title: AOL

text: On August 24, 2005, America Online agreed to pay $1.25 million to the state of New York and reformed its customer service procedures. Under the agreement, AOL would no longer require its customer service representatives to meet a minimum quota for customer retention in order to receive a bonus. However the agreement only covered people in the state of New York.


title: AOL

text: On June 13, 2006, Vincent Ferrari documented his account cancellation phone call in a blog post, stating he had switched to broadband years earlier. In the recorded phone call, the AOL representative refused to cancel the account unless the 30-year-old Ferrari explained why AOL hours were still being recorded on it. Ferrari insisted that AOL software was not even installed on the computer. When Ferrari demanded that the account be canceled regardless, the AOL representative asked to speak with Ferrari's father, for whom the account had been set up. The conversation was aired on CNBC. When CNBC reporters tried to have an account on AOL cancelled, they were hung up on immediately and it ultimately took more than 45 minutes to cancel the account.


title: AOL

text: On July 19, 2006, AOL's entire retention manual was released on the Internet. On August 3, 2006, Time Warner announced that the company would be dissolving AOL's retention centers due to its profits hinging on $1 billion in cost cuts. The company estimated that it would lose more than six million subscribers over the following year.


title: AOL

text: Prior to 2006, AOL was infamous for the unsolicited mass direct mail of 3" floppy disks and CD-ROMs containing their software. They were the most frequent user of this marketing tactic, and received criticism for the environmental cost of the campaign. According to "PC World", in the 1990s "you couldn't open a magazine ("PC World" included) or your mailbox without an AOL disk falling out of it".


title: AOL

text: The mass distribution of these disks was seen as wasteful by the public and led to protest groups. One such was No More AOL CDs, a web-based effort by two IT workers to collect one million disks with the intent to return the disks to AOL. The website was started in August 2001, and an estimated 410,176 CDs were collected by August 2007 when the project was shut down.


title: AOL

text: In 2000, AOL was served with an $8 billion lawsuit alleging that its AOL 5.0 software caused significant difficulties for users attempting to use third-party Internet service providers. The lawsuit sought damages of up to $1000 for each user that had downloaded the software cited at the time of the lawsuit. AOL later agreed to a settlement of $15 million, without admission of wrongdoing. The AOL software then was given a feature called AOL Dialer, or AOL Connect on . This feature allowed users to connect to the ISP without running the full interface. This allowed users to use only the applications they wish to use, especially if they do not favor the AOL Browser.


title: AOL

text: AOL 9.0 was once identified by Stopbadware as being "under investigation" for installing additional software without disclosure, and modifying browser preferences, toolbars, and icons. However, as of the release of AOL 9.0 VR (Vista Ready) on January 26, 2007, it was no longer considered badware due to changes AOL made in the software.


title: AOL

text: When AOL gave clients access to Usenet in 1993, they hid at least one newsgroup in standard list view: "alt.aol-sucks". AOL did list the newsgroup in the alternative description view, but changed the description to "Flames and complaints about America Online". With AOL clients swarming Usenet newsgroups, the old, existing user base started to develop a strong distaste for both AOL and its clients, referring to the new state of affairs as Eternal September.


title: AOL

text: AOL discontinued access to Usenet on June 25, 2005. No official details were provided as to the cause of decommissioning Usenet access, except providing users the suggestion to access Usenet services from a third-party, Google Groups. AOL then provided community-based message boards in lieu of Usenet.


title: AOL

text: AOL has a detailed set of guidelines and expectations for users on their service, known as the Terms of Service (TOS, also known as Conditions of Service, or COS in the UK). It is separated into three different sections: "Member Agreement", "Community Guidelines" and "Privacy Policy". All three agreements are presented to users at time of registration and digital acceptance is achieved when they access the AOL service. During the period when volunteer chat room hosts and board monitors were used, chat room hosts were given a brief online training session and test on Terms of Service violations.


title: AOL

text: There have been many complaints over rules that govern an AOL user's conduct. Some users disagree with the TOS, citing the guidelines are too strict to follow coupled with the fact the TOS may change without users being made aware. A considerable cause for this was likely due to alleged censorship of user-generated content during the earlier years of growth for AOL.


title: AOL

text: In early 2005, AOL stated its intention to implement a certified email system called Goodmail, which will allow companies to send email to users with whom they have pre-existing business relationships, with a visual indication that the email is from a trusted source and without the risk that the email messages might be blocked or stripped by spam filters.


title: AOL

text: This decision drew fire from MoveOn, which characterized the program as an "email tax", and the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), which characterized it as a shakedown of non-profits. A website called Dearaol.com was launched, with an online petition and a blog that garnered hundreds of signatures from people and organizations expressing their opposition to AOL's use of Goodmail.


title: AOL

text: Esther Dyson defended the move in an editorial in "The New York Times", saying "I hope Goodmail succeeds, and that it has lots of competition. I also think it and its competitors will eventually transform into services that more directly serve the interests of mail recipients. Instead of the fees going to Goodmail and AOL, they will also be shared with the individual recipients."


title: AOL

text: Tim Lee of the Technology Liberation Front posted an article that questioned the Electronic Frontier Foundation's adopting a confrontational posture when dealing with private companies. Lee's article cited a series of discussions on Declan McCullagh's Politechbot mailing list on this subject between the EFF's Danny O'Brien and antispammer Suresh Ramasubramanian, who has also compared the EFF's tactics in opposing Goodmail to tactics used by Republican political strategist Karl Rove. SpamAssassin developer Justin Mason posted some criticism of the EFF's and Moveon's "going overboard" in their opposition to the scheme.


title: AOL

text: The dearaol.com campaign lost momentum and disappeared, with the last post to the now defunct dearaol.com blog—"AOL starts the shakedown" being made on May 9, 2006.


title: AOL

text: Comcast, who also used the service, announced on its website that Goodmail had ceased operations and as of February 4, 2011, they no longer used the service.


title: AOL

text: On August 4, 2006, AOL released a compressed text file on one of its websites containing 20 million search keywords for over 650,000 users over a 3-month period between March 1, 2006 and May 31, intended for research purposes. AOL pulled the file from public access by August 7, but not before its wide distribution on the Internet by others. Derivative research, titled "A Picture of Search" was published by authors Pass, Chowdhury and Torgeson for The First International Conference on Scalable Information Systems.


title: AOL

text: The data were used by websites such as AOLstalker for entertainment purposes, where users of AOLstalker are encouraged to judge AOL clients based on the humorousness of personal details revealed by search behavior.


title: AOL

text: In 2003, Jason Smathers, an AOL employee, was convicted of stealing America Online's 92 million screen names and selling them to a known spammer. Smathers pled guilty to conspiracy charges in 2005. Smathers pled guilty to violations of the US CAN-SPAM Act of 2003. He was sentenced in August 2005 to 15 months in prison; the sentencing judge also recommended Smathers be forced to pay $84,000 in restitution, triple the $28,000 that he sold the addresses for.


title: AOL

text: On February 27, 2012, a class action lawsuit was filed against Support.com, Inc. and partner AOL, Inc. The lawsuit alleged Support.com and AOL's Computer Checkup "scareware" (which uses software developed by Support.com) misrepresented that their software programs would identify and resolve a host of technical problems with computers, offered to perform a free "scan," which often found problems with users' computers. The companies then offered to sell software—for which AOL allegedly charged $4.99 a month and Support.com $29—to remedy those problems. Both AOL, Inc. and Support.com, Inc. settled on May 30, 2013, for $8.5 million. This included $25.00 to each valid class member and $100,000 each to Consumer Watchdog and the Electronic Frontier Foundation. Judge Jacqueline Scott Corley wrote: "Distributing a portion of the [funds] to Consumer Watchdog will meet the interests of the silent class members because the organization will use the funds to help protect consumers across the nation from being subject to the types of fraudulent and misleading conduct that is alleged here," and "EFF's mission includes a strong consumer protection component, especially in regards to online protection."


title: AOL

text: Following media reports about PRISM, NSA's massive electronic surveillance program, in June 2013, several technology companies were identified as participants, including AOL. According to leaks of said program, AOL joined the PRISM program in 2011.


title: AOL

text: At one time, most AOL users had an online "profile" hosted by the AOL Hometown service. When AOL Hometown was discontinued, users had to create a new profile on Bebo. This was an unsuccessful attempt to create a social network that would compete with Facebook. When the value of Bebo decreased to a tiny fraction of the $850 million AOL paid for it, users were forced to recreate their profiles yet again, on a new service called AOL Lifestream.


title: AOL

text: AOL took the decision to shut down Lifestream on February 24, 2017, and gave users one month's notice to save photos and videos that had been uploaded to Lifestream. Following the shutdown, AOL no longer provides any option for hosting user profiles.


title: AOL

text: During the Hometown/Bebo/Lifestream era, another user's profile could be displayed by clicking the "Buddy Info" button in the AOL Desktop software. After the shutdown of Lifestream, this was no longer supported, but opened to the AIM home page (www.aim.com), which also became defunct, redirecting to AOL's home page.


title: Jujutsu

text: Jujutsu ( ; , ), also known as jiu-jitsu and ju-jitsu, is a family of Japanese martial arts and a system of close combat (unarmed or with a minor weapon) that can be used in a defensive or offensive manner to kill or subdue one or more weaponless or armed and armored opponents. Jiu-jitsu dates back to the 1530s and was coined by Hisamori Tenenouchi when he officially established the first jiu-jitsu school in Japan. This form of martial arts uses few or no weapons at all and includes strikes, throws, holds, and paralyzing attacks against the enemy. Jujutsu developed from the warrior class around the 17th century in Japan. It was designed to supplement the swordsmanship of a warrior during combat. A subset of techniques from certain styles of jujutsu were used to develop many modern martial arts and combat sports, such as judo, aikido, sambo, ARB, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, and mixed martial arts. The official date of foundation of Jiu Jitsu is 1530.


title: Jujutsu

text: "Jū" can be translated as "gentle, soft, supple, flexible, pliable, or yielding", and "jutsu" can be translated as "art or technique". "Jujutsu" thus has the meaning of "yielding-art", as its core philosophy is to manipulate the opponent's force against themself rather than confronting it with one's own force. Jujutsu developed to combat the samurai of feudal Japan as a method for defeating an armed and armored opponent in which one uses no form of weapon, or only a short weapon. Because striking against an armored opponent proved ineffective, practitioners learned that the most efficient methods for neutralizing an enemy took the form of pins, joint locks, and throws. These techniques were developed around the principle of using an attacker's energy against them, rather than directly opposing it.


title: Jujutsu

text: There are many variations of the art, which leads to a diversity of approaches. Jujutsu schools ("ryū") may utilize all forms of grappling techniques to some degree (e.g., throwing, takedowns, leg sweeps, trapping, pins, joint locks, holds, chokeholds, strangulation, gouging, biting, hair pulling, disengagements, and striking. In addition to jujutsu, many schools teach the use of weapons. Today, jujutsu is practiced in both traditional self-defense oriented and modern sports forms. Derived sport forms include the Olympic sport and martial art of judo, which was developed by Kanō Jigorō in the late 19th century from several traditional styles of jujutsu, and sambo and Brazilian jiu-jitsu, which were derived from earlier (pre–World War II) versions of Kodokan judo that had more emphasis on ground fighting (which also caused the creation of kosen judo).


title: Jujutsu

text: "Jujutsu", the standard English language spelling, is derived using the Hepburn romanization system. Before the first half of the 20th century, however, "jiu-Jitsu" and "ju-jitsu" were preferred, even though the romanization of the second kanji as "Jitsu" is not faithful to the standard Japanese pronunciation. It was a non-standardized spelling resulting from how English-speakers heard the second short u in the word, which is pronounced /ɯ/ and therefore close to a short English i. This may also be a reflection of the speech of Shitamachi that merges 'ju' into 'ji'. Since Japanese martial arts first became widely known of in the West in that time period, these earlier spellings are still common in many places. "Ju-jitsu" is still a common spelling in France, Canada, and the United Kingdom while "jiu-jitsu" is most widely used in Germany and Brazil. Different from the Japanese pronunciation, the word "Jujutsu" is still usually pronounced as if it is spelled "jujitsu" in the United States.


title: Jujutsu

text: Some define jujutsu and similar arts rather narrowly as "unarmed" close combat systems used to defeat or control an enemy who is similarly unarmed. Basic methods of attack include hitting or striking, thrusting or punching, kicking, throwing, pinning or immobilizing, strangling, and joint locking. Great pains were also taken by the bushi (classic warriors) to develop effective methods of defense, including parrying or blocking strikes, thrusts and kicks, receiving throws or joint locking techniques (i.e., falling safely and knowing how to "blend" to neutralize a technique's effect), releasing oneself from an enemy's grasp, and changing or shifting one's position to evade or neutralize an attack. As "jujutsu" is a collective term, some schools or ryu adopted the principle of ju more than others.


title: Jujutsu

text: From a broader point of view, based on the curricula of many of the classical Japanese arts themselves, however, these arts may perhaps be more accurately defined as unarmed methods of dealing with an enemy who was armed, together with methods of using minor weapons such as the "jutte" (truncheon; also called jitter), "tantō" (knife), or "kakushi buki" (hidden weapons), such as the "ryofundo kusari" (weighted chain) or the "bankokuchoki" (a type of knuckle-duster), to defeat both armed or unarmed opponents.


title: Jujutsu

text: Furthermore, the term jujutsu was also sometimes used to refer to tactics for infighting used with the warrior's major weapons: katana or "tachi" (sword), "yari" (spear), "naginata" (glaive), "jō" (short staff), and "bō" (quarterstaff). These close combat methods were an important part of the different martial systems that were developed for use on the battlefield. They can be generally characterized as either Sengoku period (1467–1603) "katchu bu Jutsu" or "yoroi kumiuchi" (fighting with weapons or grappling while clad in armor), or Edo period (1603–1867) "suhada bu Jutsu" (fighting while dressed in the normal street clothing of the period, kimono and hakama).


title: Jujutsu

text: The first Chinese character of "jujutsu" () is the same as the first one in "judo" (). The second Chinese character of "jujutsu" () is the same as the second one in "bujutsu" ().


title: Jujutsu

text: The written history of Jujutsu first began during the Nara period (c. 710 – c. 794) combining early forms of Sumo and various Japanese martial arts which were used on the battlefield for close combat. The oldest known styles of Jujutsu are, Shinden Fudo-ryū (c. 1130), Tenshin Shōden Katori Shintō-ryū (c. 1447), and Takenouchi-ryū, which was founded in 1530s. Many jujutsu forms also extensively taught parrying and counterattacking long weapons such as swords or spears via a dagger or other small weapons. In contrast to the neighbouring nations of China and Okinawa whose martial arts made greater use of striking techniques, Japanese hand-to-hand combat forms focused heavily upon throwing (including joint-locking throws), immobilizing, joint locks, choking, strangulation, and to lesser extent ground fighting.


title: Jujutsu

text: In the early 17th century during the Edo period, jujutsu would continue to evolve due to the strict laws which were imposed by the Tokugawa shogunate to reduce war as influenced by the Chinese social philosophy of Neo-Confucianism which was obtained during Hideyoshi's invasions of Korea and spread throughout Japan via scholars such as Fujiwara Seika. During this new ideology, weapons and armor became unused decorative items, so hand-to-hand combat flourished as a form of self-defense and new techniques were created to adapt to the changing situation of unarmored opponents. This included the development of various striking techniques in jujutsu which expanded upon the limited striking previously found in jujutsu which targeted vital areas above the shoulders such as the eyes, throat, and back of the neck. However towards the 18th century the number of striking techniques was severely reduced as they were considered less effective and exert too much energy; instead striking in jujutsu primarily became used as a way to distract the opponent or to unbalance him in the lead up to a joint lock, strangle or throw.


title: Jujutsu

text: During the same period the numerous jujutsu schools would challenge each other to duels which became a popular pastime for warriors under a peaceful unified government, from these challenges randori was created to practice without risk of breaking the law and the various styles of each school evolved from combating each other without intention to kill.


title: Jujutsu

text: The term "jūjutsu" was not coined until the 17th century, after which time it became a blanket term for a wide variety of grappling-related disciplines and techniques. Prior to that time, these skills had names such as , , , , , , and even the (as early as 1724, almost two centuries before Kanō Jigorō founded the modern art of Kodokan judo).


title: Jujutsu

text: Today, the systems of unarmed combat that were developed and practiced during the Muromachi period (1333–1573) are referred to collectively as . At this period in history, the systems practiced were not systems of unarmed combat, but rather means for an unarmed or lightly armed warrior to fight a heavily armed and armored enemy on the battlefield. In battle, it was often impossible for a samurai to use his long sword or polearm, and would, therefore, be forced to rely on his short sword, dagger, or bare hands. When fully armored, the effective use of such "minor" weapons necessitated the employment of grappling skills.


title: Jujutsu

text: Methods of combat (as mentioned above) included striking (kicking and punching), various takedowns, trips, throwing (body throws, shoulder and hip throws, joint-locking throws, sacrifice throws, unbalance and leg sweeping throws), restraining (pinning, strangling, grappling, wrestling, and rope tying) and weaponry. Defensive tactics included blocking, evading, off-balancing, blending and escaping. Minor weapons such as the "tantō" (knife), "ryofundo kusari" (weighted chain), "kabuto wari" (helmet breaker), and "Kaku shi buki" (secret or disguised weapons) were almost always included in Sengoku jujutsu.


title: Jujutsu

text: In later times, other ko-ryū developed into systems more familiar to the practitioners of "Nihon jujutsu" commonly seen today. These are correctly classified as "Edo jūjutsu" (founded during the Edo period): they are generally designed to deal with opponents neither wearing armor nor in a battlefield environment but instead utilize grips and holds on opponent's clothing. Most systems of Edo jujutsu include extensive use of "atemi waza" (vital-striking technique), which would be of little use against an armored opponent on a battlefield. They would, however, be quite valuable in confronting an enemy or opponent during peacetime dressed in normal street attire (referred to as "suhada bujutsu"). Occasionally, inconspicuous weapons such as tantō (daggers) or tessen (iron fans) were included in the curriculum of Edo jūjutsu.


title: Jujutsu

text: Another seldom-seen historical side is a series of techniques originally included in both Sengoku and Edo jujutsu systems. Referred to as "Hojo waza" ( hojojutsu, "Tori Nawa Jutsu", "nawa Jutsu", "hayanawa" and others), it involves the use of a hojo cord, (sometimes the "sageo" or "tasuke") to restrain or strangle an attacker. These techniques have for the most part faded from use in modern times, but Tokyo police units still train in their use and continue to carry a hojo cord in addition to handcuffs. The very old Takenouchi-ryu is one of the better-recognized systems that continue extensive training in hojo waza. Since the establishment of the Meiji period with the abolishment of the Samurai and the wearing of swords, the ancient tradition of "Yagyū Shingan-ryū" (Sendai and Edo lines) has focused much towards the Jujutsu (Yawara) contained in its syllabus.


title: Jujutsu

text: Many other legitimate Nihon jujutsu Ryu exist but are not considered koryu (ancient traditions). These are called either Gendai Jujutsu or modern jujutsu. Modern jujutsu traditions were founded after or towards the end of the Tokugawa period (1868) when more than 2000 schools ("ryū") of jūjutsu existed. Various supposedly traditional ryu and ryuha that are commonly thought of as koryu jujutsu are actually gendai jūjutsu. Although modern in formation, very few gendai Jujutsu systems have direct historical links to ancient traditions and are incorrectly referred to as traditional martial systems or koryu. Their curriculum reflects an obvious bias towards techniques from judo and Edo jūjutsu systems, and sometimes have little to no emphasis on standing armlocks and joint-locking throws that were common in Koryu styles. They also usually do not teach usage of traditional weapons as opposed to the Sengoku jūjutsu systems that did. The improbability of confronting an armor-clad attacker and using traditional weapons is the reason for this bias.


title: Jujutsu

text: Over time, Gendai jujutsu has been embraced by law enforcement officials worldwide and continues to be the foundation for many specialized systems used by police. Perhaps the most famous of these specialized police systems is the Keisatsujutsu (police art) "Taiho jutsu" (arresting art) system formulated and employed by the Tokyo Police Department.


title: Jujutsu

text: Jujutsu techniques have been the basis for many military unarmed combat techniques (including British/US/Russian special forces and SO1 police units) for many years. Since the early 1900s, every military service in the world has an unarmed combat course that has been founded on the principal teachings of jujutsu.


title: Jujutsu

text: In the early 1900s Edith Garrud became the first British female teacher of jujutsu, and one of the first female martial arts instructors in the Western world.


title: Jujutsu

text: There are many forms of sports jujutsu, the original and most popular being judo, now an Olympic sport. One of the most common is mixed-style competitions, where competitors apply a variety of strikes, throws, and holds to score points. There are also kata competitions, where competitors of the same style perform techniques and are judged on their performance. There are also freestyle competitions, where competitors take turns attacking each other, and the defender is judged on performance. Another more recent form of competition growing much more popular in Europe is the Random Attack form of competition, which is similar to Randori but more formalized.


title: Jujutsu

text: The word Jujutsu can be broken down into two parts. "Ju" is a concept. The idea behind this meaning of Ju is "to be gentle", "to give way", "to yield", "to blend", "to move out of harm's way". "Jutsu" is the principle or "the action" part of ju-jutsu. In Japanese this word means art.


title: Jujutsu

text: Japanese jujutsu systems typically put more emphasis on throwing, pinning, and joint-locking techniques as compared with martial arts such as karate, which rely more on striking techniques. Striking techniques were seen as less important in most older Japanese systems because of the protection of samurai body armor and because they were considered less effective than throws and grappling so were mostly used as set-ups for their grappling techniques and throws, although some styles, such as Yōshin-ryū, Tenjin Shin'yō-ryū and Kyushin-ryū had more emphasis on striking. However, many modern-day jujutsu schools include striking, both as a set-up for further techniques or as a stand-alone action.


title: Jujutsu

text: In jujutsu, practitioners train in the use of many potentially fatal or crippling moves, such as joint-locking throws. However, because students mostly train in a non-competitive environment, the risk is minimized. Students are taught break falling skills to allow them to safely practice otherwise dangerous throws.


title: Jujutsu

text: As jujutsu has so many facets, it has become the foundation for a variety of styles and derivations today. As each instructor incorporated new techniques and tactics into what was taught to them originally, they codified and developed their own ryu (school) or Federation to help other instructors, schools, and clubs. Some of these schools modified the source material enough that they no longer consider themselves a style of jujutsu. Arguments and discussions amongst the martial arts fraternity have evoked to the topic of whether specific methods are in fact not jujitsu at all. Tracing the history of a specific school can be cumbersome and impossible in some circumstances.


title: Jujutsu

text: Around the year 1600 there were over 2000 jujutsu ko-ryū styles, most with at least some common descent, characteristics, and shared techniques. Specific technical characteristics, list of techniques, and the way techniques were performed varied from school to school. Many of the generalizations noted above do not hold true for some schools of jujutsu. Schools of jujutsu with long lineages include:


title: Jujutsu

text: Aikido is a modern martial art developed primarily during the late 1920s through the 1930s by Morihei Ueshiba from the system of Daitō-ryū Aiki-jūjutsu. Ueshiba was an accomplished student of Takeda Sokaku with aikido being a systemic refinement of defensive techniques from Aiki-Jujutsu in ways that are intended to prevent harm to either the attacker or the defender. Aikido changed much during Ueshiba's lifetime, so earlier styles (such as Yoshinkan) are more like the original Aiki-Jujutsu than ones (such as Ki-Aikido) that more resemble the techniques and philosophy that Ueshiba stressed towards the end of his life.


title: Jujutsu

text: Wadō-ryū (和道流) is one of the four major karate styles and was founded by Hironori Otsuka (1892–1982). Wadō-ryū is a hybrid of Japanese Martial Arts such as Shindō Yōshin-ryū Ju-jitsu, Shotokan Karate, and Shito Ryu Karate. The style itself places emphasis on not only striking, but tai sabaki, joint locks and throws. It has its origins within Tomari-te.


title: Jujutsu

text: From one point of view, Wadō-ryū might be considered a style of jū-jutsu rather than karate. Hironori Ōtsuka embraced ju-jitsu and was its chief instructor for a time. When Ōtsuka first registered his school with the Dai Nippon Butoku Kai in 1938, the style was called "Shinshu Wadō-ryū Karate-Jūjutsu," a name that reflects its hybrid character. Ōtsuka was a licensed Shindō Yōshin-ryū practitioner and a student of Yōshin-ryū when he first met the Okinawan karate master Gichin Funakoshi. After having learned from Funakoshi, and after their split, with Okinawan masters such as Kenwa Mabuni and Motobu Chōki, Ōtsuka merged Shindō Yōshin-ryū with Okinawan karate. The result of Ōtsuka's efforts is Wadō-ryū Karate.


title: Jujutsu

text: Jujutsu was first introduced to Europe in 1898 by Edward William Barton-Wright, who had studied Tenjin Shinyō-ryū and Shinden Fudo-ryū in Yokohama and Kobe. He also trained briefly at the Kodokan in Tokyo. Upon returning to England he folded the basics of all of these styles, as well as boxing, savate, and forms of stick fighting, into an eclectic self-defence system called Bartitsu.


title: Jujutsu

text: Modern judo is the classic example of a sport that derived from jujutsu. Many who study judo believe as Kanō did, that judo is not a sport but a self-defense system creating a pathway towards peace and universal harmony. Another layer removed, some popular arts had instructors who studied one of these jujutsu derivatives and later made their own derivative succeed in competition. This created an extensive family of martial arts and sports that can trace their lineage to jujutsu in some part.


title: Jujutsu

text: The way an opponent is dealt with also depends on the teacher's philosophy with regard to combat. This translates also in different styles or schools of jujutsu.


title: Jujutsu

text: Not all jujutsu was used in sporting contests, but the practical use in the samurai world ended circa 1890. Techniques like hair-pulling, eye-poking, and groin attacks were and are not considered acceptable in sport, thus, they are excluded from judo competitions or randori. However, judo did preserve some more lethal, dangerous techniques in its kata. The kata were intended to be practised by students of all grades but now are mostly practised formally as complete set-routines for performance, kata competition and grading, rather than as individual self-defense techniques in class. However, judo retained the full set of choking and strangling techniques for its sporting form and all manner of joint locks. Even judo's pinning techniques have pain-generating, spine-and-rib-squeezing and smothering aspects. A submission induced by a legal pin is considered a legitimate win. Kanō viewed the safe "contest" aspect of judo as an important part of learning how to control an opponent's body in a real fight. Kanō always considered judo a form of, and development of, jujutsu.


title: Jujutsu

text: A judo technique starts with gripping the opponent, followed by off-balancing them and using their momentum against them, and then applying the technique. Kuzushi (the art of breaking balance) is also used in jujutsu, whereby an opponent's attack is deflected using their momentum against them in order to arrest their movements then throw them or pin them with a technique — thus controlling the opponent. It is known in both systems that kuzushi is essential in order to use as little energy as possible. Jujutsu differs from judo in a number of ways. In some circumstances, judoka generate kuzushi by striking one's opponent along his weak line. Other methods of generating kuzushi include grabbing, twisting, poking or striking areas of the body known as atemi points or pressure points (areas of the body where nerves are close to the skin – see kyusho-jitsu) to unbalance opponent and set up throws.


title: Jujutsu

text: Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ) was developed after Mitsuyo Maeda brought judo to Brazil in 1914. Maeda agreed to teach the art to Luiz França, Jacintho Ferro and Carlos Gracie, son of his friend, businessman and politician Gastão Gracie. Luiz França went on to teach it to Oswaldo Fadda. After Carlos learned the art from Ferro and Maeda, he passed his knowledge to his brothers Oswaldo, Gastão Jr., and George. Meanwhile, Hélio Gracie would peek in and practice the techniques, although he was told he was too young to practise. At the time, Judo was still commonly called Kanō jiu-jitsu (from its founder Kanō Jigorō), which is why this derivative of judo is called "Brazilian jiu-jitsu" rather than "Brazilian judo".


title: Jujutsu

text: Its emphasis shifted to ground fighting because the Gracie family thought that it was easier to learn than throws and standup grappling, more efficient and much more practical. Carlos and Helio helped the development by promoting fights (mostly against practitioners of other martial arts), competitions and experimenting throughout decades of intense training. BJJ dominated the first large modern mixed martial arts competitions in the United States, causing the emerging field to adopt many of its practices. Less-practised stand-up techniques in Gracie jiujitsu survive in some BJJ clubs from its judo and jujutsu heritage (judo throws, knife defense, gun defense, blocking, striking etc.).


title: Jujutsu

text: Sambo (an acronym from "samozashchita bez oruzhia", Russian for "self defense without a weapon") was an early Soviet martial art, a direct descendant of judo, developed in the 1920s by Viktor Spiridonov, the Dynamo Sports Society jujutsu instructor, and Russo-Japanese War veteran. As it was developed largely for police purposes, a special emphasis in Sambo was placed on the standing armlocks and grappling-counters in order to free oneself from hold, apprehend and escort a suspect without taking him down; Sambo utilized throws mainly as a defensive counter in case of a surprise attack from behind. Instead of takedowns, it used shakedowns to unbalance the opponent without actually dropping him down, while oneself still maintaining a steady balance. It was in essence a standing arm-wrestling, armlock mastery-type of martial art, which utilized a variety of different types of armlocks, knots and compression-holds (and counters to protect oneself from them) applied to the opponent's fingers, thumbs, wrist, forearm, elbow, biceps, shoulder, and neck, coupled with finger pressure on various trigger points of human body, particularly sensitive to painful pressure, as well as manipulating the opponent's sleeve and collar to immobilize his upper body, extremities, and subdue him. Sambo combined jujutsu with wrestling, boxing, and savate techniques for extreme street situations.


title: Jujutsu

text: Later, in the late 1930s it was methodized by Spiridonov's trainee Vladislav Volkov to be taught at military and police academies, and eventually combined with the judo-based wrestling technique developed by Vasili Oshchepkov, who was the third foreigner to learn judo in Japan and earned a second-degree black belt awarded by Kanō Jigorō himself, encompassing traditional Central Asian styles of folk wrestling researched by Oshchepkov's disciple Anatoly Kharlampiyev to create sambo. As Spiridonov and Oshchepkov disliked each other very much, and both opposed vehemently to unify their effort, it took their disciples to settle the differences and produce a combined system. Modern sports sambo is similar to sport judo or sport Brazilian jiu-jitsu with differences including use of a "sambovka" jacket and shorts rather than a full keikogi, and a special emphasis on leglocks and holds, but with much less emphasis on guard and chokes (banned in competition).


title: Jujutsu

text: After the introduction of jujutsu to the West, many of these more traditional styles underwent a process of adaptation at the hands of Western practitioners, molding the arts of jujutsu to suit western culture in its myriad varieties. There are today many distinctly westernized styles of jujutsu, that stick to their Japanese roots to varying degrees.


title: Jujutsu

text: Some of the largest post-reformation (founded post-1905) gendai jujutsu schools include (but are certainly not limited to these in that there are hundreds (possibly thousands), of new branches of "jujutsu"):


title: Jujutsu

text: There are many types of sport jujutsu. One version of sport jujutsu is known as "JJIF Rules Sport Ju-Jitsu", organized by Ju-Jitsu International Federation (JJIF). The JJIF is a member of GAISF and has been recognized as an official sport of the World Games.


title: Jujutsu

text: Sport jujutsu comes in three main variants. In "Duo" (self-defense demonstration), both the tori (attacker) and the uke (defender) come from the same team and demonstrate self-defense techniques. In this variant, there is a special system named "Random Attacks", focusing on instilling quick reaction times against any given attack by defending and countering. The tori and the uke are also from the same team but here they do not know what the attack will be, which is given to the tori by the judges, without the uke's knowledge.


title: Jujutsu

text: The second variant is the "Fighting System" (Freefighting) where competitors combine striking, grappling and submissions under rules which emphasise safety. Many of the potentially dangerous techniques such as scissor takedowns, necklocks and digital choking and locking are prohibited in sport jujutsu. There are a number of other styles of sport jujutsu with varying rules.


title: Jujutsu

text: The third variant is the "Japanese/Ne Waza" (grappling) system in which competitors start standing up and work for a submission. Striking is not allowed.


title: Jujutsu

text: Other variants of competition include Sparring, with various rule sets. Ground fighting similar to BJJ, Kata and Demonstrations.


title: Jujutsu

text: Sparring and ground fighting can have various rule sets depending on the organisation. Kata can be open hand or with traditional Jujutsu weapons and Demonstrations can be in pairs or teams of up to 7.


title: Jujutsu

text: Japanese culture and religion have become intertwined with the martial arts in the public imagination. Buddhism, Shinto, Taoism and Confucian philosophy co-exist in Japan, and people generally mix and match to suit. This reflects the variety of outlook one finds in the different schools.


title: Jujutsu

text: Jujutsu expresses the philosophy of yielding to an opponent's force rather than trying to oppose force with force. Manipulating an opponent's attack using his force and direction allows jujutsuka to control the balance of their opponent and hence prevent the opponent from resisting the counterattack.


title: Michael Moore

text: Michael Francis Moore (born April 23, 1954) is an American filmmaker, author and left-wing activist. His works frequently address the topics of globalization and capitalism.


title: Michael Moore

text: Moore won the 2002 Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature for "Bowling for Columbine", which examined the causes of the Columbine High School massacre and the overall gun culture of the United States. He also directed and produced "Fahrenheit 9/11", a critical look at the presidency of George W. Bush and the War on Terror, which earned $119,194,771 to become the highest-grossing documentary at the American box office of all time. The film also won the Palme d'Or at the 2004 Cannes film festival, and was subject to intense controversy. His documentary "Sicko", which examines health care in the United States, is one of the top ten highest-grossing documentaries . In September 2008, he released his first free movie on the internet, "Slacker Uprising", which documented his personal quest to encourage more Americans to vote in presidential elections. He has also written and starred in the TV shows "TV Nation", a satirical news-magazine television series, and "The Awful Truth", a satirical show. In 2018, he released his latest film, "Fahrenheit 11/9", a documentary about the 2016 United States presidential election and the subsequent presidency of Donald Trump. He was executive producer of "Planet of the Humans" (2019), a documentary about the environmental movement.


title: Michael Moore

text: Moore's works criticize topics such as globalization, large corporations, assault weapon ownership, Presidents Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Donald Trump, the Iraq War, the American health care system and capitalism overall. In 2005, "Time" named Moore one of the world's 100 most influential people. Critics have labeled Moore himself as a propagandist, and his films as propaganda.


title: Michael Moore

text: Michael Francis Moore was born outside Flint, Michigan, and raised in Davison by parents Helene Veronica ("née" Wall) (1921–2002), a secretary, and Francis Richard "Frank" Moore, (1921–2014) an automotive assembly-line worker. At that time, the city of Flint was home to many General Motors factories, where his parents and grandfather worked. His uncle LaVerne was one of the founders of the United Automobile Workers labor union and participated in the Flint sit-down strike.


title: Michael Moore

text: Moore was brought up in a traditional Catholic home, and has Irish, and smaller amounts of Scottish and English, ancestry. Some of his ancestors were Quakers. He attended parochial St. John's Elementary School for primary school and later attended St. Paul's Seminary in Saginaw, Michigan, for a year. He then attended Davison High School, where he was active in both drama and debate, graduating in 1972. As a member of the Boy Scouts of America, he achieved the rank of Eagle Scout. At the age of 18, he was elected to the Davison school board. At the time he was the youngest person elected to office in the U.S., as the minimum age to hold public office had just been lowered to 18.


title: Michael Moore

text: Moore dropped out of the University of Michigan–Flint following his first year of school (where he wrote for the student newspaper "The Michigan Times"). At 22 he founded the alternative weekly magazine "The Flint Voice", which soon changed its name to "The Michigan Voice" as it expanded to cover the entire state. Popstar Harry Chapin is credited with being the reason the magazine was able to start by performing benefit concerts and donating the money to Moore. Moore crept backstage after a concert to Chapin's dressing room and convinced him to do a concert and give the money to him. Chapin subsequently did a concert in Flint every year.


title: Michael Moore

text: In 1986, when Moore became the editor of "Mother Jones", a liberal political magazine, "The Michigan Voice" was shut down by the investors and he moved to California.


title: Michael Moore

text: After four months at "Mother Jones", Moore was fired. Matt Labash of "The Weekly Standard" reported this was for refusing to print an article by Paul Berman that was critical of the Sandinista human rights record in Nicaragua. Moore refused to run the article, believing it to be inaccurate. "The article was flatly wrong and the worst kind of patronizing bullshit. You would scarcely know from it that the United States had been at war with Nicaragua for the last five years."


title: Michael Moore

text: Moore believes that "Mother Jones" fired him because of the publisher's refusal to allow him to cover a story on the GM plant closings in his hometown of Flint, Michigan. He responded by putting laid-off GM worker Ben Hamper (who was also writing for the same magazine at the time) on the magazine's cover, leading to his termination. Moore sued for wrongful dismissal, and settled out of court for $58,000, providing him with seed money for his first film, "Roger & Me".


title: Michael Moore

text: The 1989 film "Roger & Me" was Moore's first documentary about what happened to Flint, Michigan, after General Motors closed its factories and opened new ones in Mexico where the workers were paid lower wages. The "Roger" is Roger B. Smith, former CEO and President of General Motors. Harlan Jacobson, editor of "Film Comment" magazine, said that Moore muddled the chronology in "Roger & Me" to make it seem that events that took place before G.M.'s layoffs were a consequence of them. Critic Roger Ebert defended Moore's handling of the timeline as an artistic and stylistic choice that had less to do with his credibility as a filmmaker and more to do with the flexibility of film as a medium to express a satiric viewpoint.


title: Michael Moore

text: Moore made a follow-up 23-minute documentary film, "", that aired on PBS in 1992. It is based on "Roger & Me". The film's title refers to Rhonda Britton, a Flint, Michigan resident featured in both the 1989 and 1992 films, who sells rabbits as either pets or meat.


title: Michael Moore

text: Moore's 1995 satirical film "Canadian Bacon" features a fictional U.S. president (played by Alan Alda) engineering a fake war with Canada in order to boost his popularity. The film is also one of the last featuring Canadian actor John Candy. Some commentators in the media felt the film was influenced by the Stanley Kubrick film "Dr. Strangelove."


title: Michael Moore

text: Moore's 1997 film "The Big One" documents the tour publicizing Moore's book "Downsize This! Random Threats from an Unarmed American," in which he criticizes mass layoffs despite record corporate profits. Among others, he targets Nike for outsourcing shoe production to Indonesia.


title: Michael Moore

text: His documentary "Bowling for Columbine", released in 2002, probes the culture of guns and violence in the United States, taking as a starting point the Columbine High School massacre of 1999. "Bowling for Columbine" won the Anniversary Prize at the 2002 Cannes Film Festival and France's César Award as the Best Foreign Film. In the United States, it won the 2002 Academy Award for Documentary Feature. It also enjoyed great commercial and critical success for a film of its type, and has since gone on to be considered one of the greatest documentary films of all-time. At the time of "Columbine"s release, it was the highest-grossing mainstream-released documentary (a record now held by Moore's "Fahrenheit 9/11").


title: Michael Moore

text: Moore's film, "Fahrenheit 9/11", released in 2004, examines America in the aftermath of the September 11 attacks, particularly the record of the George W. Bush Administration and alleged links between the families of George W. Bush and Osama bin Laden. "Fahrenheit" was awarded the "Palme d'Or", the top honor at the 2004 Cannes Film Festival; it was the first documentary film to win the prize since 1956. Moore later announced that "Fahrenheit 9/11" would not be in consideration for the 2005 Academy Award for Documentary Feature, but instead for the Academy Award for Best Picture. He stated he wanted the movie to be seen by a few million more people via television broadcast prior to Election Day. According to Moore, "Academy rules forbid the airing of a documentary on television within nine months of its theatrical release", and since the November 2 election was fewer than nine months after the film's release, it would have been disqualified for the Documentary Oscar. Regardless, "Fahrenheit" did not receive an Oscar nomination for Best Picture. The title of the film alludes to the classic book "Fahrenheit 451" about a future totalitarian state in which books are banned; according to the book, paper begins to burn at . The pre-release subtitle of the film confirms the allusion: "The temperature at which freedom burns."


title: Michael Moore

text: As of August 2012, "Fahrenheit 9/11" is the highest-grossing documentary of all time, taking in over US$200 million worldwide, including United States box office revenue of almost US$120 million. In February 2011, Moore sued producers Bob and Harvey Weinstein for US$2.7 million in unpaid profits from the film, claiming they used "Hollywood accounting tricks" to avoid paying him the money. In February 2012, Moore and the Weinsteins informed the court that they had settled their dispute.


title: Michael Moore

text: Moore directed the 2007 film, "Sicko", about the American health care system, focusing particularly on the managed-care and pharmaceutical industries. At least four major pharmaceutical companies—Pfizer, Eli Lilly, AstraZeneca, and GlaxoSmithKline—ordered their employees not to grant any interviews or assist Moore. According to Moore in a letter on his website, "roads that often surprise us and lead us to new ideas—and challenge us to reconsider the ones we began with have caused some minor delays." The film premiered at the Cannes Film Festival on May 19, 2007, receiving a lengthy standing ovation, and was released in the U.S. and Canada on June 29, 2007. The film is currently ranked the twelfth highest grossing documentary of all time and received an Academy Award nomination for Best Documentary Feature.


title: Michael Moore

text: Moore takes a look at the politics of college students in what he calls "Bush Administration America" with "Captain Mike Across America", which was shot during Moore's 62-city college campus tour in the months leading up to the 2004 presidential election. The film debuted at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 7, 2007. It was later re-edited by Moore into "Slacker Uprising" and released for free on the internet on September 23, 2008.


title: Michael Moore

text: Released on September 23, 2009, "" looks at the financial crisis of 2007–2008 and the U.S. economy during the transition between the outgoing Bush Administration and the incoming Obama Administration. Addressing a press conference at its release, Moore said, "Democracy is not a spectator sport, it's a participatory event. If we don't participate in it, it ceases to be a democracy. So Obama will rise or fall based not so much on what he does but on what we do to support him."


title: Michael Moore

text: "Where to Invade Next" examines the benefits of progressive social policies in various countries. The film had its premiere at the 2015 Toronto International Film Festival. Godfrey Cheshire, writing for Roger Ebert.com, wrote that "Moore's surprising and extraordinarily winning "Where to Invade Next" will almost surely cast his detractors at Fox News and similar sinkholes into consternation".


title: Michael Moore

text: In "Michael Moore in TrumpLand", Moore talks about the 2016 Presidential Election Campaigns. It is a solo performance showing Moore on stage speaking to a seated audience. The film consists of Moore's opinions of the candidates and highlights the Democratic National Candidate Hillary Clinton's strengths and also features a lengthy section on how the Republican National Candidate Donald Trump could win. It was filmed in Wilmington, Ohio, at the Murphy Theatre over the course of two nights in October 2016. The film premiered just eleven days after it was shot at the IFC Center in New York City.


title: Michael Moore

text: In May 2017, it was announced that Moore had reunited with Harvey Weinstein to direct his new film about Donald Trump, titled "Fahrenheit 11/9", which was released in approximately 1,500 theaters in the United States and Canada on September 21, 2018. Sexual assault allegations against Weinstein prompted Moore to revoke the plan to work with The Weinstein Company, which stalled production. The title refers to the day when Donald Trump officially became President-elect of the United States. In a column for "Variety" responding to the film's low opening weekend, "How Michael Moore Lost His Audience", sympathetic film critic Owen Gleiberman wrote "He's like an aging rock star putting out albums that simply don't mean as much to those who were, and are, his core fans". According to Glenn Greenwald, "what he’s trying is of unparalleled importance: not to take the cheap route of exclusively denouncing Trump but to take the more complicated, challenging, and productive route of understanding who and what created the climate in which Trump could thrive."<ref name="Fahrenheit 11/9"></ref>


title: Michael Moore

text: Michael Moore was executive producer of the documentary, "Planet of the Humans", which was directed by Jeff Gibbs and released on July 31, 2019. The film makes the argument that since the first Earth Day, the condition of the planet has worsened, and questions whether mainstream approaches adopted by industry to mitigate climate change entail environmental impacts whose costs are comparable to or even possibly outweigh the benefits. The film received criticism from a number of climate change experts and activists who disputed its claims and the accuracy of figures cited in the film and suggested that the film could play into the hands of the fossil fuel industry.


title: Michael Moore

text: Michael Moore, Jeff Gibbs, and co-producer Ozzie Zehner responded to the critics on an episode of "Rising".


title: Michael Moore

text: Moore has written and co-written eight non-fiction books, mostly on similar subject matter to his documentaries. "Stupid White Men" (2001) is ostensibly a critique of American domestic and foreign policy but, by Moore's own admission, is also "a book of political humor". "Dude, Where's My Country?" (2003), is an examination of the Bush family’s relationships with Saudi royalty, the Bin Laden family, and the , and a call-to-action for liberals in the 2004 election. Several of his works have made bestseller lists.


title: Michael Moore

text: Moore has dabbled in acting, following a supporting role in "Lucky Numbers" (2000) playing the cousin of Lisa Kudrow's character, who agrees to be part of the scheme concocted by John Travolta's character. He also had a cameo in his "Canadian Bacon" as an anti-Canada activist. In 2004, he did a cameo, as a news journalist, in "The Fever", starring Vanessa Redgrave in the lead.


title: Michael Moore

text: Between 1994 and 1995, he directed and hosted the BBC television series "TV Nation", which followed the format of news magazine shows but covered topics they avoid. The series aired on BBC2 in the UK. The series was also aired in the US on NBC in 1994 for 9 episodes and again for 8 episodes on Fox in 1995.


title: Michael Moore

text: His other major series was "The Awful Truth", which satirized actions by big corporations and politicians. It aired on the UK's Channel 4, and the Bravo network in the US, in 1999 and 2000. Moore won the Hugh M. Hefner First Amendment Award in Arts and Entertainment for being the executive producer and host of "The Awful Truth", where he was also described as "muckraker, author and documentary filmmaker".


title: Michael Moore

text: Another 1999 series, "Michael Moore Live", was aired in the UK only on Channel 4, though it was broadcast from New York. This show had a similar format to "The Awful Truth", but also incorporated phone-ins and a live stunt each week.


title: Michael Moore

text: In 2017, Moore planned to return to prime time network television on Turner/TNT in late 2017 or early 2018 with a program called "Michael Moore Live from the Apocalypse". In February 2019, however, the network announced the show would not be produced.


title: Michael Moore

text: Moore has directed several music videos, including two for Rage Against the Machine for songs from "The Battle of Los Angeles": "Sleep Now in the Fire" and "Testify". He was threatened with arrest during the shooting of "Sleep Now in the Fire", which was filmed on Wall Street; and subsequently the city of New York City denied the band permission to play there, even though the band and Moore had secured a federal permit to perform.


title: Michael Moore

text: Moore also directed the videos for R.E.M. single "All the Way to Reno (You're Gonna Be a Star)" in 2001 and the System of a Down song "Boom!".


title: Michael Moore

text: Moore's Broadway debut, "The Terms of My Surrender", an anti-Trump dramatic monologue, premiered on August 10, 2017 at the Belasco Theatre. Donald Trump tweeted his dislike for the show and falsely claimed that it closed early. In the first week the production earned $456,195 in sales and $367,634 in the final week, altogether grossing $4.2 million, falling short of its potential gross. It lasted 13 weeks with 96 performances until October 2017, grossing 49% of its potential. Fox News gave it a negative review, in line with Trump's comments. The show was unenthusiastically praised by The Guardian, which said he only wanted to "preach to the choir". A spokesman for "The Terms of My Surrender" suggested that the production might have a in San Francisco in early 2018, which didn’t materialize.


title: Michael Moore

text: He was awarded the Honorary Degree of Doctor of Humanities from Michigan State University in Fall 2014.


title: Michael Moore

text: Although Moore has been known for his political activism, he rejects the label as redundant in a democracy: "I and you and everyone else has to be a political activist. If we're not politically active, it ceases to be a democracy." According to John Flesher of the Associated Press, Moore is known for his "fiery left-wing populism", and publications such as the "Socialist Worker Online" have hailed him as the "new Tom Paine". In a speech, he said that socialism is democracy and Christianity. However, he later said that economic philosophies from the past were not apt enough to describe today's realities.


title: Michael Moore

text: Moore was a high-profile guest at both the 2004 Democratic National Convention and the 2004 Republican National Convention, chronicling his impressions in "USA Today". He was criticized in a speech by Republican Senator John McCain as "a disingenuous film-maker". Moore laughed and waved as Republican attendees jeered, later chanting "four more years". Moore gestured an L with his index finger and thumb at the crowd, which translates into "loser".


title: Michael Moore

text: During September and October 2004, Moore spoke at universities and colleges in swing states during his "Slacker Uprising Tour". The tour gave away ramen and underwear to students who promised to vote. One stop during the tour was Utah Valley State College. A fight for his right to speak resulted in massive public debates and a media blitz, eventually resulting in a lawsuit against the college and the resignation of at least one member of the college's student government. The Utah event was chronicled in the documentary film "This Divided State".


title: Michael Moore

text: Moore urged Ralph Nader not to run in 2004 so as not to split the left vote. On "Real Time with Bill Maher", Moore and Bill Maher knelt before Nader to plead with him to stay out of the race.


title: Michael Moore

text: Moore drew attention in 2004 when he used the term "deserter" to describe then president George W. Bush while introducing Retired Army Gen. Wesley K. Clark at a Democratic presidential debate in New Hampshire. Noting that Clark had been a champion debater at West Point, Moore told a laughing crowd, "I know what you're thinking. I want to see that debate" between Clark and Bush – "the general versus the deserter". Moore said he was referring to published reports in several media outlets including "The Boston Globe" which had reported that "there is strong evidence that Bush performed no military service as required when he moved from Houston to Alabama to work on a U.S. Senate campaign from May to November 1972."


title: Michael Moore

text: In 2007, Moore became a contributing journalist at "OpEdNews", and by May 2014, had authored over 70 articles published on their website. Moore was an active supporter of the Occupy Wall Street protest in New York City and spoke with the OWS protesters on September 26, 2011. On October 29, 2011, he spoke at the Occupy Oakland protest site to express his support.


title: Michael Moore

text: Moore praised "Django Unchained", tweeting that the movie "is one of the best film satires ever. A rare American movie on slavery and the origins of our sick racist history."


title: Michael Moore

text: Moore's 2011 claims that "Four hundred obscenely wealthy individuals, 400 little Mubaraks – most of whom benefited in some way from the multi-trillion-dollar taxpayer bailout of 2008 – now have more cash, stock and property than the assets of 155 million Americans combined" and that these 400 Americans "have more wealth than half of all Americans combined" was found to be true by PolitiFact and others.


title: Michael Moore

text: After Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez died in March 2013, Moore praised him for "eliminating 75 percent of extreme poverty" while "[providing] free health and education for all".


title: Michael Moore

text: Moore supported Ralph Nader in the 2000 presidential election. Moore was critical of Al Gore and George W. Bush. Moore criticizes Gore for the loss of thousands of jobs during his time as Vice president, voting to confirm Antonin Scalia, proposing more funding for the pentagon, and proposing to expand the War on drugs. Moore reportedly told Bush “Your possible victory on Tuesday is a threat to our national security". Moore also called Bush “a banal, despicable, and corrupt human being".


title: Michael Moore

text: On April 21, 2008, Moore endorsed Barack Obama for president, stating that Hillary Clinton's recent actions had been "disgusting". Moore criticized the 2011 military intervention in Libya. After the US troops launched 110 Tomahawk missiles at military targets in Libya, Moore suggested that President Barack Obama should return his Nobel Peace Prize and tweeted in his official Twitter account, "May I suggest a 50-mile evacuation zone around Obama's Nobel Peace Prize?"


title: Michael Moore

text: In an op-ed piece for "The New York Times" published on December 31, 2013, Moore assessed the Affordable Care Act, calling it "awful" and adding that "Obamacare's rocky start ... is a result of one fatal flaw: The Affordable Care Act is a pro-insurance-industry plan implemented by a president who knew in his heart that a single-payer, Medicare-for-all model was the true way to go." Despite his strong critique, however, Moore wrote that he still considers the plan a "godsend" because it provides a start "to get what we deserve: universal quality health care."


title: Michael Moore

text: In December 2015, Moore announced his support for Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders in the 2016 United States presidential election. Moore called Sanders a "force to contend with". In January 2016, he officially endorsed Bernie Sanders for president. He also described democratic socialism as "a true democracy where everyone has a seat at the table, everyone has a voice, not just the rich". After Sanders lost the 2016 primaries, Moore urged Americans to vote for Clinton while also correctly predicting that Trump would win the election because the post-industrial Midwestern states would vote for Trump. After Trump was elected, Moore called Trump a "Russian traitor", saying his presidency had "no legitimacy".


title: Michael Moore

text: In October 2016, Moore criticized Julian Assange and WikiLeaks for publishing leaks from the DNC's emails, saying: "I think WikiLeaks and I think Assange, they're essentially anarchists and they know, just like a lot of people voting for Trump know, that he's their human Molotov cocktail and they want to blow up the system. It's an anarchic move."


title: Michael Moore

text: In November 2016, right after Donald Trump was elected President of the United States, and inspired by Bertram Gross's 1980 book, "Friendly Fascism", Moore reportedly stated: "The next wave of fascists will not come with cattle cars and concentration camps, but they'll come with a smiley face and maybe a TV show ... That's how the 21st-century fascists will essentially take over." On November 12, 2016, Moore participated in a NYC anti-Trump rally which was later (in 2018) alleged to have been organized by Russians who were indicted by Robert Mueller for meddling in the 2016 election.


title: Michael Moore

text: Moore started the website TrumpiLeaks in May 2017, to encourage whistleblowers to provide information about Donald Trump. Moore was inspired to create the site after witnessing the firings by Trump of three law enforcement officials, specifically: United States Attorney Preet Bharara, former acting United States Attorney General Sally Yates, and former Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation James Comey. Moore posted a message to his personal website, explaining the motivation of the new venture and that he wanted any information related to: "crimes, breaches of public trust and misconduct committed by Donald J. Trump and his associates". He asserted, "Trump thinks he's above the law". Moore stated it was his view that Trump had engaged in obstruction of justice, falsehoods to the United States citizenry, promoted violent behavior, and violated the Constitution of the United States.


title: Michael Moore

text: In March 2018, Moore criticized the "corporate media", saying "You turn on the TV, and it's 'Russia, Russia, Russia!' These are all shiny keys to distract us. We should know about the West Virginia strike. What an inspiration that would be. But they don't show this".


title: Michael Moore

text: In April 2018, Moore taunted Trump by ironically asking him why he had not already fired Robert Mueller. After the Russia–United States summit of July 2018, Moore called for Trump’s impeachment, saying "Congress needs no more proof than Trump's admission yesterday that he sides with Putin to impeach and remove him."


title: Michael Moore

text: Moore compared Trump to Nazi Germany's dictator Adolf Hitler. On August 10, 2019, Moore tweeted: "I guess they think a country dumb enough to elect Trump is stupid enough to believe Jeffrey Epstein committed suicide."


title: Michael Moore

text: In October 2019, he announced his political endorsement of Bernie Sanders in the 2020 Democratic Party presidential primaries. After Sanders lost the primaries, Moore urged Sanders supporters to vote for Joe Biden in the general election.


title: Michael Moore

text: Moore married film producer Kathleen Glynn on October 19, 1991. He filed for divorce on June 17, 2013. On July 22, 2014, the divorce was finalized.


title: Michael Moore

text: Moore was raised a Catholic but disagrees with traditional church teaching on subjects such as abortion and same-sex marriage. In an interview with "The A.V. Club", when asked if there was a God, he stated, "Yes, there is. I don't know how you define that, but yeah."


title: Michael Moore

text: Following the Columbine High School massacre, Moore acquired a lifetime membership to the National Rifle Association (NRA). Moore said that he initially intended to become the NRA's president to dismantle the organization, but he soon dismissed the plan as too difficult. Gun rights supporters such as Dave Kopel said there was no chance of that happening; David T. Hardy and Jason Clarke wrote that Moore failed to discover that the NRA selects a president not by membership vote but by a vote of the board of directors.


title: Michael Moore

text: In 2005, "Time" named Moore one of the world's 100 most influential people. Later in 2005, Moore founded the Traverse City Film Festival held annually in Traverse City, Michigan. In 2009, he co-founded the Traverse City Comedy Festival, also held annually in Traverse City, where Moore helped to spearhead the renovation of the historic downtown State Theater.


title: Karl-Anthony Towns

text: Karl-Anthony Towns Jr. (born November 15, 1995), sometimes known as KAT (his initials), is a Dominican-American professional basketball player for the Minnesota Timberwolves of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Kentucky Wildcats. Towns was named to the Dominican Republic national team as a 16-year-old. He was selected with the first overall pick in the 2015 NBA draft by the Minnesota Timberwolves, and went on to be named NBA Rookie of the Year for the 2015–16 season. He has received three All-Star selections. Towns also won the 2021–22 NBA Three-Point Contest.


title: Karl-Anthony Towns

text: Towns was born in Edison, New Jersey to an African-American father, Karl Towns Sr., and a Dominican mother, Jacqueline Cruz. He grew up in Piscataway, New Jersey, and attended Lake Nelson Seventh-Day Adventist School, before transferring to Theodore Schor Middle School from Our Lady of Fatima School in 2009. At Theodore Schor, he repeated seventh grade in order to gain an extra year of development. Towns's father played basketball for Monmouth University and coached basketball at Piscataway Technical High School, where the precocious Towns practiced with the junior varsity team as a fifth grader.


title: Karl-Anthony Towns

text: As a freshman at St. Joseph High School, Towns led the basketball team to a state championship in 2012, earning himself the top position in the ESPN 25 national ranking of high school players. Towns also led his team to state titles in 2013 and 2014. Towns was selected at the age of 16 to play on the Dominican Republic national basketball team, which represents that nation in international competition. Towns was eligible based on the fact that his mother is from the Dominican Republic. During 2011 and 2012 competitions, John Calipari, head coach at the University of Kentucky and a former NBA head coach, coached the team, which finished third in the 2011 FIBA Americas Championship and fourth place at the 2012 FIBA World Olympic Qualifying Tournament for Men, falling one position short of qualifying for the 2012 Olympic Basketball Tournament.


title: Karl-Anthony Towns

text: In December 2012, Towns announced that he was going to reclassify as a senior and commit to play on the Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball team under Coach John Calipari, who had coached him as part of the national team of the Dominican Republic. ESPN, which had ranked him as the top prospect in the 2015 recruiting class, listed him as third-ranked in its 2014 class. Towns graduated from high school with a 3.96 GPA on a 4.5 scale. He was named the 2014 Gatorade Player of the Year.


title: Karl-Anthony Towns

text: On January 6, 2013, Towns recorded a quadruple-double with 16 points, 17 rebounds, 11 blocks and 11 assists. He recorded a second quadruple-double on January 5, 2014 with 20 points, 14 rebounds, 12 blocks and 10 assists. Towns averaged 20.9 points, 13.4 rebounds and 6.2 blocks per game as a senior.


title: Karl-Anthony Towns

text: In his freshman year, Kentucky used a unique "platoon system" that limited the minutes of each player, and he subsequently averaged 10.3 points and 6.7 rebounds in 21.1 minutes per game. He studied kinesiology in his one year at Kentucky, and hopes to become a doctor after his basketball career. Though he left Kentucky for the NBA, Towns enrolled in online courses, and hopes to earn his degree. He was named a second-team All-American by the Associated Press and NABC, and a third-team All-American by Sporting News. Throughout the 2014–15 season, Towns was often ranked behind Duke center Jahlil Okafor as a draft prospect. However, due to strong play in the NCAA Tournament, and a growing consensus that Towns was a better defensive player and had an opportunity to become a better offensive player as well, Towns overtook Okafor in most draft rankings.


title: Karl-Anthony Towns

text: On April 9, 2015, Towns and fellow Kentucky teammates Andrew Harrison, Aaron Harrison, Dakari Johnson, Devin Booker, Trey Lyles and Willie Cauley-Stein, all declared for the 2015 NBA draft.


title: Karl-Anthony Towns

text: On June 25, 2015, Towns was selected by the Minnesota Timberwolves with the first overall pick in the 2015 NBA draft. He signed his rookie scale contract with the Timberwolves on July 7, and made his NBA debut in the Timberwolves' season opener against the Los Angeles Lakers on October 28, recording 14 points and 12 rebounds as a starter in a 112–111 win. In the following game on October 30 against the Denver Nuggets, his 28 points and 14 rebounds propelled the Timberwolves to their first 2–0 start with two wins on the road in team history. Over his first 13 games of the season, Towns averaged 16.0 points and 10.4 rebounds per game. Those numbers dropped, however, to 8.4 points and 6.0 rebounds over the next five games. Despite this, on December 3, he was named Western Conference Rookie of the Month for November, becoming just the seventh Timberwolves player to win NBA Rookie of the Month honors.


title: Karl-Anthony Towns

text: On January 20, 2016, Towns had a season-best game with 27 points and career highs of 17 rebounds and six blocks in a 106–94 loss to the Dallas Mavericks. On January 29, he recorded 32 points and 12 rebounds in a loss to the Utah Jazz, becoming the youngest player to have 30 points and 10 rebounds in a game since Kevin Durant did so in 2008. On February 2, he was named Western Conference Rookie of the Month for January—his third consecutive rookie of the month honor. On February 10, he scored a then career-high 35 points in a 117–112 win over the Toronto Raptors. Three days later, he won the 2016 NBA All-Star Weekend Skills Challenge over point guard Isaiah Thomas, becoming the tallest, heaviest, and youngest winner of the event. On March 3, named Western Conference Rookie of the Month for February, joining teammate Andrew Wiggins (November, December 2014, January, February 2015) as the second player in Wolves history to earn NBA Rookie of the Month honors in four consecutive months.


title: Karl-Anthony Towns

text: On March 25, Towns grabbed 10 rebounds against the Washington Wizards, setting a Minnesota rookie rebounding record, pushing his season total to 741 and passing Kevin Love's record of 734. On April 7, he recorded his 50th double-double of the season with 17 points and 10 rebounds in a 105–97 win over the Sacramento Kings. Four days later, in a loss to the Houston Rockets, Towns passed Christian Laettner for the franchise's rookie scoring record with 1,475 points. Earlier that day, he was named Western Conference Player of the Week for games played Monday, April 4 through Sunday, April 10. Towns played and started in all 82 games for the Timberwolves in 2015–16, averaging 18.3 points and 10.5 rebounds per game; he subsequently earned unanimous NBA Rookie of the Year honors. Towns earned Western Conference Rookie of the Month honors in each of the season's six months, becoming the first Timberwolves player to do so. In addition, he became just the fifth unanimous NBA Rookie of the Year, and with teammate Andrew Wiggins winning the award in 2014–15, Minnesota became the first team with back-to-back Rookie of the Year winners since the Buffalo Braves in 1972–73 (Bob McAdoo) and 1973–74 (Ernie DiGregorio), as well as the first team with back-to-back No. 1 draft picks earning Rookie of the Year honors. He also earned NBA All-Rookie First Team honors.


title: Karl-Anthony Towns

text: On November 30, 2016, Towns recorded a then career-high 47 points and 18 rebounds in a 106–104 loss to the New York Knicks. At 21 years old, Towns became the third-youngest player in the last three decades to have at least 45 points and 15 rebounds in a game. In addition, his 22 first-quarter points were two off of Chauncey Billups' franchise record of 24. With two blocks against the Charlotte Hornets on December 3, Towns established a new Timberwolves record with his 27th straight game with at least one blocked shot. On December 28, he recorded his first career triple-double with 15 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists in a 105–103 loss to the Denver Nuggets. On March 8, 2017, he had 29 points and 14 rebounds in a 107–91 win over the Los Angeles Clippers. Towns had his 100th career double-double in the win, becoming the second-youngest player in league history to reach that mark, behind only Dwight Howard. Five days later, he was named Western Conference Player of the Week for games played Monday, March 6 through Sunday, March 12. On April 11, 2017, he had 26 points and 12 rebounds in a 100–98 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder. Towns surpassed Kevin Love during the game to set a franchise record for points in a season. Towns made NBA history in 2016–17 by becoming the only player to have at least 2,000 points (2,061), 1,000 rebounds (1,007) and 100 3-pointers (101) in a season.


title: Karl-Anthony Towns

text: On November 15, 2017, Towns had 26 points and 16 rebounds for Minnesota on the night he turned 22, helping the Timberwolves end a 12-game losing streak to the San Antonio Spurs with a 98–86 victory. Towns finished in the top 10 in almost every statistical category in NBA history compiled prior to the player's 22nd birthday. He ranked eighth in points, third in rebounds and second in double-doubles (124), trailing only Dwight Howard (169). Towns subsequently earned Western Conference Player of the Week honors for games played from Monday, November 13 through Sunday, November 19. On December 14, 2017 against the Sacramento Kings, Towns had 30 points, 14 rebounds, five assists and five blocks, joining Kevin Garnett as the only Wolves players to collect 30+ points, 10+ rebounds, 5+ assists and 5+ blocks in a single game. On December 31, 2017, he had 18 points, 14 rebounds and a career high-tying six blocks in a 107–90 win over the Indiana Pacers. On January 5, 2018, he recorded 25 points and a then career-high 23 rebounds in a 91–84 loss to the Boston Celtics. On January 23, 2018, Towns was named a Western Conference All-Star reserve. On March 20, 2018, he recorded his NBA-best 60th double-double with 30 points and 10 rebounds in a 123–109 win over the Los Angeles Clippers. On March 28, 2018, he scored a franchise-record 56 points and added 15 rebounds for his league-leading 63rd double-double, as the Timberwolves beat the Atlanta Hawks 126–114. The 56 points surpassed Mo Williams' franchise record of 52 points set on January 13, 2015, against the Indiana Pacers. He also became the youngest player (22 years, 133 days) with 50 points and 15 rebounds in a game since Shaquille O'Neal (22 years, 45 days) on April 20, 1994 against the Timberwolves. In the Timberwolves' regular season finale on April 11, 2018, Towns had 26 points and 14 rebounds in a 112–106 overtime win over the Denver Nuggets. The win clinched Minnesota a spot in the playoffs for the first time since 2004—no team in the league had gone longer without a postseason appearance than the Timberwolves. It was the first final-day play-in game in the NBA in 21 years, with Denver also vying for a spot in the playoffs. Towns finished the season with 68 double-doubles, the most in the NBA. In Game 3 of the Timberwolves' first-round playoff series against the Houston Rockets, Towns recorded 18 points and 16 rebounds in a 121–105 win. The Timberwolves went on to lose the series in five games, despite Towns recording 23 points and 14 rebounds in a 122–104 loss in Game 5.


title: Karl-Anthony Towns

text: On September 23, 2018, Towns signed a five-year, $190 million super-maximum extension with the Timberwolves. On November 9, he had a season-high 39 points and 19 rebounds in a 121–110 loss to the Sacramento Kings. On November 12, he had 25 points and a then season-high 21 rebounds in a 120–113 win over the Brooklyn Nets. On December 5, Towns recorded 35 points, 12 rebounds and tied a career high with six blocks in a 121–104 win over the Charlotte Hornets. On January 12, 2019, he recorded 27 points and a career-high 27 rebounds in a 110–106 win over the New Orleans Pelicans. On January 30, he scored all 16 of his points after halftime, including a buzzer-beating desperation shot in overtime to lift the Timberwolves over the Memphis Grizzlies 99–97. Towns missed the first game of his career on February 22 against the New York Knicks after being placed in the concussion protocol following a car accident in Minnesota. He had registered 303 consecutive starts, the longest to begin a career since 1970–71. The concussion protocol forced him to miss a second game, with his return on February 25 seeing him record 34 points and 21 rebounds in a 112–105 win over the Kings. On March 5, Towns had 41 points and 14 rebounds in a 131–120 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder, thus moving into fifth place on Minnesota's career scoring list, passing Wally Szczerbiak (6,777 points). Towns finished the season with the highest rebounding average of his career to date, at 12.4 rebounds per game.


title: Karl-Anthony Towns

text: On October 23, 2019, in the first game of Minnesota’s season, Towns scored 36 points, grabbed 14 rebounds, blocked 3 shots, and recorded 3 steals in a 127–126 win over the Brooklyn Nets. On October 31, Towns was suspended for two games without pay due to an altercation with Joel Embiid during a game against the Philadelphia 76ers. Towns finished the season with the highest scoring average of his career to date, at 26.5 points per game.


title: Karl-Anthony Towns

text: On 27 December 2020, Towns joined Hall-of-Famers Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Tim Duncan, Elgin Baylor and David Robinson as the only players in NBA history to accumulate over 8,000 points, 4,000 rebounds and 1,000 assists in 360 games or less. In mid-January 2021, Towns contracted COVID-19 and missed 13 games. He returned to the court on February 10, recording 18 points and ten rebounds in a loss to the Los Angeles Clippers. On February 23, Towns had a career-high 11 assists along with 26 points and 8 rebounds in a 139–112 loss against the Milwaukee Bucks. On March 17, Towns scored a season-high 41 points, along with 10 rebounds and 8 assists in a 123–119 victory over the Phoenix Suns. In the same game his teammate Anthony Edwards scored a career-high 42 points and it was just the second time in Minnesota's franchise history that two players scored 40 points in the same game.


title: Karl-Anthony Towns

text: On January 9, 2022, Towns scored a then season-high 40 points, along with nine rebounds and seven assists, in a 141–123 victory over the Houston Rockets. On February 3, Towns was named a reserve for the 2022 NBA All-Star Game. On February 19, Towns won the Mountain Dew NBA Three-Point contest in Cleveland, defeating Luke Kennard and Trae Young in the final round; in doing so, he became the first center to win the contest. On March 5, a 138–101 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder, Towns recorded 36 points, 15 rebounds, five assists, three blocks, and zero turnovers. he became the first player in NBA history to record such a stat line while shooting at least 75 percent from the field in the same game, joined Tim Duncan as the only players to record these numbers in a game since 1980 (the start of the three-point era), with the exception of turnovers. On March 7, Towns was named Western Conference player of the week after leading Minnesota to a perfect 4–0 record. On March 14, Towns recorded a career-high and Timberwolves franchise-record 60 points, 32 of which in the third quarter and grabbed 17 rebounds in a 149–139 win over the San Antonio Spurs. He was also efficient in doing so, shooting 19-of-31 from the field, including 7-of-11 from beyond the arc. Towns became the first player in franchise history with multiple 50-plus point, 10-plus rebound games. He also joined Shaquille O’Neal and Wilt Chamberlain as the only centers in NBA history to have a 60-point, 15-rebound outing. Towns entered the fourth quarter with 56 points and 14 boards to join Carmelo Anthony as the only two players in the last 20 seasons with 50 or more points and 10 or more rebounds through three quarters. On April 16, in Game 1 of the first round of the playoffs, Towns logged 29 points and 13 rebounds in a 130–117 win over the Memphis Grizzlies. On April 23, Towns recorded a career playoff-best 33 points and 14 rebounds in a 119–118 Game 4 win. Minnesota would go on to lose to Memphis in six games.


title: Karl-Anthony Towns

text: He has represented the Dominican Republic internationally since 2012. He debuted for his country at the 2012 Centrobasket, when he was age 16.


title: Karl-Anthony Towns

text: In April 2020, Towns' mother died from complications of COVID-19. Towns has stated that 6 other family members have died after contracting COVID-19. In July 2020, he began dating Jordyn Woods. For the one-year anniversary of Towns' mother's death, Woods commissioned her brother, John Woods, Jr., to create a portrait of Towns' mother which was gifted to him.


title: Sanjay Leela Bhansali

text: Sanjay Leela Bhansali (; born 24 February 1963) is an Indian filmmaker, director, screenwriter, and music composer who is known for his work in Hindi cinema. He is the recipient of several awards, including four National Film Awards, ten Filmfare Awards and a BAFTA nomination. In 2015, the Government of India honoured him with the Padma Shri, the fourth highest civilian award.


title: Sanjay Leela Bhansali

text: Bhansali's directorial debut was the musical romance "" (1996), that earned him a Filmfare Award for Best Film (Critics). He then attained prominence in Hindi cinema with highly successful love triangle "Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam" (1999). He then directed the period romance "Devdas" (2002) which was nominated for Best Film Not in the English Language at BAFTA. and the drama "Black" (2005) became one of the most critically acclaimed Hindi films, winning him multiple Best Director Awards and Best Film Awards along with additional Best Film (Critics) at Filmfare Awards. He also won multiple National Film Awards for "Devdas" and "Black". Although he then met further decline with his subsequent projects "Saawariya" (2007) and "Guzaarish" (2010).


title: Sanjay Leela Bhansali

text: Bhansali reinforced his status with direction by adaptating Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet" into film with "Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-Leela" (2013), that opened to positive reviews and strong box office collections. His home production, the sports film "Mary Kom" (2014), earned him a third National Film Award. He built his establishment more by directing the big-scale period dramas "Bajirao Mastani" (2015) and "Padmaavat" (2018), both of which rank among the highest-grossing Indian films of all time. For "Bajirao Mastani", Bhansali was feliciated with National Film Award for Best Direction, as well as Filmfare Awards for Best Director and Best Film; and for "Padmaavat", he won a National Film Award for Best Music Direction and Filmfare Award for Best Music Director. His next, the crime drama "Gangubai Kathiawadi" (2022), unlike his other films that focused on a lady mafia don, which became a moderate success. He also produces films under his banner Bhansali Productions.


title: Sanjay Leela Bhansali

text: Sanjay Leela Bhansali was born on 24 February 1963 in Bhuleshwar, South Bombay into a Gujarati Jain family. His mother, Leela, used to sew clothes to make ends meet. He speaks Gujarati at home and loves Gujarati food, music, literature and architecture.


title: Sanjay Leela Bhansali

text: Bhansali began his career as an assistant to Vidhu Vinod Chopra and was involved in the making of "Parinda", "" and "Kareeb". However, they had a falling-out when Bhansali refused to direct "Kareeb". In 1996, he made his directorial debut with "", the commercially unsuccessful but critically acclaimed narration of a daughter's struggle to communicate with her deaf-mute parents. The film earned the Best Film (Critics) at Filmfare.


title: Sanjay Leela Bhansali

text: He rose to prominence in Indian cinema with a triangular love story, "Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam" (1999), starring Aishwarya Rai, Salman Khan, and Ajay Devgan, which established his individualistic stamp for visual splendour and creating auras of celebration and festivity. The film was premiered in the Indian Panorama section at the 1999 International Film Festival of India. It was a critical and commercial success, and won numerous awards including 4 National Awards and 9 Filmfare Awards.


title: Sanjay Leela Bhansali

text: His next film "Devdas" (2002), starring Shah Rukh Khan, Aishwarya Rai and Madhuri Dixit, was Bhansali's ode to the novel of the same name, which became the highest-grossing film of the year. The film also earned widespread critical acclaim and won 10 awards at Filmfare, emerging as the most-awarded film in Filmfare, (tying with "Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge" (1995)). At the 50th National Film Awards, it won 5 awards including Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment. It received a nomination for the Best Foreign Film at the British Academy of Film & Television Awards (BAFTA). It was India's submission for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. The film was also screened at the 2002 Cannes Film Festival. It stood eighth in "Time" magazine's "The 10 Greatest Movies of the Millennium (Thus Far)". His next film, "Black", starring Rani Mukerji and Amitabh Bachchan, broke his own all-time record of "Devdas" by garnering 11 awards, the highest number of awards ever given to a single film at Filmfare. It stood fifth in "Time" (Europe)'s "10 Best Movies of the Year 2005" among films from across the world. At the 53rd National Film Awards, he received his second National Award for Best Feature Film in Hindi. "Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam", "Devdas" and "Black" earned him multiple Best Director and Best Film awards at Filmfare, the latter also received additional Critics Award for Best Film. In 2006, Bhansali participated as a judge on reality TV show "Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa" alongside Farah Khan and Shilpa Shetty.


title: Sanjay Leela Bhansali

text: Bhansali's next film "Saawariya" (2007) was met with sharp criticism and poor collections at the box office. In 2008, Bhansali staged the opera "Padmavati", an adaption of the 1923 ballet written by Albert Roussel. The show premiered in Paris at the prestigious Théâtre du Châtelet and next at the Festival dei Due Mondi, where it received "fifteen minutes of standing ovation and seven curtain calls at the end of the first show." Bhansali received highly positive reviews from international critics for his work. In 2010, Bhansali released "Guzaarish", starring Hrithik Roshan and Aishwarya Rai, in which he also made his debut in music direction. The film received mixed reviews from critics, but could not perform well at the box office. "Guzaarish" earned him a Best Director nomination at Filmfare. In 2011, he became a judge on the Indian music talent show "X Factor India" Season 1. The same year, he also produced the musical comedy "My Friend Pinto", which received negative reviews and tanked at the box office. In 2012, Bhansali produced "Rowdy Rathore", a remake of the Telugu film "Vikramarkudu", starring Akshay Kumar and Sonakshi Sinha and directed by Prabhu Deva. The film received mixed reviews from critics and became a major commercial success, with "Box Office India" labelling it as a blockbuster. The following year, he produced "Shirin Farhad Ki Toh Nikal Padi", which also received mixed reviews, but could not perform well at the box office.


title: Sanjay Leela Bhansali

text: In 2013, Bhansali directed "Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-Leela", an adaptation of Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet", starring Deepika Padukone and Ranveer Singh. Some religious groups opposed the movie claiming that the former title "Ramleela" was misleading, because the movie had nothing to do with Ramlila, the traditional enactment of the life and story of Hindu deity, Lord Rama. The film's release had been stayed by Delhi High Court due to the controversy over its title, claiming that the movie hurt the religious sentiments of Hindus. Later the film's title was changed to "Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-Leela", and eventually released in India as scheduled. However, after a week of release, Lucknow bench of Allahabad High Court banned the movie's release in Uttar Pradesh. Despite the controversy and limited release, the film opened to critical acclaim and strong box office collections worldwide, ultimately earning ₹2.02 billion (US$31 million) and emerging as the fifth highest-grossing film of 2013. The film garnered several award nominations for Bhansali including Best Film and Best Director nominations at Filmfare. The same year, Bhansali debuted in television with the show "Saraswatichandra", starring Gautam Rode and Jennifer Winget, which he later left after few episodes.


title: Sanjay Leela Bhansali

text: The following year, he produced the biographical sports film "Mary Kom" starring Priyanka Chopra, which premiered at the 2014 Toronto International Film Festival, becoming the first Hindi film to be screened on the opening night of the festival. The film became both a critical and commercial success and received various accolades including a nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Film. At the 62nd National Film Awards, Bhansali received another National Award for Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment for the film. In 2015, he produced the action drama "Gabbar Is Back" starring Akshay Kumar, which also emerged as a commercial success and received positive reviews from critics.


title: Sanjay Leela Bhansali

text: Bhansali's next directorial venture was his dream project, the period romantic drama "Bajirao Mastani" (2015), based on the love story between Peshwa Baji Rao I and his second wife Mastani. Ranveer Singh and Deepika Padukone played the title roles, while Priyanka Chopra played Bajirao's first wife, Kashibai. The film was announced in 2003 and was constantly in the news regarding the cast, including actors such as Salman Khan, Shah Rukh Khan, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Kareena Kapoor and Rani Mukerji. The descendants of Bajirao I and Mastani expressed their disapproval of this film, claiming excessive creative liberty by Bhansali causing wrongful portrayal of their ancestors. A petition was filed in Bombay High Court seeking a stay on the film, but the High Court refused to interfere with its release. It received high critical acclaim worldwide and was listed among the best films of 2015 by several sources. Despite the controversy, the film emerged as one of the highest-grossing Indian films of all time. The film received many accolades at various award ceremonies in India. At the 63rd National Film Awards, "Bajirao Mastani" won 7 awards and Bhansali won the National Award for Best Director, in addition to winning Best Film and Best Director at Filmfare. The film was featured at the 2016 "Indian Panorama" section of the International Film Festival of India. "Bajirao Mastani" was selected as India's official entry for the Best Foreign Language Film for the 74th Golden Globe Awards. The following year, he produced the Marathi film "Laal Ishq."


title: Sanjay Leela Bhansali

text: Bhansali directed the period drama film "Padmaavat" (2018), jointly produced by him and Viacom 18 Motion Pictures, and also written by him. The film stars Deepika Padukone in the title role as Rani Padmini, alongside Shahid Kapoor and Ranveer Singh in the title roles of Rawal Ratan Singh and Alauddin Khalji respectively. During the shooting of the film in January 2017 in Jaipur, the members of Shri Rajput Karni Sena protested at the sets at Jaigarh Fort, physically attacked Bhansali and his crew members, alleging that he misrepresented historical facts and depicted them erroneously in the film, and also tried to vandalise the sets. On 6 March 2017, members of Shri Rajput Karni Sena vandalised the Chittor Fort again and broke the mirrors installed in the palace of Rani Padmini. On 15 March 2017, a group of unidentified vandals again attacked and set fire to the sets of this movie in Kolhapur which led to the production set, costumes and jewelleries being burnt. The film earned 30 million dollars in the first four days after its release. "Padmaavat" emerged as the highest-grossing film on the year, and received highly positive reviews from critics, and earned Bhansali the National Film Award for Best Music Direction and the Filmfare Award for Best Music Director, in addition to Best Film and Best Director nominations at Filmfare.


title: Sanjay Leela Bhansali

text: In 2021, Bhansali is coming up with "Gangubai Kathiawadi", a biographical crime film based on a chapter of Hussain Zaidi's book "Mafia Queens of Mumbai". The film about Gangubai Kothewali, stars Alia Bhatt as Gangubai, and was scheduled for release on 30 July 2021, but was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.


title: Pawn Stars

text: Pawn Stars is an American reality television series, shown on History, and produced by Leftfield Pictures. The series is filmed in Las Vegas, Nevada, where it chronicles the daily activities at the World Famous Gold & Silver Pawn Shop, a 24-hour family business opened in 1989 and originally operated by patriarch Richard "Old Man" Harrison, his son Rick Harrison, Rick's son Corey "Big Hoss" Harrison, and Corey's childhood friend, Austin "Chumlee" Russell. The series, which became the network's highest rated show, and the No. 2 reality show behind "Jersey Shore", debuted on July 26, 2009.


title: Pawn Stars

text: The series depicts the staff's interactions with customers, who bring in a variety of artifacts to sell or pawn, shown haggling over the price, and discussing its historical background, with narration provided by either the Harrisons or Chumlee.


title: Pawn Stars

text: The series also follows the interpersonal conflicts among the cast. One reviewer referencing these conflicts described the show as a version of "Antiques Roadshow" "hijacked by "American Chopper"s Teutul family." "TV Guide" has offered a similar description, calling the show "one part "Antiques Roadshow", a pinch of "LA Ink" and a dash of "COPS.""


title: Pawn Stars

text: Numerous local experts in a variety of fields also regularly appear to appraise the items being sold or pawned, two of whom have gone on to their own spin-off programs. Antique restorer/metal artist Rick Dale is the star of the series' first spin-off, "American Restoration", which premiered in October 2010, and mechanic/auto restoration expert Danny "The Count" Koker stars in the second spin-off, "Counting Cars", which debuted August 13, 2012.