title: Black Cube

text: “NSO Group has denied hiring Black Cube to target opponents. However, Hulio acknowledged the connection to me, saying, “For the lawsuit in Cyprus, there was one involvement of Black Cube,” because the lawsuit “came from nowhere, and I want to understand.””


title: Black Cube

text: In 2019, Black Cube exposed Eliezer Fishman's hidden assets valued at around €100 million. Fishman, once considered one of Israel's wealthiest businessmen, was declared bankrupt in 2016. Black Cube secretly recorded several meetings with associates of Fishman, which led the London High Court to rule that the businessman had illicitly hidden assets and properties across Europe, mainly Germany, through legal entities, trustees, and representatives.


title: Black Cube

text: In May 2020, Black Cube submitted on behalf of Beny Steinmetz evidence to a New York court that the Brazilian company Vale SA withheld critical information concerning a mining license in Guinea obtained by Steinmetz. During a four-month operation, Black Cube gathered recordings with Vale senior executives, who admitted that Vale assumed the mining license was obtained illegally when they entered into the contract, contradicting an arbitration award of $1.8 billion in favor of Vale.


title: Black Cube

text: In October 2019, it was revealed that Black Cube recorded evidence of bribery and corruption of senior officials at Mexico's Petróleos Mexicanos, known as Pemex. The recordings were submitted as part of a lawsuit filed in 2018 by Oro Negro, a Mexican oil-field drilling company, claiming that Pemex drove Oro Negro into bankruptcy when the company refused to pay bribes. Black Cube recordings offer evidence of long-standing corruption in Mexico's largest state enterprise, in all levels of Pemex management up to the CEO and board. This evidence was additionally presented to the DOJ in their investigation into Pemex.


title: Black Cube

text: In April 2016, two of the company employees were arrested, and later convicted, in Bucharest on suspicions of spying, phishing, and cyberharassing the chief prosecutor of the Romanian National Anticorruption Directorate, Laura Codruța Kövesi, and people close to her. After sentencing, the company reached an understanding with the Romanian authorities and the two employees were released and returned to Israel after a few months. At the time of the arrest, Black Cube denied any wrongdoing, saying that they were working under contract from the highest political powers in Bucharest and that "all of Black Cube’s employees follow local law to the letter, and the allegations against them are unfounded and untrue".


title: Black Cube

text: Between December 2017 and February 2018 Black Cube set up a cover company called "Smart Innotech", seated in London, UK, and contacted Hungarian Migration Aid Hungary by email, urging them to have a meeting in Vienna, Austria. Migration Aid contacted the Hungarian foreign intelligence ("Alkotmányvédelmi Hivatal") and recorded and tightly controlled the meetings. Black Cube attempted to collect data on migrants, and on Hungarian opposition party members, to uncover alleged ties with George Soros; which were proven to be false. Black Cube failed to gather any information; the company—which was never registered—disappeared after February.


title: Black Cube

text: Black Cube used the same methods with multiple NGOs, like Open Society Foundations Hungary and the Hungarian Helsinki Committee.


title: Black Cube

text: On 5 April 2019 the Senate Intelligence Committee sent a letter to Walter Soriano, the owner of USG Security Limited based in Britain and Israel, for his communication with Paul Manafort, Michael Flynn, Psy-Group, Wikistrat, Orbis Business Intelligence (a firm co-founded by Christopher Steele), and Black Cube. In response, the company denied any connection and stated that “neither they nor anyone acting on their behalf has ever had any communication or collaboration with Walter Soriano or anyone on his behalf."


title: Barry Hearn

text: Barry Maurice William Hearn (born 19 June 1948) is an English sporting events promoter and the founder and President of promotions company Matchroom Sport.


title: Barry Hearn

text: Through Matchroom, Hearn is also involved in many sports including snooker, darts, pool, tenpin bowling, golf (see PGA EuroPro Tour), table tennis and fishing. Hearn is currently the chairman of the Professional Darts Corporation, and was also until July 2010 chairman of the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association (WPBSA). He was also, until July 2014, the chairman of Leyton Orient F.C.


title: Barry Hearn

text: Hearn was born in 1948 on a council estate in Dagenham, Essex, and educated at Buckhurst Hill County High School. He worked and then ran a series of small businesses as a teenager, from washing cars to picking fruit and vegetables.


title: Barry Hearn

text: After qualifying as an accountant, Hearn took over the role of finance director to a design company based in Kensal Green, called Deryck Healey Associates (circa 1973). He formed a new firm, Kensal House Investments, and DHA became Deryck Healey International (DHI).


title: Barry Hearn

text: In the early 1970s, looking for a property investment, Hearn bought a snooker hall in Romford, Greater London. The same year, the BBC began promoting snooker on BBC2 in colour television, resulting in queues of people wanting to play snooker. Hearn and business partner Deryck John Healey then bought Lucania Billiard Halls, which formed the basis of his future career, promoting snooker via colour television.


title: Barry Hearn

text: Hearn began promoting sporting events in 1974, working with amateur snooker players Geoff Foulds, father of Neal Foulds, and Vic Harris. In 1976, he became manager of Steve Davis, who went on to win the World Championship six times.


title: Barry Hearn

text: Hearn prospered from the snooker boom of the 1980s when he formed Matchroom with players Davis and Tony Meo. Later Matchroom snooker players include Terry Griffiths, Dennis Taylor, Willie Thorne, Neal Foulds, Jimmy White, Cliff Thorburn and Ronnie O'Sullivan. Hearn appeared alongside many Matchroom players in the video for "Snooker Loopy", a hit for "rockney" pop rock duo Chas & Dave.


title: Barry Hearn

text: In December 2009 Hearn was elected as the new WPBSA Chairman after Sir Rodney Walker failed to get re-elected and left his post. In June 2010, following a vote by the members, Hearn took over a 51% controlling interest in the organisation's commercial business World Snooker Limited with a view to revitalising the game. The commercial business was separated from the regulatory body, the WPBSA.


title: Barry Hearn

text: Hearn moved into boxing in 1987, his first promotion being the Frank Bruno versus Joe Bugner bout at White Hart Lane in October 1987. He offered the television rights to Greg Dyke of London Weekend Television for £200,000, who agreed to pay £250,000 because he did not believe Hearn could deliver for the quoted price.


title: Barry Hearn

text: Hearn has since promoted many leading British and Irish boxers, including Chris Eubank, Nigel Benn, Lennox Lewis, Naseem Hamed, Steve Collins and Herbie Hide.


title: Barry Hearn

text: Hearn withdrew his boxers Herbie Hide and Steve Collins from the High Noon in Hong Kong event at the last minute, scheduled on 22 October 1994, when promoter John Daly could not come up with the purses. Hearn said, "But to be honest I was very pleased with myself in Hong Kong. I stood my ground. How many others would have?"


title: Barry Hearn

text: In April 2008 Hearn introduced the Prizefighter series, a knockout tournament featuring 8 different boxers. His son Eddie now manages the boxing side of the business.


title: Barry Hearn

text: Hearn is the chairman of the Professional Darts Corporation, one of darts' two governing bodies, the sport having been split since the world's leading players left the British Darts Organisation in 1992. He has made several attempts to buy out the rival body, which would reunify the game, but has been unsuccessful.


title: Barry Hearn

text: Hearn was the chairman of the football league club Leyton Orient from 1995 to 2014. Before Hearn's takeover the club was facing a financial disaster due to the collapse of the then chairman Tony Wood's coffee business in Rwanda at the time of the Rwandan genocide. Hearn's intervention and financial input assured the club's future. Although Hearn has been successful in stabilising the club financially, his tenure included the club's longest run in the bottom division (the fourth tier) of the Football League since its creation (in 1958). At the culmination of the 2005–06 season, Orient earned promotion to the third tier of English league football (League One), their first automatic promotion since the 1969–70 season.


title: Barry Hearn

text: In April 2017, Hearn resigned as honorary president of Leyton Orient registering his disapproval of the new owner, Francesco Becchetti, who he claimed had "not played by the rules" leaving Leyton Orient players and staff unpaid for March 2017.


title: Barry Hearn

text: Hearn is an enthusiastic fisherman. After watching the first recording of Wrestle Mania in Ockenden, he pitched the idea of Fish-o-Mania to Greg Dyke at LWT. Turned down, he sold the idea to Sky Sports, establishing a successful now 19-year television franchise.


title: Barry Hearn

text: Married to Susan, the couple have two children, Katie and Eddie Hearn. After nearly going bankrupt in the early 1990s, and suffering a heart attack in 2002, he returned and has become a multi-millionaire.


title: Barry Hearn

text: Hearn was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2021 New Year Honours for services to sport. That year, Hearn was inducted into the Professional Darts Corporation Hall of Fame.


title: Japanese festivals

text: Japanese festivals are traditional festive occasions often celebrated with dance and music in Japan. Many festivals have their roots in traditional Chinese festivals, but have undergone extensive changes over time to have little resemblance to their original form, despite sharing the same name and date. There are also various local festivals (e.g. Tobata Gion) that are mostly unknown outside a given prefecture.


title: Japanese festivals

text: Unlike most people in East Asia, Japanese people generally do not celebrate the Lunar New Year, its observance having been supplanted by the Western New Year's Day on January 1 in the late 19th century (see Japanese New Year); however, many continue to observe several of its cultural practices. Many Chinese residents in Japan, as well as more traditional shrines and temples, still celebrate the Lunar New Year in parallel with the Western New Year. In Yokohama Chinatown, Japan's biggest Chinatown, tourists from all over Japan come to enjoy the festival, similar to Nagasaki's Lantern Festival based in Nagasaki Chinatown.


title: Japanese festivals

text: Festivals are often based around one event, with food stalls, entertainment, and carnival games to keep people entertained. Some are based around temples or shrines, others hanabi (fireworks), and still others around contests where the participants sport loin cloths (see: Hadaka Matsuri).


title: Japanese festivals

text: is the Japanese word for a festival or holiday. In Japan, festivals are usually sponsored by a local shrine or temple, though they can be secular.


title: Japanese festivals

text: There are no specific matsuri days for all of Japan; dates vary from area to area, and even within a specific area, but festival days do tend to cluster around traditional holidays such as Setsubun or Obon. Almost every locale has at least one matsuri in late summer/early autumn, usually related to the paddy harvest.


title: Japanese festivals

text: Notable matsuri often feature processions which may include elaborate floats. Preparation for these processions is usually organized at the level of neighborhoods, or machi. Prior to these, the local kami may be ritually installed in mikoshi and paraded through the streets.


title: Japanese festivals

text: One can always find in the vicinity of a matsuri booths selling souvenirs and food such as takoyaki, and games, such as Goldfish scooping. Karaoke contests, sumo matches, and other forms of entertainment are often organized in conjunction with matsuri. If the festival is next to a lake, renting a boat is also an attraction.


title: Japanese festivals

text: Favorite elements of the most popular matsuri, such as the Nada no Kenka Matsuri of Himeji or the Neputa Matsuri of Hirosaki, are often broadcast on television for the entire nation to enjoy.


title: Japanese festivals

text: Sapporo Snow Festival is one of the largest festivals of the year in Sapporo, held in February for one week. It began in 1950 when high school students built snow statues in Odori Park, central Sapporo. The event is now very large and commercialized. About a dozen large sculptures are built for the festival along with around 100 smaller snow and ice sculptures. Several concerts and other events are also held.


title: Japanese festivals

text: This lake festival is held in the beginning of February. Held in the town of Yasumiya, this festival is on the south side of Lake Towada (near the wooden statues). This festival is open all day, but at 5 pm one can enjoy activities such as going through a snow maze, exploring a Japanese igloo, and eat foods from Aomori and Akita prefectures. There is a fireworks show and events held on an ice stage.


title: Japanese festivals

text: This festival is held annually and features colorful lantern floats called nebuta which are pulled through the streets of Central Aomori. This festival is held from about August 2–7 every year. This event attracts millions of visitors. During this festival, 20 large nebuta floats are paraded through the streets near Aomori JR rail station. These floats are constructed of wooden bases and metal frames. Japanese papers, called washi, are painted onto the frames. These amazing floats are finished off with the historical figures or kabuki being painted on the paper. These floats can take up to a year to complete. There is a dance portion of this festival. There are haneto dancers and they wear special costumes for this dance. Everyone is welcome to purchase their own haneto costume that they may too join in on the fun (Mishima, Aomori Nebuta Festival).


title: Japanese festivals

text: This event is held every year. Thousands of artists from all over Tohoku and even further regions come to Nango to perform. This is the largest open-air jazz concert held in Tohoku region. This festival began in 1989, in a small venue indoors. There was such a large response from the fans that it was expanded into a large annual festival. One must purchase tickets for this event (Bernard, 2007). This summer jazz festival doesn't cost anything but potential members of the public still need to receive a ticket to enter the event.


title: Japanese festivals

text: Japan celebrates the entire season of the cherry blossoms. There are festivals in nearly every region of Japan, and some locations, food is available or a park may be decorated with lanterns.


title: Japanese festivals

text: Following the Japanese diaspora, many places around the world celebrate similar festivals, often called . Brazil hosts the largest population in the world and some Brazilian cities host such as São Paulo and Curitiba. The United States host the 2nd largest population in the world and some American cities host such as Los Angeles, San Jose and Phoenix. Wales has adopted the term to name their yearly drift festival. It uses the Japanese name to show the sports Japanese heritage. The event takes place over 2 days at the Anglesey Track, and has been annual for 6 years.


title: Japanese festivals

text: The origins of Hadaka Matsuri date back 500 years when worshippers competed to receive paper talismans called Go-o thrown by the priest. These paper talismans were tokens of the completion of New Year ascetic training by the priests. As those people receiving these paper talismans had good things happen to them, the number of people requesting them increased year by year. However, as paper is easily destroyed, the talismans were changed to the wooden ofuda that we know today.


title: Japanese festivals

text: Naoi-shinji, also known as "Hadaka Matsuri (naked festival)", started in the year 767 AD, the Nara Period. This right was founded on the fact that the governor of Owari Province (presently Aichi Prefecture) visited the Owari Ōkunitama Shrine (Konomiya shrine) to drive away evil spirits and calamities, because Emperor Shotoku ordered all the kokubun-ji* to offer invocations to dispel plagues.


title: Japanese festivals

text: It is said that the form of the festival, a struggle to touch the Naoinin or Shin-otoko (man of god), is reminiscent of the struggle in old times between the assemblage of lower-ranking Shinto priests called shanin and contributors tried to catch and set up a man for naoinin (shin-otoko), an unlucky poor man, who was unwilling to take the role.


title: Japanese festivals

text: Information: New Year observances are the most elaborate of Japan's annual events. Before the New Year, homes are cleaned, debts are paid off, and osechi (food in lacquered trays for the New Year) is prepared or bought. Osechi foods are traditional foods which are chosen for their lucky colors, shapes, or lucky-sounding names in hopes of obtaining good luck in various areas of life during the new year. Homes are decorated and the holidays are celebrated by family gatherings, visits to temples or shrines, and formal calls on relatives and friends. The first day of the year (ganjitsu) is usually spent with members of the family.


title: Japanese festivals

text: People try to stay awake and eat toshikoshi soba, noodles to be eaten at midnight. People also visit Buddhist temples and Shinto shrines. Traditionally three are visited. This is called sansha-mairi. In the Imperial Palace at dawn on the 1st, the Emperor performs the rite of shihōhai (worship of the four-quarters), in which he offers prayers for the well-being of the nation. On January 2 the public is allowed to enter the inner palace grounds; the only other day this is possible is the Emperor's birthday (February 23). On the 2nd and 3rd days acquaintances visit one another to extend greetings (nenshi) and sip otoso (a spiced rice wine). Some games played at New Year's are karuta (a card game), hanetsuki (similar to badminton), tako age (kiteflying), and komamawashi (spinning tops). These games are played to bring more luck for the year. Exchanging New Year's greeting cards (similar to Christmas Cards) is another important Japanese custom. Also special allowances are given to children, which are called otoshidama. They also decorate their entrances with kagami mochi (two mochi rice balls placed one on top of the other, with a tangerine on top), and kadomatsu (pine tree decorations).


title: Japanese festivals

text: A later New Year's celebration, Koshōgatsu, literally means "Small New Year" and starts with the first full moon of the year (around January 15). The main events of Koshōgatsu are rites and practices praying for a bountiful harvest.


title: Japanese festivals

text: Information: This is the day when families pray for the happiness and prosperity of their girls and to help ensure that they grow up healthy and beautiful. The celebration takes place both inside the home and at the seashore. Both parts are meant to ward off evil spirits from girls. Young girls put on their best kimono and visit their friends' homes. Tiered platforms for ( dolls; a set of dolls representing the emperor, empress, attendants, and musicians in ancient court dress) are set up in the home, and the family celebrates with a special meal of (diamond-shaped rice cakes) and (rice malt with sake).


title: Japanese festivals

text: Information: Various flower festivals are held at Shinto shrines during the month of April. Excursions and picnics for enjoying flowers, particularly cherry blossoms are also common, as well as many drinking parties often to be seen in and around auspicious parks and buildings. In some areas the peach blossom, the traditional flower of Japan (the Cherry being a symbol from the Edo period symbolizing the Samurai culture), is viewed as well though these flowers earlier than the Cherry. In some places flower viewing parties are held on traditionally fixed dates. This is one of the most popular events during spring. The subject of flower viewing has long held an important place in literature, dance, and fine arts. Ikebana (flower arrangement) is also a popular part of Japanese culture and is still practiced by many people today. Some main things people do during this event are games, folk songs, folk dance, flower displays, rides, parades, concerts, kimono shows, booths with food and other things, beauty pageant, and religious ceremonies. Families go out during weekends to see the cherry blossoms, and participate in the many festivals and activities.


title: Japanese festivals

text: Information: Hanamatsuri celebrates the birth of the Buddha. On this day, all temples hold 降誕会 ("Gōtan-e"), 仏生会 ("Busshō-e"), 浴仏会 ("Yokubutsu-e"), 龍華会 ("Ryūge-e") and 花会式 ("Hana-eshiki"). Japanese people pour "ama-cha" (a beverage prepared from a variety of hydrangea) on small Buddha statues decorated with flowers, as if bathing a newborn baby. The tradition of bathing the Buddha originated in China and was introduced to Japan where it was first held in Nara in 606. Lion dancing is also a major tradition practiced during Buddha's Birthday and has become associated with the festival in Japan.


title: Japanese festivals

text: Information: It originated from a Chinese folk legend concerning two stars-the Weaver Star (Vega) and the Cowherd Star (Altair)-who were said to be lovers who could meet only once a year on the 7th night of the 7th month provided it didn't rain and flood the Milky Way. It was named Tanabata after a weaving maiden from a Japanese legend, named Orihime who was believed to make clothes for the gods. People often write wishes and romantic aspirations on long, narrow strips of colored paper and hang them on bamboo branches along with other small ornaments.


title: Japanese festivals

text: Information: One traditional custom to mark the end of the Bon Festival. Small paper lanterns containing a burning flame are either set afloat to a river, lake or sea or they are let go and float away into the night. Their light is intended to guide the way for deceased family members' spirits. Usually the person who lets the lantern go will write a message on the side.


title: Japanese festivals

text: Information: A Buddhist observance honoring the spirits of ancestors. Usually a "spirit altar" (shōryōdana) is set up in front of the Butsudan (buddhist altar) to welcome the ancestors' souls. A priest may be asked to come and read a sutra (tanagyō). Among the traditional preparations for the ancestors' return are the cleaning of grave sites. The welcoming fire (mukaebi) built on the 13th and the send-off fire (okuribi) built on the 15th and 16th are intended to guide the ancestor's spirits back to their permanent dwelling place.


title: Japanese festivals

text: Information: The Japanese tradition of going to visit scenic areas where leaves have turned red in the Autumn. The tradition is said to have originated in the Heian era as a cultured pursuit.


title: Japanese festivals

text: Information: Three- and seven-year-old girls and five-year-old boys are taken to the local shrine to pray for their safe and healthy future. This festival started because of the belief that children of certain ages were especially prone to bad luck and hence in need of divine protection. Children are usually dressed in traditional clothing for the occasion and after visiting the shrine many people buy "chitose-ame" ("thousand-year candy") sold at the shrine.


title: Japanese festivals

text: Information: Preparations for seeing in the new year were originally undertaken to greet the toshigami, or deity of the incoming year. These begin on December 13, when the house was given a thorough cleaning; the date is usually nearer the end of the month now. The house is then decorated in the traditional fashion: A sacred rope of straw (shimenawa) with dangling white paper strips (shide) is hung over the front door to prevent evil spirits from entering and to show the presence of the toshigami. It is also customary to place kadomatsu, an arrangement of tree sprigs, beside the entrance way. A special altar, known as toshidana ("year shelf"), is piled high with kagamimochi (flat, round rice cakes), sake (rice wine), persimmons, and other foods in honor of the toshigami. A fair is traditionally held in late December at shrines, temples or in local neighborhoods. This is in preparation for the new year holidays. Decorations and sundry goods are sold at the fair. Originally these year-end fairs provided opportunities for farmers, fisherfolk and mountain dwellers to exchange goods and buy clothes and other necessities for the coming year.


title: Japanese festivals

text: Information: People do the general house cleaning (Ōsōji) to welcome coming year and not to keep having impure influences. Many people visit Buddhist temples to hear the temple bells rung 108 times at midnight (joya no kane). This is to announce the passing of the old year and the coming of the new. The reason they are rung 108 times is because of the Buddhist belief that human beings are plagued by 108 earthly desires or passions (bonnō). With each ring one desire is dispelled. It is also a custom to eat toshikoshi soba in the hope that one's family fortunes will extend like the long noodles.


title: Christian Karembeu

text: Christian Lali Kake Karembeu (born 3 December 1970) is a French former professional footballer who played as a defensive midfielder. He is currently the sporting director for Olympiacos.


title: Christian Karembeu

text: Karembeu represented Nantes, Sampdoria, Real Madrid, Middlesbrough, Olympiacos, Servette, and Bastia. He found much success on the national stage as well representing France, having been born in the overseas territory New Caledonia, and was a vital part of the squad that won the 1998 FIFA World Cup on home soil and featured in one match in France's victorious UEFA Euro 2000 campaign.


title: Christian Karembeu

text: Karembeu was born in Lifou, New Caledonia, a French overseas territory in the Pacific Islands. He played youth football for Nouméa-based FC Naitcha. At the age of 17, he moved to France on a scholarship to study and play football.


title: Christian Karembeu

text: During his career Karembeu played for Nantes (1990–95), Sampdoria (1995–97), Real Madrid (1997–2000), Middlesbrough (2000–01), Olympiacos (2001–04), Servette Genève (2004–05), Bastia (2005–06). With Real Madrid, he won the Champions League in 1998 and 2000, starting in the former but remaining on the bench for the latter. He also played for the Real Madrid Veterans against Barcelona in Qatar, on 13 November 2012. He last played midfield for Bastia in the French Ligue 1. He announced his retirement on 13 October 2006, although he added that he would "be having a kickabout from time to time". He also took part in a friendly competition for Kettering Town FC with Gianfranco Zola, Les Ferdinand and Gus Poyet.


title: Christian Karembeu

text: Born in the French territory of New Caledonia, he was able to represent France on the international stage. He compiled 53 caps in his career, earning his first one on 14 November 1992 against Finland in a 2–1 victory.


title: Christian Karembeu

text: Karembeu was a member of the French team that won the 1998 World Cup. He played in 4 matches in the tournament, including starts in the quarter-final, semi-final, and final, totalling 242 minutes.


title: Christian Karembeu

text: Described as a "complete midfielder" by Paul Sarahs of "FourFourTwo", Karembeu was a physically imposing, energetic, and technically gifted two-way midfielder, who was known for his range of passing, dribbling skills, stamina, and hard-tackling playing style; he usually played in a holding role in midfield, although he was also capable of playing in various other positions, including in a box-to-box role, as a right–sided midfielder, or even as a right-back. Regarding his playing style and role in France's victory in the 1998 World Cup final, Michael Cox of "ESPN FC" described him as "a peculiar hybrid of a wing-back and a box-to-box midfielder," who "shuttled up and down on the right of a very defensive three-man midfield."


title: Christian Karembeu

text: On 9 December 2005, Karembeu represented the Oceania Football Confederation at the draw for the 2006 World Cup which took place in Leipzig, Germany.


title: Christian Karembeu

text: In May 2006 Karembeu became a scout for English Premiership side Portsmouth Football Club. In 2007, he was appointed as non-executive director of Birmingham International Holdings. He left after 2010 annual general meeting. However, in August 2009, Karembeu decided to join Arsenal's ever expanding scouting network.


title: Christian Karembeu

text: In June 2013, Karembeu was handed an administrative role at Greek club Olympiacos along with former South African footballer Pierre Issa.


title: Christian Karembeu

text: Karembeu is a member of the 'Champions for Peace' club, a group of 54 famous elite athletes committed to serving peace in the world through sport, created by Peace and Sport, a Monaco-based international organization.


title: Christian Karembeu

text: Deeply involved in Peace and Sport's activities, Karembeu visited Haiti in August 2010 with Founder and President of Peace and Sport, Joel Bouzou, to strengthen the role of sport in the country's reconstruction efforts and attract the attention of the international community to urgent needs that prevail there. He went to meet sports instructors and young beneficiaries of the emergency program that the Haitian Olympic Committee has set up in survivor camps.


title: Christian Karembeu

text: The great-grandfather of Karembeu, who came from New Caledonia, was one of a hundred Kanaks taken to Paris in 1931 for the Paris Colonial Exposition and exhibited there as "cannibals". Later the "cannibals" were swapped with Germany for some crocodiles. Karembeu refuses to sing France's national anthem, La Marseillaise, due to the colonial past of the country.


title: Christian Karembeu

text: Karembeu was married to Slovak model Adriana Sklenařiková, whom he met on an aeroplane. The couple split in March 2011 and divorced in December 2012. Their marriage was childless.


title: Christian Karembeu

text: In May 2017, Karembeu married Jackie Chamoun, a Lebanese skier, in Greece, followed by a wedding ceremony in Lebanon. The couple announced the birth of their daughter on 27 September 2017.


title: Christian Karembeu

text: Karembeu is the host of French TV series "Des Iles et des Hommes" (Of Islands and Men), aired on Planete in 2010 and 2011, a travel programme visiting among 6 of the most beautiful islands of the world.


title: Chatsworth, Los Angeles

text: Chatsworth is a suburban neighborhood in the City of Los Angeles, California, in the San Fernando Valley.


title: Chatsworth, Los Angeles

text: The area was home to Native Americans, some of whom left caves containing rock art. Chatsworth was explored and colonized by the Spanish beginning in the 18th century. The land was part of a Spanish land grant, Rancho Ex-Mission San Fernando, in the 19th century, and after the United States took over the land following the Mexican–American War, it was the largest such grant in California. Settlement and development followed.


title: Chatsworth, Los Angeles

text: Chatsworth has seven public and eight private schools. There are large open-space and smaller recreational parks as well as a public library and a transportation center. Distinctive features are the former Chatsworth Reservoir and the Santa Susana Field Laboratory.


title: Chatsworth, Los Angeles

text: The neighborhood has one of the lowest population densities in Los Angeles and a relatively high income level.


title: Chatsworth, Los Angeles

text: Chatsworth is the home of the Iverson Movie Ranch, a 500-acre area which was the most filmed movie ranch in history, as more than 2,000 productions used it as a filming location.


title: Chatsworth, Los Angeles

text: The 2000 U.S. census counted 35,073 residents in the Chatsworth neighborhood, or 2,301 people per square mile, among the lowest population densities for both the city and the county. In 2008, the city estimated that the population had increased to 37,102. In 2000, the median age for residents was 40, considered old for city and county neighborhoods; the percentages of residents aged 35 and older were among the county's highest.


title: Chatsworth, Los Angeles

text: The neighborhood was considered to be ethnically "moderately diverse" for both the city of Los Angeles and its county, with a relatively high percentage of whites and Asian people, and a sizable Hispanic/Latino community. The breakdown was Whites, 65.7%; Asians, 14.4%; Latinos, 13.5%; Blacks, 2.2%; and others, 4.2%. Korea (10.4%) and the Philippines (9.3%) were the most common places of birth for the 25.2% of the residents who were born abroad—a low figure for Los Angeles.


title: Chatsworth, Los Angeles

text: The median yearly household income in 2008 dollars was $84,456, considered to be a high income for the city. The percentages of families that earned more than $40,000 was considered high for the county. Renters occupied 28.9% of the housing stock, and house- or apartment-owners held 71.1%. The average household size of 2.6 people was considered average for Los Angeles.


title: Chatsworth, Los Angeles

text: In 2000, there were 2,933 military veterans, or 10.8% of the population, a high percentage compared to the rest of the city. The percentage of married people was among the county's highest. The rate of 10% of families headed by single parents was low for the city.


title: Chatsworth, Los Angeles

text: Chatsworth is flanked by the Santa Susana Mountains on the north, Porter Ranch and Northridge on the east, Winnetka, Canoga Park, West Hills on the south, the Simi Hills, and unincorporated Los Angeles County and Ventura County on the west, and Twin Lakes, a community founded by San Francisco's George Haight in the early 20th century and unincorporated Los Angeles County which includes a 1,600 acre park with equestrian trails, to the north.


title: Chatsworth, Los Angeles

text: This region experiences hot and dry summers, with average daily high temperatures of 90–100 °F. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Chatsworth has a warm-summer Mediterranean climate, abbreviated "Csb" on climate maps.


title: Chatsworth, Los Angeles

text: Chatsworth was inhabited by the Tongva-Fernandeño, Chumash-Venturaño, and Tataviam-Fernandeño Native American tribes. Native American civilizations inhabited the Valley for an estimated 8,000 years. Stoney Point is the site of the Tongva of " Asha'awanga" or "Momonga", which was also a trading place with the neighboring Tataviam and Chumash people. The nearby Burro Flats Painted Cave remains a legacy of the Chumash culture's rock art and solstice ceremony spirituality.


title: Chatsworth, Los Angeles

text: The first European explorers came into the Chatsworth area on August 5, 1769, led by the Spanish military leader Gaspar de Portolà. With its establishment in 1797 and subsequent Spanish Land Grant by the King of Spain, Mission San Fernando (Mission San Fernando Rey de España) gained dominion over the San Fernando Valley's lands, including future Chatsworth.


title: Chatsworth, Los Angeles

text: The Native American trail that had existed from the Tongva-Tatavium village called rancheria Santa Susana (Chatsworth) to another village, replaced by Mission San Fernando, became the route for missionaries and other Spanish travel up and down California. It was part of the "El Camino del Santa Susana y Simi" trail that connected the Valley's Mission, Los Angeles pueblo (town), and the southern missions with the Mission San Buenaventura, the Presidio of Monterey, and the northward missions. The trail crossed over the Santa Susana Pass to the Simi Valley, through present day city park Chatsworth Park South and the Santa Susana Pass State Historic Park. In 1795, the Spanish land grant had been issued for Rancho Simi, reconfirmed in 1842 by the Mexican governor. Its lands included part of current Chatsworth, westward from Andora Avenue.


title: Chatsworth, Los Angeles

text: In 1821, after the Mexican War of Independence from Spain, the Mission San Fernando became part of Alta California, Mexico. In 1834, the Mexican government began redistributing the mission lands. In 1846, the Mexican land grant for Rancho Ex-Mission San Fernando was issued by Governor Pío Pico. It was bounded on the north by Rancho San Francisco and the Santa Susana Mountains, on the west by the Simi Hills, on the east by Rancho Tujunga, and on the south by the Montañas de Portesuelo (Santa Monica Mountains). The Rancho Ex-Mission San Fernando received a Federal land patent to retain ownership by the United States Public Land Commission in 1873 and was the single largest land grant in California.


title: Chatsworth, Los Angeles

text: In 1869, the grantee's son, Eulogio F. de Celis, returned from Spain to Los Angeles. In 1874, the family sold their northern half of Rancho Ex-Mission San Fernando to northern Californians, California State Senator Charles Maclay and his partners George K. Porter, a San Francisco shoe manufacturer, and his brother Benjamin F. Porter. The Porters’ land was west of present-day Sepulveda Boulevard including most of Chatsworth, and the Maclay land was east of Sepulveda Boulevard.


title: Chatsworth, Los Angeles

text: The Old Santa Susana Stage Road or Santa Susana Wagon Road continued in use as an alternative to the route along El Camino Viejo from 1861 to 1875, replacing the older road as the main route between Los Angeles and San Francisco. In 1876, the Southern Pacific Railroad opened a tunnel through the Newhall Pass, enabling rail connections from Los Angeles north to San Francisco, and rail travel soon replaced travel by stagecoach between Los Angeles and San Francisco. From this time, the stagecoach traffic to Santa Barbara once again used the coast route, and the Santa Susana Pass road was relegated to local traffic.


title: Chatsworth, Los Angeles

text: The Chatsworth name, which hails from the stately Chatsworth House in England, was first recorded in 1888, when George R. Crow filed with the Los Angeles County Recorder's Office a map of the San Fernando Valley with a subdivision he called "Chatsworth Park." Later a W. B. Barber, the president of the San Fernando Valley Improvement Company who was believed to be from England, filed an additional map with the Recorder's Office called the "Plat of Chatsworth Park Townsite."


title: Chatsworth, Los Angeles

text: A new wagon route bypassing the deteriorating Devil's Slide was opened in 1895. Initially called "El Camino Nuevo" (the New Road), it was later named the Chatsworth Grade Road, which continued in use until Santa Susana Pass Road (now Old Santa Susana Pass Road) was built in 1917.


title: Chatsworth, Los Angeles

text: The Chatsworth Branch Library, operated by the Los Angeles Public Library, is located at 21052 Devonshire Street. It was rebuilt in a modern style in 2002.


title: Chatsworth, Los Angeles

text: The Chatsworth Post Office, of the United States Postal Service, is located at 21606 Devonshire Street.


title: Chatsworth, Los Angeles

text: The Chatsworth Transportation Center, a major transportation hub for the town and west valley, is served by 20 daily trains on the Metrolink Ventura County Line from Ventura to Union Station in Downtown Los Angeles. Amtrak California Pacific Surfliner has 10 trains daily traveling through here on the Coast Line which also handles freight transport by Union Pacific Railroad and was involved in the 2008 Chatsworth train collision near here.


title: Chatsworth, Los Angeles

text: The Orange Line of the Los Angeles Metro system was extended to Chatsworth Station in 2012, with a dedicated right-of-way across the Valley to North Hollywood Station of the Red Line subway.


title: Chatsworth, Los Angeles

text: The Chatsworth Transportation Center also offers connections to several Los Angeles Metro, Simi Valley, and Santa Clarita bus routes. It is located at 10046 Old Depot Plaza Road, between Devonshire and Lassen streets.


title: Chatsworth, Los Angeles

text: Thirty-four percent of Chatsworth residents aged 25 and older had earned a four-year degree by 2000, an average percentage for the city.


title: Chatsworth, Los Angeles

text: The City of Los Angeles Parks and Recreation Department, California Department of Parks and Recreation, County of Los Angeles, California State Park Volunteers, and the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy operate the various natural open space preserve parks and neighborhood recreation parks.


title: Chatsworth, Los Angeles

text: A distinctive feature in Chatsworth is the Chatsworth Dam and reservoir. Built in 1918 as part of the Los Angeles Aqueduct system, the property belongs to the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power. Due to increasing concerns of the water quality because of algae plumes and storm water inflow, it was taken out of service in August 1969. After the 1971 San Fernando earthquake additional concerns for seismic safety led to its abandonment by the LADWP as a storage facility.


title: Chatsworth, Los Angeles

text: Chatsworth Oaks Park and the Chatsworth Nature Preserve are located here giving views of migrating birds and other animals, and their sounds such as the coyotes calling in the evening. The views of the rocky and dramatic Simi Hills surround the open space.


title: Chatsworth, Los Angeles

text: Chatsworth Reservoir is classified by the "Los Angeles Times" as a city neighborhood, but "because there are relatively few homes in this area," the "Times" does not provide separate statistics for it, but adds them to Chatsworth. The Devonshire and Topanga stations of the Los Angeles Police Department provide services in the area.


title: Chatsworth, Los Angeles

text: Chatsworth is the home of the National Notary Association and the headquarters for Premier America (formerly Litton Federal Credit Union) and Matadors Community Credit Union.


title: Chatsworth, Los Angeles

text: The Santa Susana Field Laboratory (SSFL), once busy with Rocketdyne testing rocket engines and Atomics International doing nuclear research, is quiet and high in the Simi Hills west of Chatsworth. It has been closed, will undergo an extensive environmental cleanup, and will become an open-space park. The park will permanently add to Chatsworth's scenic backdrop, greenway, and hiking opportunities.


title: Chatsworth, Los Angeles

text: Some current businesses based in Chatsworth are Capstone Turbine, Natel Engineering, and Hydraulics International. Lamps Plus has production and distribution facilities here.


title: Chatsworth, Los Angeles

text: Seltzer Motor Industries, of Chatsworth, in 1979 produced the Willow, a two-seat sports car kit. It is the first transverse, inline four-cylinder, mid-engined kit car ever offered to the public.


title: Hull loss

text: A hull loss is an aviation accident that catastrophically damages the aircraft beyond economical repair, resulting in a total loss. The term also applies to situations in which the aircraft is missing, the search for their wreckage is terminated or when the wreckage is logistically inaccessible.


title: Hull loss

text: The metric of "Hull losses per 100,000 flight departures" has been used throughout the aviation industry to measure the relative risk of a given flight or aircraft. From 1959 to 2006, the first part of the mainstream jet aircraft era, 384 of 835 hull losses, or 46%, were nonfatal. Airlines typically have insurance to cover hull loss on a twelve-month basis. Before the September 11 attacks in 2001, the typical insured sum for a hull loss policy could reach $250 million.


title: Hull loss

text: Constructive hull loss takes into account other incidental expenses beyond repair, such as salvage, logistical costs of repairing non-airworthy aircraft within the confines of the incident site, and recertifying the aircraft, among other factors. Insurance policies covering any asset that is subject to depreciation typically pay the insured a formulaic used item value, so the property will often be a write-off as full repairs minus this sum resemble a cost of a new replacement.


title: Ballistic knife

text: A ballistic knife is a knife with a detachable blade that can be ejected to a distance of several meters/yards by pressing a trigger or operating a lever or switch on the handle. Spring-powered ballistic knives first appeared in books and press reports on Soviet and Eastern Bloc armed forces in the late 1970s. Commercially-produced ballistic knives briefly gained notoriety in the United States in the mid-1980s after they were marketed and sold in the United States and other Western countries. Since then, the marketing and sale of ballistic knives to civilians has been restricted or prohibited by law in several nations.


title: Ballistic knife

text: In its spring-propelled form, the blade of a ballistic knife is theoretically capable of being fired to an effective range of around 5 meters (about 16 feet) at a speed of 63 km/h (39 mph). Ballistic knives using compressed air or gas propulsion to fire the blade can be made somewhat more powerful, and do not suffer from spring fatigue over time.


title: Ballistic knife

text: In addition to spring, air, or gas propulsion, the blade of a ballistic knife may also be propelled by an explosive charge, such as a blank pistol cartridge.


title: Ballistic knife

text: The first press reports of what became known as the ballistic knife appeared in the late 1970s in connection with the Soviet Union's special operations forces. In his book "Inside The Aquarium", Viktor Suvorov described a ballistic knife as part of a Soviet spetsnaz trooper's equipment.


title: Ballistic knife

text: An NRS-2 combination knife/gun was designed and developed during the 1970s at the order of the Russian Ministry of Defence and KGB of the USSR. However, the NRS-2 was not in fact a ballistic knife, but a gun hybrid (instead of launching the blade, a small barrel aligned with the blade fires a non-standard 7.62mm bullet).


title: Ballistic knife

text: Commercial versions of the ballistic knife first appeared in the US market in the mid-1980s. After hearing uncorroborated testimony from a congressional witness that ballistic knives could be used to defeat body armor typically worn by police officers, and witnessing a staged demonstration against a wood-backed target, Senator Alphonse D'Amato of New York introduced the "Ballistic Knife Prohibition Act", a bill to ban sale or possession of ballistic knives. The bill eventually failed. However, after gaining the support of Senators Strom Thurmond of South Carolina, and Dennis DeConcini of Arizona, congressional support for a ban on import or possession of ballistic knives quickly gained traction. In September 1986 senators supporting the ballistic knife ban attached their bill to popular legislation designed to eradicate drug crops in foreign countries and halt international drug trafficking operations. The bill was subsequently enacted into law. The new federal statute prohibited future importation or possession of such knives in interstate commerce. Some individual states following the example set by the federal law and passed even tighter restrictions, sometimes banning ownership of the knives outright within their state.


title: Ballistic knife

text: Similar to conventional automatic knives, federal law makes ballistic knives with a spring-operated blade illegal to possess, manufacture, sell, or import "in or affecting interstate commerce." This means they are illegal to import from outside the United States, as well as buy or sell over state lines, including possessing or making them "with intent" to sell over state lines. The federal law also makes it a separate crime to use or possess a ballistic knife during the commission of a federal crime of violence, with a minimum sentence of 5 years in a federal prison. Federal law does not prohibit the possession, manufacture, or sale of a ballistic knife within a state's boundaries, and the individual laws of each state or territory must be consulted to determine whether possession, manufacture, or sale within a given state is legal (many states have statutes that regulate or prohibit the acquisition or possession of ballistic knives, and penalties vary from state to state). Like the federal switchblade law, an exception is made for sale to the United States Armed Forces within the confines of a contract, as well as possession by duly-authorized members of the Armed Forces in performance of their duty.


title: Ballistic knife

text: A ballistic knife with a blade propelled by an explosive charge falls outside the Federal law pertaining to these devices, but still may be restricted as this makes it a firearm subject to the Any Other Weapons (AOW) category of the National Firearms Act.


title: Ballistic knife

text: The legal status of ballistic knives or pilum knives is doubtful under current legislation in the United Kingdom, particularly given the degree of discretion granted to Crown prosecutors and the police with regard to classifying knives of an arguably offensive nature as prohibited items. Prosecutors are encouraged by the government to charge defendants under more than one Act where applicable. Furthermore, in the UK it is customary for the Metropolitan Police, not a barrister, to be consulted as legal experts on a question of whether a given knife is to be considered illegal under existing UK knife laws, and this has resulted in a tendency to interpret any bladed object of questionable status as falling within the definition of a prohibited knife.


title: Ballistic knife

text: Whilst "ballistic knives" are not specifically mentioned in any legislation, the marketing, sale, transfer, or possession in a public place of a ballistic knife could be construed to be illegal under the Restriction of Offensive Weapons Act 1959, the Knives Act 1997, the Criminal Justice Act 1988, and the Prevention of Crime Act 1953. The Restriction of Offensive Weapons Act 1959 imposes criminal penalties for anyone who manufactures, sells or hires, or offers for sale or hire, or lends or gives to any other person "any knife which has a blade which opens automatically by hand pressure applied to a button, spring or other device in or attached to the handle of the knife." The Knives Act 1997 prohibits the marketing of knives as offensive weapons, while the Criminal Justice Act 1988 prohibits the carrying of blades or sharply pointed objects in a public place without "good reason or lawful authority". Finally, the Prevention of Crime Act 1953 prohibits the possession in any public place of an offensive weapon without "lawful authority or reasonable excuse." The term "offensive weapon" is defined under the Prevention of Crime Act 1953 as: "any article made or adapted for use to causing injury to the person, or intended by the person having it with him for such use". Under the Prevention of Crime Act, knives otherwise 'exempt' from penalty under the Criminal Justice Act 1988 when carried for "good reason or lawful authority" may still be deemed illegal if authorities conclude the knife is being carried as an "offensive weapon" without "lawful authority or reasonable excuse". 'Lawful authority’ means those occasions where people from time to time are required to carry weapons as a matter of governmental duty, such as police officers or members of the armed forces, not private persons, hence the 'lawful authority' language cannot be relied upon to establish an exemption from prosecution of private individuals. Furthermore, as the ballistic knife was originally designed as an offensive weapon and given current prosecutorial directives, it may be difficult to establish "reasonable excuse" for carrying such a knife before a UK prosecutor or court, especially as the carrying of a knife in public for self-defence is not acceptable as a "reasonable excuse". In the eyes of the law, claims of self-protection are presently viewed as an "admission" that the defendant intends to use the knife in violation of the law as an "offensive weapon" - albeit in a defensive manner, and in otherwise justifiable circumstances.


title: Len Goodman

text: Leonard Gordon Goodman (born 25 April 1944) is an English professional ballroom dancer, dance judge, and coach.


title: Len Goodman

text: He has appeared as head judge on the television dance programmes "Strictly Come Dancing", a programme where various celebrities compete for the glitter ball trophy, from its beginning in 2004 until 2016 and "Dancing with the Stars" from 2005 until 2022. He also runs a ballroom dance school in Dartford, Kent.


title: Len Goodman

text: Goodman was born in London. He moved to Blackfen when he was six years old and later attended Westwood Secondary Modern School, where he was a member of the cricket team.


title: Len Goodman

text: Goodman was one of three children and the only child of the family to stay in the family business, as his other siblings all moved to Newcastle.


title: Len Goodman

text: Goodman was as an apprentice welder for Harland and Wolff in Woolwich. He started dancing at the late age of 19, after his doctor recommended it as therapy for a foot injury.


title: Len Goodman

text: Goodman turned professional, won various competitions, and retired from dancing after winning the British Championships at Blackpool in his late twenties. Goodman is a recipient of the Carl Alan Award, in recognition of outstanding contributions to dance and, in 2006 and 2007, a show in which he appeared was nominated for the Emmy Award in the "Outstanding Reality/Competition Program" category.


title: Len Goodman

text: Goodman appeared as head judge on the BBC One dance competition "Strictly Come Dancing" from its inception in 2004 until 2016. He appeared on the panel with Arlene Phillips, Bruno Tonioli, and Craig Revel Horwood; Phillips was later replaced by Alesha Dixon and then Darcey Bussell. In July 2016, Goodman announced he would be leaving the show at the end of that year's series. His final appearance was on the Christmas Day Special. On 9 May 2017, it was announced that Shirley Ballas would succeed Goodman as head judge.


title: Len Goodman

text: Goodman has been the sole head judge on "Strictly Come Dancing's" American adaptation, "Dancing with the Stars". He has appeared with fellow judges Carrie Ann Inaba and Bruno Tonioli since the show's inception, and for five seasons with alternating fourth judges Julianne Hough and Derek Hough. He did not appear as a judge in season 21 and season 29, but presented short segments on dance styles during the latter season. On November 14, 2022, Goodman announced during the season 31 semifinals broadcast that he would be retiring from the show to spend more time with his family in Great Britain.


title: Len Goodman

text: From 30 March to 9 April 2012, Goodman hosted a three-part BBC One documentary that was broadcast in the United States by PBS for the 100th anniversary of the voyage and sinking of the RMS "Titanic". It capitalised on his experience as a welder at Harland and Wolff. Goodman interviewed descendants of survivors and introduced viewers to memorials and significant sites in the United Kingdom.


title: Len Goodman

text: In 2013 Goodman presented the BBC Four programme "Len Goodman's Dance Band Days". He also hosted "Len Goodman's Perfect Christmas" on Boxing Day on BBC One.


title: Len Goodman

text: In August 2014 Goodman was one of a number of well known faces taking part in ITV's two-part documentary series "Secrets from the Clink".


title: Len Goodman

text: In November and December 2013 Goodman and Lucy Worsley presented the BBC Four three-part show "Dancing Cheek to Cheek".


title: Len Goodman

text: In October 2014 Goodman hosted BBC One show "Holiday of My Lifetime". The show returned for a second series in February 2016, where he was featured with Dan Walker, Carol Kirkwood, and many more


title: Len Goodman

text: In November 2015, Len and chef Ainsley Harriott presented the BBC show "Len and Ainsley's Big Food Adventure", a 10-part series exploring world cuisine in England and Wales.


title: Len Goodman

text: In 2017 Goodman presented a family game show called "Partners in Rhyme", based on Matt Edmondson's game, Obama Llama.


title: Len Goodman

text: In October 2021 Goodman made a surprise appearance in "Hollyoaks" as part of the serial drama’s ongoing dance storyline, when his voice was heard when dance teacher Trish Minniver, played by Denise Welch, was reminiscing.


title: Len Goodman

text: Between 2013 and 2018 Goodman occasionally presented a Sunday afternoon music show on BBC Radio 2 during some of Paul O'Grady's weeks off. Goodman played music that he grew up with, mostly of an easy nature together with spoken memories of his young life and family.


title: Len Goodman

text: In 2006 he appeared on an all singing/dancing version of "The Weakest Link" and beat Stacey Haynes in the final to win the prize money of £8050 for charity.


title: Len Goodman

text: Goodman married his dancing partner, Cherry Kingston, but they were later divorced. He then had a long-term relationship with a woman named Lesley and they had a son, John. Goodman was 36 at this time. Lesley, he wrote, was the ex-wife of "a bloke called Wilf Pine who had managed the band Black Sabbath. Lesley and Wilf got married in Connecticut..."


title: Len Goodman

text: Goodman and Lesley's son, John William Goodman Bell, was born on 26 January 1981 but at the age of 12 moved with his mother back to her native Isle of Wight after his parents had broken up. As of 2012, James started Latin and ballroom dancing at his father's Goodman Dance Centre.


title: Len Goodman

text: On 30 December 2012 Goodman married his companion of more than ten years, Sue Barrett, a 47-year-old dance teacher, in a small ceremony at a London dining club Mosimann's.


title: Len Goodman

text: Goodman is a West Ham United fan and was featured on the BBC football show "Football Focus" on 26 September 2009. He is also a keen cricket fan, and, in 2009, took part in a celebrity Ashes cricket game.


title: Len Goodman

text: Goodman was diagnosed with prostate cancer in March 2009, which was treated surgically at a London hospital.


title: Len Goodman

text: In October 2011, Goodman appeared on the BBC's "Who Do You Think You Are?", in which he discovered that one of his maternal ancestors was a silk-weaver who died a pauper in the Bethnal Green workhouse. Goodman's great great grandfather, Josef/Joseph Sosnowski, came from Poland, where he fought in the anti-tsarist November uprising for which he was awarded Virtuti Militari, Poland's highest military decoration for heroism and courage. After finding out about his ancestry, Goodman said: "I feel no different, I look no different, I am no different and yet I’m not what I thought I was. I thought that I was truly an Anglo-Saxon, English through and through."


title: Len Goodman

text: In September 2021 it was reported that Goodman had undergone surgery, in 2020, for a small facial melanoma.


title: Kwaidan (film)

text: An impoverished swordsman in Kyoto divorces his wife, a weaver, and leaves her for a woman of a wealthy family to attain greater social status. However, despite his new wealthy status, the swordsman's second marriage proves to be unhappy. His new wife is shown to be callous and selfish. The swordsman regrets leaving his more devoted and patient ex-wife.


title: Kwaidan (film)

text: The second wife is furious when she realizes that the swordsman not only married her to obtain her family's wealth, but also still longs for his old life in Kyoto with his ex-wife. When he is told to go into the chambers to reconcile with her, the swordsman refuses, stating his intent to return home and reconcile with his ex-wife. He points out his foolish behavior and poverty as the reasons why he reacted the way he did. The swordsman informs his lady-in-waiting to tell his second wife that their marriage is over and she can return to her parents in shame.


title: Kwaidan (film)

text: After a few years, the swordsman returns to find his home, and his wife, largely unchanged. He reconciles with his ex-wife, who refuses to let him punish himself. She mentions that Kyoto has "changed" and that they only have "a moment" together, but does not elaborate further. She assures him that she understood that he only left her in order to bring income to their home. The two happily exchange wonderful stories about the past and the future until the swordsman falls asleep. He wakes up the following day only to discover that he had been sleeping next to his ex-wife's rotted corpse. Rapidly aging, he stumbles through the house, finding that it actually is in ruins and overgrown with weeds. He manages to escape, only to be attacked by his ex-wife's black hair.


title: Kwaidan (film)

text: Two woodcutters named Minokichi and Mosaku take refuge in a boatman's hut during a snowstorm. Mosaku is killed by a . When the turns to Minokichi she remarks that he is a handsome boy and takes pity by sparing him because of his youth. The warns him to never mention what happened or she will kill him.


title: Kwaidan (film)

text: Minokichi returns home and never mentions that night. One day while cutting wood he comes across Yuki, a beautiful young woman travelling at sunset. She tells him that she is on her way to Edo, as she lost her family and has relatives there who can secure her a job as a lady-in-waiting. Minokichi offers to let her spend the night at his house with his mother. The mother takes a liking to Yuki and asks her to stay. She never leaves for Edo and Minokichi falls in love with her. The two marry and have children, living happily. The older women in the town are in awe over Yuki maintaining her youth even after having three children.


title: Kwaidan (film)

text: One night, Minokichi gives Yuki a set of sandals he has made. When she asks why he always gives her red ribbons on her sandals, he tells her of her youthful appearance. Yuki accepts the sandals and tries them on. She is stitching a kimono in the candlelight. In the light, Minokichi recalls the and sees a resemblance between them. He tells her about the strange encounter. It is then that Yuki reveals herself to be the , and a snowstorm comes over the home. Despite the fact he broke his word, she refrains from killing him because of their children. Yuki then leaves Minokichi with the children, warning him to treat them well or she will return and kill him. She disappears into the snowstorm, leaving Minokichi heartbroken. Minokichi places her sandals outside in the snow, and after he goes back inside, they disappear as Yuki accepts them.


title: Kwaidan (film)

text: is also adapted from Hearn's "Kwaidan" (though it incorporates aspects of "The Tale of the Heike" that are mentioned, but never translated, in Hearn's book).


title: Kwaidan (film)

text: Hoichi is a young blind musician who plays the . His specialty is singing the chant of "The Tale of the Heike" about the Battle of Dan-no-ura fought between the Taira and Minamoto clans during the last phase of the Genpei War. Hoichi is an attendant at a temple and is looked after the others there. One night he hears a sound and decides to play his instrument in the garden courtyard. A spectral samurai appears and tells him that his lord wishes to have a performance at his house. The samurai leads Hoichi to mysterious and ancient court. Another attendant notices that he went missing for the night as his dinner was not touched. The samurai re-appears on the next night to take Hoichi and affirms that he has not told anyone. Afterwards, the priest asks Hoichi why he goes out at night but Hoichi will not tell him. One night, Hoichi leaves in a storm and his friends follow him and discover he has been going to a graveyard and reciting the Tale of Heike to the court of the dead Emperor. Hoichi informs the court that it takes many nights to chant the entire epic. They direct him to chant the final battle - the battle of Dan-no-ura. His friends drag him home as he refuses to leave before his performance is completed.


title: Kwaidan (film)

text: The priest tell Hoichi he is in great danger and that this was a vast illusion from the spirit of the dead. They tell Hoichi that if he obeys them again they will tear him to pieces. Concerned for Hoichi's safety, a priest and his acolyte write the text of the Heart Sutra on his entire body including his face to make him invisible to the ghosts and instruct him to meditate. The samurai re-appears and calls out for Hoichi. Hoichi does not answer. Hoichi's ears are visible to the samurai as they forgot to write the text on his ears. The samurai, wanting to bring back as much of Hoichi as possible, rips his ears off to show his lord his commands have been obeyed.


title: Kwaidan (film)

text: The next morning, the priest and the attendants see a trail of blood leading from the temple. The priest and the acolyte realize their error and believe the ears were a trade for Hoichi's life. They believe the spirits will now leave him alone.


title: Kwaidan (film)

text: A local lord attend at the temple with a full retinue. They have heard the story of Hoichi the earless and wish to hear him play his . He is brought to court of the lord. Hoichi says he will play to console the sorrowful spirits and allow them to rest.


title: Kwaidan (film)

text: The narrator indicates than many wealthy noble persons would come to the temple with large gifts of money and Hoichi-the-earless became a wealthy person.


title: Kwaidan (film)

text: Anticipating a visit from his publisher, a writer relates an old tale of an attendant of Lord Nakagawa Sadono named Sekinai. While Lord Nakagawa is on his way to make a New Year's visit, he halts with his train at a tea-house in Hakusan. While the party is resting there, Sekinai sees the face of a strange man in a cup of tea. Despite being perturbed, he drinks the cup.


title: Kwaidan (film)

text: Later, while Sekinai is guarding his Lord, the man whose face appeared in the tea reappears, calling himself Heinai Shikibu. Sekinai runs to tell the other attendants, but they laugh and tell him he is seeing things. Later that night at his own residence, Sekinai is visited by three ghostly attendants of Heinai Shikibu. He duels them and is nearly defeated, but the author notes the tale ends before things are resolved and suggests that he could write a complete ending, but prefers to leave the ending to the reader's imagination.


title: Kwaidan (film)

text: The publisher soon arrives and asks the Madame for the author, who is nowhere to be found. They both flee the scene in terror when they discover the author trapped inside a large jar of water.


title: Kwaidan (film)

text: While he was a student, producer Shigeru Wakatsuki, founder, and CEO of Ninjin Club, converted the idea of a film adaptation of "". In 1964, Toho began a three-film deal with director Masaki Kobayashi that concluded with the production "Kwaidan". Kobayashi worked with composer Takemitsu Toru for six month to produce the film's score. The film exhausted its budget three quarters into production, which led Kobayashi to sell his house.


title: Kwaidan (film)

text: "Kwaidan" premiered at the Yūrakuza Theater, the most prestigious theater in central Tokyo on December 29, 1964. The roadshow version of "Kwaidan" was released theatrically in Japan on January 6, 1965 where it was distributed by Toho. The Japanese general release for "Kwaidan" began on February 27, 1965. "Kwaidan" was reedited to 125 minutes in the United States for its theatrical release which eliminated the segment "The Woman of the Snow" after the film's Los Angeles premiere. It was released in the United States on July 15, 1965 where it was distributed by Continental Distributing. "Kwaidan" was re-released theatrically in Japan on November 29, 1982 in Japan as part of Toho's 50th anniversary.


title: Kwaidan (film)

text: In Japan the film won Yoko Mizuki the Kinema Junpo award for Best Screenplay. It also won awards for Best Cinematography and Best Art Direction at the Mainichi Film Concours. The film won international awards including Special Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival and was nominated for the Best Foreign Language Film at the Academy Awards.


title: Kwaidan (film)

text: In a 1967 review, the "Monthly Film Bulletin" commented on the colour in the film, stating that "it is not so much that the colour in "Kwaidan" is ravishing...as the way Kobayashi uses it to give these stories something of the quality of a legend." The review concluded that the "Kwaidan" was a film "whose details stay on in the mind long after one has seen it." Bosley Crowther, in a 1965 "New York Times" review stated that director Kobayashi "merits excited acclaim for his distinctly oriental cinematic artistry. So do the many designers and cameramen who worked with him. "Kwaidan" is a symphony of color and sound that is truly past compare." "Variety" described the film as "done in measured cadence and intense feeling" and that it was "a visually impressive tour-de-force."


title: Kwaidan (film)

text: In his review of "Harakiri", Roger Ebert described "Kwaidan" as "an assembly of ghost stories that is among the most beautiful films I've seen". Philip Kemp wrote in "Sight & Sound" that "Kwaidan" was "almost too beautiful to be scary" and that "each tale sustains its own individual mood; but all are unforgettably, hauntingly beautiful."


title: Kwaidan (film)

text: On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, "Kwaidan" holds an approval rating of 91%, based on 43 reviews, and an average rating of 7.8/10. Its consensus reads, "Exquisitely designed and fastidiously ornate, Masaki Kobayashi's ambitious anthology operates less as a frightening example of horror and more as a meditative tribute to Japanese folklore."


title: Jeff Cooper

text: John Dean "Jeff" Cooper (May 10, 1920 – September 25, 2006) was a United States Marine, the creator of a "modern technique" of handgun shooting, and an expert on the use and history of small arms.


title: Jeff Cooper

text: Cooper was born in Los Angeles where he enrolled in the Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps at Los Angeles High School. He graduated from Stanford University with a bachelor's degree in political science. He received a regular commission in the United States Marine Corps (USMC) in September 1941. During World War II he served in the Pacific theatre with the Marine Detachment aboard . By the end of the war he had been promoted to major. He resigned his commission in 1949, but returned to active duty during the Korean War, where he claimed to be involved in irregular warfare, and was promoted to lieutenant colonel. After the Korean War, the Marine Corps declined his application to remain on active duty. In the mid-1960s, he received a master's degree in history from the University of California, Riverside. From the late 1950s through the early 1970s, he was a part-time high school and community college history teacher.


title: Jeff Cooper

text: In 1976, Cooper founded the "American Pistol Institute" (API) in Paulden, Arizona (later the Gunsite Academy). Cooper began teaching shotgun and rifle classes to both law enforcement and military personnel, as well as civilians, and conducted on-site training for individuals and groups from around the world. He sold the firm in 1992 but continued living on the Paulden ranch. He was known for his advocacy of large-caliber handguns, especially the Colt 1911 and the .45 ACP cartridge.


title: Jeff Cooper

text: Cooper's modern technique defines pragmatic use of the pistol for personal protection. The modern technique emphasizes two-handed shooting using the Weaver stance, competing with and eventually supplanting the once-prevalent one-handed shooting style. The five elements of the modern technique are:


title: Jeff Cooper

text: There are several conditions of readiness in which such a weapon can be carried. Cooper promulgated most of the following terms:


title: Jeff Cooper

text: Condition 0 is considered "ready to fire"; as a result, there is a risk of accidental or negligent discharge carrying in Condition 0.


title: Jeff Cooper

text: Cooper, along with Michael Dixon and Thomas Dornaus, worked on the design of the Bren Ten pistol around the 10mm Auto, based on the Czech CZ 75 design. The cartridge was more powerful than both the 9×19mm Parabellum and the .45 ACP round.


title: Jeff Cooper

text: The most important means of surviving a lethal confrontation, according to Cooper, is neither the weapon nor the martial skills. The primary tool is the combat mindset, set forth in his book, "Principles of Personal Defense".


title: Jeff Cooper

text: The color code, as originally introduced by Cooper, had nothing to do with tactical situations or alertness levels, but rather with one's state of mind. As taught by Cooper, it relates to the degree of peril you are willing to do something about and which allows you to move from one level of mindset to another to enable you to properly handle a given situation. Cooper did not claim to have invented anything in particular with the color code, but he was apparently the first to use it as an indication of mental state.


title: Jeff Cooper

text: The USMC uses "Condition Black," although it was not originally part of Cooper's color code. According to Massad Ayoob, "Condition Black," in Cooper's youth, meant "combat in progress." "Condition Black" is also used to mean "immobilized by panic" or "overwhelmed by fear".


title: Jeff Cooper

text: In short, the color code helps one "think" in a fight. As the level of danger increases, one's willingness to take certain actions increases. If one ever does go to Condition Red, the decision to use lethal force has already been made — the "mental trigger" has been tripped.


title: Jeff Cooper

text: Cooper is best known for his work in pistol training, but he favored the rifle for tactical shooting. He often described the handgun as a convenient-to-carry stopgap weapon, allowing someone the opportunity to get to a rifle.


title: Jeff Cooper

text: Greatly influenced by the life and writings of Frederick Russell Burnham, Cooper published an article in the 1980s describing his ideal of a general-purpose rifle: "a short, light, handy, versatile, utility rifle", which he dubbed a "scout rifle". This was a bolt-action carbine chambered in .308 Winchester, less than 1 meter in length, less than 3 kilograms in weight, with iron sights, a forward-mounted optical sight (long eye relief scope), and fitted with a practical sling. Cooper defined his goal: a general-purpose rifle is a conveniently portable, individually operated firearm, capable of striking a single decisive blow on a live target of up to 200 kilos in weight at any distance at which the operator can shoot with the precision necessary to place a shot in a vital area of the target. Cooper felt the scout rifle should be suited to a man operating like the scout Burnham, either alone or in a two- or three-man team.


title: Jeff Cooper

text: In late 1997, with Cooper's oversight, Steyr Mannlicher produced a rifle to his "scout" specifications. Cooper considered the Steyr Scout "perfect." Riflemen regard Cooper's development of the scout rifle concept and his subsequent work on the evolution of the Steyr-Mannlicher Scout rifle as his most significant and enduring contributions to riflecraft. Ruger (Gunsite Scout Rifle), Savage Arms, Springfield Armory, and Mossberg have made versions of the scout rifle as well.


title: Jeff Cooper

text: Cooper was dissatisfied with the small-diameter 5.56×45mm NATO (.223 Remington) of the AR-15 and envisioned a need for a large-bore (.44 caliber or greater) cartridge in a semi-automatic rifle to provide increased stopping power and one-shot kills on big-game animals at 250 yards. The so-called Thumper concept inspired the development of the .450 Bushmaster, .458 SOCOM, 458 HAM'R, .499 LWR, and the .50 Beowulf, among other cartridges, all suitable for integration into the AR-15/M16 rifle/M4 carbine or AR-10/M14 rifle platforms.


title: Jeff Cooper

text: Along the lines of the Thumper concept, Tim LeGendre of LeMag Firearms developed .45 Professional, the predecessor of the .450 Bushmaster cartridge, and later built and delivered an AR-15 in .45 Professional to Cooper, while Bill Alexander of Alexander Arms developed the .50 Beowulf.


title: Jeff Cooper

text: Encountering similar lack of stopping power issues as Cooper, the need for a large bore round for the AR-15 platform came about from informal discussion of members of the special operations command, specifically Task Force Ranger's experience in the Battle of Mogadishu (1993) that multiple shots were required to incapacitate members of the opposing force. Many Somalis would chew the drug Khat all day and the effects of the drug would both curb their appetite and increase their pain tolerance. Consequently Marty ter Weeme of Teppo Jutsu designed the .458 SOCOM cartridge in 2000 and Tony Rumore of Tromix was contracted to build the first .458 SOCOM rifle in February 2001. Later even more Thumper rounds have been developed for the AR-15 platform in the US and in other countries such as the .458 Alpine, .458 Silent death and .460 Alliance.


title: Jeff Cooper

text: Among the Thumper rounds requiring the use of the AR-10 platform due to their larger cartridge dimensions are the .45 Raptor, .50 Thumper, .50 Razorback, .50 Krater, .500 Kratos/Enforcer, .500 Auto Max, .500 Phantom, .500 Whisper, .510 Whisper, .510 Snipe-Tac and the .510 Winchester Short Magnum cartridges. This wide spectrum of calibers developed until today along the line of the Thumper concept ranging from Wildcat cartridges to commercially available rifle/cartridge combinations and to calibers with approval through SAAMI or C.I.P. suggests that this field has not yet produced optimized solutions and is still subject to engineering optimization.


title: Jeff Cooper

text: A modern Thumper round specifically developed for hunting large Scandinavian game is the .510 Førland which is mostly used in converted Sako TRG rifles, while Blaser in Germany developed the .45 Blaser for their R93 straight-pull action rifle. The .50 Alaskan developed by Harold Johnson and Harold Fuller of the Kenai Peninsula of Alaska in the 1950s based on the .348 Winchester as well as the .45 Alaskan, .457 Wild West Magnum, and the .510 Kodiak Express are in some sense predecessors of Jeff Cooper's Thumper concept originating from the time of hunting large bears in Alaska using lever action rifles.


title: Jeff Cooper

text: The Russian 12.7×55mm STs-130 cartridge is a military Thumper round designed in 2002. It is used in the VKS bullpup sniper rifle, the ShAK-12 bullpup battle rifleand in the RSh-12 revolver. Like the .510 Whisper round it was developed from the case of the .416 Rigby/.338 Lapua Magnum cartridge.


title: Jeff Cooper

text: In 1997, Cooper wrote that he coined the term hoplophobia in 1962 "in response to a perceived need for a word to describe a mental aberration consisting of an unreasoning terror of gadgetry, specifically, weapons."


title: Jeff Cooper

text: In addition to his books on firearms and self-defense, Cooper wrote several books recounting his life adventures plus essays and short stories, including "Fire Works" (1980); "Another Country: Personal Adventures of the Twentieth Century" (1992); "To Ride, Shoot Straight and Speak the Truth" (1988); and "C Stories" (2004). His daughter Lindy Wisdom published a biography, "Jeff Cooper: the Soul and the Spirit" (1996).


title: Jeff Cooper

text: Some of the comments from his "Gunsite Gossip" newsletter were printed in "Guns & Ammo" magazine as "Cooper's Corner" and later were compiled into "The Gargantuan Gunsite Gossip." These were his thoughts on firearms interleaved with his wide-ranging musings on many other subjects, and acquired a large U.S. and international following from the 1980s up to his death. Cooper wrote extensively in defense of firearms rights.


title: Jeff Cooper

text: A complete bibliography of Jeff Cooper's writings from 1947 onwards is available at the Jeff Cooper Bibliography Project.


title: Jeff Cooper

text: Cooper was married to his wife Janelle for 64 years. They had three daughters. He died at his home on September 25, 2006, at the age of 86.


title: Jeff Cooper

text: In 1991, Cooper wrote in "Guns & Ammo" magazine that "no more than five to ten people in a hundred who die by gunfire in Los Angeles are any loss to society. These people fight small wars amongst themselves. It would seem a valid social service to keep them well-supplied with ammunition." In 1994, Cooper said "Los Angeles and Ho Chi Minh City have declared themselves sister cities. It makes sense: they are both Third World metropolises formerly occupied by Americans." Cooper had expressed support for Angolan rebel leader Jonas Savimbi.


title: Jeff Cooper

text: "Cooper's Commentaries" is an unedited superset of "Gunsight Gossip", with CC Vol. 1, No. 1 corresponding to GG Vol. XIII, No. 9, and an edited version of these were published as "Cooper's Corner" in "Guns & Ammo" magazine starting in 1986.


title: MC Jin

text: Jin Au-Yeung (; born June 4, 1982), known professionally as MC Jin, is an American rapper, songwriter, actor and comedian of Chinese descent. Jin is notable for being the first Asian American solo rapper to be signed to a major record label in the United States.


title: MC Jin

text: Jin Au-Yeung was born on June 4, 1982 in Miami, Florida to Hong Kong immigrants of Hakka descent. He was raised in the general Miami area, where his parents owned a Chinese restaurant and Jin attended John F. Kennedy Middle School in North Miami Beach. Jin went on to attend North Miami Beach Senior High School, from which he graduated in 2000. After graduating, Jin decided to forgo college and begin his rap career. Shortly afterwards, his parents closed the restaurant and the family moved in 2001 to Queens, New York City.


title: MC Jin

text: Jin's big break came in 2002 when the BET program "106 & Park" invited local rappers to compete in a segment known as Freestyle Friday. Unlike other competitors, Jin occasionally spoke Cantonese in his freestyle verses. After winning seven battles in a row, he was inducted into the Freestyle Friday Hall of Fame. The night of the ceremony, he announced that he had signed a deal with the Ruff Ryders Entertainment label.


title: MC Jin

text: His first single under Ruff Ryders was titled "Learn Chinese" featuring Haitian rapper Wyclef Jean. It contained a sample from song "Blind Man Can See It", by James Brown (also sampled by Das EFX and Lord Finesse). The second single for the album was originally supposed to be "I Got a Love", featuring and produced by Kanye West. The album was originally scheduled to be released in the summer of 2003 but was delayed for over a year by the label. In October 2004, Jin released his debut album, "The Rest Is History", which reached number 54 on the "Billboard" Top 200 albums chart. The two singles, "Learn Chinese" and "Senorita", were not major mainstream successes and the album only sold 19,000 units in its first week. Jin left the label in 2006.


title: MC Jin

text: On April 23, 2005, Jin and rapper Serius Jones engaged in a rap battle. The battle was featured on Fight Klub DVD.


title: MC Jin

text: On May 18, 2005, Jin revealed that he would be putting his rap career on hold in order to explore other options. To make this clear, he recorded a song titled "I Quit", produced by the Golden Child. The announcement was widely misunderstood to have marked the end of Jin's rap career. However, he later re-emerged under a different alias, The Emcee, and freestyled over such songs as Jay-Z's "Dear Summer." He released a single called "Top 5 (Dead or Alive)" in which he explored the history of hip-hop's greatest artists, using lyrics. The legendary DJ Kool Herc, who is credited as the founder of hip-hop, appears in Jin's music video. With independent label CraftyPlugz/Draft Records, Jin released his second album, "The Emcee's Properganda", on October 25, 2005.


title: MC Jin

text: Jin collaborated in 2005 with Queens-born rapper Creature on his song "Never Say Die," which also featured Slug and Busdriver.


title: MC Jin

text: Jin was also featured on Taiwanese pop artist Leehom Wang's 2005 album "Heroes of Earth". Together, Jin and Leehom performed their "Heroes of the Earth" collaboration live in Shanghai on February 16, 2006, at an event arranged by China-resident American A&R exec Andrew Ballen. Ballen was also the first promoter to bring Jin to mainland China in 2003 for his "The Rest is History" tour.


title: MC Jin

text: Jin released two albums in 2006. The first, "100 Grand Jin", was a mixtape that was released on August 29, 2006. The single released from the album is "FYI", for which the rapper shot and released a music video. The second album is Jin's third LP, "I Promise".


title: MC Jin

text: On his MySpace, Jin mentioned that he was working on another English album named "Birthdays, Funerals and Things in Between". Jin premiered the song, "Open Letter to Obama," on April 24, 2007, which made him become 1st on then-Presidential nominee Barack Obama's Top 8 list on "MySpace".


title: MC Jin

text: On April 16, 2007, Jin made a tribute song to the victims of the Virginia Tech massacre called "Rain, Rain Go Away". Later that year, Jin decided to make his November 2006 online album, "I Promise" available in retail stores; it was given an October 23, 2007 release.


title: MC Jin

text: In 2006, the PlayStation 2/Xbox video game "" featured MC Jin as one of the rapper characters along with Ludacris and Hot Sauce.


title: MC Jin

text: In 2008, Universal Music Hong Kong flew Jin out to Hong Kong to promote the re-release of his Cantonese album "ABC." In an interview, Jin commented, "I think with various artists, Cantonese hip-hop was starting to become more and more widespread." "ABC" debuted at #1 and achieved gold status in Hong Kong. He frequently starred in commercials there and made numerous appearances on TVB like "Big Boys Club". He is also seen as an important part of recent Asian hip hop trends and was once deemed "the changing face of Cantopop."


title: MC Jin

text: He also put the song "Welcome to the Light Club" on his Myspace page. Jin is a Christian, stating in his song "Welcome to the Light Club" he was baptized in 2008. He has featured in Far East Movement's "Millionaire". He has done a track over a DJ Premier-produced joint titled "World Premier". He also collaborated with producer Trendsetter (aka Mark Holiday).


title: MC Jin

text: He has recently thrown out a Hip-Hop Census in honor of the 2010 Census and Chinese New Year, 2010. As said by Jin, this mixtape is open to anybody and will be mixed from the general population along with Jin. He released a mixtape entitled "Say Something", on May 15, 2010. Jin released an album with his friend Hanjin Tan in 2010. On July 10, 2010, Jin collaborated with singer Hanjin Tan () to release another Cantonese album (Buy one get one free). Jin also released a music video for his English single "Angels".


title: MC Jin

text: During his time in Hong Kong, Jin has appeared in films such as "Gallants" and "Bruce Lee, My Brother".


title: MC Jin

text: In December, 2010, Jin released a Christmas music video entitled "Rap Now, 2010" with Hong Kong Chief Executive, Donald Tsang. The video, with lyrics penned by Jin, featured a number of lines ending with "Act Now!" (), echoing a Hong Kong government slogan. It garnered in excess of nine million views on the CE office's YouTube channel. A CNN report described the video as an "official eyesore" and "a political message thinly veiled as a Christmas card," and further criticized Jin's rapping as resembling "awkward nursery rhymes," in contrast to his earlier performances. However, local newspaper "The Standard", in response to critics, stated in an editorial that "Tsang, like the millions who post videos of themselves or their loved ones, only wants to have fun."


title: MC Jin

text: On March 7, 2011, Jin released a music video for a song from his upcoming English album entitled "Charlie Sheen," collaborating with artists Dumbfoundead and Traphik. Jin released an EP titled "Sincerely Yours", a Christian-oriented and self-improvement-oriented EP featuring positive messages about life and self-reflective insights into his own life. After the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami, Jin participated in the "Artistes 311 Love Beyond Borders" celebrity charity concert on April 1, 2011 to help raise funds for Japan's disaster recovery effort. The 3-hour event raised over HK$26 million (USD$3.3 million).


title: MC Jin

text: On May 16, 2011, Jin released the track "AIYA" featuring label-mate, Toestah. On August 8, 2011, Jin released his second Cantonese album, (Homecoming), in Hong Kong.


title: MC Jin

text: In 2012, Jin announced that he was moving back to the United States to raise his son with his wife in New York.


title: MC Jin

text: In February 2012, Jin released a re-vamped version of his EP, "Sincerely Yours 2.0", featuring some of the same lyrics, but many others changed, slightly altering the overall feel of the record. In August 2012, Jin released his English album, "Crazy Love Ridiculous Faith", for free download, an album in which he positively addresses both Christians and non-Christians. In December 2012, Jin released the "Brand New Me" EP.


title: MC Jin

text: In late 2013, Jin collaborated with independent label, The Great Company. The first track released on the label was called "Hypocrite (The Gold Chapter)." On December 21, 2013, Jin released the first EP under the label called "Hypocrite."


title: MC Jin

text: On October 21, 2014, the label released Jin's first album under their label: "XIV:LIX", which is "14:59" in Roman numerals and a reference to the concept of 15 minutes of fame. The album features Teesa, Hollis, Stacie Bollman, Tim Be Told, Bére, and Storm. The album was not a commercial success.


title: MC Jin

text: In 2017, he competed in the Chinese rap competition show, "The Rap of China", in a masked attire, under the alias of "HipHopMan."


title: MC Jin

text: Jin has since released several songs in Mandarin, including "Zero", a promotional song for the 2017 movie "The Foreigner" starring Hong Kong actor Jackie Chan, who considers Jin to be his friend.


title: MC Jin

text: In 2021, he joined the cast of "Call Me By Fire" as a contestant. He was eliminated in episode 5, only to return later in episode 6, following fellow contestant Henry Huo Zun's withdrawal from the show in light of recent controversies.


title: MC Jin

text: Jin married his wife Carol on February 12, 2011 in Puerto Rico. The couple met at a concert at where Jin was performing. They had a son the following year.


title: MC Jin

text: Jin became a born again Christian in 2008. He was converted by Chinese American pastor Jaeson Ma. He has since released several gospel themed projects expressing his faith.


title: MC Jin

text: Jin endorsed Barack Obama in the 2008 United States presidential election. Proceeds from his song "Open Letter to Obama" were donated to Obama's campaign.


title: MC Jin

text: In 2019, Jin announced on Twitter that he was officially endorsing presidential candidate Andrew Yang in the 2020 Democratic Party presidential primaries. He has released two songs supporting Yang: "Drew Yang Gang, That's Who I Hooked Up Wit'" and "#8MileYang". Jin also toured with Andrew Yang's campaign events.


title: MC Jin

text: In April 2021, he released “Yang for New York,” a song and video in support of Andrew Yang’s run for mayor of New York City. The three-minute video features such lyrics as “Everyone — white, brown, yellow and black / It’s time to come together, what’s ironic is that / NY forward will bring New York Back.”


title: MC Jin

text: Jin's catchphrase is "Aiya!" (), a Chinese interjection roughly equivalent to "Oh my gosh!". Fans pictured with the logo were able to appear in the music video for his song "Aiya!" (featuring Toestah). Jin also refers to his fans as his "AIYAfambam" or as the "AIYAmani.


title: MC Jin

text: After his success and popularity on the Rap of China, Jin gained widespread respect and popularity throughout China, and also with the Chinese people worldwide. A China fanbase is secure with an official account on Weibo "MCJin欧阳靖全国粉丝后援会" on August 12, 2017. Jin then officially named his Chinese fans "不帥團隊" (Team Bu-shuai), a name which he came up with due to the focus on looks-oriented artists. Bu-Shuai means 'not handsome' in Mandarin, and Jin joked with his fans that although he is not handsome as compared to many artists, he is proud to be so as he is secure in himself as an 'un-handsome'. The official slogan for Team Bu-shuai is "生活愉快、越來不帥", which means to live joyfully and become more and more 'un-handsome'. A series of official Team Bu=shuai merchandise such as tees, hoodies, windbreakers, and caps donning the slogan and team name (designed by Jin) is also available on Taobao. Jin also released the song "不帥" with an official music video made by him and Team Bu-shuai. The song talks about the special relationship between Jin and his beloved Team Bu-Shuai, promoting the slogan "生活愉快、越來不帥". The fanbase 'Team Bu-shuai' has an official account on Weibo, with over 55,000 followers. Jin actively interacts with its members online, and is known to sometimes arrange to meet them in different cities for movies and coffees offline.


title: MC Jin

text: Members of Jin's fan club on Twitter are known as Emojins. He referenced them in his 2018 song 'Debut': "Shout out to the emojins, and the emojins only."


title: Deborah Norville

text: Deborah Anne Norville (born August 8, 1958) is an American television journalist and businesswoman. Norville is the anchor of "Inside Edition", a syndicated television news magazine, a position she has held since March 6, 1995. She markets and sells a line of yarns ("Deborah Norville Collection") for knit and crochet enthusiasts, manufactured by Premier Yarns. Previously, she was an anchor and correspondent for CBS News and earlier co-host of "Today" on NBC. Her book "Thank You Power" was a "New York Times" best-seller.


title: Deborah Norville

text: Norville was born in Dalton, Georgia. She won her town's local Junior Miss contest, a beauty contest for high school senior girls and represented Georgia in the 1976 America's Junior Miss pageant. She did not win but credits seeing the behind-the-scenes work of the CBS Television production team as inspiring her to switch her career goal from law to television journalism. She hosted the 1999 America's Junior Miss contest.


title: Deborah Norville

text: Norville is a graduate of the University of Georgia. She graduated summa cum laude in three years with a perfect 4.0 grade point average in earning her BA in journalism from the university's Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication. She was named a First Honor Graduate and elected to Phi Beta Kappa. During her studies, she served on the Main Court of the University's Student Judiciary and was a member of Delta Delta Delta sorority.


title: Deborah Norville

text: Norville began her television career while still a college student. She received an internship through Georgia Public Television, where she worked on "The Lawmakers", a nightly program covering the Georgia General Assembly. She was spotted by an executive of WAGA-TV in Atlanta, who offered her a summer internship. As Norville recalled, "The third day they were short on reporters and they asked me to cover a news story." She reported that evening on the six o'clock news and was later offered a weekend reporting position during her senior year in college. The 60-mile commute between school in Athens and work in Atlanta was grueling, as remembered by Norville in an interview with Larry B. Dendy for the "Georgia Alumni Record" (February 1990): "I'd leave the university on Friday afternoon and drive to Atlanta, and sometimes I had a place to stay and sometimes I slept in my car in the parking lot. I worked Saturday and Sunday; Sunday night after the 11:00 p.m. show I'd drive back and go to class Monday morning." In January 1979, she conducted a live interview with President Jimmy Carter.


title: Deborah Norville

text: Norville joined WAGA-TV as a full-time reporter after graduating and was named weekend anchor in October 1979. In 1982, she was hired as a reporter and later an anchor by WMAQ-TV, the NBC-owned station in Chicago. A brief glimpse of Norville on a billboard, during her time at WMAQ-TV can be seen in the background in the 1986 film "Running Scared" starring Gregory Hines and Billy Crystal. In 1986, when it was announced Norville would be joining "NBC News" in New York, Mayor Harold Washington declared "Deborah Norville Week" in Chicago.


title: Deborah Norville

text: Norville joined NBC News in January 1987 as anchor of "NBC News at Sunrise", becoming the only solo female anchor of a network newscast. Ratings on "Sunrise" jumped 40 percent when she joined the program, which led to her being asked to occasionally substitute on NBC's "Today Show". In August 1989, a documentary in which Norville was the primary host, "Bad Girls", on violent teenaged girls, was the seventh most watched show the week it aired, according to Nielsen ratings.