title: Baltimore County, Maryland

text: In 1816, the City of Baltimore annexed from Baltimore County several parcels of land known as the "Precincts" on its west, north, east and southwest sides. The County separated from the city (which it surrounds on the east, north, and west) on July 4, 1851, as a result of the adoption of the 1851 second state constitution. Baltimore became one of the few "independent cities" in the United States, putting it on the same level with the state's other 23 counties and granting limited "home rule" powers outside the authority of the Maryland General Assembly.


title: Baltimore County, Maryland

text: Towsontown was voted in a referendum by the voting citizens as the new "county seat" on February 13, 1854. The City of Baltimore continued annexing land from the county, extending its western and northern boundaries in 1888. The factory and business owners in the eastern industrial communities of Canton and Highlandtown resisted and opposed annexation, but were annexed 30 years later. The last major annexation took place in 1918–1919, which again took territory from the county on all three sides (west, north, and east) as well as to the south for the first time from Anne Arundel County, along the south shores of the Patapsco River.


title: Baltimore County, Maryland

text: A new Baltimore County Courthouse was authorized to be built facing Washington Avenue, between Chesapeake and Pennsylvania Avenues to replace the previous courthouse and governmental offices then centered for near 85 years in the city, which had been the official "county seat" since just before the American Revolution. Later surrounded by manicured flower gardens, shrubs and curved walkways, the historical landmark is built of local limestone and marble. It was completed and dedicated in 1855. Wings and annexes were added in 1910, 1923 and 1958. By the 1970s, the county's legal system and governmental offices had grown so much that a separate modernistic "County Courts Building" was erected to the west behind the old Courthouse with its annexes, separated by a paved plaza which is used for employee/visitors relaxations and official ceremonies.


title: Baltimore County, Maryland

text: A constitutional amendment to the 1867 Maryland Constitution was approved by referendum in 1948, prohibiting any future annexations without approval from residents in affected territories.


title: Baltimore County, Maryland

text: Extensive city-county hostilities came during the Civil Rights Movement, and by the 1980s the county's older inner suburbs faced increasing urban social ills. An atmosphere of cooperation emerged with the drawing of cross-border state assembly districts, organizing of regional government agencies, and increasing state assumption of powers.


title: Baltimore County, Maryland

text: The county has a number of properties and sites of local, state and national historical interest on the National Register of Historic Places which is maintained by the National Park Service of the U.S. Department of the Interior by the "Historic Sites Act" of August 1935.


title: Baltimore County, Maryland

text: Baltimore County has had a charter government since 1956. The government consists of a County Executive and a seven-member County Council. The County Executive and Council members are elected in years of gubernatorial elections. The County Executive may serve a maximum of two consecutive terms.


title: Baltimore County, Maryland

text: Without incorporated cities or towns, the county government provides all local services to its residents, many of which are normally associated with city-type governmental agencies.


title: Baltimore County, Maryland

text: In 1956 the County adopted an "executive-council" system of government with "at large" representatives, replacing its traditional system of an elected Board of County Commissioners. Since then it has had eleven county executives and one "acting" executive, of which ten were Democrats and two were Republicans. The former Vice President of the United States, Spiro T. Agnew, served as the third executive from 1962 to 1966 and subsequently was elected Governor of Maryland, serving from 1967 to 1969. He was later accused of corruption and bribery while serving as County executive and continuing to accept bribes as the state's governor and as U.S. vice president. He pleaded "no contest" to unprecedented Federal criminal charges. He was forced to resign the Vice Presidency in 1973.


title: Baltimore County, Maryland

text: Politically, Baltimore County leans Democratic, but not as overwhelmingly as Baltimore City. In general, the northern portions of the county lean Republican, while the southern portion is more Democratic.


title: Baltimore County, Maryland

text: The Baltimore County State's Attorney is responsible for prosecuting the felony, misdemeanor, and juvenile cases that occur in the county. As of 2017, the State's Attorney was Scott Shellenberger (Democrat). He followed Sandra A. O'Connor, a Republican who served eight terms before retiring in 2006.


title: Baltimore County, Maryland

text: The Baltimore County Police Department is responsible for police services. The current head of the department is Chief Melissa Hyatt.


title: Baltimore County, Maryland

text: Established in the mid-17th century, the Sheriff of Baltimore County was at first filled by county justices from 1662 to 1676. Thereafter the Court submitted three names from which the colonial governor chose a sheriff. Although terms of office initially varied, by 1692, a uniform two-year term was imposed. In 1699 a three-year term with separate commissions was adopted. The sheriff acted as the chief local representative of the Proprietary Government. His duties included the collection of all public taxes and after 1692, the collection of the yearly poll tax of forty pounds of tobacco for the support of the Anglican (Church of England) clergy and parishes. A sheriff received a percentage of collected monies, generally about five percent. He also received a yearly salary for duties such as reporting to the governor on affairs within the county, taking/estimating the census periodically, conveying official laws and proprietary requests to the county courts and selecting juries for court sessions. Along with enforcing all provincial laws, he posted new laws in public places. While his primary duty was to serve the Proprietor, the sheriff was aware of problems faced by poor planters and tradesmen. With taxes, yearly quit-rents and other costly expenditures, many of the poorer settlers were unable to pay their obligations when due. The sheriff often extended credit to these planters and paid their immediate obligations out of his own pocket. This lessened the impact of taxes for the poor, who repaid the sheriff after their harvests were brought in.


title: Baltimore County, Maryland

text: The modern Baltimore County Sheriff's Department is responsible for security of the two major County Circuit Courts buildings and various courtrooms elsewhere as well as process and warrant service. Sheriff's Deputies are sworn police officers and share the same powers of the more recently organized County Police Department. As of 2019, the Baltimore County Sheriff is a Democrat, R. J. Fisher.


title: Baltimore County, Maryland

text: The Baltimore County Fire Department (B.Co.F.D.) provides fire protection, emergency medical services and emergency rescue services to the county and surrounding areas, including Baltimore City, through mutual-aid pacts with those jurisdictions. The department consists of both paid and volunteer companies that provide services to overlapping territories. Twenty-five career (paid) stations and 28 volunteer stations operate there. More than 1,000 paid personnel and more than 2,000 volunteers serve in the department. The department conducts annual fire inspections on commercial properties, fire investigation and fire prevention education activities as well as water and tactical rescue. The current Chief is Joanne R. Rund who was sworn into the position on July 1, 2019.


title: Baltimore County, Maryland

text: Central Alarmers (Station 155) was a private organization that provided fireground rehab support to firefighters (personal relief stations and refreshments) during large or prolonged incidents in the county's central and eastern regions. This organization merged with the White Marsh Volunteer Fire Company (Station 200) and continues to operate its services as a part of the White Marsh Volunteer Company. Box 234 Association (Station 156) also provides rehab support services to the western and southern regions of the county


title: Baltimore County, Maryland

text: The Baltimore County Executive oversees the executive branch of the County government, which is charged with implementing County law and overseeing the government operations. The current County Executive is John A. Olszewski Jr., a Democrat.


title: Baltimore County, Maryland

text: Baltimore County is somewhat of a bellwether for Maryland politics. While it leans slightly Republican compared to the state as a whole, Republicans running for statewide office must carry it solidly to win a statewide election. After going Republican in all but one presidential election from 1944 to 1988, it has voted for the Democratic candidate for president in each election since 1992. However, in gubernatorial elections, it has often gone Republican (1994, 1998, 2006) even as a Democratic candidate was elected governor. In the 2014 gubernatorial election Republican Larry Hogan won Baltimore County by over 20 points (59.03% to 38.89%).


title: Baltimore County, Maryland

text: According to the United States Census Bureau, the county covers , of which are land and (12%) are water. It is the third-largest county in Maryland by land area. The larger portion of the terrain is undulating, with bold hills often rising to a height of above tide water. The highest elevation is approximately above sea level, along the Pennsylvania state line near Steltz. The lowest elevation is sea level along the shoreline of Chesapeake Bay.


title: Baltimore County, Maryland

text: Much of Baltimore County is suburban, straddling the border between the Piedmont plateau to the northwest and in the southern and southeastern regions of the county bordering the Patapsco River and the Chesapeake Bay, the Atlantic coastal plain. Northern Baltimore County is primarily rural, with a landscape of rolling hills and deciduous forests characteristic of the Southeastern mixed forests and shares the geography with its neighbors to the east and west, Carroll County and Harford County, and going north across the historic Mason–Dixon line into Adams County and York County in south-central Pennsylvania.


title: Baltimore County, Maryland

text: The county has a humid subtropical climate ("Cfa") except in the northern tier where a hot-summer humid continental climate ("Dfa") exists. Average monthly temperatures in Towson range from 33.3 °F in January to 76.9 °F in July. The county has three hardiness zones: 6b in some higher northern areas, 7a in most of the county by area, and 7b in areas close enough to the Chesapeake Bay or the City of Baltimore.


title: Baltimore County, Maryland

text: The Maryland Transit Administration (MTA) operates three rail systems—one light rail, one rapid transit, and one commuter rail—in the Baltimore area; all three systems have stations in Baltimore County. The heavy-rail Metro SubwayLink runs northwest of the city to Owings Mills; the Light RailLink system runs north of Baltimore City to Hunt Valley and south of the city through Baltimore Highlands with some routes terminating at Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport, Maryland. Commuter MARC Train service is available in the county at Halethorpe, St. Denis, and Martin State Airport stations.


title: Baltimore County, Maryland

text: Both CSX Transportation and Amtrak mainlines run through the county. Former rail lines running through the County beginning in the 19th Century were the Maryland and Pennsylvania Railroad (MPR) and the Northern Central Railway (previously the Baltimore and Susquehanna Railroad, later becoming part of the old Pennsylvania Railroad). MPR and parts of the Northern Central were abandoned. The present-day streetcar/trolley line coming north from Anne Arundel County and the International Airport through Baltimore City uses the Northern Central right-of-way south of Cockeysville and Timonium; starting slightly north of that, the right-of-way was converted into the popular hiking, biking and jogging pathway from Loch Raven to the Mason–Dixon line with Pennsylvania known now as the Torrey C. Brown Rail Trail, named for a former state secretary of natural resources.


title: Baltimore County, Maryland

text: "Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos can be of any race."


title: Baltimore County, Maryland

text: As of the 2010 United States Census, 805,029 people, 316,715 households, and 205,113 families resided there. The population density was . The 335,622 housing units supported an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 64.6% white, 26.1% black or African American, 5.0% Asian, 0.3% American Indian, 1.6% from other races, and 2.4% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 4.2% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 20.7% were German, 14.6% were Irish, 8.7% were English, 7.4% were Italian, 5.8% were Polish and 5.0% were American.


title: Baltimore County, Maryland

text: Of the 316,715 households, 31.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.5% were married couples living together, 14.5% had a female householder with no husband present, 35.2% were non-families, and 28.3% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.48 and the average family size was 3.04. The median age was 39.1 years.


title: Baltimore County, Maryland

text: The household median income was $63,959 and the median income for a family was $78,385. Males had a median income of $53,104 versus $43,316 for females. The per capita income for the county was $33,719. About 5.3% of families and 8.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 10.1% of those under age 18 and 7.6% of those age 65 or over.


title: Baltimore County, Maryland

text: As of the census of 2000, 754,292 people, 299,877 households and 198,518 families resided in the county. The population density was . 313,734 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 74.39% White, 20.10% Black or African American, 0.25% Native American, 3.17% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.62% from other races and 1.43% from two or more races. 1.83% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 18.4% were of German, 10.8% Irish, 7.3% English, 7.0% Italian, 6.1% US or American and 5.4% Polish ancestry according to Census 2000. A large Jewish population migrated from Park Heights into the communities of Pikesville, Owings Mills and Reisterstown, referred to by Jewish residents as "100,000 Jews in three zip codes". According to the North American Jewish Data Bank Baltimore County is 7.5% Jewish with a Jewish population of around 60,000 people.


title: Baltimore County, Maryland

text: Of 299,877 households, 30.20% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.40% were married couples living together, 12.80% had a female householder with no husband present and 33.80% were non-families. 27.30% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.10% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.46 and the average family size was 3.00.


title: Baltimore County, Maryland

text: The age distribution shows 23.60% under the age of 18, 8.50% from 18 to 24, 29.80% from 25 to 44, 23.40% from 45 to 64, and 14.60% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. Every 100 females were accompanied by 90.00 males. Every 100 females age 18 and over were accompanied by 86.00 males.


title: Baltimore County, Maryland

text: The household median income was $50,667, and the median income for a family was $59,998. Males had a median income of $41,048 versus $31,426 for females. The per capita income for the county was $26,167. About 4.50% of families and 6.50% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.20% of those under age 18 and 6.50% of those age 65 or over.


title: Baltimore County, Maryland

text: As of the 2010 Census the population of Baltimore County was 62.80% Non-Hispanic Whites, 26.05% Blacks, 0.33% Native American, 4.99% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 1.59% Some other race and 2.40% reporting more than one race. 4.19% of the Population was Hispanic.


title: Baltimore County, Maryland

text: Among the county's major employers are MedStar Franklin Square Medical Center on the east side in Rossville, the Social Security Administration, the national headquarters of which are in Woodlawn, and The Black & Decker Corporation, in Towson. As of 2009, the county's workforce totaled 410,100, with 25% employed in the fields of education, health and human services, 10% in retailing, and less than 1% in agriculture.


title: Baltimore County, Maryland

text: According to the county's 2011 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the top employers in the county are concentrated in the government, medical and educational fields. The only commercial entity is Erickson Living:


title: Baltimore County, Maryland

text: The University of Maryland Extension system provides for the County. The state Farm Bureau oversees the here.


title: Baltimore County, Maryland

text: All public schools in Baltimore County are operated by Baltimore County Public Schools, the sole school district in the county, with the exception of the Imagine Me Charter School which opened August 2008.


title: Baltimore County, Maryland

text: All areas in Baltimore County are unincorporated. As there are no incorporated cities in Baltimore County, all place names are neighborhoods, and have no legal jurisdiction over their area.


title: Baltimore County, Maryland

text: Although not formally Census-Designated Places, these other communities are known locally and, in many cases, have their own post offices and are shown on roadmaps:


title: Crazy Taxi

text: Crazy Taxi is a series of racing video games that was developed by Hitmaker and published by Sega. The first game appeared in arcades in 1999 and was very successful, prompting Sega to port the arcade version to their Dreamcast console in 2000. It is the third best-selling Dreamcast game in the United States, selling over a million copies. The game was later ported to the PlayStation 2, Nintendo GameCube, and PC with sequels also appearing on the Xbox, Game Boy Advance, and PlayStation Portable systems.


title: Crazy Taxi

text: Each game has the player assume the role of a taxi driver who must accumulate money by delivering passengers to their destinations in the fastest time possible, earning tips by performing "crazy stunts" before the time runs out. The franchise has been recognized for its innovative gameplay design which is easy to learn but difficult to master, its use of in-game advertising, and its soundtrack music provided by the bands The Offspring and Bad Religion. The core gameplay mechanic has been patented by Sega, leading to at least one lawsuit over similar gameplay in "", which has since been settled out of court.


title: Crazy Taxi

text: "Crazy Taxi" and its sequels are score attack games that all employ the same fundamental rules and mechanics. The player controls one of several taxi drivers in a fictional city, looking for fares and then taking them to their destination in the fastest time possible. The player must perform this while time still remains on an overall gameplay clock. Passengers looking for rides are indicated by an overhead marker that is colored to represent the distance to their intended destination. The color marker ranges from red indicating short trips, to yellow for intermediate distances, and to green indicating long ones. When a passenger is picked up, the player is awarded additional time on the countdown clock. Furthermore, a second countdown timer is started, representing how quickly the passenger needs to be at their destination. While a passenger is in the taxi, a large green arrow is shown on the player's HUD that points in the general direction of the passenger's destination to help guide the player through the map.


title: Crazy Taxi

text: The player can use special "crazy stunt" moves such as drifts, jumps, and near-misses, and consecutive combos of these, to earn extra money from the passenger during the trip. If the destination is reached in time, the player is paid based on distance driven with a possible time bonus based on how quickly the destination was reached. If the passenger's countdown strikes zero, he/she will exit the taxi without paying and the player will be required to look for another fare. The game continues in this mode as long as time remains on the main clock. Once the main clock reaches zero, the game is over, and the player is ranked and rated based on the total earned.


title: Crazy Taxi

text: Unlike other arcade games, the player cannot continue from where the previous game ended. The game cannot be played indefinitely; while there are hundreds of potential passengers to pick up and deliver, there are only a limited number of fares in the game. The various passengers scattered throughout the city will randomly appear and disappear throughout the game, but once one is picked up that passenger is unavailable for the rest of that game. The core gameplay in the series has been praised as being "deceptively complex"; as stated by the IGN staff for their review of the Dreamcast version of "Crazy Taxi":


title: Crazy Taxi

text: Starting with "Crazy Taxi 2", the gameplay included the ability to pick up a party of passengers, each having a different destination. The number of passengers in the car multiplies the tip bonuses earned from stunt driving, while the total fare can only be earned once the last passenger is dropped off in time. Additionally, "Crazy Taxi 2" introduced a new stunt move called the "Crazy Hop" that allowed the player to make the taxi jump to clear some obstacles or reach higher drivable surfaces.


title: Crazy Taxi

text: The console games have also featured a set of mini-games that require the player to meet a certain objective using one or more of the various "crazy stunts" within the game. Some of these test the player's handling of a taxi, while others are more exaggerated, such as taxi bowling or pool. Some mini-games require the completion of others before they can be accessed.


title: Crazy Taxi

text: Prior to each game session, the player can pick one of several drivers and their associated cars; each car/driver has slightly different performance relating to factors such as speed and turning, that impact the game.


title: Crazy Taxi

text: The original arcade game was developed by Hitmaker as a variation from then-current arcade titles. "Crazy Taxi" producer Kenji Kanno noted that the time extension on gameplay was a breakaway of the current "100 yen for 3 minutes" that persisted at the time for arcade games, and rewarded players with longer playing times by performing well in the game. In addition to providing a game that could be played in short sessions, Kanno wanted a game to explore the "daily life and routine" of a taxi driver. In the development of the Dreamcast version of the original arcade game, the developers included a larger map in addition to the arcade one, as to create a feeling of "being lost" and allowing home console players to have fun "learning the town". Mini-games were developed for this version as to "let the player play longer if he improved skill" by offering challenges that were both fun and educational. Over one hundred different ideas for mini-games were developed by the team but then pared down for the Crazy Box mini-game challenges for the game. The addition of the Crazy Hop in "Crazy Taxi 2" came about because the development team noted that "...in New York – where the basic landscape is quite flat – we had to create 3D space by letting the player drive on the buildings" and "we added the Crazy Hop to let the player hop around the roofs of buildings to make short cuts".


title: Crazy Taxi

text: Hitmaker had tried to develop an on-line version of "Crazy Taxi", to be called "Crazy Taxi Next" exclusively for the Xbox, which, besides multiplayer game modes, would have included night and day cycles, each with a different set of passengers and destinations, while reusing and graphically updating the maps from "Crazy Taxi" and "Crazy Taxi 2". Ultimately, both multiplayer and day/night cycles were dropped and work on "Crazy Taxi Next" was transferred to "Crazy Taxi 3: High Roller", which included some of the nighttime driving concepts suggested by "Next".


title: Crazy Taxi

text: Kenji Kanno has noted that the gameplay in the "Crazy Taxi" series has otherwise not "evolved" with each new game "because basically the whole point of the game is to have a lot of fun in a short period of time, and it's a very concentrated game. So instead of trying to evolve the series necessarily, it's more like taking that concept and putting it in different places – seeing how it works". Kanno considered bringing the title to newer consoles, but wanted to include multiplayer features and having a time cycle within the game that would affect passengers' attitudes and the environment of the game.


title: Crazy Taxi

text: Through the series, the cities used within the "Crazy Taxi" games have been influenced by real-world cities, including San Francisco, Los Angeles, New York City, and Las Vegas. Certain versions of the "Crazy Taxi" game include in-game counterparts of real-world businesses, including Pizza Hut, Kentucky Fried Chicken, FILA, and Tower Records; these were often destination targets for the passengers. Although this is one of the most prominent examples of product placement in video gaming history, it is generally looked upon relatively favorably amongst gamers, perhaps because it gives a sense of realism to the fictional cities in the game. These establishments have been replaced with generic businesses in later games due to licensing difficulties.


title: Crazy Taxi

text: The soundtrack of the "Crazy Taxi" series has typically been licensed hard rock and punk rock music. The arcade and initial home console versions include selections from punk rock bands The Offspring and Bad Religion, though these have been removed in both the Game Boy Advance and the PlayStation Portable remakes because of licensing issues. In the case of the Game Boy Advance "Catch a Ride", the game uses instrumental music instead of recorded songs.


title: Crazy Taxi

text: Sega applied for and was awarded U.S. Patent 6,200,138 – "Game display method, moving direction indicating method, game apparatus and drive simulating apparatus" – in 2001. The mechanics in the "138 patent" describe an arcade cabinet similar to Sega's previous arcade game "Harley-Davidson & L.A. Riders" (1997), but also describe the arrow navigation system and pedestrian avoidance aspects that were used in "Crazy Taxi".


title: Crazy Taxi

text: During 2001, Electronic Arts and Fox Interactive released "", which has been labelled a rip-off of the "Crazy Taxi" game engine by game reviewers. In this game, the player controlled one of "The Simpsons" characters as they drive around Springfield, bringing passengers to these destinations in a way like in "Crazy Taxi". So therefore, Sega brought Fox Entertainment, Electronic Arts, and developer Radical Games Ltd. to court over this infringement of the 138 patent. The case, "Sega of America, Inc. v. Fox Interactive, et al.", was settled in private for an unknown amount. The 138 patent is considered to be one of the most important patents in video game development.


title: Crazy Taxi

text: The arcade version of "Crazy Taxi" was released in February of 1999, and featured only the San Francisco-inspired map (known as "Arcade" in the first console game, and later as "West Coast" in sequels). The "Standard Version" arcade cabinet included a cockpit seat, steering wheel, a gear shift lever (for forward and reverse gear) and a brake and acceleration pedal; a more compact "Naomi Cabinet Version" also existed without the cockpit seat. The arcade game was one of the first to use the Sega NAOMI hardware processor, which is based on the Sega Dreamcast and was unveiled as part of Sega's exhibition at the 1999 Amusement Operators Union exposition in Japan.


title: Crazy Taxi

text: The console/home version of "Crazy Taxi" was released for the Dreamcast on January 24, 2000. The Dreamcast and the cabinet arcade version share nearly identical processing hardware, and porting the game to the home console was only made difficult due to the limited internal memory size on the Dreamcast. Sega used "Crazy Taxi" to show the power of the Dreamcast's graphical processor, capable of maintaining 60 frame/s throughout play. In addition to the arcade map, this version included the San Francisco-themed city (entitled "Original"), as well as additional mini-games ("Crazy Box") that can be used to hone the player's taxi handling skills. The new map, much larger than the arcade version, was designed to let the player experience the feeling of "being lost" and allow for exploration, something that could not be done on the arcade version, as well letting "the player enjoy all 3 dimensions".


title: Crazy Taxi

text: Once Sega left the hardware market, other companies began to take up some of the franchises, including "Crazy Taxi". Acclaim brought the game to the PlayStation 2 on May 21, 2001 and GameCube on November 18, while Activision and Strangelite ported the game to the PC in 2002; only the PlayStation 2 port was more successful than the Dreamcast version, and the rest didn't do as well. The Dreamcast version of "Crazy Taxi" was also playable through emulation via GameTap on PC systems.


title: Crazy Taxi

text: "Crazy Taxi 2" was released for the Dreamcast on May 28, 2001. The game introduced four cab drivers as well as two new maps based on NYC (called "Around Apple" and "Small Apple"), and added two gameplay features: the mechanics of collecting multiple passengers from a single spot, and the "Crazy Hop", allowing the taxi to clear traffic and certain obstacles with short jumps. Additionally, the "Crazy Box" mode in the first game was expanded into a "Crazy Pyramid" mode.


title: Crazy Taxi

text: "" was released for the Xbox on July 23, 2002, and later released as a PC title in 2004. The game reuses the original arcade map modified to allow the use of the "Crazy Hop" introduced in "Crazy Taxi 2", one of the maps from "Crazy Taxi 2", and a new map based on Las Vegas ("Glitter Oasis"). The game adds an additional four characters to select from. The game allows the player to unlock other modes of transport besides the taxi, including a stroller, a pedal bike and a carriage. The mini-games in "Crazy Taxi 3" are featured in a "Crazy X" arrangement. An arcade version, entitled "Crazy Taxi: High Roller" was created in 2003 using the same three maps as the home console version.


title: Crazy Taxi

text: "" was ported to the Game Boy Advance by Graphics State and distributed by THQ, and released on April 8, 2003. This version is fundamentally the same as the "Crazy Taxi" console versions, featuring the San Francisco and Los Angeles-themed maps but with a smaller selection of mini-games, adapted to play on the portable device using the Graphics State "Rush" engine. Specifically, while the city and streets are rendered using 3D graphics, the taxi, passengers, and other traffic are represented by sprites in order to work on the limited GBA hardware. Richard Whittall, creative director for Graphics State, noted that "Catch A Ride" was "about the most technically challenging game you could do on a handheld machine" at the time of its release.


title: Crazy Taxi

text: "" was developed by Sniper Studios with support from members of the original Hitmaker "Crazy Taxi" design team in Japan and released for the PlayStation Portable on August 7, 2007. The game effectively is a port of both "Crazy Taxi" and "Crazy Taxi 2" to this system without any changes to the gameplay, but lacking the in-game advertising and the original soundtracks. While the game includes its own soundtrack, the player can use their own music stored on the PSP; as noted by Jeff Hasson of Sniper Studios, "for those hard core fans that must have The Offspring playing, they have that option with the Custom Music Player". The player can also record up to a minute of gameplay footage that can then be shared with friends. The game includes a multiplayer feature over the PSP's ad-hoc wireless system, allowing players to vie for fares within the same map, including the ability to steal passengers from another player. Multiplayer games such as time trials or "C-R-A-Z-Y" runs (a variation of the game "Horse") can also be played sharing a common PSP, with each player taking turns within the game.


title: Crazy Taxi

text: "" was announced by Sega in March 2014 as a free-to-play mobile title for iOS and Android systems. "City Rush" is a mission-based runner similar in concept to "Temple Run", where the player does not have direct control of the speed of the taxi but can use touch motions to swerve in traffic and make turns.


title: Crazy Taxi

text: "Crazy Taxi Tycoon", previously known as "Crazy Taxi Gazillionaire" was another mobile spin-off game released in 2017 for iOS and Android. Unlike other games, this is a top-down endless business management simulator and idle clicker where players run a taxi business and hire drivers to defeat a ridesharing megacorporation called Prestige Mega Corp. The game was delisted from both app stores in April of 2020, with servers going offline the following month.


title: Crazy Taxi

text: The original Dreamcast version of "Crazy Taxi" was one of the best-selling games for the console. The game was the second largest selling Dreamcast game in the United States in 2000, selling nearly 750,000 units, and is the third best-selling Dreamcast game in the United States with over a million units sold. The game was praised for capturing the arcade flavor, and possibly exceeding it by making the controls and execution of the crazy stunts easier to perform. The game did suffer from "pop-up" due to limited draw distances, and loss of frame rate when a large number of cars were on the screen. Critics noted the lack of depth given that it was a port of an arcade game, some difficulties with the destination arrow, and the poor "Wolfman Jack" impersonation of the in-game announcer.


title: Crazy Taxi

text: "Crazy Taxi 2" was well received by reviewers with the new features helping to expand play from the original game, though some thought that more drastic changes could have been made in the sequel. Despite the addition of new maps, the lack of new gameplay elements caused "Crazy Taxi 3" to be panned by reviewers. IGN noted in its review for "Crazy Taxi 3" that "it's clear that the creative vibrancy that first imagined the "Taxi" series has waned considerably".


title: Crazy Taxi

text: The ports of the original game to the PS2 and GameCube platforms are not considered as strong as the Dreamcast game. Both were noted to suffer from more "pop-up" than the Dreamcast version, as well as poorer controls, despite having the same gameplay features. Graphic problems plagued the "Crazy Taxi: Catch a Ride" port to the Game Boy Advance; as IGN stated, "it's painfully obvious that the hardware just was never meant to push so much". Both PC ports for "Crazy Taxi" and "Crazy Taxi 3" also suffered from graphics problems.


title: Crazy Taxi

text: The PSP ports of "Crazy Taxi: Fare Wars" have had a somewhat better reception than other ports. Reviews have complimented the game on the multiplayer additions and the ability to add a custom soundtrack – which led IGN to comment that "including this should be a no-brainer, but many PSP titles don't" – but have noted some graphical glitches, the long loading times, and the lack of the original soundtracks for the games. The reviews of the controls of the game have mixed, with some praising the scheme on the PSP, while others have stated that the controls feel stiff and inconsistent. GameSpot's review noted that the gameplay in "Crazy Taxi" does not hold up well compared to more recent racing games across various platforms.


title: Crazy Taxi

text: A "Crazy Taxi" segment is featured in the "Sega Carnival" track in "Sonic Riders", including a hidden shortcut allowing racers to receive a ride from taxi driver Axel; a Crazy Taxi extreme gear can be unlocked as well. There is also a minigame based on "Crazy Taxi" in the EyeToy game, "Sega Superstars", in which players move around and shout to call one of the taxi drivers. B.D. Joe, who has appeared in most games in the series, appears as a playable character in the cross-series racing game, "Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing". Sumo Digital's Steve "S0L" Lycett had to get approval from SEGA AM3 in order to use B.D. Joe in the game. He also appeared in the sequel, "Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed".


title: Crazy Taxi

text: Sega has attempted to branch the "Crazy Taxi" franchise beyond the realm of video games, with mixed results.


title: Crazy Taxi

text: In addition to the video arcade games, Sega Enterprises, Inc. (USA) created a "Crazy Taxi" themed redemption game which was released in 2003. The player had to roll their coin or token down the sloped playing surface past a moving taxi model in the center of the playing field in order to hit one of eight targets (representing passengers) at the far end. Passengers were worth different points, from which the operator would then set the number of tickets to be won. The game incorporated music and sounds from the video games.


title: Crazy Taxi

text: There have been two attempts to create a movie based on the "Crazy Taxi" franchise. In 2001, Goodman-Rosen Productions acquired the rights for the movie, with Richard Donner lined up to direct the film. Donner said that he loved playing "Crazy Taxi" and thought it had the potential to be a big summer event movie. The movie would have been tied with other merchandise items such as T-shirts and toys, according to Jane Thompson, director of licensing for Sega of America. However, this initial attempt stalled due to an "absence of plot elements" according to Movie Insider. After this option expired, Mindfire Entertainment acquired the rights to a "Crazy Taxi" movie based on the game franchise in 2002, with an then-expected release date in mid-2003. No further news on the film has been forthcoming afterwards.


title: Crazy Taxi

text: In 2003, Sega entered a contract with DSI Toys to produce a remote controlled car in their "GearHead" line based on the "Crazy Taxi" franchise, but DSI filed for chapter 7 bankruptcy later that year.


title: Crazy Taxi

text: Sega has formed the production company Stories International and teamed up with Evan Cholfin for film and TV projects based on their "Crazy Taxi" games.


title: East Bengal Club

text: East Bengal Club, commonly referred to as East Bengal (), is an Indian professional multi-sport club based in Kolkata, West Bengal. It is best known for its professional men's football team that competes in the Indian Super League, the top flight of the Indian football. It is one of the most successful football clubs in the country.


title: East Bengal Club

text: Founded in August 1920, the club became affiliated with the Indian Football Association in 1922 and initially played in the Calcutta Football League Second Division before earning promotion to the First Division in 1924. East Bengal won its first First Division league title in 1942 and has since won it a record 39 times. The club was a founding member of the National Football League, the first nation-wide football league in India in 1996, which it has won three times since. They have also won eight Federation Cups, three Super Cups, a record 29 IFA Shield titles, and a record 16 Durand Cup titles, making the club one of the most decorated in Indian football.


title: East Bengal Club

text: East Bengal is one of the most widely supported football clubs in Asia. The club is mainly supported by the Bangals, i.e., the immigrant population from the eastern region of Bengal, who were forced to leave their homes (modern-day Bangladesh) during the partition of 1947. For those people, East Bengal Club became a source of identity and hope. The huge influx of dispossessed into the state led to a socio-economic crisis. This led to rivalries among the immigrant and native population of West Bengal in every sphere of life, from jobs to schools and even on football pitches. As a result, East Bengal has a long standing rivalry with its cross-town competitors Mohun Bagan, now known as ATK Mohun Bagan, which is mainly supported by the native population, with whom it competes in the Kolkata derby, Asia's biggest football rivalry. East Bengal also shares a local rivalry with another Kolkata club, Mohammedan. The club dons the iconic red and gold colours, which give it the nickname of "Red and Gold Brigade". In 2011, East Bengal was ranked second amongst all Indian teams and 554th internationally by the International Federation of Football History & Statistics in the international rankings of clubs for the first decade of the 21st century (2001-2010).


title: East Bengal Club

text: The club has other departments too such as the women's football, cricket, women's cricket, field hockey, athletics and eSports teams.


title: East Bengal Club

text: On 28 July 1920, Jorabagan Club was scheduled to play against Mohun Bagan in the Coochbehar Cup. Jorabagan Club sent out their starting eleven but with the notable exclusion of defender Sailesh Bose, who was dropped from the squad for undisclosed reasons. The then vice-president of Jorabagan Club, Suresh Chandra Chaudhuri, asked in vain for Bose to be included in the line-up. When his request was not welcomed, Chaudhuri left the club along with Raja Manmatha Nath Chaudhuri, Ramesh Chandra Sen, and Aurobinda Ghosh. They formed East Bengal Club as a Sports and Cultural Association in the neighbourhood of Jorabagan on 1 August 1920. The name East Bengal was chosen for the newly formed club as the founders hailed from the eastern region of Bengal. Sarada Ranjan Ray took on the role of becoming the first president of this newly formed club while Suresh Chandra Chowdhury and Tarit Bhusan Roy were declared to be the first joint secretaries of the club. Soon after, Nagen Kali, M. Talukdar, B. Sen, N. Gossain, Goshto Paul (on loan from Mohun Bagan)"," P. Bardhan, S. Das, S. Tagore, J. Mukherjee, Ramesh Chandra Sen, S. Bose, C. Bose, A. Roy, and A. Bannerjee were announced to be the members of the first team squad by the board.


title: East Bengal Club

text: In the same month of its formation, the club participated in its maiden tournament in, the Hercules Cup, a seven-a-side tournament. On 11 August 1920, the club played their first match in the tournament and in their history against Metropolitan College, which they went on to win 4–0. East Bengal went on to win the tournament, announcing the arrival of a club that would break many records in the future. The club also won Khagendra Shield in 1921. Following this, the club became affiliated with the Indian Football Association (IFA) and entered league play in the IFA Second Division. The club finished placing third in their maiden season in the league. The first match between East Bengal and Mohun Bagan took place on 8 August 1921 in the Cooch Behar Cup semi-final match, which didn't turn in the favour of either of the teams as it ended in a goalless draw. It was an unofficial derby at that time.


title: East Bengal Club

text: In 1924, the club won the Second Division and gained promotion to the IFA First Division after finishing in second place to Cameroons 'B'. As Cameroons 'A' team was already in the First Division the 'B' team could not gain promotion to the same league. East Bengal was next in line for promotion. However, more controversy arose since the IFA allowed only two Indian-based clubs in the IFA First Division at a time (at that time, the IFA was a British organization). This rule had previously deprived clubs like "Kumartuli" and "Town" from entering the First Division. During a governing body meeting of the IFA, the nine British clubs approved East Bengal's promotion to the First Division. Ironically, the two Indian clubs, Mohun Bagan and Aryan, opposed it. East Bengal's efforts led to the abolition of the oppressive Indian club limit rule.


title: East Bengal Club

text: In 1925, East Bengal made its IFA First Division debut, and Mona Dutta became the maiden goalscorer for the club in the league. On 28 May 1925, the first official Kolkata Derby was played, where Nepal Chakraborty scored the only goal for East Bengal.


title: East Bengal Club

text: It took the club till 1942 to win their first IFA First Division title. East Bengal won their first IFA Shield in 1943. They then achieved the double in 1945 by winning both the Calcutta Football League (CFL) and IFA Shield. In 1948, East Bengal became the first team to defeat a foreign club on home soil. They won 2–0 against the visiting Chinese Olympic XI. East Bengal won their first treble in the 1949 season, by winning the Calcutta League, the IFA Shield and the Rovers Cup, becoming the first Indian club to do so. The club went on to win the 1949 Rovers Cup and the Durand Cup in 1951. That period saw the rise of the Pancha Pandavas. The five players, P. B. A. Saleh, Ahmed Khan, P. Venkatesh, Appa Rao, and K. P. Dhanaraj played together at the club from 1949 to 1953. The club also won its first DCM Trophy in 1950. The club also won three straight IFA Shields in 1949, 1950, and 1951. The English Football Association 1951–52 annual almanac adjudged East Bengal as the best club in Asia. On being recommended by the president of India, Rajendra Prasad, the club was invited by the Romania Youth Festival Committee in 1953 to participate in a football tournament. They also partook in a tour of the Soviet Union the same year. They were defeated by Soviet side by a margin of 13–1. Apart from football, East Bengal also won the Beighton Cup hockey tournament for the first time in 1957 and the Bengal Hockey Association league in 1960. Again the club won the Rovers Cup several times during this era—1962, 1967, 1969, 1972, 1973, 1975—as well as the Durand Cup in 1952, 1956, 1960, 1967, 1970, 1972 and 1978. The club also won its first Sait Nagjee football tournament and Bordoloi Trophy in 1968. The club stunned everyone by winning the 1970 IFA Shield against PAS Club of Iran by a score of 1–0, in front of 60,000 supporters at the Eden Gardens. Later, the club won the 1973 IFA Shield by defeating Pyongyang City SC of North Korea. In 1978, East Bengal won its first Federation Cup title. The club became joint winners in cricket with Mohun Bagan of Cricket Association of Bengal senior league and senior-division knockout tournament.


title: East Bengal Club

text: East Bengal won the Calcutta Football League for six straight years from 1970 to 1975. In 1970, East Bengal topped the Calcutta Football League table without conceding a single goal. East Bengal won multiple times against their arch-rivals, Mohun Bagan, including a record margin of 5–0 in the history of the Kolkata Derby, in 1975. The same year, East Bengal won the CFL title without losing a match. The 1970s decade of the club is also commonly known as ""Shonali Doshok"" (in English Golden era).


title: East Bengal Club

text: The club won the Federation Cup in 1980 and again in 1985. They also became the first Indian club to play in the newly reorganized Asian Club Championship in 1985–86. The club then won their second treble in 1990, under coach Naeemuddin, by winning the IFA Shield, the Rovers Cup, and the Durand Cup in the same season. The club also won the Stafford Cup (1986) and the McDowell's Cup (1995, 1997). In 1993, East Bengal won its first-ever international title, the Wai Wai Cup in Nepal. The club also won the Federation Cup, the IFA Shield, the Calcutta Football League, the Durand Cup, and the Rovers Cup several times during this period. In 1996, the club became the founding member of the first nationwide football league in India, the National Football League.


title: East Bengal Club

text: In 1984, Dipak Das joined the club and revamped it. He brought professionalism and converted the football team into a private, limited company. He also secured sponsorship from local brands and companies like Khadims. In 1998, he collaborated with Vijay Mallya's United Breweries Group, which then formed a new Private Limited Company, with a 50–50 shareholding, called United East Bengal Football Team Private Limited and incorporated the football team—the first in the country. The team was renamed Kingfisher East Bengal FC.


title: East Bengal Club

text: The club entered the 21st century in style, winning the 2000–01 National Football League season. They became the first club to win back-to-back titles after winning the 2002–03 and 2003–04 versions of the league. The club went on to win the Federation Cup again in 2007, 2009, 2010 and 2012. They also won the Indian Super Cup in 2006 and 2011. The club won their third international trophy in the 2003 ASEAN Club Championship, in Jakarta, Indonesia. East Bengal is still the only Indian football team to win any major trophy outside the country. In 2004, East Bengal also won the San Miguel International Cup in Nepal. The club was invited to the tournament by Leicester City, celebrating their 120th Anniversary. In 2004, Leicester City also had partnerships with East Bengal. Then FIFA president, Joseph Blatter, visited the club tent on 15 April 2007. After a year, East Bengal became the first Indian football team to win against a West Asian team, Al Wihdat SC of Jordan on foreign soil.East Bengal also made a record eight appearances, between 2004 and 2015, in the AFC Cup. The club played in the semi-finals of 2013 AFC Cup where they lost to Kuwait SC of Kuwait. The club has the achievement of winning the Calcutta Football League title eight consecutive times from 2010 to 2017, breaking their previous record of six times during the 1970s. Following the exit of Kingfisher from the club, Quess Corp signed an agreement with the East Bengal Club and acquired a 70 percent stake in the club in July 2018. The football team was rebranded as Quess East Bengal FC.


title: East Bengal Club

text: On 1 August 2019, the club entered its 100th establishment year. A centenary celebration logo was introduced. Torch rallies and events were organised, and attended by former players, coaches, presidents, etc. The centenary kit was unveiled, which was inspired by the 1925–26 season kit. The club participated in the Durand Cup, the Calcutta Football League and the I-League, and played its first match and won against Army Red in the Durand Cup.


title: East Bengal Club

text: The year 2020, saw the wake of COVID-19 which halted the ongoing football season in the country. The then investor, Quess pulled out from the two-year-old agreement by July 2020. On 1 August, the club completed its 100 years of existence. In September, Shree Cement was announced as the new investor of the club. The company acquired 76 percent shares of the club and renamed it from "East Bengal Football Club" to "Sporting Club East Bengal". Later that month, after successful bidding, the club moved from the I-League to the Indian Super League. In early 2022, the club parted ways with its investor Shree Cement.


title: East Bengal Club

text: The partnership between investor group Shree Cement and East Bengal Club was terminated after the end of the 2021–22 Indian Super League season. They returned the sporting rights to the club on 12 April 2022, after both the parties failed to reach an agreement and the final term sheet was not accepted and signed by the club officials. The club officials, however, stated that East Bengal club shall continue to play in the Indian Super League, and shall be announcing their new investors within the next two weeks. East Bengal club was once again handed another transfer ban by AIFF for non-payment of dues for seven of their players.


title: East Bengal Club

text: On 25 May, East Bengal announced the collaboration with Emami as the principal investors of the club. The club confirmed their participation in the 2022-23 Indian Super League season with the arrival of the new investors. On 18 July, after two months of contractual discussions between the club and the investor group, the club finally started the recruitment process for the new season after receiving a go-ahead from the investors. On 22 July, the AIFF uplifted the transfer ban set on East Bengal and thus allowed the club to register their new signings for the season. East Bengal appointed Santosh Trophy winning Kerala football team head-coach Bino George as the care-taker head coach of the team for the Calcutta Football League and Durand Cup, and will become the assistant coach of the team for the Indian Super League. East Bengal also roped in former Indian national football team coach Stephen Constantine as the new head-coach of the team for the season. The club also announced that the formal tie-up between them and the new investor group Emami.


title: East Bengal Club

text: In 1930, Mahatma Gandhi's Satyagraha swept over India and affected football. Indian clubs boycotted the ongoing Calcutta Football League midway through the season. Amidst much confusion, Royal Regiment was declared the winner in the first division. However, East Bengal was not allowed to be promoted to the First Division. Thousands of East Bengal fans and officials decided to hold a protest march at the East Bengal Ground. It was at this march that flaming torches were carried by the protesters. And the hand holding flame torch "(known as 'Mawshal' or '' in Bangla)" became the club emblem, which has remained to this day.


title: East Bengal Club

text: The primary and secondary colors of East Bengal are red and yellow respectively. Traditionally, the home kit consists of a red and yellow jersey with black shorts, while the away kit colors vary every year. These colors came about after the club was formed when the founders debated over them for the club jersey. At that time, the jerseys used to come from England. The founders, while searching, came across the red and gold color shirt hanging at the Whiteaway, Laidlaw & Co. department store in Chowringhee, Kolkata. It attracted them, and they finalized the colors and jersey. It cost ₹80 in 1920, four times higher than the average. These colours permanently integrated with the club.


title: East Bengal Club

text: East Bengal is a club mainly supported by the migrant population, known as "Bangal", from the former Indian part of East Bengal (now modern-day Bangladesh). East Bengal is one of Asia's biggest and most supported football clubs. There are approximately 30 to 40 million supporters from all across the nation and overseas. In October 2020, the club got voted as the most popular football club in India on an AFC poll by its supporters, gaining approximately 49% of the votes.


title: East Bengal Club

text: East Bengal Ultras, the main ultras (supporters) group of East Bengal, was established in 2013. It was the first ultras group to be established in the country. Since its inception, this group has set many new records and broken older ones. Though initially, people were skeptical about the group, now they have seen in what ways this group is benefitting Indian football. Though all these achievements came along with some controversies. As in the past, there have been fights and hooliganism among the fans of the rival clubs, the administration does not completely trust the group's functioning.


title: East Bengal Club

text: Established on 15 November 2006, East Bengal the Real Power is India's first registered fan club. It is East Bengal's largest fan club and one of the largest in the country. In its early years, its functioning was limited to online platforms, but later on, it became a supporters' group.


title: East Bengal Club

text: East Bengal have their biggest rivalry with its city competitors ATK Mohun Bagan. East Bengal, as mentioned earlier, is primarily supported by the migrant population of present-day Bangladesh. Unlike East Bengal, ATK Mohun Bagan is a club mainly supported by the native population of the present-day state of West Bengal. The match that takes place between these two clubs is eminently called the Kolkata Derby. The Kolkata Derby has its name taken from the Old Firm Derby between Celtic and Rangers and dates back to the 1920s. After Indian independence and the partition of Bengal, the huge influx of immigrants from the eastern part of Bengal led to a socio-economic crisis in the state. This led to rivalries in jobs, business, schools, and even on the football pitch among the immigrants and native population. This rivalry became fierce, and the Kolkata Derby grew in popularity and reached its peak during the 1960s and 1970s. The Kolkata Derby holds a record of spectators, the most attended sporting event in India.


title: East Bengal Club

text: East Bengal is mainly organized as a registered society under the Societies Registration Act, 1860, which means one can avail of membership in the club. There are around 12,000 members. Although, a limited company, named East Bengal Club Pvt. Ltd., was later formed, and both are governed by the club parallelly. Sponsorships and investments happen via this corporate company. The club is governed by its own set of rules and regulations. Amendments and resolutions are passed via extraordinary or annual general meeting.


title: East Bengal Club

text: Currently the football rights are with a new limited company, Emami East Bengal FC Pvt. Ltd. jointly owned by East Bengal Club and Emami Group.


title: East Bengal Club

text: The club has used several stadiums at Kolkata, Howrah and Barasat, including the Eden Gardens, which has been reserved for cricket since Salt Lake Stadium opened in 1984. The first ground used by the club was Kumartuli Park in north Kolkata.


title: East Bengal Club

text: The Salt Lake Stadium, also known as "Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan" (VYBK), is a multi-purpose stadium in Kolkata, built in 1984. The stadium is the largest non-auto racing in India. It is currently used mainly for football matches. The stadium includes a unique running track, long jump track, electronic scoreboard, natural turf, floodlighting arrangement, air-conditioned VIP restroom and Conference Hall, Medical Room, and a Doping Control Room. The Salt Lake Stadium hosts the home games of East Bengal in the Indian Super League and the AFC Cup. The total capacity of the stadium is 85,000.


title: East Bengal Club

text: The East Bengal Ground is located in Kolkata and is the club's home. The stadium lies in the Maidan (Kolkata) area on the northern side of Fort William and near the Eden Gardens. This stadium is used mostly for Calcutta Football League matches and by the academy, women's, and hockey teams. The total capacity of the stadium is 23,500.


title: East Bengal Club

text: Barasat Stadium is also used by the club for some regional matches, especially in cases where the Salt Lake Stadium or East Bengal Ground cannot be used. Kanchenjunga Stadium, a multipurpose stadium based in Siliguri, has also been used several times to host club football matches. It also hosted the 2012 Federation Cup. Kalyani Stadium, situated on the outskirts of Kolkata at Kalyani, was used by East Bengal as their home turf during the 2019–20 I-League.


title: East Bengal Club

text: East Bengal Club Reserves is the reserve team of East Bengal Club. It is the most senior level beneath the first team. The team generally consists of under-21 players but at times senior players also play, if recuperating from injury or not getting first team game time. Reserve side currently plays in Calcutta Football League.


title: East Bengal Club

text: East Bengal Academy are the under-18, under-15 and under-13 team of Indian professional football club East Bengal FC. The under-18 team of the club is generally referred to as the primary youth team as it is the last stage of progression for promotion of youth players into the first team. The youth teams participate in the Youth League of various age groups.


title: East Bengal Club

text: The women's football team was formed in 2001 but was disbanded in 2003. It won the Calcutta Women's Football League title in its inaugural season and was runners-up in 2002. In the centenary year, the women's team was relaunched. In the first year of relaunch, the East Bengal women's team became runner's up of the 2020 Kanyashree Cup.


title: East Bengal Club

text: The East Bengal Club Cricket team participates in various tournaments for varying age groups conducted by the Cricket Association of Bengal. Currently, it participates in the CAB First Division League, CAB Senior Knockout, CAB Super League, and JC Mukherjee Trophy. The team plays its home matches mostly at the Eden Gardens and Jadavpur University Campus Ground. They have won around 60 major state-level trophies so far. Kapil Dev, Sachin Tendulkar, Ajay Jadeja, Navjot Singh Sidhu and Sourav Ganguly have played on the team.


title: East Bengal Club

text: This department started after the Independence of India. The club was affiliated with the Bengal Hockey Association and participated in the BHA First Division hockey league and the Beighton Cup. They won 13 trophies. The team was disbanded in 2000. The hockey department was restarted in 2021 with Calcutta Hockey League.


title: East Bengal Club

text: East Bengal has an athletics team, which is affiliated with the West Bengal Athletic Association, and participates in various tournaments of West Bengal. The club also organizes Annual Athletic meets at the club ground.


title: East Bengal Club

text: East Bengal also took part in the inaugural season of e-ISL where the ISL teams competed to play the video game FIFA 22. The club was represented by 2 youngsters, Ankit Gupta and Shayantan Mondal.


title: Allium fistulosum

text: Allium fistulosum, the Welsh onion, also commonly called bunching onion, long green onion, Japanese bunching onion, and spring onion, is a species of perennial plant, often considered to be a kind of scallion.


title: Allium fistulosum

text: The species is very similar in taste and odor to the related common onion, "Allium cepa", and hybrids between the two (tree onions) exist. "A. fistulosum", however, does not develop bulbs, and possesses hollow leaves ("fistulosum" means "hollow") and scapes. Larger varieties of "A. fistulosum", such as the Japanese "negi", resemble the leek, whilst smaller varieties resemble chives. "A. fistulosum" can multiply by forming perennial evergreen clumps. It is also grown in a bunch as an ornamental plant.


title: Allium fistulosum

text: The common name "Welsh onion" does not refer to Wales but derives from a near obsolete use of "Welsh" in the sense "foreign, non-native", as the species is native to China, though cultivated in many places and naturalized in scattered locations in Eurasia and North America.


title: Allium fistulosum

text: Historically, the "A. fistulosum" was known as the cibol. In Cornwall, they are known as chibbles, and in the west of Scotland as sybies or syboes.


title: Allium fistulosum

text: "A. fistulosum" is not indigenous to Wales or particularly common in Welsh cuisine (the green "Allium" common to Wales is the leek, "A. ampeloprasum", the national vegetable of Wales ).


title: Allium fistulosum

text: Other names that may be applied to this plant include green onion, salad onion, and spring onion. These names are ambiguous, as they may also be used to refer to any young green onion stalk, whether grown from Welsh onions, common onions, or other similar members of the genus "Allium" (also see scallion).


title: Allium fistulosum

text: "A. fistulosum" is an ingredient in Asian cuisine, especially in East and Southeast Asia. It is particularly important in China, Japan, and Korea, hence one of the English names for this plant, Japanese bunching onion.


title: Allium fistulosum

text: In the West, "A. fistulosum" is primarily used as a scallion or salad onion, but is more widely used in other parts of the world, particularly East Asia.


title: Allium fistulosum

text: Known as escallion, "A. fistulosum" is an ingredient in Jamaican cuisine, in combination with thyme, Scotch bonnet pepper, garlic, and allspice (called pimento). Recipes with escallion sometimes suggest leek as a substitute in salads. Jamaican dried spice mixtures using escallion are available commercially.


title: Allium fistulosum

text: The Jamaican name is probably a variant of scallion, the term used loosely for the spring onion and various other plants in the genus "Allium".


title: Allium fistulosum

text: The Japanese name is "negi" (葱), which can also refer to other plants of the genus Allium, or more specifically "naganegi" (長葱), meaning "long onion". Common onions were introduced to East Asia in the 19th century, but "A. fistulosum" remains more popular and widespread. It is used in miso soup, "negimaki" (beef and scallion rolls), among other dishes, and it is widely sliced up and used as a garnish, such as on "teriyaki" or "takoyaki".


title: Allium fistulosum

text: In Korea, "A. fistulosum" along with "A." × "proliferum" is called pa (, "scallion"), while common onions are called "yangpa" (, "Western scallion"). Larger varieties, looking similar to leek and sometimes referred to as "Asian leek", are called daepa (, "big scallion"), while the thinner early variety is called silpa (, "thread scallion"). A similar scallion plant, "A." × "proliferum" is called "jjokpa" (). Both "daepa" and "silpa" are usually used as a spice, herb, or garnish in Korean cuisine. The white part of "daepa" is often used as the flavour base for various broths and infused oil, while the green part of "silpa" is preferred as garnish. Dishes using "daepa" include "pa-jangajji" (pickled scallions), "pa-mandu" (scallion dumplings), "pa-sanjeok" (skewered beef and scallions), and "padak" (scallion chicken), which is a variety of Korean fried chicken topped with shredded raw "daepa". Dishes using "silpa" include "pa-namul" (seasoned scallions), "pa-jangguk" (scallion beef-broth soup), and "pa-ganghoe" (parboiled scallion rolls) where "silpa" is used as a ribbon that bundles other ingredients.


title: New (film)

text: New is a 2004 Indian Tamil-language science fiction comedy film directed, written and produced by S. J. Surya, who also features in the lead role alongside Simran. Kiran Rathod and Devayani play supporting roles, while A. R. Rahman composes the music.


title: New (film)

text: "New" is about an 8-year-old boy who is turned into a 28-year-old man by a scientist. New was simultaneously shot in Telugu as "Naani" with Mahesh Babu and Ameesha Patel. The movie's plot is adapted from the 1988 American film "Big" starring Tom Hanks.


title: New (film)

text: Pappu is a mischievous eight-year-old boy who always troubles his mother Indira. He frequently gets scoldings due to his bed-wetting habit despite being an eight-year-old. Pappu's elder brother Kishore plans to watch a porn movie with his friends in his room, to which he insists on joining them. When Kishore refuses and gets rid of him, Pappu cuts off the power out of anger, creating a short circuit at home. Indira scolds Pappu for his dangerous mischief and shouts at her husband for not stopping with one child. Distraught, Pappu runs away from home to end his life near a river, but is stopped by a man who takes him to his place. The man introduces himself as a scientist who has his own laboratory. He insists Pappu to take a medicine invented by him which will transform a boy to a fully-grown man. Pappu agrees, and the scientist transforms him into a young man. Pappu starts to live as a young man physically, but he is childlike psychologically. The only person other than the scientist who knows the truth is his child classmate friend Deepak.


title: New (film)

text: Now an adult, Pappu goes for an interview in a toy manufacturing company under the name of Vichu. The owner interviewing him demands that he empathize children to understand their taste. Since Vichu is a child, he grabs the job easily. Vichu is diverted to the daughter of the owner, Priya, whom Vichu helped her to her feet at an amusement park before. She is surprised and happy to see him in her company, and love blossoms between them. The Priya-Vichu intimacy creates a jealousy for Raj, another employee in the company who intends to woo her and humiliate Vichu. Vichu meets Kishore as an anonymous man and learns that his mother is very depressed and sick following her son's disappearance. She laments for being so strict with him. Vichu realizes his mother's love and goes to the scientist to revert him back to Pappu. The scientist transforms Vichu into Pappu, and he reconciles with his mother. But again at night, he changes back to Vichu, and he immediately rushes to the scientist who does not know what had gone wrong and both of them are shocked at the mishap.


title: New (film)

text: Pappu now lives as an eight-year-old boy during daytime and as a 28-year-old Vichu during the night. Priya expresses her love to him. Vichu tells her to love a man suitable for her age, but reciprocates his love upon the scientist's coercion. One day, Priya tells him to accompany for a matinee show, to which he rejects due to his transformation mishap. Pappu's mother befriends Priya as they are neighbors, and Priya likes the boy Pappu. Priya is angered by Vichu's absence. She angrily hits Vichu and finally decides to marry him. Raj kidnaps Vichu on the day of marriage, but he changes to Pappu during the daytime. The kidnappers release him as they misunderstand of kidnapping a child. Pappu transforms to Vichu and marries Priya at evening time (Hindu marriages are usually held in the morning). Pappu somehow manages his mother by disappearing during nights. Priya longs for a child, so they have sex which results in Priya being pregnant. Vichu/Pappu meets his mother and understands the difficulties of pregnancy, prompting him to take care of his wife with full affection. Deepak demands to buy ice cream but Vichu refuses as has got a tight schedule as a son, employee, and husband. Deepak gets angry, fights with and reveals the truth to Priya that Vichu is Pappu and she is shocked to hear that she is bearing the child of a child. Priya argues with Pappu for ruining her life and making her pregnant, during which he transforms to Vichu in front of her eyes. Vichu blames her for all this and reveals that he started to love her when she got pregnant and he saw his mother in her. Priya now gets into labor pains, and Vichu takes her to the hospital. But on the way, Vichu is stopped by Raj and his men seeking revenge. Vichu fights them and admits her in a hospital. Everybody now learns the truth about Pappu, and Priya gives birth to Pappu's son and she is upset on her fate of being a child's wife.


title: New (film)

text: 20 years pass by. Now Pappu is a real young man of 28 years old. He still lives with Priya as her husband. He goes inside his room as a young man and comes out as the 48-year-old Vichu who is now a husband of a 40-old Priya and father of a 20-year-old son who looks like him. Vichu calls the scientist to find if he had found the remedy for his transformation, which he negates.


title: New (film)

text: The film was first announced by S. J. Surya in 2000, where he reported that Ajith Kumar and Jyothika would play the lead roles in the film, with Kareena Kapoor in a guest appearance. Surya noted that script-writing began in 2001, while production with the final cast began in 2002.


title: New (film)

text: The film was given an "A" certificate (adult rating) by the Indian Censor Board. "New" sold almost 4 million tickets worldwide.


title: New (film)

text: A critic from The Hindu claimed that "belonging to a genre that is rare to our cinema, "New" however, gets bogged down in a mire of duets and double entenders", but hinted at potential success citing that director "seems to have hit the bull's eye."


title: New (film)

text: Women activists in the state of Tamil Nadu demanded a ban on a film after release, which they say contained obscene scenes. S. J. Surya responded by claiming that the scenes are there because the story line requires them and described his film as "fiction laced with adult comedy".


title: New (film)

text: In August 2005, the Madras High Court revoked the censor certificate for the film and directed the Chennai Commissioner of Police to investigate two criminal complaints registered against S. J. Surya. They ruled that the film did not provide a "clean and healthy entertainment" and that it would be failing in its duty if it did not revoke the censor certificate of the film, claiming it originally attained an "A" certificate "under questionable circumstances". Surya was arrested by city police on 22 August 2005 in connection for allegedly throwing a mobile phone at a woman censor board official in a fit of anger during the post-production of the film. According to the complainant, Vanathy Srinivasan, Surya was denied permission to add the "Kumbakonam" song to the film due to excessively obscene scenes and as a result he allegedly threw a mobile phone at her. He was late released without charge. A fresh case was launched in March 2006, with the Censor Board filing a complaint against Surya for using stills from scenes that were deleted from the film, with a poster which showed S.J. Surya resting on Simran's cleavage resurfacing. He was subsequently arrested for the second time before being released.


title: New (film)

text: The soundtrack was composed by A. R. Rahman. In an interview in 2001, Surya earlier stated that Deva had composed ten songs for the film, but he was later replaced by Rahman. director requested Rahman to remix the 1964 hit Tamil song "Thottal Poo Malarum" from the movie "Padagotti" but Rahman was not happy with the idea and next day he came up with completely new and fresh tune.


title: Robert Green

text: Robert Paul Green (born 18 January 1980) is an English former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper. He played in the Premier League and Football League and for the England national team.


title: Robert Green

text: Green made his first-team debut for Norwich City in 1999 and totalled 241 appearances across all competitions for them, making the PFA Team of the Year when they won the First Division in 2003–04. In 2006, he transferred to West Ham United, making the same number of appearances in a six-year spell in which he was their Player of the Year in 2008 and won promotion via the Championship play-offs in 2012. He then moved on a free transfer to Queens Park Rangers, winning the play-offs again in 2014. In July 2016, Green joined Leeds United on a one-year contract. He later joined Huddersfield Town and Chelsea for one year each before retiring in 2019.


title: Robert Green

text: Green represented England at under-16, under-18 and B level. He made his debut for the full England squad in 2005. Green was cut from England's 2006 FIFA World Cup squad due to injury but featured in the 2010 edition, in which he started the competition as England's first choice goalkeeper but was dropped after an error cost England a goal against the United States. He was also in their squad for UEFA Euro 2012.


title: Robert Green

text: Born in Chertsey, Surrey, Green came through the youth system at Norwich City. He made his first-team debut in the First Division on 11 April 1999, keeping a clean sheet in the 0–0 East Anglia derby draw against rivals Ipswich Town at Carrow Road. The first-choice goalkeeper since 1997-1998 remained Andy Marshall — on Marshall's departure in the summer of 2001 Green was able to establish himself as first choice goalkeeper for Norwich.


title: Robert Green

text: He was a star of the 2001–02 season play-off campaign which culminated in a final loss to Birmingham City on penalties.


title: Robert Green

text: By 2003, Green was a key figure in the Norwich team. He played a key role in helping Norwich into the First Division championship in 2003–04 and promotion into the Premier League. The Norwich number one was once again ever present, keeping another 18 clean sheets and conceding just 39 goals in 46 league appearances. Green put in many match winning performances during the season. These man of the match displays included home fixtures with Derby County and Stoke City; he pulled off a save from Gerry Taggart during the latter. Performances of this high standard led to his first England international call up for the friendly in March 2004 versus Sweden. He was also included in the PFA Team of the Year for the season.


title: Robert Green

text: Norwich were relegated into the Championship the following season. Green kept just 6 clean sheets and conceded 77 goals during the Premier League season despite many excellent individual performances. England coach Sven-Göran Eriksson continually picked Green for international squads on merit.


title: Robert Green

text: After relegation Norwich struggled to adjust back to Championship football. It proved to be Green's worst season as Norwich's number one, keeping just seven clean sheets in 42 league appearances. Green missed the last few matches of 2005–06 after he sustained an injury in the warm-up prior to the away fixture against Sheffield Wednesday. In August 2006, Norwich accepted a bid of up to £2 million from West Ham United for Green.


title: Robert Green

text: Green signed a four-year deal with West Ham United, where he teamed up with former Norwich striker, Dean Ashton who had been sold to West Ham in January 2006. Green made his debut for West Ham on 19 October 2006 in a 1–0 defeat against Tottenham Hotspur at White Hart Lane. Two of his best performances were when West Ham won 1–0 against Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium and against Manchester United where he helped his team to a 1–0 win, which preserved West Ham's Premier League status. Green kept nine clean sheets in 26 appearances during the league season.


title: Robert Green

text: In 2007–08, Green saved the first three penalties taken against him. The first, against Kevin Doyle of Reading, the second, Benjani of Portsmouth in injury time, and the third from Tottenham's Jermain Defoe, again in injury time. The streak was ended by James McFadden of Birmingham City on 9 February 2008. He played in every match and was named the West Ham Hammer of the Year with the team finishing in 10th place in the Premier League.


title: Robert Green

text: In 2008–09, Green saved yet another penalty, this time on 30 August 2008 against Jason Roberts of Blackburn Rovers, West Ham then went on to win the match 4–1. Green played all 38 league matches for West Ham in that season, keeping ten clean sheets. And again played in all 38 league matches for West Ham in 2009–10, keeping eight clean sheets and saving yet another penalty, this time from Aston Villa's Ashley Young in a 2–1 victory.


title: Robert Green

text: Green made 44 appearances in all competitions during 2010–11, keeping seven clean sheets. He saved a penalty in a 3–1 victory over Wigan Athletic at Upton Park and then again against Stoke City in a 2–1 FA Cup defeat. On 19 March 2011, Green made a world-class save against Gareth Bale's free kick in the 0–0 draw with Tottenham Hotspur at White Hart Lane. He was named Hammer of the Year as runner-up to Scott Parker.


title: Robert Green

text: Green was sent off for the first time in his club career against Blackpool on 21 February 2012. West Ham, who had not named a substitute goalkeeper in their squad for the match, were forced to play the remainder of the second-half with midfielder Henri Lansbury in goal. They eventually won 4–1. West Ham later won an appeal against the red card leaving Green available to play in their next match. He played 42 of West Ham's 46 match 2011–12 Championship season playing in the play-off final at Wembley Stadium which West Ham United won, sealing their immediate return into the Premier League. In June 2012, after West Ham and Green failed to agree new terms at the end of his contract, joint-chairman David Gold announced Green's departure from the club.


title: Robert Green

text: Green agreed terms with Queens Park Rangers (QPR) on 21 June 2012, and joined on a free transfer on 1 July, on a two-year contract. He made his debut on 18 August 2012 in a 5–0 home defeat by Swansea City. Green played only two more matches for QPR before manager Mark Hughes signed Brazilian international Júlio César; although Green played the next match against Manchester City, this was only because Júlio César's work permit was not complete and the Brazilian started the following match, against Chelsea on 15 September 2012.


title: Robert Green

text: After the sacking of Hughes, new manager Harry Redknapp replaced Julio César with Green at half time during his first match in charge, against Sunderland on 27 November 2012. Green then went on to play the next five matches. before being once again relegated to the bench for most of the next 4 months, only starting three matches between 26 December and 20 April, two FA Cup matches in January then coming on when Júlio César was injured in the victory over Southampton and playing the following match as the Brazilian recovered. Redknapp said following Green's third successive start in the loss to Arsenal that for the remainder of the season he "want[s] to play Rob Green" and that Green "will probably be [his] goalkeeper next season", as he expected Júlio César to be sold over the summer. At the start of 2013–14, Green was named as first choice goalkeeper for the opening matches of the season. Green was a member of the QPR team that won the 2014 Championship play-off Final, 1–0 against Derby County at Wembley Stadium on 24 May 2014.


title: Robert Green

text: After a single season back in the Premier League, QPR were relegated after a 6–0 away defeat to Manchester City on 10 May 2015, Green's fourth relegation from the Premier League. Earlier in the season, on 26 December, he saved an early penalty in an eventual 2–1 loss to Arsenal, as his teammate Eduardo Vargas pointed out which way fellow Chilean Alexis Sánchez was likely to shoot.


title: Robert Green

text: After starting 2015–16 as QPR's first choice goalkeeper, Green was frozen out the starting line-up one match after the arrival of new manager Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink due to a clause in his contract triggering a contract extension if he played 30 Championship matches. With QPR wanting to reduce the wage bill, Green left the club upon the expiry of his contract at the end of 2015–16, after a move to Premier League club Crystal Palace fell through in the January transfer window.


title: Robert Green

text: On 6 July 2016, Green signed a one-year contract with Championship club Leeds United. On 7 August 2016, Green made his Leeds debut against QPR in a 3–0 defeat, in which he failed to punch a ball from a corner leading to a Sol Bamba own goal. Green was the match winner in the next match on 10 August 2016 in the League Cup against Fleetwood Town, when he saved a penalty from Fleetwood's Eggert Jónsson in a 5–4 penalty shoot-out victory after a 2–2 extra-time draw His first clean sheet came on 20 August 2016 in a 2–0 win against Sheffield Wednesday.


title: Robert Green

text: On 20 November 2016, Green committed a high-profile error when he dropped the ball under his crossbar onto the foot of Newcastle United striker Dwight Gayle to tap the ball home in a 2–0 defeat. On 17 December 2016, Green kept his 8th League clean sheet for Leeds, this equalled the tally already for Leeds' clean sheet for the whole of the previous 2015–16 season with goalkeeper predecessor Marco Silvestri.


title: Robert Green

text: After making his 600th league appearance, on 26 February 2017, Green saved a penalty from Sheffield Wednesday striker Jordan Rhodes in Leeds' 1–0 victory. After impressing during his first season at the club, on 18 March 2017, Green signed a new one-year contract at the club.


title: Robert Green

text: Green started the 2017/18 season under new head coach Thomas Christiansen as the club's second choice goalkeeper behind new signing Felix Wiedwald, and made his only appearance of the season on 22 August 2017 in Leeds' 5–1 League Cup victory against Newport County. After the signing of Andy Lonergan on 27 August 2017, Leeds reached a mutual termination the same day with Green to allow him to move to Premier League side Huddersfield Town.


title: Robert Green

text: On 27 August 2017, Green signed for Premier League club Huddersfield Town on a contract until the end of 2017–18, after his contract with Leeds United was mutually terminated. Green failed to make a single first-team appearance for Huddersfield and in May 2018, the club announced that his contract would not be renewed.


title: Robert Green

text: Green signed for Premier League club Chelsea on 26 July 2018 on a one-year contract to provide cover for Thibaut Courtois and Willy Caballero. In March 2019 he spoke about being a third-choice goalkeeper, stating that "you don't get that same motivation" and "there is not the same commitment in a physical or mental sense".


title: Robert Green

text: Despite not even being on the bench for the 2019 UEFA Europa League Final or any other Chelsea game during the season, Green celebrated by lifting the Europa League trophy after Chelsea beat Arsenal 4–1 on 29 May 2019.


title: Robert Green

text: Green earned his first call-up to the full England squad in 2004 while at Norwich. On 31 May 2005, he became the sixth Norwich player to wear the Three Lions shirt when he appeared as a half-time substitute for David James in a 3–2 friendly win against Colombia at Giants Stadium in the United States. Green remained in the England squad despite Norwich having been relegated into the Championship in 2005, and was selected for the England 2006 FIFA World Cup squad. However, he ruptured his groin whilst taking a goal kick during the England B international against Belarus on 25 May. He was replaced in the squad by Liverpool's Scott Carson. The injury not only meant that Green missed the World Cup but also the start of 2006–07 season.


title: Robert Green

text: After a prolonged absence from the international scene, Green was called up for the England "B" match in May 2007 and then named in the senior England squad to face Brazil and Estonia in June 2007. He did not make Fabio Capello's first England team in February 2008. Green showed a sense of humour about the international situation, sporting gloves with 'England's No.6' embroidered on them. He was recalled to the squad in place of the injured Chris Kirkland for England's friendly with France on 26 March 2008. On 6 June 2009 Green made his first England start in their 4–0 win in Almaty against Kazakhstan in a 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifier. He played for England against Croatia on 9 September 2009 with England securing a place in South Africa with a 5–1 victory. On 10 October 2009, he became the first ever England goalkeeper to be sent off, during the penultimate match of qualification against Ukraine, for a professional foul on Artem Milevskyi early in the match. England went on to lose 1–0.


title: Robert Green

text: Green was named in England's squad for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Manager Fabio Capello opted not to name his first choice goalkeeper until the day of England's opening match, against the United States on 12 June, at which point he selected Green to start. With England leading 1–0 in the 40th minute, Green failed to save a long-range shot from U.S. midfielder Clint Dempsey, which bounced off his gloves and into the net. The match ended in a 1–1 draw. Following this error and an unconvincing final training session on 17 June, Green was dropped. He was replaced by David James who played in England's next match, a 0–0 draw against Algeria on 18 June. He did not appear again in the World Cup and was omitted from the first England squad named after the tournament for a friendly against Hungary.


title: Robert Green

text: Green was brought back into the squad for the UEFA Euro 2012 qualifier against Montenegro in October 2010. On 16 May 2012, new England manager Roy Hodgson named Green as part of his 23-man squad for UEFA Euro 2012. On 26 May, he made his first appearance since the World Cup, and kept a clean sheet as England defeated Norway 1–0 in a friendly.


title: Robert Green

text: In the summer of 2008, Green climbed Mount Kilimanjaro during a charity event for AMREF (the African Medical and Research Foundation). He is a fan of Woking and cited the club's long-time custodian Laurence Batty as another goalkeeping inspiration.


title: Robert Green

text: Green stated in an interview with Leeds United that he is studying at the Open University for a BA Hons Business Management Degree in order to have something to focus on after he retires from football.


title: Stop Online Piracy Act

text: The Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) was a controversial proposed United States congressional bill to expand the ability of U.S. law enforcement to combat online copyright infringement and online trafficking in counterfeit goods. Introduced on October 26, 2011 by Representative Lamar Smith (R-TX), provisions included the requesting of court orders to bar advertising networks and payment facilities from conducting business with infringing websites, and web search engines from linking to the websites, and court orders requiring Internet service providers to block access to the websites. The proposed law would have expanded existing criminal laws to include unauthorized streaming of copyrighted content, imposing a maximum penalty of five years in prison.


title: Stop Online Piracy Act

text: Proponents of the legislation said it would protect the intellectual-property market and corresponding industry, jobs and revenue, and was necessary to bolster enforcement of copyright laws, especially against foreign-owned and operated websites. Claiming flaws in existing laws that do not cover foreign-owned and operated websites, and citing examples of active promotion of rogue websites by U.S. search engines, proponents asserted that stronger enforcement tools were needed. The bill received strong, bipartisan support in the House of Representatives and the Senate. It also received support from the Fraternal Order of Police, the National Governors Association, The National Conference of Legislatures, the U.S. Conference of Mayors, the National Association of Attorneys General, the Chamber of Commerce, the Better Business Bureau, the AFL–CIO and 22 trade unions, the National Consumers League, and over a hundred associations representing industries throughout the economy which claim that they are being harmed by online piracy.


title: Stop Online Piracy Act

text: Opponents argued that the proposed legislation threatened free speech and innovation, and enabled law enforcement to block access to entire Internet domains due to infringing content posted on a single blog or webpage. They also stated that SOPA would bypass the "safe harbor" protections from liability presently afforded to websites by the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. Some library associations also claimed that the legislation's emphasis on stronger copyright enforcement would expose libraries to prosecution. Other opponents claimed that requiring search engines to delete domain names violated the First Amendment and could begin a worldwide arms race of unprecedented Internet censorship.


title: Stop Online Piracy Act

text: The move to protest against SOPA and PIPA was initiated when Fight for the Future organized thousands of the most popular websites in the world, including Reddit, Craigslist, and the English Wikipedia, to consider temporarily closing their content and redirecting users to a message opposing the proposed legislation. On January 18, 2012, the English Wikipedia, Google, and an estimated 7,000 other smaller websites ceased standard operation as part of a coordinated service blackout as an attempt to spread awareness and objection to the bill. In many cases, websites replaced the entirety of their main content with facts regarding SOPA and the entity's case against its passing. Boycotts of companies and organizations that support the legislation were organized, along with an opposition rally held in New York City. Google announced the company had collected over 4.5 million signatures opposing the bill in their January petition. In response to the protest actions, the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) stated, "It's a dangerous and troubling development when the platforms that serve as gateways to information intentionally skew the facts to incite their users and arm them with misinformation", and "it's very difficult to counter the misinformation when the disseminators also own the platform." Access to websites of several pro-SOPA organizations and companies such as RIAA, CBS.com, and others was impeded or blocked with denial-of-service attacks which started on January 19, 2012. Self-proclaimed members of the "hacktivist" group Anonymous claimed responsibility and stated the attacks were a protest of both SOPA and the United States Department of Justice's shutdown of Megaupload on that same day.


title: Stop Online Piracy Act

text: Some opponents of the bill support the Online Protection and Enforcement of Digital Trade Act (OPEN) as an alternative. On January 20, 2012, House Judiciary Committee Chairman Smith postponed plans to draft the bill: "The committee remains committed to finding a solution to the problem of online piracy that protects American intellectual property and innovation ... The House Judiciary Committee will postpone consideration of the legislation until there is wider agreement on a solution." The bill was effectively dead at that point.


title: Stop Online Piracy Act

text: Bill 3261 or , was a proposed law that was introduced in the United States House of Representatives on October 26, 2011, by House Judiciary Committee Chair Representative Lamar S. Smith (R-TX) and a bipartisan group of 12 initial co-sponsors. Presented to the House Judiciary Committee, it builds on the similar PRO-IP Act of 2008 and the corresponding Senate bill, the PROTECT IP Act (PIPA).


title: Stop Online Piracy Act

text: The originally proposed bill would allow the United States Department of Justice, as well as copyright holders, to seek court orders against websites outside U.S. jurisdiction accused of enabling or facilitating copyright infringement. A court order requested by the DOJ could include barring online advertising networks and payment facilitators from conducting business with websites found to infringe on federal criminal intellectual-property laws, barring search engines from linking to such sites, and requiring Internet service providers to block access to such sites.


title: Stop Online Piracy Act

text: The bill establishes a two-step process for intellectual property-rights holders to seek relief if they have been harmed by a site dedicated to infringement. The rights holder must first notify, in writing, related payment facilitators and ad networks of the identity of the website, who, in turn, must then forward that notification and suspend services to that identified website, unless that site provides a counter notification explaining how it is not in violation. The rights holder can then sue for limited injunctive relief against the site operator, if such a counter notification is provided, or if the payment or advertising services fail to suspend service in the absence of a counter notification.


title: Stop Online Piracy Act

text: The second section covers penalties for streaming video and for selling counterfeit drugs, military materials, or consumer goods. The bill would increase penalties and expand copyright offenses to include unauthorized streaming of copyrighted content and other intellectual property offenses. The bill would criminalize unauthorized streaming of copyrighted content if they knowingly misrepresent the activity of the site, with a maximum penalty of five years in prison for ten such infringements within six months. The copyrighted content can be removed, and infringements can lead to the site being shut down. In July 2013, the Department of Commerce's Internet Policy Task Force issued a report endorsing "[a]dopting the same range of penalties for criminal streaming of copyrighted works to the public as now exists for criminal reproduction and distribution."


title: Stop Online Piracy Act

text: The bill provides immunity from liability to the ad and payment networks that comply with this Act or that take voluntary action to sever ties to such sites. Any copyright holder who knowingly misrepresents that a website is involved in copyright infringement would be liable for damages.


title: Stop Online Piracy Act

text: Supporters include the Motion Picture Association of America, pharmaceuticals makers, media businesses, and the United States Chamber of Commerce. They state it protects the intellectual-property market and corresponding industry, jobs and revenue, and is necessary to bolster enforcement of copyright laws, especially against foreign websites. They cite examples such as Google's $500 million settlement with the Department of Justice for its role in a scheme to target U.S. consumers with ads to illegally import prescription drugs from Canadian pharmacies.


title: Stop Online Piracy Act

text: Opponents stated that it violated the First Amendment, is Internet censorship, would cripple the Internet, and would threaten whistle-blowing and other free speech actions.


title: Stop Online Piracy Act

text: In October, 2011, co-sponsor Representative Bob Goodlatte (R-VA), chairman of the House Judiciary Committee's Intellectual Property sub-panel, told "The Hill" that SOPA is a rewrite of the Senate's bill that addresses some tech-industry concerns, noting that under the House version of the legislation copyright holders won't be able to directly sue intermediaries such as search engines to block infringing websites and would instead need a court's approval before taking action against third parties.