title: Civil liberties

text: The Constitution of the Russian Federation guarantees in theory many of the same rights and civil liberties as the U.S. except to bear arms, i.e.: freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom of association and assembly, freedom to choose language, to due process, to a fair trial, privacy, freedom to vote, right for education, etc. However, human rights groups like Amnesty International have warned that Vladimir Putin has seriously curtailed freedom of expression, freedom of assembly and freedom of association amidst growing authoritarianism.


title: Civil liberties

text: The Constitution of Canada includes the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms which guarantees many of the same rights as the U.S. constitution. The Charter omits any mention of, or protection for, property.


title: Civil liberties

text: The United States Constitution, especially its Bill of Rights, protects civil liberties. The passage of the Fourteenth Amendment further protected civil liberties by introducing the Privileges or Immunities Clause, Due Process Clause, and Equal Protection Clause. Human rights within the United States are often called civil rights, which are those rights, privileges and immunities held by all people, in distinction to "political" rights, which are the rights that inhere to those who are entitled to participate in elections, as candidates or voters. Before universal suffrage, this distinction was important, since many people were ineligible to vote but still were considered to have the fundamental freedoms derived from the rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. This distinction is less important now that Americans enjoy near universal suffrage, and civil rights are now taken to include the political rights to vote and participate in elections, being furthermore classified with civil liberties in general as either positive rights or negative rights. Because Native American tribal governments retain sovereignty over tribal members, the U.S. Congress in 1968 enacted a law that essentially applies most of the protections of the Bill of Rights to tribal members, to be enforced mainly by tribal courts.


title: Civil liberties

text: The Civil Liberties Act of 1988 was signed into effect by President Ronald Reagan on August 10, 1988. The act was passed by Congress to issue a public apology for those of Japanese ancestry who lost their property and liberty due to discriminatory actions by the United States Government during the internment period. This act also provided many other benefits within various sectors of the government. Within the treasury it established a civil liberties public education fund. It directed the Attorney General to identify and locate each individual affected by this act and to pay them $20,000 from the civil liberties public education fund. It also established a board of directors who is responsible for making disbursements from this fund. Finally, it required that all documents and records that are created or received by the commission be kept by the Archivist of the United States.


title: Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead

text: Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead is a 1991 American coming-of-age black comedy film directed by Stephen Herek, written by Neil Landau and Tara Ison, and starring Christina Applegate, Joanna Cassidy, Keith Coogan, John Getz and Josh Charles. The plot focuses on a 17-year-old girl who assumes the role as head of the house when the elderly babysitter whom her mother had hired while she is away suddenly dies.


title: Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead

text: "Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead" was released in theaters on June 7, 1991 and grossed $25.1 million on a budget of $10 million. Despite moderate box-office success and receiving generally negative reviews from critics upon release, the film has gone on to gain a cult following on VHS and cable television.


title: Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead

text: Sue Ellen "Swell" Crandell is a 17-year-old Los Angeles high-school graduate who cannot afford to accompany her friends to Europe for the summer. When her divorced mother leaves for an Australian vacation with her boyfriend, Swell looks forward to a summer of freedom with her siblings Kenny, Zach, Melissa (along with her tri-colored Cardigan Welsh Corgi Elvis), and Walter.


title: Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead

text: Much to Swell's dismay, her mother hires a live-in babysitter named Mrs. Sturak, a seemingly sweet old woman who assures Mrs. Crandell that she can take care of all five children. As soon as Mrs. Crandell leaves, Mrs. Sturak shows her true colors as a tyrant, quickly drawing the ire of the children. However, she soon dies in her sleep. After Swell discovers the body, the kids worry that their mother will blame them for the death if they notify authorities. They agree to stuff Mrs. Sturak's body in a trunk and drop it off at a local funeral home with a note saying "Nice Old Lady Inside, Died of Natural Causes" while keeping Mrs. Sturak's car. They discover that the envelope their mother had given to Mrs. Sturak containing money for the summer is empty, and deduce that Mrs. Sturak had the money with her when they delivered her body to the funeral home.


title: Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead

text: With no money to pay the family's bills, Swell finds work at a fast-food restaurant called Clown Dog. Despite a budding relationship with her coworker Bryan, she quits because of the obnoxious manager. Swell then forges an extensive résumé under the guise of a Vassar-educated young fashion designer and applies at General Apparel West (GAW), hoping to secure a job as a receptionist. Company executive Rose Lindsey hires Swell as an executive assistant, much to the chagrin of Carolyn, a receptionist on Rose's floor who was initially in line for the job.


title: Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead

text: While the kids have dinner at Chuck E. Cheese, Mrs. Sturak's car is stolen by drag queens, forcing Sue Ellen to call Bryan for a ride home. Swell obtains the keys to her mother's Volvo and begins stealing from petty cash at GAW to support the family, intending to return it when she receives her paycheck. Later, Swell is furious to discover that her siblings have stolen the petty-cash funds from her purse to buy extravagant gifts: Zach purchases a diamond ring for his girlfriend Cynthia and Walter orders a state-of-the-art home-entertainment center. Walter falls off the roof while trying to adjust the antenna, breaking his leg and forcing Swell to pay for his hospital visit.


title: Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead

text: At work, the inexperienced Swell must balance the adult responsibilities thrust upon her while still trying to enjoy herself as a teenager. The double life strains her relationship with Bryan when she discovers that he is Carolyn's brother. Resentful of Swell's promotion, Carolyn and her coworker Bruce repeatedly try to discredit Swell's accomplishments, even going so far as to make a copy of Swell's driver's license to prove she is only a teenager, but Rose views the efforts as the product of Carolyn's petty jealousy. Swell must also rebuff the unwelcome sexual advances of Rose's philandering boyfriend Gus, who also works with the company.


title: Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead

text: When she learns that GAW is in danger of going out of business, Swell takes it upon herself to create a new clothing line, and Rose suggests holding a fashion show to exhibit the new designs. With no petty cash left to rent a banquet hall, Swell offers to host the party, convincing her siblings to help clean the house, beautify the yard and act as caterers. Although Swell manages to pull off the party, it comes to an abrupt end when Mrs. Crandell arrives home early, forcing Swell to confess her lie in front of everyone.


title: Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead

text: Carolyn and Bruce find their vehicle vandalized by Kenny's friends while Rose breaks up with Gus. While apologizing to Rose after the party, Swell learns that her unique designs have saved GAW. Rose offers Swell a job as her personal assistant, but Swell declines so that she can attend college. Rose tells Swell that she can "pull some strings" to get her admitted to Vassar.


title: Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead

text: Swell and Bryan make up, but are soon interrupted by Mrs. Crandell who inquires about Mrs. Sturak. As the credits roll, two cemetery workers look over Mrs. Sturak's gravestone as they plan to use the money found on her to visit Las Vegas. The gravestone reads "Nice Old Lady Inside, Died of Natural Causes."


title: Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead

text: According to writers Neil Landau and Tara Ison, the core idea for the film originated in the mid-1980s. Landau was inspired by the 1983 film "Risky Business", in which a high-school protagonist is thrust into the adult world and manages to hold his own. The first draft, titled "The Real World", was finished in 1987 and sold to 20th Century Fox, but was shelved. Fox wanted a film with a lighter theme than that of the script written by Landau and Ison and envisioned "an actor like Winona Ryder in the starring role." Landau was uneasy with the hiring of Stephen Herek, then known for "Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure", to direct the film.


title: Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead

text: In 1989, the film was picked up by Outlaw Productions, which attracted Christina Applegate to the project through her "Married With Children" costar Ed O'Neill. Joanna Cassidy was cast as Rose Lindsey after a suggestion by Landau. The film was one of David Duchovny's early roles before he achieved mainstream success, but casting director Sharon Bialy had trouble convincing the studio to hire him. Jennifer Love Hewitt was originally cast as Melissa, but had to back out because Disney Channel would not release her from a television show in which she had been starring.


title: Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead

text: After the production ended, the studio was forced to change "The Real World" title because of a conflict with MTV's new television series of the same name, and settled on "Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead". Landau was initially unimpressed with the revised title but accepted it after seeing Johnny Carson make a pun about it.


title: Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead

text: The film was released on June 7, 1991, bringing in $4.2 million on its opening weekend and a total U.S. and Canada gross of $25,196,249, making a small profit but below the filmmakers' expectations. However, it achieved success on VHS and in HBO airings; reportedly, $1 million was spent on video-store advertisements.


title: Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead

text: Several reviewers compared the film unfavorably to the then-recent hit "Home Alone." Peter Travers of "Rolling Stone" stated: "Blame the smash of 'Home Alone' for the new herd of kids-on-the-loose movies. Let's hope none are dumber than this one. ... There's no telling how the unflatteringly photographed Applegate delivers a comic line on the big screen, because [screenwriters] Tara Ison and Neil Landau haven't written her any," and concluded by calling the movie "the film equivalent of processed cheese."


title: Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead

text: Kathleen Maher of "The Austin Chronicle" described the film as ""Home Alone" meets "Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure" and then visits "Working Girl"." Roger Ebert was slightly more positive, awarding the film 2 out of 4 stars and calling it "a consumerist, escapist fantasy for teenage girls." Desson Howe of "The Washington Post" wrote that the film "isn't quite as dead as you might expect" but that "it doesn't exactly pulsate with originality." He ended by complimenting the "subversive elements" that distinguished its otherwise "familiar, pre-sold air."


title: Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead

text: Rotten Tomatoes registers a 35% approval rating for the film based on 34 reviews. The critical consensus reads: "It has an amusing enough premise, but "Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead" will just leave viewers pining for the madcap hijinks promised by the title."


title: Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead

text: Despite the critical response on release, the film went on to achieve a cult following on VHS and television.


title: Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead

text: The film was mentioned by name in the first episode of the WB animated series "Animaniacs". In the episode "De-Zanitized", the fictional Chairman of the board of Warner Bros., Thaddeus Plotz, says that he has not been this upset since they made "Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead" to Dr. Scratchansniff, when he chooses him to get the Animaniacs under control.


title: Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead

text: In June 2010, reports surfaced that a remake of the film would be produced by The Mark Gordon Company, though this has not taken place.


title: Collectible card game

text: A collectible card game (CCG), also called a trading card game (TCG) among other names, is a type of card game that mixes strategic deck building elements with features of trading cards, introduced with "" in 1993.


title: Collectible card game

text: Generally a player may begin playing a CCG with a pre-made starter deck, and then customize their deck with a random assortment of cards acquired through booster packs, or from trading with other players, building up their own library of cards. As a player obtains more cards, they may create new decks from scratch from their library. Players are challenged to construct a deck within limits set by the CCG's rules that will allow them to outlast decks constructed by other players. Games are commonly played between two players, though multiplayer formats are also common. Gameplay in CCG is typically turn-based, with each player starting with a shuffled deck and on their turn, drawing and playing cards to attack the other player and reduce their health points to zero before their opponent can do the same to them. Dice, counters, card sleeves, or play mats are used to complement gameplay. CCG tournaments exist for expert players to compete for prizes.


title: Collectible card game

text: CCGs are typically themed around fantasy or science fiction genres, and have also included horror themes, cartoons, and sports, and may include licensed intellectual properties. Cards in CCGs are specially designed sets of playing cards. Each card within the CCG represent an element of that theme geared towards the gameplay of the CCG, and can fall in categories such as creatures, enhancements, events, resources, and locations. All cards within the CCG typically share the same common backside art, while the front has a combination of proprietary artwork or images to embellish the card along with instructions and flavor text for the card. Expansion sets are used to extend CCGs, introducing new gameplay strategies and narrative lore through new cards in starter decks and booster packs, that may also lead to the development of theme decks. Successful CCGs typically have thousands of unique cards through multiple expansions. "Magic: The Gathering" initially launched with 300 unique cards and currently has more than 22,000 .


title: Collectible card game

text: The first CCG, "Magic: The Gathering", was developed by Richard Garfield and published by Wizards of the Coast in 1993 and its initial runs rapidly sold out that year. By the end of 1994, "Magic: The Gathering" had sold over 1 billion cards, and during its most popular period, between 2008 and 2016, it had sold over 20 billion cards. "Magic: The Gathering"s early success led other game publishers to follow suit with their own CCGs in the following years. Other successful CCGs include "Yu-Gi-Oh!" which is estimated to have sold about cards , and "Pokémon" which has sold over cards . Other notable CCGs have come and gone, including "Legend of the Five Rings", "Star Wars", "Lord of the Rings", "", and "World of Warcraft". Many other CCGs were produced but had little or no commercial success.


title: Collectible card game

text: Recently, digital collectible card games (DCCGs) have gained popularity, spurred by the success of online versions of CCGs like "", and wholly digital CCGs like "Hearthstone". CCGs have further influenced other card game genres, including deck-building games like "Dominion", and "Living card games" developed by Fantasy Flight Games.


title: Collectible card game

text: A collectible card game (CCG) is generally defined as a game where players acquire cards into a personal collection from which they create customized decks of cards and challenge other players in matches. Players usually start by purchasing a starter deck that is ready to play, but additional cards are obtained from randomized booster packs or by trading with other players. The goal of most CCGs is to beat one's opponent by crafting customized decks that play to synergies of card combinations. Refined decks will try to account for randomness created by the initial shuffling of the deck, as well as the opponent's actions, by using complementary and preferably efficient cards.


title: Collectible card game

text: The exact definition of what makes a CCG is varied, as many games are marketed under the "collectible card game" moniker. The basic definition requires the game to resemble trading cards in shape and function, be mass-produced for trading and/or collectibility, and have rules for strategic gameplay. The definition of CCGs is further refined as being a card game in which the player uses their own deck with cards primarily sold in random assortments. If every card in the game can be obtained by making a small number of purchases, or if the manufacturer does not market it as a CCG, then it is not a CCG.


title: Collectible card game

text: CCGs can further be designated as "living" or "dead" games. Dead games are those CCGs that are no longer supported by their manufacturers and have ceased releasing expansions. Living games are those CCGs that continue to be published by their manufacturers. Usually, this means that new expansions are being created for the game and official game tournaments are occurring in some fashion.


title: Collectible card game

text: Many CCGs have also been remade into digital collectible card games (DCCGs), taking advantage of the ubiquity of the Internet for online play as well as for the potential of computerized opponents. DCCGs can exist as online counterparts of existing CCGs, such as "" for "Magic: the Gathering", as wholly original card games that take advantage of the digital space, such as "Hearthstone", or in many other forms.


title: Collectible card game

text: Each CCG system has a fundamental set of rules that describes the players' objectives, the categories of cards used in the game, and the basic rules by which the cards interact. Each card will have additional text explaining that specific card's effect on the game. Many games utilize a set of keywords to simplify the card text, with keywords referring to common gameplay rules. For example, "Magic: The Gathering" has such as "flying", meaning the creature can only be blocked by other creatures with flying. Each card also generally represents some specific element derived from the game's genre, setting, or source material. The cards are illustrated and named for these source elements, and the card's game function may relate to the subject. For example, "Magic: The Gathering" is based on the fantasy genre, so many of the cards represent creatures and magical spells from that setting. In the game, a dragon is illustrated as a reptilian beast, has higher stats than smaller creatures, and has the aforementioned "flying" keyword. Flavor text on cards is frequently used to provide a narrative for story-driven games or sometimes as humorous asides.


title: Collectible card game

text: The bulk of CCGs is designed around a resource system by which the pace of each game is controlled. Frequently, the cards which constitute a player's deck are considered a resource, with the frequency of cards moving from the deck to the play area or the player's hand being tightly controlled. Relative card strength is often balanced by the number or type of resources needed in order to play the card, and pacing after that may be determined by the flow of cards moving in and out of play. Resources may be specific cards themselves or represented by other means (e.g. tokens in various resource pools, symbols on cards, etc.).


title: Collectible card game

text: Unlike traditional card games such as poker or crazy eights in which a deck's content is limited and pre-determined, players select which cards will compose their deck from any available cards printed for the game. This allows a CCG player to strategically customize their deck to take advantage of favorable card interactions, combinations, and statistics. While a player's deck can theoretically be of any size, a deck of forty-five or sixty cards is considered the optimal size, for reasons of playability, and has been adopted by most CCGs as an arbitrary 'standard' deck size. Deck construction may also be controlled by the game's rules. Some games, such as "Magic: the Gathering", limit how many copies of a particular card can be included in a deck; such limits force players to think creatively when choosing cards and deciding on a playing strategy. Cards in CCGs come in several broad categories. Common categories, in addition to the aforementioned resource cards, include creatures that are summoned into battle who attack the opposing player and block their creatures' attacks, enchantments that buff or debuff these creatures' attributes and abilities, events like magic spells that may have an immediate or ongoing resolution to one or more cards in play, and locations or story cards that present specific conditions impacting all actions.


title: Collectible card game

text: Each match of a CCG is generally one-on-one with another opponent, but many CCGs have variants for more players. Typically, the goal of a match is to play cards that reduce the opponent's life total to zero before the opponent can do the same. Some CCGs provide for a match to end if a player has no more cards to draw in their deck. After determining which player goes first by coin flip or other means, players start by shuffling their decks and drawing an initial hand, with many CCG's allowing for a player to take a mulligan if they believe their starting hand is not good. Players then take turns, and while the turn format is different depending on the CCG, typically it is broken into distinct phases of resetting all of their resources so they may be used that turn, drawing a card, playing any number of cards by drawing from available resources, making one or more attacks on the opponent, and then a cleanup step including discarding cards to reach a maximum hand size, if necessary.


title: Collectible card game

text: Many CCGs have rules enabling opposing players to react to the current player's turn; an example is casting a counter-spell to an opponent's spell to cancel it such as in "Magic: The Gathering". Games with such reaction systems typically define rules to determine the priority of reactions to avoid potential conflicts between card interpretations. Other CCGs do not have such direct reaction systems but allow players to cast face-down cards or "traps" that automatically trigger based on the actions of the opposing player.


title: Collectible card game

text: Specific game cards are most often produced in various degrees of scarcity, generally denoted as "fixed" (F), "common" (C), "uncommon" (U), and "rare" (R). Some games use alternate or additional designations for the relative rarity levels, such as "super-", "ultra-", "mythic-" or "exclusive rares". Special cards may also only be available through promotions, events, purchase of related material, or redemption programs. The idea of rarity borrows somewhat from other types of collectible cards, such as baseball cards, but in CCGs, the level of rarity also denotes the significance of a card's effect in the game, i.e., the more powerful a card is in terms of the game, the greater its rarity. A powerful card whose effects were underestimated by the game's designers may increase in rarity in later reprints. Such a card might even be removed entirely from the next edition, to further limit its availability and its effect on gameplay.


title: Collectible card game

text: Most collectible card games are distributed as sealed packs containing a subset of the available cards, much like trading cards. The most common distribution methods are:


title: Collectible card game

text: Because of the rarity distribution of cards, many popular CCGs have a secondary marketplace, with players buying and selling cards based on perceived value. Many purchases are made to acquire rarer cards to help build competitive decks, while others are just for collection purposes. In some cases, early cards in a CCGs run or which have been banned from play can become of high value to collectors such as "Magic: The Gathering"s Power Nine.


title: Collectible card game

text: Regular card games have been around since at least the 1300s. "The Base Ball Card Game", a prototype from 1904, is a notable precursor to CCGs because it had a few similar qualities but it never saw production to qualify it as a "collectible" card game. It is not known if the game was intended to be a standalone product or something altogether different like Top Trumps. The game consisted of a limited 112 cards and never saw manufacture past the marketing stage.


title: Collectible card game

text: The first pre-CCG to make it to market was the "", released by Topps in 1951 as an apparent followup to a game from 1947 called "Batter Up Baseball" by Ed-u-Cards Corp. Players created teams of hitters, represented by cards, and moved them around a baseball diamond according to cards representing baseball plays drawn from a randomized deck. Like modern CCGs, Topps' Baseball Card Game was sold in randomized packs and were collectible, however it lacked the necessary strategic play that defines a CCG. Interaction between the two players was limited to who scored the most points and was otherwise a solitaire-like function since players could not play simultaneously. Other notable entries that resemble and predate the CCG are "Strat-O-Matic", "Nuclear War", "BattleCards", and "Illuminati".


title: Collectible card game

text: Allen Varney of "Dragon Magazine" claimed the designer of "Cosmic Encounter", published in 1979, Peter Olotka, spoke of the idea of designing a collectible card game as early as 1979.


title: Collectible card game

text: Prior to the advent of the CCG, the market for alternative games was dominated by role-playing games (RPG), in particular Dungeons & Dragons by TSR. Wizards of the Coast (Wizards), a new company formed in Peter Adkison's basement in 1990, was looking to enter the RPG market with its series called The Primal Order which converted characters to other RPG series. After a lawsuit from Palladium Books which could have financially ruined the company, Wizards acquired another RPG called Talislanta. This was after Lisa Stevens joined the company in 1991 as vice president after having left White Wolf. Through their mutual friend Mike Davis, Adkison met Richard Garfield who at the time was a doctoral student. Garfield and Davis had an idea for a game called RoboRally and pitched the idea to Wizards of the Coast in 1991, but Wizards did not have the resources to manufacture it and instead challenged Garfield to make a game that would pay for the creation of RoboRally. This game would require minimal resources to make and only about 15–20 minutes to play.


title: Collectible card game

text: In December 1991, Garfield had a prototype for a game called "Mana Clash", and by 1993 he established Garfield Games to attract publishers and to get a larger share of the company should it become successful. When designing "Magic: The Gathering", Garfield borrowed elements from the board game Cosmic Encounter which also used cards for gameplay, and from Strat-o-Matic baseball, in which players build a team of players before the baseball game itself is played.


title: Collectible card game

text: In 1993 a "new kind of card game" appeared. It was different because the player could not buy all the cards at once. Players would first buy starter decks and then later be encouraged to buy booster packs to expand their selection of cards. What emerged was a card game that players collected and treasured but also played with. The first collectible card game created was "", invented by Richard Garfield, and patented by Wizards of the Coast in 1993. The game has remained popular, with Wizards of the Coast claiming it to be the most widely played CCG as of 2009. It was based on Garfield's game "Five Magics" from 1982. Originally, "Mana Clash" was designed with Wizards in mind, but the suit between Palladium Books and Wizards was still not settled. Investment money was eventually secured from Wizards and the name "Mana Clash" was changed to "". The ads for it first appeared in "Cryptych", a magazine that focused on RPGs. On 4 July weekend of 1993, the game premiered at the Origins Game Fair in Fort Worth, Texas. In the following month of August, the game's "" core set was released (also known as "Alpha") and sold out its initial print run of 2.6 million cards immediately creating more demand. Wizards quickly released a second print run called "" (7.3 million card print run) and then a second core set called "" (35 million card print run) in an attempt to satisfy orders as well as to fix small errors in the game. December also saw the release of the first expansion called "". With "Magic: The Gathering" still the only CCG on the market, it released another expansion called "" which experienced collation problems. Another core set iteration named "" was released shortly after that. Demand was still not satiated as the game grew by leaps and bounds. was released in mid-1994 and no end was in sight for the excitement over the new CCG.


title: Collectible card game

text: What followed was the CCG craze. "Magic" was so popular that game stores could not satisfy the market demand. More and more orders came for the product, and as other game makers looked on they realized that they had to capitalize on this new fad. The first to do so was TSR who rushed their own game "Spellfire" into production, releasing it in June 1994. Through this period of time, "Magic" was hard to obtain because production never kept pace with demand. Store owners placed large inflated orders in an attempt to circumvent allocations placed by distributors. This practice would eventually catch up to them when printing capacity met demand coinciding with the expansion of released in November 1994. Combined with the releases of 9 other CCGs, among them "Galactic Empires", Decipher's "Star Trek", "On the Edge", and "Super Deck!". Steve Jackson Games, which was heavily involved in the alternative game market, looked to tap into the new CCG market and figured the best way was to adapt their existing Illuminati game. The result was "" which followed with two expansions in 1995 and 1998. Another entry by Wizards of the Coast was "". The game sold well, but not nearly as well as "Magic", however, it was considered a great competitive move by Wizard as Jyhad was based on one of the most popular intellectual properties in the alternative game market which kept White Wolf from aggressively competing with "Magic". By this time, however, it may have been a moot point as the CCG Market had hit its first obstacle: too much product. The overprinted expansion of "Magic's" "Fallen Empires" threatened to upset the relationship that Wizards had with its distributors as many complained of getting too much product, despite their original over-ordering practices.


title: Collectible card game

text: In early 1995, the GAMA Trade Show previewed upcoming games for the year. One out of every three games announced at the show was a CCG. Publishers other than game makers were now entering the CCG market such as Donruss, Upper Deck, Fleer, Topps, Comic Images, and others. The CCG bubble appeared to be on everyone's mind. Too many CCGs were being released and not enough players existed to meet the demand. In 1995 alone, 38 CCGs entered the market, the most notable among them being "Doomtrooper", "Middle-earth", "OverPower", "Rage", "Shadowfist", "Legend of the Five Rings", and "". "Jyhad" saw a makeover and was renamed as "" to distance itself from the Islamic term jihad as well as to get closer to the source material. The Star Trek CCG from Decipher was almost terminated after disputes with Paramount announced that the series would end in 1997. But by the end of the year, the situation was resolved and Decipher regained the license to the "Star Trek" franchise along with "", "" and the movie "".


title: Collectible card game

text: The enthusiasm from manufacturers was very high, but by the summer of 1995 at Gen Con, retailers had noticed CCG sales were lagging. The "Magic" expansion "" was released in November and was essentially a compilation of older sets. It was maligned by collectors and they claimed it devalued their collections. Besides this aspect, the market was still reeling from too much product as "Fallen Empires" still sat on shelves alongside newer "Magic" expansions like "". The one new CCG that retailers were hoping to save their sales, "Star Wars", wasn't released until very late in December. By then, Wizards of the Coast, the lead seller in the CCG market had announced a downsizing in their company and it was followed by a layoff of over 30 jobs. The excess product and lag in sales also coincided with an 8-month-long gap in-between "Magic: The Gathering"'s expansions, the longest in its history.


title: Collectible card game

text: In Hungary, , or HKK, was released in 1995 and was inspired by "Magic: The Gathering." HKK was later released in the Czech Republic. HKK is still being made.


title: Collectible card game

text: In early 1996, the CCG market was still reeling from its recent failures and glut of products, including the release of Wizards' expansion "" which was rated as the worst "Magic" expansion to date. The next two years would mark a "cool off" period for the over-saturated CCG market. Additionally, manufacturers slowly came to understand that having a CCG was not enough to keep it alive. They also had to support organized players through tournaments. Combined with a new dichotomy between collectors and players especially among "Magic" players, more emphasis was placed on the game rather than the collectibility of the cards.


title: Collectible card game

text: Plenty more CCGs were introduced in 1996, chief among them were "BattleTech", "The X-Files", "Mythos", and Wizards' very own "Netrunner". Many established CCGs were in full swing releasing expansions every few months, but even by this time, many CCGs released only two years earlier had already been terminated. TSR had ceased production of "Spellfire" and attempted another collectible game called "Dragon Dice" which failed shortly after being released.


title: Collectible card game

text: On 3 June 1997, Wizards of the Coast announced that it had acquired TSR and its "Dungeons & Dragons" property which also gave them control of Gen Con. Wizards now had its long-sought role-playing game, and it quickly discontinued all plans to continue producing Dragon Dice or resuming production of the "Spellfire" CCG. Decipher was now sanctioning tournaments for their "Star Trek" and "Star Wars" games, with the latter also enjoying strong success from the re-released "Star Wars" "Special Edition" films. The "Star Wars" CCG would remain the second best-selling CCG until the introduction of "Pokémon" in 1999.


title: Collectible card game

text: Wizards continued acquiring properties and bought Five Rings Publishing Group, Inc., creators of the "Legend of the Five Rings" CCG, "Star Trek: The Next Generation" collectible dice game, and the soon to be released "Dune" CCG, on 26 June. Wizards also acquired Andon Unlimited which by association gave them control over the Origins Convention. By September, Wizards was awarded a patent for its "Trading Card Game". Later in October, Wizards announced that it would seek royalty payments from other CCG companies. Allegedly, only Harper Prism announced its intention to pay these royalties for its game "Imajica". Other CCGs acknowledged the patent on their packaging.


title: Collectible card game

text: 1997 saw a slow down in the release of new CCG games. Only 7 new games came out, among them: "Dune: Eye of the Storm", "Babylon 5", "", "Imajica" and "Aliens/Predator". "Babylon 5" saw moderate success for a few years before its publisher Precedence succumbed to a nonrenewal of its license later on in 2001. Also in 1997, "Vampire: The Eternal Struggle" ceased production. However, Wizards of the Coast attempted to enter a more mainstream market with the release of a simplified version of "Magic", called "". Its creation is considered a failure, along with its follow-up "Portal Second Age" released in 1998.


title: Collectible card game

text: A patent originally granted in 1997 to Richard Garfield was for "a novel method of gameplay and game components that in one embodiment are in the form of trading cards" that includes claims covering games whose rules include many of "Magic"s elements in combination, including concepts such as changing the orientation of a game component to indicate use (referred to in the "Magic" and rules as "tapping") and constructing a deck by selecting cards from a larger pool. Garfield transferred the patent to Wizards of the Coast. The patent has aroused criticism from some observers, who believe some of its claims to be invalid. Peter Adkison, CEO of Wizards at the time, remarked that his company was interested in striking a balance between the "free flow of ideas and the continued growth of the game business" with "the ability to be compensated by others who incorporate our patented method of play into their games". Adkison continued to say they "had no intention of stifling" the industry that originated from the "success of Magic".


title: Collectible card game

text: In 2003, the patent was an element of a larger legal dispute between Wizards of the Coast and Nintendo, regarding trade secrets related to Nintendo's Pokémon Trading Card Game. The legal action was settled out of court, and its terms were not disclosed.


title: Collectible card game

text: By February 1998, one out of every two CCGs sold was "Magic: the Gathering". Only 7 new CCGs were introduced that year, all but two being Wizards of the Coast product. "C-23", "Doomtown", "", "Legend of the Burning Sands" and "" were those five, and only "Doomtown" met with better than average reviews before its run was terminated and the rights returned to Alderac. "C-23", "Hercules", and "Xena" were all a part of a new simplified CCG system Wizards had created for beginners. Called the ARC System, it had four distinct types of cards: Resource, Character, Combat, and Action. The system also utilized the popular "tapping" mechanic of "Magic: The Gathering". This system was abandoned shortly afterward.


title: Collectible card game

text: Despite limited success or no success at all in the rest of the CCG market, "Magic" had recovered and Wizards learned from its lessons of 1995 and early 1996. Players still enjoyed the game and were acquiring its latest expansions of "", "", "" and by year's end, "Urza's Saga" which added new enthusiasm to "Magic's" fanbase in light of some of the cards being "too powerful".


title: Collectible card game

text: In early 1999, Wizards released the English-language version of the "Pokémon" TCG to the mass market (the original Japanese version of the game having been released by Media Factory in 1996). The game benefited from the "Pokémon" fad also of that year. At first, there wasn't enough product to meet demand. Some retailers perceived the shortage to be, in part, related to Wizards' recent purchase of the Game Keeper stores where it was assumed they received "Pokémon" shipments more often than non-affiliated stores. By the summer of 1999, the "Pokémon" TCG became the first CCG to outsell "Magic: The Gathering". The success of "Pokémon" brought renewed interest to the CCG market and many new companies began pursuing this established customer base. Large retail stores such as Walmart and Target began carrying CCGs and by the end of September, Hasbro was convinced on its profitability and bought Wizards of the Coast for $325 million (equivalent to $ million in ).


title: Collectible card game

text: A small selection of new CCGs also arrived in 1999, among them "Young Jedi", "Tomb Raider", "Austin Powers", "7th Sea" and "The Wheel of Time".


title: Collectible card game

text: By 2000, the volatility of the CCG market was familiar to its retailers. They foresaw "Pokémon's" inevitable fall from grace as the fad reached its peak in April of that year. The panic associated with the overflooding of the CCGs from 1995 and 1996 was absent and the retailers withstood the crash of "Pokémon". Yet CCGs benefited from the popularity of "Pokémon" and they saw an uptick in the number of CCGs released and an overall increased interest in the genre. "Pokémon"s mainstream success in the CCG world also highlighted an increasing trend of CCGs being marketed with existing intellectual properties, especially those with an existing television show, such as a cartoon. New CCGs introduced in 2000 included notable entries in "Sailor Moon", "The Terminator", "Digi-Battle", "Dragon Ball Z" Collectible Card Game, "Magi-Nation" and "X-Men". "Vampires: The Eternal Struggle" resumed production in 2000 after White Wolf regained full rights and released the first new expansion in three years called "Sabbat War". Wizards of the Coast introduced a new sports CCG called "MLB Showdown" as well.


title: Collectible card game

text: Decipher released its final chronological expansion of the original "Star Wars" trilogy called "Death Star II" and would continue to see a loss in sales as interest waned in succeeding expansions, and their "Star Wars" license was not being renewed. "Mage Knight" was also released this year and would seek to challenge the CCG market by introducing miniatures into the mix. Though not technically a CCG, it would target the same player base for sales. The real shake-up in the industry, however, came when Hasbro laid off more than 100 workers at Wizards of the Coast and ended its attempts at an online version of the game when it sold off the subsidiary's interactive division. Coinciding with this turn of events was Peter Adkisson's decision to resign and Lisa Stevens whose job ended when "The Duelist" magazine (published by Wizards of the Coast) was canceled by the parent company. With Adkisson went Wizards' acquisition of Gen Con and the Origins Convention went to GAMA. Hasbro also ceased production of "Legends of the Five Rings" in 2000, but its production resumed when after it was sold to Alderac in 2001.


title: Collectible card game

text: The years 2001 and 2002 progressed with the CCG market being less likely to take risks on new and original intellectual properties, but instead, it would invest in CCGs that were based on existing franchises. Cartoons, movies, television, and books influenced the creation of such CCGs as "Harry Potter", "The Lord of the Rings", "A Game of Thrones", "Buffy the Vampire Slayer", "Yu-Gi-Oh!" and two "Star Wars" CCGs: "Jedi Knights" and a rebooted "Star Wars" TCG, by Decipher and Wizards of the Coast. They followed the demise of the original "Star Wars" CCG by Decipher in December 2001, but they would see very little interest and eventually the two games were canceled. Other niche CCGs were also made, including "Warlord" and "Warhammer 40,000".


title: Collectible card game

text: Upper Deck had its first hit with "Yu-Gi-Oh!" The game was known to be popular in Japan but until 2002 had not been released in the United States. The game was mostly distributed to national retailers, with hobby stores added to their distribution afterward. By the end of 2002, the game was the top CCG even though it was nowhere near the phenomenon that "Pokémon" was. The card publisher Precedence produced a new CCG in 2001 based on the "Rifts" RPG by Palladium. "Rifts" had top-of-the-line artwork but the size of the starter deck was similar in size to the RPG books. Precedence's other main CCG "Babylon 5" ended its decent run in 2001 after the company lost its license. The game was terminated and the publisher later folded in 2002. The release of "The Lord of the Rings" CCG marked the release of the 100th new CCG since 1993, and 2002 also marked the release of the 500th CCG expansion for all CCGs. "The Lord of the Rings" CCG briefly beat out sales of "Magic" for a few months.


title: Collectible card game

text: "Magic" continued a steady pace releasing successful expansion blocks with "" and "". Decipher released "The Motion Pictures" expansion for the "Star Trek" CCG, and also announced that it would be the last expansion for the game. Decipher then released the "Second Edition" for the "Star Trek" CCG which refined the rules, rebooted the game, and introduced new card frames. Collectible miniature games continued their effort to take market share away from the CCG market with the releases of "HeroClix" and "" in 2002 but saw limited success.


title: Collectible card game

text: The next few years saw an increase in the number of companies willing to start a new CCG, partly owing to the success of "Pokémon" and "Yu-Gi-Oh!". New CCGs entered the market, many of which tried to continue the trend of franchise tie-ins. Notable entries include "The Simpsons", "SpongeBob SquarePants", "Neopets", "G.I. Joe", "Hecatomb", "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" and many others. "Duel Masters" was introduced to the United States after strong popularity in Japan the preceding two years. Wizards of the Coast published it for a couple of years before weak sales resulted in its cancellation. Two "Warhammer" CCGs were released with "Horus Heresy" and "WarCry". "Horus Heresy" lasted two years and was succeeded by "Dark Millennium" in 2005.


title: Collectible card game

text: Also, two entries from Decipher were released, one that passed the torch from their "Star Wars" CCG to "WARS". "WARS" kept most of the gameplay mechanics from their "Star Wars" game, but transferred them to a new and original setting. The game did not do particularly well, and after two expansions, the game was canceled in 2005. The other new CCG was ".hack//Enemy" which won an Origins award. The game was also canceled in 2005.


title: Collectible card game

text: Plenty of other CCGs were attempted by various publishers, many that were based on Japanese manga such as "Beyblade", "Gundam War", "One Piece", "Inuyasha", "Zatch Bell!", "Case Closed", and "YuYu Hakusho". Existing CCGs were reformatted or rebooted including "Dragon Ball Z" as "Dragon Ball GT" and "Digimon D-Tector" as the "Digimon Collectible Card Game".


title: Collectible card game

text: An interesting CCG released by Upper Deck was called the "Vs. System". It incorporated the Marvel and DC Comics universes and pitted the heroes and villains from those universes against one another. Similarly, the game UFS: The Universal Fighting System used characters from Street Fighter, Soul Calibur, Tekken, Mega Man, Darkstalkers, etc. This CCG was obtained by Jasco Games in 2010 and is currently still being made. Another CCG titled "" was the spiritual successor to "Mythos" by the publisher Chaosium. Chaosium licensed the game to Fantasy Flight Games who produced the CCG.


title: Collectible card game

text: Probably one of the biggest developments in the CCG market was the release of "Magic"'s "" core set. It introduced a redesigned card border and it would later mark the beginning of a new play format titled that utilized cards from this set onward. Another development was "Pokémon", originally published in English by Wizards, having its publishing rights transferred to Pokemon USA, Inc. in June 2003. This would start a slow revival for the brand, though never reaching the 1999 craze.


title: Collectible card game

text: The previous year's influx of new CCGs continued into 2006. Riding on the success of the popular PC Game "World of Warcraft", Blizzard Entertainment licensed Upper Deck to publish a TCG based on the game. The "World of Warcraft" TCG was born and was carried by major retailers but saw limited success until it was discontinued in 2013 prior to the release of Blizzard's digital card game "Hearthstone". Following previous trends, Japanese-influenced CCGs continued to enter the market. These games were either based on cartoons or manga and included: "Naruto", "", "Bleach", "Rangers Strike" and the classic series "Robotech". "Dragon Ball GT" was rebooted once again in 2008 and renamed as "Dragon Ball". Many other franchises were made into CCGs with a few reboots. Notable ones included "Cardfight!! Vanguard", "Conan", "Battlestar Galactica", "Power Rangers", "24 TCG", "", "Monsuno", and others, as well as another attempt at "Doctor Who" in the United Kingdom and Australia. Publisher Alderac released the "City of Heroes" CCG based on the "City of Heroes" PC game. Another video game, "Kingdom Hearts" for the PS2, was turned into the "Kingdom Hearts" TCG by Tomy.


title: Collectible card game

text: A few other CCGs were released only in other countries and never made it overseas to English speaking countries, including "Monster Hunter" of Japan, and "" of Indonesia. By the end of 2008, trouble was brewing between Konami, who owned the rights to "Yu-Gi-Oh!" and its licensee Upper Deck. Meanwhile, strong sales continued with the three top CCGs of "Pokémon", "Yu-Gi-Oh!", and "Magic: the Gathering". The Warhammer series "Dark Millennium" ended its run in 2007.


title: Collectible card game

text: "Magic: the Gathering" saw a large player boom in 2009, with the release of the "Zendikar" expansion. The spike in the number of "Magic" players continued for a few years and leveled off by 2015. Interest also developed with their multiplayer format called . This increase in the player base created a based on finance speculation. New players entering the market from 2009 to 2015 desired cards that were printed before 2009 and with smaller print runs. Demand outstripped quantity and prices of certain cards increased and speculators started to directly manipulate the "Magic" card market to their advantage. This eventually attracted the interest of the controversial figure Martin Shkreli, former CEO of Turing Pharmaceuticals, for a brief period of time. Prices of cards from previous sets increased dramatically and the American market saw an influx of Chinese counterfeits capitalizing on the demand. This created a unique situation where the most desirable and expensive cards could be printed by counterfeiters, but not by the brand owner, due to a promise made with collectors in 1996 and refined in 2011. In 2015, Wizards of the Coast implemented more anti-counterfeit measures by introducing a holographic foil onto cards with specific rarities, in addition to creating a proprietary font. Between the time period of 2008 to 2016, Magic: the Gathering sold over 20 billion cards.


title: Collectible card game

text: A rise in tie-in collectible card games continued with the introduction of the "My Little Pony Collectible Card Game". It was licensed to Enterplay LLC by Hasbro and published on 13 December 2013. The collectible cards, according to president Dean Irwin, proved to be moderately successful, so Enterplay reprinted the premiere release set mid-February 2014. Other tie-in games released included the "Final Fantasy Trading Card Game" and ""; which had collectible cards and dice which after a 3-year run ended production in early 2020. "Force of Will" was released in 2012 in Japan and in 2013 in English, but as an original intellectual property.


title: Collectible card game

text: One of the longest running CCGs, "Legend of the Five Rings", released its final set "Evil Portents" for free in 2015. After a 20-year run, the brand was sold to Fantasy Flight Games and released as an LCG.


title: Collectible card game

text: In March 2018, it was announced that PlayFusion and Games Workshop would team up to create a new Warhammer trading card game.


title: Collectible card game

text: In 1996 Luke Peterschmidt, designer of Guardians, remarked that unlike board game and RPG players, CCG players seem to assume they can only play one CCG at a time. Often, the less popular CCGs will have localized sales success; in some cities a CCG will be a hit, but in many others it will be a flop.


title: Collectible card game

text: Like lootbox in video games, there are concerns about the random and sealed booster packs. A survey among users of Reddit's online message boards found little evidence of the need to regulate collectible card games. This concern for gambling plays a big part of the brand messaging for Living Card Games with fixed non-randomized distribution of cards.


title: Lists of One Piece chapters

text: A list of lists of "One Piece" chapters. "One Piece" is one of the longest currently running manga in the world. There are several lists to list all the chapters.


title: Sehnsucht (Rammstein album)

text: Sehnsucht (; "Desire") is the second studio album by German Neue Deutsche Härte band Rammstein. It was released on 22 August 1997 through Motor Music in Europe and Slash Records in the United States. It is the only album entirely in German to be certified platinum by the RIAA in the US. The album peaked at No. 1 on the Austrian and German charts.


title: Sehnsucht (Rammstein album)

text: The album booklet folds out to reveal six different covers, one for each band member (each photo depicting the member with vintage medical / surgical instruments). The cover most commonly seen shows Till Lindemann with a surgical metal wire utensil worn as a muzzle and surgical forks over his eyes. The cover art was created by Austrian artist Gottfried Helnwein, who also created the cover for the Scorpions' "Blackout" album, which the "Sehnsucht" cover resembles.


title: Vidya Balan filmography

text: Vidya Balan is an Indian actress known for her work in Hindi films. She made her acting debut in 1995 with the sitcom "Hum Paanch", following which she made several unsuccessful attempts at a film career. Vidya then appeared in music videos for Euphoria, Pankaj Udhas, and Shubha Mudgal all directed by Pradeep Sarkar. She had her first film release with a leading role in Goutam Halder's Bengali film "Bhalo Theko" (2003). In 2005, she played the heroine in Sarkar's "Parineeta", an adaptation of Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay's novel of the same name. Vidya won the Filmfare Award for Best Female Debut for the film. Rajkumar Hirani's "Lage Raho Munna Bhai" (2006), a successful comedy sequel, saw her play a radio jockey opposite Sanjay Dutt.


title: Vidya Balan filmography

text: Vidya had five releases in 2007. She played a variety of roles in them, including a woman suffering from multiple sclerosis in Mani Ratnam's semi-biographical drama "Guru", a single mother in the comedy "Heyy Babyy", and a dissociative identity disorder patient in the psychological thriller "Bhool Bhulaiyaa". All three films were commercially successful and established her as a leading lady. The following year, she starred opposite Ajay Devgan in the drama "Halla Bol" (2008) and Shahid Kapoor in the romantic comedy "Kismat Konnection" (2008), but both failed to find a wide audience.


title: Vidya Balan filmography

text: From 2009 to 2012, Vidya starred in five consecutive films that garnered her critical and commercial success. She played the mother of a child afflicted with progeria in the drama "Paa" (2009), a seductive widow in the black comedy "Ishqiya" (2010), and the real-life character of Sabrina Lal in the semi-biographical thriller "No One Killed Jessica" (2011). For portraying the actress Silk in the biopic "The Dirty Picture", Vidya won the National Film Award for Best Actress. She next played a pregnant woman seeking revenge in "Kahaani" (2012), a thriller directed by Sujoy Ghosh. She was awarded the Filmfare Award for Best Actress for her roles in "Paa", "The Dirty Picture", and "Kahaani", and the Filmfare Critics Award for Best Actress for "Ishqiya".


title: Vidya Balan filmography

text: Vidya failed to replicate this success with her next few releases, although her performance in the thriller "" (2016) was praised. This changed in 2017 when she played a radio jockey in "Tumhari Sulu", for which she won another Best Actress Award at Filmfare. Her highest-grossing release came with the drama "Mission Mangal" (2019). She has since starred in the Amazon Prime Video streaming films "Shakuntala Devi" (2020), "Sherni" (2021), and "Jalsa" (2022). She won another Filmfare Critics Award for Best Actress for playing an Indian Forest Service officer in "Sherni".


title: Pete Ricketts

text: John Peter Ricketts (born August 19, 1964) is an American politician serving as the 40th governor of Nebraska since 2015. He is a member of the Republican Party.


title: Pete Ricketts

text: Ricketts is the son of Joe Ricketts, founder of TD Ameritrade. He is also, with other family members, a part owner of Major League Baseball's Chicago Cubs. In 2006, he ran for the U.S. Senate against incumbent Ben Nelson, losing in a landslide. He ran for the Nebraska governorship in 2014, narrowly winning a six-way Republican primary, and defeated Democratic Party nominee Chuck Hassebrook, 57% to 39%. He was reelected in 2018, defeating Democratic nominee Bob Krist, 59% to 41%.


title: Pete Ricketts

text: Ricketts was born in Nebraska City on August 19, 1964, the oldest of four children of Joe Ricketts and Marlene (Volkmer) Ricketts. The family later moved to Omaha. Joe Ricketts founded First Omaha Securities in 1975, one of the first discount stockbrokers in the United States. It prospered, changing its name to Ameritrade, going public in 1997, and changing its name to TD Ameritrade after acquiring TD Waterhouse in 2006. Marlene was a teacher.


title: Pete Ricketts

text: Ricketts and his siblings, Tom, Laura, and Todd, all attended Westside High School in Omaha, from which Ricketts graduated in 1982. He attended the University of Chicago, receiving a BA in biology in 1986 and an MBA in marketing and finance in 1991.


title: Pete Ricketts

text: After completing graduate school, Ricketts returned to Omaha. He worked for the Union Pacific Railroad for a year, then as a salesman for a Chicago environmental consultant. In 1993, he went to work for his father's business, initially in the call center for a few months, and subsequently appointed by his father to a number of executive positions, ultimately becoming the company's chief operating officer during his father's tenure as CEO. In a 2006 report, he stated his net worth at between $45million and $50million.


title: Pete Ricketts

text: In 1997, Ricketts married Susanne Shore. A native of Garden City, Kansas, Shore grew up in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and earned a bachelor's degree in English and then an MBA from Oklahoma State University. After a stint working for the dean of students at the University of South Dakota, she came to Omaha to complete a one-year course in nursing at Creighton University. At the time of her marriage to Ricketts, she was working as a nurse at St. Joseph's Hospital in Omaha. Ricketts and Shore have three children.


title: Pete Ricketts

text: In 2006, Ricketts left Ameritrade to run for the U.S. Senate. After his loss to incumbent Ben Nelson, he returned to the company's board, remaining until the Ricketts family relinquished its board seats in 2016.


title: Pete Ricketts

text: In 2007, Ricketts co-founded, and became director and president of the Platte Institute for Economic Research, which he called a "free market think tank", and which Nebraska newspapers have called "conservative". He resigned from the organization in 2013 to concentrate on his 2014 gubernatorial campaign. From 2007 to 2012, Ricketts was a national committeeman for the Republican National Committee; from 2007 to 2013, he was a trustee of the American Enterprise Institute.


title: Pete Ricketts

text: In 2009, the Ricketts family trust bought the Chicago Cubs baseball team from Tribune Media. Ricketts and his siblings occupied four of the five seats on the team's board of directors; as of 2018, the four continued to hold those seats. Due to this, Ricketts has a 2016 World Series title to his credit, as the Cubs won the championship that year (fulfilling a pledge he had made in 2009 during the press conference to announce the family's purchase of the team, when he and his brother Tom guaranteed a World Series win for the Cubs under their ownership).


title: Pete Ricketts

text: Ricketts is a Roman Catholic. He is a member of the Knights of Columbus and a Knight of the Holy Sepulchre.


title: Pete Ricketts

text: Ricketts was the 2006 Republican nominee for the U.S. Senate seat held by Democrat Ben Nelson. His opponents in the primary were former Nebraska Attorney General Don Stenberg and former state Republican chairman David Kramer. Ricketts spent nearly $5 million of his own money, outspending his opponents 10–1 in winning the nomination.


title: Pete Ricketts

text: Ricketts received some high-profile campaign assistance, most notably from President George W. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney. Bush appeared at a campaign rally for Ricketts on November 5, 2006, just days before the election, in Grand Island, Nebraska.


title: Pete Ricketts

text: Ricketts ran on a conservative platform, emphasizing fiscal responsibility, immigration reform, and agriculture, as well as championing a socially conservative platform opposing same-sex marriage and abortion. In all, he contributed $11,302,078 of his own money to his campaign, triggering the Millionaire's Amendment which allowed his opponent to raise larger amounts from each donor. He spent more money than any Senate candidate in Nebraska history, but lost to Nelson by a margin of 36%–64%.


title: Pete Ricketts

text: In the 2014 election, Ricketts ran for the Nebraska governorship. The incumbent, Dave Heineman, was barred by Nebraska's term-limits law from running for reelection. Two candidates considered strong contenders for the Republican nomination withdrew by early 2013: lieutenant governor Rick Sheehy, who was embroiled in a scandal; and Speaker of the Legislature Mike Flood, whose wife had been diagnosed with cancer. Ricketts officially joined the race in September 2013, at which point he and state auditor Mike Foley were regarded as early front-runners in a race that also included state senators Charlie Janssen, Beau McCoy, and Tom Carlson. In February 2014, Janssen withdrew, and state attorney general Jon Bruning declared his candidacy. Despite his late entrance, Bruning supplanted Ricketts as the perceived front-runner.


title: Pete Ricketts

text: Ricketts won the May 2014 primary with 26.6% of the vote. Bruning received 25.5%; McCoy, 20.9%; Foley, 19.2%; Carlson, 4.1%; and Omaha attorney Bryan Slone, 3.7%. In the general election, Ricketts faced Chuck Hassebrook, who had run unopposed for the Democratic nomination. Hassebrook was a former member of the University of Nebraska Board of Regents, and former director of the Center for Rural Affairs, which calls itself "a leading nonprofit organization with a national reputation for progressive rural advocacy and policy work". Ricketts advocated tax reductions; Hassebrook argued that Ricketts's proposed cuts would primarily benefit the rich and deprive the state of funds for what he called needed public services. Ricketts opposed the proposed expansion of Medicaid under the provisions of the 2010 Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act; Hassebrook favored the expansion. Ricketts opposed an increase in the state's minimum wage; Hassebrook supported it.


title: Pete Ricketts

text: Over the course of the general-election campaign, Ricketts outspent Hassebrook by a considerable margin. In the last spending report filed before the election, he stated that he had loaned his campaign $930,000, and that the organization had spent about $6.0 million. Hassebrook reported expenditures of slightly more than $2.5 million.


title: Pete Ricketts

text: In the general election, Ricketts received 57.1% of the vote to Hassebrook's 39.2%. Libertarian Mark G. Elworth Jr. received 3.5%, and write-in votes accounted for 0.1%.


title: Pete Ricketts

text: On June 5, 2017, Ricketts announced his candidacy for reelection. During his speech, he said "lowering property taxes" would be his main concern if he were reelected. Ricketts also asked Nebraskans to "rehire" Lieutenant Governor Mike Foley. Ricketts was reelected on November 6 with 59.0% of the vote.


title: Pete Ricketts

text: Ricketts was inaugurated as the 40th governor of Nebraska at the Nebraska State Capitol on January 8, 2015.


title: Pete Ricketts

text: Among the "most significant" actions the legislature took in its 2015 session were three bills that passed over Ricketts's veto. LB268 repealed the state's death penalty; LB623 reversed the state's previous policy of denying driver's licenses to people who were living illegally in the U.S. after being brought to the country as children, and who had been granted exemption from deportation under the Barack Obama administration's Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program; and LB610 increased the tax on gasoline to pay for repairs to roads and bridges.


title: Pete Ricketts

text: After Ricketts's veto of the death-penalty repeal was overridden, capital-punishment proponents launched a petition drive to reverse the legislature's action. Their efforts gathered enough signatures to suspend the repeal until a public vote could be held. Capital-punishment opponents then filed a lawsuit arguing that the petition should be invalidated on the grounds that Ricketts, who had contributed $200,000 to the campaign, was "the primary initiating force" for the petition drive and should have been included in the list of sponsors required by Nebraska law. In February 2016, a Lancaster County district judge dismissed the lawsuit, ruling that Ricketts's financial support of the petition effort did not ipso facto make him a sponsor. The plaintiffs appealed the issue to the Nebraska Supreme Court, which upheld the district court's dismissal. The referendum was held in the 2016 general election and the death penalty was retained with 61.2% of the vote.


title: Pete Ricketts

text: In its 2016 session, the legislature passed three bills that Ricketts vetoed. LB580 would have created an independent commission of citizens to draw new district maps following censuses; supporters described it as an attempt to depoliticize the redistricting process, while Ricketts maintained that the bill delegated the legislature's constitutional duty of redistricting to "an unelected and unaccountable board". The bill's sponsor, John Murante, opted not to seek an override of the veto. A second vetoed bill, LB935, would have changed state audit procedures; it passed by a margin of 37–8, with 4 present and not voting. The bill was withdrawn without an attempt to override the veto; the state auditor agreed to work with Ricketts on a new version for the next year's session. A third bill, LB947, made DACA beneficiaries eligible for commercial and professional licenses in Nebraska. The bill passed the legislature on a vote of 33–11–5; the veto override passed 31–13–5.


title: Pete Ricketts

text: At the 2016 Republican state convention, Ricketts denounced several legislators who had failed to support his and the party's positions on various bills, and called for the election of more "platform Republicans" to the officially nonpartisan legislature. In response to this, 13 legislators, including five registered Republicans, released a statement in which they accused Ricketts of placing partisanship above principle. One of the signers of the statement, Laura Ebke, changed her registration from Republican to Libertarian shortly thereafter, citing Ricketts's speech as one of the factors that drove her to make the change.


title: Pete Ricketts

text: In its 2017 session, the Ricketts administration merged two agencies. The Department of Transportation was formed from the merging of the Department of Roads and Department of Aeronautics. This merger was led by Senator Friesen. Senator Murante led the merger of the Nebraska Department of Veterans' Affairs and the Division of Veterans' Homes into the Nebraska Department of Veterans' Affairs. Ricketts signed both merger bills into law in the spring of 2017.


title: Pete Ricketts

text: Ricketts signed various bills designed to strengthen Nebraska communities. LB 518 created various grants to counties to construct workforce housing. The legislature also passed 2 anti-abortion bills, the first in his tenure. LB46 created a "Choose Life" license plate, and LB506 provided information about perinatal hospice care to pregnant women diagnosed with a lethal fetal anomaly.


title: Pete Ricketts

text: In the start of the 2018 to 2019 biannual session, Ricketts highlighted various bills as his key priorities. In 2018 Ricketts signed LB 1040, which creates commemorative certificates of nonviable birth for miscarriages. Ricketts used this bill to point out that it "affirms the pre-born baby's dignity, [and] it also provides closure to mothers, fathers, and families who are grappling with the pain and heartache of losing a child."[66] Ricketts goes on to highlight various property and tax relief bills that he signed during the session. Ricketts vetoed a notable bill, LB350, which would've set aside criminal convictions for murders, human trafficking, and other violent criminals. Ricketts said, "This bill sends the wrong message to victims of crime and society. It represents poor public policy."


title: Pete Ricketts

text: During the legislature's 2019 session, Ricketts approved various budgets and tax cuts. LB 103 stopped automatic property tax increases. Ricketts also spearheaded the project to increase the Property Tax Credit Relief Fund by $51 million for a total of $550 million in direct property tax relief from 2019 to 2021. Ricketts merged two state agencies, the Department of Environment and the Department of Energy, into one, the Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy.


title: Pete Ricketts

text: In 2020, Ricketts signed numerous laws passed by the legislature, including property and veterans tax relief bills, dismemberment abortion bans, and flood and pandemic relief. In 2020, Ricketts was able to accomplish some State workforce reforms, providing a new partnership between Peru State College and the Nebraska Department of Corrections, to provide a path for students to go from the classroom into Corrections workforce. Ricketts also accomplished an infrastructure bill, allowing for funding to repair the Gering-Fort Laramie Irrigation Canal after it collapsed in 2019.


title: Pete Ricketts

text: During a meeting on June 1, 2020, Ricketts allegedly used the phrase "The problem I have with you people" while talking to a room mostly full of black pastors and black community leaders, when pastor Jarrod Parker walked out. It was later revealed that Ricketts said "you guys", not "you people". Ricketts apologized for his choice of words.


title: Pete Ricketts

text: In June 2020, Ricketts threatened to withhold $100 million in federal COVID-19 relief if local governments in Nebraska required people who entered courthouses and other local government offices to wear face masks. Face masks had been recommended by health experts and authorities as an effective way to halt the spread of the coronavirus.


title: Pete Ricketts

text: In October 2021, Ricketts ordered Nebraska state agencies not to comply with the federal government's vaccine requirements for employees.


title: Pete Ricketts

text: Ricketts called the 2021 session "historic," as it passed multiple key priorities he highlighted in his January 2021 State of the State address. These included property and veterans tax relief, broadband infrastructure, and locking in the state's budget. The session limited budget growth to 2.4% annually. Ricketts's veterans tax relief program gave Nebraska veterans a 100% exemption on military retirement benefits. Ricketts signed legislation to support military spouses licensed in another state to obtain teaching permits after moving to Nebraska. He signed into law a bill that gives private schools $3 million in funding for textbook loans and $1 billion to support public K-12 education. Ricketts also passed career scholarship reform, giving public, private, and community colleges and universities state scholarship support.


title: Pete Ricketts

text: After the 2022 legislative session, Ricketts praised the senators for passing legislation on his key priorities. The legislature authorized construction of a canal to protect Nebraska's legal entitlement to South Platte River flowing into the state from Colorado. Ricketts also signed bills to further develop Nebraska's water infrastructure, construct new marinas at Lake McConaughy and Lewis and Clark Lake, and create a 3,600-acre reservoir between Lincoln and Omaha.


title: Pete Ricketts

text: In 2021, amid a nationwide Republican effort to prohibit or restrict instruction of critical race theory, Ricketts said he opposed critical race theory. Asked to explain what critical race theory was, Ricketts said it was "one that really starts creating those divisions between us about defining who we are based on race and that sort of thing and really not about how to bring us together as Americans rather than—and dividing us and also having a lot of very socialist-type ideas about how that would be implemented in our state." Ricketts also called it "Marxist" and "really un-American."


title: Pete Ricketts

text: Ricketts supports the death penalty. In 2015, he vetoed a bill to abolish capital punishment in Nebraska, but the legislature overrode his veto. In 2016, Ricketts spent part of his family fortune to finance a referendum to reinstate capital punishment in the state. The referendum passed, and in 2018 the state executed Carey Dean Moore, the first inmate put to death in the state in 21 years. Ricketts, a Catholic, rebuffed calls from the Catholic Church to halt executions.


title: Pete Ricketts

text: Ricketts criticized the impeachment of Donald Trump over his request that Ukraine start an investigation into his political rival Joe Biden. Ricketts said the impeachment proceedings were a "partisan impeachment parade" and praised the Senate for acquitting Trump.


title: Pete Ricketts

text: Ricketts opposes legalization of medicinal cannabis. In 2019, he said that its "medicinal value has not been tested", and cited studies suggesting that cannabis adversely affects brain functions. He also pointed to overdoses of the synthetic cannabinoid K2 as a "reminder of how dangerous cannabis can be". In 2021, while the Nebraska legislature was contemplating legalizing medical cannabis, he claimed, "If you legalize marijuana, you’re gonna kill your kids. That’s what the data shows from around the country."


title: Pete Ricketts

text: Ricketts opposed the Obama administration's Clean Power Plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. He supported the Keystone XL Pipeline, saying it would "create jobs here in Nebraska, lots of tax revenues here in Nebraska, of course help us become less dependent on foreign oil."


title: Pete Ricketts

text: In 2021, Ricketts said he opposed a proposal by President Joe Biden to preserve 30% of the nation's land and water by 2030, calling it a "radical climate agenda."


title: Pete Ricketts

text: Before becoming governor, Ricketts supported an initiative to ban affirmative action in Nebraska, donating $15,000 to the group behind the effort. Upon being sworn in as governor, Ricketts appointed former attorney Manra Munn as the executive director of the Nebraska Equal Opportunity Commission. In 2020, Munn was sued for failing to hire Latinos onto the commission.


title: Pete Ricketts

text: In July 2022, Ricketts contributed $250,000 to a political action committee created to oppose the U.S. Senate campaign of Eric Greitens in advance of Missouri's August primary election.


title: Taskmaster (New Zealand TV series)

text: Taskmaster NZ is a New Zealand comedy panel game show, first broadcast in 2020 on TVNZ 2. The format for the show was created by British comedian Alex Horne during the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2010, and was subsequently developed into a successful UK television show in 2015.


title: Taskmaster (New Zealand TV series)

text: Following the format of the original British version, the show consists of five contestants who compete in a series of strange and unusual tasks to gain points from the Taskmaster, Jeremy Wells, and adjudicated by his assistant, comedian Paul Williams.


title: Taskmaster (New Zealand TV series)

text: "Taskmaster NZ" is produced for TVNZ, with support from NZ On Air. The first series was broadcast in summer 2020, while the second series was broadcast in the winter of 2021, and the third in winter 2022. Funding for a fourth series was confirmed in December 2022.


title: Taskmaster (New Zealand TV series)

text: The filming of the tasks was completed in March 2020, just before the COVID-19 pandemic caused a nationwide lockdown. The contestants were Angella Dravid, Brynley Stent, Guy Williams, Leigh Hart and Madeleine Sami. Dravid was the overall winner of the series, with Sami in second. Stent, in third, Hart in fourth and Williams in last place completed the standings.


title: Taskmaster (New Zealand TV series)

text: Host of the original, British version of "Taskmaster", Greg Davies, appears as part of the prize tasks in the seventh episode.


title: Taskmaster (New Zealand TV series)

text: On 30 May 2021, the contestants for series 2 were named as David Correos, Guy Montgomery, Laura Daniel, Matt Heath, and Urzila Carlson. Daniel was the overall winner of the series, with Montgomery as the runner-up, while Correos placed third, Heath placed fourth, and Carlson finished last.


title: Taskmaster (New Zealand TV series)

text: Unlike the first series, ratings were reported in four-week averages rather than individually - and in consolidated ratings as opposed to overnights - but the series' audience generally improved throughout, from an average of 113,800 for the first four episodes, to an average of 165,800 for the last four episodes. The tenth and final episode, alone, received 187,700 viewers.


title: Taskmaster (New Zealand TV series)

text: Series 1 contestant Angella Dravid cameoed in the tenth and final episode, as part of a task. MP Chlöe Swarbrick also appears during the first episode as part of the prize tasks.


title: Taskmaster (New Zealand TV series)

text: Funding from NZ On Air for a ten-episode third series was announced in April 2022, having been received months earlier. The tasks were written in February 2022. Filming for the studio shows took place in the last week of May.


title: Taskmaster (New Zealand TV series)

text: The contestants for the series were announced in June 2022, and are Chris Parker, Josh Thomson, Justine Smith, Kura Forrester and Paul Ego. The series premiered on 6 July 2022; in the run-up to the series, series 1 and 2 were repeated on TVNZ Duke across the two weekends before its launch. Thomson was the overall winner of the series, with Parker as the runner-up, while Forrester placed third, Ego placed fourth, and Smith finished last.


title: Taskmaster (New Zealand TV series)

text: Series 2 contestant and writer for the show (from this series onwards) David Correos cameoed in the seventh episode as part of a task, as did athlete Eliza McCartney as part of the prize task.


title: Taskmaster (New Zealand TV series)

text: Funding for a fourth series was confirmed in December 2022. No further details have been made available.


title: Taskmaster (New Zealand TV series)

text: Funding from NZ On Air for the first series was announced in September 2019. Prior to the filming of the studio shows for the first series, a 'warm-up episode' was shot with no studio audience - internally called "Episode Zero" - that allowed Wells and Williams to practice their roles, featuring some tasks that were going to be cut from the series proper. The studio shows were originally scheduled to film at South Pacific Pictures in Auckland in late August 2020, but were later cancelled - Auckland was moved into level 3 COVID-19 restrictions shortly beforehand - and were delayed into September. More relaxed measures were in place at time of filming, but mandated that Wells was spaced apart from the series' contestants in the studio, which Wells later remarked felt "pretty weird", and was an "unusual experience".


title: Taskmaster (New Zealand TV series)

text: The second series was confirmed in March 2021, with the lineup confirmed that May. Pre-production took four weeks at the beginning of 2021, between writers Sam Smith and Williams, before moving from a studio onto Zoom after the February Auckland lockdown was put in place. During the series, to ensure contestants were unable to decipher, and thus prepare for, what a task could be prior to filming, tasks were given nicknames should they be written on call sheets. One task during the series was cut after Carlson broke her collarbone in an attempt to complete it.


title: Taskmaster (New Zealand TV series)

text: Justine Smith, speaking of her experience filming the third series, noted that the entire process is very different to that of her other usual television appearances, and that "taking part in Taskmaster requires a different skill set"; she commented that it was "very secretive", with contestants not privy to witnessing tasks being set up and are unaware of "what's happening in advance". Smith recalled that she was "taken in – literally almost with a hood over [her] head – to a room [you're] not allowed to leave" before "[you] come out[,] do the task and go straight back into [your] room"; the lack of a reaction to the performance in a task troubled Smith, who commented "[y]ou turn around and walk away, [it being] a comedian's worst nightmare to not have someone tell you it was OK or laugh."


title: Taskmaster (New Zealand TV series)

text: Coming up with tasks, writers Smith and Williams "abide by strict rules", in that tasks cannot be replicated from either a previous series or a version of "Taskmaster" from another country, and at least one task has been excised close to filming because of this. Tasks have to be submitted to and approved by producers before being presented to contestants. One task from the first series - "Make the best desert" - was almost cut from broadcast as all of the contestants misread it as "Make the best dessert", but the reaction from Stent as she re-read and understood the task properly - which Williams called one of "the season's best moments" - reinstated it.


title: Taskmaster (New Zealand TV series)

text: "Taskmaster NZ" receives funding from NZ On Air, which has steadily increased each series. The first series was allocated "up to $734,953", the second "up to $792,119 plus a platform contribution reduction of $635,040", and the third confirmed for "up to $886,574".


title: Taskmaster (New Zealand TV series)

text: The first episode received mixed to positive reviews from critics. James Croot of "Stuff" claimed the series was "off to a terrific start" and "you might just need to put an hour aside for the next few weeks", in contrast to comments of colleague Darren Bevan, who wrote that "while Taskmaster NZ hasn't romped away with a decisive victory, it has done enough to secure a technical win and an appointment for a second week's viewing". Bevan did offer praise, towards Paul Williams' role as the assistant, calling him "one of the show's MVPs before even 30 minutes of the first episode have passed". Stewart Sowman-Lund of "The Spinoff" agreed that Williams "is well-suited to the role" of the assistant. Sowman-Lund praised the first episode stating that "Taskmaster NZ starts high in the sky – and long may it continue." Karl Puschmann, writing for "The New Zealand Herald" did not give the show as favourable a review, stating that "it's okay. There's some good gags and it's great to see our comedians on screen. But still, it's not for me."


title: Taskmaster (New Zealand TV series)

text: In a press release announcing the show's recommission, it was reported that the first series increased TVNZ 2's audience by 19% among 25-54s and more than doubled the channel's audience aged 15–34, "reach[ing] more people than any other local comedy series on air in 2020".


title: Taskmaster (New Zealand TV series)

text: For the first episode of the second series, James Croot of "Stuff" - in contrast to his more positive comments regarding the first series - noted that, regarding the dynamic between Wells and Williams, "[t]he former still seems unsure of their relationship, the power dynamic less clear-cut than between the original's Greg Davies and Alex Horne", and that while some of the tasks "offer[ed] plenty of entertaining laughs", others were not "quite as successful". He concluded by admitting that "while "Taskmaster NZ" is trying to balance creating its own identity with maintaining the joy of the original, it's not always succeeding". "The Spinoff"s Stewart Sowman-Lund was more positive, praising the entire series as "truly hilarious", and that its contestants "will surely go down in the annals of Taskmaster history as one of the best casts the show has ever seen".


title: Taskmaster (New Zealand TV series)

text: "Taskmaster NZ" has not been officially made available for viewing in countries and territories outside New Zealand, however it is intended to be made available on Taskmaster SuperMax+ - a streaming platform dedicated to hosting "Taskmaster" content - at an unknown date.


title: Salomon Kalou

text: Salomon Armand Magloire Kalou (born 5 August 1985) is an Ivorian professional footballer who plays as a forward and winger for Djiboutian club Arta/Solar7.


title: Salomon Kalou

text: He previously played for Feyenoord from 2003 to 2006 and Chelsea from 2006 to 2012. While at Chelsea, he won numerous honours, including the Premier League, the UEFA Champions League, four FA Cups and the League Cup. Upon the expiry of his contract at Chelsea, he moved on a free transfer in July 2012 to Lille, where he spent two seasons before moving to Hertha BSC for an undisclosed fee. He played 172 games and scored 53 goals in six seasons in the German capital.


title: Salomon Kalou

text: A full international for the Ivory Coast since 2007, Kalou amassed 93 international caps and represented his country at two FIFA World Cups, six Africa Cup of Nations tournaments and the 2008 Olympics. He was part of their teams that won the continental title in 2015 and came runners-up in 2012.


title: Salomon Kalou

text: Kalou was born in Oumé. Like his older brother Bonaventure Kalou, he began his career in local club Mimosas before moving to Europe. He signed for Feyenoord in 2003 and in 2004, he was loaned to Feyenoord's "satellite club", Excelsior.


title: Salomon Kalou

text: Kalou then returned to Feyenoord and played in the Dutch top flight Eredivisie for two seasons from 2004 to 2006. During his time with the Rotterdam-based club, he scored 35 goals in 67 league appearances, also winning the Johan Cruijff Award in 2005 as the most promising young talent of the season. Kalou, together with Dirk Kuyt, were affectionately known as "K2" by Feyenoord fans and the Dutch media, a play on the words of K3, a Belgian pop band.


title: Salomon Kalou

text: Kalou moved to Chelsea on 30 May 2006 for an undisclosed fee, believed to be approximately £9 million. Under contract with Chelsea until 2009, Kalou was handed the number 21 shirt.


title: Salomon Kalou

text: Chelsea manager José Mourinho praised the young Ivorian as being hardworking, versatile, eager to improve and unafraid of the physical side of the game. Kalou admitted that he brought a camera with him to his first training session at Chelsea's training centre at Cobham because he could not believe that he was going to be rubbing shoulders with famous footballers like Michael Ballack, John Terry and Didier Drogba. Describing the experience, Kalou said "This was the dream moment of my life and I did not want to wake up and find that it was not real."


title: Salomon Kalou

text: At Chelsea, Kalou played with his compatriot and Ivory Coast captain, Didier Drogba. Kalou scored his first goals for Chelsea in a reserve game against Portsmouth, bagging a hat-trick and earning the match ball in a 5–0 thrashing. He scored his first senior goal for Chelsea in a two-goal win over Blackburn Rovers in the third round of the League Cup.


title: Salomon Kalou

text: In December 2006 in Chelsea's 3–2 victory over Wigan Athletic at the JJB Stadium, Kalou scored his first Premier League goal, then scored his second league goal against Blackburn in Chelsea's 3–0 win. He also scored a 93rd-minute goal against Watford, putting Chelsea 1–0 up. He also scored a volleyed goal from 12 yards against Tottenham Hotspur in the FA Cup quarter-final, which ended 3–3. Chelsea won the replay 1–2 before progressing to the final with a similar scoreline against Blackburn. Kalou also came on as a substitute in the FA Cup Final win over Manchester United for his second trophy in England, having earlier come on as a substitute for Chelsea in the league Cup Final victory over Arsenal.


title: Salomon Kalou

text: Kalou continued his good form into the season that followed, scoring his first goal of the campaign against Manchester City in Chelsea's 6–0 victory at Stamford Bridge and the opening goal against Derby County in a 2–0 win.


title: Salomon Kalou

text: His last minute cross into the penalty area led to John Arne Riise scoring the own goal in the UEFA Champions League semi-final first leg at Anfield, which gave Chelsea a vital away goal over Liverpool. Kalou also scored with Chelsea's sixth penalty in the Champions League final in Moscow, where Chelsea lost to Manchester United.


title: Salomon Kalou

text: Kalou did not feature much under Avram Grant's successor, Luiz Felipe Scolari, except during pre-season, because of his participation in the 2008 Beijing Olympics as part of the Ivory Coast national under-23 football team. However, he came off the bench against Manchester United on 21 September and scored a header after 80 minutes from a Mikel John Obi free kick. The goal ensured that Chelsea secured a point and kept their unbeaten home record. Kalou then scored two goals and assisted a Frank Lampard header on 18 October in Chelsea's 5–0 win at Middlesbrough.


title: Salomon Kalou

text: On 14 January 2009, Kalou scored a tap in against Southend United in the third round of the FA Cup as Chelsea ran out 4–1 winners in the replay. Again he scored two goals against Middlesbrough, this time at Stamford Bridge on 28 January, a 2–0 Chelsea win, becoming a favourite under interim manager Guus Hiddink. These strikes proved to be his first goal in 15 Premier League games. He celebrated the goals by making a "handcuff" gesture, but denied he was supporting an Ivorian convictionist. On 25 April 2009, he scored the winner against London rivals West Ham. Kalou was an unused substitute in Chelsea's 2–1 defeat of Everton as the Blues won the FA Cup on 30 May.


title: Salomon Kalou

text: Chelsea beat Manchester United to lift the 2009 FA Community Shield, with Kalou scoring the winning penalty. He scored his first goal of the 2009–10 season against Queens Park Rangers at Stamford Bridge in the third round of the League Cup, earning his team a 1–0 victory. On 12 October 2009, Kalou signed a three-year contract extension with Chelsea, keeping him at the club until the summer of 2012. He celebrated his new contract with an brace against Atlético Madrid in the Champions League, helping Chelsea maintain their perfect record in the competition.


title: Salomon Kalou

text: On 24 February 2010, he scored a goal against Internazionale in the Champions League round of 16 first leg. His shot from outside the box was tame but an error from Inter goalkeeper Júlio César allowed the ball to find the back of the net in a 2–1 loss. In Chelsea's 7–0 win over Stoke City on 25 April, Kalou netted a hat-trick, though his second goal of the day had been the source of controversy, as it was very close to being a two-footed tackle. Kalou scored Chelsea's third of eight goals on the last day of the season against Wigan, as the Blues were crowned champions.


title: Salomon Kalou

text: Kalou started the season well with scoring the only goal in the 3–1 defeat at Wembley Stadium against Manchester United. He appeared as a substitute in the 6–0 drubbing of Wigan at the DW Stadium to score two goals, both assisted by fellow Ivorian Didier Drogba.


title: Salomon Kalou

text: Through 31 appearances, Kalou had scored 14 goals in all competitions. Despite his form, however, he found it hard to gain a regular first team place since the addition of Fernando Torres from Liverpool in January. Nonetheless, he was included in the starting lineup for their next game against West Bromwich Albion, scoring a goal in Chelsea's 3–1 win on 16 April. Kalou started the next game as well, and scored again as Chelsea defeated Birmingham City 3–1. For Chelsea's crucial game against Tottenham Hotspur, Kalou was not included in the starting lineup, as Carlo Ancelotti preferred a striking partnership of Drogba and Torres. However, Kalou replaced Torres in the 63rd minute, scoring a goal in the 89th minute to lead Chelsea to a 2–1 win and within three points of league leaders Manchester United. This brought him up to ten Premier League goals on the year, the first time he has hit double digit league goals for Chelsea.


title: Salomon Kalou

text: Kalou started the season with Chelsea playing in the club's second league game, against West Brom; he was substituted off, however, after only 34 minutes. He was an unused substitute against Sunderland and Bayer Leverkusen, but he started in Chelsea's first League Cup match of the season against Fulham. Chelsea won 4–3 on penalties, with him converting the second-last penalty. On 28 September 2011, Kalou came on for Frank Lampard in the 83rd minute. He then was booked for handball in the 85th minute which led to Roberto Soldado scoring a penalty; the score ended level at 1–1. Kalou's first goal of the new season came in a 5–0 rout of Belgian side Racing Genk on 19 October 2011. He scored in a 2–1 win at Goodison Park against Everton in the League Cup, then scored his first goal in the Premier League season in a 3–0 away win against Newcastle.


title: Salomon Kalou

text: Following the appointment of Roberto Di Matteo as interim manager, Kalou fought his way back into the first-team squad; under André Villas-Boas, he was frozen out, only making four starts in over seven months. Kalou scored his first goal in the season's edition of the FA Cup when Chelsea defeated Leicester City 5–2 at Stamford Bridge. This goal put him alongside Sergio Agüero as the only players to score in the Premier League, League Cup, FA Cup and Champions League in the season. Kalou then netted a vital away goal in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final clash with Benfica after some great work from strike partner Fernando Torres. Chelsea won the game 1–0. Kalou's goal against Benfica was his 58th for the club. On 29 March 2012, he claimed he had been frozen out by former Chelsea manager André Villas-Boas. On 21 April, Kalou made his 250th appearance for Chelsea in a 0–0 draw away to rivals Arsenal. He started both the 2012 FA Cup Final and Champions League final, both of which were Chelsea victories.


title: Salomon Kalou

text: On 1 July 2012, Chelsea officially announced that Kalou's contract had come to an end along with José Bosingwa, after spending six years at the London side. He had made 254 appearances for the club, including 147 starts, and scored 60 goals. After his release, Kalou was linked with numerous clubs across Europe, including the likes of Schalke 04, Liverpool, Galatasaray, Newcastle United and Arsenal.


title: Salomon Kalou

text: On 7 July 2012, it was confirmed that Kalou would sign for Lille on a free transfer after being released by Chelsea at the end of his contract. He was given the number 8 jersey. New manager Rudi Garcia was pleased to see Kalou join Lille, but admitted that it was not easy to convince him to join the French side. Kalou scored his first competitive goal for Lille in his second appearance, a header to equalize the scoreline against Nancy. His first Champions League goal for the club came in their 6–1 defeat to Bayern Munich on 7 November.


title: Salomon Kalou

text: In 2013–14, Kalou played all of Lille's games, starting all but two. He scored 16 goals, making him one of five runners-up to Zlatan Ibrahimović for top scorer. This included a hat-trick on 2 March with two penalties, as the "Dogues" won 3–2 at Ajaccio.


title: Salomon Kalou

text: On 31 August 2014, Kalou joined Bundesliga side Hertha BSC on a three-year contract. The transfer fee paid to Lille was reported as €3 million.


title: Salomon Kalou

text: In his first full season at the Berlin-based club, he played 27 times in the league, scoring six goals and helping Hertha avoid relegation.


title: Salomon Kalou

text: At the beginning of the 2015–16 Bundesliga season, Kalou swapped number 11 for the vacant 8 shirt after the departure of Marcel Ndjeng to SC Paderborn. This was the same number he wore during his stint at Lille as well as with the Ivorian national side.