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COVID-19_pandemic_in_Nepal

# Background ## COVID-19 pandemic The ongoing pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The outbreak was first identified in Wuhan city, Hubei, China, in December 2019 and recognised as a pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO) on 11 March 2020 [11]. As of 23 February 2024, 2024-02-23 cases of COVID-19 have been reported, resulting in 7,026,534 reported deaths [12]. Many people have recovered, although there may be a possibility of reinfection [1]. The case fatality rate was estimated to be 4 per cent in China, but varies significantly between countries [13] [14] [15]. Common symptoms include fever, cough and shortness of breath. Complications may include pneumonia and acute respiratory distress syndrome [17]. The time from exposure to onset of symptoms is typically around five days, but may range from two to fourteen days [18]. There is no known vaccine or specific antiviral treatment [17] [19]. Primary treatment is symptomatic and supportive therapy [20]. Recommended preventive measures include hand washing, covering one's mouth when coughing, maintaining distance from other people, and monitoring and self-isolation for people who suspect they are infected. Authorities worldwide have responded by implementing travel restrictions, quarantines, curfews, workplace hazard controls, and facility closures. [20] [22]. The pandemic has led to severe global economic disruption, the postponement or cancellation of sporting, religious, political and cultural events, and widespread shortages of supplies exacerbated by panic buying [23] [24]. Schools, universities and colleges have closed either on a nationwide or local basis in 63 countries, affecting approximately 47 per cent of the world's student population [25] [26]. Misinformation about the virus has spread online [27]. Due to reduced travel and closures of heavy industry, there has been a decrease in air pollution and carbon emissions [28] [29]. ## Nepal Nepal is a landlocked country with China in the northern side and India in the east, west and south. Nepal shares a 1,414 kilometres (879 mi) border with Tibet Autonomous Region, in the Himalayas. China is Nepal's second-largest trading partner [32]. Nepal has an 1,800-km open border with India in the east, west and south [33]. Nepal lies in South Asia, one of the least developed and most densely populated world regions, that performs poorly in education as well as health care and sanitation metrics. As such, Nepal was considered one of the highest risk areas for the pandemic, and also one of the least prepared. However, WHO later re-classified Nepal to less at risk from its initial classification as "Very Vulnerable" [34] [35] [36] [37] [38]. According to The Kathmandu Post, before the pandemic, hospitals in Nepal had few ICU beds (just three in Teku Hospital) which were almost always occupied, with people in critical condition usually having to wait for the beds to become empty. It reported doctors as saying that it would be next to impossible to admit new patients to ICU as soon as they need them. Teku Hospital, the only one designated for handling infectious diseases, had built an isolation ward during the avian influenza outbreak a decade ago, but had never brought it into use, as it did not have experts to evaluate or maintain the required standards [40]. As news of a new infectious disease in China broke, concerns were raised in Nepal over the high potential risk, the need to implement preventive measures and a severe lack of necessary medical equipment and infrastructure. According to Baburam Marasini, former director of Epidemiology and Disease Control Division, Nepal lacked double-cab ambulances to transport highly infectious patients safely, isolation wards in hospitals, or biosafety level-3 or better laboratories needed to test for highly infectious diseases. # Timeline The first COVID-19 case in Nepal was confirmed on 23 January in a 32-year-old man who had returned from China on 9 January. The patient had shown mild symptoms, and was confirmed recovered when he tested negative on 29 and 31 January [42]. Though a few suspected patients were treated in the makeshift isolation ward of Teku Hospital, no new cases were reported until the last week of March [43] [44]. Nepal focused its efforts on planning, prevention and preparation.. In the third week of March, Nepal began to see a significant influx of people from India as India saw increase in new cases throughout the country. A noticeable outflux of people from the Kathmandu Valley was reported [45]. The second case was confirmed on 23 March in a young woman who had recently flown to Kathmandu from France via Qatar [46] [47]. A nationwide lockdown was implemented on 24 March [48]. By 4 April, six additional cases had been recorded in people who had recently returned from abroad. The same day, the first case of local transmission was confirmed; a relative of one of the patients confirmed that day also tested positive. The figures nearly doubled on a single day on 17 April, when 12 Indian nationals from Delhi, quarantined in a mosque in Bhulke of Udayapur, tested positive for the disease. Increased testing in the Bhulke area discovered 16 new cases within a week [50]. Only four new patients were found in Bhulke in the following weeks; the first case outside Bhulke was confirmed on 14 May in a journalist from Gaighat Bazaar who had reported from Bhulke and attended other coronavirus-related events, bringing the total in Udayapur to 33 [51] [52]. On 30 April, the total number of confirmed cases stood at 57; 16 of them had been discharged from hospitals after recovery. Banke district recorded its first case on 1 May. Contact-tracing in the district discovered 22 new patients by 5 May [54]. Parsa district, which had found seven cases of the disease in the preceding months, recorded 17 new cases on a single day on 5 May [55]. Two youths who had been quarantined in Kapilvastu, having returned from Mumbai, tested positive for the disease on 6 May [56]. By 11 May, Kapilvastu had a total of 15 cases; the district was sealed off for a week [57]. The neighbouring district of Rupandehi which had recorded its first case on 30 April, also emerged as a hotspot [58] [59]. With Jhapa and Rautahat also recording more than 20 cases each, and isolated cases throughout the country, Nepal's coronavirus tally doubled almost every week in May – it was at 59 on 1 May, but had reached 1042 on 28 May.. The first COVID-19 death in Nepal was that of a 29-year-old postnatal woman from Sindhupalchok on 14 May. # Response Sukraraj Tropical and Infectious Disease Hospital is the designated primary hospital for the treatment of COVID-19; isolation wards, makeshift hospitals and quarantine centres have been established throughout the country. Nepal Public Health Laboratory in Kathmandu was the only laboratory capable of testing for the disease as of 15 March; laboratory capabilities were later expanded to other major cities. [citation needed] The Epidemiology and Disease Control Division devised its own treatment protocol in early February, based on the one developed by UN Health Agency, and directed all private hospitals to strictly follow the guidelines. On 29 February, the government formed a high level committee to prevent and control the spread of COVID-19 under the leadership of Deputy Prime Minister Ishwar Pokhrel. On 20 March, the Health Ministry instructed public employees to report on weekends as well, and not leave the Kathmandu Valley [61]. The government declared a Rs 500 million fund with contributions of a month's salary from government ministers [62]. It also increased the allowances for health workers working at the front desks of hospitals by 50–100% [63]. The Minister of Health declared that all patients of COVID-19 would be rescued as necessary and provided free treatment. ## Hospitals On 23 January, Dr. Bashudev Pandey, director of Teku Hospital, was quoted as saying that the hospital was on high alert, while three other hospitals – Nepal Police Hospital, Patan Hospital and Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital – would also treat the disease. Six beds in Teku Hospital had been allocated for isolation of suspected patients [66]. By 4 February, national capacity for treating coronavirus was at 43 beds [67]. By 21 March, Gandaki Province had set up 111 isolation beds [68]. A meeting of the high-level coordination committee for prevention and control of COVID-19 on 17 March decided to add 115 ICU and 1,000 isolation beds in the Kathmandu Valley. It also instructed the provincial governments to set up a total of 120 ICU beds. On 20 March, the Health Ministry decided to halt non-urgent health check-ups and surgeries until 12 April in hospitals in the Kathmandu Valley with 50 or more beds [70]. On 21 March, the Health Ministry informed that private hospitals with more than 100 beds would not be allowed to refer patients to other hospitals; they were required to treat suspected patients, wait for test results and provide free treatment if the disease were confirmed [71]. ## Quarantines The passengers and crew of the flight that evacuated the stranded from Hubei in mid-February were quarantined for two weeks at Kharipati in Bhaktapur. On 21 March, around sixty passengers from COVID-19 affected countries that landed on Tribhuvan International Airport were sent to quarantine at Kharipati, Bhaktapur; they had not presented any symptoms [73]. ## Testing The first case was confirmed by testing done in Hong Kong. Nepali public laboratories did not have the reagents required for testing, which cost around Rs 17,000 per test and need to be bought in bulk. As there were no other suspected cases needing testing, the officials elected to send the samples to Hong Kong. The first tests inside Nepal were conducted at the bio-safety level-2 labs of the National Public Health Laboratory on 27 January [75]. Reagents sufficient for 100 tests were borrowed from the Centre for Molecular Dynamics, and test kits were provided by the World Health Organisation. As of 23 March, the day Nepal confirmed the second case, 610 tests had been performed at the National Public Health Laboratory. Testing capabilities were expanded to BP Koirala Institute of Health Sciences, Dharan on 29 March, and to Pokhara on 31 March . By 6 April, the testing capabilities had been expanded to all seven provinces; a total of 10 laboratories were operational, four in Bagmati Province and one each in the other six . They were in Dharan, Janakpur, Kathmandu, Dhulikhel, Hetauda, Chitwan, Pokhara, Bhairahawa, Surkhet and Dhangadi. On 10 April, Koshi Hospital, Biratnagar, became capable of testing for COVID-19 . Five thousand Rapid Diagnostic Test (RDT) kits were distributed to each of the provinces; around 500 RDTs were performed in three districts on the first day. On 11 April, Bir Hospital and Teku Hospital began performing tests for COVID-19; RDT kits reached all 77 districts . Most of the Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) testing done until then had been limited to quarantined recent arrivals to the country, and individuals identified via contact-tracing; the arrival of RDTs allowed more liberal use of the testing services . By 14 April, more RDTs than PCR tests had been performed. ## Health-desks and checkpoints On 17 January, urged by the WHO, Nepal began screening passengers arriving in Tribhuvan International Airport from China, Thailand and Japan, the three countries with multiple confirmed cases. Eight people staffed the health desk [83]. The airport did not have infrared scanners and was therefore using thermal scanners as preparations were being made to install the infrared ones. The passengers who showed fever were being asked to remain in contact and visit the hospitals if they showed additional symptoms. By 4 February, health desks had been setup in Pokhara, Chitwan and Bhairahawa. By the first week of February, Districts bordering India began setting up health desks at border crossings [68]. By the end of February, the health desk at Tribhuvan International Airport was screening passengers from China, South Korea, Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, Japan and Saudi Arabia, but did not have sufficient manpower and equipment to screen all new arrivals. A total of six infrared scanners had been setup; the only thermal scanner had yet to be repaired, but plans were underway to purchase three more. Passengers were not being asked to fill locator forms that would make it possible to track them down later [61]. On 21 March, Kathmandu city launched a central help desk and a toll-free 24-hour hotline [86]. ## Travel restrictions and border closures On 28 January, Nepal closed down the Rasuwagadhi border with China, bringing Nepal-China trade to a complete halt. Nepal announced suspension of visa-on-arrival service for nationals of five countries badly affected by COVID-19 – China, South Korea, Japan, Italy and Iran – to be enforced from 7 to 30 March, although the implementation date was later reported to be 10 March [89] [90] [73]. From 2 March, the visitors coming from or via countries with multiple cases of the disease were required to submit a health certificate. Health checkpoints began to be established at all major entry points from India, and third country citizens were allowed to cross from select border check-points only. The government issued a travel advisory against non-essential travel to countries hardest hit by the disease, including China, Iran, South Korea, Japan and Italy [91]. Nepal decided to suspend on-arrival tourist visa for all countries, with an exception to diplomatic and official visas, to last from 14 March until 30 April. The government closed land border entry points for third country nationals, and cancelled all mountain climbing expeditions including on Mount Everest, to be enforced from 14 March to 30 April. It also declared two-week mandatory self- and home-quarantines for everyone visiting Nepal. By the third week of March, the land-border checkpoints with China began releasing imported goods following quarantine procedures as cases in China began to drop. The government banned all passengers, including Nepalis, from EU and the UK, West Asia and the Middle East as well as Malaysia, South Korea and Japan, effective from 20 March until 15 April [94]. [citation needed]. All international flights were stopped from 22 March and vehicular movement on long routes were closed from 23 March. Nepal Tourism Board announced the suspension of issuance of trekking permits [95] [96]. Nepal decided to close its land border with India and China for a week effective from 23 March [97]. ## Lockdown On 19 March, the government declared suspension of all classes and postponement of all academic examinations including the Secondary Education Examination until 12 April, the end of the Month of Chaitra, the last month of Nepali calendar year when all schools hold the final examinations [98]. Tribhuvan University and the Public Service Commission also postponed all their examinations [99]. All government services and private offices except those providing essential services were closed. The House of Representatives meeting was postponed [95] [96]. The National Assembly was suspended indefinitely [101]. A full-bench meeting of the Supreme Court presided over by the Chief Justice decided to halt all non-urgent proceedings in courts across the country [102]. On 23 March, Kailali District declared an indefinite lock-down effective from 2 pm. Arghakhanchi District also declared an indefinite lock-down [105]. The country-wide lockdown came into effect on 24 March [106]. There were only two confirmed cases from 610 RT-qPCR tests and no fatalities when the government introduced nationwide lockdown but these number increased to 17,994 positive cases and 40 deaths at the end of lockdown. The spatial distribution clearly shows that the cases were rapidly spreading from the southern part of the country where most points of entry and exit from India are located [109]. ## Public awareness On 21 March, the Metropolitan Traffic Police Division deployed 200 of its personnel to display placards with awareness messages about the disease by the roadside. ## Evacuations Nepal evacuated 175 people, mostly students, who had been stranded across Hubei, on 16 February, using a Nepal Airlines chartered aeroplane and placed them in a 14-day quarantine at Kharipati in Bhaktapur [111] [112]. Although 180 Nepalis had applied for immediate evacuation from China by 2 February, the effort took almost two weeks, as the government struggled to meet WHO's evacuation standards, and to find a suitable venue for quarantine. The government was criticised for its slow response; a Public interest litigation was filed at the Supreme Court, while the locals around the designated quarantine site in Bhaktapur protested the government's decision which they viewed as endangering to the local community [113]. On 19 February, the Health Ministry reported that all of the evacuees had tested negative [114] [115] [116] [117]. Rescue of tourists stranded throughout Nepal was initiated in the final week of March. By 28 March, hundreds of tourists had been rescued and brought to Kathmandu; many were being repatriated via chartered flights [120]. ## International response After the first case in South Asia was confirmed in Nepal on 23 January, bordering districts of India were reported to be in high alert, and medical personnel had been deployed to various entry points along the Indo-Nepal border. By the end of February, India started screening passengers from Nepal and making masks compulsory for all visiting Nepalis [122]. It was also screening Nepalis travelling into India by land, at various checkpoints at the border [123]. India declared suspension of all passenger movement through Indo-Nepal border, except a few designated checkpoints—Banbasa, Raxaul, Ranigunj and Sunauli —with intensified health inspections, effective from 15 March [124] [125]. In March, Germany pledged an additional one million Euros to its existing health programmes in Nepal to help combat the disease. The US government pledged $1.8 million to Nepal [127]. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi proposed starting the SAARC COVID-19 Emergency Fund for the SAARC region; he also said India could share a Disease Surveillance Software with SAARC partners, and hinted at the possibility of conducting coordinated research on controlling epidemic diseases in the SAARC region [128]. # Controversies Teku hospital discharged two suspected patients in the morning of 27 January without waiting for test results even though the results were due later that same day, raising concerns over its handling of the crisis. The Health Ministry said it would start using police to guard suspected patients after a Saudi national admitted to Teku Hospital fled from isolation in mid-February [76]. Although 180 Nepalis had applied for immediate evacuation from China by 2 February, the effort took almost two weeks, as the government struggled to meet WHO's evacuation standards, and to find a suitable venue for quarantine. The government was criticised for its slow response; a Public interest litigation was filed at the Supreme Court, while the locals around the designated quarantine site in Bhaktapur protested the government's decision which they viewed as endangering to the local community [113]. While giving a speech in Parliament on Tuesday, the prime minister of Nepal K.P Oli quoted that "the COVID-19 coming from India is more lethal than those from China and Italy". During the 2021 Mount Everest climbing season, the Nepalese Government did not officially acknowledge any cases of COVID on Everest, despite climbers testing positive and noting a lack of mitigation measures to prevent outbreaks in the South Base Camp, prompting concerns about a cover-up of the true scale of the problem. # Impact The tourism sector has been reported to be suffering due to the absence of Chinese tourists, as well as the various travel restrictions imposed on travel globally. Manufacturing sector is experiencing a shortage of raw materials, most of which used to come from China. The situation is exacerbated by spread of the pandemic to the Middle-east which is the main source of remittance that makes up more than half of Nepal's GDP. Remittances were expected to sharply drop after Nepal suspended issuance of workers permit to Nepalis for all countries. The wholesale and retail sector has also been affected due to fall of imports from China [134]. The construction sector which imports most of its building materials from China has slowed down. As the Chinese contractors and workers who went home for the Chinese new year could not return, the public construction projects have also been affected. The domestic airlines were reported to be struggling for survival as ticket prices dropped to half or a third of normal following a sharp decline in demand [135] [136] [137]. Number of international flights to and from Nepal had decreased by more than 50% by 13 March [138]. As emigration for foreign employment came to a halt, airlines were forced to suspended flights to several labour destinations [139]. Nepal's import-dependent economy is also vulnerable to depreciation of Indian currency to which its currency is permanently pegged, as Indian economy suffers the impact of the pandemic [140]. 20,000 tour, trek and mountaineering guides lost their livelihood when mountaineering was suspended [141]. The annual Holi celebrations, which fell on 9 and 10 March in 2020 saw decreased activities, low business and cancellation of organised celebrations. Nepal had declared 2020 as the Visit Nepal Year and aimed to bring in two million foreign tourists, almost double the figure from previous year. As the pandemic spread and Nepal had to suspend air travel to and from China, the biggest source of international tourists arriving by air, Nepal suspended its promotional campaigns. The temporary blanket ban on animal markets imposed by China as a response to the pandemic is expected to curb wildlife poaching and trafficking through Nepal, as the Chinese traditional medicine which uses various body parts of endangered animals as its ingredients has been the biggest challenge to wildlife conservation in the region. ## Social life In the beginning of March, the government urged the general public to avoid large gatherings. On 18 March, the government shut down all cinema halls, gymnasiums, museums and cultural centres, and banned gatherings of more than 25 people in public spaces including at places of worship [147]. ## Law enforcement In March, the Metropolitan Traffic Police Division suspended breathalyser tests as well as educational classes for drivers found breaking traffic rules. Nepal Police established coronavirus response units in all its stations and decided not to make arrests for minor offences [149]. In March, the Office of the attorney General asked the Police to release people held for minor crimes under bail or parole to reduce crowding [150]. ## Foreign employment In late February, Nepal suspended labour migration to South Korea. On 8 March, Qatar imposed a temporary ban on arrivals from Nepal and other countries, affecting almost 40,000 labour migrants with valid work permits who were yet to leave [152]. In mid-March, labour permits for all countries were suspended indefinitely, including to workers who were back home on holiday [140]. The government also suspended issuance of no objection letters to students going for abroad study. ## Shortages and black marketing By the first week of February, Nepal reported a shortage of face masks, as people hurried to buy them. Districts bordering India began setting up health desks at border crossings [154]. The government was forced to seek help from the UN, having failed to procure masks and protective gear due to global shortages [84] [85]. In early March, due to a severe shortage of face-masks and protective gear as well as increase in price following a ban on export in China and India, some hospitals were reported to be sewing plain clothes masks as a precaution [123]. A shortage of hand sanitisers was also reported [155]. The department of Commerce, Supplies and Consumer Protection conducted raids on 161 firms and fined 57 of them, a total of around four million Rupees in the month of Falgun (February–March). It inspected multiple pharmacies and surgical shops in Kathmandu on 5 March and fined a total of Rs 430,000 for hiking prices and other offences [157]. On 10 March, four pharmacies were fined a total of Rs 800,000 after they were caught charging 1000% of normal price for surgical masks [158]. Some groceries and LPG stores were also inspected. One million units of face masks were confiscated from a warehouse in Kathmandu and the owner arrested on 18 March, bringing the total of masks confiscated in the week past to 2.3 million. Around 50,000 units of hand-sanitisers were also confiscated from the black market. Around two dozen black marketeers had been arrested. As the outflux of people from Kathmandu intensified, 23 transport entrepreneurs and workers were arrested on 20 March for overcharging the passengers [159]. ## Essential drugs Nepal's pharmaceutical industry has been impacted due to lack of raw materials as a number of essential ingredients were previously imported from Hubei. Nepal faced the prospect of a potential shortage of essential medicines when India imposed restrictions on export of 26 types of raw materials including of essential medicine citing disruption in the supply chain from Hubei; however India later agreed to relax restrictions in case of Nepal, and asked the Nepalese government to provide a list of names and quantities of essential medicines that it needed to supply to Nepal [135]. ## Misinformation On 21 March a 20-year-old man was arrested on charges of spreading misinformation online through an unregistered fake news website and causing public fear, after audio tapes alleging cover-up of COVID-19 cases were found circulating online. The same day, Nepal Army dispelled rumours circulating in social media that claimed Army helicopters were being used to spray disinfectants over settlements at midnight [162]. ## Poaching Poachers in Nepal took advantage of slack monitoring and sparse public movement during the COVID-19 lockdown and the country saw a surge in killings of wildlife under the shadow of the coronavirus pandemic. In the first ten days of the countrywide lockdown, three critically endangered gharial were killed within the vicinity of Chitwan National Park, while an endangered Asiatic elephant was found electrocuted in the Bardiya National Park. On 27 March 2020, gunfire was exchanged between about 10–11 poachers and the park rangers assisted by the military at the Parsa National Park [164]. A 37-year-old poacher died, a Nepali Army officer was injured and a 45-year-old man end up being arrested after the shooting. In late April, six Himalayan musk deer (Moschus leucogaster), which are listed as endangered by IUCN, were found dead inside the Sagarmatha National Park [165]. About 54 wire traps were put up by the poachers near Namche Bazaar and one of them even snared a Golden eagle. Nine people were arrested by Solukhumbu District Police in connection to the musk deer killings. Sagarmartha National Park also encountered the illegal cuttings of Laligurans (Rhododendron arboreum), the national flower of Nepal [166]. ## Event cancellations The Sagarmatha Sambad programme scheduled for April was also postponed. Everest Premier League, the domestic T20 cricket tournament was postponed indefinitely [91]. # Statistics # Data The table below documents the daily growth and change of laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 cases, deaths, and recoveries and real-time RT-qPCR tests in Nepal, since the first confirmed case on 23 January 2020:.

The detailed Wikipedia page on the COVID-19 pandemic in Nepal provides an extensive overview of the situation, including the background, response, controversies, and the impact on various aspects of the nation. COVID-19, a global pandemic caused by the novel SARS-CoV-2 virus, originated in Wuhan, China, and was declared a pandemic by the WHO in March 2020. As a neighboring country with significant trade and open borders with both China and India, Nepal was at high risk, exacerbated by its limited healthcare infrastructure. Initially classified by WHO as "Very Vulnerable," Nepal's status was later downgraded as the risk assessment changed. The first COVID-19 case in Nepal was confirmed on 23 January 2020. As the cases began to rise, largely due to an influx from India, Nepal imposed a nationwide lockdown on 24 March, which led to a variety of public health and economic responses. Nepal's government took measures such as enhancing testing, establishing quarantine and isolation facilities, including makeshift hospitals, and setting up health checkpoints. Hospitals, particularly Teku Hospital, were designated for treating COVID-19 patients, though the resources were strained. Border closures and travel restrictions with India and China were implemented to curb the spread of the virus, impacting trade and movement significantly. Controversies arose regarding the handling of suspected cases, quarantine measures, and evacuation procedures, including criticism of the government's slow response to evacuate Nepali citizens from China and allegations of a lack of transparency in managing the situation. The pandemic led to severe disruptions across various sectors. The tourism industry suffered greatly due to travel restrictions, which was particularly impactful as 2020 was designated "Visit Nepal Year" with goals to significantly boost tourist numbers. Manufacturing sectors faced shortages of raw materials, as many were imported from China. The remittance-driven economy braced for a downturn with the suspension of labor permits for Nepali workers abroad. Construction slowed due to a lack of Chinese contractors and materials, and various public celebrations and gatherings were either curtailed or canceled. Social life in Nepal adapted to the new reality with bans on large public gatherings and the closure of entertainment venues. Law enforcement practices were modified to reduce the spread of the virus, and there was a noted increase in poaching activities as a result of diminished oversight during the lockdown. Misinformation regarding the virus circulated widely, prompting governmental actions to counter false claims and alleviate public fears. Foreign employment faced disruptions, with many Nepali workers unable to return to their jobs overseas due to travel bans and visa suspensions. The economy also faced challenges with shortages of essential items like masks and sanitizers, leading to instances of black marketing and government crackdowns. Comprehensive statistics on the daily case numbers, deaths, recoveries, and testing were included in the Wikipedia page, providing a clear picture of the evolving situation in Nepal from the onset of the pandemic.

Plymouth_shooting

# Background In the United Kingdom either a firearms certificate (FAC) or a shotgun certificate (SGC) is a legal requirement to own most classes of permitted firearms. In Great Britain [a] certificates are granted by the local policing authority. For both certificates the applicant must demonstrate a good reason for owning the particular firearm and undergo a background check . A SGC also requires certified secure storage. # Shooting On 12 August 2021, Jake Davison had a physical altercation with his mother, Maxine, during which he reportedly grabbed her by the throat and would not let her out of a bedroom in their house on Biddick Drive in the Keyham area of Plymouth. At 18:05 BST (UTC+1), Maxine contacted her sister who subsequently dialled 999 [4] [5]. Between 18:05 and 18:08, Davison twice opened fire with a legally-owned pump-action shotgun, killing his mother. He then left the house and fired upon a 3-year-old girl and her 43-year-old father in the street, killing them both [6] [8] [8] [4] [9] [10]. Next, he shot through the front door window of a neighbouring house, injuring a 53-year-old woman and her 33-year-old son, before shooting and killing a 59-year-old man in a nearby park [11] [12] [13]. At 18:11, Devon and Cornwall Police received reports of shots having been fired in multiple locations [14]. Davison then walked down Royal Navy Avenue, and went to Henderson Place, where, at 18:13, he shot and fatally wounded a 66-year-old woman outside a hairdresser's and remarked to a passing resident that there was "nothing to worry about, mate". He continued down Bedford Street, where he entered a parking garage area and verbally threatened members of the public. He left without firing, backtracking towards Henderson Place. Shortly before killing himself, Davison was described as "walking like [he] was on patrol, like a soldier with a gun", " [...] the shotgun under his chin", and with a "blank expression". At 18:23, as further police arrived, Davison shot himself on Henderson Place [8] [6]. ## Emergency response Devon and Cornwall Police and the South Western Ambulance Service were alerted to the incident at 18:11 and 18:12, respectively. The ambulance service responded with a significant number of resources, including hazardous area response teams, ambulances, specialist paramedics, and air ambulances [17]. Devon and Cornwall Police stated that officers attended the scene within six minutes of the emergency calls and found the bodies of Davison and four of the victims [17]. They described the events as a "serious firearms incident" and established thirteen different crime scenes within the cordoned area [10]. The 66-year-old female victim was treated at Henderson Place for gunshot wounds but later died in Derriford Hospital. The two survivors received significant but non-life-threatening injuries [11] [20]. At 21:25, the police reported they believed the incident to be contained [21]. # Perpetrator The gunman was Jake William Davison (21 August 1998 – 12 August 2021), a 22-year-old from Plymouth who worked as an apprentice crane operator at security and defence company Babcock International [23]. Davison was diagnosed with autism and ADHD as a child and attended Mount Tamar school for special needs children. In Year 9, his review with Careers South West (CSW) – a mental health guidance counselling organisation – stated that " [Davison] loves guns and he wants to join a gun club [26]. Much of the review was taken up talking about how to get involved with guns– [...] we suggested Army Cadets". CSW said Davison's mother had called them in November 2016, saying she was worried about her son as he was isolated and obsessed with weapons. The following month, Davison told CSW that his "real passion" was firearms and he wanted to work in a firearms shop. A CSW employee raised concerns with their manager that a Prevent referral might need to be made; however, this never occurred as there was "no evidence [Davison] was talking to people who could take advantage of him". He was a regular visitor to Shetland where he spent long periods of time with his mother's relatives, including his two older siblings; it was there that initial concerns were raised about his mental state. In 2016, Davison was reported to the police for allegedly attacking a man and his pregnant girlfriend not far from where the shooting would occur; Davison was warned by police but not prosecuted [28]. A close source to the family said that Davison had recently deteriorated after suffering from mental health problems for most of his life, and that his mother was "begging for help from the authorities but nobody did a welfare check" [29]. During the COVID-19 lockdowns in the eighteen months before the shooting, Davison had accessed a local mental health support charity [30]. Davison applied for a shotgun certificate in July 2017, in which he declared autism and Asperger syndrome on the form and gave officers permission to contact his GP. He had been licensed to own a firearm since 2018, and police believe he used a legally-held firearm in the shooting [32]. Police had removed his shotgun and licence in December 2020 following an assault allegation described as "a row with two youths", but the weapons were returned in early July 2021, a month before the killings [25] [33] [34] [35]. This was through the force's 'Pathfinder' scheme, a deferred caution and deferred charge scheme designed to deal with offenders outside of the criminal justice process. Following Devon and Cornwall Police's self-referral to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), the agency investigated the service's previous dealings with Davison, its decision to grant him a firearms licence and the decision to reinstate the licence, and the decision to return his gun after it was temporarily revoked [34] [36] [37]. ## Lifestyle and incel-related views Davison uploaded videos to YouTube under the name "Professor Waffle". His videos included references to "inceldom", the black pill worldview and general nihilism [39]. In his last video, Davison described himself as "beaten down and defeated by life" and said: "I wouldn't clarify [sic] myself as an incel but have talked to people similar to me who have had nothing but themselves." [40] [41] [9]. Davison used Reddit to share hostility and resentment towards his mother, who had repeatedly attempted to obtain – and persuade him to receive – treatment for his mental health. On Reddit, he subscribed to incel-related content, and other clips of his videos contained further references to, and used terminology of, that community [9]. In one clip, Davison discussed "missing out on a teenage romance" and referred to "Chads", slang for confident, sexually active men. He said he had considered using drugs to "make up for that missed teenage experience" and that, "I have a feeling like I missed that boat and it's never coming back". Davison was also active in gun enthusiast subreddits. Reddit suspended his account a day before the shooting for making inappropriate comments to a 16-year-old female American Reddit user [42] [40]. He had initially been friendly with the girl and had discussed having a relationship with her, before the conversation soured and he began to repeatedly ask to have sex with her. According to the report, the girl complained that he had repeatedly asked her to date him, travel to see him, and have sex with him, and had made comments about how sex with someone of her age is acceptable because it was legal in the UK. Various users urged her to report Davison to the police, but she wrote that she did not know what to do and had been advised by her mother not to get involved. Davison became interested in weightlifting and bodybuilding during the final year of his life; his belongings had 'taken over the house' with him having a bedroom, a computer room and had set up his gym equipment in the lounge. Mr Wood, who was in a relationship with Davison's mother from July 2020 and lived with her in Biddick Drive between August and November 2020, before moving out, said that he had seen Davison using anabolic steroids, which are illegal in the UK, and would also "drink 12 energy drinks a day" and would ingest protein supplements as part of his weight-training regime [44]. Davison's mother had begun to argue with her son over his sexist views and diatribes on women in the months before the shooting. A neighbour said Davison and his mother "used to be close [...] but then his views changed and he went against women and he became a misogynist [...] they clashed a lot about that." Davison had a physical confrontation with his father shortly before the shooting. # Aftermath Davison's Facebook and YouTube accounts were terminated in line with the sites' behavioural policies. In February 2022 Davison's father Mark was interviewed for the BBC. Describing himself as "sorry and ashamed", he said he had raised concerns over his son's possession of a shotgun with the police in 2017. ## Vigil and condolences An evening vigil was held on 13 August at North Down Crescent Park in Keyham. Flags in the city were flown at half-mast, and Smeaton's Tower was lit up that evening as a mark of respect [49]. Books of condolence were made available in several locations, along with an online book on the Plymouth City Council's website. Several memorials were placed at areas close to the crime scenes, where flowers and cards were laid, as well as further impromptu vigils being held by residents [51]. ## Inquest On 19 August 2021, the inquest into the deaths of Davison and his five victims was opened in Plymouth. On 20 February 2023 the jury returned a verdict of unlawful killing of all of the victims [53]. The inquest heard that Firearms Enquiry Officers at Devon and Cornwall Police had received no training for twenty years, tools such as risk matrices were not routinely used and that a "dangerously unsafe culture" had prevailed within the Firearms Licensing Office, which was described as "a dangerous shambles" [54]. It also transpired that the detective investigating Davison's assault on two youths had not known what the "FC" marker meant in the Police computer system, which denoted Davison as the holder of a shotgun certificate [55] [56] [57]. Ian Arrow, the senior coroner for Plymouth said that "There was a serious failure by Devon and Cornwall Police's firearms and explosive licensing unit in granting and later failing to revoke the perpetrator's shotgun licence." He also called for reform of the UK's gun laws, saying that shotguns were "no less lethal" than other types of firearm [58] [59]. ## Police investigation and disciplinary action The chief constable of Devon and Cornwall Police, Shaun Sawyer, said that Davison's motive was unknown, but that police believed the shooting was a "domestic incident [that] spilled into the streets". He stated that police were not considering terrorism as a motive, although commentators have questioned whether Davison's ideologies would constitute terrorism [11] [11]. The investigation, codenamed Operation Lillypad, was led by Detective Inspector Steve Hambly. [b] Hambly said that Davison's mother was the only victim known to the attacker [19]. The IOPC investigated why Davison had a shotgun licence despite concerns around his mental health, and the senior coroner asked the office to examine the case of Michael Atherton who in 2012 killed his partner, her sister, her niece and himself, having had a history of domestic abuse and self-harm threats. On 6 October 2021, the IOPC issued disciplinary notices to two members of Devon and Cornwall Police over their handling of Davison's certificate for his shotgun, which he had claimed to use for clay pigeon shooting. ## Firearm licensing On 15 August 2021, the British government announced that it would issue guidance to require police to investigate social media posts of firearms licence applicants and current holders. Before the new guidance is published, the Home Office asked all police services in England and Wales immediately "to review their practices and whether any existing licences need to be looked at again" [67]. In June 2023, Debbie Tedds, firearms licensing lead at the National Police Chiefs Council (NPCC), announced that a national training programme for FEOs would be introduced by 2024. Provision of appropriate role training had originally been recommended by the Cullen Inquiry into the 1996 Dunblane massacre, but had not been implemented by Police or the Home Office [69].

In the United Kingdom, the possession of firearms such as shotguns and other permitted classes requires a legal certification, either a firearms certificate (FAC) or a shotgun certificate (SGC), issued by the local police authority, which necessitates a demonstration of a good reason for owning the firearm, a background check, and secure storage for SGC holders. On 12 August 2021, a tragic event unfolded in Plymouth, where Jake Davison, a 22-year-old crane operator with a history of mental health challenges and an interest in guns and incel-related ideologies, engaged in a fatal shooting spree using his legally-owned pump-action shotgun. The violent altercation began with a dispute with his mother, Maxine, and rapidly escalated into a rampage that left five individuals dead, including a three-year-old girl, and two others injured. Police and emergency services, alerted at 18:11, responded promptly to the incident, arriving at the scene within six minutes. However, by the time officers arrived, Davison had already turned the gun on himself. He had a disturbing history, including a past assault allegation, interest in incel content and firearm subreddits, and prior police contact. Despite this, his shotgun had been returned to him a month prior to the shooting, after being temporarily seized due to an assault allegation, through a police scheme designed to manage offenders outside the criminal justice system. The decision to return his weapon was made despite documented mental health concerns and previous violent behavior. The aftermath of the shooting led to an inquest and an investigation by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) into Devon and Cornwall Police's licensing procedures. The IOPC delved into the department's interactions with Davison, the rationale behind granting and later reinstating his firearm license, and the eventual return of his shotgun. The February 2023 inquest highlighted a systemic failure within the Firearms Licensing Office, which had not incorporated risk assessment tools or recent training for Firearms Enquiry Officers (FEOs), contributing to the flawed decision-making process. This inquest concluded with a verdict of unlawful killing for the victims and called for a thorough reform of the UK's firearm laws. The Plymouth shooting catalyzed changes in policy and procedure. The British government announced initiatives for stricter scrutiny of social media for firearms applicants and directed police forces to re-examine their licensing practices. Moreover, a national training program for FEOs, recommended since the 1996 Dunblane massacre, was scheduled for introduction by 2024, with an emphasis on ensuring proper role training and adherence to updated guidelines. This response reflects an acknowledgment of the significant lapses that enabled a troubled individual to lawfully possess a firearm, with catastrophic consequences.

2021_Nepal_Super_League

# Venue All matches were held at the Dasarath Rangasala in Kathmandu, Nepal.. # Teams # Foreign players One team can recruit three overseas players and field two at a time. # Regular season # Playoffs # Season statistics ## Scoring ### Top scorers There have been 58 goals scored in 25 matches, for an average of 2.32 goals per match (as of 15 May 2021).. # Awards

The sports league matches took place at Dasarath Rangasala in Kathmandu, Nepal. Teams were allowed three foreign players, with two being fielded simultaneously. The regular season and playoffs followed, with season statistics revealing a total of 58 goals scored across 25 matches, averaging 2.32 goals per match as of 15 May 2021. Awards for the season were also presented.

Typhoon_Surigae

# Meteorological history During mid-April 2021, an area of atmospheric convection associated with a weak area of low pressure developed roughly 1,150 km (710 mi) south of Guam. By April 10, the disturbance had acquired nascent rainbands within an environment exhibiting low wind shear, warm sea surface temperatures (SSTs) between 28–29 °C (82–84 °F), and a well-established outflow, which was conducive for further tropical cyclogenesis. Showers and thunderstorms continued to emerge around the circulation embedded within the disturbance . The Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) [nb 3] assessed the formation of a tropical depression near 5°N 143°E / 5°N 143°E / 5; 143; at the time, the newly designated system was moving slowly west-northwest around the southern periphery of a subtropical ridge . Due to its anticipated track into Philippine waters, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) also began issuing advisories on the tropical depression on April 12 . The Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) [nb 4] issued a Tropical Cyclone Formation Alert (TCFA) later that day, projecting a high likelihood of a significant tropical cyclone developing . By April 13, the agency assessed the disturbance as a tropical depression. A strong rainband along the depression's northern semicircle became prominent and coalesced around a robust and developing central dense overcast. At 18:00 UTC on the same day, the JMA upgraded the system to a tropical storm and named it Surigae [11]. Surigae was also upgraded to a tropical storm by the JTWC in the early hours of April 14, as the system progressed westward in the Philippine Sea [12]. The storm continued to move slowly, remaining nearly stationary on April 14 – as it gradually intensified [14] [15]. Surigae's convective activity was initially displaced to the west of its center of circulation, though additional rainbands and thunderstorm development later covered the central vortex [16] [17]. On April 15, the JMA upgraded Surigae to a severe tropical storm as it moved closer to the island nation of Palau [52] [51]. A formative eye became apparent on microwave satellite imagery later that day [20]. By April 16, Surigae strengthened to a typhoon just north of Palau, making it the first typhoon of the 2021 Pacific typhoon season. The typhoon's convective activity had become tightly wound around its center, indicating additional strengthening [23] [23]. On April 16 at 03:00 UTC, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) gave the storm the local name Bising as it entered the Philippine Area of Responsibility [24]. The system's eye became apparent through the central overcast, preceding a period of rapid intensification as Surigae progressed west-northwestward through a conducive environment [25]. Surigae's central dense overcast became colder and better-organized, with a well-defined ring of very cold cloud tops encircling a 26 km (16 mi) diameter eye [26] [27] [32]. Concurrently, an approaching trough produced a gap in the subtropical ridge of high pressure to the north, causing Surigae to slowly curve northwest as it quickly strengthened [29]. On April 17, the JMA determined that Surigae's barometric pressure had rapidly fallen to 895 hPa (mbar; 26.43 inHg), as the storm reached its peak intensity. Its 10-minute maximum sustained winds reached 220 km/h (140 mph) according to the JMA, while one-minute maximum sustained winds reached 315 km/h (196 mph) according to the JTWC, making it equivalent to a Category 5 super typhoon on the Saffir–Simpson scale (SSHWS); [nb 5] the peak 1-minute sustained winds were also higher for the time of year than any previous typhoon on record [52] [32] [34] [35]. The JTWC also estimated a minimum central pressure of 882 hPa (mbar; 26.05 inHg) for Surigae at the time [52]. Later that day, Surigae began an eyewall replacement cycle causing its eye to become less apparent on satellite imagery and its winds to slightly diminish [36]. The trough to Surigae's north also impeded the typhoon's outflow, resulting in a decrease in environmental favorability for further intensification. On April 18, Surigae finished its eyewall replacement cycle; Surigae acquired annular characteristics, bearing a symmetrical appearance and a large eye, which was largely surrounded by one large rainband, by the next day [37]. By April 20, the prevalence of nearby dry air and upwelling of cold waters beneath the slow-moving typhoon caused its winds to decrease further. Some reorganization occurred when Surigae began to move north and away from the upwelled waters, with its large eye becoming less ragged; however, additional entrainment of dry air originating from the mid-troposphere over Luzon caused Surigae's structure to degrade further on April 21 [39] [40] [39]. Surigae turned northeast away from the Philippines later that day and weakened further, upon entering an environment with strong westerly winds in the upper troposphere [41]. The once large and clear eye disappeared on April 22, leaving behind an increasingly-disheveled cluster of weakening showers and thunderstorms [43] [43]. Soon afterward, all of Surigae's remaining convection was sheared to the east, as the storm moved over cooler waters [44]. As most of the remaining thunderstorms had dissipated, Surigae transitioned into a subtropical cyclone on April 23 due to interacting with an upper-level atmospheric trough as Surigae traversed a cold oceanic eddy [45]. Surigae began to undergo extratropical transition, a process it completed late on April 24, at which time the JTWC issued their final advisory on the system [47]. The JMA declared that Surigae had become extratropical a few hours later [47]. As an extratropical cyclone, Surigae underwent explosive cyclogenesis on April 26, with its central pressure falling 44 hPa (mbar; 1.3 inHg) within 24 hours, while rapidly tracking northeastward. While located to the east of Hokkaido, the system's ten-minute maximum sustained winds reached 130 km/h (81 mph) at 18:00 UTC that day, and its central pressure bottomed out at 944 hPa (mbar; 27.88 inHg) six hours later [51]. Late on April 27, Surigae's remnant started to weaken while turning eastward [51]. The next day, the system's forward motion significantly slowed down. On April 30, Surigae underwent a center reformation, with the original center of low pressure dissipating, and a new low-pressure center forming shortly afterward, which quickly dominated the system. Afterward, Surigae's remnant continued moving eastward while gradually weakening, turning northeastward on May 1 [52]. On May 2, Surigae's remnant was absorbed into another extratropical cyclone, just south of the Alaskan Panhandle.. # Preparations Due to the threat of the storm, a Tropical Storm Watch was issued for the island of Yap and Ngulu Atoll as well as for Koror and Kayangel in Palau on April 14, where in the former, winds exceeded 30 mph (48 km/h) [53]. The watch was upgraded to a Tropical Storm Warning for Ngulu Atoll later that day [54]. As Surigae entered the Philippine Area of Responsibility, the PAGASA began issuing weather bulletins for the nearby storm. Initial forecasts by the agency suggested that the storm was less likely to make landfall over Luzon, and expected the storm to re-curve away from the Philippines. On April 16, the Department of Transportation of the Philippines suspended all air and land travel to and from Visayas and Mindanao [25] [56] [57]. In the ensuing travel suspension, 2,507 individuals and 61 sea vessels were stranded in ports throughout the country [58]. Wave heights as high as 4.5 m (15 ft) were forecast near the eastern coasts of Visayas and Mindanao [59]. In order to avoid agricultural losses, Secretary William Dar of the Department of Agriculture encouraged farmers in the Bicol and Eastern Visayas regions to harvest their crops and for fishermen to refrain from fishing due to worsening oceanic conditions [60]. At 15:00 UTC (23:00 PHT), the PAGASA began issuing Tropical Cyclone Wind Signal (TCWS) #1 for areas in Eastern Visayas and the Caraga Region, as well as for portions of Luzon six hours later [57] [61]. On April 17, TCWS #2 was issued for Catanduanes and the entire island of Samar. Flood advisories were also issued by the PAGASA for three regions in Visayas and Mindanao [64]. In preparation for the intense rains, the National Telecommunications Commission ordered telecommunications companies to prepare facilities in forecasted affected areas, including free calling and charging stations [65]. As early as April 17, preemptive evacuation began in the Bicol Region and the Samar province, and by April 21, 169,072 people were evacuated in the Cagayan Valley, Bicol Region, Eastern Visayas, and Caraga [66] [67] [68] [69]. Flights in Daniel Z. Romualdez Airport and all Tacloban Airports were cancelled on April 18, and other domestic flights were also cancelled on the same day. In addition, 10 domestic flights elsewhere were also cancelled that day [67]. Schools and work activities were suspended in the Bicol Region till April 20 [59]. ₱1.5 billion (US$31.05 million) worth of standby funds were prepared for disaster response [70]. # Impact ## Micronesia and Palau Locally heavy rainfall occurred in parts of Palau and Yap for several days. Surigae brought sustained winds of up to 80 km/h (50 mph) and gusts up to 135 km/h (84 mph) to Palau, causing power outages across the island [72]. Large swells from the developing storm brought coastal flooding to Koror and Yap [73] [74] [75]. Residents in those areas were advised to avoid reef lines in the north and west, and to take caution on beaches due to rip currents and large waves. Surigae was the closest typhoon to pass near the island of Palau since Typhoon Haiyan [76]. Restaurants, sporting events and other services were closed in Palau as Surigae approached closer– yet schools remained open [77]. Schools were not suspended until power had been cut off across much of the entire country [77]. Water and cellular services were also downed [77]. There was criticism for the lack of news coverage on the typhoon in Palau most notably [77]. 125 homes across the country were destroyed, while at least 1,500 sustained minor damage [77]. The entire population of Palau, consisting of approximately 18,008 people, was impacted by the typhoon [75]. At least US$2 million worth of infrastructure alone was damaged in Palau [75]. The total amount of damage across health, infrastructure, education, food, communication, utilities and other sectors was assessed at US$4.8 million [78]. President of Palau Surangel Whipps Jr [75]. issued a national state of emergency on April 18. The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) provided US$100,000 for immediate assistance to support those affected [79]. In Guam, emergency supplies were being prepared and donated to communities in need in Palau [80]. ## Philippines Five people in a boat were rescued off the coast of Pujada Bay due to dangerous sea conditions produced by Surigae. Another boat with two fishermen aboard capsized during midnight on its way to Bantayan Island, with both of two fishermen having to swim back to shore [81]. On April 19, Surigae forced the cargo ship LCU Cebu Great Ocean, carrying twenty crew members and nickel ore, to run aground on the coast of the Province of Surigao del Norte, in the southern Philippines [82]. At least six of the crew members were found dead, while seven were rescued; the search continues for another missing seven crew members [83] [84]. Heavy rain from the outer bands of Surigae battered Eastern Visayas and the Bicol Region as it passed around 345 km (214 mi) to the east of Catanduanes [85] [86]. Widespread rainfall totals of up to 8–12 inches (200–300 mm) occurred in the eastern Philippines, while 20.13 inches (511 mm) of rain fell in Virac, Catanduanes and surrounding areas [87]. A funnel cloud was also briefly reported in Camarines Sur [88]. Twenty-two barangays were flooded in Eastern Visayas, and in the municipality of Jipapad, flooding reached 4 metres (13 ft) [89]. Power interruptions were experienced in Central Visayas, Eastern Visayas and in Eastern Samar, power was interrupted for the whole province. 109,815 people were displaced by flooding and landslides in the Bicol Region [67]. Ten deaths were reported due to the typhoon. One person in Southern Leyte and another in Cebu died due to fallen coconut trees. Six crew members of the LCU Cebu Great Ocean were found dead after the ship ran aground in the southern Philippines; another seven crew members remain missing [91] [92]. Another person remains missing in Northern Samar [85] [86]. 13 others were injured [93]. A total of 3,385 houses were damaged in the Bicol Region, Eastern Visayas and Caraga, with 158 totally destroyed [91]. Agricultural damage in the Bicol Region and Eastern Visayas reached ₱261.9 million (US$5.43 million), while infrastructural damage totaled ₱10.87 million (US$226,000). 63 cities experienced power interruptions; however, power was restored in 54 of those cities [94]. Following the passage of Surigae, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and local government units provided assistance worth approximately ₱6.52 million (US$135,000) to those affected in Cagayan Valley, the Bicol Region and the Eastern Visayas. Schools and workplaces fully reopened by April 20 [94]. ## Elsewhere The influence of Surigae caused gusts in North Sulawesi that reached 23 mph (37 km/h). Large waves of 13.1–19.8 feet (4.0–6.0 m) affected the coastal waters of the Sitaro Islands Regency, Sangihe Islands Regency, the Talaud Islands and the northern Molucca Sea [97]. Surigae made its closest approach to Taiwan on April 22 [98]. The typhoon's outer bands brought much-needed rainfall to central Taiwan, which was going through its worst drought in 56 years. There were also reports of hail. Large waves up to 4.2 m (14 ft) tall generated by Surigae were recorded along Taiwan's east coast on April 21 [99].

In mid-April 2021, a tropical disturbance formed southeast of Guam, which developed into Tropical Storm Surigae on April 13. It gradually intensified and reached typhoon status by April 16, making it the first typhoon of the season. Surigae achieved peak intensity on April 17 as a Category 5 super typhoon with unprecedented early-season wind speeds and a central pressure drop to 895 hPa. Despite initial projections, Surigae did not make landfall in the Philippines but caused substantial indirect impacts, such as flooding, landslides, and loss of life. The typhoon forced evacuations, caused infrastructural damage, and disrupted air and sea travel. In Palau, where Surigae passed closely, it led to states of emergency, widespread power outages, and damaged homes and infrastructure, with estimated damages totaling US$4.8 million. Surigae's effects in the Philippines included at least ten fatalities, significant agricultural losses, and disrupted electricity for tens of thousands of residents. As it moved away from the Philippines, Surigae underwent structural changes and transitioned into a subtropical cyclone by April 23, before completing extratropical transition the following day. Its extratropical remnants underwent a final intensification near Japan before dissipating on May 2. Overall, Surigae's life cycle demonstrated the significant threats posed by tropical cyclones, even without direct landfall, due to associated severe weather conditions.

Kirk_Douglas

# Early life and education Douglas was born Issur Danielovitch (Belarusian: Ісур Даніелoвіч, Russian: Иссур Даниелович, Yiddish: איסור דאַניעלאָוויטש) in Amsterdam, New York, on December 9, 1916, the son of Bryna "Bertha" (née Sanglel) and Herschel "Harry" Danielovitch. His parents were immigrants from Chavusy, Mogilev Governorate, in the Russian Empire (present-day Belarus), and the family spoke Yiddish at home [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9]. Douglas was the fourth of seven children and the only son born to his parents [10] [11] [12]. His sisters were: Pesha "Bessie", Kaleh "Katherine", Tamara "Mary", Siffra "Frieda", Haska "Ida", and Rachel "Ruth" [13] [26]. Douglas embraced his Jewish heritage in his later years, after a near-fatal helicopter crash at the age of 74 [15] [16]. His father's brother, who had immigrated earlier, used the surname Demsky, which Douglas's family adopted in the United States. : 2  Douglas grew up as Izzy Demsky and legally changed his name to Kirk Douglas before entering the United States Navy during World War II [18]. [a] [19]. In his 1988 autobiography, The Ragman's Son, Douglas notes the hardships that he, along with his parents and six sisters, endured during their early years in Amsterdam:. Douglas had an unhappy childhood, living with an alcoholic, physically abusive father. While his father drank up what little money they had, Douglas and his mother and sisters endured "crippling poverty" . Douglas first wanted to be an actor after he recited the poem "The Red Robin of Spring" while in kindergarten and received applause. Growing up, he sold snacks to mill workers to earn enough to buy milk and bread to help his family [23]. He later delivered newspapers, and he had more than forty jobs during his youth before becoming an actor. He found living in a family with six sisters to be stifling: "I was dying to get out [24]. In a sense, it lit a fire under me." After appearing in plays at Amsterdam High School, from which he graduated in 1934, he knew he wanted to become a professional actor [25]. Unable to afford the tuition, Douglas talked his way into the dean's office at St [26]. Lawrence University and showed him a list of his high school honors. He graduated with a bachelor's degree in 1939. He received a loan which he paid back by working part-time as a gardener and a janitor. He was a standout on the school's wrestling team and wrestled one summer in a carnival to make money. He later became good friends with world-champion wrestler Lou Thesz. . Douglas's acting talents were noticed at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York City, which gave him a special scholarship. One of his classmates was Betty Joan Perske (later known as Lauren Bacall), who would play an important role in launching his film career. Bacall wrote that she "had a wild crush on Kirk", and they dated casually . Another classmate, and a friend of Bacall's, was aspiring actress Diana Dill, who would later become Douglas's first wife. During their time together, Bacall learned Douglas had no money and that he once spent the night in jail since he had no place to sleep. She once gave him her uncle's old coat to keep warm: "I thought he must be frozen in the winter … He was thrilled and grateful." Sometimes, just to see him, she would drag a friend or her mother to the restaurant where he worked as a busboy and waiter. He told her his dream was to someday bring his family to New York to see him on stage. During that period she fantasized about someday sharing her personal and stage lives with Douglas, but would later be disappointed: "Kirk did not really pursue me. He was friendly and sweet—enjoyed my company—but I was clearly too young for him," the eight-years-younger Bacall later wrote. # Career ## Rise to stardom Douglas joined the United States Navy in 1941, shortly after the United States entered World War II, where he served as a communications officer in anti-submarine warfare aboard USS PC-1139. He was medically discharged in 1944 for injuries sustained from the premature explosion of a depth charge [31]. After the war, Douglas returned to New York City and found work in radio, theater, and commercials. In his radio work, he acted in network soap operas and saw those experiences as being especially valuable, as skill in using one's voice is important for aspiring actors; he regretted that later the same avenues became no longer available. His stage break occurred when he took over the role played by Richard Widmark in Kiss and Tell (1943), which then led to other offers. Douglas had planned to remain a stage actor until his friend Lauren Bacall helped him get his first film role by recommending him to producer Hal B. Wallis, who was looking for a new male talent. Wallis's film The Strange Love of Martha Ivers (1946) with Barbara Stanwyck became Douglas' debut screen appearance [33]. He played a young, insecure man stung by jealousy, whose life was dominated by his ruthless wife, and who hid his feelings with alcohol. It would be the last time that Douglas portrayed a weakling in a film role. Reviewers of the film noted that Douglas already projected qualities of a "natural film actor", with the similarity of this role with later ones explained by biographer Tony Thomas: [34] [35]. In 1947, Douglas appeared in Out of the Past (UK: Build My Gallows High), playing a large supporting role in this classic noir thriller starring Robert Mitchum and Jane Greer. Douglas made his Broadway debut in 1949 in Three Sisters, produced by Katharine Cornell. The month after Out of the Past was released, I Walk Alone, the first film teaming Douglas with Burt Lancaster, presented Douglas playing a supporting part quite similar to his role in Out of the Past in another classic fast-paced noir thriller. . Douglas' image as a tough guy was established in his eighth film, Champion (1949), after producer Stanley Kramer chose him to play a selfish boxer. In accepting the role, he took a gamble, however, since he had to turn down an offer to star in a big-budget MGM film, The Great Sinner, which would have earned him three times the income. Melvyn Douglas played the third-billed (above the title) part Kirk Douglas passed on [38]. The Great Sinner flopped.. Film historian Ray Didinger says Douglas "saw Champion as a greater risk, but also a greater opportunity ... Douglas took the part and absolutely nailed it." Frederick Romano, another sports film historian, described Douglas's acting as "alarmingly authentic":. Douglas received his first Academy Award nomination, and the film earned six nominations in all. Variety called it "a stark, realistic study of the boxing rackets." . After Champion he decided that, to succeed as a star, he needed to ramp up his intensity, overcome his natural shyness, and choose stronger roles. He later stated, "I don't think I'd be much of an actor without vanity. And I'm not interested in being a 'modest actor'". Early in his Hollywood career, Douglas demonstrated his independent streak and broke his studio contracts to gain total control over his projects, forming his own movie company, Bryna Productions (named after his mother) in September 1949 [41]. ## Peak years of successs Throughout the 1950s and 1960s, Douglas was a major box-office star, playing opposite some of the leading actresses of that era. He portrayed a frontier peace officer in his first western, Along the Great Divide (1951). He quickly became very comfortable with riding horses and playing gunslingers, and he appeared in many Westerns. He considered Lonely Are the Brave (1962), in which he plays a cowboy trying to live by his own code, his personal favorite. The film, written by Dalton Trumbo, was respected by critics but did not do well at the box office due to poor marketing and distribution [43]. In 1950, Douglas played Rick Martin in Young Man with a Horn, based on a novel of the same name by Dorothy Baker based on the life of jazz cornetist Bix Beiderbecke. Composer and pianist Hoagy Carmichael, playing the sidekick, added realism to the film and gave Douglas insight into the role, being a friend of the real Beiderbecke. Doris Day starred as Jo, a young woman who was infatuated with the struggling jazz musician [45]. This was strikingly opposite of the real-life account in Doris Day's autobiography, which described Douglas as "civil but self-centered" and the film as "utterly joyless". During filming, bit actress Jean Spangler disappeared, and her case remains unsolved . On October 9, 1949, Spangler's purse was found near the Fern Dell entrance to Griffith Park in Los Angeles. There was an unfinished note in the purse addressed to a "Kirk," which read:"Can't wait any longer, Going to see Dr. Scott. It will work best this way while mother is away". Douglas, married at the time, called the police and told them he was not the Kirk mentioned in the note. When interviewed via telephone by the head of the investigating team, Douglas stated that he had "talked and kidded with her a bit" on set, but that he had never been out with her [47] [48]. Spangler's girlfriends told police that she was three months pregnant when she disappeared, and scholars such as Jon Lewis of Oregon State University have speculated that she may have been considering an illegal abortion [49] [50]. In 1951, Douglas starred as a newspaper reporter anxiously looking for a big story in Ace in the Hole, director Billy Wilder's first effort as both writer and producer. The subject and story was controversial at the time, and U.S. audiences stayed away. Some reviews saw it as "ruthless and cynical ... a distorted study of corruption, mob psychology and the free press." Possibly it "hit too close to home", said Douglas [52]. It won a Best Foreign Film award at the Venice Film Festival [53]. The film's stature has increased in recent years, with some surveys placing it in their Top 500 Films list. Woody Allen considers it one of his favorite films [54]. As the film's star and protagonist, Douglas is credited for the intensity of his acting [55]. Film critic Roger Ebert wrote, "his focus and energy ... is almost scary. There is nothing dated about Douglas' performance. It's as right-now as a sharpened knife." Biographer Gene Philips noted that Wilder's story was "galvanized" by Douglas's "astounding performance" and no doubt was a factor when George Stevens, who presented Douglas with the AFI Life Achievement Award in 1991, said of him: "No other leading actor was ever more ready to tap the dark, desperate side of the soul and thus to reveal the complexity of human nature." [56] [57]. Also in 1951, Douglas starred in Detective Story, nominated for four Academy Awards, including one for Lee Grant in her debut film. Grant said Douglas was "dazzling, both personally and in the part. ... He was a big, big star. Gorgeous. Intense. Amazing." To prepare for the role, Douglas spent days with the New York Police Department and sat in on interrogations [58]. Reviewers recognized Douglas's acting qualities, with Bosley Crowther describing Douglas as "forceful and aggressive as the detective" [59]. In The Bad and the Beautiful (1952), another of his three Oscar-nominated roles, Douglas played a hard-nosed film producer who manipulates and uses his actors, writers, and directors. In 1954 Douglas starred as the titular character in Ulysses, a film based on Homer's epic poem Odyssey, with Silvana Mangano as Penelope and Circe, and Anthony Quinn as Antinous. In 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1954), Douglas showed that in addition to serious, driven characters, he was adept at roles requiring a lighter, comic touch. In this adaptation of the Jules Verne novel, he played a happy-go-lucky sailor who was the opposite in every way to the brooding Captain Nemo (James Mason). The film was one of Walt Disney's most successful live-action movies and a major box-office hit. Douglas managed a similar comic turn in the western Man Without a Star (1955) and in For Love or Money (1963) [62]. He showed further diversity in one of his earliest television appearances. He was a musical guest (as himself) on The Jack Benny Program (1954). In 1955, Douglas was finally able to get his film production company, Bryna Productions, off the ground. To do so, he had to break contracts with Hal B [26]. Wallis and Warner Bros., but he began to produce and star in his own films, starting with The Indian Fighter in 1955. Through Bryna, he produced and starred in the films Paths of Glory (1957), The Vikings (1958), Spartacus (1960), Lonely are the Brave (1962), and Seven Days in May (1964) . In 1958, Douglas formed the music publishing company Peter Vincent Music Corporation, a Bryna Productions subsidiary [65]. Peter Vincent Music was responsible for publishing the soundtracks of The Vikings and Spartacus [66]. While Paths of Glory did not do well at the box office, it has since become one of the great anti-war films, and it is one of director Stanley Kubrick's early films. Douglas, a fluent French speaker, portrayed a sympathetic French officer during World War I who tries to save three soldiers from facing a firing squad [68]. Biographer Vincent LoBrutto describes Douglas's "seething but controlled portrayal exploding with the passion of his convictions at the injustice leveled at his men." The film was banned in France until 1976 [69] [70]. Before production of the film began, however, Douglas and Kubrick had to work out some large problems, one of which was Kubrick's rewriting the screenplay without informing Douglas first. It led to their first major argument: "I called Stanley to my room ... I hit the ceiling. I called him every four-letter word I could think of ... 'I got the money, based on that [original] script. Not this shit!' I threw the script across the room. 'We're going back to the original script, or we're not making the picture.' Stanley never blinked an eye. We shot the original script. I think the movie is a classic, one of the most important pictures—possibly the most important picture—Stanley Kubrick has ever made." [70]. Douglas played military men in numerous films, with varying nuance, including Top Secret Affair (1957), Town Without Pity (1961), The Hook (1963), Seven Days in May (1964), Heroes of Telemark (1965), In Harm's Way (1965), Cast a Giant Shadow (1966), Is Paris Burning (1966), The Final Countdown (1980), and Saturn 3 (1980). His acting style and delivery made him a favorite with television impersonators such as Frank Gorshin, Rich Little, and David Frye. His role as Vincent van Gogh in Lust for Life (1956), directed by Vincente Minnelli and based on Irving Stone's bestseller, was filmed mostly on location in France. Douglas was noted not only for the veracity of van Gogh's appearance but for how he conveyed the painter's internal turmoil. Some reviewers consider it the most famous example of the "tortured artist" who seeks solace from life's pain through his work. Others see it as a portrayal not only of the "painter-as-hero", but a unique presentation of the "action painter", with Douglas expressing the physicality and emotion of painting, as he uses the canvas to capture a moment in time [74]. Douglas was nominated for an Academy Award for the role, with his co-star Anthony Quinn winning the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor as Paul Gauguin, van Gogh's friend. Douglas won a Golden Globe award, although Minnelli said Douglas should have won an Oscar: "He achieved a moving and memorable portrait of the artist—a man of massive creative power, triggered by severe emotional stress, the fear and horror of madness." Douglas himself called his acting role as Van Gogh a painful experience: "Not only did I look like Van Gogh, I was the same age he was when he committed suicide." His wife said he often remained in character in his personal life: "When he was doing Lust for Life, he came home in that red beard of Van Gogh's, wearing those big boots, stomping around the house—it was frightening." [62] [77]. In general, however, Douglas's acting style fit well with Minnelli's preference for "melodrama and neurotic-artist roles", writes film historian James Naremore. He adds that Minnelli had his "richest, most impressive collaborations" with Douglas, and for Minnelli, no other actor portrayed his level of "cool": "A robust, athletic, sometimes explosive player, Douglas loved stagy rhetoric, and he did everything passionately." Douglas had also starred in Minnelli's film The Bad and the Beautiful four years earlier, for which he received a Best Actor Oscar nomination . ## Spartacus and mid-career In 1960, Douglas played the title role in what many consider his career-defining appearance as the Thracian gladiator slave rebel Spartacus with an all-star cast in Spartacus (1960) [81]. He was the executive producer as well, which increased the $12 million production cost and made Spartacus one of the most expensive films up to that time. Douglas initially selected Anthony Mann to direct, but replaced him early on with Stanley Kubrick, with whom he had previously collaborated in Paths of Glory [82]. When the film was released, Douglas gave full credit to its screenwriter, Dalton Trumbo, who was on the Hollywood blacklist, and thereby effectively ended it. : 81  During a 2012 interview Douglas said, "I've made over 85 pictures, but the thing I'm most proud of is breaking the blacklist." The film's producer, Edward Lewis, and the family of Dalton Trumbo publicly disputed Douglas's claim [18] [5]. In the film Trumbo (2015), Douglas is portrayed by Dean O'Gorman . Douglas bought the rights to stage a play of the novel One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest from its author, Ken Kesey. He mounted a play from the material in 1963 in which he starred and that ran on Broadway for five months. Reviews were mixed. Douglas retained the movie rights due to an innovative loophole of basing the rights on the play rather than the novel, despite Kesey's objections, but after a decade of being unable to find a producer he gave the rights to his son, Michael. In 1975, the film version was produced by Michael Douglas and Saul Zaentz, and starred Jack Nicholson, as Douglas was then considered too old to play the character as written. The film won all five major Academy Awards, only the second film to do so (after It Happened One Night in 1934) . Douglas made seven films over four decades with actor Burt Lancaster: I Walk Alone (1947), Gunfight at the O.K. Corral (1957), The Devil's Disciple (1959), The List of Adrian Messenger (1963), Seven Days in May (1964), Victory at Entebbe (1976), and Tough Guys (1986), which fixed the notion of the pair as something of a team in the public imagination. Douglas was always billed under Lancaster in these movies, but, with the exception of I Walk Alone and, even more so, The List of Adrian Messenger (where Lancaster's part is just a cameo appearance, while Douglas plays the film's villain), their roles were usually of a similar size. Both actors arrived in Hollywood at about the same time and first appeared together in the fourth film for each, albeit with Douglas in a supporting role. They both became actor-producers who sought out independent Hollywood careers. John Frankenheimer, who directed the political thriller Seven Days in May in 1964, had not worked well with Lancaster in the past and originally did not want him in this film. However, Douglas thought Lancaster would fit the part and "begged me to reconsider," said Frankenheimer, and he then gave Lancaster the most colorful role. "It turns out that Burt Lancaster and I got along magnificently well on the picture," he later said. In 1967 Douglas starred with John Wayne in the western film directed by Burt Kennedy titled The War Wagon. In The Arrangement (1969), a drama directed by Elia Kazan and based upon his novel of the same title, Douglas starred as a tormented advertising executive, with Faye Dunaway as costar. The film did poorly at the box office, receiving mostly negative reviews. Dunaway believed many of the reviews were unfair, writing in her biography, "I can't understand it when people knock Kirk's performance, because I think he's terrific in the picture," adding that "he's as bright a person as I've met in the acting profession." She says that his "pragmatic approach to acting" would later be a "philosophy that ended up rubbing off on me." [89]. ## Later work In the 1970s, he starred in films such as There Was a Crooked Man... (1970), A Gunfight (1971), The Light at the Edge of the World (1971) [91] [92]. and The Fury (1978) [93]. He made his directorial debut in Scalawag [94]. (1973), and subsequently also directed Posse (1975), in which he starred alongside Bruce Dern [95]. In 1980, he starred in The Final Countdown, playing the commanding officer of the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz, which travels through time to the day before the 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor [97]. It was produced by his son Peter Douglas. He also played in a dual role in The Man from Snowy River (1982), an Australian film which received critical acclaim and numerous awards.. In 1986, he reunited with his longtime co-star, Burt Lancaster, in a crime comedy, Tough Guys, with a cast including Charles Durning and Eli Wallach. It marked the final collaboration between Douglas and Lancaster, completing a partnership of more than 40 years. That same year, he co-hosted (with Angela Lansbury) the New York Philharmonic's tribute to the 100th anniversary of the Statue of Liberty [98]. The symphony was conducted by Zubin Mehta. In 1988, Douglas starred in a television adaptation of Inherit the Wind, opposite Jason Robards and Jean Simmons. The film won two Emmy Awards. In the 1990s, Douglas continued starring in various features. Among them was The Secret in 1992, a television movie about a grandfather and his grandson who both struggle with dyslexia. That same year, he played the uncle of Michael J. Fox in a comedy, Greedy. He appeared as the Devil in the video for the Don Henley song "The Garden of Allah". In 1996, after suffering a severe stroke at age 79 which impaired his ability to speak, Douglas still wanted to make movies. He underwent years of voice therapy and made Diamonds in 1999, in which he played an old professional boxer who was recovering from a stroke. It co-starred his longtime friend from his early acting years, Lauren Bacall. In 2003, Michael and Joel Douglas produced It Runs in the Family, which along with Kirk starred various family members, including Michael, Michael's son Cameron, and his wife from 50 years earlier, Diana Dill, playing his wife. His final feature-film appearance was in the 2004 Michael Goorjian film Illusion, in which he depicts a dying film director forced to watch episodes from the life of a son he had refused to acknowledge. His last screen role was the TV movie Empire State Building Murders, which was released in 2008 [101] [102] [103]. In March 2009, at the age of 92, Douglas performed an autobiographical one-man show, Before I Forget, at the Center Theatre Group's Kirk Douglas Theatre in Culver City, California [101]. The four performances were filmed and turned into a documentary that was first screened in January 2010. On December 9, 2016, he celebrated his 100th birthday at the Beverly Hills Hotel, joined by several of his friends, including Don Rickles, Jeffrey Katzenberg, and Steven Spielberg, along with Douglas's wife Anne, his son Michael and his daughter-in-law Catherine Zeta-Jones. Douglas was described by his guests as still being in good shape, able to walk with confidence into the Sunset Room for the celebration. Douglas appeared at the 2018 Golden Globes with his daughter-in-law Catherine Zeta-Jones, a rare public appearance in the final decade of his life. He received a standing ovation and helped Zeta-Jones present the award for "Best Screenplay – Motion Picture" [106]. # Style and philosophy of acting Douglas stated that the keys to acting success are determination and application: "You must know how to function and how to maintain yourself, and you must have a love of what you do. But an actor also needs great good luck. I have had that luck." Douglas had great vitality and explained that "it takes a lot out of you to work in this business [108]. Many people fall by the wayside because they don't have the energy to sustain their talent." . That attitude toward acting became evident with Champion (1949). From that one role, writes biographer John Parker, he went from stardom and entered the "superleague", where his style was in "marked contrast to Hollywood's other leading men at the time". His sudden rise to prominence is explained by comparing it to that of Jack Nicholson's: [33]. As a producer, Douglas had a reputation of being a compulsively hard worker who expected others to exude the same level of energy. As such, he was typically demanding and direct in his dealing with people who worked on his projects, with his intensity spilling over into all elements of his film-making. This was partly due to his high opinion of actors, movies, and moviemaking: "To me it is the most important art form—it is an art, and it includes all the elements of the modern age." He also stressed prioritizing the entertainment goal of films over any messages, "You can make a statement, you can say something, but it must be entertaining." [41]. As an actor, he dived into every role, dissecting not only his own lines but all the parts in the script to measure the rightness of the role, and he was willing to fight with a director if he felt justified. Melville Shavelson, who produced and directed Cast a Giant Shadow (1966), said that it didn't take him long to discover what his main problem was going to be in directing Douglas: . For most of his career, Douglas enjoyed good health and what seemed like an inexhaustible supply of energy. He attributed much of that vitality to his childhood and pre-acting years: "The drive that got me out of my hometown and through college is part of the makeup that I utilize in my work. It's a constant fight, and it's tough." His demands on others, however, were an expression of the demands he placed on himself, rooted in his youth . "It took me years to concentrate on being a human being—I was too busy scrounging for money and food, and struggling to better myself." . Actress Lee Grant, who acted with him and later filmed a documentary about him and his family, notes that even after he achieved worldwide stardom, his father would not acknowledge his success. He said "nothing. Ever." Douglas's wife, Anne, similarly attributes the energy he devotes to acting to his tough childhood: [58]. Douglas has credited his mother, Bryna, for instilling in him the importance of "gambling on yourself", and he kept her advice in mind when making films. Bryna Productions was named in her honor . Douglas realized that his intense style of acting was something of a shield: "Acting is the most direct way of escaping reality, and in my case it was a means of escaping a drab and dismal background." . # Personal life ## Personality In The Ragman's Son, Douglas described himself as a "son of a bitch," adding, "I'm probably the most disliked actor in Hollywood. And I feel pretty good about it. Because that's me... I was born aggressive, and I guess I'll die aggressive." Co-workers and associates alike noted similar traits, with Burt Lancaster once remarking, "Kirk would be the first to tell you that he is a very difficult man [7]. And I would be the second." Douglas's brash personality is attributed to his difficult upbringing living in poverty and his aggressive alcoholic father who was neglectful of Kirk as a young child . According to Douglas, "there was an awful lot of rage churning around inside me, rage that I was afraid to reveal because there was so much more of it, and so much stronger, in my father." Douglas' discipline, wit and sense of humor were also often recognized [7] [113] [113]. ## Marriages and children Douglas and his first wife, Diana Dill, married on November 2, 1943. They had two sons, actor Michael Douglas and producer Joel Douglas, before divorcing in 1951. According to his autobiography The Ragman's Son, he and Italian actress Pier Angeli were engaged in the early 1950s after meeting on the set of the film The Story of Three Loves (1953), but they never made it down the aisle. Afterwards, in Paris, he met producer Anne Buydens (born Hannelore Marx; April 23, 1919, Hanover, Germany) while acting on location in Act of Love [114]. She originally fled from Germany to escape Nazism and survived by putting her multilingual skills to work at a film studio, creating translations for subtitles [115]. They married on May 29, 1954 [116]. In 2014, they celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary at the Greystone Mansion in Beverly Hills. They had two sons, Peter, a producer, and Eric, an actor who died on July 6, 2004, from an overdose of alcohol and drugs at the age of 46 [117]. In 2017, the couple released a book, Kirk and Anne: Letters of Love, Laughter and a Lifetime in Hollywood, that revealed intimate letters they shared through the years [118]. Throughout their marriage, Douglas had affairs with other women, including several Hollywood starlets [119]. He never hid his infidelities from his wife, who was accepting of them and explained, "as a European, I understood it was unrealistic to expect total fidelity in a marriage." [120]. ## Religion On February 13, 1991, aged 74, Douglas was in a helicopter and was injured when the aircraft collided with a small plane above Santa Paula Airport. Two other people were also injured, including Noel Blanc, the son of voice actor Mel Blanc who was piloting the helicopter, and two people in the plane were killed. This near-death experience sparked a search for meaning by Douglas, which led him, after much study, to embrace the Judaism in which he had been raised [121] [122]. He documented this spiritual journey in his book, Climbing the Mountain: My Search for Meaning (1997). He decided to visit Jerusalem again and wanted to see the Western Wall Tunnel during a trip where he would dedicate two playgrounds he donated to the state. His tour guide arranged to end the tour of the tunnel at the bedrock where, according to Jewish tradition, Abraham's binding of Isaac took place. In his earlier autobiography, The Ragman's Son, he recalled, "years back, I tried to forget that I was a Jew," but later in his career he began "coming to grips with what it means to be a Jew," which became a theme in his life. In an interview in 2000, he explained this transition: [125]. Douglas noted that an underlying theme of some of his films, including The Juggler (1953), Cast a Giant Shadow (1966), and Remembrance of Love (1982), was about "a Jew who doesn't think of himself as one, and eventually finds his Jewishness." The Juggler was the first Hollywood feature to be filmed in the newly established state of Israel [125]. Douglas recalled that, while there, he saw "extreme poverty and food being rationed." But he found it "wonderful, finally, to be in the majority." The film's producer, Stanley Kramer, tried to portray "Israel as the Jews' heroic response to Hitler's destruction." [127]. Although his children had non-Jewish mothers, Douglas stated that they were "aware culturally" of his "deep convictions" and he never tried to influence their own religious decisions. Douglas's wife, Anne, converted to Judaism before they renewed their wedding vows in 2004 [125]. Douglas celebrated a second Bar-Mitzvah ceremony in 1999, aged 83 [5]. : 125 [18]. ## Philanthropy Douglas and his wife donated to various non-profit causes during his career and planned on donating most of their $80 million net worth. Among the donations have been those to his former high school and college [128]. In September 2001, he helped fund his high school's musical, Amsterdam Oratorio, composed by Maria Riccio Bryce, who won the school Thespian Society's Kirk Douglas Award in 1968. In 2012 he donated $5 million to St [129]. Lawrence University, his alma mater. The college used the donation for the scholarship fund he began in 1999. He donated to various schools, medical facilities, and other non-profit organizations in southern California. This included the rebuilding of over 400 Los Angeles Unified School District playgrounds that were aged and in need of restoration. The Douglases established the Anne Douglas Center for Homeless Women at the Los Angeles Mission, which has helped hundreds of women turn their lives around. In Culver City, they opened the Kirk Douglas Theatre in 2004. They supported the Anne Douglas Childhood Center at the Sinai Temple of Westwood [117]. In March 2015, Douglas and his wife donated $2.3 million to the Children's Hospital Los Angeles [131]. Since the early 1990s, Kirk and Anne Douglas donated up to $40 million to Harry's Haven, an Alzheimer's treatment facility in Woodland Hills, to care for patients at the Motion Picture Home. To celebrate his 99th birthday on December 9, 2015, they donated another $15 million to help expand the facility with a new two-story Kirk Douglas Care Pavilion [5]. Douglas donated a number of playgrounds in Jerusalem and donated the Kirk Douglas Theater at the Aish Center across from the Western Wall. ## Politics Douglas and his wife traveled to more than 40 countries, at their own expense, to act as goodwill ambassadors for the U.S. Information Agency, speaking to audiences about why democracy works and what freedom means. In 1980, Douglas flew to Cairo to talk with Egyptian President Anwar Sadat [116]. For all his goodwill efforts, he received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Jimmy Carter in 1981. At the ceremony, Carter said that Douglas had "done this in a sacrificial way, almost invariably without fanfare and without claiming any personal credit or acclaim for himself" [117]. In subsequent years, Douglas testified before Congress about elder abuse [135]. Douglas was a lifelong member of the Democratic Party. [citation needed] He wrote letters to politicians who were friends. He noted in his memoir, Let's Face It (2007), that he felt compelled to write to former president Jimmy Carter in 2006 to stress that "Israel is the only successful democracy in the Middle East ... [and] has had to endure many wars against overwhelming odds. If Israel loses one war, they lose Israel." : 226  During the 2020 Democratic Party presidential primaries he endorsed Michael Bloomberg's campaign [18]. ## Role in breaking Hollywood blacklist Howard Fast was originally hired to adapt his own 1951 novel Spartacus as a screenplay, but he had difficulty working in the format. He was replaced by Dalton Trumbo, who had been blacklisted as one of the Hollywood 10, and intended to use the pseudonym "Sam Jackson". Trumbo had been jailed for contempt of Congress in 1950, after which he had survived by writing screenplays under assumed names. Kirk Douglas claimed that it was his insistence that Trumbo be given screen credit for his work that broke the blacklist. In his autobiography, Douglas states that this decision was motivated by a meeting that Edward Lewis, Stanley Kubrick, and he had regarding whose names to list for the screenplay in the film credits, given Trumbo's shaky position with Hollywood executives [138]. One idea was to credit Lewis as co-writer or sole writer, but Lewis vetoed both suggestions. Kubrick then suggested that his own name be used. Douglas and Lewis found Kubrick's eagerness to take credit for Trumbo's work revolting, and the next day, Douglas called the gate at Universal saying, "I'd like to leave a pass for Dalton Trumbo." Douglas writes, "For the first time in 10 years, Trumbo walked on to a studio lot. He said, 'Thanks, Kirk, for giving me back my name.'" [verification needed] [139]. In fact, Douglas did not announce Trumbo as the credited screenwriter of Spartacus until August 1960, seven months after producer-director Otto Preminger's January 20, 1960, announcement that he had hired Trumbo to adapt Leon Uris' novel Exodus for the screen. Douglas later successfully denied Trumbo a sought credit on the film Town Without Pity as he worried that his continued association with the screen writer would hurt his career. and Kirk Douglas publicly announced that Trumbo was the screenwriter of Spartacus [141]. Further, President John F [142]. Kennedy publicly ignored a demonstration organized by the American Legion and went to see the film. ## Blogging Douglas blogged from time to time. Originally hosted on Myspace, his posts were hosted by the Huffington Post beginning in 2012 [145]. As of 2008, he was believed to be the oldest celebrity blogger in the world [146]. ## Rape allegation Douglas is alleged to have raped actress Natalie Wood in the summer of 1955, when she was 16 and he 38. Wood's alleged rape was first publicised in Suzanne Finstad's 2001 biography of the actress, though Finstad never named the offender [148]. The allegation received renewed attention in January 2018, after the 75th Golden Globe Awards ceremony paid tribute to Douglas, with several news outlets citing a 2012 anonymous blog post which accused Douglas. In July 2018, Wood's sister Lana said during a 12-part podcast about her sister's life that her sister was sexually assaulted as a teen and that the attack had occurred inside the Chateau Marmont during an audition and went on "for hours" [150]. In the 2021 memoir Little Sister: My Investigation Into the Mysterious Death of Natalie Wood, Lana Wood alleged Douglas was her sister's assailant [151]. Douglas's son Michael issued a statement, saying "May they both rest in peace." [148] [148]. # Health problems and death On January 28, 1996, at age 79, Douglas suffered a severe stroke, which impaired his ability to speak. Doctors told his wife that unless there was rapid improvement, the loss of the ability to speak was likely permanent [152]. After a regimen of daily speech-language therapy that lasted several months, his ability to speak returned, although it was still limited. He was able to accept an honorary Academy Award two months later in March and thanked the audience. He wrote about this experience in his 2002 book My Stroke of Luck, which he hoped would be an "operating manual" for others on how to handle a stroke victim in their own family [153] [154]. Douglas died at his home in Beverly Hills, California, surrounded by his family on February 5, 2020, at the age of 103. His cause of death was kept private. Douglas's funeral was held at the Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery, on February 7, 2020, two days after his death [156] [157]. He was buried in the same plot as his son, Eric. On April 29, 2021, his wife Anne died at the age of 102 and was buried next to him and their son [158] [159]. # Filmography In a 2014 article, Douglas cited The Strange Love of Martha Ivers, Champion, Ace in the Hole, The Bad and the Beautiful, Act of Love, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, The Indian Fighter, Lust for Life, Paths of Glory, Spartacus, Lonely Are the Brave, and Seven Days in May as the films he was most proud of throughout his acting career. # Honors and awards AFI Life Achievement Award. Kennedy Center Honors. Academy Awards. Golden Globes. Emmy Awards. Screen Actors Guild Awards. BAFTA Awards. Britannia Awards. Berlin International Film Festival. Cesar Awards. Hollywood Film Festival. National Board of Review. New York Film Critics Circle Award. In 1983, Douglas received the S. Roger Horchow Award for Greatest Public Service by a Private Citizen, an award given out annually by Jefferson Awards. In 1996, Douglas received an Honorary Academy Award for "50 years as a moral and creative force in the motion picture community." The award was presented by producer/director Steven Spielberg. As a result of Douglas's stroke the previous summer, however, in which he lost most of his speaking ability, his close friends and family were concerned about whether he should try to speak, or what he should say [153]. Both his son Michael, and his long-time friend Jack Valenti, urged him to only say "Thank you", and leave the stage. Douglas agreed, but had second thoughts when standing in front of the audience. He later reflected that: "I intended to just say 'thank you,' but I saw 1,000 people, and felt I had to say something more, and I did." Valenti remembers that after Douglas held up the Oscar, addressed his sons, and told his wife how much he loved her, everyone was astonished at his voice's improvement: [188]. Since 2006, the Santa Barbara International Film Festival has awarded the Kirk Douglas Award for Excellence in film to acknowledge lifetime contributions to the film industry. Recipients of the award include Robert De Niro, Ed Harris, Harrison Ford, Michael Douglas, Hugh Jackman and Judi Dench. The award is typically presented to actors, although directors Quentin Tarantino and Martin Scorsese have been presented with it [189]. In 2015, a star was nicknamed after Douglas in the International Star Registry to commemorate his 99th birthday [190].

Kirk Douglas, born as Issur Danielovitch in Amsterdam, New York, on December 9, 1916, was the fourth child and only son of seven siblings to Bryna and Herschel Danielovitch, Jewish immigrants from Chavusy, Mogilev Governorate, Russian Empire (now Belarus). The family spoke Yiddish at home, and Douglas, known as Izzy Demsky, endured a challenging childhood with a violent alcoholic father. He pursued acting from an early age, starting with a poem recital in kindergarten and continued through high school performances, dreaming of escaping his dire family situation. Douglas worked over forty odd jobs before acting and attended St. Lawrence University on a loan, working part-time to support his education. He excelled as a wrestler and joined the United States Navy during World War II. After the war, Douglas studied at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, where he received a special scholarship and met Lauren Bacall, who later helped launch his film career. His stage debut was in "Kiss and Tell" (1943), and Bacall recommended him to producer Hal B. Wallis, which led to his film debut in "The Strange Love of Martha Ivers" (1946). Douglas quickly established a tough guy image with roles in film noirs and as a boxer in "Champion" (1949), earning his first Oscar nomination. Throughout the 1950s and 1960s, he starred in major films like "Paths of Glory" and "Spartacus", the latter marking his role as a producer who publicly credited blacklisted writer Dalton Trumbo, effectively ending the Hollywood blacklist. Douglas's personal life included marriages to Diana Dill, resulting in two sons, Michael and Joel Douglas, and later to Anne Buydens, with whom he had two more sons, Peter and Eric. Douglas's philanthropy included extensive donations to education, medical facilities, and the arts. Politically, he acted as a goodwill ambassador for the U.S. Information Agency and was a lifelong Democrat, famously breaking the Hollywood blacklist and advocating for Jewish causes. Despite health challenges like a severe stroke in 1996, Douglas continued to act, direct, and stay active in public life, including blogging and speaking about his experiences. He faced a rape allegation from Natalie Wood, brought to light years after the alleged incident. Douglas passed away on February 5, 2020, at the age of 103, leaving behind a storied legacy marked by his intense acting style, fierce independence, and significant contributions to film and society. He was honored with awards including an Honorary Academy Award and the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

George_Floyd_protests_in_the_United_Kingdom

# Overview Large protests were held across the United Kingdom, particularly in Birmingham, Liverpool, London, Manchester, and Newcastle. Many protests were organised by the Black Lives Matter (BLM) and Stand Up to Racism movements. As well as providing solidarity to protests in the United States, many of the ongoing protests in the United Kingdom were highlighting issues with racism faced from law enforcement in the United Kingdom and in daily life. Many protests received endorsement and support from local councils and politicians, [who?] including in Liverpool and Oxford. The majority of protests in the United Kingdom were peaceful, although notable clashes between protesters and police occurred on multiple occasions in central London [4]. There were also notable cases of vandalism of historical statues, including graffiti sprayed on the plinth of the statue of Winston Churchill in Parliament Square. In Bristol, protesters toppled a statue of 17th-century slave trader Edward Colston from its pedestal and then pushed it into the harbour on 7 June [5]. Subsequently, the Mayor of London Sadiq Khan established the Commission for Diversity in the Public Realm in order to investigate whether statues on display in London were still suitable for the modern-day [6]. The George Floyd protests in the United Kingdom were the largest outside the United States. The protests took place at a time in the COVID-19 pandemic during which there were restrictions in place on public gatherings. Measured by COVID-19 death toll, the United Kingdom was at the time the third-worst affected country globally. During the period of the protests in May and June, public gatherings were legally limited to a maximum of six people, all separated by 2 metres (6.6 ft), although police forces tolerated the majority of protests despite the restrictions outlawing them [8]. Many protests attempted to follow social distancing, and some handed out masks and gloves to attendees, although there were still concerns that the protests could lead to a second wave of COVID-19 cases in the United Kingdom. # Timeline of protests ## May ### 28 May The first solidarity protests in the United Kingdom occurred in London on 28 May 2020. More than 20 participants gathered outside the US Embassy on Nine Elms Lane in Battersea with Black Lives Matter and Stand Up to Racism banners. ### 29 May Dozens of people attended a vigil held at the Free Derry Corner in Derry on 29 May. Protesters gathered at the historic site in the Bogside neighbourhood carrying signs, flags and candles. The protest was attended by local Social Democratic and Labour Party councillor Mary Durkan, who described the action as "short, simple and above all else powerful". Graffiti stating "I can't breathe" was added to the existing graffiti wall around the back of Free Derry Corner. ### 30 May Hundreds of protesters gathered and marched through streets in Peckham in south-east London on 30 May to protest against police brutality. ### 31 May 31 May marked the first day of large and widespread protests across the United Kingdom.. In Belfast, over 100 people gathered for a solidarity vigil organised by the Connolly Youth Movement held at Writers' Square. Hundreds of protesters gathered peacefully outside Cardiff Castle in Cardiff. Local figures gave speeches to the assembled crowd, who attempted to maintain social distancing. In Liverpool, hundreds of people gathered outside St George's Hall. Protesters listened to speeches by the leaders of the rally before kneeling for 8 minutes and 46 seconds, the length of time taken to kill George Floyd. In London, thousands of people protested in Trafalgar Square and outside the United States Embassy. The Metropolitan Police had a special policing plan in place for the protest due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and arrested five people outside the embassy: three for violating COVID-19 restrictions and two for assaulting a police officer. During the march from Trafalgar Square to the embassy, four young black men outside Battersea Park railway station climbed on top of a bus stop, took the knee, and raised a fist, which the crowd subsequently copied [12]. In Manchester, hundreds of protesters marched through the city centre to St Ann's Square, where a rally was held. Protesters were additionally influenced by an incident between Greater Manchester Police officers and Desmond Mombeyarara on 9 May, in which Mombeyarara was tasered by police in front of his young child; footage of the incident at a Stretford petrol station subsequently went viral [16]. In Swansea, a socially distanced Black Lives Matter protest organised by "Stand Up To Racism Swansea" on Museum Green. ## June ### 1 June In Belfast, around 100 people attended a protest at Belfast City Hall. Multiple rallies were held in the city centre, calling for the state of Minnesota to "raise the degree", i.e. raise officer Derek Chauvin's murder charge from third-degree to second-degree. The main protest rally was officially rescheduled to 3 June by the organisers due to concerns about a lack of black representation amongst protest leaders, although many people proceeded to gather at the assigned place and time on 1 June anyway. ### 2 June Hundreds of people gathered in The Square, Lower Gardens and outside of the town hall in Bournemouth. The protests remained peaceful, with Dorset Police confirming that no arrests were made. Protest organiser William Wren stated that "the issues in Britain are different but our society has a structure very similar to the US", and that British people "have a responsibility" to show solidarity with protests in America. As well as George Floyd, protesters paid respect to Ahmaud Arbery and other high-profile recent black American killings. In Coventry, around 300 people attended a protest rally starting at the city's central police station before marching back into the city centre. West Midlands Police confirmed that they would work with organisers to ensure the protests in the area remained safe and peaceful. Concurrent smaller protests took place across the West Midlands. Liverpool City Council lit up all of the city's buildings in purple during the evening of 2 June to show solidarity with the protest movement and in honour of Floyd. Mayor of Liverpool Joe Anderson tweeted that "our city has always stood up for justice" and that "Liverpool will stand with you [the protesters] and Minneapolis". Similarly, Leeds City Council and Wakefield Council lit up their civic buildings in purple. ### 3 June A large demonstration took place in Hyde Park in central London, attended by hundreds of people. Aerial photos of the protest showed that the participants were largely adhering to social distancing rules, and the Metropolitan Police allowed the protest to progress without incident. Actor John Boyega attended the protest and gave a notable speech, calling out police in the United States over the murder of George Floyd, and the deaths of Trayvon Martin, Sandra Bland and others, as well as police in the United Kingdom over their handling of the Stephen Lawrence case in 1993. Demonstrators subsequently left the park and blocked traffic on Park Lane around 15:00, stopping at least ten double-decker buses before being moved along [24]. A stencil drawing of George Floyd's face appeared on a plinth at Speakers' Corner. Clashes erupted later in the evening as part of the protest group advanced further into central London on their way to Parliament Square. Protesters climbed onto windowsills on the walls of the HM Treasury building, spraying Black Lives Matter graffiti on the Treasury and surrounding buildings. At least 13 people were arrested after violent clashes broke out outside the gates to Downing Street, where tensions boiled over as the crowd had gathered to chant at Prime Minister Boris Johnson. Signs, temporary fencing, and bottles were thrown over the gates, and groups of protesters attempted to breach them. The Downing Street gates are ordinarily guarded by armed police, although these officers did not take part in the clashes. [citation needed] Further violence erupted after police officers were seen throwing a black protester against a metal railing while attempting to make an arrest. [citation needed] [25]. In Brighton, more than 1,000 demonstrators took part in a protest march through the city centre. Protesters gathered in the churchyard of St Nicholas Church before marching to the main central police station in Brighton. Protesters were demanding justice for George Floyd and chanted that the British law enforcement system was also systematically racist. Police subsequently moved the protest along from the police station to The Level, where demonstrators gathered in a circle and gave impromptu speeches about their own experiences of racism. Sussex Police confirmed that one arrest had been made at the protest, and warned that large gatherings were still illegal under COVID-19 restrictions and that future protests would be dispersed. Along the coast in Southampton, approximately 500 demonstrators gathered at the city's Guildhall; many wore gloves and masks to protect themselves from COVID-19, however, social distancing was observed to falter as the protest went on. Protesters called for justice for Belly Mujinga, a railway ticket office worker at London Victoria station, who died from COVID-19 on 5 April 2020 several days after being racially attacked by a man who falsely claimed to have tested positive for the virus; police at the time stated that they would not be investigating Mujinga's death. In solidarity with the protests, Southampton City Council lit up city buildings in purple. Hundreds of people gathered in South Park in Oxford for a protest which was backed by Layla Moran, Liberal Democrat Member of Parliament for the Oxford West and Abingdon constituency, despite her being unable to attend the protest in person. The protest was relocated from Bonn Square to South Park in order to encourage social distancing, due to a higher than expected turnout. Oxford City Council leader Susan Brown confirmed that the council stood in solidarity with the protest. In Edinburgh, around 50–60 people gathered briefly in Parliament Square and outside St Giles' Cathedral to protest, with many taking a knee for George Floyd. Social distancing measures were observed and most people wore masks due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The event was organised by Stand Up to Racism. Protests were held in York, Leeds and Sheffield. A socially distanced vigil for George Floyd was held outside York Minster by York Stand Up To Racism. ### 4 June Around 4,000 people took part in a protest march in central Birmingham. Protesters gathered in Centenary Square outside the Library of Birmingham around 16:00 and subsequently marched to the front of the West Midlands Police headquarters, Lloyd House. The protest was originally organised for Victoria Square, but was relocated due to the high turnout in order to allow for social distancing to be observed. The crowds were reported to have remained peaceful, and no arrests were made. The Birmingham protest was organised by the UK Isn't Innocent group, aimed at exposing racism and police brutality in the United Kingdom as well as the United States. Footballer Tyrone Mings, who plays for the local team Aston Villa, joined the protest march; he was the victim of high-profile racial abuse while playing for the England national team in Bulgaria in 2019. More than 500 people attended a protest in Royal Leamington Spa. The protest march proceeded peacefully from the Royal Pump Room Gardens down the Parade. Around 500 people attended a peaceful protest in the centre of Lincoln, marching from the High Street, up Steep Hill and ending in front of Lincoln Cathedral [33]. Once there, the crowd gathered to listen to speeches from members of the black Lincoln community, and took a knee in solidarity for 8 minutes and 46 seconds. Water and masks were handed out by the protest organisers. Approximately 300 people gathered for a demonstration in Barnstaple, organised by three local black/mixed girls who claimed that racism was "more prevalent" in rural areas like Devon compared to major cities. Protest organisers marked crosses onto the ground in Barnstaple Square with chalk in order to facilitate social distancing. Towards the end of the protest, demonstrators staged a die-in in the square. Hundreds of people peacefully protested in Queen Victoria Square in the centre of Kingston upon Hull, where protest organisers also marked the ground with chalk to aid social distancing [35]. Protesters in Hull took a knee in honour of Floyd and other victims of racism in the United States. Hundreds of people gathered in Guildhall Square in Portsmouth for a Black Lives Matter demonstration, where protesters criticised the local Hampshire Constabulary for their previous track record on racism. In New Alresford, near Winchester, around 100 people gathered on Broad Street for another Black Lives Matter protest, holding placards and taking a knee [37]. Around 20 demonstrators gathered outside of the Willis Museum in Basingstoke for a solidarity protest [38]. In Newport on the Isle of Wight, a large group of protesters gathered to protest against racism in the United Kingdom, kneeling for nine minutes in honour of George Floyd [39]. In Staines-upon-Thames, a gathering of over 100 demonstrators convened outside Spelthorne Borough Council offices to show solidarity with local black communities. ### 5 June A protest took place in Eastrop Park in Basingstoke on 5 June, which was attended by hundreds of people. In Scotland, a petition to rename Glasgow streets named after Tobacco Lords who owned slave plantations in America and Jamaica received almost 8000 signatures. ### 6 June The protest in central London was the largest of the week. One of the Black Lives Matter organisers had told The Guardian that they had expected about 20,000, but it seemed several times that had turned up. Protests outside Downing Street started peacefully but later turned violent after a group started throwing bottles. 14 police officers were injured during the clashes, and 14 protesters were arrested. The initials "BLM" were daubed in black paint on The Cenotaph war memorial [44] [45]. Graffiti was sprayed on a number of Whitehall buildings, including that of the Cabinet Office. A protest in Manchester was joined by about 15,000 people. Over 1,000 people attended a protest organised by Black Lives Matter at Devonshire Green in Sheffield city centre [47]. The protest was endorsed by local political groups including the Heeley Labour Party and the leader of Sheffield City Council, Julie Dore. The Sheffield protest was livestreamed on social media for people who were unable to attend due to COVID-19 restrictions, as Sheffield was the worst affected British city by the pandemic outside London [48] [49]. An estimated 1,200 attended a Black Lives Matter protest in Bath, a city with a population of about 90,000. The organisers were not expecting so many to attend [51]. The protest was peaceful throughout with free masks being handed out on arrival, with social distancing measures being followed. In Guildford, a town in South East England with a population of about 80,000, hundreds of people attended a march through the town centre. According to the Leicester Black Lives Matter Instagram account, over 4000 people turned up to a protest in the city [52]. The demonstration remained peaceful, with minimal police presence, and social distancing was enforced by the organisers throughout the event [53]. The city's Mayor and police force spoke in support of the event. Additional protests occurred in Kingston upon Thames, Luton, Salisbury, Watford, Aylesbury, Exeter, Swindon, Worthing, Royal Tunbridge Wells, Peterborough, Ipswich, Southend-on-Sea, Roundwood Park in Wembley, Newington Green, Stevenage, Cambridge, and Chatham, Kent [54] [55] [56] [57] [58] [59] [60] [61] [62] [63] [64] [65] [66] [67] [68] [69] [70]. A protest also took place in Milton Keynes, where a demonstration began at Milton Keynes central railway station at noon before marching to the Milton Keynes Council offices (which had been lit purple during previous nights in a show of solidarity) and then to the Thames Valley Police Station in Milton Keynes, where several police officers took a knee [72] [73]. Around 2,000 protesters gathered in Bute Park in Cardiff [74]. Protesters took a knee during an hour-long demonstration outside the war memorial in Bangor, Gwynedd, organised by the North Wales African Society. [75]. In Glasgow, anti-racism campaigners have symbolically renamed streets long named after slave traders and Tobacco Lords by affixing their own signs under the original street signs.. In Northern Ireland, protests of varying sizes occurred in Belfast (less than 500), Derry (around 1000), and Newry (a small crowd that dispersed quickly). The Police Service of Northern Ireland issued a large number of citations for social distancing violations. In Newcastle-upon-Tyne, an estimated 3,000 people gathered under Grey's Monument in support of the Black Lives Matter movement with a further 2,800 people tuned into an online protest with speeches from the likes of Newcastle Central MP, Chi Onwurah and Shumel Rahman. Protesters marched from the monument, down Grainger Street, past Newcastle Central Station and finished in Newcastle's Centre for Life and marched back up to Grey's Monument via Clayton Street after listening to community leaders speak on racism in the United Kingdom and a moments silence for George Floyd [80]. On the same day, an opposing protest organised by the English Defence League was on Newcastle's streets.. Crowds gathered in the Welsh cities of Denbigh, Bangor, Swansea, Caerphilly and Cardiff [81]. Hundreds marched from Bute Park to Senedd Cymru (Welsh Parliament) in Cardiff Bay. ### 7 June Tens of thousands of people protested across the UK, in cities and towns that included Bognor Regis, Bury St Edmunds, Cardiff, Carlisle, Chester, Coventry, Dumfries, Glasgow, Hastings, Liverpool, London, Lytham St Annes, Manchester, Merthyr Tydfil, Middlesbrough, Newcastle, Nottingham, Oxford, Sheffield, Weymouth, Woking, Wolverhampton, Wrexham, and Yeovil [83] [84] [85] [86] [87] [88] [89] [90] [91] [92] [93] [94] [95] [96] [97] [98] [99]. In London, BLM protesters clashed with police. A protester was seen climbing onto The Cenotaph war memorial and attempted to set the Union Jack on fire [101]. The words "was a racist" were painted onto a statue of Sir Winston Churchill [102]. The Metropolitan Police said that a further 12 were arrested in central London for public order offences. As a response to these events, right-wing activist and convicted criminal Tommy Robinson announced a counter-protest for 13 June to protect both the Churchill statue and the Cenotaph from further vandalism [5] [102]. Multiple copycat protests also sprung up around the UK, many by veterans, to stop the vandalism of war memorials [103]. [citation needed]. A statue of the 17th-century slave trader Edward Colston was toppled and defaced in Bristol. One protester placed his knee on the statue's neck, recalling Floyd's murder by asphyxiation by a white policeman. A crowd of at least 5,000 people marched from Bristol's College Green to The Centre where they tore down the statue, dragged and dumped it into Bristol Harbour [104] [105]. The empty plinth was used as a stage for protesters [106] [107]. In the subsequent criminal proceedings four people were charged with criminal damage but acquitted by a jury after a trial in January 2022. [6]. Other protests:. ### 8 June Protests continued in various locations, including several hundred people in Cheltenham and Bedford [118]. ### 9 June A crowd of protesters in Oxford gathered outside Oriel College, demanding that the statue of Cecil Rhodes be removed. Protesters fell silent for 8 minutes and 46 seconds in the memory of George Floyd.Protests continued elsewhere in the country, including in Barking, London [120]. Hundreds took part in Black Lives Matter protests in Douglas, Isle of Man and in Henley-on-Thames [122]. ### 10 June In Jersey, more than a thousand people attended a George Floyd protest in People's Park. That night a statue of Sir George Carteret was defaced with paint in solidarity with the recent events in Bristol due to Carteret's involvement as a slave trader for the Royal African Company [124]. In Newport, Wales, more than 1,000 demonstrators marched from the city's civic center to the University of South Wales in support of the Black Lives Matter movement. ### 12 June Around 1,000 people gathered in St Albans where a local resident claimed the city had 'never seen anything like this' [127]. In Stratford-upon-Avon, an estimated 600 people attended a protest. ### 13 June An official Black Lives Matter protest was cancelled in London due to concerns that it could be countered by far-right groups after right-wing activist movement the Democratic Football Lads Alliance had called for people to travel to London to protect monuments. Hundreds of counter-protesters – including members of far-right groups – gathered at several statue sites in London, and violently clashed with the police, leading to over a hundred arrests and six injured police officers [129]. Prior to this, the statue of Winston Churchill in Parliament Square was completely covered by the government in order to protect them from being defaced, and several other memorials partially covered [130]. During the afternoon, a protest took place in Brighton. In Newcastle, counter-protesters hurled smoke bombs, bottles, flares and fireworks at Black Lives Matter protesters and Northumbria Police officers resulting in 13 arrests and 5 Black Lives Matter protesters being hospitalised [132]. Hundreds of people participated in a protest march in Aberdeen [133]. In Chelmsford, hundreds of people attended a protest in the city's Central Park [134]. Protests also occurred in Canterbury, Chichester, Slough, Gloucester, Harrow, London, Northampton, King's Lynn, Marlow, Buckinghamshire, Bishop's Stortford, and Croydon [135] [136] [137] [138] [139] [140] [141] [142] [143] [144]. In Shetland, "several hundred people" took part in a socially-distanced protest in many locations in the islands. Posters were widely distributed for the protest featuring the slogan "Shetland staands wi [Shetland dialect: stands with] Black Lives Matter". In Swansea, several dozen protesters took part in a peaceful demonstration at Swansea Memorial Park. ### 14 June A peaceful protest took place at Leeds' Millennium Square organised by Black Voices Matter, a group including Black Lives Matter Leeds and other black-led organisations from the city. A group of veterans, alongside some football supporters groups potentially linked with far-right politics, gathered in Victoria Gardens to protect the war memorial; beer was thrown at a journalist [148]. Piers Corbyn, the brother of former Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn, joined Black Lives Matter protesters in London, where he incited a crowd on Westminster Bridge to deliver a "summer of discontent" and unite against the BBC, Boris Johnson and Sadiq Khan. A protest additionally took place in Abingdon-on-Thames [150]. ### 15 June Hundreds assembled in Truro, where there was a small clash with a group of counter-protesters who claimed they were there to protect a memorial. [152]. ### 18 June Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab is criticised for saying during a radio interview that taking the knee is a "symbol of subjugation and subordination" apparently taken from the TV series Game of Thrones. ### 20 June Protests took place in Ashby-de-la-Zouch, Chippenham Coventry, Glasgow, London, Lydney, Newcastle and Reading [157] [158] [159] [160] [159] [159] [159]. ### 21 June A second peaceful protest took place on Leeds' Woodhouse Moor, organised by Black Lives Matter Leeds, calling for an end to systemic racism. # Impact and effects ## Actions against memorials Protesters defaced the statue of Winston Churchill in London's Parliament Square and Queen Victoria's statue in Leeds. Graffiti on the plinth of Churchill's statue referred to him as "racist", alluding to his controversial racial views [163] [164]. BLM activists in London are demanding the removal of 60 statues of historical figures like Prime Ministers Charles Grey and William Gladstone, Vice-Admiral Horatio Nelson, Sir Francis Drake, King Charles II of England, Oliver Cromwell, Cecil Rhodes and Christopher Columbus [5]. On 5 June, a group of protesters sprayed the abbreviation "ACAB", meaning All Cops Are Bastards, on the memorial to Earl Haig in Whitehall, London; when soldiers from the Household Cavalry in plain clothes scrubbed the graffiti off, protesters shouted abuse at them for doing so. The statue of Edward Colston in The Centre, Bristol was toppled and thrown into Bristol Harbour on 7 June. On the same day, a protester climbed onto The Cenotaph in London and unsuccessfully attempted to set fire to the Union Flag [168]. On 7 June, the statue of Mahatma Gandhi in London was sprayed by Black Lives Matter protesters with the word "Racist". ## Renaming of places Some local councils in England decided to rename public streets or places in response to the movement. Watford Borough Council announced a review into its town street names in July 2020. The Colston Hall concert hall in Bristol was officially renamed Bristol Beacon in September 2020. The hall was originally named after a 17th-century slave trader, Edward Colston. Since December 2020, Havelock Road, Southall has been renamed Guru Nanak Road. It was named after colonial general Sir Henry Havelock who was known for his involvement in the Afghan–Sikh Wars and the Indian Rebellion of 1857. The local MP, Virendra Sharma, had been campaigning since 1992 for a name change and said Havelock was a "colonial oppressor, he ravaged India and her people for personal gain and imperial glory". # Reaction ## Political response Opposition parties in the House of Commons, including Labour and the Scottish National Party, called on Prime Minister Boris Johnson to suspend the export of riot shields, tear gas and other equipment to the United States on 2 June. An open letter was sent to the Prime Minister by Labour MP Emily Thornberry, the Shadow Secretary of State for International Trade, calling the continued supply of riot control equipment to US law enforcement a "disgrace". Johnson responded stating that he would look into any concerns but insisted that exports are subject to "consolidated guidance" to ensure they were not misused, and that the UK is the most "scrupulous country in the world in that regard" [175]. The letter was signed by 166 MPs from across all parties in the Commons by 5 June [176]. A petition calling for the suspension of export of riot control equipment has gained more than 500,000 signatures as of 6 June. [177]. At the daily Downing Street COVID-19 press conference on 3 June, Boris Johnson stated that he was "appalled and sickened" by the murder of George Floyd. Johnson said that people had the democratic right to protest, but he "urge [d] people to protest peacefully, and in accordance with the rules on social distancing" before concluding that racism "has no place" in society. On 8 June, Prime Minister Boris Johnson issued a statement to The Voice in which he stated "I will not support or indulge those who break the law, or attack the police, or desecrate public monuments. We have a democracy in this country. If you want to change the urban landscape, you can stand for election, or vote for someone who will." Johnson said that demonstrations were "subverted by thuggery" [179]. Statements also came from several cabinet members, including Priti Patel, who claimed that "lawless minority of protesters" had "regrettably turned to violence" [180]. On 9 June, Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said that he believed statues and plaques in London with links to slavery "should be taken down", and established the Commission for Diversity in the Public Realm to do so. The statue of Robert Milligan, who was largely responsible for the construction of the West India Docks, was removed on the same day that Khan announced the commission [182]. The petition entitled “Remove the Gandhi Statue in Leicester’ alleges Mahatma Gandhi, the leader of India's independence movement against the British rule, was a racist and sexual predator. British Labour Party politician Keith Vaz said that "dreadful" petition "seeks to divide communities in Leicester and in the country. If this is not withdrawn I will certainly refer it to the police to consider whether it incites racial hatred". ## Police reaction In reaction to the protests, the chief constables of multiple police forces across the United Kingdom released the following joint statement on 3 June: [29]. Avon and Somerset Police allowed the Statue of Edward Colston to be toppled on 7 June, a decision which caused public backlash. They later justified this, stating that they had made a "tactical decision" not to intervene, citing concerns that intervention could have led to further violence. However, in the subsequent criminal proceedings four people were charged with criminal damage but acquitted by a jury after a trial. [185]. ## Concerns regarding COVID-19 There were widespread concerns that the protests across the country could lead to a second wave of COVID-19 cases, just as the United Kingdom was beginning to ease lockdown restrictions, despite calls from protest organisers for attendees to maintain social distancing and wear masks and gloves to protests. Some protests were able to maintain adequate social distancing, although aerial photography of larger gatherings showed that social distancing often broke down as protests progressed.. Government and police officials across the devolved nations urged the public to avoid protests due to COVID-19 concerns. On 5 June, the Deputy Assistant Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, Laurence Taylor, described protests across the United Kingdom as "unlawful" due to health protection regulations [186] [187]. During the daily Downing Street COVID-19 press conference on the same day, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Matt Hancock, said that he was "appalled" by the murder of George Floyd but urged people not to attend planned protests over the following weekend [188]. However, his comments were largely ignored by the public as protests went ahead as planned. [189]. Scottish Cabinet Secretary for Justice Humza Yousaf said: "And we do know there is a lot of evidence of the disproportionate impact that COVID-19 can have on the minority ethnic community. So the very people whose lives we say matter are the very lives that those people could be putting at risk. So yes, it does give me a great deal of concern." [190].

In the wake of George Floyd's death in the United States, the United Kingdom experienced a wave of protests and demonstrations. Major cities, including Birmingham, Liverpool, London, Manchester, Newcastle, and others, became centers of solidarity with the BLM movement and to bring attention to domestic racial issues. Organized by groups like Black Lives Matter and Stand Up to Racism, these protests saw support from local councils and politicians, with many being peaceful but some resulting in clashes with police and vandalism, such as the defacement of Winston Churchill's statue and the toppling of Edward Colston's statue in Bristol. These events sparked London's Mayor Sadiq Khan to establish the Commission for Diversity in the Public Realm to reevaluate the suitability of public statues. Occurring amid COVID-19 restrictions on gatherings, these protests nonetheless attracted large crowds, with efforts to adhere to health guidelines varying. The timeline of protests began on May 28 with small demonstrations outside the US Embassy in London and spread rapidly throughout the UK, including significant gatherings in Cardiff, Manchester, and Belfast. By June, multiple large-scale protests had taken place, notably in London with actor John Boyega delivering a passionate speech, and in Bristol, where protestors threw the statue of slave trader Edward Colston into the harbor. These protests highlighted several issues, including police brutality, systemic racism, and called for justice not only for George Floyd but also for other victims of racism both in the US and the UK. Protests extended into mid-June, with peaceful gatherings and moments of violence, particularly when right-wing counter-protesters became involved. The impact was seen in actions against statues and memorials connected to controversial historical figures and discussions on renaming streets and places. Politically, the Labour party called for a halt to exports of riot control equipment to the US, and Mayor Khan's commission examined London's statues. Police forces faced criticism for their responses, with some supporting the protestors' right to demonstrate and others concerned about potential clashes. Concerns about the potential for these protests to contribute to a second wave of COVID-19 were widespread, with government and health officials urging caution. Nevertheless, the protests marked a significant moment of reckoning with racial injustice in the UK, mirroring a larger global movement.

List_of_shopping_malls_in_India

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Black_people_and_Mormonism

# Joseph Smith's views Joseph Smith's views on Black people varied during his lifetime. As founder of the Latter Day Saint movement, Smith included Black people in many ordinances and priesthood ordinations but had differing views on racial segregation and the curses of Cain and Ham. He shifted his views on slavery several times, eventually taking an anti-slavery stance later in life. : 126  : 79 [28] [7] [78]. ## On slavery Smith initially expressed opposition to slavery, but avoided discussion of the topic after the church was formally organized in 1830. : 16  : 5  During the Missouri years, he tried to maintain peace with the members' pro-slavery neighbors; : 16  in 1835, the church declared it was not "right to interfere with bond-servants, nor baptize them contrary to the will and wish of their masters" or cause "them to be dissatisfied with their situations in this life." : 17  Smith published an essay sympathetic to slavery the following year, arguing against a possible "race war", providing justification for slavery based on the biblical curse of Ham, and saying that northerners had no "more right to say that the South shall not hold slaves, than the South have to say that the North shall." : 22  : 212–214  During the Nauvoo settlement, Smith began preaching abolitionism and equality of the races [2] [9] [2] [2] [1] [11] [12]. He called for "the break down [of] slavery" during his 1844 presidential campaign, and wanted to free all enslaved persons by 1850. : 29  : 10 [1] [9]. ## On temple and priesthood access Smith was apparently present at the priesthood ordination of Elijah Abel, a multi-ethnic man with partial Black heritage, to the offices of elder and the seventy and permitted the ordination of several Black men into the priesthood of the early church. : 213  Although Abel received his washing and anointing temple ordinance under Smith, he did not receive the temple endowments; his petition for them was denied over thirty years later, and there is no record of any Black individuals receiving the Nauvoo endowment [13] [14]. After Smith's death, Brigham Young barred Black people from temple endowments, marriage sealings, and the priesthood [15]. There is no contemporary evidence suggesting that the anti-Black-priesthood restriction originated with Smith [14]. : 21 [78] [16]. ## On equality and segregation Smith said that Black and white people would be better off if they were "separate but legally equal", advocating segregation: : 79  [page needed] "Had I anything to do with the negro, I would confine them by strict law to their own species, and put them on a national equalization." : 79  [page needed] He also said, "They have souls, and are subjects of salvation [7] [17] [7] [17]. Go into Cincinnati or any city, and find an educated negro, who rides in his carriage, and you will see a man who has risen by the powers of his own mind to his exalted state of respectability." : 17  : 9 [18] [19] [9]. # LDS policies and teachings ## Premortal life After Smith's death in 1844 and a six-month succession crisis, his most popular successor was Brigham Young; the Brighamite branch of Mormonism became the LDS Church. By that year, LDS leaders justified discriminatory policies with the belief that the spirits of Black individuals before earthly life were "fence sitters" between God and the devil and were less virtuous than white souls. Young rejected this explanation, but apostles Orson Pratt, Orson Hyde, and John Taylor supported the concept and it was accepted widely by LDS members. : 27  A century later, in a 1949 statement, the First Presidency (the church's highest governing body) said that Black people were not entitled to the full blessings of the gospel and cited previous revelations on preexistence as justification [16] [20] [21]. : 66  : 221  After the temple and priesthood ban was reversed in 1978, church leaders refuted the belief that Black people were less valiant in pre-existence [1] [78]. The church disavowed its previous teachings on race for the first time in 2013, denouncing any justification for the temple and priesthood restrictions based on premortality. ## Curses of Cain and Ham Teachings about the curse of Cain, the curse of Ham, and their relation to Black people have changed during the church's history. Joseph Smith and Brigham Young called the curse of Ham a justification for Black enslavement. : 126  Smith believed that dark skin marked people of Black African ancestry as cursed by God [28] [30]. : 27  In his revisions of the King James Bible and production of the Book of Abraham, he traced their state back to the curses placed on Cain and Ham and linked the curses in the Book of Abraham by positioning Ham's Canaanite-cursed posterity as matrilinear descendants of the previously-cursed Cain [27]. Under Smith's leadership, Brigham Young seemed open to Black people holding the priesthood. As Smith's successor, he used the biblical curses as justification for barring Black men from the priesthood, banning interracial marriages, and opposing Black voting rights. : 70  Young said that God's curse on Black people would someday be lifted, and they would be able to receive the priesthood after death [78] [31] [29]. : 66 [1]. According to the Bible, God cursed Adam's son Cain and put a mark on him after Cain killed Abel; the text does not specify the nature of the mark. : xii  Smith's canonical scripture, the Pearl of Great Price, described the mark of Cain as dark skin; : 12  as church president, Young said: "What is the mark [of Cain]? You will see it on the countenance of every African you ever did see" [32] [1]. In another biblical account, Adam's eighth great-grandson Ham discovered his father Noah drunk and naked in his tent [35] [36]. Because of this, Noah cursed his grandson Canaan (Ham's son) as "servants of servants". : 125  Although LDS scriptures do not mention the skin color of Ham or that of his son, Canaan, some church teachings associated the Hamitic curse with Black people and used it to justify their enslavement [28]. : 125 [28]. In 1978, when the church ended the temple and priesthood bans, apostle Bruce R. McConkie taught that the ancient curses of Cain and Ham were no longer in effect. : 117  Church leaders disavowed the idea that black skin was the sign of a curse for the first time in 2013 [1]. : 59 [22] [1] [23]. ## Patriarchal blessings In the LDS Church, patriarchal blessings are given to members. A blessing describes a member's biblical lineage in a tribe of Israel, states their strengths and weaknesses, and advises the future. In the 19th and early 20th centuries, members were more likely to believe that they were descended from a tribe of Israel. : 13–15  Black members of the early LDS church sometimes received no lineage, or received one from a non-Israelite lineage of Ham [38]. : 106  After the 1978 revelation, patriarchs sometimes did not declare lineages for Black members; since then, some Black members have requested (and received) a patriarchal blessing which includes a lineage [39] [40] [156]. : 126 [42]. ## Righteous Black people will become white Early church leaders taught that after death and resurrection everyone in the celestial kingdom (the highest tier of heaven) would be "white in eternity." They often equated whiteness with righteousness, and taught that God made his children white in his own image [43] [44]. : 231  Smith reported that in his vision, Jesus had a "white complexion" and "blue eyes" – a description confirmed in another reported vision by follower Anson Call [45] [46] [44]. A 1959 report by the U.S [47] [48]. Commission on Civil Rights found that most Utah Mormons believed that "by righteous living, the dark-skinned races may again become white and delightsome." The church also taught that the skin of white apostates would darken, and in the temple endowment ceremony (until at least the 1960s) Satan was said to have black skin [49]. : 28 [16] [50]. Several Black Mormons were told that they would become white. Hyrum Smith told Jane Manning James that God could give her a new lineage, and promised her in his patriarchal blessing that she would become "white and delightsome". : 148  In 1836, Elijah Abel was similarly promised that he would "be made .. [39]. white in eternity". : 38  Darius Gray, a prominent Black Mormon, was told that his skin color would lighten [2]. In 1978, apostle LeGrand Richards said that the curse of dark skin for wickedness and the promise of white skin through righteousness applied only to Native Americans, and not to Black people [51]. : 115 [1]. The LDS Church published a 2013 essay refuting these ideas, describing prior church teachings justifying the restriction as racial "folk beliefs". It said that Blackness in Latter-day Saint theology is a symbol of disobedience to God, and not necessarily a skin color [22]. A Sunday School teacher was removed from their position for teaching from this essay in 2015 [23]. ## Slavery Initial Mormon converts were from the North and opposed slavery, which caused contention in the slave state of Missouri. The church leadership then began distancing itself from abolitionism, sometimes justifying slavery with Biblical teachings. Several white people who enslaved Black people joined the church and brought their enslaved people when they moved to Nauvoo, Illinois, and the church discouraged influencing enslaved people to be "dissatisfied with their condition". : 17  Contention between the mostly-abolitionist Latter-day Saints and slave-owning Southerners led to the Mormon expulsion from Jackson County, Missouri in the 1838 Mormon War. [2]. Joseph Smith began his presidential campaign on a platform of the government buying enslaved people into freedom over several years. He called for "the break down of slavery" and the removal of "the shackles from the poor black man". : 54 [2]. After Smith's murder in 1844, most Latter-day Saints followed Young to Utah (part of the Mexican province of Alta California until 1848) in 1847. Some enslaved people were brought to Utah, although others escaped. Brigham Young began teaching that enslaving people was ordained by God, but remained opposed to creating a slave-based economy in Utah. The Utah Territory, under Young's governance, legalized the purchase of Black and Native American people for enslavement in 1852. Under him, Utah passed laws supporting slavery and forbidding Black people from voting, holding public office, joining the local military, or marrying white people. Utah's slavery laws contrasted with those of the Southern states in permitting an enslavement closer to indentured servitude than to the South's plantation slavery [56] [57]. : 69  Twenty-six Black people were enslaved in the Utah Territory, according to the 1850 census, and twenty-nine were reported in the 1860 census [2] [58]. Similar to other territories, one objective of the slavery laws was to prevent Black people from settling in Utah and control those already there [58]. : 25 [16]. Many prominent church members enslaved people, including William H. Hooper, Abraham O. Smoot, Charles C. Rich, Brigham Young and Heber C. Kimball. : 52  : 33  Members bought and sold people, gave the church enslaved people as a tithe, : 34  and recaptured those who escaped their enslavers [59] [60] [1] [59] [60] [61]. : 268  In California, Black enslavement was illegally tolerated in the Mormon community of San Bernardino despite California laws banning the practice [62] [11]. After the Civil War, the US government freed enslaved people and allowed many Black adults to vote. By the early 1920s, there were hundreds of members of the Ku Klux Klan (KKK) in Utah [28]. Although Church leaders opposed the KKK, several LDS members were Klan members [63]. ## Civil rights After the Civil War, little changed on church stances towards Black people and their rights until the civil rights movement. : 2  The NAACP criticized the church's position on civil rights, led anti-discrimination marches and filed a lawsuit against the church in response to its practice of not allowing Black children to be Boy Scout troop leaders [38]. : 234  : 218  Students from other schools protested against BYU's discriminatory practices and the church's racial restrictions [65] [13]. The church issued a statement supporting civil rights, and changed its Boy Scout leader policy [66] [67]. The apostle Ezra Taft Benson criticized the civil rights movement and challenged accusations of police brutality. : 78  Black athletes protested against BYU's discriminatory practices by refusing to play against the school's teams [1]. After the reversal of the temple and priesthood ban in 1978, LDS leaders were relatively silent about civil rights and eventually formed a partnership with the NAACP [66] [67]. In 2017, local church leaders in Mississippi and the NAACP began to work on projects to restore the NAACP office where Medgar Evers had worked. The following year, it was announced that the church and the NAACP would begin a joint program for the financial education of East Coast residents in Baltimore, Atlanta and Camden, New Jersey [69]. In 2019, church president Russell M [70]. Nelson spoke at the national convention of the NAACP in Detroit. In June 2020, a spokesperson for the NAACP said there was "no willingness on the part of the church to do anything material .. [71]. It's time now for more than sweet talk." [72]. In the church's October 2020 general conference, leaders denounced racism and called on church members to take action against it. Nelson asked church members to "lead out in abandoning attitudes and actions of prejudice." That month, in a speech at BYU, apostle Dallin H [73] [74]. Oaks denounced racism, endorsed the message that "Black lives matter" (discouraging its use to advance controversial proposals), and called on church members to root out racist attitudes, behavior and policies. ## Segregation During the first century of its existence, the church discouraged social interaction or marriage with Black people and encouraged racial segregation in its congregations, facilities, and university, in medical blood supplies, and in public schools [77] [78] [79]. Joseph Smith supported segregation, saying: "I would confine them [Black people] by strict law to their own species". : 1843  Until 1963, many church leaders supported legalized racial segregation; David O [17]. McKay, J. Reuben Clark, Henry D. Moyle, Ezra Taft Benson, Joseph Fielding Smith, Harold B. Lee, and Mark E. Petersen were leading proponents. : 67 [1] [43]. Black families were told by church leadership not to attend church, or chose not to attend after white members complained. : 68  The church advocated for segregation laws and enforced segregation at its facilities, such as the Hotel Utah and Tabernacle performances [80] [1]. Church leaders advised members to buy homes so Black people would not move next to LDS chapels [81]. : 67  In 1954, apostle Mark E [1]. Petersen taught that segregation was inspired by God. : 65  Leaders advocated for the segregation of donated blood, concerned that giving white members blood from Black people might disqualify them from the priesthood [82]. : 67  Church leaders opposed desegregation in public schools and at BYU [1] [83]. : 67  : 852  : 206 [82] [84] [66]. ## Interracial marriage Nearly every decade for over a century, from the church's formation in the 1830s until the 1970s, saw denunciations of interracial marriage; most focused on Black–white marriages. : 42–43  The church's stance against interracial marriage was consistent for over a century, while attitudes towards Black people and the priesthood and equal rights changed [16]. Church leaders' views stemmed from the temple and priesthood policies and racist "biological and social" principles of the time. : 89–90  : 42–43 [78] [16]. Under Smith's leadership in Nauvoo, it was illegal for Black men to marry white women; he fined two Black men for violating his prohibition. On at least three occasions (1847, 1852, and 1865), Brigham Young taught that the punishment for Black–white marriages was death; the killing of a Black–white couple and their children was part of a blood atonement which would be a blessing to them [85] [86] [90] [88]. : 37, 39  Young also said that if the church approved of white intermarriage with Black people, it would be destroyed and the priesthood would be taken away [1] [89]. Until (at least) the 1960s, the church penalized white members who married Black people by prohibiting both from entering temples. The temple and priesthood bans were lifted in 1978, but the church still discouraged marriage across ethnic lines [99]. : 5  Until 2013, at least one official church manual continued to encouraging members to marry within their race [3] [92]. # LDS Temple and priesthood restriction Although a few Black men were ordained to the priesthood under Smith before his death in 1844, from 1849 to 1978 the Brighamite LDS Church prohibited anyone with real (or suspected) Black ancestry from taking part in ordinances in its temples, serving in significant church callings, serving missions, attending priesthood meetings, : 64  being ordained to a priesthood office, speaking at firesides, : 67  or receiving a lineage in a patriarchal blessing [96] [97] [98] [1]. Non-Black spouses of Black people were also prohibited from entering temples [40]. Because temple ordinances are considered essential to enter the highest degree of heaven, the exclusion meant that Black people were banned from exaltation [99]. : 164  : 261  The ban was gradually relaxed so Black people could attend priesthood meetings and some people with "questionable lineage" were given the priesthood, such as Fijians, Indigenous Australians, Egyptians, and Brazilians and South Africans with unknown heritage who did not appear to have Black heritage [100] [1] [16]. : 94  In 1978, the church's First Presidency released Official Declaration 2, lifting the racial restrictions, in 1978; it was later adopted as scripture [82]. : 108 [1] [101]. During more than 120 years of restrictions, the church said that they were instituted by God and offered several race-based explanations, including the belief that Cain and his descendants are cursed, that Ham's marriage to Egyptus put a curse on Canaan's descendants, : 62  and Black people were less valiant in their premortal life [78] [1] [78]. : 236  Leaders used LDS scriptures to justify the explanations, including the Book of Abraham (which teaches that the descendants of Canaan were Black, and Pharaoh could not have the priesthood because he was one of Canaan's descendants) [45]. : 41–42  Since 2013, the previous explanations are no longer accepted as church teachings and the church teaches anti-racism [78]. : 200 [1] [102] [23]. ## History During the early years of the Latter Day Saint movement, at least two Black men became priests: Elijah Abel and Walker Lewis. : 213  Abel received the priesthood office of elder and the office of seventy, evidently in Smith's presence [13]. : 213  Historians Armand Mauss and Lester E [13]. Bush Jr. found that statements about Smith's support of the ban were the result of reconciliation attempts by later church leaders after his death to square the differing policies of Smith and Brigham Young. : 21  Sources suggest several other Black priesthood-holders in the early church, including Peter Kerr and Jamaican immigrant Joseph T [78] [16]. Ball. Other prominent Black members of the early church included Jane Manning James, Green Flake, and Samuel D [104] [105]. Chambers. : 40–41 [106] [107] [98]. After Smith's death in 1844 and a six-month succession crisis, Young became leader of most of Smith's adherents and led the Mormon pioneers to what would become the Utah Territory. Like many American leaders at the time, Young promoted discriminatory views about Black people when he was territorial governor. In 1852, Young told the Utah Territorial Legislature that "any man having one drop of the seed of [Cain] .. [108]. in him [could not] hold the priesthood." : 70 [78]. ## Doctrine vs. policy Church leaders taught for over a century that the priesthood-ordination and temple-ordinance bans were commanded by God; according to Young, it was a "true eternal principle the Lord Almighty has ordained." : 37  In 1949, the First Presidency under George Albert Smith released a statement that the restriction "remains as it has always stood" and was "not a matter of the declaration of a policy but of direct commandment from the Lord" [1]. : 222–223  : 221  A second First Presidency statement twenty years later, under David O [28] [101] [78]. McKay, re-emphasized that the "seeming discrimination by the Church towards the Negro is not something which originated with man; but goes back into the beginning with God". : 223  : 222  Church president Spencer W [109] [28] [78]. Kimball said in 1973 that the ban was "not my policy or the Church's policy. It is the policy of the Lord who has established it." [110]. About doctrine versus policy removing racial restrictions, apostle Dallin H. Oaks said in 1988: "I don't know that it's possible to distinguish between policy and doctrine in a church that believes in continuing revelation and sustains its leader as a prophet ... I'm not sure I could justify the difference in doctrine and policy in the fact that before 1978 a person could not hold the priesthood and after 1978 they could hold the priesthood." Research by historians Armand Mauss, Newell G [111]. Bringhurst, and Lester E. Bush has weakened the idea that the ban was doctrinal. Bush said that there was, in fact, no record of a revelation received by Young concerning the ban; justifications for Young's policies were developed much later by church leaders and scholars [1] [16]. ## End of temple and priesthood bans The LDS church has adapted to environmental pressures throughout its history, including going from polygamy to monogamy, from political separatism to assimilation with the United States, and from communitarian socialism to corporate capitalism. : 231  On June 8, 1978, the LDS Church's First Presidency released a declaration allowing "all worthy male members of the church [to] be ordained to the priesthood without regard to race or color", which gave Black women and men access to temple endowments and sealings [65] [101]. It was the most significant church-policy change in decades [112] [23]. : 231  According to accounts by several present, the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles received the revelation to remove the racial restrictions while they prayed in the Salt Lake Temple [65]. Apostle Bruce R. McConkie wrote that all present "received the same message", and were able to understand "the will of the Lord". : 116  Many factors led to the change, : 231–232  including pressure from the NAACP, growing membership and a temple in Brazil, pressures from member activists, negative publicity, and the need to resolve doctrinal contradictions [101] [1] [65] [113]. : 231–232  : 94–95  Due to the publicity from Lester Bush's seminal article "Mormonism's Negro Doctrine" in 1973, BYU vice-president Robert Thomas feared that the church would lose its tax-exempt status [65] [114]. : 95  : 106–107  The article detailed the church's racially-discriminatory practices and inspired discussion among church leaders, weakening the idea that the temple and priesthood bans were doctrinal [1] [115] [1] [116]. : 95 [1]. ## Teachings about restrictions after 1978 The 1978 announcement of the removal of racial restrictions did not give a reason for their removal, renounce, apologize for, or replace them. : 163  Because the restrictions were not officially repudiated, their justification persisted in 2020 [117]. : 163, 174  : 84  Apostle McConkie continued to teach until his death that Black people were descended from Cain and Ham, and their curse came from God [117] [3]. His book Mormon Doctrine, published by the church-owned Deseret Book Company, perpetuated racism through a number of editions until it went out of print in 2010 [118]. : 71–72  A church spokesperson told reporters in 2005 that despite doctrines continuing to circulate about why people are Black, church leaders saw no need for statements about the topic since 1978 [118] [119]. BYU professor Randy L. Bott said in 2012 that God denied the priesthood to Black men to protect them from the lowest rung of hell, since abusing the priesthood is a damnable sin. Bott compared the priesthood ban to a parent denying young children the keys to the family car: "You couldn't fall off the top of the ladder, because you weren't on the top of the ladder. So, in reality the Black men and boys not having the priesthood was the greatest blessing God could give them." The church said that Bott's views did not represent church doctrine or teachings, and BYU professors do not speak on behalf of the university [51]. The following year, the church disavowed teachings that Black skin was a sign of a curse for the first time [121]. In a landmark 2016 survey, almost two-thirds of 1,156 self-identified Latter-day Saints reported believing that the pre-1978 temple and priesthood ban was "God's will" [122]. Nonwhite church members were almost 10 percent more likely to believe that the ban was "God's will" than white members [123] [124]. In 2022, BYU professor and Young Men general presidency member Brad Wilcox was criticized for a speech in which he downplayed and dismissed concerns about the priesthood and temple ban. Although Wilcox issued two apologies, reporter Jana Riess wrote that his scornful tone and words indicated that he "felt disdainful toward women" and believed that "God is a racist" [126] [127] [128]. Riess called his apologies "not-quite-apologies", and said that they did not go far enough. Videos document at least two other instances of Wilcox making similar speeches [129]. Historian W [130]. Paul Reeve said about the controversy that church leaders had not clarified as of 2022 whether the original ban was divinely inspired or not, nor had they disavowed the racial restrictions, resulting in members like Wilcox making controversial statements. # Member views and actions Some Mormons have held racist views, and exclusion from temple and priesthood rites was not the only discrimination against Black people; as mayor of Nauvoo, Joseph Smith barred them from holding office or joining the Nauvoo Legion military. Brigham Young taught that equality efforts were misguided, saying that those who fought for equality for Black people were trying to elevate them "to an equality with those whom Nature and Nature's God has indicated to be their masters, their superiors" [85]. : 68 [16] [132]. A 1959 nationwide report by the United States Commission on Civil Rights found that Black people experienced widespread inequality in Utah, and Mormon teachings were used to justify racist treatment. During the 1960s and 1970s, Mormons in the western United States were near the nationwide average in racial attitudes [49] [23]. American racial attitudes caused difficulties when the church tried to apply its one-drop rule to other ethnically-diverse areas such as Brazil; many Brazilian members did not understand American classifications of race and how they applied to the temple and priesthood ban, causing a rift between missionaries and members [133] [134]. Anti-Black jokes commonly circulated among Mormons before the 1978 revelation. Apostle Spencer W [135]. Kimball began preaching against racism by the early 1970s, calling intolerance by church members "despicable". According to a 1972–1996 study, church members in the United States were shown to have lower rates of approval of segregation than other U.S [136]. groups and a faster decline in approval of segregation. : 94–97 [3]. The church actively opposes racism among its membership, is working to reach out to Black communities, and hosts several predominantly-Black wards in the United States. In 2017, the LDS Church released a statement condemning racism in response to the white-nationalist Unite the Right rally in Virginia [137] [23]. One alt-right church member and blogger called the statement non-binding, since it came from the public-relations department rather than the First Presidency [138] [139]. ## White opposition to race-based policies During the second half of the 20th century, some white church members protested against teachings and policies excluding Black members from temple ordinances and the priesthood; three members were excommunicated in the 1970s for publicly criticizing these teachings. : 345–346  Other white members who publicly opposed some church teachings and policies concerning Black people were denied access to the temple [11]. Politician Stewart Udall wrote a strongly-worded public letter in 1967 criticizing the church's racial restrictions [140]. His letter received hundreds of critical responses, including letters from apostles Delbert Stapley and Spencer Kimball [141] [142]. : 279–283 [143]. ## Racial discrimination after 1978 ban repeal LDS historian Wayne J. Embry interviewed several Black church members in 1987, and reported that all the participants reported "incidents of aloofness on the part of white members, a reluctance or a refusal to shake hands with them or sit by them, and racist comments made to them." Embry said that one Black woman attended church for three years, despite being ignored by fellow congregants; "she had to write directly to the president of the LDS Church to find out how to be baptized", because none of the other congregants would tell her. : 371 [3]. Racism in the church continued after proclamations from church leadership extolling diversity and the 1978 end of the temple and priesthood bans. White church member and BYU professor Eugene England wrote in 1998 that most Mormons still held racist beliefs, including the belief that Black people were descended from Cain and Ham and subject to their curses. England's students at BYU who reported holding these beliefs said that they had learned them from their parents or from instructors at church, and did not know they contradicted current church teachings. Black church member Darron Smith noticed a similar problem in 2003, and wrote in Sunstone about the persistence of racist beliefs [144]. Smith wrote that racism persisted because church leadership had not addressed the ban's origins: the beliefs that Black people were descendants of Cain, that they were neutral in the war in heaven, and that skin color indicated righteousness. Journalist and church member Peggy Fletcher Stack wrote in 2007 that Black Mormons still felt separate from other church members because of their treatment by other members, which ranged from being called the "n-word" to smaller slights [145]. The absence of Black people from church leadership also contributed to Black members' feelings of not belonging. Alice Faulkner Burch, a leader of the LDS-sponsored Black organization Genesis Group, said in 2016 that Black members "still need support to remain in the church—not for doctrinal reasons but for cultural reasons." Burch added that "women are derided about our hair ... referred to in demeaning terms, our children mistreated, and callings withheld." When asked what Black women in the church wanted, she said that one woman had told her she wished "to be able to attend church once without someone touching my hair." [146]. A 2020 Sunday-school manual contained teachings about "dark skin" in the Book of Mormon being "the sign of [a] curse"; the "curse was the withdrawal of the Spirit of the Lord". Public pressure led the church to change the manual's digital version, which subsequently said that the nature and appearance of the mark of dark skin are not fully understood. A few days later, elder Gary E [147]. Stevenson told a Martin Luther King Day gathering of the NAACP that he was "saddened" by the "error", and the church was "asking members to disregard the paragraph in the printed manual." BYU law professor Michalyn Steele, a Native American, later expressed concern about the church's editorial practices and dismay that church educators continue to perpetuate racism [148] [149] [148]. In the summer of 2020, Nelson issued a joint statement with three NAACP leaders condemning racism and calling for all institutions to work to eliminate lingering racism. At the October 2020 general conference, Nelson, first counselor Dallin H [150]. Oaks, and apostle Quentin L. Cook denounced racism in their speeches. According to a 2016 survey of self-identified Mormons, over 60 percent said that they know (37 percent) or believe (25.5 percent) that the priesthood and temple ban was God's will; another 17 percent said that it might be true, and 22 percent said that they know (or believe) that it was not God's will [73]. # Black membership The first statement about proselytizing Black people concerned enslaved individuals. In 1835, church policy was to not proselytize Black people held in slavery unless they had permission from their enslavers. This policy was changed in 1836, when Smith wrote that enslaved people should not be taught the gospel until their owners were converted. : 14  Although the church had an open membership policy, it avoided opening missions in areas with large Black populations, : 122  : 157  discouraged people with Black ancestry from investigating the church, : 27  : 76  advised members to avoid social interaction with Black people, : 89  and instructed Black members to segregate themselves when white members complained about having to worship with them [16] [151] [2] [156] [82] [78]. : 67–68  Relatively few Black people who joined the church retained active membership prior to 1978 [1]. ## Proselytism Bruce R. McConkie wrote in his 1966 Mormon Doctrine, the "gospel message of salvation is not carried affirmatively to [Black people], although sometimes negroes search out the truth." : 12  Despite interest from several hundred Nigerians, proselytism was abandoned in Nigeria during the 1960s; after the Nigerian government delayed the church's visa, apostles decided against proselyting there [153] [3]. : 85–87, 94  In Africa, the only active missionaries were among white South Africans; Black South Africans who requested baptism were told that the church was not working among them [82]. : 76  The church avoided missionary work with native Fijians until 1955, when it said that they were related to other Polynesian groups and not Black [82]. : 80, 94  In Brazil, LDS officials discouraged people with Black ancestry from investigating the church; before World War II, proselytism in that country was limited to white German-speaking immigrants [82]. For a time, church headquarters had a group of full-time genealogists tasked with determining priesthood and temple eligibility [154]. The church instituted a genealogy program to uncover Black ancestry, and a person's church records were marked if any was found [155]. : 27  In the 1970s, "lineage lessons" were added to determine if interested persons were eligible for being taught by missionaries [156]. : 102  Restrictions on proselytizing to Black people were lifted in 1978, and missionaries began entering predominately-Black areas of sub-Saharan Africa [1] [157]. ## After 1978 The church does not keep records of the racial makeup of its membership, : 269  but the worldwide number of 21st-century Black adherents has been estimated at 400,000, 500,000, over 700,000, and one million [28] [159] [160] [161] [162] [163]. Black people have been members of Mormon congregations since the church's founding in the 1830s, : 37  but by 1964 its worldwide Black membership was small: an estimated 300 to 400 people [164] [165] [2]. In 1970, the church-sanctioned Black Genesis Group was founded in Salt Lake City [166]. : 84  Black membership has increased, especially in Africa [1]. In 1990, Helvécio Martins became the first Black general authority of the LDS Church [167]. A 2007 Pew Poll found that three percent of LDS respondents in the U.S [168]. identified as Black. The LDS Church announced plans to build a temple in Nairobi in April 2017, bringing the number of temples planned or built in Africa (outside South Africa) to six. That year, two Black South African men were called to serve as mission presidents [167]. Philip Jenkins said in 2009 that growth of the church has been slower in Africa than that of other churches due to its white face (a result of the temple and priesthood ban) and the church's refusal to accommodate local customs such as polygamy [171]. : 2, 12 [172]. # Other Latter Day Saint group positions ## Community of Christ Joseph Smith III, the son of Joseph Smith, founded the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in 1860 (now known as the Community of Christ). Smith was a vocal advocate of abolishing the slave trade and a supporter of Abraham Lincoln and Owen Lovejoy, an anti-slavery congressman from Illinois; he joined the Republican Party, and advocated its anti-slavery position. He rejected the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850, and said that he would assist people who tried to escape enslavement. However, Smith viewed white people as superior to Blacks and said that they must not "sacrifice the dignity, honor and prestige that may be rightfully attached to the ruling races." The priesthood was not available to Black people between 1860 and 1865, : 155  and the first Black man was not ordained to the priesthood until 1893 [173] [174] [173] [175]. The Community of Christ rejects the Pearl of Great Price [176]. The church had congregations in twelve African nations in 2020, with Black African membership increasing despite the Western decline in membership [177] [178]. ## Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (FLDS) president Warren Jeffs has made several anti-Black public statements since 2002. They included saying that the devil brings evil to the earth through Black people, that Cain is the father of the Black race, that people with "Negro blood" are unworthy of the priesthood, that Black-white marriage is evil, and that marrying someone who has "connections with a Negro" would invoke a curse [179]. ## Apostolic United Brethren The Apostolic United Brethren (AUB) is a Utah-based, Latter Day Saint, polygamous, fundamentalist group that broke away in 1929. In 2018, they continued to deny temple and priesthood rites to people with Black heritage and taught that Black people are "Canaanites" and under the curse of Cain. In 1978, when the LDS church removed its racial restrictions, from dozens to hundreds of families reportedly left it for the AUB. ## Bickertonite The Church of Jesus Christ (Bickertonite) was founded by William Bickerton, and received many Rigdonite followers from Sidney Rigdon's branch of Mormonism. It has advocated full racial integration in all aspects of the church since its organization in 1862, and suspended an elder in 1905 for opposing the full integration of all races [182]. Historian Dale Morgan wrote in 1949, "An interesting feature of the Church's doctrine is that it discriminates in no way against ... members of other racial groups, who are fully admitted to all the privileges of the priesthood. It has taken a strong stand for human rights, and was, for example, uncompromisingly against the Ku Klux Klan during that organization's period of ascendancy after the First World War." At a time when institutional racial segregation or discrimination was common throughout the United States, two leaders of the Church of Jesus Christ were Black [185]. The church had a mission in Nigeria. : 68 [16]. ## Strangite The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (Strangite), founded by James Strang in 1844, welcomed Black people at a time when other factions denied them the priesthood and other benefits of membership. Strang ordained at least two Black men to his church's priesthood during his lifetime. Although his ethnicity is unclear from the historical record, James T [186] [187]. Ball was identified as Black at least once and joined the Strangites in 1849. ## True and Living Church of Jesus Christ of Saints of the Last Days The Manti, Utah-based True and Living Church of Jesus Christ of Saints of the Last Days (TLC) branched off from the LDS church in 1990 and as of 2008, it adhered to teachings and practices which were similar to the teachings and practices which were historically adhered to by the LDS church, including the Black temple and priesthood ban, the belief that the skin color of apostates would darken, and the practice of polygamy. The TLC's founder James D [188]. Harmston taught his followers that the LDS Church's leader Gordon Hinckley was Cain in a previous life.

Joseph Smith, the founder of the Latter Day Saint movement, held complex and evolving perspectives on Black people, with views that changed over the course of his life on subjects including slavery, temple access, priesthood ordination, and racial equality. Smith's earliest positions expressed opposition to slavery, though he wavered on the issue as he sought to balance abolitionist leanings with the pragmatic need to maintain peace with pro-slavery neighbors during the church's early years in Missouri. By the end of his life, he became an advocate for abolition and proposed plans for emancipation during his 1844 presidential campaign. Regarding temple and priesthood access, Smith was involved in the ordination of Elijah Abel, a Black man with partial African heritage, to priesthood offices and allowed other Black men to receive priesthood ordinations. However, Abel and other Black individuals were not permitted to partake in all temple ordinances during Smith's lifetime. Following Smith's death, Brigham Young instituted policies that further restricted Black members' participation in these sacred rites. Smith also made statements that advocated for racial segregation, but he did acknowledge the spiritual potential of Black individuals, suggesting that they were capable of salvation and could rise to respectability through their own efforts. After Smith's death, his successors in the LDS Church, most notably Brigham Young, developed justifications for racial discrimination within the church by referring to the biblical curses of Cain and Ham, often attributing Black skin color to these curses. The church maintained policies that prevented Black members from accessing full temple ordinances and the priesthood from 1849 until 1978, which had profound implications for Black Latter-day Saints, affecting their spiritual standing and social integration within the church community. Even after the 1978 reversal of the temple and priesthood ban, the church struggled with the legacy of its past racial teachings, and racist beliefs persisted among some members. It wasn't until 2013 that the church officially disavowed its past teachings on race, stating that skin color in Latter-day Saint theology is symbolic of disobedience to God and not necessarily literal. Despite this disavowal, some church educational materials continued to perpetuate outdated racial doctrines until public pressure prompted revisions. Today, the LDS Church publicly condemns racism and has taken steps to improve relations with Black communities, though historical policies continue to influence Black membership and the perception of the church. The church's complicated history with race and the gradual evolution of its policies reflect broader societal attitudes and changes, and the church continues to grapple with the impact of its previous stances on Black individuals.

Fear_Factor:_Khatron_Ke_Khiladi

# Series overview # Season 1 Khatron Ke Khiladi 1 was hosted by Akshay Kumar. Nethra Raghuraman was declared the winner of the season.. # Season 2 Khatron Ke Khiladi 2 was hosted by Akshay Kumar. Anushka Manchanda was declared the winner of the season.. # Season 3 Khatron Ke Khiladi 3 was hosted by Priyanka Chopra. Shabir Ahluwalia was declared the winner of the season.. # Season 4 Khatron Ke Khiladi 4 was hosted by Akshay Kumar. The tagline for this season was "Torchaar 4". Aarti Chhabria was declared the winner of the season.. # Season 5 Khatron Ke Khiladi 5 was hosted by Rohit Shetty The tagline for this season was "Darr Ka Blockbuster". Rajneesh Duggal was declared the winner of the season. # Season 6 Khatron Ke Khiladi 6 was hosted by Rohit Shetty. The tagline for this season was "Darr Ka Blockbuster Returns". Aashish Chaudhary was declared the winner of the season.. # Season 7 Khatron Ke Khiladi 7 was hosted by Arjun Kapoor. The tagline for this season was "Kabhi पीड़ा Kabhi कीड़ा in Argentina". Sidharth Shukla was declared the winner of the season.. # Season 8 Khatron Ke Khiladi 8 was hosted by Rohit Shetty. The tagline for this season was "Pain in Spain". Shantanu Maheshwari was declared the winner of the season.. # Season 9 Khatron Ke Khiladi 9 was hosted by Rohit Shetty. The tagline for this season was "Jigar Pe Trigger" [27]. Punit Pathak was declared as winner of the season.. # Season 10 Khatron Ke Khiladi 10 was hosted by Rohit Shetty. The tagline for this season was "Jahaan Darr Lega Class Aur Dega Trass". The telecast was postponed for 3 months due to COVID-19 pandemic. Week 7 episodes started from 27 June. Karishma Tanna was declared as the winner of the season 10.. # Season 11 Khatron Ke Khiladi 11 was hosted by Rohit Shetty. The tagline for this season was "Darr VS Dare". Arjun Bijlani was declared as winner of the season.. # Season 12 Khatron Ke Khiladi 12 is hosted by Rohit Shetty. The tagline for this season was "Bach Ke Kahan Jayega? Khatra Kahin Se Bhi Aayega!". The show premiered on 2 July 2022, on Colors TV. Tushar Kalia was declared as winner of the season. # Season 13 Khatron Ke Khiladi 13 is hosted by Rohit Shetty. The tagline for this season was "Iss Baar Har Level, Darr Next Level ". The show premiered on 15 July 2023, on Colors TV. Spanning over 27 episodes, it is the longest season of the series since its inception. Dino James was declared as winner of the season..

Khatron Ke Khiladi, an Indian stunt/dare reality game show, has completed 13 seasons, each with a unique tagline and hosted mainly by Bollywood personalities. Akshay Kumar hosted seasons 1, 2, and 4, winning contestants were Nethra Raghuraman, Anushka Manchanda, and Aarti Chhabria, respectively. Season 3, led by Priyanka Chopra, crowned Shabir Ahluwalia. Rohit Shetty took over from season 5 onwards, with Rajneesh Duggal, Aashish Chaudhary, Shantanu Maheshwari, Punit Pathak, Karishma Tanna, Arjun Bijlani, and Tushar Kalia emerging victorious in respective seasons. Season 7, under Arjun Kapoor, was won by Sidharth Shukla. The most recent seasons 12 and 13, hosted by Rohit Shetty, had winners Tushar Kalia and Dino James, with the latter's season being the longest to date.

In_the_Heights_(film)

# Plot Usnavi de la Vega tells a group of children a story of Washington Heights. Ten years earlier, Usnavi is the owner of a bodega in the neighborhood. After chasing off street artist "Graffiti Pete", he introduces: Abuela Claudia, the neighborhood matriarch who raised him; Kevin Rosario, who runs a taxi company; Benny, Kevin's employee and Usnavi’s best friend; the beauty salon ladies Daniela, Carla, and Cuca; Sonny, Usnavi’s teenage cousin; and Vanessa, Usnavi's love interest ("In The Heights").. Alejandro, an attorney and family friend, informs Usnavi that his late father's business in the Dominican Republic, which he dreams of reviving, is for sale. Kevin's daughter Nina returns from Stanford University. After seeing Benny ("Benny's Dispatch"), she tells her father she cannot afford tuition, but he brushes her off, telling her not to worry ("Breathe").. Nina visits Daniela's salon, which is moving to the Bronx due to rising rents in Manhattan, where she reconnects with the ladies but reveals she has dropped out of Stanford ("No Me Diga"). Vanessa submits a rental application downtown, where she dreams of becoming a fashion designer, but is rejected ("It Won't Be Long Now"). She heads to the bodega, where Sonny asks her out for Usnavi.. Sonny learns a lottery ticket the bodega sold has won $96,000. At the public pool, everybody in the neighborhood fantasizes about what they would do with the money ("96,000"), while the local piragüero laments losing business to a Mister Softee truck ("Piragua"). Reminiscing about their childhood, Benny reassures Nina she is destined for greatness ("When You're Home"). Usnavi talks to Sonny's father about letting Sonny come with him to the Dominican Republic, but Sonny's father implies he and Sonny are undocumented immigrants and cannot leave.. Kevin reveals he has sold his business to pay for Nina's tuition, but she refuses the money, revealing the real reason she dropped out was the racism she experienced. Usnavi and Vanessa head to the salsa club for their date, but he is too nervous to dance with her. After multiple men dance with Vanessa, Usnavi tries to make her jealous by dancing with another woman ("The Club"). The power goes out, and Sonny and Graffiti Pete illuminate the neighborhood with fireworks. Vanessa and Usnavi argue, and she rejects him ("Blackout").. Usnavi and a few others regroup at Abuela Claudia's apartment. Abuela begins to struggle with the effects of the heat, and Usnavi helps her to bed. Watching the found family she helped bring together, she reminisces about her childhood in Cuba and coming to Nueva York, enduring hardships to be where she is today ("Paciencia y Fe"). She dies peacefully, and the neighborhood comes together to mourn ("Alabanza"). At a protest for DACA, Sonny learns that he cannot go to college as an undocumented immigrant. Nina resolves to return to Stanford to find a pathway in life for undocumented children.. Finding Vanessa's rental application in the trash, Usnavi asks Daniela to co-sign. Disappointed with the block's negativity over the power outage and Abuela's death, Daniela rouses the neighborhood into a celebration ("Carnaval del Barrio"), as the power outage ends. Vanessa and Usnavi reconcile.. A month later, Nina is returning to Stanford. Benny promises to join her in Palo Alto, and they kiss ("When the Sun Goes Down"). As Usnavi prepares to leave for the Dominican Republic, he discovers that Abuela held the winning lottery ticket, and has left it to him. Vanessa arrives with champagne, having learned about Usnavi’s help with her new lease. She suggests Usnavi stay but he refuses, and she kisses him, lamenting that she was too late in realizing her feelings for him ("Champagne").. Usnavi gives Alejandro the lottery ticket to use for Sonny's DACA fees. The next morning, Vanessa takes Usnavi to the bodega and shows him a fashion line she created the previous night inspired by Graffiti Pete's work. Seeing Pete's murals celebrating Abuela, Usnavi decides to stay. The story returns to the present day, revealing that Usnavi is telling his story in the remodeled bodega to his and Vanessa's daughter, Iris. Everyone sings and dances in the street, while Usnavi expresses his elation at being in Washington Heights, where he has always belonged (“Finale”). In a post-credit scene, the Mister Softee truck has broken down, while the Piragüero has success with his business ("Piragua Reprise").. # Cast In addition, Lin-Manuel Miranda, who wrote the music and lyrics of the original musical and played Usnavi in the original Broadway run, appears as the piragüero, who keeps having run-ins with the Mr. Softee Truck Driver, portrayed by Christopher Jackson, who originated the Benny character through to the original Broadway run. Olga Merediz also reprises her role as Abuela Claudia.. The film includes contributions by original Broadway cast members, such as cameos by Seth Stewart and Javier Muñoz, as well as background vocals by Andréa Burns, Janet Dacal, Mandy Gonzalez, Joshua Henry, Krysta Rodriguez, and Jon Rua. Broadway actor Patrick Page appears as Pike Phillips [5] [6]. Miranda's parents Luis Miranda and Luz Towns-Miranda make cameo appearances during "Breathe" [7]. Also in the song "Breathe", actress Ariana Greenblatt makes an appearance as the character of young Nina [8]. The Kid Mero provides the voice of the DJ at the start of the film (a role filled by Rubin-Vega in the original stage production). Valentina appears as a patron of Daniela's salon [41]. NPR journalist Maria Hinojosa appears as the protest leader at the DACA rally [41]. The film also features an appearance from Rennie Harris [41]. # Production ## Development On November 7, 2008, Universal Pictures announced that they planned to adapt the original musical as a feature film for release in 2011. Kenny Ortega was set to direct the film, which was slated to begin filming in summer 2011 with a budget of $37 million [11] [12]. However, the project was canceled in March 2011; reportedly, this was due to the fact Universal was looking for a "bankable Latino star" like Shakira or Jennifer Lopez instead of unknown actors [13] [14] [1] [15]. In January 2012, Lin-Manuel Miranda stated that the film adaptation was back under discussion; in the meantime, he went on vacation and started to read a biography of Alexander Hamilton, which would lead to his next project, Hamilton [1] [16]. In May 2016, it was announced that Miranda would co-produce the film with Harvey Weinstein and backing from The Weinstein Company [1]. On June 10, 2016, Jon M [17]. Chu came on board to direct the film adaptation of the musical. In the aftermath of numerous sexual misconduct allegations made against Weinstein, his producer credit on the film was removed, with the rights to the film eventually auctioned off to Warner Bros [18]. for $50 million. Warner Bros [19]. was one of several studios wanting to produce In the Heights—due to the success of Hamilton; to persuade Miranda and Chu, they built a backlot bodega with piragua carts and set up performances of songs from the show. The budget was set at $55 million [1]. ## Casting In October 2018, Anthony Ramos was cast in an undisclosed role, later revealed to be the lead of Usnavi. Miranda, who played the role in the Broadway production, watched Ramos play the part in the 2018 Kennedy Center production and praised him on Twitter [20]. In January 2019, Corey Hawkins was cast in the role of Benny [1]. In April 2019, Jimmy Smits, Melissa Barrera, Leslie Grace, Olga Merediz, Gregory Diaz, Daphne Rubin-Vega, Stephanie Beatriz and Dascha Polanco were cast [21]. In June 2019, Marc Anthony and Lin-Manuel Miranda joined the cast, with Miranda cast as Piragüero [22] [23] [24] [25]. Miranda revealed in an interview on The Tonight Show that he initially did not plan on appearing in the film at all, having decided he was too old to play Usnavi during development [26] [27]. Chu and Hudes subsequently pushed for him to play the Piragüero, which he was reluctant to do [1]. He relented when Hudes threatened to cut the song "Piragua" unless he played the role. ## Filming Filming began on June 3, 2019, in New York City. The bulk of filming was done at the intersection of 175th Street and Audubon Avenue, where STO Domingo Grocery Inc [29] [30]. was used as the exterior of the bodega. The musical number "96,000" was filmed at the Highbridge Pool featuring synchronized swimming and shot over two days with 500 extras [31]. Christopher Scott, who had worked with Jon M [1]. Chu on the YouTube series The LXD as well as the films Step Up Revolution and Step Up All In, served as choreographer. "Paciencia y Fe" was shot in the abandoned lower level of the Brooklyn Ninth Avenue station, which had previously been used in the film Joker (the "Joker Stairs" were also used as a filming location) [32]. The team had wanted to film the sequence inside the New York Transit Museum but could not as they were only allowed to use the space for the one day the museum is closed to the public. However, they were able to rent vintage subway cars from the museum for use in the number. The tunnel sequence at the end of the song was shot in the pedestrian tunnel at the 191st Street station. As the tunnel is a public access point for the station, the team was only given permission to close it for filming at night. The lights, which were rigged during the day while the tunnel was open, were initially designed to display a rainbow of light, but at the last second Chu had them changed to red, white, and blue – the colors of the Cuban, Puerto Rican, and American flags. The vocal performances in the film are a mix of the actors singing live on-set, pre-recorded audio, and re-recorded in the studio during post-production. The production team's choice to use one or the others depended on the environment of the scene and tone of the song. Usnavi and Vanessa's duet, "Champagne", which is one continuous shot, was recorded entirely on-set. The film is dedicated to the memory of Doreen Montalvo, a member of the original Broadway cast who appears in the film as one of the singers during "Breathe" and reprises her role as the Bolero singer performing "Siempre". Montalvo died in October 2020, after the film's postponed release date. ## Differences from the musical Several changes were made from the musical, which first ran in 2005, such as adding references to the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) immigration policy and microaggressions, and cutting certain characters and songs. # Music The film's soundtrack album was released by Atlantic Records and WaterTower Music on June 10, 2021, the same day as its U.S. release. The songs are composed and written by Lin-Manuel Miranda, who produced the tracks with Alex Lacamoire, Bill Sherman and Greg Wells [7]. Two singles – the title track was released on the album's pre-order date on April 23, 2021, and "96,000" was released via streaming on May 3, 2021, prior to the album's release date [7] [39]. Two songs created for the film but not included on the soundtrack are "Always", a doo-wop version of "Siempre" performed by Mandy Gonzalez, who originated the role of Nina on Broadway, in the background of the dry cleaners scene, and "Cuándo Llega El Tren", performed by Bronx musician Flaco Navaja, which plays in the background of the bodega when Sonny helps Usnavi ask Vanessa out. Both songs feature backing vocals by Miranda, Lacamoire, and Sherman. In addition, a hold music version of "You'll Be Back" from Hamilton plays as an easter egg during the scene where Kevin Rosario calls Stanford University. Despite its inclusion in the film's post-credit scene, "Piragua (Reprise)" is not on the soundtrack album. [41]. # Release ## Theatrical and streaming In the Heights was first screened virtually for critics on April 15, 2021. It had its world premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival in New York City on June 9, 2021, following an advanced screening at the Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival on June 4, 2021 at the TCL Chinese Theater in Hollywood [42]. It was released in the United States on June 10, 2021, in both theaters and on HBO Max [43]. It was previously scheduled to be released on June 26, 2020, but it was delayed to June 18, 2021, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, before being moved up a week to June 11, and finally one day earlier to June 10 [47] [48] [49] [50]. On May 9, 2021, select Cinemark, Regal Cinemas and AMC theaters hosted a free advance screening in honor of Mother's Day [51]. Internationally, the film was released in the United Kingdom on June 18, 2021 [52]. Other markets like European and Australasian countries have scheduled dates planned for between July and September 2021 [53]. ## Home media In the Heights was released on digital platforms on July 30, 2021 with the DVD, Blu-ray, and 4K UHD releases from Warner Bros [55] [56] [57]. Home Entertainment arriving a month later on August 30, 2021. The film returned to HBO Max on October 28. # Reception ## Box office In the Heights grossed $30 million in the United States and Canada, and $15.2 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $45.2 million. Due to its $55 million production budget and another $50 million spent on marketing, Variety estimated the film would need to gross around $200 million worldwide in order to break-even [2] [3]. In the United States and Canada, In the Heights was released alongside Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway and The House Next Door: Meet the Blacks 2, and was initially projected to gross $25–35 million from 3,456 theaters in its opening weekend, though an estimate of $10 million to the midteens was also suggested [60]. A poll by Fandango Media found that the film would be the first seen in a theater since the pandemic began for 96% of people pre-ordering tickets for it [61]. After grossing $5 million on its first day, weekend estimates were lowered to $13 million [61]. It went on to debut to just $11.5 million, finishing second behind holdover A Quiet Place Part II. 67% of the audience was over the age of 25, with 63% being female; 40% of the opening weekend audience was Latino. While some analysts, such as Anthony D'Alessandro for Deadline Hollywood, suggested that the film's underperformance could be partially blamed on its simultaneous release on HBO Max, Rebecca Rubin posited in Variety that it could be attributed to alternative factors, such as the film's 143-minute runtime reducing the number of individual screenings per day, 25% of American theaters remaining closed at the time of release (and many theaters which had opened limiting audiences due to social distancing measures), and the film's source material and lead cast members having relatively low name recognition, and its release on HBO Max [62]. The film fell 60% in its second weekend, grossing $4.5 million and finishing in sixth [59]. ## Streaming viewership According to Samba TV, the film was streamed on HBO Max by 693,000 households over its first three days of release, lower than previous day-in-date Warner Bros. titles like Mortal Kombat (3.8 million) and The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It (1.6 million). Research firm Screen Engine reported the film was the third-most streamed film across all platforms in its opening weekend behind Mortal Kombat (which was available via PVOD) and Awake [64]. By the end of its first month, the film had been streamed in over 1.7 million U.S [65]. households. ## Critical response On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, In the Heights holds an approval rating of 94% based on 367 reviews with an average rating of 8.2/10. The website's critics consensus reads, "Lights up for In the Heights, a joyous celebration of heritage and community fueled by dazzling direction and singalong songs." On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 84 out of 100 based on 55 critics, indicating "universal acclaim" [67]. Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A" on an A+ to F scale, while PostTrak reported 88% of audience members gave it a positive score, with 67% saying they would definitely recommend it [68]. Monica Castillo of the TheWrap wrote: "Like Crazy Rich Asians, not everyone is going to feel represented when they watch In the Heights. That's an impossible task for any movie. Yet In the Heights can represent many things for many different viewers. It can be a story about ambitious, hard-working people chasing their dreams. It can be a reflection on the immigrant experience and the struggle to find where you belong. It can also be a tribute to our parents' sacrifices." From The Hollywood Reporter, David Rooney said: "The movie glows with an abundance of love for its characters, their milieu and the pride with which they defend their cultural footprint against the encroaching forces of New York development that continually shove the marginalized further into the margins [69]. The resilience with which the characters claim their place in the fabric of city life is exhilarating." [70]. In his review for Variety, Peter Debruge praised Chu's direction and wrote: "Like its source, the movie is a blast, one that benefits enormously from being shot on the streets of Washington Heights." IndieWire's David Ehrlich gave the film an A−, saying: "So exuberant and full of life that it would probably convince you the movies were back even if they hadn't gone anywhere, In the Heights is the kind of electrifying theatrical experience that people have been waxing nostalgic about ever since the pandemic began — the kind that it almost seemed like we might never get to enjoy again.. [71]. Seeing this massive, guileless, heartfelt piece of Hollywood entertainment on the big screen is like coming home after a long year in exile only to find that it's still there, and maybe even better than you remembered." [72]. A. O. Scott of The New York Times gave the film a positive review, writing that "It’s a piece of mainstream American entertainment in the best sense — an assertion of impatience and faith, a celebration of communal ties and individual gumption, a testimony to the power of art to turn struggles into the stuff of dreams." From The A.V [73]. Club, Danette Chavez wrote "In The Heights’ slice-of-life portraiture suggests a less ambitious undertaking than Hamilton, but it tells a story as expansive as that of a fledgling nation. Through both musicals, Miranda demonstrates how ingrained people of color are in this country’s history: Before he reimagined a pivotal chapter in United States history with Black and Latino actors, the acclaimed multi-hyphenate threw a spotlight on marginalized people's fight against displacement. At the core of In The Heights, on stage or screen, is movement—as migration, as immigration, as dancing, as code-switching, as the shift from friends to lovers." [74]. There was slight criticism in terms of the changes to the character of Vanessa. In an article titled "The Generic Latinidad of In the Heights" from The New Yorker, author Frances Negrón-Muntaner states, "The choice to contain Vanessa implies that one does not need to flee downtown and escape one’s roots to succeed. That’s true enough, but in staying put Vanessa seems to give up her big dreams of crossing over, for man, child, and bodega." K. Austin Collins of Rolling Stone rated the film three and a half out of five stars. He praised the setting, music, and cast performances of the film, and also wrote that "In The Heights spins its lively, complicated tale. An aspirational immigrant story, but flows and overlaps and grows dense in unexpected ways. In both Miranda and Chu's trademark style, this is all threaded together with life spilling into the streets, musical numbers that fold reality into fantasy with an aplomb that's as pleasurable as it is overwhelming." [75]. ## Legacy In 2023, it ranked number 16 on Time Out's list of "The 40 Best Musical Movies of All Time," saying that it "radiates with love for its predominantly Dominican American characters and the pride they take in preserving their small corner of the big city." It also ranked number 17 on Screen Rant's list of "The 20 Best Musicals of All Time" and number 41 on Parade's list of the "67 Best Movie Musicals of All Time." MovieWeb ranked it at number 3 on its list of the "Best Recent Musical Movies," calling it "a great example of adapting a stage performance into a movie the right way" and that it "still captures all the necessary essence of the stage version and simultaneously breathes new life into the musical movie genre." IndieWire ranked it at number 42 on its list of "The 60 Best Movie Musicals of All Time," with David Ehrlich writing that Jon M [76] [77] [78]. Chu "created a film that makes you feel like its characters are dreaming with their eyes open. And while there may be no Cassiopeia in Washington Heights, a star is born in this movie every time someone appears onscreen...nothing will ever dim the memory of the instant classic that brought them all together." It also ranked number 3 on /Film's list of "The 14 Greatest Movie Musicals of the 21st Century," describing the musical sequences as "acts of magical realism, an artistic movement that was popularized by Latin American artists in the 1950s - one that is fitting for the movie's characters, setting, and subject matter, as well as inventive for the movie musical form." [79] [80]. ## Accusations of colorism The film drew criticism for its casting choices, which seemingly excluded Afro-Latino actors with darker skin tones and misrepresented the demographics of Washington Heights, leading to accusations of colorism. Miranda issued an apology on social media regarding the matter shortly after the film's release. He also addressed the controversy during an appearance on The Daily Show, where he stressed that while "there's so much Afro-Latinidad in the movie, the beef really was specifically dark-skinned Afro-Latinos in leading roles.. [81]. and I totally understand that and I receive it and I just have to do better on the next one." Lead actor Ramos also accepted the criticism, stating in an interview with the Associated Press that "there's no debate about it [82]. You know you can't, right? Like there's nothing to debate". Actress Rita Moreno defended Miranda during an interview on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, saying: "It's like you can never do right, it seems... This is the man who literally has brought Latino-ness and Puerto Rican-ness to American [entertainment]". She added in reference to Miranda, "They're really attacking the wrong person." Moreno's comments received further backlash, with the National Association of Hispanic Journalists calling them "unacceptable" [84] [85]. She subsequently issued a statement walking back on her remarks, stating in part, "I was clearly dismissive of Black lives that matter in our Latin community. It is so easy to forget how celebration for some is lament for others".

"In the Heights" is a cinematic adaptation of Lin-Manuel Miranda's Broadway hit, staged in the vibrant neighborhood of Washington Heights in New York City. The film revolves around the story of Usnavi de la Vega, who, along with his close-knit community, navigates life's daily struggles and dreams big. As the bodega owner, Usnavi saves every penny as he hopes to rebuild his father's bar in the Dominican Republic. Throughout the film, various characters are introduced, each with their own tales and ambitions: Abuela Claudia, a maternal figure to Usnavi; Kevin Rosario, a taxi company owner; his daughter Nina, grappling with the pressures of Stanford University; and Vanessa, Usnavi’s love interest who aspires to become a fashion designer. These characters and others face challenges such as gentrification, financial woes, and the pursuit of their passions. As the story unfolds, a lottery ticket sold by Usnavi's bodega wins $96,000, setting off a wave of excitement and speculation in the neighborhood about who the lucky winner could be. With themes of community, heritage, and belonging, the residents fantasize about better futures and reflect on their pasts. Nina's story highlights the issues of racism and the struggle for education for undocumented immigrants, whereas Usnavi and Vanessa's budding romance confronts misunderstandings and aspirations. The story reaches a poignant moment with the death of Abuela Claudia, whose life story embodies the immigrant experience of hardship and hope. The film, featuring Lin-Manuel Miranda as a piragüero and Anthony Ramos as Usnavi, showcases a dynamic ensemble cast. It encountered a complex production journey, with directorial and studio changes, before Warner Bros. secured the rights. The movie's soundtrack, composed by Miranda, pulsates with the energy of the community it portrays, but also notes differences from the original musical, such as updated cultural references and omitted songs. Released in theaters and on HBO Max in June 2021 after a delay due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it earned $45.2 million worldwide, falling short of its production budget. While it garnered critical praise for its lively depiction of Latinx heritage, it also sparked discussions on colorism for its casting choices, to which Miranda and other cast members responded. Despite its box office performance, the film's heartwarming narrative and exuberant musical numbers have left a lasting impression on audiences and critics alike.

Kashmir_Premier_League_(Pakistan)

# History In December 2020, Chairperson of the Parliamentary Special Committee on Kashmir, Shehryar Khan Afridi launched the Kashmir Premier League in Azad Kashmir. The President of Azad Kashmir, Masood Khan, was appointed as the Chief Patron of the Kashmir Premier League [5] [6]. Ch [11] [12]. Shahzad Akhtar is the CEO and Arif Malik is the founding President of the Kashmir Premier League, and former Pakistan captain Wasim Akram is the founding Vice President [13]. Shahid Afridi is the Brand Ambassador of the KPL [14]. While, Shoaib Akhtar is the peace ambassador of the league [6] [15]. On 16 February 2021, the official anthem of the league was released [16] [17]. It was directed by Shaan Shahid and sung by Rahat Fateh Ali Khan [19]. Many Pakistani film celebrities, such as Juggun Kazim, Mehwish Hayat, Iman Ali, Ali Gul Pir, Neelam Muneer, and Ayesha Omar are brand ambassadors of the Kashmir Premier League. KPL has partnered with Shahid Afridi Foundation as a charity organization [19]. The league was initially scheduled to start in May 2021. However, the Pakistan Cricket Board moved the time window for its start to August 2021. On 14 June 2021, diamond category of the Kashmir Premier League was announced [23]. On 2 August 2021, match fixtures for the inaugural season of the KPL were announced [24]. On 6 August, the opening ceremony of the league was held, with 25% spectators allowed in the stadium [25] [26]. The KPL was showcased at Expo 2020 from 25 March to 27 March 2022 [6] [27]. The showcase was hosted by Zaariya Khan and some attendees were Shoaib Malik, Mohammad Amir, Herschelle Gibbs and Wasim Akram [28]. In May 2022, former Pakistani captain Rashid Latif was appointed as the KPL’s Director of Cricket Operations [28] [29] [30]. A league committee was formed on 7 July 2022 [31] [32] [33]. Bagh Stallions’ co-owner, Tauqir Sultan Awan, was elected as its chairman. # Teams There are seven teams in the league, representing six major cities in Kashmir with the final team representing overseas Kashmiris. # Seasons ## First season (2021) The first edition of the league was held from the 6th to 17 August 2021 at the Muzaffarabad Cricket Stadium [37]. Herschelle Gibbs was the only foreign player to arrive for the league, but didn't play a single match for his team, the Overseas Warriors, in the first season [38] [39]. Daryll Cullinan and Morné van Wyk are two foreign commentators in the first edition of the league [40] [41]. SR Group is the official title sponsor of the KPL 2021. The Rawalakot Hawks were the champions of first season, defeating the Muzaffarabad Tigers in the final [42]. On 18 August 2021, it was announced that the second season of KPL will feature a seventh team [43]. ## Second season (2022) The 2022 Kashmir Premier League is taking place from 13 August to 26 August with all matches taking place at the Muzaffarabad Cricket Stadium. The 2022 KPL also featured the addition of Jammu Janbaz [46]. The title sponsor is Kingdom Valley, who also own the franchise Jammu Janbaz [47]. # Results # Controversies On 31 July 2021, it was reported that foreign cricketers were requested by the Indian cricket board (BCCI) against taking part in the inaugural Kashmir Premier League cricket tournament. Former Pakistani wicket keeper Rashid Latif tweeted that BCCI is warning other cricket boards that if their former players took part in Kashmir Premier League, they won't be allowed entry in India or allowed to work in Indian cricket at any level or in any capacity [49] [50]. Former South African cricketer Herschelle Gibbs, who played for the Overseas Warriors, also accused BCCI of pressuring him to not play in the KPL. The Pakistan cricket board (PCB) expressed displeasure at the reports that BCCI is trying to prevent players from joining the tournament and said that it would raise the issue with the relevant ICC forum [51]. Responding to Gibbs and the PCB, the BCCI said that they are well within their rights to take decisions with respect to the cricketing ecosystem in India [52] [53]. On 1 August 2021, former England spinner Monty Panesar pulled out of the tournament. He took to Twitter to reveal the news and said that, "I have decided not to participate in the KPL because of the political tensions between India and Pakistan over Kashmir issues. I don't want to be in the middle of this, it would make me feel uncomfortable." Panesar further said in an interview that "BCCI had 'advised' him that if he played in the event, the 'consequences' of his decision could include not being granted a visa to India in the future and not being allowed to work in the country." [56] [57] [58] [59]. On 2 August 2021, the BCCI urged ICC not to recognise the Kashmir Premier League due to the disputed nature of Kashmir region between India and Pakistan. In response, the ICC clarified that the tournament doesn't come under their jurisdiction as it is not an international tournament [60]. The 2021 KPL received 15 million views within the first 5 matches and broke the record for Pakistan’s most viewed live sports event launch on digital media [61]. The president of the KPL, Arif Malik, said that the BCCI’s efforts to stop the league only popularised it instead. In June 2022, four franchises of the KPL (Bagh Stallions, Mirpur Royals, Muzaffarabad Tigers and Rawalakot Hawks) wrote a letter to the PCB, requesting that the PCB withhold the NOC for the 2022 KPL. They cited the tournament management’s inefficiency to handle all of the matters properly [64]. The main concerns were that an audit report was not provided for the first season and a league committee was not formed despite this being included in their agreement. The PCB also said that they would issue a NOC if certain conditions were met. The PCB later issued an NOC after the KPL provided all the requested documents [65]. A league committee was also formed on 7 July 2022 [65] [66] [67]. In August 2022, Nasir Yusuf, one of the co-owners of Kotli Lions, filed a petition in the Sindh High Court that Faisal Nadeem and Khalid Zia, the other co-owners of Kotli Lions, had sidelined him from the team. Yusuf’s lawyer said that Nadeem and Zia had overtaken the team and had not contacted Yusuf. They said that Kotli Lions should be barred from participating in the tournament without Yusuf's permission. Faisal Nadeem, Khalid Zia, President of the KPL, Arif Malik, CEO of the KPL, Chaudhry Shahzad Akhtar and Vice-president of the KPL, Wasim Akram were all issued notices for 15 August from the court. During the 2022 KPL, the KPL terminated Kotli Lions’ management after they weren’t able to pay outstanding payments. Kotli Lions’ head coach Saeed Azad left the team and was replaced by Mushtaq Ahmed. The KPL management temporarily took over Kotli Lions. The KPL also terminated the Overseas Warriors’ management after they were unable to pay their players. Zeeshan Altaf Lohya was later given ownership of Overseas Warriors [69]. In January 2023, the KPL management sent a legal notice to Kingdom Valley, sponsors of the 2022 KPL, for not paying the agreed amounts to the KPL. The KPL management claimed that Kingdom Valley still had to pay Rs. 137 million. The KPL also claimed that they still had to pay players Rs. 90 million which they could only pay after receiving payments from sponsors. The owner of Kingdom Valley, Ghulam Hussain Shahid, claimed that the KPL had begged him to sponsor the tournament and had asked him to pay Rs. 40 million in advance and to pay the rest whenever he wanted. He also claimed that he had to pay all government taxes while the KPL paid none. In May 2023, Dawn reported that a number of umpires in the 2022 KPL had still not received their payments [71]. A KPL spokesperson said that these payments had not been made due to huge losses incurred from the tournament but will be cleared soon.

The Kashmir Premier League (KPL) is a professional T20 cricket league inaugurated by the Chairperson of the Parliamentary Special Committee on Kashmir, Shehryar Khan Afridi, in December 2020. It was established in Azad Kashmir, with Masood Khan serving as the Chief Patron. With Arif Malik as its founding President and former cricket star Wasim Akram as the founding Vice President, the league aimed to foster cricket in the region. Shahid Afridi, as the league's Brand Ambassador, alongside other cricket legends and celebrities, helped in endorsing the tournament. Despite an initial schedule for May 2021, the first season was postponed to August 2021 due to adjustments by the Pakistan Cricket Board. The inaugural season featured seven teams, representing six cities of Kashmir and a team for overseas Kashmiris, with the Rawalakot Hawks emerging as the champions. In its second season in 2022, the league expanded to include a new team, Jammu Janbaz. However, the KPL encountered several controversies, particularly involving the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), which reportedly discouraged foreign players from participating due to the sensitive nature of Kashmir's status, leading to a strong rebuke from the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB). In response to the BCCI's stance, the International Cricket Council (ICC) clarified that the KPL was a domestic event and did not fall under its purview. The BCCI's alleged interference inadvertently increased the league's popularity, with the KPL boasting a viewership of 15 million within the first five matches of the 2021 season. Financial and administrative challenges were also part of the KPL's narrative, with disputes over non-payment leading to the replacement of management for teams such as Kotli Lions and Overseas Warriors. A league committee was established in July 2022 to address these issues, and despite setbacks, the KPL persevered. However, the KPL's sustainability came into question with reports of outstanding payments to players and umpires, prompting legal actions and public disputes between the KPL management and sponsors. These financial strains emphasized the operational difficulties faced by the league in fulfilling its commitments. Despite the operational and political hurdles, the KPL's introduction to the cricketing calendar represented a significant step in promoting the sport in the region and garnered substantial attention and support, both domestically and from the Kashmiri diaspora.

The_Suicide_Squad_(film)

# Plot Intelligence officer Amanda Waller assembles two separate Task Force X teams, colloquially known as the "Suicide Squad", which consists of Belle Reve penitentiary inmates who agree to carry out a mission in exchange for shortened sentences. The teams are sent to the South American island nation of Corto Maltese after an anti-American regime overthrows its government, and are tasked with destroying the Nazi-era laboratory Jötunheim, which houses the secret experiment "Project Starfish.". The Corto Maltese military almost entirely wipes out one team upon landing, with only team leader Colonel Rick Flag and Harley Quinn surviving. The ambush on the first team serves as a diversion, allowing the second team to enter the country undetected. The team is led by assassin Bloodsport, who Waller blackmailed in exchange for dropping the court trial of his estranged daughter Tyla, and it also consists of Peacemaker, King Shark, Polka-Dot Man and Ratcatcher 2.. Waller orders the squad to find Flag, who escaped from the military but is held at a rebel base. The team massacres the rebel soldiers, only to learn that rebellion leader Sol Soria had saved Flag. Despite the group's actions, Soria agrees to help them infiltrate the capital, where they capture Project Starfish's lead scientist, the Thinker. Harley is captured by the Corto Maltese government and taken to the new dictator, Silvio Luna, who wishes to marry her. After learning of Luna's plans to use Project Starfish on political dissidents, Harley kills him and escapes. She joins the others, who use the Thinker to break into Jötunheim and begin rigging it with explosives.. Flag and Ratcatcher 2 enter the Project Starfish laboratory with the Thinker and find Starro the Conqueror, a giant starfish-like alien that creates smaller versions of himself to kill people and control their bodies. The Thinker explains that Starro was brought to Earth by the U.S. government, which has secretly funded the experiments for decades using Corto Maltese citizens as test subjects. An enraged Flag decides to leak a hard drive containing evidence of this but is killed by Peacemaker, who is under orders from Waller to cover up the U.S.'s involvement. Meanwhile, a skirmish between the rest of the team and the military leads to Polka-Dot Man accidentally setting off the explosives prematurely. As Jötunheim crumbles, the drive falls into Ratcatcher 2's possession. Peacemaker attempts to kill her before she can escape with the drive, but Bloodsport shoots him and takes it.. Starro escapes the destroyed Jötunheim, brutally kills the Thinker and much of the military, and begins taking control of the island's population. Waller tells the squad that their mission is complete and orders them to leave, but Bloodsport decides to lead the team in fighting Starro. Waller attempts to execute them for this, but her subordinates knock her out. After Starro kills Polka-Dot Man, Harley pierces a hole in its eye, allowing Ratcatcher 2 to summon the city's rats to chew Starro to death from the inside. With the military diverted, Soria takes control of the government, promising democratic elections. Bloodsport blackmails Waller into releasing him and the surviving squad members and dropping Tyla's charges in exchange for keeping the contents of the drive confidential. Waller reluctantly agrees, and the remaining squad members are airlifted out of Corto Maltese.. In a mid-credits scene, it is revealed that Weasel, one of the members of the first team, has survived his supposed drowning and runs off into the jungle. In a post-credits scene, Waller assigns her subordinates to a new mission with the still-living Peacemaker, [a] who is recovering in a hospital.. # Cast In addition to playing King Shark on set, Steve Agee portrays John Economos, an A.R.G.U.S. agent who is an aide to Waller. Other aides to Waller include Jennifer Holland as Emilia Harcourt and Tinashe Kajese as Flo Crawley, the aide who knocked out Amanda Waller before she could execute the squad and was later arrested in Peacemaker [41] [42]. The ill-fated first Suicide Squad team includes Savant, Captain Boomerang, and Blackguard, as well as Nathan Fillion as Cory Pitzner / T.D.K [41] [43]. (The Detachable Kid), a metahuman who can detach his arms from his body; Flula Borg as Gunter Braun / Javelin, a former Olympic athlete who wields javelins as weapons; Mayling Ng as Mongal, an alien mass murderer; and Sean Gunn as Weasel, an anthropomorphic weasel whose portrayal is based on Bill the Cat from the comic strip Bloom County [14] [44] [32] [45] [46]. James Gunn said Weasel was "barely more than an animal" which raised some ethical questions about his involvement in the squad. Also appearing in the film are Juan Diego Botto as President General Silvio Luna, the dictator of Corto Maltese who tries to woo Harley Quinn; Joaquín Cosío as Major General Mateo Suárez of Corto Maltese; Storm Reid as Bloodsport's daughter Tyla; Julio Ruiz as Milton, an associate of Task Force X; Lynne Ashe as Polka-Dot Man's Mom; and Taika Waititi as Ratcatcher 2's father, the original Ratcatcher [39] [39] [23] [48] [49] [28]. In addition to Weasel, Sean Gunn also portrays Calendar Man, one of several DC villains that appear as Belle Reve inmates [31]. Others include Natalia Safran as Kaleidoscope and Jared Leland Gore as Double Down. John Ostrander, creator of the 1980s Suicide Squad team that influenced the film, makes a cameo appearance as Dr [50]. Fitzgibbon, while Stephen Blackehart has a small role as the pilot Briscoe, and both Lloyd Kaufman and Gunn's Guardians of the Galaxy Vol [23] [51] [52]. 2 (2017) collaborator Pom Klementieff appear as dancers in a nightclub in uncredited appearances. Ratcatcher 2's pet rat Sebastian was voiced by Dee Bradley Baker and portrayed on-set by rats named Jaws and Crisp Ratt [39]. # Production ## Development ### Original plans Before the first Suicide Squad film was released in August 2016, director David Ayer and star Will Smith were expected to return for a sequel. Filming was planned to begin in 2017 after the pair completed their work on the film Bright (2017). Karen Fukuhara expressed her interest in fleshing out Tatsu Yamashiro / Katana's backstory in a sequel, though she also noted that if not, that could be in a spin-off film of her own [54]. In September, Ayer said the first film had been rated PG-13 because it had originally been envisioned that way by the studio, and an R-rating needed to be planned from the start of a production [55]. He said that it would be worth "lobbying" to make a sequel R-rated, as he felt the first film had the "edge" and "attitude" of an R-rated film already. Suicide Squad was released to a polarized response and was reported to have a difficult production, but the film grossed enough for Warner Bros [56]. Pictures to fast-track development of a sequel. Several spin-off films were also in development by December, including one featuring Smith as Deadshot [57] [58]. The project that was furthest along was Gotham City Sirens, an all-female team-up film with Margot Robbie planned to reprise her role as Harley Quinn. Ayer was set to direct and produce that film rather than Suicide Squad 2. Warner Bros. began searching for a new director for Suicide Squad 2, and was courting Mel Gibson by mid-February 2017. Ruben Fleischer, Daniel Espinosa, Jonathan Levine, and David S [58]. Goyer were also considered. Adam Cozad entered negotiations to write the film a month later, at which point there was still no director attached to the project [59] [60]. It was described as being a priority for Warner Bros. Script delays led to the planned filming start being pushed to mid-2018, at which point Gibson moved on from the project [61]. Jaume Collet-Serra became the new frontrunner to direct in early July, by which time both Smith and Robbie were set to reprise their roles [62]. Zak Penn had pitched a new story treatment for the film to Warner Bros., and wrote a draft of the script as a favor to the studio [62] [63]. Later in July, Collet-Serra was hired to direct Disney's Jungle Cruise (2021) and withdrew from directing Suicide Squad 2 after deciding he would rather originate a new story than continue an existing franchise; Collet-Serra went on to direct the DC Extended Universe (DCEU) film Black Adam (2022) [63] [64] [65]. In August, Jared Leto was expected to reprise his role as the Joker from the first film, while production was not expected to begin until Smith completed his work on Aladdin (2019) and Gemini Man (2019) in late 2018 [67]. The next month, Gavin O'Connor was chosen to direct the film and co-write it with his writing partner Anthony Tambakis, based on his own vision [68]. The character Black Adam was reportedly the main villain of O'Connor's script, with Dwayne Johnson already attached to that role for DC Films [69] [70]. Michael De Luca joined the film as a producer in January 2018, working with the first film's producer Charles Roven [71] [72]. David Bar Katz and Todd Stashwick were co-writing the film with O'Connor in June, and they had completed their draft by that September [73] [74]. O'Connor left the film by early October to focus on The Way Back (2020) [75]. This was reportedly out of frustration that Warner Bros. was already moving ahead with Birds of Prey (2020), a new Harley Quinn spin-off film with a similar story to the one he wrote for Suicide Squad 2. During the development process, the character Deathstroke appeared in four or five different version of the script to fight Deadshot [76]. Joe Manganiello was attached to reprise his role as Deathstroke from Justice League (2017), and the experience left him feeling that he would never portray the character again until he was asked to return for Zack Snyder's Justice League (2021). ### James Gunn In October 2018, James Gunn was hired to write and possibly direct the next Suicide Squad film. His deal with Warner Bros [79]. closed following the completion of his exit settlement with The Walt Disney Company, after he was dismissed by Disney and Marvel Studios as director of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023) in July 2018 when conservative commentators, such as Mike Cernovich, circulated controversial Twitter posts he made involving rape, pedophilia, AIDS, the Holocaust, bestiality and 9/11. Warner Bros [80]. had been interested in recruiting Gunn for the DCEU immediately after his dismissal by Disney and asked him to make a new Superman film [81]. Gunn was uncertain if he wanted to take on Superman, so Warner Bros [10] [82]. told him that he could adapt any DC property he liked. He chose to make a Suicide Squad film, recalling that it was the one DC property he dreamed of adapting and had been jealous when Ayer's Suicide Squad film performed well. Ayer supported Gunn's hiring as a "brave and smart move" and called him "the right man for the job" [10]. Dave Bautista, who starred in the Guardians of the Galaxy films for Gunn, expressed interest in appearing in his Suicide Squad film. One of the first things Gunn did when discussing the film with Warner Bros. was watch Suicide Squad for the first time. The studio said he could take or leave any elements he wanted from the first film, but they hoped that he would bring back Robbie as Harley Quinn. The day after he was hired, Disney decided to reinstate Gunn as director of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol [24]. 3. He discussed his new DCEU commitment with Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige, who encouraged him to "make a great movie" and agreed to delay production on Guardians until Gunn had completed work on the Suicide Squad sequel. In January 2019, the film was officially titled The Suicide Squad and was scheduled for release on August 6, 2021 [84]. The title was suggested by Gunn as a joke, but executives at Warner Bros [85]. liked it. At that time, Gunn was in negotiations to direct the film which was described as a relaunch rather than a direct sequel that would take the franchise in a new direction and feature a largely new cast [86]. Roven and Peter Safran were set as producers, with Zack Snyder and Deborah Snyder as executive producers. Safran, who produced the DCEU films Aquaman (2018) and Shazam! (2019), had pushed Gunn to take on the project and felt there was no better director to "bring together a disparate group of outsiders on a mission" [87]. ## Writing Gunn wrote a treatment that was a few pages long, and then quickly produced several drafts of the script that Warner Bros [16]. was "extremely high" on. He said the film was "its own thing", rather than a sequel or reboot; it does not explicitly address the events of the first film or Birds of Prey, but it also does not contradict them [89] [90] [91]. Warner Bros [90]. asked Gunn to make the film PG-13, but he insisted on it being R-rated if he was going to direct it; the studio felt Gunn's involvement was "worth the trade-off" for the higher rating. He took inspiration from John Ostrander's original 1980s run on the Suicide Squad comic books, which he was drawn to because it was about a "bunch of loser, B-grade supervillains" [8] [23]. Safran described The Suicide Squad as a "gritty 1970s war movie combined with the brilliance of James Gunn's characters and comedy", and Gunn was influenced by war films such as The Great Escape (1963), The Dirty Dozen (1967), Where Eagles Dare (1968), and Kelly's Heroes (1970) [12] [92]. Already knowing the kind of story that he wanted to tell, Gunn's first step in writing the film was picking the characters for the Suicide Squad roster. He spent days going through the library of existing DC Comics characters and deciding which group would work well together. He wanted to create a blend of characters by having each feel like they were part of a different film genre. The first new character that Gunn added to the roster was King Shark, who was intended to appear in the first film before being replaced by Killer Croc [16] [94]. Gunn sought to feature an animal on the team, and chose King Shark because he enjoyed the concept of a man-eating fish-human hybrid [95]. Other new characters that Gunn added include Polka-Dot Man, Peacemaker, and a female version of Ratcatcher [94]. He said one of the main differences between this film and the Guardians of the Galaxy films was that it would be unclear whether some Suicide Squad members would turn out to be good or bad, unlike the Guardians of the Galaxy who are portrayed as heroes despite their flaws [96]. Characters that were considered but ultimately rejected include Sportsmaster, Dogwelder, Bat-Mite, Livewire, Punch and Jewelee, Black Spider, Deathstroke, Man-Bat, Plastique, Chemo, KGBeast, Solomon Grundy, Rainbow Creature, Gunhawk, Knockout, Killer Frost, Mr [90] [97] [98] [23]. Freeze, and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II's Black Manta from Aquaman [99] [100] [101]. He did not consider using the Joker because he felt Amanda Waller would not have any use for the character, and chose not to use Kite Man because he felt the character was already a punchline in the comics and would not feel fresh for the film [102] [103]. Gunn also avoided characters like Bronze Tiger and Katana since they are antiheroes rather than villains [104]. Gunn felt he was in a position, and had the responsibility, to take risks with the property and try make "an all-out entertaining film from start to finish that didn't play by the rules". This included "post-modern" aesthetic decisions such as creating sequences that showed the perspectives of Harley Quinn and Polka-Dot Man, adding an extended subplot where Harley Quinn is on her own away from the action, and adding title cards that segue between sequences. These elements were written into the script, including what Gunn referred to as "Harley-vision" where gory murders are depicted through Harley's "starry-eyed way of looking at life" by mixing "hearts and beautiful little things" with the blood that is coming out of the people Harley is killing [9] [16]. The "Harley-vision" visuals were inspired by a video game that Gunn helped develop called Lollipop Chainsaw (2012). The main villains of the film are Amanda Waller and the U.S. government, who are trying to cover up their involvement in illegal experiments on the island of Corto Maltese. Gunn did not feel that this storyline was specifically critical of the U.S. government, just realistic given the real-world history of the U.S. interfering in other countries. He also wanted to use this to make dramatic points rather than political ones, with the different stances on the government's actions that the film's main characters take leading to dramatic conflict. For the antagonist that Waller sends the Suicide Squad to fight, Gunn initially considered using Superman before deciding to feature Starro the Conqueror instead [16]. He found the character to be both ridiculous and terrifying, which reflected what he was trying to accomplish with the film, and he felt Starro was the only major DC Comics villain that was unlikely to appear in another live-action film or who would not be adapted faithfully by another filmmaker if it was [16] [10]. He also wanted to avoid potential questions regarding who should be portraying Superman in the DCEU and what that would mean for the film's connections to the wider shared universe. DC allowed Gunn to kill any character, including Harley Quinn, and he ignored the potential backlash from doing this to prioritize the natural evolution of the story [16] [90] [106]. He did not want it to be like other films which might kill off some characters early on but then not kill any of the main characters at the end, so he knew that one of the Suicide Squad members would die during the final battle [10]. He originally intended for this to be Ratcatcher, but ultimately felt that this would be too heartless. He chose Polka-Dot Man instead because he thought the character had the most complete story arc at that point in the film. ## Casting When acknowledging the first film's negative reception, Gunn said there were aspects of it that he loved and defended Ayer's casting choices; the first decision Gunn made on the new film was to bring back Robbie as Harley Quinn and Viola Davis as Amanda Waller [10] [90]. On February 27, 2019, Smith was revealed to no longer be in the film's cast due to scheduling issues [10] [94]. On March 1, Gunn met with Idris Elba to discuss him joining the film, reportedly as a replacement for Smith as Deadshot [107]. Elba was Gunn's only choice for the role, and he wrote the script with Elba in mind—something Gunn rarely does for actors he has not met [89]. Elba agreed to join the film during that conversation, as he wanted to work with Gunn and felt "so touched and honored that someone of [Gunn's] talent was really keen to work with" him [108] [109]. Elba was in official negotiations the next week [110]. Joel Kinnaman's Rick Flag was expected to return from the first film at that point, and Jai Courtney revealed later that month that he was returning as Captain Boomerang from the first film [89]. Scott Eastwood, who played GQ Edwards in the first film, was approached to reprise his role by Warner Bros [35]. offering him a three-picture deal for more Suicide Squad movies, but the studio didn't wish to pay him for those movies nor send him a script, leading Eastwood to be unaware of the plans he was signing up for, so after seeking advice from his father Clint, Scott declined to return because he didn't feel Warner really needed him back and wasn't answering his questions. In April, the film's creative team decided that Elba would play a new character rather than Deadshot [111]. This decision was made, following weeks of discussions that included Gunn and Elba, to be respectful to Smith and allow him the option to return to the role in the future. Elba later stated that Gunn never intended to cast him as Deadshot, while Gunn said he changed his mind about who Elba would portray "a lot" [109] [110]. Gunn ultimately chose to cast Elba as Bloodsport because he liked the character in the comics [16]. Though the film has an ensemble cast, Gunn felt Bloodsport was the main protagonist due to being the most prominent and because of the amount of character growth that he goes through [11]. Gunn wrote King Shark with Sylvester Stallone in mind, but tested three other voice actors before asking Stallone to join the film [94] [112]. Stallone agreed to voice the character due to his experience working with Gunn on Guardians of the Galaxy Vol [113]. 2 (2017). Gunn was looking to cast Bautista as Peacemaker, but the actor had a scheduling conflict with Zack Snyder's Army of the Dead (2021) [94] [112] [96]. John Cena entered talks for a role in the film that was believed to be Peacemaker in late April, as Gunn had wanted to work with Cena since seeing his performance in Trainwreck (2015) [114] [115] [114] [116]. Cena made numerous unsuccessful attempts to join the DCEU prior to his casting in this film [117]. David Dastmalchian and Daniela Melchior were respectively cast as Polka-Dot Man and Ratcatcher 2 at the end of April [15]. Gunn said the role of Polka-Dot Man was "tailor made" for Dastmalchian, who had been friends with Gunn for a long time [118] [119]. In contrast, Melchior was cast from a group of 200 actors [8]. She did a chemistry test with live rats as part of her audition process because her character controls rats in the film and had to interact with them on set [120]. Gunn's frequent collaborator Michael Rooker was in talks to join the cast in May, while Storm Reid was cast as the daughter of Elba's character in July [110] [121]. Flula Borg, Nathan Fillion, and Steve Agee joined the film in August, with Agee initially reported to be portraying King Shark [122] [123] [124] [125]. Also in August, Taika Waititi entered negotiations for a role [125]. Peter Capaldi joined the cast in early September, when Pete Davidson was in talks to make a cameo appearance during a break from his work on Saturday Night Live [126]. Davidson agreed to join the film because his character is called "Dick Hertz", which Davidson found to be funny [127]. A table read for the film with the full cast was held on September 11, ahead of the start of filming later that month. Gunn later announced the film's full main cast and characters: Dastmalchian as Polka-Dot Man, Cena as Peacemaker, Courtney as Captain Boomerang, Joaquín Cosío as Mateo Suarez, Fillion as T.D.K., Kinnaman as Rick Flag, Mayling Ng as Mongal, Borg as Javelin, his brother Sean Gunn as Weasel, Juan Diego Botto as Silvio Luna, Reid as Tyla, Davidson as Blackguard, Waititi as the first Ratcatcher, Alice Braga as Sol Soria, Agee, Tinashe Kajese as Flo Crawley, Melchior as Ratcatcher 2, Capaldi as Thinker, Julio Ruiz as Milton, Jennifer Holland as Emilia Harcourt, Davis as Waller, Elba as Bloodsport, Robbie as Quinn, and Rooker as Savant [126]. Agee was the on-set reference for King Shark, and also portrays John Economos [23] [31] [41] [48] [49] [92]. ## Design Production designer Beth Mickle said Gunn wanted the film to be "grey and drab and monotone" until the characters arrive in Corto Maltese, which he wanted to "explode with color" like Panama and Cuba. The design team took inspiration from photos of Havana, Cuba, and São Paulo, Brazil [27]. Gunn said the film featured the biggest sets ever built for a Warner Bros.' film, with Mickle building a set the size of three football fields for the outside of Jötunheim where the final battle was filmed, and an even bigger beach set that had real waves and a palm tree forest which Gunn called "the greatest set [he had] ever been on" [17] [27] [128]. The jungle featured a bamboo cage that was 8 feet (2.4 m) deep [8]. Gunn said building a whole beach was expensive, but it was more cost-effective than using a real beach due to changing tides and the limited amount of time available for filming in a real environment [93]. Because of the mixture of characters that Gunn selected for the film's Suicide Squad roster, there are "dorky comics costumes" alongside "modern, scary, grimdark" costumes. One of the biggest costume challenges for Gunn was creating Bloodsport's suit, from which the character can form various weapons [129]. Robbie wears a new costume that features Harley's traditional red and black color palette, with Gunn taking inspiration from the character's costume in the video game Batman: Arkham City (2011) [13]. He wanted her jacket to have "motorcycle gang style"-writing on the back, and chose "Live fast, die clown" over other potential options "Clown AF" and "World's Best Grandpa". Gunn also removed Harley's "Rotten" facial tattoo that she had in previous DCEU films because both he and Robbie disliked it [11]. Flag wears a yellow T-shirt with a cartoon character called "Ultra Bunny" on it [130]. Gunn drew the character, and added the text "obstacles are opportunities" which is his slogan when directing on set. Gunn initially used a hammerhead shark design from the New 52 comics for King Shark, but found that it would be awkward to film the character with other actors due to his eyes being on the sides of his head [13]. Gunn settled on a great white shark design that is similar to the one seen in the Harley Quinn animated series, though this was a coincidence as that series was released after filming for The Suicide Squad began [131]. Gunn gave King Shark a dad bod to make him look less like a mammal, as well as small eyes, a big mouth, and a small head to avoid the "cute anthropomorphic beast" design seen in popular characters like Baby Groot from Guardians of the Galaxy Vol [132] [133]. 2 (2017) and The Mandalorian's Grogu. ## Filming Principal photography began on September 20, 2019, at Pinewood Atlanta Studios in Atlanta, Georgia, under the working title El Dorado [127] [135]. Henry Braham served as cinematographer, after previously doing so for Gunn's Guardians of the Galaxy Vol [136]. 2. Feige and Marvel Studios co-president Louis D'Esposito visited the set during filming [137]. Gunn took several precautions to try to avoid details about the film leaking, such as referring to Elba's character in the script and on set as "Vigilante" to prevent his actual role from being revealed, and also not giving some of the actors script pages from after their characters' deaths [138]. Gunn extensively storyboards his films, but the opening shot of The Suicide Squad—in which the camera rotates out of a puddle's reflection on the ground to reveal Savant bouncing a ball—was a spontaneous decision that he made on set when he saw the reflections on the ground. For a scene where Bloodsport smokes a cigarette, Elba—who has asthma and does not smoke himself—was left with tears in his eyes that had to be removed digitally since Gunn otherwise liked the shot. Gunn said the film used more practical effects than any other blockbuster comic book film, with on-set special effects provided by Dan Sudick and prosthetics created by Legacy Effects [13]. Gunn highlighted a shot in the film where King Shark, who is created with visual effects, rips a person in half, which was done practically using special effects and prosthetics [140]. Stunt supervisor Guy Norris served as second unit director for the car scenes in the film [21]. Gunn explained that he rarely uses second unit directors on his films and has never liked working with them, but he enjoyed the experience of working with Norris as he was not comfortable shooting with cars and had already known Norris for a long time [8]. Filming in Atlanta was expected to last three months before moving to Panama for a month, with Colón, Panama standing in for the streets of Corto Maltese [142]. Gunn said the city was "beautiful but falling-apart... we were able to use all the colors but to keep the grime" as well. The cast and crew rescued several animals from the streets of Panama [17]. Filming also took place in Porto, Portugal, and wrapped on February 28, 2020 [13] [143]. ## Editing Fred Raskin and Christian Wagner served as editors on the film. Raskin previously worked alongside Gunn on Guardians of the Galaxy (2014) and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol [16]. 2. By April 2020, Gunn was editing the film at his home due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which he said had not affected post-production or the release schedule at that time [145]. The initial assembly cut for the film was around two hours and forty minutes long, and around twenty minutes of that was soon cut down during editing [146]. Gunn felt the film was still too long, and removed some elements such as part of Harley Quinn's separate storyline that he felt was "pushing audiences away a little bit too much", as well as a sequence with Ratcatcher, King Shark, Polka-Dot Man, and the Thinker when they exit a Corto Maltese bar [8] [120]. Gunn felt the latter was "pretty dynamite stuff" but it was slowing down the film and at the wrong time. A smaller scene that was cut involved Waller's aide Flo Crawley being arrested for knocking Waller out during the final battle; Gunn explained that this was a mostly unnecessary detail which made the audience feel uncomfortable since it felt less like the villain, Waller, had lost, but he included the moment in a recap of the film that begins the spin-off series Peacemaker to explain why Crawley is not in that series [8]. In December, Gunn said editing for the film's final cut had been completed and work on the remaining visual effects, sound, and score was continuing [147]. The final runtime is two hours and twelve minutes [148]. ## Visual effects Kelvin McIlwain was the visual effects supervisor for the film, with visual effects vendors including Framestore, Weta Digital, Trixter, Scanline VFX, and Cantina Creative. Gunn said the visual effects for King Shark, primarily handled by Framestore and Weta Digital, were particularly difficult to get right [149]. ## Music In May 2020, John Murphy was set as the composer for the film. Tyler Bates, who scored all of Gunn's previous films, was originally attached to compose the score for The Suicide Squad but eventually left the project [150]. During pre-production, Bates wrote music for Gunn to use on set as he had previously done for Gunn on the Guardians of the Galaxy films. The single "Rain" by grandson and Jessie Reyez from the film's soundtrack album was released on June 22, 2021, with the artists also expected to contribute songs individually to the album [151]. A single from Murphy's score, "So This Is The Famous Suicide Squad", was made available on July 8 [152]. On August 6, two full albums for the film were released by WaterTower Music: one featuring Murphy's score, and a soundtrack album featuring songs from the film, including "Rain" [153]. ## Completion In January 2021, at the beginning of filming for Peacemaker in Vancouver, Canada, Gunn filmed a post-credits scene for The Suicide Squad that sets-up the series. He had not planned an alternative post-credits scene before deciding to make Peacemaker [5]. A month later, the film was fully finished [8]. Gunn said Warner Bros. had not interfered with his vision for the film and had only given a few minor notes. He added that The Suicide Squad was the most fun he had making a film, which he attributed to prioritizing creativity over perfectionism, being in the best place mentally and emotionally of his career, having a "stupendous" cast and crew and supportive studio, and feeling that he was at the height of his directing abilities with the film [156]. It came in under budget and had no days of additional photography [157]. In July, the film's release date was moved up by a day to August 5 [158]. # Marketing A behind-the-scenes featurette was released on August 22, 2020, during the virtual DC FanDome event. A panel for the film was held during Comic Con Experience's digital event CCXP Worlds on December 6, with James Gunn and members of the cast in attendance [160]. The cast members discussed their characters, and a design for Elba's costume as Bloodsport was revealed. Cena decided to wear the Peacemaker costume for interviews and other promotional events as a way to familiarize the audience with the lesser-known character, which was a tactic that he had previously used when he was a professional wrestler [12]. The film's first trailer was released on March 26, 2021, with Alex McLevy of The A.V. Club praising its jokes and action. He felt everything about the trailer perfectly captured the Suicide Squad's inherent "outlandish fun" from the comics. Anthony D'Alessandro at Deadline Hollywood felt the trailer had all the trademarks of Gunn's Guardians of the Galaxy films, noting the use of a "retro hit single" in Steely Dan's "Dirty Work", with The Verge's Jay Peters also getting "some serious Guardians of the Galaxy vibes" from the trailer [162] [163]. D'Alessandro and Peters both compared it to the recently released DC film Zack Snyder's Justice League and noted how the trailer was much more colorful and humorous than that film [20]. McLevy, Jennifer Bisset and Sean Keane of CNET, and CinemaBlend's Sean O'Connell all highlighted King Shark and his R-rated scenes [20] [163]. The trailer was viewed 150 million times within a week of its release, breaking the record for red band trailers that was established earlier in the year by the trailer for Mortal Kombat (2021) [162] [164] [165]. A green band trailer was released online on April Fool's Day, after debuting in front of theatrical screenings of Godzilla vs. Kong (2021). It features new footage because Gunn did not want to use an edited version of the red band trailer as is usually done. Jennifer Ouellette at Ars Technica noted that the new trailer had a darker, more ominous tone than the red band version, without the jokes and King Shark scenes and with added character beats. Another trailer was released on June 22 by the main cast of the film in a marketing stunt where they pretended that they were leaking the trailer early [167]. Gunn and Warner Bros. also joked about the trailer's "early release". The trailer features the song "Rain" by grandson and Jessie Reyez from the film's soundtrack album [168]. Footage from the film is included in the music video for "Rain", which was released the next month [152]. # Release ## Theatrical and streaming The Suicide Squad premiered theatrically in the United Kingdom on July 30, 2021. It was scheduled to debut in the United States on August 6, but was moved up a day to August 5, for early preview screenings [170] [85]. The film was also made available on the streaming service HBO Max on August 5, for a one-month premiere streaming window [159]. This was done as part of Warner Bros.' joint theatrical and streaming release strategy for 2021 films that was announced in December 2020 amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Reflecting on this release strategy in January 2022, Gunn acknowledged suggestions that it negatively impacted on the film's box office performance and said the approach was not ideal for the film [171]. He added that the film was widely pirated following its streaming debut, with a high quality version of the film appearing on piracy websites almost immediately after it was released on HBO Max [172]. Internet technology company Akamai reported, based on global unlicensed streaming and torrent data, that The Suicide Squad was the sixth most pirated film between January and September 2021 [173]. Despite this, Gunn was grateful that people had been able to see the film online during the pandemic and that it had otherwise been well received [174]. ## Home media The film was made available for digital purchase and rental on September 17, 2021, after leaving its HBO Max same day premiere window. The Suicide Squad was then released on DVD, Blu-ray, and Ultra HD Blu-ray on October 26, with special features including a commentary by Gunn, deleted and extended scenes, a gag reel, three retro style trailers, breakdowns of key scenes from the film, and several making-of featurettes. The film was the top-seller for home media sales in the United States for two weeks after its release, on both the NPD Videoscan First Alert chart (which tracks combined Blu-ray and DVD sales) and the dedicated Blu-ray sales chart [175]. According to The Numbers, it sold a combined 146,752 Blu-ray and DVD units in its first week for a total of $3.8 million [176] [177]. It was the fourth highest-selling title for the month of October on the VideoScan First Alert chart [178]. # Reception ## Box office The Suicide Squad grossed $55.8 million in the United States and Canada, and $112.9 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $168.7 million, against a production budget of $185 million. In the United States and Canada, the film made $12.2 million on its first day, including $4.1 million from Thursday night previews, which was the biggest first day for an R-rated film during the pandemic. That contributed to $26.2 million (47.0% of total gross) across the film's opening weekend, which was also the biggest for an R-rated film during the pandemic. Despite the pandemic-era records, the film fell short of Warner Bros. and industry projections of a $30 million opening, projections that themselves were considered low and were closer to the underperforming Birds of Prey than the successful first Suicide Squad. The film dropped 72% in its second weekend, finishing fifth with just $7.5 million [180]. This drop was similar to those seen in the second weekends of other films released simultaneously in theaters and on HBO Max, such as Space Jam: A New Legacy (2021). It dropped 55% in its third weekend, grossing $3.4 million, before crossing $50 million in its fourth weekend with an additional $2 million [181] [182]. The week prior to its domestic release, the film made $6.7 million from five countries, including $4.5 million in the United Kingdom and $1.6 million in France. The Suicide Squad expanded to 69 countries, covering all major markets except Japan, in its second week of international release [184] [185]. It made $35 million, finishing first in Russia ($4.2 million), Mexico ($2 million), Brazil ($1.4 million), Spain ($1.3 million), and Italy ($1 million), and only dropped 25% in markets that it opened in the previous week. Even when taking into account the pandemic limiting theaters in territories such as Italy, Australia, Mexico, and South East Asia, the weekend's total grosses were below expectations. The film opened at number one in Japan the following week with $1.9 million, retained first position in Brazil, and moved to first in Australia as well [185]. Overall, the weekend total was $17 million, down 50% from the previous week and behind new release Free Guy in many markets. The film added $8.7 million in its fourth international weekend, before passing $100 million internationally the next week with an additional $4.6 million [186] [187]. The United Kingdom, Russia, France, Germany, and Mexico were the leading markets for the film outside of the U.S [188]. and Canada. The film's box office underperformance was generally attributed to its release during the COVID-19 pandemic, the fact that it was also available for streaming on HBO Max at the same time as its theatrical release, piracy allowed by the streaming release, the R-rating which limited younger audiences, the poor reception to the first Suicide Squad, and confusion from general audiences over its relationship to the first film caused by their similar titles. Anthony D'Alessandro of Deadline Hollywood felt the HBO Max availability and feelings about the first film outweighed the impacts of the pandemic, and noted that other films had made significantly more money at the box office in recent weeks [180] [185] [189] [190] [191]. Writing for Forbes, Scott Mendelson felt that general audiences would not be compelled by Gunn's involvement and instead would see the film as a sequel without the main draws of the first film, such as Will Smith [180]. Mendelson added that the film's $185 million budget was an "absurd amount to spend" on an R-rated film and was significantly more than what was spent on previous R-rated superhero films. He said the film required a "best-case-scenario box office" just to break even with that budget, and that did not turn out to be the case. ## Streaming viewership HBO Max reported that The Suicide Squad had the second-biggest opening weekend of all the films that premiered simultaneously on the streaming service and in theaters. The service did not provide further details or data, but analytics company Samba TV, which gathers viewership data from certain Smart TVs and content providers, reported that 2.8 million U.S [189]. households watched the film over its first four days of release on HBO Max, which placed it only behind Mortal Kombat (3.8 million) for simultaneous theater and streaming releases. Also according to Samba TV, The Suicide Squad had the biggest HBO Max debut for a DC film, ahead of both Wonder Woman 1984 (2.2 million) and Zack Snyder's Justice League (1.8 million). While discussing Nielsen Media Research's streaming ratings—which HBO Max does not participate in—for the week of the film's release, Forbes' Scott Mendelson estimated that around 369 million minutes of the film had been viewed based on Samba TV's figures, which would have placed it third on Nielsen's list of top streaming films for the week behind Netflix's Vivo (493 million minutes) and Disney+'s Jungle Cruise (407 million minutes) [192]. Samba TV later reported that 3.5 million American households had watched the film within its first week of release. This grew to 4.7 million for the first 17 days, which placed it third after Mortal Kombat (5.5 million) and Godzilla vs [194]. Kong (5.1 million). These rankings remained the same for Samba TV's 30 day figures, which reported 5.1 million households having viewed The Suicide Squad in that time [195]. According to Whip Media, who track viewership data for the 19 million worldwide users of their TV Time app, The Suicide Squad was the seventh-most-streamed-film of 2021 and the most-streamed-project of the year for HBO Max [196]. ## Critical response On Rotten Tomatoes, The Suicide Squad holds an approval rating of 90% based on 382 reviews, with an average score of 7.5/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "Enlivened by writer-director James Gunn's singularly skewed vision, The Suicide Squad marks a funny, fast-paced rebound that plays to the source material's violent, anarchic strengths." On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 72 out of 100, based on 55 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews" [198]. Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B+" on an A+ to F scale, the same score that the first film and Birds of Prey received, while PostTrak reported that 83% of audience members gave it a positive score compared to 73% for the first film [199]. 62% told PostTrak that they would definitely recommend the film. Reviewing for The A.V. Club, Katie Rife gave the film a "B+" grade and said, "Now that superhero movies have gone from disreputable entertainment for children to global events ushered in with awed reverence, it was time for someone to come along and pop the balloon. Pulpy and outrageous, irreverent and ultraviolent, The Suicide Squad does so with a smile." Writing for Variety, Owen Gleiberman called the film what "the first Suicide Squad should have been" and said that "The Suicide Squad comes sizzlingly alive as all-cylinders comic-book moviemaking [200]. There's a frowsy destructive joy to the staging". Clarisse Loughrey of The Independent also praised the film and considered it an improvement over Suicide Squad, writing "Gunn's distinct and self-assured vision, which he's said was left untouched and unbothered by studio interference, puts The Suicide Squad alongside the very best of modern comic-book filmmaking [201]. His film, which now comes with an all-important 'The' at the beginning of its title, functions both as a sequel and a fresh start." Brian Truitt of USA Today gave the film 3.5 stars out of 4 and said "The Suicide Squad shifts superhero movies into a hilarious, gory and exceedingly bonkers new direction but writer/director James Gunn still makes time to show one goofy supervillain making sure another's buckled up for a plane ride headed for certain doom" and also said that the film "is a bloody marvel that blows up the superhero genre." [202] [203]. Justin Chang from Los Angeles Times stated: "After 2016's ugly, bludgeoning Suicide Squad, I couldn't imagine liking—and could barely stomach the idea of seeing—another movie called Suicide Squad. I'm delighted to be proven wrong", and called the film "redemption for James Gunn and DC". Richard Trenholm of CNET gave the film a positive review and praised it for its themes, writing "This irreverent comic book movie takes shots at very big and serious themes, raging against Western imperialism, American foreign policy and government deception as it indicts interference in foreign countries [204]. Representing this chilling bureaucratic evil, Amanda Waller emerges as perhaps the most hateful villain in the DC universe — certainly the coldest". Alonso Duralde of the TheWrap wrote: "The Suicide Squad is by no means perfect, but like the Deadpool movies, it's a showcase for what can happen when a superhero movie is allowed to be sprightly, self-aware, and sardonic while also indulging in hard-R violence, gore, and language [205]. Gunn's latest creation is not without moments that drag, but when it pops, it pops brilliantly". Entertainment Weekly's Leah Greenblatt gave the film a C+ grade and wrote: "The script, accordingly, herks and jerks along with a sort of forced-festive glee, its mounting body count buffeted by goofball banter and pounding soundtrack cues [206]. A good half of the jokes don't land, but unlike his predecessor's joyless slog, Gunn's version at least celebrates the nonsense." Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian gave the film 3 out of 5 stars, and called it "a long, loud, often enjoyable and amusing film that blitzes your eyeballs and eardrums and covers all the bases" [207]. ## Themes and analysis Some critics have interpreted The Suicide Squad as a critique and even a parody of American foreign policy and noted some anti-imperialist themes, which was arguably done in greater extent than the film's predecessor. Noah Berlatsky of Foreign Policy compares the rationale of the Suicide Squad's intervention in the Corto Maltese civil war to the 2003 invasion of Iraq on the grounds of an anti-American regime purportedly gaining access to and weaponizing a destructive force such as Starro. He also notes that American interference in Corto Maltese is "as every bit as disastrous as the 2003 Iraq invasion," also commenting that The Suicide Squad depicts the U.S. government as "bumbling" and "corrupt", citing the squad's accidental slaughter of the very fighters they were supposed to protect and Amanda Waller's desire to cover up America's role in Project Starfish and ambivalence towards Starro's rampage. Reuben Baron of Comic Book Resources compares the torture and experimentation of Corto Maltese civilians in Project Starfish to the Abu Ghraib torture and prisoner abuse scandal and allegations of prisoner torture at Guantanamo Bay detention camp [209]. He opines that the evil actions of Silvio Luna's regime and Starro, while heinous, are "just symptomatic of the ultimate villain of The Suicide Squad: the United States government," describing Peacemaker's betrayal of the team as "misguided patriotism", and that the "heroes in this movie are those who are willing to defy the orders given to them by the government". Lucy Nichols of Counter Fire writes that the film "bizarrely, openly critiques American imperialism in Latin America", and like Baron, comments that The Suicide Squad is unusual among superhero films with its direct criticism of the U.S [210]. government and military. # Future ## Spin-offs Gunn began working on a spin-off series featuring Peacemaker while completing work on The Suicide Squad. In January 2021, Gunn said he had ideas for more television spin-offs beyond Peacemaker [227]. DC Films president Walter Hamada said a month later that they had plans for more projects with Gunn, and Safran said there was potential for more spin-offs based on Suicide Squad members such as Ratcatcher and Bloodsport if a filmmaker had a unique vision for them [228] [158]. Gunn said in February that he did not necessarily intend to write and direct every The Suicide Squad spin-off himself, like he did for Peacemaker [229]. In November 2022, Stallone said he would reprise his role as King Shark in the future [230]. ### Peacemaker While completing work on The Suicide Squad during the COVID-19 pandemic, Gunn began writing a spin-off television series centered on Peacemaker. In September 2020, HBO Max ordered Peacemaker straight-to-series, with Gunn writing all eight episodes and directing five of them [227]. Cena stars as Peacemaker, with Agee, Holland, and Davis also reprising their respective film roles [232]. Gunn and Safran executive produce the series, which premiered in January 2022 [42] [43] [233] [232]. HBO Max renewed the series for a second season a month later, with Gunn set to write and direct all episodes [234]. ### Untitled spin-off series Gunn revealed in January 2022 that he was developing a new television project for DC, and it was confirmed to be based on a character from The Suicide Squad at the end of the month [236]. HBO Max had not greenlit the series, for which writing had yet to begin, but the streaming service was said to be "high" on the idea based on Gunn's enthusiasm for it. The next month, Gunn said that they had been "working heavily" on the series and it had "advanced a lot", and said more details should be revealed soon [237]. The series was reported to feature Amanda Waller in May 2022, but Gunn stated a month later that the series was separate from a potential Amanda Waller project though there would be "some blending" of characters from Peacemaker in the series [230] [238]. ### Waller A spin-off series featuring Amanda Waller was revealed in May 2022, with Christal Henry writing and serving as executive producer alongside Gunn and Safran. Davis was in negotiations to reprise her role and also executive produce the series, which was expected to build off Waller's appearances in Peacemaker which publicly revealed her work with the Suicide Squad. The series was revealed to be titled Waller in January 2023 [238]. ## Unproduced sequel In July 2021, Gunn said he had ideas for a sequel film that would go in a different direction from just assembling a new Suicide Squad team. In June 2022, Gunn said there had been discussions about a sequel to The Suicide Squad and he was considering it for his next feature film but his focus was on television for the foreseeable future following his positive experience making Peacemaker [31]. The following June, Gunn said there would not be a sequel [239].

James Gunn's reimagining of "The Suicide Squad" breathes new life into the DC Extended Universe with a thrilling and humor-infused narrative. The story follows an assemblage of incarcerated supervillains from Belle Reve penitentiary, who are recruited by the ruthless government operative Amanda Waller to form Task Force X. Under the leadership of Bloodsport, coerced into participation by Waller to secure his daughter's safety, the motley crew embarks on a covert operation to the politically unstable island nation of Corto Maltese. Their objective is to obliterate the Jötunheim facility, which conceals the enigmatic Project Starfish. Waller's stratagem involves deploying two squads, with the first suffering heavy casualties upon arrival, serving as a diversion for Bloodsport's team. The surviving team members, including Harley Quinn, Peacemaker, King Shark, Polka-Dot Man, and Ratcatcher 2, navigate a series of misadventures involving Corto Maltese's tyrannical rulers and insurgent factions. Encounters with the local despot, Luna, and his military cronies, lead to capture, escapes, and an unlikely alliance with rebel leader Sol Soria. As the narrative unfolds, the true nature of Project Starfish is revealed to be Starro the Conqueror, a colossal extraterrestrial with the ability to control minds. The project's exposure as a clandestine U.S. experiment sparks a moral conflict within the team, culminating in internal strife and the poignant deaths of several members. In the face of insurmountable odds, and defying Waller's direct orders, Bloodsport's team rallies to protect Corto Maltese's inhabitants from Starro's wrath. The film, characterized by Gunn's distinct storytelling and visual panache, showcases a range of vibrant characters, each with their own arcs and quirks. Notable performances, dynamic action sequences, and an eclectic mix of comedy and brutality distinguish "The Suicide Squad" as a standout entry in the superhero genre. Released amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the movie experienced a dichotomy of success—receiving critical acclaim and fan approval while facing challenges at the box office partly due to simultaneous streaming availability, leading to significant piracy issues. Expanding the narrative's scope, the film establishes foundations for future expansions within the DC Universe, notably the "Peacemaker" television series helmed by Gunn, which continues the storyline of John Cena's character. With Gunn at the creative helm, further projects expanding on "The Suicide Squad" legacy are eagerly anticipated by fans and critics alike.

Kino's_Storytime

# Cast In addition to being co-hosted by Lucy, Mara and Kino, celebrity guest stars would sometimes visit the series and read stories, including:. # Episodes ## Season 1 (1992–1994) SPECIAL: Mucky Moose by Jonathan Allen; Alistair's Elephant by Marilyn Sadler, illustrated by Roger Bollen; When I Was Little by Jamie Lee Curtis, illustrated by Laura Cornell.

The Wikipedia page describes a TV series with hosts Lucy, Mara, and Kino, and includes celebrity guests who read stories. It mentions a special episode from Season 1 (1992-1994) featuring the stories "Mucky Moose" by Jonathan Allen, "Alistair's Elephant" by Marilyn Sadler, and "When I Was Little" by Jamie Lee Curtis.

2020_British_Columbia_general_election

# Background This election took place under first-past-the-post rules, as proportional representation had been rejected with 61.3% voting against it in the 2018 referendum. Section 23 of British Columbia's Constitution Act provides that general elections occur on the third Saturday in October of the fourth calendar year after the last election. The fixed election date was previously set for the second Tuesday in May — tentatively making the next election date May 12, 2021; but the BC NDP passed legislation in 2017 amending the section of the constitution pertaining to the set election day [6]. The same section, though, makes the fixed election date subject to the lieutenant governor's prerogative to dissolve the Legislative Assembly as he or she sees fit (in practice, on the advice of the premier or following a vote of non-confidence) [7]. This prerogative was exercised on September 21, 2020, when Premier John Horgan called a snap election, thus dissolving the 41st Parliament. The writ of election was issued the same day, commencing a 32-day campaign [9]. This was the first election in BC in nearly two decades to not have been held on the fixed date, following four successive elections which had adhered to fixed-date legislation under amendments to the Constitution Act introduced by the Liberal government under Gordon Campbell and passed shortly after the Liberals came into power subsequent to the 2001 election. It was also the first time a BC government had gone to the polls before the expiration of its mandate since the Social Credit government under Bill Vander Zalm called an early election in 1986.. This election was the second Canadian provincial election held during the COVID-19 pandemic, after the September 2020 election in New Brunswick – also a snap election. Due to the pandemic, more than 720,000 people requested mail-in ballots. Elections BC expected that 35 to 40 percent of ballots would be sent by mail, compared to 1 percent historically. Advance voting took place between October 15 and 21, with more than 681,000 people voting ahead of the election date. Due to the significant increase in mail-in voting, the full results of the election were not known until November 8; the results of the judicial recount held in one constituency, West Vancouver-Sea to Sky, were only known on November 17 [3] [13]. The election occurred only three years and five months after the 2017 election and during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic in British Columbia. By the terms of the confidence and supply agreement that had been struck between the NDP and the Green Party, the NDP had been barred from calling a snap election and from holding an election before the fixed date. The premier defended his decision to call an early election, claiming that the province needed the government to have a strong mandate and stability to deal with the challenges of the pandemic for the coming years; the governing New Democrats did not have a majority of seats in the legislature, relying on confidence and supply from the Greens for a slim combined majority. An Ipsos poll conducted for Global News and radio station CKNW found that 46 percent of people disapproved of the snap election call, while 32 percent approved. Horgan and the BC NDP had been enjoying popularity in the polls during the summer and throughout the pandemic [15]. # Campaign On September 21, 2020, the BC NDP chose Nathan Cullen, a longtime party member and former member of Parliament for the federal NDP, to be the New Democratic candidate in the riding of Stikine, which is located in northwestern BC and was previously represented by Doug Donaldson. Cullen, a white man, was nominated after the NDP attempted, but failed, to find a person wanting to run who was a person from an "equity-seeking" group, such as a woman or Indigenous person; the party's policy required that a vacancy left by a male MLA not running for re-election must be filled by a person from these groups. Annita McPhee, an Indigenous woman of the Tahltan Nation who had served as president of the Tahltan Central Government, previously declared her intention to become the NDP candidate, but was not considered by the NDP. The NDP said that McPhee's application contained invalid signatures, and Cullen was nominated before the paperwork problem could be resolved. According to a party official, McPhee had indicated that she did not want to be associated with the NDP following the 2019 federal election, which was denied by McPhee. On September 28, BC Liberal leader Andrew Wilkinson promised a one-year tax holiday on the 7% provincial sales tax, at an estimated cost of $6.9 billion, and to thereafter set it to 3% for the following year, at an estimated cost of $3.9 billion, saying that it would stimulate the economy. On September 30, NDP leader John Horgan promised to improve conditions at long-term care homes, at a cost of $1.4 billion. The NDP filed a complaint to Elections BC against Liberal candidate Garry Thind, accusing him of violating the Elections Act by attempting to collect voters' information in order to provide them with a ballot. On October 4, the BC Liberals announced that they would pause the transition in Surrey from an RCMP force to a local police department, and that they would hold a referendum of whether the city's switch to a local police department should be reversed. On October 8, the NDP announced that they would commit to building, contingent on contributions from the federal government, the entire 16-kilometre (9.9 mi) SkyTrain Expo Line extension to Langley Centre by 2025. # Retiring incumbents # Political parties ## Major parties ### Liberal The British Columbia Liberal Party, a centre-right party, was led by Andrew Wilkinson. In the previous election, it won 43 seats but was reduced to 41 at dissolution. In the 41st Parliament, the BC Liberals served as the Official Opposition after briefly forming a minority government under then-premier Christy Clark, which was defeated on a confidence vote held 2 months after the 2017 British Columbia general election. The party ran candidates in all 87 ridings. ### New Democratic The British Columbia New Democratic Party (NDP), a social democratic centre-left party, was led by John Horgan. It had 41 seats in the outgoing Legislative Assembly and governed BC with a minority government. The party entered a confidence and supply agreement with the Greens following the previous election, allowing the NDP to form government despite being the party with the second-largest share of seats. It ran candidates in all 87 ridings. ### Green The Green Party of British Columbia, a green centre-left, was led by Sonia Furstenau. It won 3 seats in the previous election but had been reduced to 2 seats by the time the 2020 election was called. The Green Party supported the minority NDP government by providing confidence and supply. It ran candidates in 74 out of the 87 ridings. ## Independents Along with the parties above, 24 individuals ran as independent candidates across 22 ridings. # Results These are the final results, which include mail-in and absentee ballots.. ## Significant results among independent and minor party candidates Those candidates not belonging to a major party, receiving more than 1,000 votes in the election, are listed below:. # Results by riding The following tables present results by riding per Elections BC. # Seats changing hands 11 incumbent MLAs lost their seats.. Open seats changing hands. # Student Vote results Student votes are mock elections that run parallel to actual elections, in which students not of voting age participate. They are administered by Student Vote Canada. Student vote elections are for educational purposes and do not count towards the results. There were ties in two constituencies, Kelowna—Lake Country (BC Green and BC NDP) and Shuswap (BC Liberal and BC NDP), which were both counted twice. # Opinion polls # Notes and references

The 2020 British Columbia general election was held to elect members to the Legislative Assembly, utilizing the first-past-the-post voting system. Despite a 2018 referendum rejecting proportional representation, this election followed the amended fixed-date election law, which moved the election from May to October. The NDP government called a snap election on September 21, 2020, making it the first early election since 1986 and the second Canadian provincial election during the COVID-19 pandemic. Mail-in ballots surged due to the pandemic, resulting in delayed final results. During the campaign, the NDP faced scrutiny over the nomination of Nathan Cullen in Stikine, which bypassed the party's equity-seeking group policy. Meanwhile, the BC Liberal leader Andrew Wilkinson proposed a PST tax holiday to boost the economy, and the NDP's John Horgan pledged to improve long-term care conditions. Key policy differences and promises were highlighted throughout the campaign by the major parties. The BC Liberal Party, led by Wilkinson, was the main opposition party at dissolution, with 41 seats. The NDP, under Horgan, held 41 seats and governed with a confidence and supply agreement with the Greens. The Green Party, with 2 seats at the call of the election, ran candidates in 74 ridings, while 24 independents also ran. The final election results were released after a comprehensive count of mail-in and absentee ballots, including a judicial recount for West Vancouver-Sea to Sky, confirming the winning candidates and the distribution of seats among parties. Eleven incumbents lost their seats, and the election saw changes in open seats. Student Vote, a parallel mock election, was conducted for educational purposes, with ties in Kelowna—Lake Country and Shuswap. The real-life campaign and election were also punctuated by opinion polls tracking party and leader popularity.

List_of_works_similar_to_the_2020_Utah_monolith

# List by location Since November 2020, monoliths similar to the one found in Utah have been reported internationally.. ## Asia ### India On 29 December 2020, a monolith appeared at Symphony Forest Park in Ahmedabad, Gujarat. One of the panels features etched numbers, relating to longitudes and latitudes of wildlife parks in India. The anonymous artist said in an interview that "The monolith is shrouded in mystery around the world because people enjoy the mystery of unlocking new ideas and unlocking new thoughts [9]. And this was my contribution to that – engagement of thinking." It disappeared on 13 January leaving a metallic sphere in its place [9]. India's second Monolith was seen at Jogger's Park in the suburb of Bandra in Mumbai on 10 March 2021. It was triangular shaped around 7 feet (2.1 m) tall with numbers on the side. After two weeks it disappeared and was replaced with a metallic sphere much like the one in Ahmedabad. ## Africa ### Democratic Republic of the Congo On February 17, 2021, a monolith was found at a roundabout in the Democratic Republic of Congo's capital Kinshasa. The monolith was burned down by locals who got agitated by its sudden appearance. ### Morocco On December 10, 2020, a monolith was reported in a construction site in Zenata near Casablanca. Upon investigation, it was determined that the structure was installed by the chemicals and logistics company "Top Negoce" as part of a communication campaign for its new robot "Aya", made in partnership with a Silicon Valley company, and that the robot in question is reportedly trapped inside the structure. ## Europe ### Austria On December 6, 2020, a monolith appeared in Katschberg, near the B99 road, It disappeared shortly after. On December 10, 2020, the same monolith previously seen in Katschberg was spotted on a golf course, in the district of Tamsweg, Salzburg. On December 14, 2020, another monolith was found on a field in Peuerbach in Upper Austria. On January 16, 2021, a new monolith was found in Nauders. On February 7, 2021, another monolith was found in St. Gertraudi. It is mentioned that curiously, the monolith appeared in the middle of a snowy field, without any tracks in the snow around it. ### Belgium On December 8, 2020, a monolith structure was discovered near the town of Baasrode, East Flanders, Belgium. On December 10, 2020, discovered in Kanne in the province of Limburg, this one was significantly smaller than the other ones. On December 29, 2020, another monolith was discovered in Maaseik in the province of Limburg, Unique to this appearance is that it also has a Latin saying: 'Fortis in unum' which means 'as one we are strong'. ### Czech Republic On December 12, 2020 a monolith was discovered between town Otrokovice and village called Tečovice in the district of Zlín In the middle of a field. This piece is very precisely made. ### Finland On December 10, 2020, a "mysterious monolith" was discovered in Kyrönniemi recreation area in Savonlinna. On December 12, 2020, another mysterious monolith was discovered in Finland. Similar to the other monoliths in shape and size, this one was found standing in the middle of a protected field in the small town of Virrat. On December 18, 2020, A mystical monolith was found in the field between Riihimäki and Hyvinkää. The local newspaper made the news about it Local News. On January 6, 2021, a monolith was discovered at the intersection of Kirkkotie and Järventaustantie in Nurmijärvi, about 30 kilometers north of Helsinki. On January 19, 2021, a monolith was discovered at the Neuvoton neighborhood in Hamina, a town near the city of Kotka. ### France On December 5, 2020, a monolith was discovered outside the town of Exireuil in the Deux-Sèvres Department. Local artisan welder Ludovic Liaigre later revealed himself to be the creator. On December 9, 2020, a monolith was found in Le Havre, Normandy. It was later revealed to be an installation of Peppergraphik, a local company. On December 9, 2020, a monolith was found in Toulouse, Haute-Garonne. It was revealed to be an installation of the Bricks festival's association a local music festival. On December 19, 2020, a monolith appeared near Ambialet in the Tarn Department. ### Germany On December 5, 2020, a "monolith-like" pillar was discovered on a field near Sulzbach, Hesse. The pillar is made out of aluminum and has a wooden construction underneath. On December 10, 2020, a square monolith was discovered in Hohenschwangau, Bavaria. It was found near the well known Neuschwanstein Castle. On December 11, 2020, a square monolith was discovered near Rostock, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. On December 12, 2020, a monolith was discovered in Hamburg. The monolith was taken down by local police, put back into place a few hours later, but disappeared again. On December 12 or 13, 2020, a monolith was discovered on the shore of Sorpe Dam and removed on 14 December by the ruhrverband. On December 13, 2020, a monolith was discovered in the district of Gemen in Borken, North Rhine-Westphalia outside of Gemen Castle. This monolith seems to have the same mirrorlike qualities as the British one on the Isle of Wight. It appeared close to a religious educational center for the young. On December 14, 2020, a black monolith was discovered next to a daycare center in Pohlheim. On December 14, 2020, a monolith appeared in Hessigheimer Felsengärten in Hessigheim. On December 16, 2020, a monolith was reported in Bad Staffelstein. On December 22, 2020, a monolith was spotted in the municipality of Heuchelheim in central Hesse. ### Hungary On December 11, 2020, a "monolith-like" pillar was discovered on a field in Újpalota in the district of Budapest. The pillar is hollow, with a metal frame. The hosts of the Hungarian YouTube channel Pamkutya claimed to have constructed it, after the pillar was vandalized and they removed it [44]. ### Italy On December 3, 2020, a monolith appeared in the area of Villa Sforza Cesarini, Lanuvio in the province of Rome. Unlike other monoliths, on both sides of the structure there is incomprehensible writing. On December 8, investigators identified the people behind the installation, a group of artists from Castelli Romani in the Metropolitan City of Rome. The artists have not been charged and the monolith remains in place. On December 6, 2020, a monolith was found in the town center of Ferrara. Its makers sent a note to local journalists claiming it was built by the X-Files character Fox Moulder [sic]. On the first weekend of December 2020, another monolith was discovered in a vineyard near Neumarkt/Egna in South Tyrol/Alto Adige. On December 12, 2020, another monolith was discovered in Vigolo Vattaro in the province of Trentino. On December 24, 2020, a monolith was discovered in Aquileia Friuli-Venezia Giulia. ### Netherlands On December 6, 2020, a "monolith-like" pillar was discovered on a nature reserve near Oudehorne, drawing comparison to the Utah object. On December 8, 2020, a monolith was discovered in Beneden-Leeuwen in the province of Gelderland. It was removed at the request of a citizen, since it was too close to her house. After this a pillar, which may or may not have been the same, appeared again in the street not far away on December 9, 2020, right in front of a restaurant called Meraqi. As of December 15, the monolith is still there. On December 11, 2020, a monolith was discovered in Oosterhout, on the terrain of the Galvanitas factory. On December 16, 2020, late in the evening, two men in black with a van were sighted digging a monolith in the center of a roundabout in Kampen. On December 19 it was gone. ### Norway On December 7, 2020, a monolith appeared outside of a lighting store in Kristiansand. Whilst reviewing CCTV footage the video appears to cut at the time monolith appeared. The store denies any involvement. ### Poland On December 9, 2020, a steel monolith was discovered at Kadzielnia nature reserve in Kielce and has since been fenced off with tape due to a possible increase of radiation in the area. On the same day, a second monolith was found by passing runners in Warsaw near the Świętokrzyski Bridge [56]. The city denied any involvement [57]. On December 14, 2020, the satirical magazine ASZdziennik claimed to have constructed and placed the Warsaw monolith as a symbolic farewell to the year 2020. ### Romania On November 26, 2020, a monolith was discovered in Romania on Bâtca Doamnei Hill in the city of Piatra Neamț, near the historical Petrodava Dacian Fortress. The monolith was found on private property and was quoted as having been placed there "illegally" [60]. The case is currently under investigation. Jurnal FM stated on November 27 that they had actually "received a mail containing a clip and some photos regarding a strange structure found on a hill", on the preceding Tuesday, notably prior to the disappearance of the Utah monolith [61]. The clip points out the structure's similarity to the Utah monolith, while also highlighting major differences in its reflective properties and texture [62]. On November 29, Jurnal FM published an update that the monolith from Romania had also disappeared, mentioning that a "bright light" had been reported, though it did not provide a specific source for that report. "Locals thought the light came from a car, but the light pointed towards the sky. In the morning the place where the monolith stood erect was empty, only a faint imprint remains on the ground covered by snow." [63]. On December 1, 2020, a local newspaper, Ziar Piatra Neamț, confirmed to Reuters that the Romanian monolith had disappeared. The paper made the additional claim that a "bad local welder" had "apparently" made the item, though that person's identity remains unknown. On December 8, 2020, a second Romanian monolith appeared in Vadu, on the shore of the Black Sea. ### Slovakia On December 14, 2020, 2 monoliths were discovered, one at a shopping center in Senec and the other in the city center of Ružomberok [66]. ### Slovenia On December 4, 2020, a black-colored monolith appeared in Prlekija. On December 10, 2020, a monolith was discovered in the center of Zagorje ob Savi. ### Spain On December 8, 2020, a monolith structure was discovered near the town of Ayllón, Spain. The local council advised that no one approach the area due to the dangerous landscape. A few hours later, the monolith was removed; the mayor of Ayllón described the incident as a "joke made by villagers" [70]. On December 21, 2020, another monolith structure was discovered in Tribaldos, in the province of Cuenca. On March 30, 2021, another monolith structure was discovered in Castell-Platja d'Aro & S'Agaró, in the province of Girona. ### Sweden On December 9, 2020, a monolith was discovered outside the city of Arboga. On December 15, 2020, a monolith was discovered outside the city of Värnamo. On December 15, 2020, a monolith was discovered outside the city of Katrineholm. On December 18, 2020, a monolith was discovered at lake Vättern in Huskvarna. On December 21, 2020, a monolith was discovered in Gotland near the town of Visby. ### Switzerland On December 9, 2020, a monolith was discovered outside Liebegg Castle in the municipality of Gränichen. ### Turkey On February 5, 2021, a monolith was discovered in Göbekli Tepe. Although the design was similar, it had text written in Old Turkic script saying "If you want to see the moon, look up to sky". ### United Kingdom On December 6, 2020, a reflective monolith was found on Compton Beach on the Isle of Wight. This monolith, unlike other installations, was not made of metal, but rather from a wooden plinth covered in mirrored plastic [81]. Two days later on December 8, it was claimed by local designer Tom Dunford [82]. The monolith sold for £810 via online auction with 53 bids, with the proceeds going to charity [83]. On December 9, 2020, a similar monolith was discovered on the peak of Glastonbury Tor, outside the town of Glastonbury, Somerset. This monolith had the words "Not Banksy" printed across its face and a stylized caricature of a rat at its base. It was removed by the National Trust the same day. The same day, another monolith was spotted on top of a hill on Dartmoor near the village of Throwleigh [85]. On December 11, 2020, three monoliths were spotted: in Croydon, southern Greater London, at a primary school in St Albans, Hertfordshire, and in Lerwick, Shetland [87] [88]. The Hertfordshire monolith disappeared again after one day, and was part of a writing experiment for the pupils according to Kevin Byrne, the premises manager of the school, in a phonecall with a Dutch investigator on December 21. On January 1, 2021, three new monoliths were sighted. One was positioned just outside of Salisbury, Wiltshire. When it was found by the ITV cameraman John Scammell, the words "Happy New Year" followed by an X symbol had been drawn onto the frost on the monolith, as well as a section of the frost that had been rubbed away to reveal the metallic material it was constructed from [90]. Whether the message was written by the creator(s) of the monolith, or a visitor to it, is currently unconfirmed. On 3 January the Salisbury monolith was found to have been vandalized. It was damaged beyond repair and had to be removed from its position on the Laverstock Downs. The second monolith appeared in Sheldon, Birmingham, UK. The third monolith (appropriately for the Steel City, made of stainless steel) appeared on Parkwood Springs in Sheffield. The Sheffield monolith disappeared by the 3rd January, as mysteriously as it appeared. On January 24, 2021, a new monolith was found in the dunes on Hightown beach Merseyside [91]. ### Ukraine On December 10, 2020, a monolith was discovered in Ukraine on top of the Zamkova Hora Hill in the city of Kyiv, near the historical Podil district of Ukraine's capital. On December 10, 2020, another monolith was found outside the city of Poltava in the middle of Makukhiv's landfill. ## North America ### Canada #### Alberta On December 13, 2020 a monolith was discovered in Lethbridge. On January 7, 2021 a monolith was discovered in Edmonton, Alberta's Capital City. The local monolith is 10 feet tall, 250 pounds and made of galvanized steel. The monolith was made by Brent Siermachesky, the general manager at Alberta Custom Metal Fabricators, who said "this is just a little something to make people chuckle when they drive by and say, 'Hey look, we got one of those in Edmonton now too.'" [96]. #### British Columbia On December 9, 2020, a monolith was discovered in Vancouver, which also resembles the monolith found in Utah. On December 13, 2020, a monolith was discovered in Kamloops. On December 23, 2020, a monolith appeared in the Willemar neighborhood of Courtenay, B.C. #### Manitoba On December 7, 2020, another mysterious monolith was discovered in Manitoba near the Old Pinawa Dam between the cities of Pinawa and Lac du Bonnet which resembles the monolith found in Utah. #### Ontario In mid-December 2020, a monolith appeared at the Rockway Vineyard Golf Course in St. Catharines. On December 31, 2020, a monolith appeared at the Humber Bay Trail in Toronto. By sunrise on January 1, 2021 it was found vandalized with graffiti [103]. The following day, residents scrubbed it clean to its original state. On the morning of January 2, 2021, witnesses reported the monolith being removed by the city in a post on the Humber Bay Shores Discussion Facebook page, and that a new monolith had appeared East of the Humber Bay Arch Bridge on the breakwall on January 1 [103]. #### Quebec On December 18, 2020, a monolith was discovered in Montreal, Quebec. #### Saskatchewan On January 5, 2021, a monolith appeared in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. ### United States #### Arkansas On December 13, 2020, a 10 foot tall monolith was discovered by a local resident who was driving around the farmland in Eureka Springs, in which it was located. Although of unknown origin, the monolith has undergone much speculation, as the land it currently resides on hosts an annual alien-themed music festival. The owner of the venue claims all entrances and exits to the property are monitored by surveillance equipment; however, they never captured any visitor entering or exiting the campgrounds. #### California On December 2, 2020, a triangular reflective metal column was found on Pine Mountain in Atascadero, California. This appeared to be hollow and not secured to the ground. On December 4, three young men, from Orange County, referring to themselves as military veterans, livestreamed themselves destroying the monolith on DLive, replacing it with a large wooden cross and chanting "Christ is king!" [108] [109] [110]. Members of the group are also heard singing country songs, and were heard saying "we don't want illegal aliens from Mexico or outer space". The group's chants and slang suggest that they were part of the Groyper movement [111] [112]. According to the local mayor, Heather Moreno, "We are upset that these young men felt the need to drive five hours to come into our community and vandalize the monolith ... The monolith was something unique and fun in an otherwise stressful time." [113]. On December 5, a group of four artists (Wade McKenzie, Travis Kenney, Randall Kenney and Jared Riddle) declared that they were the creators of the original structure, and after it was toppled, decided to replace it with a new one. According to one of the artists, Wade McKenzie, "We intended for it to be a piece of guerrilla art [5]. But when it was taken down in such a malicious manner, we decided we needed to replace it." The next day, the local deputy city manager, Terrie Banish, said that the city was "happy to see it return". On December 5, 2020, a monolith was found in the Los Padres National Forest of San Luis Obispo County. This monolith resembles the monolith in Atascadero, but the structure's top features “CAUTION” written in red and a picture of a UFO, a beam and a human [5]. Kenney and McKenzie denied any connection to this monolith, but thought it could be the same monolith taken from Pine Mountain since the original had never been recovered. The monolith was no longer there when visited on March 3, 2021 [114]. On December 6, 2020, a monolith was found at Canyon Country Park in the city of Santa Clarita, but it was removed the next morning. On December 8, 2020, a monolith was reported in a parking lot at Scripps Ranch Marketplace, San Diego. It was hauled away that night by an unidentified group. On December 7, 2020, a monolith was found in Joshua Tree National Park. On December 9, 2020, a monolith was found on the bank of Lake Tahoe on the California–Nevada border. It was later revealed to be a prank in which the monolith was installed, photographed, and removed in one day, then pictures were posted on social media [120]. On December 11, 2020, a monolith was found on Torrance Beach in Torrance, a city near Los Angeles. It was quickly removed by the Department of Beaches and Harbors. On December 25, 2020, a "gingerbread monolith" appeared at Corona Heights Park in San Francisco. The structure was made of gingerbread with added frosting and gumdrops, and, although supported by plywood, collapsed the next day. #### Colorado On December 4, 2020, a monolith appeared outside the Colorado Air and Space Port, northeast of Aurora. This monolith was not mysterious for long, however, as it was claimed by Bill Zempel, a mechanic at Mile High Aircraft Services. On December 6, 2020, two separate monoliths were reported in Boulder. The first was found in Chatauqua Park, South Boulder. It quickly vanished and a second monolith was found outside of a taco restaurant in Boulder. The similarity and timing of the monoliths has led many to theorize that the same monolith was moved between the two sites. #### Florida On December 13, 2020, a monolith was spotted at West Side Park in Gainesville. On December 16, 2020, a monolith was discovered in Fort Pierce, on 2nd Street. #### Georgia On December 14, 2020, a monolith was found in Newnan. The 7 foot tall triangular structure made of sheet metal was removed by local government officials the following day. #### Kentucky On May 28, 2021, a monolith was found in Franklin near the boat ramps on Drakes Creek. The 8 foot tall triangular structure consists of thick stainless steel panels that are 16 inches wide.. #### Massachusetts On December 19, 2020, a monolith was found in Quincy at the Quarries. A crop-circle was etched in the snow around it. This monolith was stolen less than 24 hours after its appearance. #### Michigan On December 8, 2020, a monolith was found in Lansing. This monolith had an inscription etched on it directing readers to the official website of the monolith. On December 9, 2020, a monolith was found in Kentwood. In January 2021, a monolith measuring approximately 8 ft (2.4 m) by 11.5 ft (3.5 m), was found on Hickory Island, near Grosse Ile. [134]. #### Missouri On December 26, 2020, a monolith Was found in Sedalia at Liberty Park. Source is unknown and unclaimed. The Liberty park monolith vanished unexplained on December 30. #### Nebraska On December 3, 2020, a monolith was found in Holdrege. This monolith was revealed to have been built by the owner of a local welding company. #### Nevada In early December 2020, a monolith-type structure was found in Las Vegas. #### New Mexico On December 7, 2020, a monolith was found outside Albuquerque. This monolith was later vandalized and shattered. #### New York On December 15, 2020, a monolith was found in McDaniels Park in Ithaca. #### North Carolina On December 3, 2020 a mini-monolith appeared in the center of Fayetteville. This monolith is similar in appearance to the others, but is only three feet tall. Later that day at 17:00, one of the public cameras showed one or several people in a white van which led to a local business called the Blashfield Sign company. [clarification needed] When owner Matt Blashfield was asked about involvement with the monolith, he denied having anything to do with it. #### Oregon On January 5, 2021, a monolith was found in the parking lot of the local Elks lodge in Hood River by Elks secretary Kara Tobin. #### Pennsylvania On December 3, 2020, a monolith appeared outside Grandpa Joe's Candy Shop in Pittsburgh. This monolith was not mysterious like the others, as it was placed by the store owner, Chris Beers. Beers explained the monolith that day. He stated "I knew I could get a viral hit off of this. Yes, it's fake. I built it myself ... But the message is: Support small business. I just wanted to make people laugh and have fun and get a good kick out of it." Beers' monolith was stolen overnight on December 5, but was rebuilt by Beers the next day [140]. #### Texas In early December 2020, a monolith-type structure was found in El Paso. On December 4, 2020, a monolith was found on the campus of Austin Community College in Austin. The structure was later revealed to have been built by the college's welding department. A photo collection of the installation is available on the college's website. [143]. A pet adoption center in San Antonio, saw increased traffic to their website and for adoption appointments after one was anonymously placed on their property on December 3. In January 2021, a metal monolith appeared next to a trail by the banks of the Trinity River in Fort Worth. The mystery of its appearance was short-lived, however, as it was quickly revealed to be a stunt by local country music radio station KSCS with the help of high school students from nearby Millsap, Texas. #### Utah On December 4, 2020, a monolith appeared in West Jordan, a suburb of Salt Lake City. This monolith did not remain mysterious for long, as it was claimed by a local steel manufacturer, Mountain Stainless Inc., as a marketing gimmick. On April 3, 2021, Another monolith was found in the Three Peaks recreational area near Cedar City, Iron County, Utah. One major difference was that the monolith had a button on the east facing side that when pressed, would expose a container which had a metal piece with the eye of RA, the Egyptian sun God. This drawer dispensed strips of copper engraved seemingly the first piece of a puzzle: “HUMAN MAY 4TH | 37.3179604 | 114.9597835.” Further inspection showed that the monolith contained solar panels, which powered a Raspberry PI to control the monolith [147]. This one was reported to have been vandalized, and had disappeared by late afternoon on April 5, 2021.. #### Vermont On December 12, 2020, a monolith was discovered by a hiker atop a mountain in the town of Pittsfield. #### Washington, D.C. On December 6, 2020, a monolith appeared on the lawn of a family residence in the Hillcrest neighborhood of Washington D.C, while the home's residents were out on a walk. #### Wisconsin On January 3, 2021, a monolith appeared on the Milwaukee County Grounds in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin. ## Oceania ### Australia #### South Australia On December 10, 2020, a monolith was discovered along the Seaford railway line, just south of the Noarlunga Centre in Adelaide, South Australia. The monolith has four separate coordinates marked on the side. It is believed to be erected separate from the YouTube group who filmed themselves erecting a monolith outside of Melbourne [151]. The coordinates appear to be (from top to bottom): (40.7624N, 73.9738W), (15.2413973N, 145.7122932E), (17.75N, 142.5E), (29.97N, 31.1375E) [152]. The second coordinate is based on the news report; it is hard to make out from photos and thus can't be verified without a clear photo. These coordinates point approximately to: (1) Trump Tower, New York City, New York, USA, (2) Managaha Island, North Mariana Islands, (3) The Mariana Trench (NW of Managaha Island), (4) The Sphinx in Giza, Egypt. This monolith was replaced with three metal rebar poles/stakes [153]. The 3 clear coordinates point in a straight line from Trump Tower to the Sphinx to the Mariana Trench (with the less clear coordinate of Managaha Island being near the Mariana Trench) [154]. #### Victoria In early December 2020, Australian comedy group Aunty Donna teamed up with the YouTubers behind the channel "I Did a Thing" and his friends erected a monolith on the outskirts of Melbourne, in an effort to promote their Netflix series Aunty Donna's Big Ol' House of Fun. ### New Zealand On December 20, 2020, a monolith was discovered at the Christchurch Adventure Park. ## Central America and the Caribbean ### Panama On December 7, 2020, a monolith structure was found in Panama City, outside of JW Marriott Panama. ### The Bahamas On December 18, 2020, a monolith was discovered on Jolly Hall beach in the district of Exuma. ## South America ### Bolivia On December 16, 2020, a monolith appeared near the La Pajcha waterfall in the department of Santa Cruz. Each of the 4 sides shows engraved scriptures in different languages, including: Mandarin, Russian, Hebrew and Arabic. The following day the monolith disappeared leaving only a metal frame behind [160]. ### Colombia On December 8, 2020, a gold-colored monolith appeared in the municipality of Chía in the department of Cundinamarca. ### Paraguay On December 11, 2020, a metal monolith appeared in the city of Paraguari, it was later removed by local policemen. ## Middle East ### Iran On December 14, 2020, a monolith appeared on top of a valley in Niknam-Deh, a small village approximately 15 kilometers east of Tehran. The monolith is 3 meters in height and has been engraved with the letters "N" and "S", representing the directions north and south respectively.

Since November 2020, monoliths akin to the one in Utah have been reported across various continents, fostering intrigue and speculation. In Asia, particularly India, one monolith with inscribed coordinates was discovered and subsequently replaced with a sphere. Africa experienced the appearance and destruction of a monolith in Kinshasa, DRC, due to local apprehension, and in Morocco, a monolith was tied to a promotional event. Europe witnessed a multitude of occurrences, with Austria seeing multiple installations, some disappearing and reappearing in different locations. A notable reflective monolith in the UK, found on the Isle of Wight, was later auctioned for charity, while other countries from Belgium to Ukraine reported their own monolith discoveries, many featuring unique inscriptions or designs. In North America, Canada's sightings included a self-disclosed creation by an Alberta metal fabricator, while the United States reported numerous monoliths, varying from artist-replaced installations in California to marketing stunts, as seen in Texas. Oceania had its share of appearances, with Australia finding a monolith carrying cryptic coordinates and New Zealand also joining the list. Central America and the Caribbean saw occurrences in Panama and The Bahamas, while South America's monoliths in Bolivia showcased multilingual engravings, and a golden monolith emerged in Colombia. Finally, the Middle East reported a monolith in Iran, standing at 3 meters with directional inscriptions. The phenomenon of these monoliths, while some have been explained as art installations or local stunts, has led to numerous monoliths being removed or vandalized, and several remain unexplained, maintaining the global curiosity surrounding these mysterious structures.

Eisteddfod

# Events ## Proclamation As decreed by Iolo Morganwg during the late 18th century, each eisteddfod is proclaimed a year and a day prior to its opening day, by a herald from the Gorsedd Cymru. : 154 . The proclamation is to read as follows, "When the year of Our Lord ----, and the period of the Gorsedd of the Bards of Britain within the summer solstice, after summons and invitation to all to all of Wales through the Gorsedd Trumpet, under warning of a year and a day, in sight and hearing of lords and commons and in the face of the sun, the eye of light, be it known that a Gorsedd and Eisteddfod will be held at the town of ----, where protections will be afforded to all who seek privilege, dignity, and license in Poetry and Minstrelsy... And thither shall come the Archdruid and the Gorsedd and others, Bards and Licensiates of the Privilege and Robe of the Bards of the Isle of Britain, there to hold judgment of Chair and Gorsedd on Music and Poetry concerning the muse, conduct, and learning of all that may come to seek the National Eisteddfod honours, according to the privilege and customs of the Gorsedd of Bards of the Isle of Britain:. ## Contests According to Jan Morris, "The Eisteddfod Genedlaethol flourishes as never before, having matured from cranky antiquarianism through rigid chapel respectability to a fairly pragmatic tolerance of public views and social styles. Though its competitions are confined solely to the Welsh language, and even though many Welsh-speaking writers and musicians prefer to have nothing to do with it, still it remains the Chief public expression of the Welsh culture's continued existence, the one occasion when a stranger can realize that the language is still creative, the traditions are not lost, and the loyalty of the Welsh to their origins is not dissipated. Honorary membership in the Gorsedd is still the only honour the Welsh nation can bestow upon its sons and daughters, and in a key and of back-handed symbolism, the British Government's Secretary of State for Wales is generally invited to open the festival's proceedings (generally having to learn a few words of Welsh in order to do so). The Eisteddfod in full fig is rather like a military encampment. All its tents and pavilions are erected around a big central space, the Maes, or Field, which is usually scuffed and slippery with mud by the end of the week." : 155-156 . Morris continues, "Most institutions of modern Wales are represented on the Maes, Gas Board to University of Wales Press, the genteel Society for the Protection of Rural Wales to the fiery Cymdeithas yr Iaith Gymraeg the Welsh Language Society. There are shops selling harps, and comic stickers, and Lol the lewd and racy student magazine, and pottery, and evangelical tracts, and lots and lots of books." : 156 . Also according to Morris, "the Eisteddfod is essentially competitive: there are competitions for penillion, and englynion, and male voice choirs, and poems in strict meter, and poems in free metre, and essays, and translations, and plays, and short stories." Also, according to Morris, "outside the Pabell Lên, the Literary Tent, poets mutter couplets to themselves, or exchange bitter Bardic complaints." : 156-157 . However, the most important events at any eisteddfod are the chairing of the bard who has written the best awdl, or poem in strict meter, based on a title chosen by the judges, and the crowning of the bard who has written the best pryddest, or poem in free verse, with a similarly predetermined title.. According to Morris, "When Welsh poets speak of free verse, they mean forms like the sonnet or the ode, which obey the same rules as English poesy. Strict Metres verse still honours the immensely complex rules laid down for correct poetic composition 600 years ago." : 152 . During these ceremonies, according to Morris, "the whole assembly seems to turn towards the Grand Pavilion, claimed to be the largest movable structure in the world. Multitudes jam its doors then, as cameras swing about its gantries, and the worthies of the Gorsedd of the Isle of Britain, robed in green, white, and blue, are unloaded from buses at its entrance." : 157 . Before the Archdruid of the Gorsedd reveals the identity of the winning poet, the Corn Gwlad (a trumpet) blares to the east, west, north, and south to symbolically call the people together from the four corners of Wales. The Gorsedd Prayer is then recited. Flanked by his fellow members of the Gorsedd in ceremonial Neo-Druidic robes, as well as the Herald, the Recorder, and the Swordbearer, the Archdruid partially withdraws the Great Sword from its sheath three times, and asks, "A oes heddwch?" ('Is there peace?'), to which the assembly replies, "Heddwch" ('Peace'). The Great Sword is then driven fully back into its sheath, and is never drawn again until the next eisteddfod the following year. "Green clad elves come dancing in", escorting a young local married woman, who presents the Horn of Plenty to the Archdruid and urges him to drink of the 'wine of welcome'. A young girl presents him with a basket of 'flowers from the land and soil of Wales' and a floral dance is performed, based on a pattern of flower gathering from the fields. : 157 . According to Morris, "Harps play. Children sing. The tension mounts, for nobody in that immense audience yet knows who is to be the recipient of all this honour. The winning poet is somewhere among them, but first he must be found." : 157 . The Archdruid then asks one of the judges to comment on the winning entry and explain the reasons why it was chosen. After the judge does so, the Archdruid thanks the judge for his or her, "excellent adjudication". The Archdruid then announces that if the poet or writer whose awdl, pryddest, or essay was submitted under a certain pen name is present, then he or she is stand up.. According to Morris, "the poet has really known for some time that he is the winner, but he pretends a proper astonishment anyway, and is raised faintly resisting to his feet, and out to the aisle, and away up to the platform escorted by Druids. The organ blazes a grand march, the gathering rises to its feet, the cameras whirr, and the bard is throned upon his Bardic throne, attended by elves and trumpeters and druids, in a haze of medallions, oaken wands, gleaming accoutrements and banners talismanically inscribed. Gently he is seated upon the Chair which is itself his prize, and he is proclaimed a champion: not because he won a war or a football game or even an election, but because he is judged by wise men of his nation to have composed a worthy cywydd concerning the nature of clouds." : 157-158 . To win the chair or the crown competitions, particularly at the National Eisteddfod of Wales, grants even previously unknown poets and writers enormous publicity and prestige. The winner of the bardic chair and crown at the National Eisteddfod both receive the lifelong title prifardd ('chief-bard'). For the same poet to win both the chair and the crown at the same eisteddfod is almost unheard of, but Alan Llwyd and Donald Evans have both succeeded at doing so twice.. According to Hywel Teifi Edwards, the ceremony of presenting the Prose Medal  [cy], which has been awarded since 1937, has progressively grown in importance, "but still trails far in the wake of the Chairing and Crowning. The poet is not to be upstaged by novelist, short-story writer, autobiographer, biographer, or what have you. All attempts to transfer the Crown from poetry to prose have been forestalled, the poets rallying to the defense of what is 'rightfully' theirs with the cry of, 'What we have, we hold.'" : 67 . At the National Eisteddfod, a Gold Medal (Welsh: Medal Aur)) is annually awarded in three categories; Fine Art, Architecture, and Craft and Design. Furthermore, the National Eisteddfod's open exhibition of art and craft, Y Lle Celf ('The Art Space') is one of the highlights of the calendar for Welsh artists. # History ## Welsh bardic tradition According to Jan Morris, "Welsh creativity is unusually disciplined, for since the earliest times the Welsh artistic tradition has been governed by codes and conventions – perhaps since the Druids, relying as they did entirely upon their memories, drew up rules of composition to make it easier for themselves. In the Wales of the Independence the Bards and Harpers were institutionalized, with their own allotted places in society, their established functions to perform. They regarded poetry and music as professions, for the practice of which one must qualify, like a lawyer or a doctor. There were agreed measurements of value for a work of art, and the subjects of poetry were formalized, consisting at least until the fourteenth century mainly of eulogies and elegies. Musicians were restricted by intricate rules of composition. Poets were governed by the Twenty-Four Strict Metres of the classical Welsh tradition. Among the Cymry Cymraeg the Metres still prevail." : 152 . According to Hywel Teifi Edwards, "The Eisteddfod, then, has evolved from a medieval testing-ground-cum-house of correction for professional Bards and Minstrels into a popular festival which annually highlights the literary scene with the aid of the Gorsedd. Lectures and discussions in Y Babell Lên, followed by reviews of the Cyfansoddiadau a Beirniadaethau in a variety of publications help to encourage a deeper and more abiding interest in Welsh literature. That 'The National' acts as a means of heightening an awareness of language and literature as humanizing forces which no society can neglect with impunity is not too large a claim to make for it." : 73 . Also according to Morris, "literature is the first Welsh glory, poetry its apotheosis, and the company of poets is the nobility of this nation." : 161 . ## Eisteddfod origins According to Edwards, there is a legend that the first eisteddfod took place at the royal behest of Maelgwn Gwynedd at Conwy during the 6th century. It was Maelgwn's wish that the assembled bards and minstrels would compete against each other. First, however, Maelgwn decreed that they must all swim the River Conwy first and that the minstrels must do so carrying the harps on their backs. For this reason, the bards, whom Maelgwn favoured, ended up winning the contest. : 3 . According to legend, Gruffudd ap Cynan (1055–1137), the Dublin-born King of Gwynedd from the House of Aberffraw and the descendant of Rhodri Mawr, Sigtrygg Silkbeard, and Brian Boru, not only reformed the Welsh bardic schools to accord with those that trained the Irish language bards, but also served as patron to an eisteddfod at Caerwys during his reign. : 9 . The first documented eisteddfod was hosted by Rhys ap Gruffydd, the grandson of Gruffudd ap Cynan through the maternal line and monarch of Deheubarth through his paternal descent from the House of Dinefwr, at Cardigan Castle on Christmas Day, 1176. According to Hywel Teifi Edwards, what few details are recorded of the event in the Brut y Tywysogion, "encourage the view that it could not have been the first of its kind." : 6 . Rhys awarded two chairs as prizes, one for the winner of the poetry competition and the other for music. The bardic chair went to a poet from Gwynedd, while the musical chair went to the son of Eilon the Crythwr, a member of Rhys's court. Armchairs were a valuable asset, normally reserved for people of high status [9]. In 2007, Welsh historian Roger Turvey, writing of Dinefwr Castle, suggested that The Lord Rhys' idea for a competitive festival of music and poetry at Cardigan Castle may have been inspired by similar contests in other parts of Catholic Europe. In those other countries, aspiring poets were trained through apprenticeship to master craftsmen or by attending schools run by poets' guilds such as the Puy of France, the Meistersingers of the Holy Roman Empire, or the Rederijkerskamers of the Netherlands, all of which also organized eisteddfod-like contests between poets on patronal feast days of the Roman Catholic liturgical year. The Lord Rhys, Turvey suggested, may have learned about the Puy tradition from the Cambro-Normans in the Welsh Marches or from Welsh mercenary soldiers returning from France. When asked about Turvey's theory, recognized eisteddfod historian Hywel Teifi Edwards said, "It's conjecture, but there's no doubt that there was a bardic tradition of competition for status before this time." Edwards further stated that any foreign influence was an indication of how very cosmopolitan Medieval Wales had been. "It's a sign of a healthy culture to accept – and marry with – other cultures," he added. ## Medieval Wales The next large-scale eisteddfod that is historically known is the three-month-long 1450 eisteddfod at Carmarthen Castle under Gruffudd ap Nicolas. At the eisteddfod the Cadair Arian ('Silver Chair'), which is said to have been fashioned by Gruffudd ap Nicolas himself, was won by a cywydd in honour of the Holy Trinity composed by Dafydd ab Edmwnd, a Welsh poet who did not depend on noble patronage, from Hanmer, Flintshire. : 6-8  Welsh poet and Roman Catholic priest Llawdden, however, accused Gruffudd ap Nicolas of accepting a bribe from Dafydd ab Edmwnd in return for the Silver Chair . Dafydd ab Edmwnd's cywydd exemplified the 24 strict metres of Welsh poetry, previously codified by Einion Offeiriad and Dafydd Ddu o Hiraddug, as Dafydd ab Edmwnd had personally reformed them. He deleted two metres and replaced them with the more complicated Gorchest y Beirdd and the Cadwynfyr.. The reform of the 24 metres presented by Dafydd was formally accepted at the 1450 Carmarthen eisteddfod and was widely adopted by bards throughout Wales. The consequence of Dafydd's reforms was that greater emphasis was placed by the bardic elite upon adhering to the stricter metres rather than to the theme or content of their poetry. [13]. Until this time, the training of Welsh poets had always been a secret, with the craft handed down from teacher to apprentice, but, as the poetry of the professional bards became increasingly incomprehensible, less complex and more popularly oriented works of Welsh poetry began to be composed by bards with humbler origins and less formal training.. According to John Davies, a team of researchers led by Dafydd Bowen has demonstrated that the Welsh bards of the 15th century were completely dependent upon the Welsh nobility and the monks and abbots of monasteries such as Strata Florida and Valle Crucis Abbey for both hospitality and patronage in return for praise poetry. Davies adds, however, that, "in a notable article", Welsh nationalist and traditional Catholic writer Saunders Lewis argued that the Welsh bards of the era, "were expressing in their poetry a love for a stable, deep-rooted civilization." Lewis added that the bards "were the leading upholders of the belief that a hierarchical social structure, 'the heritage and tradition of an ancient aristocracy', were the necessary precondition of civilized life and that there were deep philosophical roots to this belief." . The next eisteddfod that is historically documented is the 1451 Carmarthen eisteddfod. In 1523, an eisteddfod was held at Caerwys under King Henry VIII's charter and was led by Welsh bard and future Franciscan friar, Tudur Aled. At the urging of the aristocratic Mostyn family of Talacre Hall, a Statute, which was attributed to King Gruffydd ap Cynan of Gwynedd, was used as the basis for the eisteddfod [17]. The Statute listed the rights of bards in Welsh culture and under traditional Welsh law, while also arguing that bards should not drink to excess, womanize, or gamble. : 8–10  In addition, the Statute further stated that a true bard must never write satirical poetry : 28–29  and codified the rules of praise poetry at a time when the Welsh bardic tradition of was increasingly under threat and, "demanded that the bard celebrate in elevated language the orderliness of a God-centered world." : 8–10 . ## The Welsh Reformation Queen Elizabeth I of England commanded that Welsh bards be examined and licensed by officials of the Crown, who had alleged that those whom they considered genuine bards were, "much discouraged to travail in the exercise and practice of their knowledge and also not a little hindered in their living and preferments." : 10  Unlicensed bards, according to Hywel Teifi Edwards, "would be put to some honest work." Although Edwards has compared the unlicensed bards of the era with, "today's abusers of the Social security system," : 8–10  historian Philip Caraman quotes a 1575 "Report on Wales" that reveals an additional reason for the decree . During the Queen's ongoing religious persecution of the Catholic Church in England and Wales, many Welsh Pencerddau ('head bards') were, according to the report, acting as the secret emissaries of Recusants in the Welsh nobility and were helping those nobles spread the news about secret Catholic masses and pilgrimages. This was no idle claim. When Welsh Recusant, schoolmaster, and unlicensed bard Richard Gwyn was put on trial for high treason before a panel of judges headed by the Chief Justice of Chester, Sir George Bromley, at Wrexham in 1583, Gwyn stood accused of refusing to take the Oath of Supremacy, denying the Queen's claim to be Supreme Head of the Church of England, of involvement in the local Catholic underground, but also of composing satirical poetry aimed at the established church and reciting, "certain rhymes of his own making against married priests and ministers." Gwyn was found guilty and condemned to death by hanging, drawing and quartering. The sentence was carried out in the Beast Market in Wrexham on 15 October 1584. Just before Gwyn was hanged he turned to the crowd and said, "I have been a jesting fellow, and if I have offended any that way, or by my songs, I beseech them for God's sake to forgive me." The hangman pulled at Gwyn's leg irons hoping to put him out of his pain . When he appeared dead they cut him down, but he revived and remained conscious through the disembowelling, until his head was severed. His last words, in Welsh, were reportedly "Iesu, trugarha wrthyf" ('Jesus, have mercy on me').. Richard Gwyn was canonised by Pope Paul VI in 1970 as one of the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales. His feast day is celebrated on 17 October. Following Catholic Emancipation in 1829, six works of Christian poetry in the Welsh language by Richard Gwyn, five carols and a satirical Cywydd composed in Wrexham Gaol following the assassination of Dutch Revolt leader William the Silent by Balthasar Gérard, were discovered and published. Likely due to the continued existence of poets like Richard Gwyn, the 1567 and 1568 Caerwys eisteddfodau were patronized by the Queen, so that, "all or every person or persons that intend to maintain their living by name or colour of Minstrelsy, rhymers, or bards... shall.. shew their learning thereby", : 192  and overseen by the officials of her Council of Wales and the Marches . : 8–10  By royal decree, only Welsh bards licensed by the officials of the Queen were permitted to compete. . At the eisteddfod held in Caerwys in 1568, the prizes awarded were a miniature silver chair to the winning poet, a little silver crwth to the winning fiddler, a silver tongue to the best singer, and a tiny silver harp to the best harpist. The chief chaired bard of the event was Robert Davies (from Nant-glyn) and the second being "Twm o'r Nant".. The official Anglican translation of the Bible into the Welsh language, which continues to have an enormous influence on the Welsh poetry submitted to the eisteddfodau, saw its first publication in 1588. The translator, Reverend William Morgan, was a Cambridge graduate and later became Anglican Bishop of Llandaff and St Asaph. He based his Biblical translation on the Hebrew and Greek original Bibles, while also consulting the English Bishops' and Geneva translations. Y Beibl cyssegr-lan, as it was called, also included original translations as well as adaptations of William Salesbury's Welsh New Testament. No other book in the Welsh language has been anywhere near as influential in linguistic or literary terms. Bishop Morgan skillfully moulded the Middle Welsh literary language of the medieval bards (Yr Heniaith, or 'the old language') into the Elizabethan-era Cymraeg Llenyddol ('literary Welsh') still in use today. Even though there is a major difference between Cymraeg Llenyddol and all 21st century spoken dialects of the Welsh language, eisteddfod submissions are still required to be composed in the literary language of Bishop Morgan's Bible, which remains the foundation upon which all subsequent Welsh literature has been built.. ## Decline According to Marcus Tanner, Queen Elizabeth I's experiment at royal patronage of the eisteddfod did not catch on and, as the 16th and 17th centuries progressed, the Welsh nobility became increasingly Anglicized and ceased to grant employment or hospitality to Welsh-language poets. Although eisteddfodau continued, the gatherings became more informal; Welsh poets would often meet in taverns, cemeteries, or inns to have "assemblies of rhymers". : 192  But the interest of the Welsh people dwindled to such a point that the eisteddfod held at Glamorgan in 1620 attracted an audience of only four people . : 192  The winners, however, continued to receive a chair, which was a highly prized award because of its perceived social status. . Throughout the medieval period, high-backed chairs with arm rests were reserved for royalty and high-status leaders in military, religious, or political affairs. As most ordinary people sat on stools until the 1700s, the award of an armchair immediately changed the social class of a winning bard.. In 1701, an eisteddfod was held at Machynlleth in order, "To begin to renew the eisteddfod of bards (as they were in olden times), to reprimand false cynghanedd, to explain the difficult things, and to confirm what is correct in the art of poetry in the Welsh language." : 12 . The 1701 eisteddfod was followed, according to Edwards, by a series of Eisteddfodau'r Almaciau, so called because they were widely advertised in the cheap almanacs that were widely available. The englynion and cywyddau composed for these events "owe more to the beery atmosphere at which they were composed than to genuine inspiration and craft." : 12 . In 1734, Siôn Rhydderch organized an eisteddfod adjudicated by a panel of 12 judges at Dolgellau, but upon his arrival there was greeted by only six poets, "and all the signs of apathy and dejection." : 13 . Comparing this disappointing response to what he saw as the glory of the Elizabethan-era eisteddfodau at Caerwys, Rhydderch vowed that he would have no role in further efforts to revive the tradition, "unless some others may feel like restarting and setting up the thing. And if it will be like that, if I am alive and well, I shall not be hindered from coming to that." : 13 . ## Late 18th-century Revival In 1788, Thomas Jones and Jonathan Hughes asked the London-based Gwyneddigion Society to donate, "some small present out of goodwill to those who are trying to crawl after their mother tongue." : 13 . Although the Gwyneddigion Society agreed, they laid down certain conditions to their support that permanently altered the future course of the eisteddfod and its traditions. The Gwyneddigion claimed for themselves the right to proclaim both the eisteddfod and the theme of the main competition which they alone would set, one year in advance. The poems were to be submitted under pseudonyms and would be adjudicated solely upon their literary merits. The poems and the adjudicator's comments would then be forwarded to the eisteddfod in a sealed package. The adjudicators were to be able men for the job and were to choose the winning entry based upon "purity of language and regular composition of the poems to be among their chief merits." : 13–14 . The adjudicators were to meet together and give an impartial decision and, in the event of any disagreement, the Gwyneddigion would endeavor to resolve the dispute. The name of the winning poet would be announced upon the first day of the eisteddfod and, owing to the dignity of his status as Pencerdd, the winner was not to compete alongside the other poets in the composition of impromptu verse. : 14 . In so doing, the Gwyneddigion laid down the framework for the modern National Eisteddfod of Wales. According to Hywel Teifi Edwards, "there was to be notice given a year in advance of one organized, annual eisteddfod answerable to a central, controlling authority which would require competitors to submit their compositions pseudonymously to a panel of competent adjudicators." : 14 . Although the Gwyneddigion did not succeed in their ambition of transforming the eisteddfod "into an Academy that would act as a forcing house for Welsh culture", they have wielded considerable influence over continued requirement for long poems as eisteddfod submissions. : 14  Furthermore, in reaction to the incomprehensibility of Welsh poetry composed in strict meter, the Gwyneddigion held up the recent poetry of Reverend Goronwy Owen as a better model . : 14–15 . Long before his death on his tobacco and cotton plantation near Lawrenceville, Virginia in 1769, Owen had often expressed the desire to compose an epic work of Christian poetry which would be the equal of John Milton's Paradise Lost. Owen felt, however, that the rules of Welsh poetry in strict meter prevented him from doing so. : 14–15  Therefore, by holding Owen up as a model, the Gwyneddigion ensured that his literary legacy is that, as late as 1930, both the adjudicators and the poets composing submissions to the National Eisteddfod of Wales were aspiring to produce the Welsh national epic that Owen had longed to write in vain . : 29–31 . The first eisteddfod of the revival, for which "Thomas Jones simply used" the name of the Gwyneddigion "for promotional purposes", was held at Corwen in May 1789. Gwallter Mechain was judged the winner, having illegally been informed in advance by Thomas Jones of the subjects for the impromptu poetry contests. Despite outraged complaints by Gwallter Mechain's competitors, the Gwyneddigion upheld the judges' decision. : 15–16 . The first eisteddfod held in full accordance with the Gwyneddigion Society's new rules was held at Bala in September 1789. The awdlau that were submitted for the bardic chair were on the theme Istyriaethar Oes Dyn ('A Consideration of Man's Life') and, according to Edwards, "heralded the appearance of the new awdl." : 15 . According to Hywel Teifi Edwards, while the awarding of a chair is a very old tradition, the now-familiar ceremony of the chairing of the bard who has composed the best awdl dates from the eisteddfod revival of the early 1790s. : 15 . During the 1790 eisteddfod held at St. Asaph, Gwyneddigion Society member Edward Williams, whose bardic name was Iolo Morganwg, became convinced that he and his fellow Welsh poets were the descendants of the Druids and that the eisteddfod was a survival of Druidic ritual. In response, Iolo Morganwg, according to Marcus Tanner, "reintroduced what he considered the ritual of an ancient Bardic congress to a series of rather ordinary literary proceedings conducted chiefly in hotels." : 192 . To accomplish this end, in 1792 Iolo Morganwg founded a secret society of Welsh poets, which he dubbed Gorsedd Beirdd Ynys Prydain. Morganwg also invented its structure and rituals, for which he drew upon on a mixture of Freemasonry, Welsh mythology, modern Druidry, and some Christian elements. Morganwg alleged, however, that the Gorsedd was a survival from pre-Christian Wales. The fictitious origin of Morganwg's claims and of the Gorsedd's ceremonies were firmly established only in the 20th century by Professor G.J [22]. Williams. In October 1792, The Gentleman's Magazine reported, "This being the day on which the autumnal equinox occurred, some Welsh bards resident in London assembled in congress on Primrose Hill, according to ancient usage... A circle of stones formed, in the middle of which was the Maan Gorsedd, or altar, on which a naked sword being placed, all the Bards assisted to sheathe it. This ceremony was attended with a proclamation, the substance of which was that the Bards of the Isles of Britain (for such is their ancient name) were the heralds and ministers of peace." : 190-191 . In 1814, an observer caught sight of Iolo Morganwg walking behind a banner at Pontypridd, "at the head of a procession... over the great bridge and then over to the Rocking Stone on the common above. Ancient ceremonies were performed on the great stone by Iolo in the role of Y Gwyddon, or Odin, the Archdruid, not the least being the sheathing the State Sword of Wales to convey the valuable lesson, as in Gethsemane, that there is more credit in sheathing the sabre than in drawing it forth among the sons of men." : 191 . The eisteddfod revival, however, was briefly brought to a halt by the Napoleonic Wars, but was again restarted following the Battle of Waterloo in 1815. : 16 . ## 19th-century eisteddfodau The earliest known surviving bardic chair made specifically for an eisteddfod was constructed in 1819. Iolo Morganwg and the Gorsedd made their first appearance at the same eisteddfod, which was held at the Ivy Bush Inn at Carmarthen in 1819, and its close association with the festival has continued since then.. Also at the 1819 Carmarthen eisteddfod, Iolo Morganwg presented a freer code of meters, which, while still defending the superiority of Cynghanedd, Morganwg said had also been used in Gwent and Glamorgan for centuries prior to Dafydd ab Edmwnd's 15th century reforms. This led, after considerable debate between traditionalists and innovators, to the adoption of the eisteddfod contest for best pryddest and the ceremony of the crowning of the bard. : 18 . Meanwhile, Archdeacon Thomas Beynon, the president of the Carmarthen Cymreigyddion Society and staunch patron of the provincial eisteddfodau, was persistently urging for the adoption of blank verse, or unrhymed iambic pentameter, as another alternative to Welsh poetry in strict meter. : 19 . Meanwhile, all poems submitted to eisteddfodau began being published in 1822, which allowed for the first time for the Welsh people to read the poems and to decide for themselves about their merits and flaws. : 18 . At the 1824 National Eisteddfod in Powys, satirical poetry in the traditional englyn form was submitted under the pre-announced title "Beddargraff Dic Siôn Dafydd" ("The Epitaph of Dic Siôn Dafydd"). According to Hywel Teifi Edwards, "Ten 'Provincial Eisteddfodau' were held between 1819–34, eisteddfodau on a scale never witnessed before. They were patronized by Anglicized gentry and graced by royalty when George IV's brother, the Duke of Sussex, appeared at Denbigh in 1828 to be followed at Beaumaris in 1832 by the young Princess Victoria and her mother." : 17 . Following the 1847 attack by the Blue Books against the moral character of the Welsh people, Welsh poetry composed for the eisteddfodau "found itself trapped within the part allotted the Welsh language in the counterattack against the Blue Books." For this reason, much of the poetry written sought to promote an image of the Welsh people as "God-fearing, Queen-loving", and, "Empire-supporting." : 27 . At the 1850 Rhuddlan Royal Eisteddfod, £25 and a Chair Medallion were offered for the best Pryddestawd on the theme Yr Adgyfodiad ('the Resurrection'). The poets were allowed to choose the meter, excluding blank verse, that best suited them. Caledfryn submitted an awdl, while Eben Fardd and Evan Evans (Ieuan Glan Geirionydd) submitted Alexandrine Pryddestau. The unheard-of happened; Ieuan Glan Gerionydd's Pryddest was judged superior and was awarded the £25 and Chair Medallion over Caledfryn's Awdl. : 19 . Upon the publication of all the Eisteddfod's submissions, however, Eben Fardd's attempt at an epic work of Christian poetry was, "hailed by the literati as a work of distinction far surpassing the pallid, common-sense poem written by Ieuan Glan Gerionydd". : 20  As Eben Fardd's Pryddest had been relegated to third place by the judges, it was widely felt that something was seriously wrong with adjudication standards and "talk of eisteddfod reform was in the air." : 20 . In 1858 John Williams, whose bardic name was Ab Ithel held a "national" eisteddfod with the Gorsedd Cymru in Llangollen. "The great Llangollen Eisteddfod of 1858" proved highly significant for several reasons. For example, John Williams (the event's organiser), offered £20 and a Silver Star for the best essay on the theme, The Discovery of America in the 12th-century by Prince Madoc ab Owain Gwynedd. This was, according to Hywel Teifi Edwards, a subject inspired by Iolo Morganwg. : 20-21 . Instead, Welsh historian Thomas Stephens submitted an essay that, in what Edwards has described, as a "scholarly tour de force, demolished the cherished myth". In response, Ab Ithel decreed, "that the essay broke with the spirit of the competition", and would not be awarded the prize. In response, a scandalized crowd followed Stephens into the Cambrian Tent, where he read his essay aloud before them despite Ab Ithel's efforts to drown him out with a convenient brass band. Despite having been denied the prize, Stephens succeeded at persuading his audience that Prince Madoc did not in fact discover the New World. : 21 . The Llangollen eisteddfod also saw the first public appearance of John Ceiriog Hughes, who won a prize for the love poem, Myfanwy Fychan of Dinas Brân, which contradicts the Blue Books by describing a virtuous Welsh woman. As may be expected, the song became an instant hit. : 32-33 . The 1858 Llangollen eisteddfod outraged the English-language press. The Daily Telegraph called the eisteddfod "a national debauch of sentimentality." A writer for The Times went even farther, calling the eisteddfod "simply foolish interference with the natural progress of civilization and prosperity – it is a monstrous folly to encourage the Welsh in a loving fondness for their old language." : 155 . Before the 1858 Llangollen eisteddfod was over, however, a meeting of Welsh literati had taken place and decided that an annual national eisteddfod, conducted with due regard for standards, was long overdue. Yr Eisteddfod, a national body guided by an elected council, was formed and the Gorsedd subsequently merged with it. The Gorsedd holds the right of proclamation and of governance while the council organizes the event. The first true National Eisteddfod organized by the council was held in Aberdare in 1861 on a pattern that continues to the present day. : 21 . According to Hywel Teifi Edwards, "The 1860s found the eisteddfod poet beset with doubt, as the words of Eben Fardd and Talhaiarn (John Jones 1810–69), two of the foremost poets of the time, prove. Both accepted the subservience of their mother tongue and the diminished role of the poet in the steam age. If poetry per se was of questionable value, how much more so Welsh poetry, and strict meter poetry at that? What could be less marketable in an age that marketed English was with progress than Welsh poetry? It was galling when Fleet Street taunted Wales with its want of a Shakespeare, a Milton, a Wordsworth or a Tennyson. It was shattering when Matthew Arnold, scourge of philistinism and hawker of Celtic magic, insisted that any Welsh poet with anything worth saying should say it in English. Edward Dafydd, in 1655, expressed the sense of desolation he felt as he pondered the passing of the old order and the coming of a bleak age: Nid yw'r bid hwn gyda'r beirdd ('This world is not for poets.') He could well have been speaking for the poets of the 1860s." : 25–26 . Also during the Victorian era, the poets who won the chair or the crown at the National Eisteddfod were praised to a degree that subsequent literary critics and historians have found not only excessive, but "ludicrous". According to Edwards, however, "It is easy to laugh at the besotted rhetoric of the period, but let us remember how starved of respect Welsh literature was for most of the time and how marginal was the role allotted to most writers. The Eisteddfod, with its huge audience, offered both glory and economic reward. It is perfectly natural, given the circumstances, that the accolade 'National Winner' should be surrounded with so much hype and sought after so frantically." : 73 . Perhaps for these reasons, during the late 19th century, according to Edwards, "Wales still pursued 'the one poem' that alone, the Renaissance had taught, justified a literature's claim to greatness." : 30 . The Welsh poet Lewis William Lewis (1831–1901), whose bardic name was Llew Llwyfo, repeatedly attempted in his eisteddfod submissions to, "achieve the national epic that would merit translation into the major literatures". He chose subjects such as Caractacus, the Arthurian legend, Llewellyn the Last, and even the Old Testament King David. Although Edwards is very critical of Llew Llwyfo and accuses him of following the then common practice of imitating Victorian-era English poetry, : 30-31  Lewis' poetry repeatedly won first prize at multiple eisteddfodau held both in Wales and within Welsh-American immigrant communities . Tragically, however, "a Welsh epic refused to materialize. A succession of aspirants rifled the works of authorities from Homer to Bulwer-Lytton in the hope of hitting upon a formula that would take." : 30 . According to Jan Morris, "By the end of the century, Hubert Herkomer, one of the most fashionable painters of his day, had created for [the Gorsedd]'s functionaries gloriously neo-Druidical robes and insignia of gold, velvet, and ermine (the Archdruid's breastplate was designed to choke him, Herkomer said, if he gave a false judgement)." : 155 . ## 20th century Even though the title had been previously chosen by the eisteddfod judges, almost certainly in the hope of inspiring a Welsh equivalent to Lord Tennyson's Idylls of the King, Thomas Gwynn Jones' hugely influential awdl, Ymadawiad Arthur ("The Passing of Arthur") won its author the bardic chair at the National Eisteddfod in 1902. [26]. The poem, according to Hywel Teifi Edwards, "brought back some of the mythopoeic grandeur which John Morris-Jones yearned for. More than that, he made of Bedwyr, the knight charged by Arthur to throw the great sword Excalibur into the lake, a prototype of the twentieth-century Welshman who, from generation to generation, armed only with a vision of his culture's worth, fights for its survival against an all-devouring materialism. Bedwyr, agonizing over the catastrophe which he feared would befall his defenseless country should he obey Arthur's command, is one of the most deeply moving figures in Welsh literature. Denied the security of a matchless weapon, the last tangible proof of Arthur's supernatural strength, he must fight on with only his faith in Arthur's promised return from Afalon to sustain him." : 50-51 . Unlike the many works of English, French, and German poetry inspired by the Arthurian legend, Ymadawiad Arthur makes frequent references to Welsh literature and the Welsh mythology of the Mabinogion, and is believed to derive its narrative flow from Jones's careful study of that same source. William Beynon Davies further considers Ymadawiad Arthur a work of subtly Christian poetry based on its many Biblical parallels, as King Arthur resembles in some ways the Messiah and in others the Suffering Servant [28] [29]. Thomas Gwynn Jones has been called the greatest master of Welsh poetry in strict meter since the 15th century and, in Ymadawiad Arthur, according to one critic, the cynghanedd "is so smooth and natural that often we deem it accidental" [32]. It is well- documented, however, that T . Gwynn Jones carefully studied Medieval cywyddau, and the verse technique of Ymadawiad Arthur benefited substantially from this fact. The poem is also notable for Jones' revival of many words from Medieval Welsh, Jones being an influential exponent of what he called Rhin yr Heniaith ('The Virtue of the Old Language') [26]. In 1905, Thomas Marchant Williams was knighted by King Edward VII for his part in the revival of the Cymmrodorion Society and the establishment of the National Eisteddfod Association.. During the 1912 National Eisteddfod at Wrexham, T.H. Parry-Williams achieved for the first time the almost unheard of feat of winning both the chair and crown. Parry-Williams later recalled returning home to Rhyd-ddu, where had been working as a hired hand on the farm of a relative. Upon telling his employer of his double-victory, Parry-Williams was advised to, "seek grace." When Parry-Williams then informed his employer that both victories had gained him £40, the relative shouted in angry disbelief, "Ac mi gwnest nhw i gyd ar dy din!!!" ('And you earned them all sitting on your arse!!!') : 76-77 . One of the most dramatic events in the 900-year history of the eisteddfod took place on 6 September 1917, during World War I. It was the award of the bardic chair during the second day of the 1917 National Eisteddfod of Wales at Birkenhead Park in the English city of the same name. The three adjudicators in the chair competition agreed unanimously that the best awdl by far on the set theme Yr Arwr ('The Hero') had been submitted under the pseudonym Fleur-de-lis. The bard was then summoned three times by the Archdruid Dyfed to stand up, in vain. The Archdruid then announced that the poet who submitted the winning awdl had died during the short time between mailing his submission and the actual date of the eisteddfod. His name was Private Ellis Humphrey Evans, whose bardic name was Hedd Wyn ('Blessed Peace'), of the 15th Battalion, Royal Welch Fusiliers, and he had fallen during the trench warfare, "Somewhere in France." The bardic chair was covered with a black sheet and, according to newspaper reports, "there wasn't a dry eye in the pavilion." Ever since, the 1917 National Eisteddfod of Wales has been referred to as "Eisteddfod y Gadair Ddu" ('The Eisteddfod of the Black Chair'). According to Jan Morris, "Hedd Wyn became a legend, a symbol, and an inspiration to other poets. 'The Black Chair of Birkenhead' was taken sadly home to Gwynedd, to be placed with the other trophies of Hedd Wyn's short life in the family farm above the Bala road, and there we may visit it still. It has never been forgotten. A constant stream of visitors, patriots, poets, groups of schoolchildren, winds its way up the long farm drive, in the lee of the hills, to the old house among its clumped trees. It stands there all alone looking out magnificently over bare hills to the ramparts of Eryri in the distance – the very epitome of a Welsh view, all grandeur tinged with melancholy. The Black Chair is kept in a sort of shrine-room, dim-lit and cluttered. Around it three or four other eisteddfod chairs stand in attendance, like sacred stools in an Ashanti temple..." : 161 . Pfc. Ellis H. Evans lies buried at Artillery Wood Cemetery, near Boezinge, Belgium. After the Armistice, a petition was submitted to the Imperial War Graves Commission and his headstone was given the additional words Y Prifardd Hedd Wyn ('The Chief Bard, Hedd Wyn'). . In the 1921 National Eisteddfod at Caernarfon, Reverend Albert Evans-Jones (Cynan) won the bardic crown for his pryddest, Mab y Bwthyn ("the Cottage Lad"). Cynan was a native of Pwllheli and had served in the RAMC during World War I. Cynan drew for his winning pryddest upon both the poetry of John Masefield and upon his own experiences in the Macedonian front and in the trenches of France [36]. Mab y Bwthyn "tells, in a gushingly romantic, lyrical style how a young gwerinwr, scarred by the horrors of war, turns from the fetid city to seek spiritual renewal in the natural beauty of his home and the love of a pure country girl." Cynan's poem has been called the best-loved pryddest ever composed during the 20th century and many Welsh people, according to Hywel Teifi Edwards, are still able to recite long passages of it from memory. : 59-60  Alan Llwyd, who has translated part of Mab y Bwthyn into English for the 2008 book Out of the Fire of Hell: Welsh Experience of the Great War 1914–1918 in Prose and Verse, has argued that Cynan, rather than the far more famous Hedd Wyn, is the greatest Welsh war poet. . Plaid Cymru, a Welsh nationalist and social democratic political party, was founded during the 1925 National Eisteddfod at Pwllheli, Gwynedd. Inspired by the recent Irish War of Independence, Saunders Lewis, Huw Robert Jones, Lewis Valentine, Moses Griffith, Fred Jones and D. Edmund Williams met in a café called Maes Gwyn with the aim of establishing a "Welsh party" . During the meeting, they founded Plaid Genedlaethol Cymru ("National Party of Wales"), on 5 August 1925 [38]. The principal aim of the party would be to foster a Welsh-speaking Wales . To this end it was agreed that party business be conducted in Welsh, and that members must sever all links with other British political parties . Saunders Lewis insisted upon these principles before he would agree to the Pwllheli conference. . At the 1936 National Eisteddfod held at Fishguard (Welsh: Abergwaun), the set title for the Bardic Crown was Yr Anialwch ('The Wasteland'), which was almost certainly inspired by T.S. Eliot's famous Modernist poem of the same name. Instead of copying Eliot, however, Welsh poet David Jones (of the bardic name, Dwst y Garreg, transl.  'the desert', or lit., 'stone dust') of Cilfynydd won the Crown with a pryddest about black lung disease and the damage it was wreaking upon the coal-mining communities in the South Wales valleys [42]. : 60 . Reverend Albert Evans-Jones (Cynan) served a term as the Recorder of the Gorsedd Cymru in 1935, and another as joint-secretary of the National Eisteddfod Council in 1937.. According to Hywel Teifi Edwards, "The Second World War, which plumbed new depths of bestiality culminating in the atomic bomb, put the fear of national extinction in a world-wide context. The Welsh, fighting a long battle for cultural survival, found themselves subsumed, as it were, in a universal army. The cry that went up after Nagasaki and Hiroshima, We are all survivors now!, was easily understood by Welsh writers. At that point, the age-old fight to perpetuate a culture steeped in the Christian tradition was more clearly discerned as the crazy militarism of the superpowers moved the world ever nearer to the abyss. The loss of Welshness now, far from being a sign of progress, would merely conduce to the spread of the uniformity of mind so beloved of totalitarians everywhere. Such a conviction has served to intensify the fight for the language, for to lose would be to ease the path of those forces that threaten the whole of mankind." : 62 . In response to the 1961 census, which showed a radical decrease in the percentage of Welsh speakers, Saunders Lewis gave the famous 1962 radio address Tynged yr iaith ('The Fate of the Language') in which he predicted the imminent extinction of the Welsh language unless immediate action was taken [43]. Lewis hoped to motivate Plaid Cymru into directly fighting for the language. Instead, his address led to the 1962 foundation of Cymdeithas yr Iaith Gymraeg (The Welsh Language Society) at a Plaid Cymru summer school held in Pontardawe in Glamorgan. It has been said that, "of all the memorable phrases coined in the twentieth century none has greater resonance for the Welsh speaker than Tynged yr Iaith . which still haunts or inspires champions of the native tongue on the cusp of the new millennium". In 1985, the long-term effects of Saunders Lewis' Tynged yr Iaith were listed by Gwyn Williams, the formation of Cymdeithas yr Iaith Gymraeg in 1962, direct action against English-language offices, roadsigns, and TV masts, sit-ins and demonstrations, Welsh-language schools, the 1973 adoption of adult education in the Welsh language based upon the Ulpan system created in the State of Israel for teaching the Hebrew language and Israeli culture to adult immigrants, the 1964 creation of the office of Secretary of State for Wales, the 1967 passing of the Welsh Language Act, the creation of S4C, and the mushrooming of Welsh-language publishing, film production, pop and rock, as well as youth and urban music. [47]. Reverend Albert Evans-Jones (Cynan) served as Archdruid twice and is the only person ever to have been elected to that position for a second term. His two terms were from 1950 to 1954 and from 1963 to 1966. He was also the first Archdruid to accept that the Gorsedd is an 18th-century invention by Iolo Morganwg and that it has no links to Welsh mythology or to the ancient Druids, thus healing rifts between the academic and ecclesiastical establishments and the eisteddfod movement.. Cynan is also responsible for designing the modern ceremonies of the crowning and chairing of the bard in the eisteddfod as they are now performed, by creating ceremonies which, he thought, better reflected the Christian beliefs of the Welsh people. In 1969, Reverend Evans-Jones (Cynan) was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II as part of the honours at the Investiture of the Prince of Wales for Cynan's services to both Welsh culture and literature. He remains the only Archdruid ever to have been so honoured. Although it has been held since 1929, the most notable event in the history of the Welsh youth festival known as the Urdd National Eisteddfod took place at Aberystwyth, also in 1969. Charles, Prince of Wales was invited, so giving him a public platform from which to address the crowd. It was the same year as his investiture as Prince of Wales, which had outraged many Welsh nationalists, particularly those with leanings towards republicanism. For this reason, as the Prince arrived onstage, more than one hundred people stood up and walked out in protest. The fallout afterwards was heated and an editorial in the Welsh-language newspaper Y Cymro severely angered the director of the Urdd National Eisteddfod. In a parallel with the simultaneous literary movement known as New Formalism in American poetry, the late 20th century witnessed a renaissance in Welsh poetry composed in strict meter, especially Englynion and Cywyddau. This renaissance is largely inspired by the poetry of Alan Llwyd. Llwyd, a native of Dolgellau, Gwynedd, first came to prominence with the almost unheard of feat of winning both the chair and the crown at the 1973 National Eisteddfod and then repeating the same feat in 1976.. The 1982 bardic chair was awarded to Gerallt Lloyd Owen for the awdl Cilmeri, which Hywel Teifi Edwards has called the only 20th-century awdl, that matches T. Gwynn Jones' 1902 masterpiece Umadawiad Arthur ('The Passing of Arthur'). Owen's Cilmeri reimagines the death of Prince Llywelyn ap Gruffudd of the House of Gwynedd in battle near the village of that name in 1282, while leading a doomed uprising against the occupation of Wales by King Edward I of England. Owen's poem depicts the Prince as a tragic hero and invests his fall with an anguish unmatched since Gruffudd ab yr Ynad Coch wrote his famous lament for the Prince immediately following his death. Owen also, according to Edwards, encapsulates in the Prince's death the Welsh people's continuing "battle for national survival." : 51-53 . In 1999 the centenary of early Gaelic revival poet and Easter Rising leader Patrick Pearse's initiation into the Gorsedd at the 1899 Pan Celtic Eisteddfod in Cardiff (where he took the Bardic name of Areithiwr) was marked by the unveiling of a plaque at the Consulate General of the Irish Republic in Wales. ## 21st century In a ceremony held entirely in the Welsh language during the 2002 National Eisteddfod at St. David's, Rowan Williams, the Anglican Archbishop of Wales, was sworn into the Gorsedd as a "White Druid" under the bardic name "Ap Aneurin". According to Marcus Tanner, "The hour-long ritual, which took place at dawn inside a circle of improvised standing stones, seemed culled from the pages of Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings, not least because the more intrusive signs of modern technology, such as loudspeakers, had been concealed beneath wreaths of foliage. After a fanfare of trumpets and the playing of a harp, the Archbishop, dressed in white, laid his hands on a huge sword before being escorted into the heart of the stone circle to meet the horn of plenty. For all its appeal to antiquity, the rite that the company followed was one Iolo Morganwg would have recognized, since he invented it." : 189 . In response to sharp criticisms of Archbishop Williams by the English-language media and other Christian clergy, "for having taken part in a Pagan ritual", the Archdruid Robyn Lewis said, "Iolo did create his Gorsedd while fantasizing about Pre-Christian times, but as it developed it rapidly became a mainstream Christian organization." : 189-190 . During the 2018 National Eisteddfod at Cardiff, the bardic crown was awarded to Gwaelod y Garth-born poet and Welsh nationalist Catrin Dafydd, for her collection Olion ('Traces'). Her poems explored Welsh identity in the multiracial and multiethnic Grangetown district of Cardiff. During the ceremony, however, the Archdruid, Geraint Llifon, caused considerable outrage among feminists when he alleged that Catrin Dafydd could not have won the Crown without the help of men. After this caused him to be accused of sexism, Archdruid Llifon apologized. # Current eisteddfodau ## Eisteddfodau in Wales ### National Eisteddfod The most important is the National Eisteddfod of Wales, the largest festival of competitive music and poetry in Europe. Its eight days of competitions and performances, entirely in the Welsh language, are staged annually in the first week of August in varying locations that usually alternate between north and south Wales. Competitors typically number 6,000 or more; overall attendances generally exceed 150,000 visitors [56]. ### Urdd National Eisteddfod Another important eisteddfod in the calendar is Eisteddfod Yr Urdd or the Youth Eisteddfod. Organised by Urdd Gobaith Cymru, it involves Welsh children from nursery age to 25 in a week of competition in singing, recitation, dancing, acting and musicianship during the summer half-term school holiday. The event is claimed to be Europe's premier youth arts festival. Regional heats are held in advance and, as with the National Eisteddfod, the Urdd Eisteddfod is held in a different location each year [58]. With the establishment of the Urdd headquarters in the Wales Millennium Centre, the eisteddfod will return to Cardiff every four years.. ### The International Eisteddfod The International Eisteddfod is held annually in Llangollen, Denbighshire, each year in July. Choirs, singing groups, folk dancers and other groups attend from all over the world, sharing their national folk traditions in one of the world's great festivals of the arts. It was set up in 1947 and begins with a message of peace. In 2004, it was (unsuccessfully) nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize by Terry Waite, who has been actively involved with the eisteddfod.. ### Other eisteddfodau in Wales Smaller-scale local eisteddfodau are held throughout Wales. One of the best known is the Maes Garmon Eisteddfod, Mold (Welsh: Eisteddfod Ysgol Maes Garmon, Wyddgrug). Schools hold eisteddfodau as competitions within the school; a popular date for this is Saint David's Day.. # Eisteddfodau outside Wales Welsh emigration, particularly during the heyday of the British Empire and British industrial revolution, led to the creation of a global Welsh diaspora [59]. Among the elements from Welsh culture that travelled with these émigrés was the eisteddfod, which – in a variety of forms and languages – continues to exist worldwide.. ## Argentina According to Marcus Tanner, the massive 19th-century Welsh immigration to Y Wladfa ("the Colony"), in the Chubut Province of Argentine Patagonia began out of the desire of minister and Welsh nationalist Michael D. Jones for "a Little Wales beyond Wales". As both cultural assimilation and language loss were already taking hold among the Welsh diaspora throughout the United States and even more so in Canada and other parts of the British Empire, Patagonia was chosen as an alternative. While visiting Puerto Madryn, the main arrival point for immigrants, during the mid-1970s, Bruce Chatwin wrote, "A hundred and fifty-three Welsh colonists landed here off the brig Mimosa in 1865. They were poor people in search of a New Wales, refugees from cramped coal-mining valleys, from a failed independence movement, and from Parliament's ban on Welsh in schools. Their leaders had combed the earth for a stretch of open country uncontaminated by Englishmen. They chose Patagonia for its absolute remoteness and foul climate; they did not want to get rich. The Argentine Government gave them land along the Chubut River. From Madryn it was a stretch of forty miles over the thorn desert. And when they did reach the valley, they had the impression that God, not the Government, had given them the land." . Although eisteddfodau have been held in Argentina ever since the first Welsh immigrants arrived aboard the Mimosa in 1865, assimilation and the loss of contact with the homeland caused both the distinctive Patagonian dialect of the Welsh language and the eisteddfod tradition to be seriously endangered.. In 1965, Welsh people again began to visit the region to celebrate the colony's centenary. The visit acted as a major impetus to the increasingly assimilated local Welsh Argentine community and since then the number of Welsh visitors and learners of the language has increased. : 340-341 . Bruce Chatwin visited Gaiman in 1976, which he called "the centre of Welsh Patagonia today". While at Ty-Ysaf, the homestead of the Davies family, he was told how the family's son, Euan Davies, had sung at the local eisteddfod while accompanied by Anselmo, a local aspiring concert pianist of mixed German and Italian parentage . Davies' tenor voice and Anselmo's piano playing reportedly reduced the audience at the eisteddfod to tears and "carried off the prize." . Marcus Tanner has written since of Chatwin's travel memoir In Patagonia, "After several decades during which the Welsh colony in Argentina had been virtually forgotten, his book did much to remind the world of its existence." According to Eluned Gonzalez, however, a local Welsh Argentine who remembers the real Chatwin and his visit, "We are all very surprised by the book.. . so superior. Looking down on us... a very English way of looking at things." . During the British government's repatriation of the 11,313 Argentine POWs taken during the 1982 Falklands War, Welsh-speaking British merchant seamen and British soldiers from the Welsh Guards were shocked to find themselves addressed in Patagonian Welsh by an Argentine POW who was on the way home to Puerto Madryn. Over the years since, close ties between Wales and Y Wladfa have been reestablished. . One of the greatest Welsh literary figures to come out of Y Wladfa was Richard Bryn Williams, whose bardic name was Bryn. Williams was born at Blaenau Ffestiniog, Gwynedd in 1902. When he was seven years old, Williams' family migrated to Trelew, as part of the last great wave of Welsh immigration to Y Wladfa prior to the First World War. Williams returned to Wales in 1923 and studied at the University College of North Wales. He became an expert on Patagonian history and was a major contributor to the Colony's Welsh literature. Williams won the Bardic Chair at the National Eisteddfod of Wales in both 1964 and 1968, and from 1975 to 1978 he served as Archdruid of the Gorsedd Cymru. A 2001 BBC article described in detail the recent visit to Chubut Province by Archdruid Meirion Evans  [cy] and 30 members of the Gorsedd Cymru to revive the Gorsedd yr Wladfa in a ceremony held in a specially constructed stone circle near Gaiman.. BBC reporters also attended the 2001 Eisteddfod del Chubut at Trelew and watched as the bardic chair was awarded for the first time in Y Wladfa to a female poet: Gaiman hotel owner Monica Jones de Jones, for an awdl on the subject of rhyddid ('freedom'). The article's author continued, "the Patagonia Eisteddfod itself, while sharing those elements common to eisteddfodau in Wales itself, nonetheless is, in other respects, quite a different affair. As well as haunting Welsh folk tunes, and recitations in the unique Spanish-accented Welsh of the Patagonians, there are also rousing displays of Argentinian folk dancing which owe everything to the culture of the gauchos and nothing to the somewhat tamer dance routines of the Welsh homeland." [70]. While visiting Patagonia to research his 2004 book The Last of the Celts, Marcus Tanner visited the Trelew home of local Welsh-language poet Geraint Edmunds. Edmunds was, according to Tanner, "a Welsh Patagonian of the old type, as fluent in Welsh as Spanish". During Tanner's visit, he noticed that "a beautifully made Bardic Chair", which Geraint Edmunds' poetry had won was on reverent display in the front room. To Tanner's disappointment, however, the bard's son, Eduardo Edmunds, would speak only Spanish and replied when asked about his ancestral language, "I think I'd rather learn English – more useful." : 341 . Current eisteddfod competitions are bilingual, in both Patagonian Welsh and Argentine Spanish, and include poetry, prose, literary translations (Welsh, Spanish, English, Italian, and French), musical performances, arts, folk dances, photography, and filmmaking, among others. The Eisteddfod del Juventud is held every September at Gaiman. The main Eisteddfod del Chubut is held every October at Trelew. Other annual eisteddfodau are held at Trevelin, in the Andes and at Puerto Madryn along the South Atlantic coast. ## Australia Eisteddfods (Australian English: plural) in the traditional Welsh sense have also been adopted into Australian culture. However, the term is more commonly used to describe ballet and music competitions.. For those eisteddfods most like the Welsh original, they involve testing individuals in singing, dancing, acting and musicianship.. After emigrating to Australia from Tregaron, Ceredigion, at the tail end of the Victorian gold rush, Welsh poet and diarist Joseph Jenkins, whose bardic name was Amnon II, arrived at Melbourne in 1869. The following month, as described in his posthumously published memoir The Diary of a Welsh Swagman, Jenkins was living in the gold rush boomtown of Castlemaine where he found many fellow Welsh Australians. He rarely left this vicinity except to attend the annual St David's Day eisteddfod at Ballarat where, on thirteen consecutive occasions, he was awarded first prize for the best englyn. The successor to the St. David's Day Eisteddfod in Ballarat, the Royal South Street Eisteddfod, began in 1891 and has been running ever since. The second-oldest eisteddfod in Australia is located in Wollongong, the City of Wollongong Eisteddfod, which began in 1894 and has been running ever since. The Sydney Eisteddfod was first held in 1933 and offers some 400 events across all performing arts, catering to 30,000 performers annually. [75]. Modern eisteddfods in Australia are competitions reserved for schoolchildren, though many have open sections where anyone (including professionals) may participate and compete. Typically, a prize may be a scholarship to pursue a further career. Many young Australian actors and dancers participate regularly in the various competitions scheduled throughout the year. The Western Australia Performing Arts Eisteddfod began in 1958 as the Bunbury Music Festival. The Gold Coast Eisteddfod in Queensland began in 1982 and is held annually in August and September [76]. The 2018 eisteddfod attracted over 60,000 competitors. Many other communities also host eisteddfods, including Alice Springs, Darwin, Brisbane, Hobart and Melbourne. [77]. ## Channel Islands The Guernsey Eisteddfod was founded in 1922 and includes events in the Guernésiais language; the Jersey Eisteddfod was founded in 1908 and includes events in Jèrriais dialect of Norman French [78]. ## England Eisteddfodau are held across the UK, although in most cases any explicit link to Welsh culture has been lost beyond the use of the name for an arts festival or competition.. In 1897 a Forest of Dean Eisteddfod, reportedly a choral competition, was founded at Cinderford. In the Methodist Church and other non-conformist denominations in England, youth cultural festivals are sometimes called eisteddfod. The Kettering and District Eisteddfod, for example, was founded in the early 1900s in the Northamptonshire town by members of the Sunday School Union and still runs every March. The Bristol Festival of Music, Speech and Drama was founded in 1903 as the Bristol Eisteddfod. The Minsterley Eisteddfod has been held every March in South Shropshire since 1962. The Teesside International Eisteddfod (Intertie) in Middlesbrough ran from 1966 to 1978 [84] [85]. [citation needed]. For many years Teignmouth Grammar School in Teignmouth, Devonshire, held an eisteddfod of art, music and drama competitions in the Easter term. [citation needed]. ## South Africa In South African English, a number of international performing arts competitions in are called eisteddfods, such as the Tygerberg International Eisteddfod and the Pretoria Eisteddfod (first held in 1923). The word eisteddfod is sometimes also used for ordinary cultural festivals, even if only one school's students participate.. In August 1953, the poet Ingrid Jonker, who would go on to become an anti-apartheid political dissident and a hugely influential figure in Afrikaans literature, recited her poems at the Cape Eisteddfod in Cape Town and received there a Diploma for Achievement in Afrikaans. ## United States Moving first as religious refugees and then as farmers and industrial workers, many thousands of Welsh people emigrated to America from the 17th century.. In 1757, Reverend Goronwy Owen, an Anglican vicar born at Y Dafarn Goch, in the parish of Llanfair Mathafarn Eithaf in Anglesey and the poet most responsible for the subsequent Welsh eighteenth-century renaissance, emigrated to Williamsburg, in the Colony of Virginia . Until his death on his cotton and tobacco plantation near Lawrenceville, Virginia in 1769, Owen was mostly noted as an émigré bard, writing with hiraeth ('longing') for his native Anglesey. During the subsequent revival of the eisteddfod, the Gwyneddigion Society held up the poetry of Owen as an example for bards at future eisteddfodau to emulate.. During the eisteddfod revival of the 1790s, Gwyneddigion Society member William Jones, who had enthusiastically supported the American Revolution and who was arguing for the creation of a National Eisteddfod of Wales, had come to believe that the completely Anglicized Welsh nobility, through rackrenting and their employment of unscrupulous land agents, had forfeited all right to the obedience and respect of their tenants. At the Llanrwst eisteddfod in June 1791, Jones distributed copies of an address, entitled To all Indigenous Cambro-Britons, in which he urged Welsh tenant farmers and craftsmen to pack their bags, emigrate from Wales, and sail for what he called the "Promised Land" in the United States of America. By 1851, Y Drych ('The Mirror'), published from the Welsh-speaking settlement in Utica, New York : 325  was just the latest of a number of Welsh-language newspapers, and in 1872 Hanes Cymry America ('A history of the Welsh in America') by R.D . Thomas attempted to catalogue all of the Welsh communities of the United States. Eisteddfodau in North America are thought to have started in the 1830s, though the earliest documented examples date from the 1850s. [89]. ### Pennsylvania According to Marcus Tanner, large-scale Welsh immigration to America began in the 1790s, when 50 immigrants left the village of Llanbrynmair for a tract of Pennsylvania land purchased by Baptist minister Morgan John Rhys. The result was the Welsh-American farming settlement of Cambria, Pennsylvania. : 325 . By 1913, a sub-gorsedd of North America with a vice-Archdruid, Reverend Thomas Edwards whose bardic name was Cynonfardd, was established at the Pittsburgh Eisteddfod, surviving until 1946. The Edwardsville Cynonfardd Eisteddfod at the Dr. Edwards Memorial Church in Edwardsville, Pennsylvania has taken place annually since 1889 and is the longest continuously running eisteddfod outside of Wales. The 130th anniversary of the event was celebrated in April 2019. ### Ohio Welsh-American settlements in Ohio began in 1801, when a group of Welsh-speaking pioneers migrated from Cambria, Pennsylvania to Paddy's Run, which is now the site of Shandon, Ohio. : 325 . According to Marcus Tanner, "In Ohio State, Jackson and Gallia counties in particular became a 'Little Wales', where Welsh settlers were sufficiently thick on the ground by the 1830s to justify the establishment of Calvinistic Methodist synods." : 325 . As late as 1900, Ohio still had 150 Welsh-speaking church congregations. : 326  The Welsh language was commonly spoken there for generations until the 1950s when its use began to subside . As of 2010, more than 126,000 Ohioans are of Welsh descent and about 135 speak the language, with significant concentrations still found in many communities of Ohio such as Oak Hill (13.6%), Madison (12.7%), Franklin (10.5%), Jackson (10.0%), Radnor (9.8%), and Jefferson (9.7%) [92] [93]. The Jackson School Eisteddfod in Jackson, Ohio, is the result of an historically strong Welsh-American business community, who funded the Southern Ohio Eisteddfod Association and a 4,000-seat auditorium that was the only dedicated eisteddfod venue in the United States. In 1930, the hall hosted the Grand National Eisteddfod. While the Great Depression halted the adult events, a youth eisteddfod, founded in 1924, still runs today, with support from the Madog Center for Welsh Studies at University of Rio Grande. ### Minnesota After the Treaty of Traverse des Sioux was signed by the Dakota people in 1851, Welsh-speaking pioneers from Wisconsin, Upstate New York, and Ohio settled much of what is now Le Sueur and Blue Earth counties in Minnesota. By 1857, the number of Welsh-speakers was so numerous that the Minnesota State Constitution had to be translated into the Welsh language. : 325  With such a large number of settlers, it should come as no surprise that eisteddfodau soon followed . Local Welsh-language poet James Price, whose bardic name was Ap Dewi ('Son of David'), was born at Newark, Ohio to parents from Llanon, Ceredigion. : 254  After migrating to the Minnesota frontier, Ap Dewi served as a deacon and Sunday school teacher at the Horeb Calvinistic Methodist Church in Cambria Township, Blue Earth County : 64  and was so dominant at local eisteddfodau that he was considered the "prifardd of Minnesota." : 138 [98] [2] [2]. The first Welsh literary society in Minnesota was founded, according to Ap Dewi, at a meeting held in South Bend Township, also in Blue Earth County in the fall of 1855. : 129  Also according to Ap Dewi, "The first eisteddfod in the state of Minnesota was held in Judson in the house of Wm . C. Williams in 1864. The second eisteddfod was held in Judson in the log chapel in 1866 with the Rev. John Roberts as chairman. Ellis E. Ellis, Robert E. Hughes, H.H. Hughes, Rev. J. Jenkins, and William R. Jones took part in this eisteddfod. The third eisteddfod was held in Judson in the new chapel (Jerusalem) on January 2, 1871. The famous Llew Llwyfo (bardic name) was chairman and a splendid time was had." : 131 . According to David M. Jones, a Calvinistic Methodist minister born at Ty Rhedyn, near Marian-glas, Anglesey and Welsh-language writer whose literary talents drew comparisons with Washington Irving, : 215-216  the first eisteddfod held in Cambria Township took place on the Fourth of July, 1871 [98]. A "low-lying site behind the house of John Shields" was chosen for the Maes and, as Jones later recalled, "We cut tiers of seats into a natural bank of land and covered the seats with hay. These were the first seats with cushions we had ever seen in Minnesota, and everyone praised them. We built a platform in front of the seats. There was a clear stream running between the platform and the seats. All of us felt that our fine preparations would ensure the success of the program. On the morning of the Fourth, everyone was ready long before the Minnesota sun appeared. In a little while, there were clouds of dust being stirred up by large wagons coming from every direction. The immense prairie was dotted with wagons drawn by horses, mules, and horned oxen. Long before the time, the seats were full." : 139-140 [2]. Ellis Ellis, a Mankato joiner from Aberdyfi, Merionethshire and whose bardic name was Glan Dyfi (after the village of the same name), : 184-185  was, according to Jones, "the adjudicator for the poetry, and it is more than likely that Ap Dewi won the prize [98]. What the subject was, we do not recall, though it is likely that there was a subject. Not often did a Bard compose without a subject. Evan Evans, Daniel Jones, and W.P. Jones must have competed in the essay competition, adjudicated by the cultured David S. Davies. In the humorous address competition, Evan Evans and Henry Hughes were both winners. There were various recitations by Owen Morris and Thomas Hughes, who were masterly as usual, among others. John S. Davies and his group sang several pieces, and the singers of Bethel also took part. Owen Richards and his brother, Tomy Richards, took part in the first eisteddfod. Johnnie Jones from the same district turned out to be skillful at recitation. Before the end of the last meeting one of the Minnesota storms came on, and the audience scattered in a moment." : 141 [2]. According to Ap Dewi, local eisteddfodau began being held in the county seat of Mankato on 1 January 1873, when one took place at the Blue Earth County Courthouse. : 131 [2]. During the same era, a group of Welsh-language poets used to meet regularly under the leadership of Ellis Ellis (Glan Dyfi) at the Cheshire and Jones Shop in Mankato, where the packing paper in the shop was often used to write down englynion in Welsh. : 142-143 [2]. David Jones later expressed a belief that the englynion composed at the Cheshire and Jones Shop were superior to those of far more famous Welsh poets such as Dewi Wyn, Dewi Havhesp, and Dyfed. : 142  Jones further recalled, "Glan Dyfi never had any more enjoyment than when tinkering with the elements of englynion, tossing off so many englynion while taking no notice of the rules of Dafydd ab Edmwnd or any other Dafydd [2]. O! To have those old times back again." : 143 [2]. Beginning in 1874, eisteddfodau were held annually at the Union Hall in Mankato until 1876, when the custom fell into abeyance until 1890. The 1890 eisteddfod was held on 5 February at the Mankato Opera House, under the leadership of Thomas Hughes and continued there. : 131-136 [2]. By the 1880s between 2,500 and 3,000 people of Welsh background in Minnesota were contributing to the life of some 17 churches and 22 chapels. The first eisteddfod held in the Twin Cities took place, "on a fairly large scale", and sponsored by the Welsh Calvinistic Methodist chapel on Franklin Avenue in Minneapolis, on 17 January 1885. : 210-211 [2]. A second Minneapolis eisteddfod was held, with the participation of adjudicators and contestants from St. Paul, Minnesota, Lime Springs, Iowa, and Cambria, Wisconsin, on Christmas Day, 1888. : 211 [2]. A third Minneapolis eisteddfod was held, under the patronage of the Welsh Calvinistic Methodist chapel and Y Wyddorfa, the Welsh literary society of Minneapolis, on St. David's Day, 1894. Adjudicated contests were held for essays, recitations, poetry, literary translations, and performances. : 211-213 [2]. According to a 2006 article in the Mankato Free Press the custom of local eisteddfodau went into abeyance during the 1950s. An effort was made, however, during the early 21st century, to revive the tradition by the Blue Earth County Historical Society and the Mankato Chapter of the League of Minnesota Poets. During the 2006 Cambria eisteddfod at the Morgan Creek Vineyards in New Ulm, Brainerd poet Doris Stengel was awarded the bardic chair by adjudicator John Calvin Rezmerski. But, following Rezmerski's death in 2016, the custom of local eisteddfodau again fell into abeyance.. ### American Civil War Competitive eisteddfod were held during the American Civil War, with themes including George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, American patriotism, and Jefferson Davis. Also during the American Civil War, Edward Thomas, a Welsh-language poet born in Centerville, Ohio to parents from Llanidloes and whose bardic name was Awenydd, was living and working as a schoolmaster at the Welsh-American farming settlement at South Bend Township, in Blue Earth County, Minnesota. In 1862, he enlisted in Company E of the 2nd Minnesota Cavalry Regiment. During his service in that regiment, Thomas wrote many Welsh-language poems, including Pryddest ar Wir Fawredd, which later won the bardic crown at an eisteddfod held in Minersville, Pennsylvania. Following the end of the war, Thomas became a Calvinistic Methodist minister. : 273 [98]. ### Illinois Mrs. Jennie A. Ingalls, the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. H.O. Roberts of Minneapolis, won a prize for best recitation at an 1890 eisteddfod held in Chicago, Illinois. : 213 [2]. The largest U.S. eisteddfod was held in 1893 at the World Columbian Exposition in Chicago, featuring visiting Welsh choirs invited by the Chicago chapter of the Cymmrodorion Society [103]. The Mormon Tabernacle Choir, which then included a large number of Welsh immigrants, made its first appearance outside of Utah at the same event [104]. At the same eisteddfod, Reverend Evan Reese, a Calvinistic Methodist minister from Puncheston, Pembrokeshire, and Welsh poet whose bardic name was Dyfed, won the bardic chair and the $500 prize money offered for a 2,000 line awdl on the set subject Iesu o Nazareth ('Jesus of Nazareth') [105]. : 31  Reese went on to become the Archdruid of the Gorsedd Cymru and to announce the posthumous victory of Hedd Wyn at the infamous 1917 Eisteddfod of the Black Chair . The eisteddfod idea has been retained by some subsequent world's fairs, and has helped to link the Welsh eisteddfod community to its Welsh-American offshoot.. ### California On 28 July 1915, the International Eisteddfod held in San Francisco at the Panama–Pacific International Exposition drew competing choirs from around the nation, including one mixed group composed of the German members of the Metropolitan Opera Chorus from New York City The tightly rehearsed, all-male Orpheus Club of Los Angeles were judged the winner and were awarded $3,000. In 1926, the Pasadena Playhouse in Pasadena, California, held a competitive eisteddfod of one-act plays by local authors that subsequently evolved into an annual Summer One-Act Play Festival.. The 2011 West Coast Eisteddfod event was co-curated by Lorin Morgan-Richards and held at the Barnsdall Art Park in Los Angeles, the site of Welsh-American architect Frank Lloyd Wright's Hollyhock House, near Griffith Park, founded by Welsh-American philanthropist Griffith J. Griffith. From 1925 to 2016, the Los Angeles St. David's Day Festival was the largest Welsh-American cultural event in the United States. It included an eisteddfod, a Celtic marketplace, classes, and a concert. Celebrities of Welsh heritage Henry Thomas, Ioan Gruffudd, Michael Sheen, along with Richard Burton's and Frank Lloyd Wright's families have all publicly supported the festival [108]. ### Oregon The West Coast Eisteddfod (originally the Left Coast Eisteddfod) was founded by Welsh-American social network AmeriCymru and the non-profit Portland, Oregon, Meriwether Lewis Memorial Eisteddfod Foundation in 2009. ### Welsh Heritage Week Welsh Heritage Week and Cwrs Cymraeg, two ambulatory Welsh language and culture courses held annually, usually in the United States, also each feature a mini-eisteddfod [111] [112]. The North American Festival of Wales held by the Welsh North American Association also includes an eisteddfod. ### Online In the 21st century the internet and social media helped new eisteddfodau to spring up. For example, AmeriCymru hosts an annual online eisteddfod. # Similar events in other Celtic cultures Various festivals in other Celtic cultures have similarities to eisteddfodau.. ## Brittany Even though the neo-bardic, Gorsedd, and Eisteddfod movement in Brittany was founded during the early 19th century by Auguste Brizeux, the real heyday of the movement took place between 1900 and the outbreak of the First World War. Those two decades were dominated by François Jaffrenou, whose bardic name was Taldir, and who introduced many Iolo Morganwg-inspired elements of Welsh culture into Breton culture. During those decades, Taldir founded the Gorsedd Barzed Gourenez Breiz Isel (The Gorsedd of Bards of the Peninsula of Brittany) and did much to encourage both traditional Celtic poetry and a sense of community among Breton Bards. In 1936, Morvan Marchal founded the explicitly anti-Christian and neo-Pagan Kredenn Geltiek Hollvedel (World Celtic Creed) group, of which he became the first arch-Druid. The group broke openly from the Goursez Vreizh.. In Brittany, the Kan ar Bobl competition, which is held as part of the Festival Interceltique de Lorient, supports the Breton music tradition.. Since 1923, the Festival de Cornouaille (Breton: Cornouaille Kemper) has taken place annually in Quimper, located in the south-west of Brittany. It began as a beauty contest, but has switched since 1948 to being a musical and cultural festival.. The AberFest in Cornwall alternates with the Breizh – Kernow Festival which is held in Brandivy or Bignan in Brittany.. ## Cornwall In Cornwall, an analogous event is known as Esedhvos Kernow (Cornish for 'Eisteddfod of Cornwall') and is connected, as part of the ongoing Cornish language revival, with the Gorseth Kernow. AberFest is a festival that celebrates both Cornish and Breton culture and takes in Cornwall every second year around Easter.. A similar tradition has been created among descendants of the Cornish diaspora in Australia. "Australia's Little Cornwall" is the district of the Yorke Peninsula in South Australia known as the Copper Triangle, which includes the former mining towns of Moonta, Kadina and Wallaroo. In Moonta today, the Kernewek Lowender (Cornish for 'Cornish Happiness'), which includes an eisteddfod-like gathering of bards, is the largest Cornish festival in the world and attracts more than 40,000 visitors each event. ## Ireland During the days of Gaelic Ireland and of the Irish clans, there was a tradition similar to the first eisteddfodau. Irish clan chiefs would host feasts for their clansmen, servants, and warriors which centered around a contest between Irish-language bards, whose poetry was performed by professional singers accompanied by a harp. As in 12th-century Wales, the clan chief always chose the winner with the approval of those assembled. This tradition, which arose during the 14th century, was termed a Gairm Sgoile (Early Modern Irish: 'summoning', or 'gathering', 'of the [Bardic] school'). The most famous of these gatherings took place on Christmas Day, 1351. William Ua Cellaig, Chief of the Name and King of Uí Maine in Connacht, held, like Prince Rhys ap Gruffydd, a great competition and feast for the bards of Ireland. An entire temporary village was erected with separate streets for musicians, seanchaithe, poets, and jugglers.. The traditional Connacht Irish phrase, "Fáilte Uí Cheallaigh" ("An O'Kelly Welcome") dates from this event, which was held at Gailey Castle along Lough Ree, near what is now Knockcroghery, County Roscommon. The feast reportedly lasted for a month [119]. It was during this feast that the poet, Gofraidh Fionn Ó Dálaigh, wrote the poem, Filidh Éireann go hAointeach, which remembers the feast [121]. After the 16th and 17th century dispossession, emigration, and outlawry of the Irish clan chiefs and the loss of their patronage, the teachers and former students of the bardic schools were forced to adapt.. According to Vivian Mercier, "It is not enough to say that the Gaelic-speaking aristocracy were dispossessed of their lands: the poets themselves were landholders, a sort of Noblesse de robe, whose dispossession accompanied or followed that of the Noblesse d'épée. The overthrow of the bardic institution was accompanied by a change in poetic technique which enables one to judge with considerable accuracy whether a given poem belongs to the bardic period or not: syllabic metre (dán díreach) gives way to stress or song metre (amhrán). This change reflects not only the gradual disappearance of the bardic schools but also of the bardic audience; most authorities believe that the stress metres had been common among the common people for a long time before poems in those metres were granted the dignity of being committed to manuscript. If the dispossessed and often starving poet wanted the favour of his new patrons - those who were only less poor than he - he must cater to their tastes." [124]. The bards overwhelmingly adapted, according to Daniel Corkery, by becoming teachers at the hedge schools in Irish villages. : 68-94 . Meanwhile, in 18th-century Munster, the custom arose, in what was both mimicry and satire of the ceremonial of the English-dominated legal and court system, of the local chief-bard presiding over sessions of a cúirt, or poetic court. A cúirt would begin with "bailiffs" delivering often humorously worded "warrants" which summoned local Irish-language poets to a bardic competition presided over by the chief-bard as "judge". In many cases, two poets at the cúirt would engage in flyting : 95-125  (Classical Gaelic: immarbág) (Irish: iomarbháigh) (lit . "counter-boasting"), meaning the trading of insults in verse often improvised on the spot . According to Corkery, much of the serious, improvised, and comic poetry in the Irish language composed for sessions of the Munster poetic courts was written down by the court "recorders" and still survives. : 95-125  At the beginning of his term, the Chief-Poet of a district, similarly to an Irish clan chief, would receive a Staff of Office (Irish: Bata na Bachaille), which would later be handed down to his successor . Also according to Corkery, the patronage of Bardic and musical contests also continued among the very few remaining families from the Gaelic nobility of Ireland; like the O'Connell family of Derrynane House in County Kerry and the MacDermot Princes of Coolavin in County Sligo, who continued to hold at least a part of their ancestral lands, while ruling over their tenants and servants as the Chief of the Name. : 42-67 . At least for a time, some Anglo-Irish landlords hosted similar contests. During the early 18th century, Irish-language poet, composer, and itinerant harpist Turlough O'Carolan is said to have improvised Carolan's Concerto inside the house of the Anglo-Irish Power family, during such a contest against the Italian violinist Francesco Geminiani. According to other versions of the story, the contest that resulted in the impromptu composition of Carolan's Concerto took place at the home of Church of Ireland clergyman, poet, and satirist Jonathan Swift.. Since it was founded as part of the Gaelic revival by Conradh na Gaeilge in 1897, the eisteddfod-inspired festival known as Oireachtas na Gaeilge was envisaged to spearhead a renaissance of Irish-language literature, culture, and the arts. In contrast to today's Oireachtas, there was more emphasis on Modern literature in Irish than upon Irish traditional music or the performing arts. There were two competitions for Irish poetry, five for Irish language essays, one for best poetry collection; a competition for unpublished songs or short stories in Irish; a competition for best new song composition, and a recitation competition.. The early organizers of Oireachtas pulled off several major accomplishments, such as the first staging of Robert O'Dwyer's Eithne, the first Irish-language opera, in 1909. Even so, the popularity of Oireachtas waned following the Irish War of Independence and the subsequent Irish Civil War, and the festival was repeatedly cancelled during the 1920s and 1930s.. The festival was traditionally held in Dublin, but, beginning in 1974, Coiste Cearta Síbialta na Gaeilge (English: Irish Language Civil Rights Committee") successfully coerced an end to the practice of never holding Oireachtas in Ireland's Gaeltacht areas. Oireachtas currently culminates in four major competitions over the weekend: Comórtas na mBan, a sean-nós singing competition for women, Comórtas na bhFear, a similar one for men, and Corn Uí Riada, one for both genders and all ages. There is also the Comórtas Damhsa ar an Sean Nós ("Steip"), a Sean-nós dance competition mainly based on the Connemara stepdancing style now popular throughout the country, but also including dancing in other regional styles.. The organisers, under the Directorship of Liam Ó Maolaodha have attempted from the 1990s on to market Oireachtas to millennial Irish speakers via outings, discos, and other youth-oriented events.. Since it was also founded by Conradh na Gaeilge in 1902, Seachtain na Gaeilge (English: Irish Language Week), which is similarly based upon the Welsh eisteddfod, has celebrated Irish traditional music, Gaelic games, and Irish culture.. The festival begins each year on St David's Day and ends on St Patrick's Day, with community-organised events celebrated all over Ireland and the world, such as céilís, concerts, quizzes, competitions and parades [132]. Like the first documented 12th-century eisteddfod, the 14th-century Gairm Sgoile and the 18th-century Munster Cúirt, Seachtain na Gaeilge includes a contest between Irish poets in the Irish language. [133]. The Fleadh Cheoil is an annual festival for Irish traditional music that takes place in the same town for a few years in a row, before moving to another area of Ireland in an effort to include all localities in the celebration.. After the end of the Irish War of Independence and the subsequent Civil War, the 1924-1937 revival of the ancient Tailteann Games also emulated the Welsh Eisteddfod by including ceremonies in Pre-Christian Irish clothing and inspired by Irish mythology.. There is also the event known as Imram, which was founded in 2004 by Liam Carson, who had noticed that there was no literary festival dedicated to Irish literature in the Irish language [134]. In response, Carson received funding from Poetry Ireland, Dublin City Council, and Foras na Gaeilge. According to Carson, "The festival name means ‘a voyage of discovery’ and what we’re asking people to do is come with us and discover the Irish language." [135]. ## Scotland The Scottish Gaelic mòd, a festival of Scottish Gaelic song, literature, arts and culture, is modeled upon the Welsh eisteddfod [136]. The mòd, however, is different in that it lacks the 12th-century roots or the fictitious rituals introduced by Iolo Morganwg.. Similarly to the Welsh word eisteddfod, the Gaelic word mòd, which derives from the Old Norse word mót, refers to a Viking Age Thing or a gathering of Scottish clans. In the Highlands and Islands, however, the term originally referred to the Council of the Isles, Scottish clan chiefs who advised Somerled and his successors among as Lords of the Isles [137]. Finlaggan on Islay was the usual site for the gathering of the Council of the Isles. Similar to the Eisteddfod and other Celtic festivals, the mòd was founded in response to colonialism and in an effort to preserve an increasingly endangered language from the coercive Anglicisation of the educational system.. According to Marcus Tanner, the Society in Scotland for Propagating Christian Knowledge was incorporated under Queen Anne in 1709 and began building both schools and libraries in the Scottish Highlands and Islands with a twofold purpose. The first purpose was to prevent the Gaels from returning to the still illegal and underground Catholic Church in Scotland. The second was to ensure, "that in process of time Britons from North to South may speak the same language". For this reason, all schoolmasters were under orders to teach their students only in English and to subject any student who spoke Gaelic inside the school or on the playground to flogging. Under the 1872 Education Act, school attendance was compulsory and only English was taught or tolerated in the schools of both the Lowlands and the Highlands and Islands. As a result, any student who spoke Scots or Scottish Gaelic in the school or on its grounds could expect what Ronald Black calls the "familiar Scottish experience of being thrashed for speaking [their] native language." . In response, An Comunn Gàidhealach was founded at Oban in 1891 to help preserve the Scottish Gaelic language and its literature and to establish the Royal National Mòd (Am Mòd Nàiseanta Rìoghail), as a festival of Gaelic music, literature, arts, and culture deliberately modelled upon the National Eisteddfod of Wales . The poet, traditional singer, and Highland Land League activist Màiri Mhòr nan Òran (1821–1898), performed in the first Mòd's Gaelic song competition, but she was not awarded a medal. A mòd largely takes the form of formal competitions. Choral events in Gaelic (both solo and by choirs), and Scottish traditional music including fiddling, bagpipe and folk groups dominate. Spoken word events include children and adult's poetry reading, storytelling and Bible reading, and categories such as ancient folk tale or humorous monologue. Children can also present an original drama, and there are competitions in written literature.. Unlike the national mòd, local mòds usually only last a day or two. They attract a much smaller crowd and the only notable social event is the winners' ceilidh. As there are fewer competitions than in the national mòd, this ceilidh is often more like a traditional ceilidh with dancing and guest singers between the winners' performances.. According to Ronald Black, "In 1923, following the example of the Welsh Eisteddfod, An Commun Gàidhealach simplified the structure of its annual poetry competitions into a single contest for a Bardic Crown (Scottish Gaelic: Crùn na Bàrdachd), the winner to be acknowledged as Bard of An Commun (Scottish Gaelic: Bàird a' Chomuinn Gàidhealaich) for the coming year. The man behind the move, not surprisingly, was Angus Robertson, then President of An Comunn. Offering a distinctive middle path between traditional and modern verse, the competition produced much work of note which deserves to be put into perspective... (Many subsidiary prizes remained; Sorley Maclean won a junior one in 1928, while in 1946 Derick Thomson won a gold medal as the most distinguished entrant in the literary competitions generally). The Bard was crowned each year at the closing concert of the Mòd. Astonishingly, unlike in Wales, the winning poem itself formed no part of the proceedings... In 1978 no award was made because not entry was of adequate quality. It was the second time in five years that this had happened, and in March 1979 An Comunn announced that the Bardic Crown would no longer be awarded." . There has been some recent criticism of the "Gold Medal" event, which favors the operatic-style Gaelic singing popularized in the early 20th century by Marjory Kennedy-Fraser. Some 21st century Scottish traditional musicians allege that the contest has long marginalised more traditional singers like the late Flora MacNeil and their styles. This is not a new criticism, however, and the poet Allan MacDonald (1859-1905), an iconic figure in Scottish Gaelic literature, once said that the Gaelic songs performed at the Mòd during its inception were, "As though you were to fit a statue into a box by taking off the nose and ears." [146]. More recently, Scottish traditional musician Fergus Munro has also gone on the record, as Scotland has grown increasingly secularised, as a critic of what he alleges is a growing tendency to exclude both Christian poetry and Gaelic psalm- and hymn-singing from the Mòd. Furthermore, the Mòd is popularly known as the "Whisky Olympics", which is considered, "either a vicious slur or fair comment" [148]. Similarly to the Eisteddfod, since its more recent creation, the Mòd tradition has been introduced to the Scottish diaspora.. In Nova Scotia, where a distinctive form of Gaelic brought by the early Highland settlers preserves the otherwise extinct Lochaber dialect, the Nova Scotia Gaelic Mod attracts visitors from both sides of the Canada–United States border.. In British Columbia, the Gaelic Society of Vancouver held a local mòd biannually from 1990 to 2007. First held at Alexandria, Virginia in 1988, the U.S. National Mòd is now held annually as part of the Highland games at Ligonier, Pennsylvania and sponsored by An Comunn Gàidhealach Ameireaganach ('The American Scottish Gaelic Society'). The 2011 Royal National Mòd, held at Stornoway on the Isle of Lewis, crowned Lewis MacKinnon (Lodaidh MacFhionghain), a poet in the Canadian Gaelic dialect spoken in Antigonish County, Nova Scotia, as the winning bard. It was the first time in the 120-year history of the mòd that a writer of Gaelic poetry from the Scottish diaspora had won the Bardic Crown.

The Eisteddfod, a Welsh festival with ancient bardic origins, is a celebration of literature, music, and performance deeply rooted in Welsh culture. Traditionally proclaimed a year and a day before its commencement, the event spotlights competitions held in the Welsh language and honors conferred by the Gorsedd of the Bards. During the eisteddfod, significant ceremonies such as the chairing and crowning of bards for exemplary works in strict and free verse meter poetry, respectively, are central. Historical accounts trace the eisteddfod back to the 6th century, with various influences shaping its evolution. In medieval Wales, eisteddfodau, supported by noble patronage, awarded prizes for musical and poetic excellence. However, the decline of Welsh aristocracy's support led to a period of obscurity, which was eventually overturned by a revival in the late 18th century, establishing the format for today's National Eisteddfod of Wales. Nineteenth-century eisteddfodau witnessed the introduction of neo-Druidic rituals, further enriching the tradition. The eisteddfod in the 20th century saw poignant moments such as World War I poet Hedd Wyn's posthumous chairing, marking its continued cultural relevance. Now in the 21st century, the eisteddfod embraces inclusivity and modernity, adapting to a multicultural society while retaining its core values. Besides the National Eisteddfod, variants like the Urdd National Eisteddfod cater to youth, while the International Eisteddfod and local eisteddfodau continue the tradition at different scales. The global Welsh diaspora has led to eisteddfodau across continents, from Argentina to Australia and beyond, each reflecting its unique cultural context while preserving the eisteddfod's competitive spirit. Parallel cultural festivals in other Celtic nations, such as Brittany's festivals, Cornwall's Esedhvos Kernow, Ireland's Oireachtas na Gaeilge, and Scotland's Mòd, showcase a shared commitment to celebrating and promoting Celtic languages and arts. These events, similar in spirit to the Welsh eisteddfod, underscore the enduring importance of cultural festivals in preserving heritage and fostering community.

Cinque_Vette_Park

# Location The Cinque Vette Park is situated within the domain of the Varese Prealps, the western section of the Lugano Prealps. It covers an area of 14 kilometers squared and it comprises the councils (comuni) of Cuasso al Monte, Marzio, and Valganna, all located within the Province of Varese [3]. Approximately 85% of the park territory belongs to the council of Cuasso al Monte, 15% to the council of Valganna and 5% to the council of Marzio. The park features a variety of panoramic views and natural landscapes [2]. The park is sponsored by Lega Italiana Protezione Uccelli. The surrounding area hosts important habitats and ecosystems, and for that reason it has become part of the Life TIB project, which includes the natural corridor that links the Alps and the Po Valley. The park includes Lake Ghirla, Lake Ganna, and the Laghetto di Cavagnano. The last is a protected site (as Lake Ganna) due to the rare and endangered autochthonous fauna that inhabits the water. Adjacent to the park are Lake Maggiore and Lake Lugano. ## Geological aspects The territory of the park is classified as part of the Varesine Prealps, which are geologically significant and linked to the evolution of the Alpine Chain, which today appears as one complex structure with recognizable framed polyphasic tectonics deformations in the Plate tectonics model. The area of Mount Piambello is characterized by the presence of silicate rocks that originated about 290 million years ago from the multiple volcanic eruptions that took place in this area. In Valganna there are also deposits of travertine rock, locally called "Travertino della Valganna". ## Climatic aspects The park is located in an area characterized by high rainfall values, with strong variability in rainfall from one year to the next. From an analysis of the "isoiete" trend (closed curves that indicate areas affected by the same amount of precipitation), carried out between the years 1921 and 1972, a regular increase of the tendency of regional rainfall starting from the southernmost to the northernmost areas has been observed.This is determined by the influence caused by the mountain ranges belonging to the Alpine arc, and by the influence brought by the Lake Maggiore, located a few kilometers West. # History Several historic settlements have been identified in the park, some dated back to the prehistoric period. An old brewery, an example of the Liberty Architecture, is also located within the Cinque Vette Park. The area gained relevancy before and during the First World War, because a line of forts, bunkers and trenches, originally named the Great North Frontier, was built through the park area [5]. The building of the North Frontier began in 1862. It aimed at protecting the Italian Kingdom and especially the cities of Milan, Turin, Brescia, and Genoa (the port of Genoa, along with these other cities, was the main focal point for the Italian commerce and economy) from possible Swiss, German and Austrian invasions. The name of the fortification derives from the army general Luigi Cadorna, who supported the need and followed its construction during World War I. The main purpose of the Great North Frontier was defending the Italian territories from the attack of the Austrians, who had been in conflict with the northern Italian populations before, as in the Battle of Magenta [8]. It involved a labor force of 40 thousand workers and hundreds of millions of old Italian Lira. None of these forts and war facilities were actually involved in a battle until World War II.The steel and cement line, later regarded by the historians as the Italian Maginot Line, is now become a peaceful and family friendly trail of the Cinque Vette Park, indicated by its name: the "Sentiero di Pace", literally "Trail of Peace". Both Protezione Civile di Cuasso al Monte and Comune di Marzio have worked to preserve the historical heritage linked to the park area: one by restoring the First World War forts of the Cadorna Line, the other by creating an information point to educate the public on all the forts built. The info point of the path "La linea Cadorna - Sentiero della Pace" is located in the council of Marzio [10]. ## Castle of Cuasso Al Monte (ruin) The castle dates back to the High middle age and was built in a strategic spot from which it was possible to control the entire area. It was also pivotal in the thirteenth-century conflict between Guelphs and Ghibellines. After the Duke of Milan obtained it, its traces were completely lost for many years. Its original structure and builders are not known. A few years ago, at the end of a small excavation campaign conducted by some local historians, it emerged that its layout is so unusual that only two similar buildings have been discovered: the now disappeared castle of Trecate and Warkworth Castle, in the northern English county of Northumberland. Before the outbreak of the First World War, General Luigi Cadorna decided to incorporate the ruin of the castle within the Cadorna Line. ## Cross of Mount Poncione On the Poncione peak stands a nine meter tall iron cross that was placed there on 4 April 1954. Don Enrico Borghi had it manufactured in 1914 with the intention to have it put on top of Mount Poncione, but the then owner of the mount denied it. Instead the big cross was placed by the Lourdes Cave and remained there until 1954, when the cave had to be restored and the cross had to be moved. In memory of Don Borghi the project was finally carried out, and in 1954 the cross was placed on top of Mount Poncione, after the new owner allowed its installation.Cement, iron, water and sand were transported up to the Alpe Tedesco with a minivan and then carried by hand to the top of the mount to build the base of the cross. Renovation operations were made in 1979 to commemorate the cross's 25th anniversary, and again in 2004 to mark the 50th anniversary. In 1979 the cross was covered in a particular variety of glass and in 2004 donkeys were used by the volunteers to carry the materials uphill. ## The trade route of Mount Piambello The Mount Piambello, located in the park, is believed by historians to be located on a trade route that once linked the two important commercial centers of Milan and Switzerland, connecting the Varese Fair, the livestock Fair of Angera, and the marketplaces of Como, Sesto Calende and Luino. Archeological evidence for this includes extant portions of the old road stone pavement, and a study of the morphology and toponymy of the area. ## The artistic village of Boarezzo Boarezzo, frazione of Valganna, is an artistic village located within the Cinque Vette Park. This small mountain village is surrounded by vegetation, extensive views and noted for its tranquility. Boarezzo had been a popular tourist destination since the early twentieth century, but had declined as visits decreased and farming activity was progressively abandoned. At the initiative of the painter Mario Alioli, an artistic concept was developed to stop the village's progressive decay by developing Boarezzo's artistic heritage. In the 1980s Aioli and the Pro Loco of Valganna began considering the idea of creating a "borgo dipinto" (in Italian literally "painted village"), in order to attract tourists and restore Boarezzo's lost vitality. Both Aioli and the Pro Loco gathered sixteen painters to represent that rural society using its own traditional crafts, that were slowly disappearing, displaying their paintings on the walls of the village houses. The artistic village was dedicated to two important sculptors: Giuseppe Grandi and Odoardo Tabacchi. Subsequently, an association was founded with the aim of fostering Aioli's initiative and preserve it over time. In 2008 the Association celebrated its twentieth anniversary with two new panels by Mario Alioli and Sergio Colombo which are now hanging in the ancient wash-house of the village. ## Saint Gemolo Abbey The abbey, found in Valganna, was constructed in 1095 and consecrated in 1160. Saint Gemolo's Abbey is famous for being a place of worship in memory of the martyr Saint Gemolo. The structure of the abbey is based around the cloister, which has an unusual pentagonal shape, considered in Roman times the fortified heart of the abbey. The complex also includes a church, a bell tower, housing for its monks and a guest house. During the Middle Ages, due to its architecture and strategic position, it was considered to be a safe shelter for pilgrims. In 1511 the Swiss army penetrated the area, sacking and destroying the structure; immediately afterwards the monks rebuilt the abbey, adding two chapels on the side of the complex. Today the abbey is open for tourists and has two museums: The museum of Saint Gemolo's abbey and the museum of ceramics. In addition to the museums and historical complex, the abbey is also the location of artistic and cultural events. The abbey is the subject of studies by the Association and Province of Varese. ## The alpine village of Mount Piambello The Alpine Village of Mount Piambello is located at 1000 meters above sea level and is the result of a pro bono initiative by the Italian Touring Club (TCI, at the time called "Consociazione Turistica Italiana") to help of orphans from the First World War. The creator was Luigi Vittorio Bertarelli. The costs and the land were given by donations of benefactors and members of the TCI. The latter fund-raised 1 million of old Italian liras to support the Italian army after the devastating defeat of at the Battle of Caporetto, which took place on 19 November 1917 near Caporetto, causing an enormous loss of lives. As a consequence, ₤70,000 in funds were used to create the small village to host the orphans during summer and winter holidays, for two months per year [17]. The project plan was to create a village in a rural location, surrounded by vegetation and at an elevated height, so that the children could experience contact with nature. The children had the chance to enjoy outdoor activities, such as hiking in the several mountains in the park, and in winter to experience skiing and sledging. The village included a cafeteria, a small church, dorms and a hospital. The first fifty guests were from Milan, arriving on 14 July 1921, accompanied by a staff mostly made up of women who volunteered to look after them. In 1922, further donations provided the children with a garden, a cowshed, electricity, showers with running water, and a laundry service. Further works to extend the village took place in 1928, when the second aqueduct and a school were established. The children were not only offered recreational activities but also elementary school education. The Alpine Village of Mount Piambello remained active until the 1980s, hosting a total of 12,000 children. It is currently shut down, and not maintained by any custodians. Recently, the TCI has declared its intention to sell the village at a value of €1.5 million. ## Cuasso al Monte Hospital This hospital is located within the park, precisely at 733 meters of altitude. The building dates back to the first half of the 1600s when the religious congregation of the Carmelitani Scalzi chose this place, called "desert", to build a convent.At the beginning of the 19th century, the Italian Red Cross of Milan turned the building into the headquarter of the Sanatorium Institute for lung diseases. In 1971 it was established as a hospital and in 1981 it passed to the USSL 4 of Arcisate. The hospital was subsequently converted in to a rehabilitation facility that accommodates two areas of specialist rehabilitation, neurology and pulmonology. Each ward includes rehabilitation activities and related services. At the beginning of March 2020 the ASST Sette Laghi (Territorial Healthcare Company) identified the Cuasso Hospital as a facility intended to accommodate COVID-19 patients from all over the region who are recovering from the acute phase of the disease, or who require further monitoring [19]. The facility was set up in two weeks and it was totally converted by its technical office. # The five main peaks The five main Peaks range from 785 meters (Mount Derta), to 1159 meters (Mount Piambello).. ## Mount Piambello Mount Piambello is situated in the heart of the park area, south of the small town of Marzio. This mountain is composed of volcanic rocks and, standing 1159 meters above sea level, dominates the Valceresio, Valganna and Valmarchirolo [21]. From its summit there is a view of the Italian and Swiss Alps, up to the Monte Viso. It is characterized by an extremely varied landscape, in which wide valleys shaped by glaciers alternate with soft pre-alpine hills and numerous waterways [22]. This mountain is of geological interest due to the Peculiarity of Sass di Bol (m.a.s.l [23]. 982 ), a large Monolith in red Porphyry (geology). Steps carved in this huge boulder provide visitors access to reach the panoramic top. ## Mount Poncione Mount Poncione di Ganna is shaped as a pyramid and is 993 meters high. It appears as a wild spur detached from the ridge line that goes from Mount Monarco to Mount Piambello, descending steeply to Alpe Tedesco, with steep walls that border the Valganna valley. In the north-eastern part, steep woods descend towards Alpe Tedesco, whereas on the southern side a gentle crest connects it to the slightly higher Mount Minisfreddo. From the top of Mount Poncione the view includes: the Valganna (Ganna Valley); the Ganna and Ghirla lakes; Campo dei Fiori di Varese; the lakes of the Varesotto (Lake Varese; Lago di Monate and Lago di Comabbio); Mount Martica; the Valceresio (Ceresio Valley); the Lugano Lake; Mount Minisfreddo; Mount San Giorgio; Mount Generoso; Mount Rosa; the Lepontine Alps and the Retiche Alps [25]. ## Val de'Corni Mount Val de'Corni is a wide undulating ridge with the highest point at 993 meters and has a prominence of 45 meters. Although it is squeezed between Mount Poncione and Mount Piambello, this mountain has several points of interest, especially for the presence of many curious porphyry, similar to those of Monte Martica on the other side of the valley [27]. The peak does not offer particular attractions since it is completely obstructed by vegetation. The ridge forms the watershed between the Valganna and the Cavalizza valley offering extensive views of the western Alps, the Monte Generoso area, and the mountains of the Province of Como and Province of Lecco to the east [28]. ## Mount Marzio Mount Marzio is 878 meters high and on its moraine ridge sits the little Council of Marzio. From the top of the mountain, it is possible to see Switzerland and Lake Lugano. The summit is accessible from two points of the village, the first one is immediately after the Madonna degli Alpini monument, the other is situated after Via Bolchini [30]. It takes about one hour to get to the top of the peak. Remains of the trenches of the Cadorna Line are visible along this path. On the top there are some antennas and two flat areas, and from one of these there is a viewpoint over Lake Lugano [32]. A geological fracture named "faglia di Marzio" sections the valley from north-west and separates Mount Marzio from Mount Derta and Mount Piambello [32]. While Mount Derta and Mount Piambello are mainly made up of red porphyry and quartz, Mount Marzio is mainly composed of limestone of sedimentary origin. ## Mount Derta The Mount Derta is 785 meters high and is situated in the eastern part of the council of Marzio. The main path to reach the summi starts from the end of Via Porto Ceresio (Marzio). It takes about one hour to get to the top of the mountain. The trenches of the Cadorna Line on the top of the Mount are still visible, although they are in poor condition. The path that passes through the remains of the Cadorna Line is well maintained, as are some of the bunkers, galleries and trenches [32]. Following the trail it is possible to reach a panoramic spot, "Sasso Paradiso", from which it is possible to see the Lugano Prealps and the Lake Lugano. # Lakes The territory of the park also includes several lakes, the most important ones being the Ghirla Lake and the Ganna Lake.. ## Ghirla Lake The Ghirla Lake is a small lake of glacial origin and is surrounded by an environment rich in vegetation. The Ghirla Lake is located at 442 meters above sea level, is up to 14 meters deep and has as its only affluent the Margorabbia river [35]. The Lake was the location of the first ice skating contest of Italy in 1914 and the winner was Giuseppe Peck. The area has been affected by climate change, and despite the nickname of “Siberia del Varesotto”, the temperatures do not drop as low as they used to in the past [36]. This decrease in winter temperatures has made the lake far more dangerous for ice skaters, and in winter 2017 the mayor of Valganna recommended citizens not to skate or walk on the Lake. The Ghirla Lake has a small beach, covered in green grass, and since the water is very clean, it is a popular summer swimming location [37]. It is also popular for camping and horse riding. [38]. In the Ghirla Lake area are situated the Valganna Caves, of karst origin, and the Birra Poretti factory. ## Ganna Lake Lake Ganna takes the name from the valley it sits in, Valganna, and is situated 452 meters above sea level in a wooded area. It has environmental significance due to the presence of small animals and plants that originally colonized the area during the last ice age and now constitute rare species, preserved due to the particular environmental conditions of the valley.The Ganna Lake has a surface area of 6 hectares, an average depth of 2 meters (reaching a maximum depth of 4 meters), and a perimeter of 1 kilometer. The lake is particularly clean due to the frequent change of the water (more than once a month), and the absence of factories and other polluting factors. Ganna Lake's principal affluent is the Margorabbia river. The temperatures near the river stay relatively low all year round and this affects the flora and fauna. ## Laghetto di Cavagnano The Laghetto di Cavagnano, also called Torbiera di Cavagnano, is a small lake situated near the hamlet of Cavagnano (Cuasso al Monte). It is fueled by springs situated under the lake. It has only one effluent, which after a few hundred meters becomes a tributary of the Cavallizza. # Flora and fauna ## Flora The vegetation found in the Cinque Vette Park area is typical of the Northern Prealps. The most common plant is the Chestnut wood, dominant in the altimetric range between 450 and 700 meters [2]. Mountain Maple, Field Maple, Ash, and occasionally Oak and White Hornbeam have also been observed in the area. The herbaceous flora of the chestnut undergrowth includes the anemone, the crocus, the primrose, the periwinkle, the liverwort and the lungwort. More rarely, cyclamen and narcissus have been identifies, especially on calcareous soils. In cooler and more humid areas, generally above 900 meters, a majority of beech forest grows; its undergrowth includes Prenanthes purpurea, Sorrel, Asperula Odorata, Lilium Martagon, Cyclamen, Solomon's Seal, and Firefly Grass among the shrubs and herbaceous plants. The anthropogenic reforestation of conifers (Spruce, Scots pine, and Strobe Pine) are marginal: easier to find are the anthropogenic reforestations of Locust trees, which can be found especially along the banks of rivers and Lake Lugano. On the sides of Mount Piambello heather grows densely, as do berry bushes on the road that links Ghirla to Badero Valcuvia and Mondonico [42]. ## Fauna Some of the mammals that commonly populate the Piambello territory are foxes, moles, squirrels, badgers, wild boars, hedgehogs. In 2012 the Province of Varese also confirmed the presence of a few isolated specimens of deer and a young chamois has been spotted in the area between Ghirla and Cunardo in 2005. Nests of the mute swan were found on the Lake Lugano and the Tresa shores. The mallard, moorhen and the sedentary and migrant coots, inhabitants of swamps and small lakes rich in vegetation like the Ganna Lake, the Ghirla Lake and the Laghetto Cicogna (Arcisate), are the most common volatiles in the province. There are rarer occurrences of the diurnal rapacious Biancone, whose nests are usually found in the area between Campo dei Fiori and the Ganna Valley. Autoctone fauna is preserved in a small lake in the fraction of Cavagnano, Cuasso al Monte (Laghetto di Cavagnano). The frosone, a finch that nests at a height of 200–600 meters, nests in the Lavena Ponte Tresa and Valganna area, like the Black Kite, whose nests are placed in isolated places [43]. Groups of bats have been found in the Valganna caves, in the Orrido di Cunardo and on the Mount Pravello. Some of the amphibians common toad, common frog, latest frog, green frog, dalmatian frog and fire salamander Italian tree frog and the dotted newt have been found in the area. Lake Ganna is home to roach, rudd, perch, tench and catfish. Pike inhabits both the pond and the waterways connected to it. The native crayfish is a rare crustacean that stands out for its high naturalistic value and location. Lake Ghirla hosts rudd, tench, carp, perch, and pike. # Activities ## Trails The following hiking trails are available in the park: [44]. ### Punta Paradiso - Alpe Croce This trek is a circular route accessible from Cuasso al Monte, Marzio and Valganna. The closest access is from Marzio, from which it takes about four hours to walk its 4.3 kilometers of length. The path intersects a number of valleys, woods and streams.An alternative trek starts from Cavagnano (council of Cuasso al Monte) and takes approximately four hours, with an ascent of about 400 meters and 11 kilometers of walking. From Punta Paradiso there is a view from above of Lake Lugano. After leaving Punta Paradiso, the trek goes through the First World War trenches of the Cadorna Line, until reaching the Sasso Paradiso. Then, climbing up to the Alpe Croce and to Bocchetta Stivioni, the highest point of this trek is reached. The way back to Cavagnano goes through the village of Imborgnana (Cuasso al Monte) from where an old and narrow road leads to Cavagnano. On this trail a particular panoramic spot, Sasso Paradiso, offers a view on the Lugano Lake, Ticinesi and Comasche Prealps [45]. ### Cavagnano Poncione This 14 kilometers long trail starts from the Laghetto di Cavagnano and takes about four hours to be completed, with approximately 450 meters of ascent.The trek passes through boulders and cliffs of red porphyry and has unpaved roads. After having walked this path, the Torrente Cavallizza is reached. The trek continues among chestnuts and beech woods until reaching the road, which links Bisuschio to Alpe Tedesco; from this point starts the way up to Mount Poncione. The summit gives a view of the Valceresio and the Valganna. ### Cammino dei Frontalieri This Trek takes about 3 hours and a half to be completed, it is a round tour with 350 meters ascent.The route starts from the Laghetto di Cavagnano (Cuasso al Monte). This trek does not lead to the mountain summit. It leads to Porto Ceresio, from which a woodland path returns to the start at Cavagnano. ### Bocchetta Sasso Bolle This trek starts from the Cuasso al Monte Hospital. It is 12 kilometers long, with 500 meters ascent. It is a circular tour and takes about four hours and a half to be completed. After leaving the Hospital the Bocchetta dei Frati is reached via a woodland path, from which a path leads to the attraction of this trek, the Sass Boll observatory, in proximity of the summit of Mount Piambello. From the summit, a walking path returns to the starting point. ### Bocchetta Marzio Stivioni The route starts from the Hospital of Cuasso al Monte and takes about two hours to be completed. It is 8 kilometers long and 250 meters ascent.The first path leads to Bocchetta dei Frati, then descends to the village of Marzio. From here, the path climbs to reach the Bocchetta degli Stivioni. ## Mountain biking There are five main mountain biking trails, most of them require skills and cautious behavior while others, less difficult, are featured for beginners in order to improve their skills.. Marathon Trail. The Marathon Trail is the main mountain biking trail within the park. It retraces for a big portion part of the tracks, on which it takes place the Granfondo "Tre Valli Varesine Off-Road" event. It has an estimated travel time of about 3 hours to cover its 29,2 km of length. The itinerary starts from the parking in front of the lake in Porto Ceresio, heading hinterland towards Cuasso al Piano, then it continues on to the hamlet of Roncaccio until it reaches a steep ascent towards the village of Pogliana. The route then continues in the direction of Alpe Tedesco along a forest road which is characterized by patchy downhills. The track then goes towards the Alpe Tedesco, skimming the slopes of the Poncione di Ganna, and descends in the direction of the Cuasso al Monte hospital, where there are some short ups and downs during the loss of altitude. Once reached the crossroads of the hospital, the track keeps on to the area of Imborgnana until it reaches the highest point of the path at the Bocchetta dei Frati. The path continues downhill to the small town of Marzio towards Mount Derta and avoiding the deviation that goes up to the right for the Bocchetta Stivione, it continues straight on reaching Alpe Croce, then by taking a short variant it is possible to reach the panoramic viewpoint of Sasso Paradiso. Then the trail goes back to the main track where it starts the descent to Porto Ceresio on a good sliding path which leads to find again the asphalt before reaching the hamlet of Borgnana, underneath the city of Cuasso Al Monte. Finally, for the return to Porto Ceresio, there are several options: one goes up towards Borgnana, heading to the provincial road of Porto Ceresio, a few hundred meters from the starting point; alternatively, once finished the path previously described, it is possible to go down directly before Porto Ceresio and take the provincial road that runs along the lake, or another variant could be going up to Borgnana and end the biking tour in Cuasso al Piano where there are road variants to quickly return to Porto Ceresio. ### Patanegra This trail takes its name from the Spanish delicacy, and it was added in 2018 for the first Enduro Cup Lombardy. The track starts at the height of Alpe del Tedesco and descends to Cuasso al Piano, with a length of almost 6 kilometers and a descent of 700 meters [52]. The black diamond single track trail of Patanegra can only be biked downhill, and it takes on average 12 minutes to be completed. ### Cross Country This track is 2 kilometers long and climbs about 400 meters. It passes Lake Lugano and offers views of the First World War trenches. This mountain biking trail is a circular route combining history, nature and sport. ### Happy Mountain The almost 5 kilometers track is divided into 2 different routes, Happy High and Happy Low. Happy High starts from the highest point of the mountain, above the Cavagnano pond. It is the most difficult track of the two, with various technical points and jumps. This track is recommended for beginner riders to help them gain more confidence and speed while still enjoying the panoramic views that it has to offer.While this set of trails offers inexperienced bikers an opportunity to better their skills, it also suits expert bikers. The trail is featured with double jumps, drops, a rock garden, and many turns, all linked by curves and parabolas that keep the rhythm of biking fast. It is only biked downhill and it is advised to bike them on AM, Cross Country, and Fat tires bikes.Happy low is much easier if compared to Happy High. This mountain biking trail is suitable for every biker, and it is also ideal to get familiar with the pace and the skills required for mountain biking.The entry point of this trail is situated right behind the elementary schools of Cuasso al Monte. ### Titanium This 9 kilometer-trail starts from Monte Scerè and has and is steep for 532 meters. It is one of the most technical mountain bike trails due to its many difficult and technical curves. The second part of the trail has one of the best views of the entire park. The panoramic spot, from which it is possible to see Lake Lugano, is named Punta Paradiso.It has a loop structure and it is advised to bike it on AM, Cross Country bikes, and it is a one-direction trail. ## Running ### Trail Prealpi Varesine The US ACLI Cavagnano ASD organizes a cross country running contest, the Trail Prealpi Varesine, a circuit that includes a race through the Cinque Vette Park. The event is constituted of two paths, which both intersect within the park itself, making it one of the most panoramic trail in the Province of Varese. The Cuasso al Monte race is the second race of the Trail Prealpi Varesine Circuit [58]. It is also possible to participate by walking, rather than competing as a runner. The 5 Vette trail (T5V) is 28.4 kilometers long with a 1550 D+ [59]. A shorter trail aimed at non-competitive participation also exists: it is the Mini Trail 5 Vette (mT5V), with a length of 12.5 kilometers with an 800 D+. # Gallery ..

Cinque Vette Park, located in the Varese Prealps of Italy, is a natural expanse that spans over 14 square kilometers, covering territories within the municipalities of Cuasso al Monte, Marzio, and Valganna. This park is renowned for its diverse ecosystems and is recognized for its participation in the Life TIB conservation project, which seeks to create a corridor between the Alps and the Po Valley, emphasizing the park's environmental importance. The park is also known for its scenic lakes, including Ghirla and Ganna, and the protected Laghetto di Cavagnano, all of which contribute to the region's rich biodiversity. Geologically, the park is part of the complex Varesine Prealps and showcases a range of rock formations, including ancient silicate rocks from volcanic activity and local deposits of travertine. The region's climate is heavily influenced by the Alpine range and nearby Lake Maggiore, resulting in high precipitation levels that vary significantly from year to year. The area's history is characterized by the presence of prehistoric settlements, a Liberty-style brewery, and the remnants of the Cadorna Line—a line of WWI defensive structures designed to protect Northern Italy from potential invasions. The region's heritage is further underscored by landmarks such as the ruins of the Castle of Cuasso Al Monte, the Cross of Mount Poncione, and the cultural gem of the artistic village of Boarezzo, where artists have revitalized the community through painted murals. Additionally, the Saint Gemolo Abbey and the Alpine Village of Mount Piambello represent the park's rich cultural history, with the former housing museums and hosting cultural events, and the latter originally established to aid war orphans. Cinque Vette Park is named for its five main peaks, with Mount Piambello and Mount Poncione being the most prominent, offering panoramic views and serving as significant geological and historical sites. The park's bodies of water, primarily Ghirla and Ganna Lakes, are of glacial origin and provide habitats for various species, making them crucial for conservation efforts. The park's flora includes a wide range of species, with chestnut woods and beech forests being particularly notable, while the fauna encompasses a variety of mammals, birds, and aquatic life, some of which are rare and protected. For outdoor enthusiasts, Cinque Vette Park offers a wealth of activities, such as hiking trails like Punta Paradiso-Alpe Croce and Cammino dei Frontalieri, which provide opportunities to explore the park's natural and historical attractions. The park also caters to mountain biking aficionados with trails like the Marathon Trail and Patanegra, and hosts running events such as the Trail Prealpi Varesine, which challenge participants with stunning routes through the park's landscapes.

COVID-19_pandemic_in_West_Bengal

# Timeline ## February 4 February: A Kolkata Airport passenger was kept under hospitalization. Later he was tested negative. ## March 17 March: One male, aged 18 years who had returned from the UK on 15 March, was tested positive. 20 March: One male, aged 22 years who had returned from the UK on 13 March, was tested positive. 21 March: One female, aged 23 years who had returned from Scotland on 19 March, was tested positive. 22 March: One male, aged 57 years who was admitted to a private facility in North Kolkata, was tested positive. 23 March: First COVID-19 death was reported as the 57-year-old male patient expired at the private facility. He was a railway employee and recently came from Bilaspur. Two males (48 years and 20 years) and one female (47 years), who were in direct contacts of a positive case, were tested positive. 24 March: One 58-year-old male, who returned from Egypt and one 55-year-old female, who returned from the UK, were tested positive. 26 March: One male, aged 66 years who was admitted to a private facility in South Kolkata, was tested positive. 27 March: One male (aged 11 years) and four females (aged 27 years, 45 years, 6 years and 9 months), all belonging to a close group of siblings and relatives, were tested positive. They came in contact with a positive case in Delhi who came from the UK on 16 March. [12]. 28 March: Two females, aged 76 years and 56 years who both were kept under quarantine for coming in direct contact with one previously COVID-19 positive case, were tested positive. They came in contact with their close relatives who came from the US and Singapore. [13]. 29 March: One female of about 44 years who was admitted to a government hospital in Kalimpong on 28 March and had travel history to Thailand and Kerala, was found positive. 30 March: The female of 44 years from Kalimpong district expired at a government hospital in Siliguri. Another female of 48 years, who expired at a government hospital in Howrah with a case of Severe Acute Respiratory Illness, was later found COVID-19 positive [15]. 31 March: One male, who was aged 57 years and had Severe Acute Respiratory Illness, expired at a private facility in Howrah. He was tested positive. Total death count at the end of this month is 4. ## April 1 April: One male, aged 57 years having kidney failure and one male, aged 50. ## July 15 July: Death toll reaches 1,000.. 23 July: Total positive cases cross 50,000. # Testing ## Facilities As of 22 July, the state has 56 laboratories approved by Indian Council of Medical Research for testing. The total number of testing in West Bengal is still lagging in comparison with states with similar economic stature, for example, the state of Rajasthan has conducted more than 5 lakh tests as of 08/06/2020, whereas the state of West Bengal has done around 2.6 lakh tests until this date [19] [20]. To date, West Bengal has the capacity of testing little more than 9000 samples in a day whereas Rajasthan has built the capacity of testing ~12000 samples per day. [citation needed]. # Hotspots The West Bengal state government has identified 7 hotspots as of 7 April 2020. The names of hotspots are not officially disclosed. There are rumours that Kolkata, Howrah, Belgharia, Haldia, Egra, Tehatta and Kalimpong are the 7 hotspots. People living here have been asked to stay inside. # Government Activities 14 March: Government on Saturday announced that all schools, colleges and universities in the state will remain closed until 31 March, in the view of evolving situation on the spread of COVID-19. 17 March: State government stepped up its defence with chief minister Mamata Banerjee announcing the closure of educational institutions until 15 April. She said that even ICDS would be closed until 15 April and two kilograms of rice and potatoes would be sent to the children directly so that the meals can be cooked at home. 21 March: The government has mandated a partial work-from-home system for 7.9 crore people who get subsidized rations. The CM promised that government will give free ration to the poor until September. 23 March: West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee announced Monday that the state government is creating a Rs 200 crore fund to deal with the impact of COVID-19. 24 March: Entire West Bengal was brought under lock down until 31 March. 25 March: West Bengal Government converts Medical College & Hospital, Kolkata, for isolation of people suspected with Coronavirus. 30 March: West Bengal government issues order to authorities of every districts to set up temporary arrangements of shelter and food to migrants and poor. # Allegations against West Bengal Government Chief Minister of West Bengal Mamata Banerjee and her government was widely criticised of the handling of the coronavirus pandemic and was accused of concealing facts by the opposition and critics. The opposition accused Mamata of playing "appeasement politics" amid the COVID-19 crisis [30] [31]. On 1 April, Banerjee claimed that the West Bengal Government have already traced 54 people who attended the Tablighi Jamaat religious gathering during the COVID-19 Outbreak, and 44 of them are foreigners. Although according to a report by central security agencies, 232 people had attended the Delhi's Tablighi Jamaat event from West Bengal. Of this, 123 are Indian nationals and 109 are foreigners. Sooner she clarified that her government has acted swiftly after the Nizamuddin area was declared as a hotspot where nearly 2,300 people were staying despite the lockdown [31] [32]. She further added that the government has quarantined 177 people, including 108 foreigners, who attended the Tablighi Jamaat congregation at the Nizamuddin Markaz. The West Bengal Government has been also criticised for not sending enough samples to the National Institute of Cholera and Enteric Diseases (NICED) for testing. West Bengal test numbers saw some rise after talks between government and NICED [36] [37]. According to them, this will be scaled up further in coming days. The West Bengal Government has also been recommended to ensure transparency, genuine and verifiable data of COVID-19 by the West Bengal Doctors Forum (WBDF), as doctors cannot afford to send wrong signals to the world. The doctors also hit out at the idea of the bureaucratic system to identify the death of COVID-19 patients. Their spokesperson claimed that every doctor is qualified enough and does not need a committee for such certification. On April 25, 2020, The WB Govt admitted that 57 COVID-19 patients died but also said that 39 from comorbidities, after Inter Ministerial Central Team (IMCT) seeks report [39]. The IMCT also pointed out flaws of the Govt in their letter to the Chief Secretary Rajiva Sinha, in which the letter read:. # Leakage Of Covid-19 Test Reports On February 18, 2021, News18 published an article on their site by the headline "West Bengal Health Dept Left Over 1 Lakh Covid-19 Reports Exposed to Public Search". According to the article by News18, Sourajeet Majumder an independent security researcher discovered that the official Government site Archived 28 October 2021 at the Wayback Machine of West Bengal Health & Family Welfare Department was leaking over 1 Lakh reports of COVID-19 tests done in the state. These reports contained sensitive information in them like patient's name, age, residence address, address of referring hospital (in some cases) and the exact date and time of testing which according to Sourajeet could be easily accessed by anyone and could contribute significantly to identity scams, cyber blackmail efforts and identity thefts.. The article further stated that Majumder reached out to CERT-In, who acknowledged the breach to Majumder. Sourajeet also claimed that he had reached out to the system coordinator, who manages the West Bengal State Health Department website. However, as per February 18, 2021, the concerned person issued no response.. News18 independently verified Majumder's claims.. # Emergency Relief Fund Appeal by the West Bengal Government In the wake of the pandemic situation, the West Bengal Government appealed to contribute in the West Bengal State Emergency Relief Fund and assist the State in prevention and control of COVID-19 situation. The details of how to contribute could be found here: https://wb.gov.in/COVID-19.aspx. # Non Government Organization Efforts Many Non Government Organizations, Clubs, Religious Organizations, Political Parties, Persons and NRIs take part in COVID-19 Pandemic control besides Government Efforts. Baranagore Ramakrishna Mission Ashrama High School was continuing the relief services to the families affected by the lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic during first wave of COVID-19. Ex-students of this school organised a COVID relief fund and delivered much-needed oxygen, food, and necessary things to COVID-19 affected patients and their families of Baranagar and neighborhood areas of North Kolkata during second wave of COVID-19 [42]. Red Volunteers are providing ground level helps to COVID-19 affected citizens. West Bengal Doctors Forum, a non-government organization of doctors joined hands with SwitchON to provide free telemedicine services. In light of increased oxygen demand in second wave of COVID-19, a Kolkata-based non-government organization liver foundation in collaboration with the West Bengal government's health department started a project called 'Oxygen on Wheels' to provide free oxygen to those in need. Doctors from R.G. Kar Medical College developed People Care Network App to organize COVID-19 related leads and resources to help citizens. An NGO from West Bengal, working for underprivileged started locating people with COVID-19 Symptoms and providing medical help. # Containment Zones The centre has identified 170 COVID-19 hotspot districts in 25 states across India. The states have been asked to classify hotspot areas as red zones and focus on converting the red zones to orange and then green zones.. The West Bengal government on Monday released a list, saying four districts, including Kolkata, have been declared as red zones in the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak, and 348 areas as containment zones, out of which Kolkata has 227. There are some districts in Orange & Green zones. The lockdown process will be strict in those Red Zone Containment areas. Some relaxation will be given to Orange zones and Most relaxation will be given to Green Zones.. The West Bengal government has been sharing regular updates of the lists of containment zones from 4 May 2020.

The detailed Wikipedia page provides an in-depth account of the progression of COVID-19 cases and responses in West Bengal, from the initial hospitalization in February to the escalation of cases and governmental actions through July. The early stages of the pandemic in February featured isolated incidents, such as a passenger hospitalized in Kolkata who later tested negative. In March, cases began to emerge, including a young male returning from the UK who tested positive, followed by additional cases involving individuals with travel history to the UK and Scotland, and the first COVID-19 death on 23 March. Subsequent cases were reported in various demographics, and the month concluded with four deaths. As the pandemic continued, the situation in April grew more severe, and by July, the death toll rose to 1,000, with total positive cases crossing the 50,000 mark. West Bengal's testing infrastructure was criticized for being inadequate in comparison to other states with similar economic profiles. By late July, West Bengal had 56 approved laboratories, but testing capacity remained low. The state identified seven hotspots, but the exact locations were not officially disclosed, leading to speculation and rumors. The West Bengal government took several measures to control the spread of the virus. Schools, colleges, and universities were ordered closed in mid-March, with subsequent extensions and additional closures of other educational institutions. The state mandated partial work-from-home arrangements and promised free rations to the impoverished through September. A complete lockdown was imposed from 24 March, and Medical College & Hospital in Kolkata was repurposed for isolation purposes. Authorities were directed to provide shelter and food to migrants and the poor. The government faced numerous allegations, including accusations of data concealment and inadequate testing, especially after the Tablighi Jamaat event. Criticism intensified over the management of testing and reporting of deaths. The opposition accused the state's leadership of playing politics during the crisis. In a significant privacy breach, it was reported that over 100,000 COVID-19 test reports containing sensitive personal information had been left exposed to public search on the official health department website. This vulnerability raised concerns about potential identity-related scams and thefts. The West Bengal government appealed for contributions to the West Bengal State Emergency Relief Fund to bolster efforts against COVID-19. Various non-governmental organizations (NGOs), religious groups, political parties, and individuals played a vital role in providing relief and support. Notable efforts included the Baranagore Ramakrishna Mission's ongoing support to affected families and the introduction of initiatives like 'Oxygen on Wheels' by a local NGO in collaboration with the state's health department. Finally, the central government identified numerous hotspot districts, prompting states to categorize areas as red, orange, or green zones, based on the severity of outbreaks, with West Bengal declaring four districts as red zones and releasing regular updates on containment zones and related restrictions.

List_of_American_theatrical_animated_feature_films_(2020–present)

# Films

Films, or movies, are a form of visual storytelling and an art form that combines moving images and sound to create a narrative or convey messages. They can also include other sensory stimulations and are a significant part of the entertainment industry. Films reflect cultural values and can influence society. The filmmaking process has evolved to encompass various genres and types, such as feature films, shorts, documentaries, and animations. The industry involves a collaborative effort from directors, producers, actors, writers, and other crew members. Films undergo critical evaluation and are measured by their box office performance, awards, and cultural impact.