title: Gary Sánchez

text: On April 8, 2017, Sánchez left the game after straining his right brachialis muscle in the bicep and was placed on the 10-day disabled list. He returned to the Yankees on May 5 after missing 21 games. On June 10, Sánchez hit the hardest home run of his career, a 115.1-mph laser to left-center field against Mike Wright of the Baltimore Orioles. The following day, Sánchez hit the farthest home run of his career, a 450-foot shot off Kevin Gausman of the Orioles. Sánchez was named to the 2017 American League All-Star team, his first, as a reserve. He participated in the 2017 MLB Home Run Derby, upsetting Miami Marlins outfielder and future teammate Giancarlo Stanton 17–16 in the first round before losing to Minnesota Twins third baseman Miguel Sanó 11–10 in the second round. Prior to the competition, Sánchez engaged in a feud with Tampa Bay Rays first baseman Logan Morrison, who stated that Sánchez did not deserve an invitation to the Derby, having hit only 13 home runs so far compared to Morrison's 24. Sánchez responded by saying "It's not my fault he didn't get selected."


title: Gary Sánchez

text: Sánchez played a key role in the Yankees' four-game sweep of the New York Mets by hitting three home runs and throwing out multiple runners trying to steal. On August 23, Sánchez hit two home runs against the Detroit Tigers; the first measured at 493 feet, the second-longest in the majors behind teammate Aaron Judge's 495-foot home run. On August 24, Sánchez hit a home run off of Tigers starter Michael Fulmer in the second inning; it was the fourth home run he had hit in the series and his 27th of the season. In his next at-bat, he was hit by a pitch from Fulmer, presumably in retribution for the home run. This served as a catalyst for a large brawl in which Sánchez threw punches at Tigers players. He was suspended for four games, which was later reduced to three games upon appeal.


title: Gary Sánchez

text: On September 14, Sánchez hit his 31st home run of the season, breaking the record for most homers in a single season by a Yankees catcher, previously held by Yogi Berra (1952, 1956) and Jorge Posada (2003).


title: Gary Sánchez

text: He finished the season batting .278/.345/.531 with 33 home runs, 90 RBIs, 20 doubles, 131 hits, 40 walks and 79 runs scored, and leading the majors in pull percentage (51.6%). On defense, in 2017 he had the best arm strength (87.8) and the third-best average pop time to second base (1.93 seconds) of all major league catchers, but tied for the major league lead in passed balls (16). In the postseason, he batted .208/.218/.415 with three home runs and eight RBIs as the Yankees lost in Game 7 of the ALCS to the Astros. At season's end, Sánchez received the Silver Slugger Award after the season as the best hitting catcher in the American League.


title: Gary Sánchez

text: On April 26, Sánchez hit his first career walk-off, a three-run home run off of Minnesota Twins closer Fernando Rodney as the Yankees won 4-3.


title: Gary Sánchez

text: On June 24, 2018, he injured his groin following an awkward landing at first base. He was placed on the disabled list, allowing backup catcher Austin Romine to fill his place and become the primary catcher. On July 23, after a game against the Tampa Bay Rays, Sanchez was criticized for lack of effort twice during the game. In the bottom of the first inning, a low pitch from Luis Severino bounced off Sanchez’s foot and rolled up the third base line. Sanchez jogged slowly to the ball, and Rays baserunner Jake Bauers took advantage of the lack of effort and scored after an errant throw from Sanchez. In the ninth inning, the Yankees were one run down with a chance to tie the game. Aaron Judge was at third, with Giancarlo Stanton at second, Aaron Hicks at first, and Sánchez up at bat. Sanchez hit a sharp ground ball to Daniel Robertson, who flipped it to Willy Adames, but Hicks hustled enough to be safe at second. Sánchez jogged slowly all the way to first, and Adames noticed, throwing to Bauers to get Sánchez out and end the game. Judge would have scored and tied the game but instead the Yankees lost to the Rays 6-7, due to Sánchez’s lack of hustle. On July 24, Sánchez went on the disabled list again due to re-aggravating the same groin.


title: Gary Sánchez

text: Sánchez finished the 2018 season with a disappointing .186 batting average with 18 home runs and 53 RBIs in 89 games played. On defense, he led the major leagues in passed balls, with 18. During the 2018 off-season, Sánchez underwent shoulder surgery to remove debris from the AC joint.


title: Gary Sánchez

text: On April 7, 2019, Sánchez hit 3 home runs in one game against the Baltimore Orioles. On April 27, 2019, Sánchez hit his first career grand slam against the San Francisco Giants.


title: Gary Sánchez

text: On August 23, 2019, Sánchez hit his 100th career home run against the Los Angeles Dodgers, making him the fastest catcher to hit 100 home runs and fastest player in American League history to hit 100 home runs.


title: Gary Sánchez

text: On September 3, 2019, Sánchez broke his own franchise record by hitting two home runs (number 33 and 34), a winning effort against the Texas Rangers. He now has the two highest single-season home run totals ever for a Yankees catcher, as well as becoming the second with multiple 30-homer years, joining Yogi Berra.


title: Gary Sánchez

text: In 2019, Sanchez dropped his passed balls from the league lead of 18 in 2018 to 7. However on defense he led all major league catchers in errors committed, with 15.


title: Gary Sánchez

text: Sanchez struggled during the 2020 season. In 49 games, he batted .147 with 10 home runs and 24 RBIs. By September, he was benched by manager Aaron Boone and relegated to the backup role. On defense, in 2020 he led all major league catchers in errors, with six.


title: Gary Sánchez

text: On April 3, 2021, during a game against the Toronto Blue Jays, Sanchez became the tenth Yankees player and second Yankees catcher in franchise history to hit a home run in the first two games of the season, behind Elston Howard who achieved the feat in 1963, his MVP year.


title: Gary Sánchez

text: Sanchez's struggles continued in 2021, as he hit .204, but his 23 home runs and 54 RBIs were both improvements from 2020. He had one at-bat in the Wild Card Game against Boston. He was demoted to backup in April amid his struggles, and again in August.


title: Gary Sánchez

text: On March 13, 2022, Sánchez was traded, along with Gio Urshela, to the Minnesota Twins in exchange for Josh Donaldson, Isiah Kiner-Falefa, and Ben Rortvedt.


title: Gary Sánchez

text: He and his wife, Sahaira, have two daughters. Sánchez credits his daughter's birth for his transformation from a player "going through the motions" early in his professional career, to a player lauded for his work ethic.


title: Payday loan

text: A payday loan (also called a payday advance, salary loan, payroll loan, small dollar loan, short term, or cash advance loan) is a short-term unsecured loan, often characterized by high interest rates.


title: Payday loan

text: The term "payday" in payday loan refers to when a borrower writes a postdated check to the lender for the payday salary, but receives part of that payday sum in immediate cash from the lender. However, in common parlance, the concept also applies regardless of whether repayment of loans is linked to a borrower's payday. The loans are also sometimes referred to as "cash advances", though that term can also refer to cash provided against a prearranged line of credit such as a credit card. Legislation regarding payday loans varies widely between different countries, and in federal systems, between different states or provinces.


title: Payday loan

text: To prevent usury (unreasonable and excessive rates of interest), some jurisdictions limit the annual percentage rate (APR) that any lender, including payday lenders, can charge. Some jurisdictions outlaw payday lending entirely, and some have very few restrictions on payday lenders.


title: Payday loan

text: According to a 2007 study by economist Michael A. Stegman, payday loan firms were extremely rare prior to the 1990s, but have grown substantially since then.


title: Payday loan

text: A 2019 study found that payday loans in the United States "increase personal bankruptcy rates by a factor of two ... by worsening the cash flow position of the household." A second 2019 study looking at the UK found that payday loans "cause persistent increases in defaults and cause consumers to exceed their bank overdraft limits."


title: Payday loan

text: The basic loan process involves a lender providing a short-term unsecured loan to be repaid at the borrower's next payday. Typically, some verification of employment or income is involved (via pay stubs and bank statements), although according to one source, some payday lenders do not verify income or run credit checks. Individual companies and franchises have their own underwriting criteria.


title: Payday loan

text: In the traditional retail model, borrowers visit a payday lending store and secure a small cash loan, with payment due in full at the borrower's next paycheck. The borrower writes a postdated check to the lender in the full amount of the loan plus fees. On the maturity date, the borrower is expected to return to the store to repay the loan in person. If the borrower does not repay the loan in person, the lender may redeem the check. If the account is short on funds to cover the check, the borrower may now face a bounced check fee from their bank in addition to the costs of the loan, and the loan may incur additional fees or an increased interest rate (or both) as a result of the failure to pay.


title: Payday loan

text: In the more recent innovation of online payday loans, consumers complete the loan application online (or in some instances via fax, especially where documentation is required). The funds are then transferred by direct deposit to the borrower's account, and the loan repayment and/or the finance charge is electronically withdrawn on the borrower's next payday.


title: Payday loan

text: According to a study by The Pew Charitable Trusts, "Most payday loan borrowers [in the United States] are white, female, and are 25 to 44 years old. However, after controlling for other factors, there are five groups that have higher odds of having used a payday loan: those without a four-year college degree; home renters; African Americans; those earning below $40,000 annually; and those who are separated or divorced." Most borrowers use payday loans to cover ordinary living expenses over the course of months, not unexpected emergencies over the course of weeks. The average borrower is indebted about five months of the year.


title: Payday loan

text: This reinforces the findings of the U.S. Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) study from 2011 which found black and Hispanic families, recent immigrants, and single parents were more likely to use payday loans. In addition, their reasons for using these products were not as suggested by the payday industry for one time expenses, but to meet normal recurring obligations.


title: Payday loan

text: Research for the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation found that a majority of Illinois payday loan borrowers earn $30,000 or less per year. Texas' Office of the Consumer Credit Commissioner collected data on 2012 payday loan usage, and found that refinances accounted for $2.01 billion in loan volume, compared with $1.08 billion in initial loan volume. The report did not include information about annual indebtedness. A letter to the editor from an industry expert argued that other studies have found that consumers fare better when payday loans are available to them. Pew's reports have focused on how payday lending can be improved, but have not assessed whether consumers fare better with or without access to high-interest loans. Pew's demographic analysis was based on a random digit dialing survey of 33,576 people, including 1,855 payday loan borrowers.


title: Payday loan

text: In another study, by Gregory Elliehausen, Division of Research of the Federal Reserve System and Financial Services Research Program at the George Washington University School of Business, 41% earn between $25,000 and $50,000, and 39% report incomes of $40,000 or more. 18% have an income below $25,000.


title: Payday loan

text: In the UK Sarah-Jayne Clifton of the Jubilee Debt Campaign said, "austerity, low wages, and insecure work are driving people to take on high cost debt from rip-off lenders just to put food on the table. We need the government to take urgent action, not only to rein in rip-off lenders, but also to tackle the cost of living crisis and cuts to social protection that are driving people towards the loan sharks in the first place."


title: Payday loan

text: The likelihood that a family will use a payday loan increases if they are unbanked or underbanked, or lack access to a traditional deposit bank account. In an American context the families who will use a payday loan are disproportionately either of black or Hispanic descent, recent immigrants, and/or undereducated. These individuals are least able to secure normal, lower interest rate forms of credit. Since payday lending operations charge higher interest rates than traditional banks (with notable exceptions, e.g., Barclays and Nationwide charge 35% and 39.99%, respectively), they have the effect of depleting the assets of low-income communities. The Insight Center, a consumer advocacy group, reported in 2013 that payday lending cost U.S communities $774 million a year.


title: Payday loan

text: A report from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York concluded that, "We ... test whether payday lending fits our definition of predatory. We find that in states with higher payday loan limits, less educated households and households with uncertain income are less likely to be denied credit, but are not more likely to miss a debt payment. Absent higher delinquency, the extra credit from payday lenders does not fit our definition of predatory." The caveat to this is that with a term of under 30 days there are no payments, and the lender is more than willing to roll the loan over at the end of the period upon payment of another fee. The report goes on to note that payday loans are extremely expensive, and borrowers who take a payday loan are at a disadvantage in comparison to the lender, a reversal of the normal consumer lending information asymmetry, where the lender must underwrite the loan to assess creditworthiness.


title: Payday loan

text: A recent law journal note summarized the justifications for regulating payday lending. The summary notes that while it is difficult to quantify the impact on specific consumers, there are external parties who are clearly affected by the decision of a borrower to get a payday loan. Most directly impacted are the holders of other low interest debt from the same borrower, which now is less likely to be paid off since the limited income is first used to pay the fee associated with the payday loan. The external costs of this product can be expanded to include the businesses that are not patronized by the cash-strapped payday customer to the children and family who are left with fewer resources than before the loan. The external costs alone, forced on people given no choice in the matter, may be enough justification for stronger regulation even assuming that the borrower him or herself understood the full implications of the decision to seek a payday loan.


title: Payday loan

text: Payday lenders have also been criticized for perpetuating a cycle of debt in their users as they leave people with less money overall. While most payday loans advertise themselves as "the solution to life's little surprises", this is rarely the case; 69% of payday loans are taken out to cover everyday recurring expenses such as electricity bills, gas, or groceries. This perpetuates the cycle of debt as payday lenders are more likely to resort to payday loans again once they are charged with the same recurring expense in the next few months.


title: Payday loan

text: In May 2008, the debt charity Credit Action made a complaint to the United Kingdom Office of Fair Trading (OFT) that payday lenders were placing advertising which violated advertising regulations on the social network website Facebook. The main complaint was that the APR was either not displayed at all or not displayed prominently enough, which is clearly required by UK advertising standards.


title: Payday loan

text: In 2016, Google announced that it would ban all ads for payday loans from its systems, defined as loans requiring repayment within 60 days or (in the US) having an APR of 36% or more.


title: Payday loan

text: In August 2015, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) of the United Kingdom has announced that there has been an increase of unauthorized firms, also known as 'clone firms', using the name of other genuine companies to offer payday loan services. Therefore, acting as a clone of the original company, such as the case of Payday Loans Now. The FCA strongly advised to verify financial firms by using the Financial Services Register, prior to participating in any sort of monetary engagement.


title: Payday loan

text: In US law, a payday lender can use only the same industry standard collection practices used to collect other debts, specifically standards listed under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA). The FDCPA prohibits debt collectors from using abusive, unfair, and deceptive practices to collect from debtors. Such practices include calling before 8 o'clock in the morning or after 9 o'clock at night, or calling debtors at work.


title: Payday loan

text: In many cases, borrowers write a post-dated check to the lender; if the borrowers do not have enough money in their account by the check's date, their check will bounce. In Texas, payday lenders are prohibited from suing a borrower for theft if the check is post-dated. One payday lender in the state instead gets their customers to write checks dated for the day the loan is given. Customers borrow money because they do not have any, so the lender accepts the check knowing that it would bounce on the check's date. If the borrower fails to pay on the due date, the lender sues the borrower for writing a hot check.


title: Payday loan

text: Payday lenders will attempt to collect on the consumer's obligation first by simply requesting payment. If internal collection fails, some payday lenders may outsource the debt collection, or sell the debt to a third party.


title: Payday loan

text: A small percentage of payday lenders have, in the past, threatened delinquent borrowers with criminal prosecution for check fraud. This practice is illegal in many jurisdictions and has been denounced by the Community Financial Services Association of America, the industry's trade association.


title: Payday loan

text: The payday lending industry argues that conventional interest rates for lower dollar amounts and shorter terms would not be profitable. For example, a $100 one-week loan, at a 20% APR (compounded weekly) would generate only 38 cents of interest, which would fail to match loan processing costs. Research shows that, on average, payday loan prices moved upward, and that such moves were "consistent with implicit collusion facilitated by price focal points".


title: Payday loan

text: Consumer advocates and other experts argue, however, that payday loans appear to exist in a classic market failure. In a perfect market of competing sellers and buyers seeking to trade in a rational manner, pricing fluctuates based on the capacity of the market. Payday lenders have no incentive to price their loans competitively since loans are not capable of being patented. Thus, if a lender chooses to innovate and reduce cost to borrowers in order to secure a larger share of the market, the competing lenders will instantly do the same, negating the effect. For this reason, among others, all lenders in the payday marketplace charge at or very near the maximum fees and rates allowed by local law.


title: Payday loan

text: In a profitability analysis by "Fordham Journal of Corporate & Financial Law", it was determined that the average profit margin from seven publicly traded payday lending companies (including pawn shops) in the U.S. was 7.63%, and for pure payday lenders it was 3.57%. These averages are less than those of other traditional lending institutions such as credit unions and banks.


title: Payday loan

text: Comparatively the profit margin of Starbucks for the measured time period was just over 9%, and comparison lenders had an average profit margin of 13.04%. These comparison lenders were mainstream companies: Capital One, GE Capital, HSBC, Moneytree, and American Express Credit.


title: Payday loan

text: A study by the FDIC Center for Financial Research found that "operating costs are not that out of line with the size of advance fees" collected and that, after subtracting fixed operating costs and "unusually high rate of default losses", payday loans "may not necessarily yield extraordinary profits."


title: Payday loan

text: However, despite the tendency to characterize payday loan default rates as high, several researchers have noted that this is an artifact of the normal short term of the payday product, and that during the term of loans with longer periods there are frequently points where the borrower is in default and then becomes current again. Actual charge offs are no more frequent than with traditional forms of credit, as the majority of payday loans are rolled over into new loans repeatedly without any payment applied to the original principal.


title: Payday loan

text: The propensity for very low default rates seems to be an incentive for investors interested in payday lenders. In the Advance America 10-k SEC filing from December 2011 they note that their agreement with investors, "limits the average of actual charge-offs incurred during each fiscal month to a maximum of 4.50% of the average amount of adjusted transaction receivables outstanding at the end of each fiscal month during the prior twelve consecutive months". They go on to note that for 2011 their average monthly receivables were $287.1 million and their average charge-off was $9.3 million, or 3.2%. In comparison with traditional lenders, payday firms also save on costs by not engaging in traditional forms of underwriting, relying on their easy rollover terms and the small size of each individual loan as method of diversification eliminating the need for verifying each borrower's ability to repay. It is perhaps due to this that payday lenders rarely exhibit any real effort to verify that the borrower will be able to pay the principal on their payday in addition to their other debt obligations.


title: Payday loan

text: Proponents of minimal regulations for payday loan businesses argue that some individuals that require the use of payday loans have already exhausted other alternatives. Such consumers could potentially be forced to illegal sources if not for payday loans. Tom Lehman, an advocate of payday lending, said:


title: Payday loan

text: These arguments are countered in two ways. First, the history of borrowers turning to illegal or dangerous sources of credit seems to have little basis in fact according to Robert Mayer's 2012 "Loan Sharks, Interest-Rate Caps, and Deregulation". Outside of specific contexts, interest rates caps had the effect of allowing small loans in most areas without an increase of "loan sharking". Next, since 80% of payday borrowers will roll their loan over at least one time because their income prevents them from paying the principal within the repayment period, they often report turning to friends or family members to help repay the loan according to a 2012 report from the Center for Financial Services Innovation. In addition, there appears to be no evidence of unmet demand for small dollar credit in states which prohibit or strictly limit payday lending.


title: Payday loan

text: A 2012 report produced by the American libertarian think tank Cato Institute found that the cost of the loans is overstated, and that payday lenders offer a product traditional lenders simply refuse to offer. However, the report is based on 40 survey responses collected at a payday storefront location. The report's author, Victor Stango, was on the board of the Consumer Credit Research Foundation (CCRF), an organization funded by payday lenders, until 2015, and he received $18,000 in payments from CCRF in 2013.


title: Payday loan

text: A staff report released by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York concluded that payday loans should not be categorized as "predatory" since they may improve household welfare. "Defining and Detecting Predatory Lending" reports "if payday lenders raise household welfare by relaxing credit constraints, anti-predatory legislation may lower it." The author of the report, Donald P. Morgan, defined predatory lending as "a welfare reducing provision of credit". However, he also noted that the loans are very expensive, and that they are likely to be made to under-educated households or households of uncertain income.


title: Payday loan

text: Brian Melzer of the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University found that payday loan users did suffer a reduction in their household financial situation, as the high costs of repeated rollover loans impacted their ability to pay recurring bills such as utilities and rent. This assumes a payday user will rollover their loan rather than repay it, which has been shown both by the FDIC and the Consumer Finance Protection bureau in large sample studies of payday consumers


title: Payday loan

text: Petru Stelian Stoianovici, a researcher from Charles River Associates, and Michael T. Maloney, an economics professor from Clemson University, found "no empirical evidence that payday lending leads to more bankruptcy filings, which casts doubt on the debt trap argument against payday lending."


title: Payday loan

text: The report was reinforced by a Federal Reserve Board (FRB) 2014 study which found that while bankruptcies did double among users of payday loans, the increase was too small to be considered significant. The same FRB researchers found that payday usage had no positive or negative impact on household welfare as measured by credit score changes over time.


title: Payday loan

text: A 2009 study by University of Chicago Booth School of Business Professor Adair Morse found that in natural disaster areas where payday loans were readily available consumers fared better than those in disaster zones where payday lending was not present. Not only were fewer foreclosures recorded, but such categories as birth rate were not affected adversely by comparison. Moreover, Morse's study found that fewer people in areas served by payday lenders were treated for drug and alcohol addiction.


title: Payday loan

text: Prior to 2009 regulation of consumer credit was primarily conducted by the states and territories. Some states such as New South Wales and Queensland legislated effective annual interest rate caps of 48%. In 2008 the Australian states and territories referred powers of consumer credit to the Commonwealth. In 2009 the "National Consumer Credit Protection Act 2009" (Cth) was introduced, which initially treated payday lenders no differently from all other lenders. In 2013 Parliament tightened regulation on the payday lending further introducing the "Consumer Credit and Corporations Legislation Amendment (Enhancements) Act 2012" (Cth) which imposed an effective APR cap of 48% for all consumer credit contracts (inclusive of all fees and charges). Payday lenders who provided a loan falling within the definition of a small amount credit contract (SACC), defined as a contract provided by a non authorised-deposit taking institution for less than $2,000 for a term between 16 days and 1 year, are permitted to charge a 20% establishment fee in addition to monthly (or part thereof) fee of 4% (effective 48% p.a.). Payday lenders who provide a loan falling within the definition of a medium amount credit contract (MACC), defined as a credit contract provided by a non-deposit taking institution for between $2,000–$5,000 may charge a $400 establishment fee in addition to the statutory interest rate cap of 48%. Payday lenders are still required to comply with Responsible lending obligations applying to all creditors. Unlike other jurisdictions Australian payday lenders providing SACC or MACC products are not required to display their fees as an effective annual interest rate percentage.


title: Payday loan

text: Bill C28 supersedes the Criminal Code of Canada for the purpose of exempting Payday loan companies from the law, if the provinces passed legislation to govern payday loans. Payday loans in Canada are governed by the individual provinces. All provinces, except Newfoundland and Labrador, have passed legislation. For example, in Ontario loans have a maximum rate of 14.299% Effective Annual Rate (EAR) ($21 per $100, over two weeks). As of 2017, major payday lenders have reduced the rate to $18 per $100, over two weeks.


title: Payday loan

text: The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) estimates that there are more than 50,000 credit firms that come under its widened remit, of which 200 are payday lenders. Payday loans in the United Kingdom are a rapidly growing industry, with four times as many people using such loans in 2009 compared to 2006 – in 2009 1.2 million people took out 4.1 million loans, with total lending amounting to £1.2 billion. In 2012, it is estimated that the market was worth £2.2 billion and that the average loan size was around £270. Two-thirds of borrowers have annual incomes below £25,000. There are no restrictions on the interest rates payday loan companies can charge, although they are required by law to state the effective annual percentage rate (APR). In the early 2010s there was much criticism in Parliament of payday lenders.


title: Payday loan

text: In 2014 several firms were reprimanded and required to pay compensation for illegal practices; Wonga.com for using letters untruthfully purporting to be from solicitors to demand payment—a formal police investigation for fraud was being considered in 2014—and Cash Genie, owned by multinational EZCorp, for a string of problems with the way it had imposed charges and collected money from borrowers who were in arrears.


title: Payday loan

text: In the United States, the rates of these loans used to be restricted in most states by the Uniform Small Loan Laws (USLL), with 36–40% APR generally the norm.


title: Payday loan

text: Payday loans are legal in 27 states, and 9 others allows some form of short term storefront lending with restrictions. The remaining 14 and the District of Columbia forbid the practice. The annual percentage rate (APR) is also limited in some jurisdictions to prevent usury. And in some states, there are laws limiting the number of loans a borrower can take at a single time.


title: Payday loan

text: As for federal regulation, the Dodd–Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act gave the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) specific authority to regulate all payday lenders, regardless of size. Also, the Military Lending Act imposes a 36% rate cap on tax refund loans and certain payday and auto title loans made to active duty armed forces members and their covered dependents, and prohibits certain terms in such loans.


title: Payday loan

text: The CFPB has issued several enforcement actions against payday lenders for reasons such as violating the prohibition on lending to military members and aggressive collection tactics. The CFPB also operates a website to answer questions about payday lending. In addition, some states have aggressively pursued lenders they felt violate their state laws.


title: Payday loan

text: Payday lenders have made effective use of the sovereign status of Native American reservations, often forming partnerships with members of a tribe to offer loans over the Internet which evade state law. However, the Federal Trade Commission has begun to aggressively monitor these lenders as well. While some tribal lenders are operated by Native Americans, there is also evidence many are simply a creation of so-called "rent-a-tribe" schemes, where a non-Native company sets up operations on tribal land.


title: Payday loan

text: Other options are available to most payday loan customers. These include pawnbrokers, credit union loans with lower interest and more stringent terms which take longer to gain approval, employee access to earned but unpaid wages, credit payment plans, paycheck cash advances from employers ("advance on salary"), auto pawn loans, bank overdraft protection, cash advances from credit cards, emergency community assistance plans, small consumer loans, installment loans and direct loans from family or friends. The Pew Charitable Trusts found in 2013 their study on the ways in which users pay off payday loans that borrowers often took a payday loan to avoid one of these alternatives, only to turn to one of them to pay off the payday loan.


title: Payday loan

text: If the consumer owns their own vehicle, an auto title loan would be an alternative for a payday loan, as auto title loans use the equity of the vehicle as the credit instead of payment history and employment history.


title: Payday loan

text: Other alternatives include the Pentagon Federal Credit Union Foundation (PenFed Foundation) Asset Recovery Kit (ARK) program.


title: Payday loan

text: Payday lenders do not compare their interest rates to those of mainstream lenders. Instead, they compare their fees to the overdraft, late payment, penalty fees and other fees that will be incurred if the customer is unable to secure any credit whatsoever.


title: Payday loan

text: The lenders may list a different set of alternatives (with costs expressed as APRs for two-week terms, even though these alternatives do not compound their interest or have longer terms):


title: Payday loan

text: A minority of mainstream banks and TxtLoan companies lending short-term credit over mobile phone text messaging offer virtual credit advances for customers whose paychecks or other funds are deposited electronically into their accounts. The terms are similar to those of a payday loan; a customer receives a predetermined cash credit available for immediate withdrawal. The amount is deducted, along with a fee, usually about 10 percent of the amount borrowed, when the next direct deposit is posted to the customer's account. After the programs attracted regulatory attention, Wells Fargo called its fee "voluntary" and offered to waive it for any reason. It later scaled back the program in several states. Wells Fargo currently offers its version of a payday loan, called "Direct Deposit Advance", which charges 120% APR. Similarly, the BBC reported in 2010 that controversial TxtLoan charges 10% for seven-days advance which is available for approved customers instantly over a text message.


title: Payday loan

text: Income tax refund anticipation loans are not technically payday loans (because they are repayable upon receipt of the borrower's income tax refund, not at his next payday), but they have similar credit and cost characteristics. A car title loan is secured by the borrower's car, but are available only to borrowers who hold clear title (i.e., no other loans) to a vehicle. The maximum amount of the loan is some fraction of the resale value of the car. A similar credit facility seen in the UK is a "logbook loan" secured against a car's logbook, which the lender retains. These loans may be available on slightly better terms than an unsecured payday loan, since they are less risky to the lender. If the borrower defaults, then the lender can attempt to recover costs by repossessing and reselling the car.


title: Payday loan

text: Many countries offer basic banking services through their postal systems. The United States Post Office Department offered such a service, called the United States Postal Savings System, but it was discontinued in 1967. In January 2014 the Office of the Inspector General of the United States Postal Service issued a white paper suggesting that the USPS could offer banking services, to include small dollar loans for under 30% APR. Support and criticism quickly followed; opponents of postal banking argued that as payday lenders would be forced out of business due to competition.


title: Womanizer (song)

text: "Womanizer" is a song by American singer Britney Spears from her sixth studio album, "Circus" (2008). It was released on September 26, 2008, by Jive Records as the lead single of the album. Produced and written by The Outsyders, the song was re-recorded after a snippet was leaked onto the internet. "Womanizer" is an up-tempo electropop and dance-pop song. Described by Spears as a girl anthem, the song's lyrics recall a womanizing man, while the protagonist of the song makes clear she knows who he really is.


title: Womanizer (song)

text: "Womanizer" received critical acclaim with critics mostly praising its hook, melody and empowering lyrics. Critics also observed it as a stand-out track from the album, while some deemed it a comeback single for Spears. It became a major global success, peaking atop of the charts in Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Norway, Sweden and the United States. It also reached the top ten in every country it charted in also receiving several certifications from several countries. In the United States, "Womanizer" was her first single to reach number-one since "...Baby One More Time" in 1999. The song broke the record for the highest jump to number one at a time which was later broken by Kelly Clarkson's "My Life Would Suck Without You" in 2009. It is also her best-selling digital song in the country, having sold over 3.5 million copies. The song received a nomination for Best Dance Recording at the 52nd Grammy Awards, becoming her second nomination in the category.


title: Womanizer (song)

text: The music video, directed by Joseph Kahn, was created by Spears as a sequel to the music video of "Toxic". It portrays Spears as a woman who disguises herself in different costumes and follows her boyfriend through his daily activities to expose him in the end. The video also contains interspersed scenes of Spears naked in a steam room, as a response to the attacks she had received over the years about her weight. The video was also nominated for two categories at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards, and won for the Best Pop Video.


title: Womanizer (song)

text: The song has been covered by a number of artists from different genres, including Lily Allen, Franz Ferdinand and Girls Aloud. Spears performed "Womanizer" on several television shows including "The X Factor" and "Good Morning America", as well as award shows such as the 2008 Bambi Awards. She has also performed the song at The Circus Starring Britney Spears (2009), the Femme Fatale Tour (2011) and (2013).


title: Womanizer (song)

text: The song was written and co-produced by Nikesha Briscoe and Rafael Akinyemi of the production team, The Outsyders. Spears recorded main vocals with Brendan Dakora at Glenwood Place Studios in Burbank, California and Bojan "Genius" Dugic at Legacy Studios in New York City. Pro Tools engineering was done by John Hanes, assisted by Tim Roberts. On September 19, 2008, a low quality 37 second snippet of the song was posted on the official website of 107.5 The River, a radio station in Lebanon, Tennessee. According to Jive Records, a representative of the label played a rough mix of the song for people at the station, who recorded it and leaked it on the Internet. The snippet was later removed from the website. The song was scheduled to premiere on September 23, 2008, but the release was delayed when Spears went into the studio to re-record some vocals. The new recordings were done with Jim Beanz and Marcella "Ms. Lago" Araica. The song was finally mixed by Serban Ghenea at MixStar Studios in Virginia.


title: Womanizer (song)

text: "Womanizer" is an uptempo electropop and dance-pop song with dark synths that runs through a dance oriented beat. It has been compared to previous Spears' songs such as "Toxic" (2004) and "Ooh Ooh Baby" (2007). It is written in the verse–pre-chorus–chorus form. The track opens with its characteristical sirens.


title: Womanizer (song)

text: According to Ann Powers of the "Los Angeles Times", Spears' "quick-witted" vocals are similar to the style of The Andrews Sisters. It was also noted by "Daily News" writer Jim Farber that Spears' delivery has a "tone of petulance". After the bridge, Spears sings the chorus one more time and the song ends while the beat drops and Spears sings the "you're a womanizer, baby" hook.


title: Womanizer (song)

text: The song is set in a 12/8 time signature and composed in the key of C minor with 139 beats per minute. The chord progression in the song is C#m-F#m-C#m/E-D#7-Dmaj7.


title: Womanizer (song)

text: Lyrically, the song refers to a womanizing man. It has been suggested that the lyrics address Spears' ex-husband Kevin Federline.


title: Womanizer (song)

text: Upon release, "Womanizer" received critical acclaim. Peter Robinson of "The Observer" gave the song the maximum five stars referring to it as a "comeback single" and as having a "genius hook". He added that the song "[has] been called lazy, largely by misinformed people who also think that Kylie's 'la la la's would have been better with proper words". Popjustice compared it to "Some Girls" by Rachel Stevens and added "[The] track lays a really strong foundation for the realised comeback that didn't quite happen last time and it's hard not to think of it as a late contender for single of the year. [...] It's literally quite good". Myrddin Gwynedd of "The New Zealand Herald" said "it's got hit written all over it". On the week of November 24, 2008, the "Derby Telegraph" chose it as single of the week. In the album review, Nekesa Mumbi Moody of "The Providence Journal" said that along with "Shattered Glass", they were "[two] fun disco tracks".


title: Womanizer (song)

text: "USA Today" writer Steve Jones named it one of the standout tracks of the album and commented that "she seems most at ease when she's playing the teasing tart". Talia Kraines of the BBC commented that Spears needed more songs like "Womanizer", saying "Britney 2.0 needs to be full of wild dancefloor driven moves". Simon Price of "The Independent" commented the song borrows its electronic sound from Goldfrapp. Ann Powers of the "Los Angeles Times" complimented Spears' delivery and the lyrics, saying the song is "about the kind of girl power that's focused on besting one obnoxious man, is also vintage and contemporary at the same time – more feminism as individualism". Mike Newmark of PopMatters called the song " a meaty, high-voltage shuffler helmed by the Outsyders, who do an admirable job of recreating the chemistry of Spears and Danja on last year's single 'Gimme More'".


title: Womanizer (song)

text: Jim Farber of the "Daily News" said the pre-chorus was the most repetitive in a pop song since The Shaggs's "Gimmie Dat Ding". Jim Abbott of the "Orlando Sentinel" called it "basically an adult update of her teen-pop tease act". Ian Watson of Dotmusic wrote that Spears sounded "trapped on this single. Not trapped, as in desperate and distraught, but trapped as in literally frozen – like she's been placed into a robot on a production line and she has to sing these words, dance these steps, work it like this, until the spotlight snaps off and the factory's powered down for the night". The song has been nominated for a Grammy Award in the category of Best Dance Recording on December 2, 2009. Spears had previously won the category in the 2005 ceremony for her single "Toxic". However, it lost to Lady Gaga's "Poker Face".


title: Womanizer (song)

text: In the United States, the song entered the "Billboard" Hot 100 at number ninety-six on the issue dated October 18, 2008. The following week, the song jumped to number one breaking the records for largest jump to number one and largest jump to any position in the history of the chart, previously held by T.I.'s "Live Your Life" (feat. Rihanna) and Beyoncé and Shakira's "Beautiful Liar", respectively. The record was later broken by Kelly Clarkson's "My Life Would Suck Without You". It also garnered first-week download sales of 286,000, the biggest opening-week tally by a female artist since Nielsen SoundScan began tracking digital downloads in 2003, surpassing the record previously held by Mariah Carey's "Touch My Body". The record was broken on January 27, 2010, by Taylor Swift's "Today Was a Fairytale". "Womanizer" was Spears' first number one single since her debut "...Baby One More Time" in 1999. On the week of January 3, 2009, the song reached number one on the "Billboard" Pop Songs and number six on Radio Songs. As of July 2009, "Womanizer" was listed at number thirty-nine in the best selling digital songs of all time, with sales over 2,777,600. As of March 2015, "Womanizer" has sold 3.5 million digital downloads in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan. It is Spears' best-selling digital single in the country.


title: Womanizer (song)

text: In Canada, the single topped the Canadian Hot 100 on October 18, 2008, and stayed in the position for five consecutive weeks. "Womanizer" entered the Australian charts on October 13, 2008, at number sixteen. Three weeks later, it peaked at number five. It shipped over 70,000 copies, earning a platinum certification by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA). In New Zealand, the song peaked at number nine on October 27, 2008. The song was certified gold according to the Recording Industry Association of New Zealand (RIANZ), selling over 7,500 copies. The track debuted at number four in the United Kingdom on November 9, 2008, and reached its peak position of number three four weeks later. On January 16, 2009, it was certified silver by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI), with sales over 200,000 copies. According to The Official Charts Company, the song has sold 447,000 copies there. "Womanizer" reached the peak in a number of European countries, including Belgium (Flanders), Denmark, Finland, France, Norway and Sweden. It also reached the top ten in Austria, Belgium (Wallonia), Czech Republic, Germany, Italy, Spain and the Netherlands. In addition, the track became Spears' sixth European number-one single. As of May 2020, "Womanizer" has generated over 202 million streams in the US.


title: Womanizer (song)

text: The music video was filmed on September 24 and 25, 2008 in Los Angeles, directed by Joseph Kahn, who previously worked with Spears for the music videos of "Stronger" and "Toxic".


title: Womanizer (song)

text: According to Kahn, Spears pitched him her original concept, which included all the main elements used in the final version. Spears thought of the video as a sequel to "Toxic", as seen in her documentary "", whereas Kahn approached it as "a 2008 answer" to the previous clip. He added that, "'Toxic' was a crystallization of her career at that time, [...] There are elements and moments of that I felt could [have been] improved. ['Womanizer'] is a bit more fashion-forward". About how the concept of the video related to their previous work, Kahn commented that "It's just a great girl fantasy. There are things she's really good at, like having a really natural knack for knowing what girls want. [...] It's a much more mature sound and much more mature lyrics, and she always has the greatest ideas. She's hyper-aware of pop culture".


title: Womanizer (song)

text: The costumes and looks for each of the different women were chosen by Spears and Kahn. The scenes in the sauna were suggested by Kahn, as a response to the attacks Spears received over the years about her weight. He stated, "I knew that the whole world would be watching, so I wanted something in there that stated, 'This is Britney, this is why you should respect her'". The set was cleared for two hours, leaving her and Kahn alone shooting the sequence. Kahn also decided to end the video with an image of Spears smiling, because "We just needed to tell everybody she's OK".


title: Womanizer (song)

text: A censored version of the music video premiered on October 10, 2008, on ABC's "20/20" at the end of their show. The uncensored version premiered on MTV the same night.


title: Womanizer (song)

text: The video begins with an opening caption that reads "Womanizer". During the introduction, Spears is naked and smiling in a sauna, while covering herself with her hands. These scenes are seen throughout the video. When the first verse begins, the official version of Spears wearing a slip nightgown is making breakfast for her boyfriend (Brandon Stoughton) as he gets ready for work. When he is at the office, he sees a new secretary, which is actually Spears in disguise wearing horn-rimmed glasses and a pencil skirt. She starts dancing in front of him and sings the chorus. She makes him follow her into the photocopier, where she photocopies her buttocks. On the back, a man who appears in the plane scene on "Toxic" can be seen. Then, Spears is disguised as a red-haired, tattooed waitress in a restaurant. She dances around him with her dancers and plays with him over the kitchen counter. After this, her boyfriend is seen getting driven home by Spears, disguised as a chauffeur. She starts to kiss him, driving the car with her heel until both get home. Once they get into the bedroom, Spears reveals that she was the three women he was "womanizing" all along. She then begins attacking her boyfriend. This is shown through Spears as her three alter egos, and then as the real version of herself. Spears throws a blanket over her boyfriend and makes the bed. The video ends with Spears smiling, and a repeat of the opening caption.


title: Womanizer (song)

text: Margeaux Watson of "Entertainment Weekly" said the video "looks promising. [...] The dancing is stiff and minimal, a disappointment since her moves are her strong suit. But this is a welcome return to the Britney we love – gorgeous, gyrating, greased up, and gamely playing the vamp". "OK!" commented that "in addition to seeing Brit in three different sexy getups, the video [...] features an oiled-up Britney writhing around in nothing but a smile". "Rolling Stone" said the video was "a cross between 'Toxic' and "The Office"" and added, "she's dancing [and] looking like the old Britney". Courtney Hazlett of MSNBC claimed "When Spears isn't shown naked and writhing in a steam room, she's fired up". "TV Guide" writer Adam Bryant said that "the music video features some of the most strategically placed hands in music-video history [...] [The] video is quite a return to form for the troubled pop star". The music video for "Womanizer" became a worldwide success right after it premiered on the Internet, gaining seven million viewers in less than 48 hours. The music video was listed as the best video of 2008 in polls by MTV and Fuse TV. It won Music Video of the Year at the 2009 NRJ Music Awards. The video was also nominated for Best Pop Video and Video of the Year at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards. It lost the latter category to Beyoncé's "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)", but won Best Pop Video. "Womanizer" was Vevo certified after it reached 100 million views on YouTube.


title: Womanizer (song)

text: The song was performed for the first time at the Bambi Awards in Germany, on November 27, 2008. For the performance, Spears wore hot pants, fishnet stockings and a black top hat. The ensemble was compared to the costume Madonna wore during the first act of her Sticky & Sweet Tour (2008–2009). Spears was also presented with an award for Best International Popstar by Karl Lagerfeld, who said, "I admire you ... not just for your art, but for your energy. [You are] coming back not only as a phoenix but as a bird of paradise". The following night, Spears performed the song at "Star Academy", with similar choreography and dance moves but wearing a red strapless dress. On November 30, 2008, Spears performed at "The X Factor". The performance was watched by over thirteen million British viewers, making it the most viewed episode in the show's history. On December 2, 2008, she performed the song at "Good Morning America" along with a performance of "Circus". On December 15, 2008, she performed at the Japanese music show "Hey! Hey! Hey! Music Champ". The following day, she performed at "NTV Best Artist 2008" in a black and gold bra, hot pants and a white top hat. She also sported a fake tattooed heart in her cheek.


title: Womanizer (song)

text: The song was a major part in The Circus Starring Britney Spears (2009), as the encore of the show. After a video interlude of Spears's music videos set to "Break the Ice" ended, Spears appeared wearing a police officer uniform designed by Dean and Dan Caten, with black sunglasses, a hat with her trademark logo and sequined handcuffs. Her female dancers were also dressed as policewomen, while her male dancers were dressed as criminals. During the performance, she danced and flirted with the male dancers. At the end of the song, she returned to the main stage while her dancers surrounded her and a shower of sparks fell over them. She thanked the audience and bowed to each side of the arena. She left the stage with an instrumental version of "Circus" playing in the background. Jane Stevenson of the "Toronto Sun" praised the performance for being a standout number in the show.


title: Womanizer (song)

text: "Womanizer" was also performed at the Femme Fatale Tour (2011) as the last song of the fourth act. Following "I Wanna Go", which featured her dancing with members of the audience onstage, Spears performed "Womanizer" while surrounded by her dancers dressed as police officers. Shirley Halperin of "The Hollywood Reporter" stated that "[the] mid-tempo numbers [...] seemed to stall out quickly, where faster offerings like 'Womanizer,' 'I Wanna Go' and 'Toxic' had the sold out crowd jumping in place and pumping their number twos in the air." Ed Masley of "The Arizona Republic" called the back-to-back performances of "I Wanna Go" and "Womanizer" "a triumphant double shot of dance-pop greatness." Keith Caufireld of "Billboard" said the performance "seemed a bit flat after the crowd-wowing 'I Wanna Go.'" Spears is currently performing "Womanizer" as the second song for her Las Vegas residency, at The AXIS theater. She is accompanied by dancers clad in spandex outfits and masks, and walks on their backs.


title: Womanizer (song)

text: The song was later performed in a greatest hits medley, at the 2016 "Billboard" Music Awards. The song was also included in Spears's setlist for the iHeartRadio Music Festival on September 24, 2016. Spears included the song on the set list for the (2017) and Piece of Me Tour (2018).


title: Womanizer (song)

text: "Womanizer" has been covered by many artists from a variety of music genres, as well as a great number of amateurs. Clark Collis of "Entertainment Weekly" explained that "the song has been covered by other artists with an enthusiasm only matched in recent times by musicians' desire to remake Radiohead's 'Creep' in their own image". On December 8, 2008, New Zealand singer Ladyhawke performed a cover at BBC Radio 1's Live Lounge. The song was covered by American band The All-American Rejects on the Yahoo! Music Pepsi Smash show in December 2008. It was performed in an acoustic version, in which the band members played percussions with beer bottles. The cover also included an excerpt from The Turtles's "Happy Together". British singer Lily Allen also covered the song, because "simple really, I love Britney and I love the song". Her cover was a stripped-down version, that according to Nick Levine of Digital Spy, "might provoke those who reckon it doesn't have much of a chorus to revise their opinion". Allen also performed the song as the encore during her 2009 tour. French singer Sliimy cover was deemed as an "indie makeover". He would later be the opening act of the second Paris date at The Circus Starring Britney Spears.


title: Womanizer (song)

text: On April 6, 2009, Scottish band Franz Ferdinand also covered the song at Radio 1's Live Lounge. Lead singer Alex Kapranos claimed "It's been the best song out in the last few months". It was also covered regularly by them during their 2009 American spring tour. The song was performed live by British girl group Girls Aloud during their Out of Control Tour, starting April 24, 2009, and released on their 2009 live album "". "Womanizer" was also covered by Fall Out Boy, among others. "Weird Al" Yankovic also covered this song for part of the polka medley off his 2011 album "Alpocalypse". In the 2012 "Glee" episode "Britney 2.0", actors Melissa Benoist, Alex Newell and Jenna Ushkowitz performed a cover of the song.


title: Womanizer (song)

text: The Italian rock band Måneskin covered "Womanizer" at Coachella 2022, but have gone on to incorporate into their setlist


title: Chandan Roy Sanyal

text: Chandan Roy Sanyal (born 30 January 1980) is an Indian actor who is known for his work in the Hindi and Bengali language films of India. After graduating with a degree in mathematics, he made his acting debut in the 2006 film "Rang de Basanti", in a minor role. He then received critical acclaim for his supporting roles in the 2009 action film "Kaminey" and in his Bengali debut, the 2010 film "Mahanagar@Kolkata". Sanyal then went on to receive recognition for his performances in the 2012 Bengali drama film "Aparajita Tumi" and as an insomniac artist in the 2013 romantic drama "Prague".


title: Chandan Roy Sanyal

text: Born and brought up in Delhi, Sanyal hails from a Bengali family. Chandan studied at Raisina Bengali School and then Zakir Husain College, where he received an honors degree in Mathematics.


title: Chandan Roy Sanyal

text: Sanyal made his debut as Batukeshwar Dutt in 2006's Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra film "Rang De Basanti" but his big break came with Vishal Bhardwaj's 2009 movie "Kaminey" where he got a lot of appreciation from the critics as well as audience.


title: Chandan Roy Sanyal

text: Chandan also did an excellent job in the latest 2012 film "Aparajita Tumi". He has been signed on as one of the two leads in the film "Kaanchi".


title: Fallen (Kate novel)

text: Fallen is the first novel in the "Fallen" series written by Lauren Kate. It is a young adult, fantasy, paranormal romance published in 2009 under Delacorte Press. The novel revolves around a young girl named Lucinda "Luce" Price who is sent to Sword & Cross Reform School in Savannah, Georgia, after she is accused of murdering a boy by starting a fire. At the reform school, she meets Daniel, a handsome boy whom she feels inexplicably drawn to, and believes that she has already met before. The book revolves mostly around the concept of religion, fallen angels and reincarnation.


title: Fallen (Kate novel)

text: "Fallen" is the first in a series of six books, which have sold more than 10 million copies worldwide in more than 30 countries. The novel has been translated into more than 30 languages and has more than 80 cover editions. On December 27, 2009, "Fallen" reached number 3 on "The New York Times" Best Seller list. It was also a "USA Today" Bestseller, an "Indie" Bestseller, and a "Publishers Weekly" Flying Start. It has been made into a feature-length film of the same name under Lotus Entertainment which was released in November 2016.


title: Fallen (Kate novel)

text: Luce is sent to 'Sword and Cross', a reform school for young adults, after she is blamed for the death of Trevor, a boy that Luce once had a small crush on. It is revealed that, although Luce cannot remember what happened exactly, she remembers kissing Trevor at her previous school's summer camp, Dover. After the kiss, Trevor is said to have spontaneously combusted, which leaves her with burned hair. Luce believes herself to be innocent, which angers her disbelieving peers.


title: Fallen (Kate novel)

text: Upon arriving at her new school, Luce encounters a fearsome Randy and shy boy Todd, along with Gabbe, a pretty blonde-haired girl; and Cameron, an attractive looking boy whose second time being sent to Sword and Cross. Cam offers to take Luce to her dorm room, but is abruptly interrupted by Arriane Alter, a self-described psychopath with long black hair. Arriane takes Luce under her wing, which agitates Cam.


title: Fallen (Kate novel)

text: Arriane takes Luce to the outside grounds of the school, and demands that Luce cut her hair in the same style as her own. While working on Arriane's hair, Luce notices a scar on her friend's neck, and a shock band on her wrist. She tells Luce that she will not ask questions of her past, as long as Luce makes the same promise, which she does.


title: Fallen (Kate novel)

text: After Arriane shows Luce around the school, they both head off to their first lesson of the day. As both are waiting outside the classroom, Luce notices a tall, handsome boy across the grounds, and suddenly becomes nervous and panicky, which she doesn't understand. She also feels as if she knows him from somewhere, but cannot think of where. Arriane says his name is Daniel Grigori, and teases her for staring, embarrassing Luce. Standing next to Daniel is Roland Sparks, a boy with dreadlocks. Daniel notices Luce staring at him, and begins to smile back at her before raising his middle finger at her in an aggressive gesture. Luce is shocked and confused at this, but sees him watch her as she leaves for her class.


title: Fallen (Kate novel)

text: Cam meets Luce again in the classroom, and makes further attempts to flirt with Luce. She continues to stress herself out over her encounter with Daniel, which distracts her throughout much of the lesson. After class is over, Luce and Arriane go to the cafeteria for lunch. Luce explains that she is a vegetarian, simply because she does not like the taste of meat. She also notices Daniel in the cafeteria. Losing her nerve, Luce falls backwards, tumbling into Molly Zane, an angry-looking, heavily pierced girl. This angers Molly, and she digs the high-heel of her shoe into Luce's foot before provoking Arriane into a fight. Arriane's shock band on her wrist goes off, causing her to convulse violently, scaring Luce. Randy breaks up the fight, and gives Luce, Arriane and Molly a detention in the school cemetery for the following day. When Randy and Arriane leave, Molly dumps her tray of meatloaf over Luce, and is taunted, all whilst Daniel stares and shakes his head at the whole scene. Luce runs to the bathroom, crying.


title: Fallen (Kate novel)

text: There, she meets Penn, the daughter of the school's deceased groundskeeper who explains that she chooses to stay at the school because she has nowhere else to go. Penn befriends Luce, and helps clean the meatloaf out of Luce's hair. The two instantly bond, and it is revealed that Penn can access anybody's personal records held by the school, telling Luce that she is a "...very powerful friend to have."


title: Fallen (Kate novel)

text: That evening, Luce visits the library, where she meets Miss Sophia, a grey-haired librarian. As Luce wanders through the maze-like library, she begins to see the return of "The Shadows," paranormal, ink-like smudges that Luce has been seeing since childhood. She then sees Daniel sitting by a window with a sketchbook and approaches him. Daniel is rude to her again, and they accidentally touch, causing a static shock. Both look at each other before Daniel quickly leaves.


title: Fallen (Kate novel)

text: The next day, Luce is late for her detention at the cemetery, annoying the rest of the group which consists of Arriane, Molly, Roland, and—much to Luce's surprise—Daniel. The group members are instructed to pair off and clean the cemetery statues. Luce and Arriane start to clean a statue of an "avenging angel," but Arriane runs off after Luce reveals her secret. Molly, after catching Luce staring at Daniel, warns her to stay away from him. Daniel then approaches Luce after "hearing" his name and asks Luce what Molly said. Then the statue breaks and starts falling towards them. Daniel saves Luce from the falling statue, and makes a swift exit.


title: Fallen (Kate novel)

text: Later, Luce is invited to Cam's party, which he does loudly in front of Daniel, signalling some sort of rivalry between the two. Before the party, the students of Sword and Cross are encouraged to watch a film as part of a social practice. Here, Luce encounters another Shadow, which she manages to "pinch" out of her pocket. This scares and also excites Luce, as she has never physically interacted with the Shadows before.


title: Fallen (Kate novel)

text: At the party, Cam greets Luce warmly. Luce begins to develops a crush on Cam, but this is hindered by her constant feeling of an unusual connection with Daniel. Later, Luce overhears Daniel and Gabbe suggestively whispering to each other outside, leading Luce to believe that they are in a relationship and making her jealous.


title: Fallen (Kate novel)

text: The next day, Luce is forced to attend a fitness exam in the gymnasium, which is actually situated in an old church on the school grounds. After Luce loses a swimming race, she sees Daniel in one of the gym rooms, but is aggressively pushed by one of the Shadows before she can approach him. This terrifies Luce, but she eventually goes to Daniel. They awkwardly converse, and Luce tells Daniel that she swears that she knows him from somewhere; Daniel tells her coldly that she does not.


title: Fallen (Kate novel)

text: Afterwards, Luce and Cam have a picnic in the cemetery. Cam is about to kiss Luce as Gabbe interrupts, telling Luce she's late for a class. This fuels Luce's hatred towards Gabbe. In the library, Luce is given an assignment to trace her family tree, but searches for Daniel's instead of her own. Penn later tells Luce that she has noticed her doing this, and offers Luce a look at his personal records. She accepts, and discovers that Daniel was sent to Sword and Cross for jaywalking and petty vandalism.


title: Fallen (Kate novel)

text: On Luce's first Saturday at Sword and Cross, she is hit in the head by a soccer ball. Daniel seems concerned, and takes Luce to cool down outside. Luce confronts Daniel about Gabbe, to which he confirms that he is not in a relationship with Gabbe. This simultaneously relieves and embarrasses Luce for being so upfront about the situation.


title: Fallen (Kate novel)

text: Daniel takes Luce to a hidden-away lake area, where they both swim together before resting on a nearby rock. Here, Daniel warns Luce that he cannot get involved with her romantically as he has been previously "burned" by somebody else. He leaves Luce at the rock, and Luce is confused when she thinks she sees a pair of faint wings on Daniel's back as he runs off.


title: Fallen (Kate novel)

text: Back in the library, Luce bonds with Miss Sophia. During one of her classes on ancient angelic myths, Molly taunts Luce, and makes a connection between the name "Lucifer" and "Luce", angering Luce. At the end of the lesson, Daniel asks Luce if she found the lesson interesting, as the stories have always been in his family. Luce tells Daniel that she is surprised he had a family, which Daniel is angered by, scolding her of presuming things about him. On Daniel's private records, it had claimed that Daniel had spent most of his life in an orphanage.


title: Fallen (Kate novel)

text: Penn later discovers a book in the library called "The Watchers" written "D. Grigori". Cam also gives Luce a necklace, which makes her question herself further as to whom she is drawn to more.


title: Fallen (Kate novel)

text: In the library, a fire breaks out after Luce witnesses more Shadows. With her in library is Todd, who flees with Luce. Unable to make it out of the smoke, Luce experiences an apparent out-of-body experience, where she can feel herself literally flying out of the smoke and into fresh air. Another Shadow attacks her and Todd, and Luce blacks out.


title: Fallen (Kate novel)

text: Luce wakes up in the hospital the next day, and is pampered by Gabbe, Penn, and Arriane. Gabbe then tells Luce that it was Daniel that carried her out of the fire, but Todd was killed after breaking his neck trying to escape. Luce spots Daniel waiting outside her room with a worried face, some peonies, and mouths, "I'm sorry," to her.


title: Fallen (Kate novel)

text: Two days later, a memorial service for Todd is held at Sword and Cross. Cam tries again to make advances towards Luce, and comforts her over Todd's death, which she cannot help but feel partially responsible for. Daniel interrupts Cam and Luce, and takes her back to the lake area and the rock. Daniel expresses his feelings of anger towards Cam, and tells Luce that she deserves better than him. Back on the rock, Luce talks to Daniel about the Shadows she sees, which he is shocked by. A near-kiss between Luce and Daniel leaves Luce on her own at the rock again, as Daniel flees out of sight, leaving a purple haze behind him. This alarms Luce, but she dismisses it as something explainable.


title: Fallen (Kate novel)

text: Cam takes Luce on a date outside of the school grounds. However, when they enter the bar, they are set upon by drunken men. Cam easily defeats them, showing strength that is inhuman. Shortly after this, Daniel talks to Luce, explaining what is happening at the school, with the bizarre characters and almost supernatural occurrences. The majority of the people at the reform school are fallen angels; Gabbe (a beautiful girl who turns out to be the Angel Gabriel), Arriane and Annabelle (who initially passes herself off as Arriane's sister) are all on the side of God; whilst Cam, Roland (a black angel who is known for getting contraband) and Molly (a heavily pierced gothic girl) are under Satan's rule. Daniel has yet to choose a side. It is revealed that Daniel is cursed to love Luce. When he gets too close to her emotionally, she spontaneously combusts, dying before her eighteenth birthday. However, in this lifetime she has remained alive, despite him revealing this and despite a kiss that they share. It soon comes to light that Luce was not baptised in this lifetime, so if she dies, she will not be reincarnated.


title: Fallen (Kate novel)

text: A battle between the angels commences, and the school librarian, Miss Sophia, leads Luce and Penn (the only mortals) away from the battle. Once they are safe indoors, Miss Sophia reveals herself to be one of the 24 Elders of Zhsmaelim, a radical heavenly sect that is interested in finally tipping the balance between good and evil (by making Daniel choose a side). She hopes that with Luce dead and gone for good, Daniel would be forced to choose a side. She kills Penn with a dagger and attempts to do the same to Luce, but she is stopped in time by Daniel, Arriane and Gabbe. The battle outside is over, with no victor. Daniel informs Luce that she must be taken somewhere safe and entrusts her to Mr. Cole, one of the teachers at the school who knows about the fallen angels. Luce is transported away by an airplane after sharing one final kiss with Daniel, who promises that he will see her soon.


title: Fallen (Kate novel)

text: Other characters include Mr Cole, who is one of the teachers to actually know about the Fallen Angels at the school, Luce's parents (who are clueless about Luce's past lives) and Annabelle, Arianne's sister, another Fallen Angel who chose the side of God.


title: Fallen (Kate novel)

text: The series is six books long. The second book, "Torment", was released on September 28, 2010. The third book, "Passion", was released on June 14, 2011. The fourth book, "Rapture", was released on June 12, 2012. Also released on January 24, 2012 was a side novel "Fallen In Love" which settles between the settings of "Passion" and "Rapture". The sixth book, "Unforgiven", was released on November 10, 2015. Original music was released to accompany the book.


title: Fallen (Kate novel)

text: A film based on the novel, starring Addison Timlin, Jeremy Irvine, Harrison Gilbertson, and Joely Richardson, was released November 10, 2016.


title: Fallen (Kate novel)

text: A TV series based on the novels begun principal photography in fall 2022. The adaptation stars Alexander Siddig, Sarah Niles, Jessica Alexander, Gijs Blom and Timothy Innes. It is set to be released on Brazilian streaming service Globoplay sometime in 2023.


title: Blockade

text: A blockade is the act of actively preventing a country or region from receiving or sending out food, supplies, weapons, or communications, and sometimes people, by military force.


title: Blockade

text: A blockade differs from an embargo or sanction, which are legal barriers to trade rather than physical barriers. It is also distinct from a siege in that a blockade is usually directed at an entire country or region, rather than a fortress or city and the objective may not always be to conquer the area.


title: Blockade

text: While most blockades historically took place at sea, blockades are also used on land to prevent entrance of an area. For example, Armenia is a landlocked country that Turkey and Azerbaijan blockade. Thus, Armenia cannot conduct international trade through those countries, and mainly trades through Georgia. This restricts the country's economic development.


title: Blockade

text: A blockading power can seek to cut off all maritime transport from and to the blockaded country; although stopping all land transport to and from an area may also be considered a blockade. Blockades restrict the trading rights of neutrals, who must submit for inspection for contraband, which the blockading power may define narrowly or broadly, sometimes including food and medicine. In the 20th century, air power has also been used to enhance the effectiveness of the blockade by halting air traffic within the blockaded airspace.


title: Blockade

text: Close patrol of hostile ports, in order to prevent naval forces from putting to sea, is also referred to as a blockade. When coastal cities or fortresses were besieged from the landward side, the besiegers would often blockade the seaward side as well. Most recently, blockades have sometimes included cutting off electronic communications by jamming radio signals and severing undersea cables.


title: Blockade

text: Although primitive naval blockades had been in use for millennia, the first successful attempts at establishing a full naval blockade were made by the British Royal Navy during the Seven Years' War (1754–1763) against France. Following the British naval victory at Quiberon Bay, which ended any immediate threat of a major invasion of Britain, Britain established a close blockade on the French coast. This starved French ports of commerce, weakening France's economy. Admiral Edward Hawke took command of the blockading fleet off Brest and extended the blockade to cover the entire French Atlantic coast from Dunkirk to Bordeaux, and also to Marseilles on France's Mediterranean coast.


title: Blockade

text: The strategic importance of blockade was shown during the French Revolutionary Wars and Napoleonic Wars, when the Royal Navy successfully blockaded France, leading to major economic disruptions. The Union blockade of southern ports was a major factor in the American Civil War During World War I, the Allies blockaded the Central Powers, depriving them of food and other strategic materials. Germany's attempted U-boat blockade caused some shortages in Britain, but ultimately failed. This outcome was repeated in World War II.


title: Blockade

text: Naval strategic thinkers, such as Sir Julian Corbett and Alfred Thayer Mahan, wrote that naval conflicts were won primarily by decisive battles, and but also by blockade.


title: Blockade

text: A "close" blockade entails placing warships within sight of the blockaded coast or port, to ensure the immediate interception of any ship entering or leaving. It is both the most effective and the most difficult form of blockade to implement. Difficulties arise because the blockading ships must remain continuously at sea, exposed to storms and hardship, usually far from any support, and vulnerable to sudden attack from the blockaded side, whose ships may stay safe in harbor until they choose to come out.


title: Blockade

text: In a "distant" blockade, the blockaders stay well away from the blockaded coast and try to intercept any ships going in or out. This may require more ships on station, but they can usually operate closer to their bases, and are at much less risk from enemy raids. This was almost impossible prior to the 16th century due to the nature of the ships used.


title: Blockade

text: A "loose" blockade is a close blockade where the blockading ships are withdrawn out of sight from the coast (behind the horizon) but no farther. The object of loose blockade is to lure the enemy into venturing out but to stay close enough to strike.


title: Blockade

text: British admiral Horatio Nelson applied a loose blockade at Cádiz in 1805. The Franco-Spanish fleet under Pierre-Charles Villeneuve then came out, resulting in the Battle of Trafalgar.


title: Blockade

text: Until 1827, blockades, as part of economic warfare, were always a part of a war. This changed when France, Russia and Britain came to the aid of the Greek rebels against Turkey. They blockaded the Turkish-occupied coast, which led to the battle of Navarino. War was never declared, however, so it is considered the first "pacific" — i.e. peaceful — blockade. The first truly pacific blockade, involving no shooting at all, was the British blockade of the Republic of New Granada in 1837, established to compel New Granada to release an imprisoned British consul.


title: Blockade

text: Since 1945, the United Nations Security Council determines the legal status of blockades and by article 42 of the UN Charter, the council can also apply blockades. The UN Charter allows for the right of self-defense but requires that this must be immediately reported to the Security Council to ensure the maintenance of international peace.


title: Blockade

text: According to the not ratified document San Remo Manual on International Law Applicable to Armed Conflicts at Sea, 12 June 1994, a blockade is a legal method of warfare at sea but is governed by rules. The manual describes what can never be contraband. The blockading nation is free to select anything else as contraband in a list, which it must publish.


title: Blockade

text: The blockading nation typically establishes a blockaded area of water, but any ship can be inspected as soon as it is established that it is attempting to break the blockade. This inspection can occur inside the blockaded area or in international waters, but never inside the territorial waters of a neutral nation. A neutral ship must obey a request to stop for inspection from the blockading nation. If the situation so demands, the blockading nation can request that the ship divert to a known place or harbour for inspection. If the ship does not stop, then the ship is subject to capture. If people aboard the ship resist capture, they can be lawfully attacked.


title: Blockade

text: Whether or not a blockade was seen as lawful depended on the laws of the nations whose trade was influenced by the blockade. The Brazilian blockade of Río de la Plata in 1826 during the Cisplatine War, for instance, was considered lawful according to British law but unlawful according to French and American law. The latter two countries announced they would actively defend their ships against Brazilian blockaders, while Britain was forced to steer for a peaceful solution between Brazil and Argentina.


title: Blockade

text: There are a number of protest actions with the specific aim of cutting off material, people or communications from a particular area, either in part or totally. The effectiveness of such blockades rely on the participation of people and lock-on techniques.


title: Blockade

text: A sit-down strike is a form of civil disobedience in which an organized group of workers, usually employed at a factory or other centralized location, take possession of the workplace by "sitting down" at their stations, effectively preventing their employers from replacing them with strikebreakers. A nonviolent picket is another example; it also illustrates the specificity of the blockade. Pickets may demand the blocking of some traffic while allowing other traffic; e.g. workers but not the customers, or customers but not workers.


title: Blockade

text: The Mau movement was a nonviolent movement for Samoan independence from colonial rule during the early 1900s. Amongst other actions, participants formed their own "police force", picketing stores in Apia to prevent the payment of customs to the authorities.


title: Blockade

text: Some other examples are the perimeter blockade by human chain at Greenham Common Women's Peace Camp, the blockade of the Franklin River dam site, and the Keystone Pipeline.


title: Blockade

text: Blockade running is the practice of delivering cargo (food, for example) to a blockaded area. It has mainly been done by ships (called blockade runners) across ports under naval blockade. Blockade runners were typically the fastest ships available and often lightly armed and armored.


title: Blockade

text: However, it is now also been done by aircraft, forming airbridges, such as over the Berlin blockade after World War II.


title: Marcelo Ríos

text: Marcelo Andrés Ríos Mayorga (; born 26 December 1975) is a Chilean former world No. 1 tennis player. Nicknamed ""El Chino"" ("The Chinese") and ""El zurdo de Vitacura"" ("The Lefty from Vitacura"), he became the first Latin American player to reach the top position on the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) singles rankings in March 1998, holding the spot for six weeks. He also held the top ranking in juniors. At , Ríos is the shortest man to hold the number 1 ranking in men's tennis.


title: Marcelo Ríos

text: Ríos was the first player to win all three clay-court Masters Series tournaments (Monte Carlo, Rome, and Hamburg) since the format began in 1990. He was also the third man in history (after Michael Chang and Pete Sampras) to complete the Sunshine Double (winning Indian Wells and Miami Masters in one year), which he achieved in 1998. Despite winning those five Masters titles, Ríos is also the only man in the Open Era to have been world No. 1 without ever winning a Grand Slam singles tournament. His best major result was as runner-up at the 1998 Australian Open, losing to Petr Korda in straight sets.


title: Marcelo Ríos

text: Ríos retired early from professional tennis in July 2004, after being overtaken by a back injury. He played his last ATP Tour level tournament while only 27 years old at the 2003 French Open.


title: Marcelo Ríos

text: Ríos turned professional in 1994, finishing 1997, 1998, and 1999 as a top-ten player. Ríos won a total of 18 top-level singles titles and one top-level doubles title during his career.


title: Marcelo Ríos

text: Ríos began playing tennis at the age of 11 at the "Sport Francés" golf club in Vitacura (Greater Santiago), adjacent to his house.


title: Marcelo Ríos

text: Ríos reached the semifinals of the junior French Open in 1993 without dropping a set, where he was defeated by Roberto Carretero-Diaz in straight sets, and won the junior US Open in 1993 while only dropping one set during the entire tournament. He also won his first Satellite tournament in Chile.


title: Marcelo Ríos

text: This was Ríos' first year being a professional player and he quickly began to acquire international fame after his participation at Roland Garros, where in the second round, at just 18 years of age, he faced Pete Sampras, fighting a hard battle eventually to lose 6–7, 6–7, 4–6. His left-handed ability, plus his novel long hair and backwards visor, drew the attention of the media. The same year he won his first Challenger in Dresden, Germany.


title: Marcelo Ríos

text: In May 1995, aged 19, Ríos won his first tournament title in Bologna defeating Marcelo Filippini of Uruguay 6–2, 6–4, and breaking into the world's top 50 for the first time. Then in June, he won at Amsterdam in both singles (against Jan Siemerink, 6–4, 7–5, 6–4) and doubles (with Sjeng Schalken) and won the tournament in Kuala Lumpur against Mark Philippoussis 7–6, 6–2. He also reached the final of his home country's ATP tournament in Santiago. Ríos ended the year ranked No. 25 in the world.


title: Marcelo Ríos

text: His achievements this year included excellent performances in the Masters Series (then called Super 9) tournaments. He reached the quarterfinals in Masters Series of Stuttgart and Rome, and the semifinals in Indian Wells, Monte Carlo, and Canada. In Sankt Pölten, Austria, he won his fourth career title by defeating the Spaniard Félix Mantilla 6–1, 6–4. Ríos again reached the final in Santiago, and also reached the finals in Barcelona and Scottsdale. For much of the year Ríos would be ranked in the top 10, becoming the first Chilean in history to do so. He finished the year ranked number 11.


title: Marcelo Ríos

text: In 1997 for the first time in Ríos' career he reached the quarterfinals of a Grand Slam tournament at the Australian Open and again at the US Open. He also won his first Masters title at Monte Carlo; after a first round bye, he beat Andrea Gaudenzi, Albert Costa, Carlos Moyá, Magnus Larsson, and, in the final, Àlex Corretja, 6–4, 6–3, 6–3. Two weeks later, he lost in the final of the Rome Masters against the same Spaniard. Other successes for the year included the quarterfinals (again) in the Stuttgart Masters and the finals in Marseille, Boston, and (for the third time) in Santiago. Ríos had a very consistent 1997 season, being the only player to reach the fourth round or better on all Grand Slams. Ríos went as high as No. 6 during the year, and ended the year in the top ten for the first time, being No. 10.


title: Marcelo Ríos

text: The year 1998 brought the peak of his career, when he reached the No. 1 spot in the world. He won the tournament (the first of the year) in Auckland, New Zealand, against Richard Fromberg, then reached the final of the Australian Open, beating Grant Stafford, Thomas Enqvist, Andrew Ilie, Lionel Roux, Alberto Berasategui and Nicolas Escudé before losing to Petr Korda in a lopsided 2–6, 2–6, 2–6 that lasted 1 hour and 25 minutes. The following months brought successes such as the title of the Super 9 (the current Masters Series) at Indian Wells, where he defeated British Greg Rusedski in the final.


title: Marcelo Ríos

text: The consummation came in the final at Key Biscayne, Florida, under the guidance of his coach Larry Stefanki. After victories over Hendrik Dreekmann, Tommy Haas, and Goran Ivanišević, Ríos beat Thomas Enqvist in the quarterfinals and Tim Henman in the semifinals. In the final on 29 March, Ríos defeated Andre Agassi 7–5, 6–3, 6–4. In Chile, thousands of people took to the streets to celebrate the triumph of the first Chilean, Latin and indeed Spanish speaking player to reach the sport's No. 1 ranking, grabbing the position from Pete Sampras (who had maintained 102 consecutive weeks at No. 1, and five years ending the season as the leader). In the days ahead, there was a crowded reception leading Ríos to then president Eduardo Frei Ruiz-Tagle on La Moneda Palace, with around 10,000 people cheering at the palace's surroundings. Ríos' No. 1 ranking lasted four weeks; he lost it after being unable to defend the title at Monte Carlo because of an injury suffered in the Davis Cup while defeating Hernán Gumy in Buenos Aires, Argentina. In May, he reached the quarterfinals of the French Open losing to eventual champion Carlos Moyá.


title: Marcelo Ríos

text: In June, at Wimbledon, Ríos was upset at first round by Francisco Clavet. On 10 August, however, Ríos recovered the No. 1 spot for another two weeks. In September, he lost at third round of the US Open to Magnus Larsson. During this season, Marcelo also won the Rome Masters against Albert Costa by walkover in the final, Sankt Pölten beating Vincent Spadea, the Grand Slam Cup against Andre Agassi, and Singapore against Mark Woodforde. Furthermore, he reached the quarterfinals of the Stuttgart Masters and Paris Masters. Ríos in 1998 won seven titles, including three Masters Series titles, and reached the final of the Australian Open. On 27 July of that year, he reached the maximum number of points achieved throughout his career: 3719 (by the scoring system used prior to the year 2000). He ended the year ranked No. 2 behind Pete Sampras, who topped the world rankings for a sixth consecutive year.


title: Marcelo Ríos

text: Ríos maintained a high level throughout 1999, although his game was interrupted by repeated injuries and surgeries. This prevented him from defending the points achieved by reaching the final of the Australian Open the previous year, so he fell several places in the rankings. He reached the final of the Monte Carlo Masters, but after trailing 4–6, 1–2, he had to retire due to a new injury, handing the tournament to Gustavo Kuerten. Ríos subsequently won the Hamburg Masters in a match that lasted more than four hours against Mariano Zabaleta; two weeks later he became champion in Sankt Pölten for the second consecutive time against the same Argentine, who, this time, had to retire during the first set at 4–4. In October, he won at Singapore and reached the final in Beijing, losing to Magnus Norman. He also reached the quarterfinals at Roland Garros and the Stuttgart Masters. Despite many injuries he suffered and surgeries he underwent, Ríos would complete his third consecutive year as a top-ten player, at world No. 9.


title: Marcelo Ríos

text: Since 2000 until the end of Ríos' career on the main tour, he was not able to keep up his level of play to the standards he set in the 1990s, as it was marked by repeated and disabling injuries. He still won the tournament of Umag, Croatia beating the Argentine Mariano Puerta in the final. He also reached the semifinals at the Hamburg Masters losing to Marat Safin. Ríos finished the year No. 37 in the world.


title: Marcelo Ríos

text: In 2001, Ríos won the first tournament of the year in Doha. However, his performance in the following tournaments was weaker, weakened by an ankle operation, which resulted him to drop out of the top 50 in the world for the first time since he was a teenager. In September Ríos won another title, this time in Hong Kong, defeating Rainer Schüttler in the final. Ríos decided to return in October to play a Challenger event in Santiago and defeated Edgardo Massa in the final, in an effort to end his curse of not winning an ATP tournament at his home country. He also reached a doubles final in Scottsdale. Ríos ended the year as No. 39 in the world.


title: Marcelo Ríos

text: In early 2002, Ríos had some good results, but a back injury prevented him from continuing the season successfully. It was the same injury that he had had two operations with already, and finally prevented him from returning to a competitive level. His best results were the quarterfinals at the Australian Open, the semifinals at the Miami Masters, and the final in the Stockholm tournament playing the Paradorn Srichaphan. Ríos would finish top 25 in the world for the first time since 1999 at No. 24, but without managing to recover from injuries that beset him since late 1999.


title: Marcelo Ríos

text: In Viña del Mar tournament (formerly Santiago tournament) Ríos reached the final, losing to Spaniard David Sánchez. This was the fourth of the four finals he participated and lost in his home country. However, representing Chile together with Fernando González and Nicolás Massú, he won the World Team Cup in Düsseldorf. The same year he also won silver medals in singles and doubles with Adrián García in the 2003 Pan American Games. In May, Ríos played his last ATP-level match, losing in the first round at Roland Garros to Mario Ančić, retiring at 1–6, 0–1. In 2003, Ríos played very few tournaments, in most of which he had to withdraw. This resulted him ending the year as No. 105 in the world, his worst year-end ranking on the main tour yet.


title: Marcelo Ríos

text: In 2004, six years after claiming the world No. 1 ranking, and after a long absence from the tour, Ríos returned to competition with a victory at a Challenger Series tournament in Ecuador. He played his last competitive match in early April 2004 at a Challenger in San Luis Potosí, Mexico, where he retired in the round of 16.


title: Marcelo Ríos

text: Finally, on 16 July 2004, after years of constant injuries—and at just 28 years old—Ríos announced his retirement from tennis during a press conference in Santiago. He organized a farewell tour across his home country, travelling through several cities, meeting with fans, offering tennis clinics, and playing friendly matches with international and local tennis players such as Petr Korda and Goran Ivanišević. The tour ended on 22 December 2004, at a soccer stadium in Santiago, where he played his final tennis match of his career on the main tour against Guillermo Coria.


title: Marcelo Ríos

text: In 2015, it was announced that the Chile Tennis Federation and Ríos himself were to request a probe by the International Tennis Federation into his 1998 Australian Open final opponent Petr Korda's possible doping activity during the tournament.


title: Marcelo Ríos

text: Following successful elbow surgery in November 2018, Ríos announced a comeback as part of his desire to become the oldest ever winner of a Challenger tournament, though his plans ultimately did not come to fruition.


title: Marcelo Ríos

text: On 29 March 2006, Ríos, aged 30, debuted on the ATP Champions Tour, a tour for former tour players, having met the requirement of at least two years after retirement. At his first tournament on the tour in Doha, Qatar, he defeated Thomas Muster, Henri Leconte, Pat Cash, and Cédric Pioline to claim the title. The following week he repeated, this time winning the crown in Hong Kong, where he won the final against Muster. Ríos won six tournaments in a row, adding Algarve, Graz, Paris and Eindhoven to the above. His inclusion on the senior circuit caused mild controversy, as he was significantly younger than many of his fellow competitors. He ended the year as No. 1, winning a total of six tournaments and holding a winning streak of 25 matches, achieving the record of being the only player in history to be No. 1 in the world as a junior, professional and veteran.


title: Marcelo Ríos

text: He actually intended to return to the ATP Tour in February at the Viña del Mar tournament (Movistar Open), but he defaulted because of the same back injury that made him retire from the tour.


title: Marcelo Ríos

text: On 30 March 2007, Ríos played an exhibition match in the Movistar Arena against Andre Agassi, both as a way to commemorate the match where Ríos rose to world No. 1 and as a way of having the American play in Chile.


title: Marcelo Ríos

text: In 2008, Ríos came back to veteran's tour where he won the tournaments in Barcelona and Algarve. On 22 June 2008, he was defeated by Pete Sampras in the final of a seniors tournament in São Paulo, Brazil. Ríos ended the year as No. 3 in the veteran's world rankings.


title: Marcelo Ríos

text: On 24 June 2008, Ríos defeated Sampras in an exhibition match that commemorated the 10-year anniversary of having reached the No. 1 ranking in the world.


title: Marcelo Ríos

text: Ríos was born in Santiago, Chile to Jorge Ríos Jarvis, an engineer and businessman, and Alicia Mayorga, a teacher. He has an older sister, Paula.


title: Marcelo Ríos

text: Ríos met Costa Rican Giuliana Sotela in September 1998 while he was training at the Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy in Florida. Ríos and Sotela got married in December 2000 in Santiago. They have a daughter, Constanza, who was born in June 2001. In March 2004, the marriage ended in divorce, which legally took place in Costa Rica, as Chile did not allow married couples the right of divorce until November 2004. During 2004, Ríos worked as a sports commentator for a radio station in Chile.


title: Marcelo Ríos

text: In April 2005, Ríos married model María Eugenia "Kenita" Larraín, a former fiancée of football player Iván Zamorano. The couple subsequently experienced a very public break-up in September of the same year after an incident in Costa Rica in which Larraín was injured when Ríos allegedly threw her out of his car while he was driving to visit his daughter. Ríos claimed that marrying Larraín was "the biggest mistake of my life.". Ríos had previously been in a relationship with Larraín's cousin, Patricia Larraín, from 1995 to 1998.


title: Marcelo Ríos

text: In May 2008, Ríos married Paula Pavic. They have five children together, daughter Isidora (born December 2008), daughter Colomba (born June 2010), and also triplets, which are a son named Marcelo jr. and two daughters named Antonella and Agustina (all born December 2011).


title: Marcelo Ríos

text: In March 2008, on the tenth anniversary of Ríos reaching the No. 1 ranking, journalist Nelson Flores published a book in Spanish titled "El extraño del pelo largo (The strange man with long hair)", recounting his experiences following the player from his junior days up to his ascent to the top of the ATP singles ranking.


title: Marcelo Ríos

text: In May 2014, Ríos said in an interview to "El Mercurio" that he could have Asperger syndrome. On 17 November 2016, he confirmed in an interview to Chilevisión that he was diagnosed with Asperger twice in his life, as a child and during a Davis Cup tie, but he did not care that much until the 2014 interview.


title: Marcelo Ríos

text: "Davis Cup matches are included in the statistics. Walkovers are neither official wins nor official losses."


title: Marcelo Ríos

text: "At the 1998 ATP Tour World Championships (Tennis Masters Cup), Ríos withdrew at round robin stage after playing the first match. He was replaced by then world No. 11 Greg Rusedski."


title: Centrelink

text: The Centrelink Master Program, or more commonly known as Centrelink, is a Services Australia master program of the Australian Government. It delivers a range of government payments and services for retirees, the unemployed, families, carers, parents, people with disabilities, Indigenous Australians, students, apprentices and people from diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds, and provides services at times of major change. The majority of Centrelink's services are the disbursement of social security payments.