-rule. As with Ireland, the government refused to discuss any changes while the war lasted.


title: Annie Besant

text: In 1916, Besant launched the All India Home Rule League along with Lokmanya Tilak, once again modelling demands for India on Irish nationalist practices. This was the first political party in India to have regime change as its main goal. Unlike the Congress itself, the League worked all year round. It built a structure of local branches, enabling it to mobilise demonstrations, public meetings, and agitations. In June 1917, Besant was arrested and interned at a hill station, where she defiantly flew a red and green flag. The Congress and the Muslim League together threatened to launch protests if she were not set free; Besant's arrest had created a focus for protest.


title: Annie Besant

text: The government was forced to give way and to make vague but significant concessions. It was announced that the ultimate aim of British rule was Indian self-government, and moves in that direction were promised. Besant was freed in September 1917, welcomed by crowds all over India, and in December she took over as president of the Indian National Congress for a year. Both Jawaharlal Nehru and Mahatma Gandhi spoke of Besant's influence with admiration.


title: Annie Besant

text: After the war, a new leadership of the Indian National Congress emerged around Mahatma Gandhi – one of those who had written to demand Besant's release. He was a lawyer who had returned from leading Asians in a peaceful struggle against racism in South Africa. Jawaharlal Nehru, Gandhi's closest collaborator, had been educated by a theosophist tutor.


title: Annie Besant

text: The new leadership was committed to action that was both militant and non-violent, but there were differences between them and Besant. Despite her past, she was not happy with their socialist leanings. Until the end of her life, however, she continued to campaign for India's independence, not only in India but also on speaking tours of Britain. In her own version of Indian dress, she remained a striking presence on speakers' platforms. She produced a torrent of letters and articles demanding independence.


title: Annie Besant

text: Besant tried as a person, theosophist, and president of the Theosophical Society, to accommodate Krishnamurti's views into her life, without success; she vowed to personally follow him in his new direction although she apparently had trouble understanding both his motives and his new message. The two remained friends until the end of her life.


title: Annie Besant

text: Besant died on 20 September 1933, at age 85, in Adyar, Madras Presidency, British India. Her body was cremated.


title: Annie Besant

text: She was survived by her daughter, Mabel. After her death, colleagues Jiddu Krishnamurti, Aldous Huxley, Guido Ferrando, and Rosalind Rajagopal, built the Happy Valley School in California, now renamed the Besant Hill School of Happy Valley in her honour.


title: Annie Besant

text: The subsequent family history became fragmented. A number of Besant's descendants have been traced in detail from her son Arthur Digby's side. Arthur Digby Besant (1869–1960) was President of the Institute of Actuaries, 1924–26. He wrote "The Besant Pedigree" (1930) and was director of the Theosophical bookstore in London. One of Arthur Digby's daughters was Sylvia Besant, who married Commander Clem Lewis in the 1920s. They had a daughter, Kathleen Mary, born in 1934, who was given away for adoption within three weeks of the birth and had the new name of Lavinia Pollock. Lavinia married Frank Castle in 1953 and raised a family of five of Besant's great-great-grandchildren – James, Richard, David, Fiona, and Andrew Castle – the last and youngest sibling being a former British professional tennis player and now television presenter and personality.


title: Annie Besant

text: Besant opined that for centuries the leaders of Christian thought spoke of women as a necessary evil and that the greatest saints of the Church were those who despised women the most, "Against the teachings of eternal torture, of the vicarious atonement, of the infallibility of the Bible, I leveled all the strength of my brain and tongue, and I exposed the history of the Christian Church with unsparing hand, its persecutions, its religious wars, its cruelties, its oppressions. (Annie Besant, An Autobiography Chapter VII)." In the section named "Its Evidences Unreliable" of her work "Christianity", Besant presents the case of why the Gospels are not authentic: "before about A.D. 180 there is no trace of gospels among the Christians."


title: Annie Besant

text: Besides being a prolific writer, Besant was a "practised stump orator" who gave sixty-six public lectures in one year. She also engaged in public debates.


title: Annie Besant

text: On 1 October 2015, search engine Google commemorated Annie Besant with a Doodle on her 168th birth anniversary. Google commented: "A fierce advocate of Indian self-rule, Annie Besant loved the language, and over a lifetime of vigorous study cultivated tremendous abilities as a writer and orator. She published mountains of essays, wrote a textbook, curated anthologies of classic literature for young adults and eventually became editor of the New India newspaper, a periodical dedicated to the cause of Indian Autonomy".


title: Annie Besant

text: In his book, "Rebels Against the Raj", Ramchandra Guha tells the story of how Besant and six other foreigners served India in its quest for independence from the British Raj.


title: Faces (band)

text: Faces are an English rock band formed in 1969 by members of Small Faces after lead singer and guitarist Steve Marriott left to form Humble Pie. The remaining Small Faces—Ian McLagan (keyboards), Ronnie Lane (electric bass, vocals), and Kenney Jones (drums and percussion)—were joined by Ronnie Wood (guitar) and Rod Stewart (lead vocals), both from the Jeff Beck Group, and the new line-up was renamed Faces.


title: Faces (band)

text: The band had a unique arrangement, as Rod Stewart had signed a separate solo recording contract with the Mercury label shortly before joining the group, which was signed to Warner's. Band members often contributed to Stewart's solo albums as contract players, and Faces live shows of the period would feature as much of Stewart's solo material as that of the band, which later fuelled tensions amongst them when they began to effectively be viewed as Stewart's 'backing band'. The group lacked a single main songwriter as from the beginning each member would work in tandem to offer songs for each of their albums (Stewart and Wood most often wrote together as a duo, as did Lane and Wood, while Lane would usually contribute at least one solo composition per album). While Stewart was the primary lead singer, both Lane and Wood would also sing lead vocals on several tracks (Lane usually sang lead on his own solo compositions). Their first two albums, "First Step" (1970) and "Long Player" (1971), lacked a hit single, but their third album, 1971's "A Nod Is As Good As a Wink... to a Blind Horse", bolstered by the success of Stewart's solo work, became a worldwide hit, peaking at number 2 on the UK Albums Chart and number 6 on the U.S. "Billboard" 200 album chart and spawning the band's first hit single, "Stay with Me".


title: Faces (band)

text: Tensions in the band came to a head during the recording of their fourth (and final) studio album, 1973's "Ooh La La". Ronnie Lane, who was a founder member of Small Faces, left over his diminished role in the band in 1973, and was replaced by Tetsu Yamauchi on bass. The band continued to tour throughout 1974 and 1975, releasing a live album, "", in 1974 that was jointly credited to Rod Stewart/Faces. Ronnie Wood also began to drift from the group over this period, releasing two solo albums of his own, and appearing as a guest musician on two Rolling Stones albums and joining them on tour in 1975. He was briefly replaced by Jesse Ed Davis on guitars before the band broke up at the end of 1975.


title: Faces (band)

text: A greatest hits collection, "Snakes and Ladders / The Best of Faces", appeared in 1976, and additional retrospective albums would appear over the subsequent decades. Stewart would continue his successful solo career, while Ronnie Wood would formally join the Rolling Stones as a permanent member in 1975. Kenney Jones joined the Who as a replacement for the deceased Keith Moon in 1978. Ian McLagan would go on to work as a session and touring musician with a number of acts (including his own bands) throughout the 1970s until his death in 2014, while Ronnie Lane's activities in the music business (which included 1977's critically-lauded "Rough Mix" collaboration with Pete Townshend) were severely curtailed by 1980 due to the onset of multiple sclerosis which forced his eventual retirement by the early 1990s.


title: Faces (band)

text: The original Small Faces would have a reunion during the mid to late 1970s with Marriott, Jones, and McLagan joined by Rick Wills on bass guitar, as Lane withdrew early due to his illness. A number of partial reunions of the Faces were rumored throughout the 2000s, with various one-off performances involving surviving members occurring. In 2010-2011 a brief reunion tour occurred with Mick Hucknall and Glen Matlock on vocals and bass respectively. In 2021, Jones, Stewart, and Wood reunited to record a new record.


title: Faces (band)

text: Faces and Small Faces were jointly inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2012. Stewart was scheduled to perform with the rest of the band, but was unable to do so at the last minute due to illness; he was replaced by Hucknall.


title: Faces (band)

text: The first collaboration among the future Faces was in a formation called Quiet Melon, which also featured Wood's older brother Art Wood and Kim Gardner; they recorded four songs and played a few shows in May 1969, during a break in Ronnie Wood's and Rod Stewart's commitments with The Jeff Beck Group. Later that summer Wood and Stewart parted ways with Beck and joined Lane, McLagan and Jones full-time. Prior to any releases by the new Faces lineup, Wood and McLagan appeared on Stewart's first solo album in 1969, "An Old Raincoat Won't Ever Let You Down" (known as "The Rod Stewart Album" in the US). The rest of the backing band on the album included drummer Micky Waller, keyboardist Keith Emerson and guitarists Martin Pugh (of Steamhammer, and later Armageddon and 7th Order) and Martin Quittenton (also from Steamhammer).


title: Faces (band)

text: With the addition of Wood and Stewart, the "small" part of the original band name was dropped, partly because the two newcomers (at 5'9" and 5'10" respectively) were significantly taller than the three former Small Faces. Hoping to capitalise on the Small Faces' earlier success, record company executives wanted the band to keep their old name; however, the band objected, arguing the personnel changes resulted in a group very different from the Small Faces. As a compromise, in the US their debut album was credited to the Small Faces, while subsequent albums appeared under their new name.


title: Faces (band)

text: The group regularly toured Britain, Europe and the United States from 1970 to 1975, and were among the top-grossing live acts in that period; in 1974 their touring also encompassed Australia, New Zealand and Japan. They toured the United States and Canada in 1975. Among their most successful songs were "Had Me a Real Good Time", their breakthrough UK hit "Stay with Me", "Cindy Incidentally" and "Pool Hall Richard". As Rod Stewart's solo career became more successful than that of the group, the band became overshadowed by their lead singer. A disillusioned Ronnie Lane left the band in 1973; one reason given later for his departure was frustration over not having more opportunities to sing lead vocals.


title: Faces (band)

text: Lane's role as bassist was taken over by Tetsu Yamauchi (who had replaced Andy Fraser in Free). Released just months before Lane left the band, the Faces' final studio album was "Ooh La La".


title: Faces (band)

text: The following year a live album was released, entitled ""; it was criticised by reviewers for being poorly recorded and thought out. It featured selections from their late 1973 tour, the first featuring Yamauchi. They recorded a few tracks for another studio album, but had lost enthusiasm and their final release as a group was the late 1974 UK Top 20 hit "You Can Make Me Dance, Sing or Anything". In 1975 Wood began working with the Rolling Stones, which brought differences between Stewart and the others to a head, and after a troubled fall US tour (with Jesse Ed Davis on rhythm guitar), in December the band announced that they were splitting.


title: Faces (band)

text: The members have had varied post-band careers. Wood joined the Rolling Stones and later became a full member with the departure of Mick Taylor, Lane formed Slim Chance and had a modest solo career that ended prematurely when he was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis and he also worked on an album with Who guitarist Pete Townshend, "Rough Mix". Jones joined the Who after the death of Keith Moon; McLagan stated in a 2004 interview that Townshend also asked him to join the Who, but he had already promised Keith Richards that he would tour as a Rolling Stones sideman. McLagan moved to the United States, where he formed Ian McLagan & the Bump Band. Tetsu Yamauchi returned to his native Japan, where he recorded and toured as a jazz musician and Stewart's solo career was extremely successful. There was also a Small Faces reunion in the late 1970s (without Ronnie Lane) that resulted in two albums; and in 1981 Ronnie Lane and Steve Marriott collaborated on the album "The Legendary Majik Mijits".


title: Faces (band)

text: Faces reformed for the encore of Rod Stewart's Wembley Stadium concert in 1986. Ronnie Lane, by then suffering from multiple sclerosis, was on stage to sing in his wheelchair, but was unable to play bass; Bill Wyman of the Rolling Stones filled in for him. The same line-up reunited once more (minus Lane) in 1993 when Rod Stewart was awarded the Lifetime Achievement award at the Brit Awards. Ronnie Lane made his final concert appearance in 1992 at a Ronnie Wood show with Ian McLagan on keyboards; Lane died in 1997.


title: Faces (band)

text: In 2004 a 4-disc Faces box set entitled "Five Guys Walk into a Bar..." was released by Rhino Records, featuring many of the band's most popular tracks as well as several previously unreleased songs. Drummer Kenney Jones formed a group called the Jones Gang, together with singer Robert Hart (formerly of Bad Company), Patrick Walford and bassist Rick Wills (formerly of Foreigner); in 2005 their first single "Angel" reached number 1 on the US Billboard "hot singles sales" list.


title: Faces (band)

text: During 2004 and early 2005 the surviving Faces had several near-reunions, none of which featured more than three members at the same time: In May 2004 Kenney Jones and Ronnie Wood joined Ian McLagan on stage at his concert at The Mean Fiddler in London. In August 2004 Wood and McLagan joined Stewart at the Hollywood Bowl; Wood also appeared at several other of Stewart's 2004 gigs, including New York's Madison Square Garden, the Royal Albert Hall and a street performance in London for an audience of 80,000. In March 2005 McLagan joined Ronnie Wood's band at a London show, which also featured Kenney Jones on drums for the final encore; and in December 2005 Wood joined Ian McLagan & the Bump Band for three numbers at a concert in Houston, Texas.


title: Faces (band)

text: On 11 June 2008, Rod Stewart announced that the surviving Faces were discussing a possible reunion, envisioning making a recording and/or performing at least one or two concerts. On 18 November Rod Stewart, Ron Wood, Ian McLagan and Kenney Jones reunited along with Rod Stewart's touring bassist Conrad Korsch for a rehearsal "just to check if they can remember the songs"; the band's official reunion website was launched earlier the same month. However, on 23 January 2009, a spokesman for Rod Stewart denied there were any plans for a 2009 Faces reunion tour.


title: Faces (band)

text: On 24 September 2009, it was announced that the Faces, minus Rod Stewart, would reunite for a one-off charity show for the Performing Rights Society's Music Members' Benevolent Fund, at the Royal Albert Hall in London. "This will be so special for us, staging a reunion for such a wonderful and prestigious event," said Ronnie Wood when the announcement of the concert was made. "Sadly Ronnie Lane can't be with us, but I'm sure he will be there in spirit, God bless him." Lane's ex-wife, Katy, is one of many to receive assistance from the charity. The event was held on 25 October. Ronnie Wood, Kenney Jones and Ian McLagan all took part, with various vocalists, including Mick Hucknall, replacing Stewart, and Bill Wyman filling in for the late Ronnie Lane on bass guitar.


title: Faces (band)

text: On 25 May 2010, it was announced that the Faces had officially reformed with Hucknall taking on vocal duties, and Glen Matlock of the Sex Pistols on bass. The band played festival dates in both 2010 and 2011, with dates in the UK, Belgium, the Netherlands and Japan.


title: Faces (band)

text: The Small Faces/Faces were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2012. On 23 March, the Faces announced that they would reunite with Rod Stewart to play at the induction ceremony for the first time in 19 years. However, on the eve of the ceremony, Stewart bowed out owing to a bout of influenza and Hucknall was asked to sing in his place. In June 2013, speaking in an interview on YouTube, Kenney Jones confirmed the band's intention to reunite with Stewart for a tour in 2014. However, Ian McLagan died on 3 December 2014, putting this reunion in doubt.


title: Faces (band)

text: Rod Stewart, Ronnie Wood and Kenney Jones performed a short set at Hurtwood Polo Club on 5 September 2015 for charity, following their brief reunion at Rod Stewart's private party for his 70th birthday in January of that year. The reunion show was critically acclaimed, with "The Telegraph" newspaper reviewing the performance as "5 star," under the headline of "worth the 40-year wait."


title: Faces (band)

text: A further reunion occurred in 2019 at a Private event. In 2020 Rod Stewart reunited with Ronnie Wood and Kenney Jones to perform "Stay With Me" as the finale of that years Brit Awards Ceremony.


title: Faces (band)

text: On July 19, 2021, it was reported that Kenney Jones, Rod Stewart and Ron Wood had reunited in the studio to record new music.


title: Faces (band)

text: Although they enjoyed only modest success compared to contemporaries such as the Who and the Rolling Stones, the Faces have had considerable influence on latter-day rock revivalists. Their good-natured, back-to-basics (and frequently liquor-laden) concerts and studio albums connect them with such bands as the Damned and the Sex Pistols.


title: Chris Colfer

text: Christopher Paul Colfer (born May 27, 1990) is an American actor, singer, and author. He gained international recognition for his portrayal of Kurt Hummel on the television musical "Glee" (2009–2015). Colfer's portrayal of Kurt received critical praise for which he has been the recipient of several awards, including Best Supporting Actor in a Series, Miniseries or Television Film at the 2011 Golden Globe Awards, and three consecutive People's Choice Awards for Favorite Comedic TV Actor in 2013, 2014, and 2015. In April 2011, Colfer was named one of the Time 100, "Time"'s list of the 100 most influential people in the world.


title: Chris Colfer

text: Colfer wrote, starred in, produced, and novelized his first film, "Struck by Lightning", which debuted at the 2012 Tribeca Film Festival. He also wrote "The New York Times" bestselling "The Land of Stories" series of YA books, starting with "The Land of Stories: The Wishing Spell". , he has published eighteen books.


title: Chris Colfer

text: Colfer was born in Clovis, California, to Karyn and Timothy Colfer. He is of Irish ancestry and has stated: "I'm very Irish, my family is all Irish and Saint Patrick’s Day in my house is crazy." As a child, he was confined to a hospital bed for three months following a lymph node surgery, which left a scar on his neck and which he credits as one of the difficult experiences that made him interested in fictional worlds.


title: Chris Colfer

text: When Colfer was seven, his younger sister was diagnosed with severe epilepsy; he said, "She'd have these horrid, horrid epileptic fits in the middle of the night." He "craved attention" from his parents, but it was diverted to his sister's health. He knew he wanted to be an actor, but as a coping mechanism he retreated into his imagination and began writing fairy tales.


title: Chris Colfer

text: At an early age, Colfer showed a passion for writing. He was "born wanting to be a storyteller", using both writing and acting as ways to entertain people and escape reality. His grandmother was his first editor, advising and encouraging him in elementary school when he first attempted to write a fairytale-inspired novel, which would later become "The Land of Stories". In 2012, Colfer dedicated his first published novel to her, and quoted her: "Christopher, I think you should wait until you're done with elementary school before worrying about being a failed writer."


title: Chris Colfer

text: Colfer was bullied so severely in middle school that he needed to be homeschooled for half of 7th grade and 8th grade. When he attended Clovis East High School, he was involved with the speech and debate program, and he won "champion titles", including placing ninth in the State Competition for Dramatic Interpretation. He was also active in the drama club, the FFA, "was president of the Writer's Club, editor of the school's literary magazine, and captain of Destination ImagiNation". As a high school senior, he wrote, starred in, and directed a spoof of "Sweeney Todd" entitled "Shirley Todd", in which all of the roles were gender-reversed. One of his real in-school experiences was later turned into a subplot for his character on "Glee", when the high school teachers denied him the chance to sing "Defying Gravity" from the musical "Wicked" because it is traditionally sung by a woman.


title: Chris Colfer

text: The first show Colfer acted in was a community theatre production of "West Side Story". He then appeared in "The Sound of Music" as Kurt von Trapp at Good Company Players, which later inspired the naming of his "Glee" character.


title: Chris Colfer

text: At age 18, Colfer starred as Russel Fish in "", a short film in which an awkward teenager must pass a Presidential Physical Fitness test or fail gym class and lose his admission to Harvard University.


title: Chris Colfer

text: Colfer's first TV role came in 2009 when he was cast as Kurt Hummel on Fox's "Glee". Kurt is a fashionable gay countertenor who is routinely bullied at school for his sexuality and participating in the very unpopular Glee Club. Colfer auditioned for the part of Artie Abrams, who uses a wheelchair, a role which eventually went to Kevin McHale.


title: Chris Colfer

text: There have been a couple of times when I have gone to Ryan Murphy and told him a couple of things that have happened to me, and then he writes it into the show. Or he'll ask me what song I would want to sing, in this situation or in that situation. I don't think any of us directly try to give input on the character or on the storyline, but they definitely steal things from us.


title: Chris Colfer

text: Colfer won the 2011 Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actor in a Television Series for his performance as Kurt Hummel. In his emotional acceptance speech, he thanked Ryan Murphy for being his "fairy godfather" and dedicated the award to kids who have been bullied and told "they can't […] have what they want because of who they are." He was twice nominated for an Emmy Award in the Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series category for his portrayal of Kurt.


title: Chris Colfer

text: In 2013 and 2014, Colfer won consecutive People's Choice Awards for Favorite Comedic TV Actor. Both speeches he gave were praised by the media for being funny while making references to things like fanfiction and fanart to show his appreciation for fan culture.


title: Chris Colfer

text: On June 8, 2011, Colfer signed a book deal with Little, Brown and Company to write two novels for children. The first book in the series, "The Land of Stories: The Wishing Spell", was released on July 17, 2012. The books are about two twins, named Conner and Alex Bailey, who get their grandma's book and go through adventures in "The Land of Stories". For two weeks after the book's release, it was number one on "The New York Times" Best Seller list in the Children's Chapter Books category.


title: Chris Colfer

text: The second book in the series, "" (2013) debuted at number two on "The New York Times" Best Seller list, and by the end of 2013, it had spent eleven weeks in the top fifteen for Children's Middle Grade books. Following the success of the first two books, Colfer contracted for an additional three books with Little, Brown: two novels and a picture book.


title: Chris Colfer

text: The third book in the series, "The Land of Stories: A Grimm Warning", was released on July 8, 2014. Now considered a series, it reached No. 4 on "The New York Times" Best Seller list and spent four weeks on the list.


title: Chris Colfer

text: Colfer's fourth novel, "The Land of Stories: Beyond the Kingdoms", was released on July 7, 2015. Following its release, "The Land of Stories" charted at No. 1 as a series on "The New York Times" Best Seller list for the first time on July 26.


title: Chris Colfer

text: The picture book, written by Colfer and illustrated by Brandon Dorman, "The Curvy Tree" was released in October 2015 and is based on a short original fairy tale of the same name, which Colfer first told in "The Land of Stories: The Wishing Spell".


title: Chris Colfer

text: The fifth book in the series, "The Land of Stories: An Author's Odyssey", was released on July 12, 2016. The sixth and final installment, "The Land of Stories: Worlds Collide" was released on July 11, 2017.


title: Chris Colfer

text: In June 2017, it was announced that Colfer would make his directorial debut with a film adaptation of "The Land of Stories: The Wishing Spell". He would also write the script and serve as one of the executive producers on the project.


title: Chris Colfer

text: Colfer wrote, starred in, executive-produced, and novelized the coming-of-age comedy film "Struck by Lightning". The plot revolves around Colfer's character, who is struck and killed by a bolt of lightning, and chronicles his exploits as he blackmails his fellow senior classmates into contributing to a literary magazine he is publishing. It was shot during the "Glee" hiatus in the summer of 2011 and had its world premiere in 2012 at the Tribeca Film Festival.


title: Chris Colfer

text: In March 2012, Colfer was featured in a performance of Dustin Lance Black's play, "8" – a staged reenactment of the federal trial that overturned California's Prop 8 ban on same-sex marriage – as Ryan Kendall. The production was held at the Wilshire Ebell Theatre and broadcast on YouTube to raise money for the American Foundation for Equal Rights.


title: Chris Colfer

text: Colfer landed a deal with the Disney Channel to adapt the book "The Little Leftover Witch" for a television pilot. He also wrote another movie, set in an asylum, which he planned to appear in as a supporting actor. However, both of these projects were delayed with no expected dates for production.


title: Chris Colfer

text: On January 28, 2014, it was announced that Colfer would star in a new 3D CG animated family film by Marza Animation Planet, "Robodog", as the voice of the title character. The film, which will costar Ron Perlman, is described as "a classic, heart-warming adventure story about an unlikely duo who couldn't be more different." The film's director, Henry F. Anderson III, said Colfer is "perfect" for the project because he "has an appealing, youthful voice which fits right in with our lead character, KC, who is above all a charismatic entertainer." Vocal recording for the film began on February 1, 2014. The film is now in post-production, though as of 2019 no release date has been set.


title: Chris Colfer

text: After a few months of planning, it was revealed in March 2014, that Colfer had been asked by "Glee"s producers to write an episode. About the offer, Colfer said: "I've been asked in interviews if I ever wanted to write [an episode of "Glee"], and I said, 'Absolutely not because it was not my world.' I didn't want to tamper with someone else's image. Then they were like, 'Here, come tamper.'" The title of the episode, which aired in May 2014, is "Old Dog, New Tricks".


title: Chris Colfer

text: In 2014, Colfer guest starred on an episode of "Hot in Cleveland" as Tony, Victoria's son. In March 2015, Jane Leeves posted an image on Twitter confirming that Colfer would be returning to an episode titled "All About Elka" in the show's final season.


title: Chris Colfer

text: On May 14, 2015, it was made public that the biopic Colfer has been mentioning for almost a year was going to be about Noël Coward with the working title "Noel", with Colfer in the title role. Colfer prepared for the role in London. The film would be directed by Joe Stephenson. While filming was expected to begin sometime during the summer of 2015, it has been delayed.


title: Chris Colfer

text: In 2016, he played Christopher in "". He had been offered the role by Jennifer Saunders after he invited her to the "Glee: Live" tour in 2011. He also appeared as a guest judge in "Chopped Junior".


title: Chris Colfer

text: In 2017, Colfer announced he would develop a new TV show called "Indigo", a sci-fi drama about indigo children who are misdiagnosed as having mental or physical illnesses, when they really possess supernatural abilities. "TV Line" reported that "Indigo" would be offered for sale to streaming services and television networks, with Colfer writing and directing the pilot episode, and co-executive producing with Keith Quinn and Rob Weisbach.


title: Chris Colfer

text: In 2012, Colfer released a companion book to his film "Struck by Lightning", called "Struck By Lightning: The Carson Phillips Journal".


title: Chris Colfer

text: In early 2017, Colfer released his second book for young adult readers called "Stranger Than Fanfiction". The book follows the story of Cash Carter, a world-famous television star who decides to take a cross-country road trip with four of his biggest fans, as they are getting ready to enter college.


title: Chris Colfer

text: On October 1, 2019, Colfer came out with a new book, "A Tale of Magic...". It is a prequel to the "Land of Stories" series. The sequel, "A Tale of Witchcraft...", was published on September 29, 2020, with the final part, "A Tale of Sorcery..." published on September 28, 2021.


title: Chris Colfer

text: In an interview with Chelsea Handler in December 2009, Colfer stated that he is gay. He has been in a relationship with actor and producer Will Sherrod since 2013.


title: Chris Colfer

text: Colfer appeared on the British chat show "Friday Night with Jonathan Ross" in June 2010, together with his fellow "Glee" co-stars Amber Riley and Matthew Morrison. He demonstrated his skill with a pair of sai, revealing that he bought a pair on eBay and regularly practices in his trailer. He also mentioned that he would like it if his sai could be worked into an episode of "Glee"; they first appeared in the season 3 episode "I Am Unicorn", during Colfer's character Kurt Hummel's performance of "I'm the Greatest Star" from the musical "Funny Girl".


title: Chris Colfer

text: Colfer is an active supporter of the It Gets Better campaign and The Trevor Project, creating an It Gets Better video after the "Glee" episode "Never Been Kissed" aired, and dedicated his 2011 Golden Globe Award to bullied kids in LGBTQ communities.


title: Chris Colfer

text: In 2013, Colfer filmed a public service announcement (PSA) with Elmo about anti-bullying for Sesame Street in Communities, and participated in the Course of the Force run benefiting the Make-A-Wish Foundation. In 2014, he participated in a PSA about Let Girls Learn, put out by the U.S. Agency for International Development. On "Hollywood Game Night", hosted by "Glee" co-star Jane Lynch, Colfer won $6,000 and donated it to the Make-a-Wish Foundation of America.


title: Chris Colfer

text: Colfer was a co-chair for the Elton John AIDS Foundation Academy Award Party in 2013 and 2014. He is a coalition member of Uprising of Love, an organization which supports the safety and dignity of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Intersex (LGBTI) Russians.


title: Jessie (2011 TV series)

text: Jessie is an American comedy television series created by Pamela Eells O'Connell that aired on Disney Channel from September 30, 2011 to October 16, 2015. The series stars Debby Ryan, Peyton List, Cameron Boyce, Karan Brar, Skai Jackson, and Kevin Chamberlin.


title: Jessie (2011 TV series)

text: The series follows Jessie Prescott, a young woman from a small town with big dreams who, rebelling against her strict father, decides to leave the military base in Texas where she grew up and moves to New York City. She accepts a job as a nanny and moves into a multimillion-dollar penthouse on the Upper West Side with the wealthy Ross family which includes jet-setting parents Morgan and Christina Ross and their four rambunctious children: Emma, Luke, Ravi, and Zuri, along with the family pet, Mr. Kipling, a seven-foot Asian water monitor lizard, that was later revealed to be a female. With a whole new world of experiences open to her, Jessie embarks on new adventures in the big city as she grows to rely on the love and support of the children in her care. Assisting her are Bertram, the family's lazy and sarcastic butler, and Tony, the building's 20-year-old doorman.


title: Jessie (2011 TV series)

text: The series was created by Pamela Eells O'Connell, who had previous experience with the "nanny" sitcom formula, starting her career as a writer on the series "Charles in Charge" and serving as co-executive producer on "The Nanny", before working with Debby Ryan on "The Suite Life on Deck". O'Connell is said to have developed "Jessie" specifically to showcase Ryan's talent. In an interview with the "Star-Telegram", Ryan explained how the concept originated: "(O'Connell) and I were throwing ideas back and forth when "The Suite Life" was coming to an end, and she came up with this. I was absolutely captivated. Then Disney looked at the script and the show runner (O'Connell) and myself and they were like: 'Awesome. We like it. You're on in the fall'". In interviews with "Variety", Disney Channel President Gary Marsh spoke of working with Ryan again: "It's been thrilling to watch Debby grow from an unknown actress to one of our top stars. Debby is a talented young actress who connects to a wide fanbase because she's genuine, relatable and aspirational all at once. Our viewers have followed her from "The Suite Life on Deck" to "16 Wishes", and we're pleased to be working with her again." Jessie was the first main character to be engaged on the Disney Channel. There was a four-part episode about the engagement.


title: Jessie (2011 TV series)

text: With Ryan signed on, Disney Channel began the search to cast the Ross family in May 2011. Before casting was finalized, there were numerous differences in the original concept for several of the characters. The role of the mother to the Ross children was originally a photographer named "Pandora", the role of the oldest daughter, Emma, was originally named "Anabel", the role of Luke was originally a boy adopted from Korea named "Hiro", and the role of Ravi was originally a boy adopted from South America named "Javier" who had a pet capybara instead of a water monitor. Some have speculated that Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, as a prominent celebrity couple with a multi-cultural adoptive family, may have been one possible inspiration for the series. In an interview with the "Boston Herald", O'Connell described her inspiration, saying: "I thought the celebrity parents and gorgeous penthouse would be glamorous, and a nice contrast to Jessie's more modest Texas roots. That fish out of water element makes for good stories, and I was inspired by many families who have adopted children of different ethnicities." The Ross parents are only shown in a few episodes throughout the series.


title: Jessie (2011 TV series)

text: After casting was finalized and changes were made to several of the characters to suit the actors chosen, the series skipped the pilot phase and was put directly into production. Filming began in June 2011 on Stage 3/8 at Hollywood Center Studios which, prior to start of production, served as the sound stage where the Disney Channel series "Wizards of Waverly Place" was taped. 13 episodes were originally ordered for the first season, but while the show's first season was in production, Disney Channel ordered an additional seven episodes, bringing the total number of episodes for the first season to 20. When asked about the atmosphere on set during an interview with "MSN TV", Ryan described her relationship with the young cast: "I definitely feel like a nanny! They are smart kids, but they're real kids. They like to have fun. My policy is: We can play hard, as long as we work hard, and because we work hard, we need to play hard." Filming on the series wrapped on February 22, 2015.


title: Jessie (2011 TV series)

text: On March 28, 2013, the series was renewed for a third season, with production resuming in July 2013. Season 3 premiered on October 5, 2013. On April 16, 2014, it was announced that Jessie would get engaged in a four-episode arc that would conclude the season in the fall, marking the first time a Disney Channel lead character has gotten engaged.


title: Jessie (2011 TV series)

text: The series was renewed for a fourth season on May 20, 2014. Production began in August 2014 for a January 9, 2015 premiere. On October 1, 2014, Peyton List stated that the fourth season would be the last season of Jessie. On January 9, 2015, Debby Ryan said that the fourth season will see the show go past its 100th episode and also see its fifth crossover with another Disney Channel show. She also stated that "Jessie" will end in early 2016.


title: Jessie (2011 TV series)

text: On February 25, 2015, Disney Channel officially announced the series would end after its fourth season, bringing the series to a total of 101 episodes. On the same day, Disney ordered the first season of a spin-off titled "BUNK'd", which stars Peyton List, Karan Brar, and Skai Jackson in their respective roles. 98 episodes were eventually aired in the series as 6 of the 101 produced episodes were combined into 3 extended length specials for broadcast and video sales.


title: Jessie (2011 TV series)

text: In November 2012, Disney Channel announced that the show would crossover with "Austin & Ally" as a one-hour special episode titled "Austin & Jessie & Ally All Star New Year". The episode aired December 7, 2012.


title: Jessie (2011 TV series)

text: In October 2013, Disney Channel announced a crossover episode of "Jessie" and "Good Luck Charlie" called "Good Luck Jessie: NYC Christmas". In the episode, PJ (Jason Dolley) and Teddy (Bridgit Mendler) go to New York for Christmas Eve and stay with Jessie for Christmas due to a snowstorm. The episode aired on November 29, 2013.


title: Jessie (2011 TV series)

text: The series crossed over with the Marvel/Disney XD series "Ultimate Spider-Man: Web Warriors" for a Halloween episode titled "Halloween Night at the Museum" on October 10, 2014.


title: Jessie (2011 TV series)

text: On November 28, 2014, "Jessie" shared its fourth crossover with the series "Liv and Maddie" in a special episode titled "Jessie's Aloha-Holidays with Parker and Joey", featuring Joey Bragg as Joey Rooney and Tenzing Norgay Trainor as Parker Rooney. This crossover put "Jessie" into a tie with "Hannah Montana" and "" as the Disney Channel shows to have had the most crossovers. This was counted as a single one-hour episode of "Jessie" with "Liv and Maddie" characters, and was not a "Liv and Maddie" episode.


title: Jessie (2011 TV series)

text: Disney Channel did not broadcast "Quitting Cold Koala" on its originally scheduled date of May 17, 2013, and showed a rerun of "Kids Don't Wanna Be Shunned" instead. The episode did, however, appear on the Disney Channel website, "WATCH Disney Channel", and on "Disney Channel on Demand", the channel's video-on-demand service. On Facebook, Disney Channel announced, "We are removing this particular episode from our regular programming schedule and will re-evaluate its references to gluten restrictions in the character's diet". The edited version of "Quitting Cold Koala" aired on July 5, 2013, as part of a two-episode spectacular, with all gluten jokes having been removed in the revised version.


title: Jessie (2011 TV series)

text: On February 25, 2015, Disney Channel announced that a "Jessie" spin-off titled "Bunk'd" would begin production in the spring. The series would star Peyton List, Karan Brar, and Skai Jackson. The show premiered on July 31, right after the Disney Channel Original Movie "Descendants".


title: Jessie (2011 TV series)

text: In India, a Hindi-language adaptation of the show, titled "Oye Jassie", premiered on Disney Channel on October 13, 2013. Like most adaptations, the episodes and characters are similar to the original.


title: Jessie (2011 TV series)

text: The pilot episode of "Jessie" was released as a free download via the iTunes Store one week prior to its Disney Channel premiere. Making its official debut on the Disney Channel on September 30, 2011, the series became the network's most-watched premiere on a Friday since September 2008, when "The Suite Life on Deck" debuted. The premiere of "Jessie" ranked as the number-one telecast at 9:00 PM with a total of 4.6 million total viewers in the target demographics, scoring 2.3 million viewers among kids 6–11, 1.8 million viewers among tweens and teens 9–14, and 887,000 viewers among adults 18–49. The most watched episode of "Jessie" is "Star Wars" with 7.32 million viewers total and the least watched episode is "Basket Case" with 1.38 million viewers total.


title: Jessie (2011 TV series)

text: The series airs worldwide on Disney Channel. The series premiered on September 30, 2011, in Canada, on November 25, 2011, in Australia and New Zealand, and on December 17, 2011, in Singapore. It previewed on January 29, 2012, and premiered on February 17, 2012, in the United Kingdom and Ireland. It premiered on April 1, 2012 in South Africa. In Canada, the series premiered on Disney Channel on September 1, 2015, and was one of two series that Peyton List introduced along with "Bunk'd".


title: Robb Elementary School shooting

text: On May 24, 2022, a mass shooting occurred at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, United States, where 18-year-old Salvador Ramos, a former student at the school, fatally shot nineteen students and two teachers, and wounded seventeen others. Earlier in the day, he shot his grandmother in the face at home, severely wounding her. He fired shots for approximately five minutes outside the school, before entering unobstructed with an AR-15 style rifle through an unlocked side entrance door. He then shut himself inside two adjoining classrooms, without locking the classroom door, killed the victims, and remained in the school for more than an hour before members of the United States Border Patrol Tactical Unit (BORTAC) fatally shot him after they bypassed numerous local and state officers who had been in the school's hallways for over an hour. The shooting is the third-deadliest school shooting in the United States, after the Virginia Tech shooting in 2007 and the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in 2012, and the deadliest in Texas.


title: Robb Elementary School shooting

text: Police officers waited more than 1 hour and 14 minutes on-site before breaching the classroom to engage the shooter. Police also cordoned off the school grounds, resulting in violent conflicts between police and civilians, including parents, who were attempting to enter the school to rescue children. As a consequence, law enforcement officials in Uvalde have been heavily criticized for their response to the shooting, and their conduct is being reviewed in separate investigations by the Texas Ranger Division and the United States Department of Justice. Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) officials laid much of the responsibility for the police response on Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District Police Department (UCISD PD) chief Pedro Arredondo, who they identified as the incident commander. Arredondo refuted the characterization of his role as incident commander, but was later fired by the Uvalde school board for his actions during the shooting. A report conducted by the Texas House of Representatives Investigative Committee attributed the fault more widely to "systemic failures and egregious poor decision making" by many authorities. The report said, "At Robb Elementary, law enforcement responders failed to adhere to their active shooter training, and they failed to prioritize saving the lives of innocent victims over their own safety... there was an unacceptably long period of time before officers breached the classroom, neutralized the attacker, and began rescue efforts."


title: Robb Elementary School shooting

text: Shortly after the shooting, local and state officials gave inaccurate reports of the timeline of events and exaggerated police actions. The Texas Department of Public Safety acknowledged that it was an error for law enforcement to delay an assault on Ramos' position in the student-filled classrooms, attributing this to the school district police chief's assessment of the situation as one with a "barricaded subject" instead of an "active shooter". Law enforcement was also aware there were injured individuals in the school before they made their entrance.


title: Robb Elementary School shooting

text: Following the shooting, which occurred ten days after the 2022 Buffalo shooting, wider discussions ensued about American gun culture and violence, gridlock in politics, and law enforcement's failure to halt or intervene during the attack. Around a month after the shooting, Congress passed the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act and President Biden signed the bill into law; it was the most significant federal gun reform legislation since the Federal Assault Weapons Ban of 1994.


title: Robb Elementary School shooting

text: Uvalde is a Hispanic-majority city of about 16,000 people in the South Texas region; it is located about east of the United States–Mexico border and about west of San Antonio. In 2022, about 90% of Robb Elementary School's 600 students in the second through fourth grades were Hispanic, and about 81% of the student population came from economically disadvantaged backgrounds. On the day of the shooting, there had been an awards ceremony at the school.


title: Robb Elementary School shooting

text: The city of Uvalde spent 40% of its municipal budget on its police department in the 2019–2020 fiscal year, and UCISD, the school district operating Robb Elementary School, had multiple security measures in place at the time of the shooting. The Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District Police Department (UCISD PD) had a six-officer police department responsible for security at the district's eight schools. It had also more than doubled its expenditures on security measures in the four years preceding the shooting, and in 2021, it expanded its police force from four officers to six officers. The state of Texas had given UCISD a $69,141 grant to improve security measures as part of a $100 million statewide allocation made after the 2018 Santa Fe High School shooting, in which ten people were slain. The district also had a security staff that patrolled door entrances and parking lots at secondary school campuses. Since 2020, Pedro "Pete" Arredondo had served as UCISD's police chief.


title: Robb Elementary School shooting

text: The school and school district had extensive security measures in place. The school used Social Sentinel, a software service that monitored the social media accounts of students and other Uvalde-affiliated people to identify threats made against students or staff. The district's written security plan noted the use of the Raptor Visitor Management System in schools to scan visitor identity documents and check them against watch-lists, as well as the use of two-way radios, fence enclosures around campus, school threat-assessment teams, and a policy of locking the doors of classrooms. According to a report released by the Texas House of Representatives on July 17, although the official school policy was for exterior and interior doors to remain locked, staff members would often unlock or open doors due to a lack of keys. Additionally, some employees were desensitized to the intruder alert system, as it was almost always used for incidents of an undocumented migrant in the area running from police.


title: Robb Elementary School shooting

text: UCISD held joint security training exercises in August 2020 along with the Uvalde Police Department, the Uvalde County Sheriff's Department, and other local law enforcement agencies. UCISD also hosted an active shooter scenario training exercise in March 2022, which covered a range of topics, such as solo responses to active shooters, first aid and evacuation, and scenarios enacted through role-playing. The exercise also covered the ability to compare and contrast an active shooter situation versus a barricaded subject or hostage crisis where an armed person isolates themselves with limited to no ability to harm others. The March 2022 training materials for UCISD said, "Time is the number-one enemy during active shooter response ... The best hope that innocent victims have is that officers immediately move into action to isolate, distract or neutralize the threat, even if that means one officer acting alone." The materials also put forth the position that a "first responder unwilling to place the lives of the innocent above their own safety should consider another career field".


title: Robb Elementary School shooting

text: On May 24, 2022, Salvador Ramos and his 66-year-old grandmother had an argument over a phone bill at their home in Uvalde, during which he shot her in the face, before taking her black 2008 Ford F-150. She survived and sought help from neighbors while police officers were called in. She was then airlifted to a hospital in San Antonio in critical condition.


title: Robb Elementary School shooting

text: Ramos, using his Facebook account, sent three private messages to a 15-year-old girl from Germany whom he had met online prior to the shooting: the first to say that he was going to shoot his grandmother; a second to say that he had shot his grandmother; and a third, about 15 minutes before the shooting, to say that he was going to open fire at an elementary school. The girl replied "cool." Later she faced trial in Frankfurt, Germany and was found guilty of "failing to report planned crimes". She was issued a warning and was required to "undergo educational measures". A spokesperson for Meta, the parent company of Facebook, said the posts were "private one-to-one text messages" discovered after the shooting took place.


title: Robb Elementary School shooting

text: Ramos crashed his grandmother's truck through a barricade and into a concrete ditch outside Robb Elementary School at 11:28a.m. CDT (UTC–5) and proceeded to scale a fence and enter the school grounds. According to police, he wore a tactical vest for carrying ammunition that did not include ballistic protection or armor insert panels, plus a backpack, and all-black clothing, while carrying an AR-15 style rifle and seven 30-round magazines. He brought into the school only one of the two rifles that he had legally bought, and left the other in the crashed truck. A witness said he first fired at two people at a nearby funeral home, both of whom escaped uninjured. Police reported receiving 9-1-1 calls about a vehicle having crashed near the school. After hearing of the 9-1-1 call, a school resource officer drove to the school's campus and pursued a teacher whom the officer erroneously believed to be the gunman, driving past the actual gunman in the process.


title: Robb Elementary School shooting

text: Ramos entered the school through its west-facing entrance door, which had been shut by a teacher who had seen him. The entrance door did not lock despite being designed to be locked when shut. UCISD's police chief estimated that the shooting began at 11:32; according to a Facebook post by the school, the school was placed in lockdown at 11:43 in response to gunshots heard in the vicinity. A report released on July 6 found that an officer had aimed his rifle at Ramos before he entered the school, but did not fire because he was awaiting his supervisor's permission.


title: Robb Elementary School shooting

text: After entering the building, Ramos walked down two short hallways and then entered a classroom that was internally connected to another classroom. All of the fatalities were located in these adjoining classrooms, 111 and 112. A survivor of the shooting said that, as teacher Irma Garcia attempted to lock the door to the classroom, he shot the door's window, then backed Garcia into the classroom, and said, "Goodnight", as he shot and killed her. Another survivor recounted that Ramos said, "You're all gonna die", after entering the classroom. He then opened fire on the rest of the students and another teacher in the room. According to a surviving student, Ramos played "sad music" during the massacre.


title: Robb Elementary School shooting

text: Most of the shooting occurred inside the building within the first few minutes; Ramos was inside the classroom for over an hour while armed police remained outside the classroom and building. Multiple students played dead while the shooting took place, including one student, 11-year-old Miah Cerrillo, who smeared herself with the blood of one of her dead classmates to give credence to the subterfuge. According to a student who hid in the adjoining classroom, Ramos came in and slightly crouched down saying, "It's time to die", before opening fire. Afterwards, a responding officer called out, "Yell if you need help!" A girl in the adjoining classroom said, "Help". Ramos heard the girl, entered the classroom, and shot her. A student said that the officer then barged into the classroom, and Ramos fired at the officer, causing more officers to return fire.