title: Booker T (wrestler)

text: Booker T went go on to form the Mafia's resident tag team with Scott Steiner, and at Victory Road, Steiner and Booker defeated Beer Money, Inc. to win the TNA World Tag Team Championship, marking Booker's 15th World Tag Team title reign overall. Then at Hard Justice, Booker T and Steiner retained the World Tag Team Championship against Team 3D. Prior to No Surrender, Booker, Steiner, and British Invasion won a match to gain the man advantage at No Surrender's Lethal Lockdown match against Team 3D and Beer Money, Inc. Even with the advantage, Booker T's team lost at No Surrender when James Storm of Beer Money pinned Doug Williams of The British Invasion. At Bound for Glory, Booker and Steiner lost the TNA World Tag Team Titles to the British Invasion in a four way Full Metal Mayhem Tag Team match, which also included Team 3D and Beer Money; during the match Booker was taken out on a stretcher. Afterwards it was reported that the PPV had been Booker's final appearance with the company, and his and Sharmell's profiles were removed from the official TNA roster. On May 21, 2010, Booker T made a one night return to TNA at a live event in Lake Charles, Louisiana, replacing A.J. Styles, who was unable to attend the event due to travel issues, and wrestled Rob Van Dam for the TNA World Heavyweight Championship in a losing effort.


title: Booker T (wrestler)

text: Booker T debuted in the International Wrestling Association (IWA) on "Histeria Boricua", a special event held on January 6, 2009. There he was booked against Chicano, the incumbent IWA Undisputed Heavyweight Champion. The match was won by Cotto, who reversed a "Book End" attempt and scored a pinfall victory. On July 11, 2010, Booker T was booked by World Wrestling Council in a match against Carlito which also involved Orlando Colón and El Mesias. On September 16, 2010, Booker T made his debut for Mexican promotion Perros del Mal. In the main event of the evening he teamed up with Dr. Wagner Jr. and El Mesías, who represented rival promotion AAA, against El Hijo del Perro Aguayo, Damián 666 and Halloween. After Aguayo pinned El Mesías, Booker turned on Wagner, unmasked him and joined Perros del Mal.


title: Booker T (wrestler)

text: On January 30, 2011 Booker T returned to WWE to take part in the Royal Rumble. Booker entered the match at number 21 and was eliminated by Mason Ryan. On the February 1 taping of "SmackDown", Huffman debuted as the show's new color commentator, working beside Josh Mathews and Michael Cole, replacing Matt Striker. He coached on the returning "Tough Enough" competition, and at Elimination Chamber he introduced Trish Stratus as a fellow coach. At WrestleMania XXVII Booker T was on commentary during the Jerry Lawler vs. Michael Cole match. He would become involved in the match during the event. After the disqualification win for Cole, Booker T appeared in-ring post match alongside Stone Cold Steve Austin and Lawler and after a spinaroonie, received a stone cold stunner from Austin. On the June 6 episode of "Raw", Booker wrestled his first match on the brand in four years, gaining a victory against Jack Swagger by count out. On the November 21 episode of "Raw", Cody Rhodes threw water in Booker T's face after Rhodes allegedly heard Booker T criticize him, thus starting a conflict between the two. On the November 29 episode of "SmackDown" Booker was scheduled to face Rhodes in a match but it did not happen after Rhodes attacked him from behind him during a backstage interview. On the December 9 episode of "SmackDown", Rhodes attacked Booker again while heading to the announcer's table leaving him with paramedics. Later that night, Booker T attacked Rhodes during his match with Daniel Bryan, leading to an Intercontinental Championship match at , which Rhodes won. On the December 26 episode of "Raw", Booker defeated Rhodes in a non-title match. On the January 6, 2012, episode of "SmackDown", Booker challenged Rhodes a second time for the Intercontinental Championship, but once again failed to win the title.


title: Booker T (wrestler)

text: Booker T along with fellow commentators Jerry Lawler and Michael Cole all participated in the "2012 Royal Rumble". On the March 26, 2012 episode of "Raw", Booker T saved Teddy Long from an attempted attack by Mark Henry, thus becoming the sixth and final member of Team Teddy at WrestleMania XXVIII, where Team Johnny emerged victorious. This was his last official match for the WWE. On the July 9 episode of "Raw", Jerry Lawler won by pinfall against Michael Cole in a WrestleMania XXVII rematch. However, Booker, who was subbing for Lawler on commentary, threw Cole back into the ring after he tried to escape. This caused the anonymous Raw General Manager to reverse the decision and give Cole the win as a result of a disqualification.


title: Booker T (wrestler)

text: On July 27, 2012, Booker T was appointed the new General Manager of "SmackDown". Booker would quickly add Eve Torres and Theodore Long to his staff, as his assistant and senior adviser respectively.


title: Booker T (wrestler)

text: Booker was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame by his brother, Stevie Ray, the night before WrestleMania 29. On the April 19 "SmackDown", Booker became angry with Long for making matches without his consent. Big Show arrived and thanked Long for doing a better job than Booker, further infuriating him. On the April 22 "Raw", upset with Long for making a World Heavyweight Championship match at Extreme Rules, made it a Triple Threat match. Booker took time off for a torn distal triceps, and had surgery for it on June 12. On the July 19 "SmackDown", he returned to continue as "SmackDown" General Manager, but soon lost the job to Vickie Guerrero, on Vince McMahon's orders.


title: Booker T (wrestler)

text: Since 2014, Booker T has commonly done work on the WWE Network, including the "Raw" pre-show and also being a part of the "expert panel" on Kickoff shows before each pay-per-view event.


title: Booker T (wrestler)

text: On the 2015 premiere of "Raw", Booker T replaced Jerry Lawler, who was suffering from diverticulitis, for commentating. However, it was later announced that Booker would be returning on a full-time basis to take Lawler's place on "Raw", with Lawler moving to "SmackDown". On the March 30 episode of "Raw", Booker, along with JBL and Michael Cole, were injured by Brock Lesnar after Seth Rollins refused Lesnar his WWE World Heavyweight Championship rematch. Booker was replaced by Byron Saxton for commentating as he became a coach for the sixth season of "WWE Tough Enough".


title: Booker T (wrestler)

text: On August 6, 2016, Booker T replaced Tommy Dreamer in an intergender tag team match for Dreamer's House of Hardcore promotion. Booker T returned to his old "King Booker" gimmick in a segment with the SmackDown Live Survivor Series tag teams where he gave a motivational speech and convinced Breezango (Tyler Breeze and Fandango) to join the team.


title: Booker T (wrestler)

text: In December 2016, after Jerry Lawler and Lita left the pre-show team, WWE ended their "Raw" and "SmackDown" pre-shows leaving Booker T to the WWE pay-per-view pre-shows and other WWE Network specials. Following the 2017 WWE Superstar Shake-up, Booker T replaced David Otunga as color commentator on "Raw". On the January 29, 2018 episode of "Raw", Booker was replaced on commentary by the returning Jonathan Coachman. On the August 28 episode of SmackDown Live Booker T made a surprise appearance as "King Booker" in the opening segment when he interrupted and joined in on The New Day's "five timers" celebration, following the latter's fifth tag team championship win.


title: Booker T (wrestler)

text: On October 6, 2022 WWE announced that they had shuffled their commentary and interview teams, with Booker T joining the NXT commentary team alongside Vic Joseph.


title: Booker T (wrestler)

text: Longtime wrestler Kurt Angle said of Booker: "He's done it all... he legitimately is one of the top five best of all time." In 2001, sports journalist Michael Landsberg stated that Booker was considered "one of the best wrestlers alive", capable of "any match, any style". Industry veteran John Layfield later described him as "the best acquisition that WWE got when they bought WCW" in 2001.


title: Booker T (wrestler)

text: Booker's 21 WCW titles render him the most decorated wrestler in the company's history. He was the first African American WCW World Television Champion. Harlem Heat were recognized by WWE as being – along with The Steiner Brothers – WCW's greatest ever tag team. Considering both Booker's WCW and WWF/E accoldades, WWE recognizes him as one of the most decorated performers of all-time.


title: Booker T (wrestler)

text: With his fifth WCW Championship win (which occurred in the WWF), Booker T became the second African-American to win a world championship in WWF/E (after The Rock), and the first to be of non-mixed race. Booker was voted WWE's greatest World Heavyweight Champion in a 2013 viewer poll.


title: Booker T (wrestler)

text: In 2000, Booker appeared in the film "Ready to Rumble", starring as himself. He has appeared in an episode of "Charmed", called "Wrestling with Demons" alongside Buff Bagwell and Scott Steiner. In 2001, along with several other WWE wrestlers, Booker competed on an episode of "The Weakest Link", being eliminated second from the show. He also has appeared on Comedy Central and MTV.


title: Booker T (wrestler)

text: On January 13, 2004, the album "WWE Originals" was released, featuring Booker T performing "Can You Dig It?". On April 21, 2007, Booker began hosting a radio show titled "Tea Time with King Booker" on KBME 790 AM in Houston. During the week of November 5, 2007, he appeared on "Family Feud" with several other WWE wrestlers.


title: Booker T (wrestler)

text: On September 1, 2012, Booker released his first autobiography, "Booker T: From Prison to Promise", with Medallion Press. Booker T made appearances to promote the book with The Score Television Network with Arda Ocal which aired on August 29, 2012. He conducted a sixteen-page interview with "Pro Wrestling Illustrated" in the 2012 volume #50 issue.


title: Booker T (wrestler)

text: On March 10, 2015, Booker released his second autobiography, "Booker T: Wrestling Royalty" with Medallion Press.


title: Booker T (wrestler)

text: In 2015, Booker T started a show on KILT (AM) that is also a podcast on Radio.com called "Heated Conversations – with Booker T". The show is aired on Saturday nights locally in Houston, Texas, and covers subjects from wrestling, MMA, and boxing to many other sports. It has featured the biggest names from the WWE, as well as NBA stars like Dwight Howard.


title: Booker T (wrestler)

text: In February 2019, Booker T sued video game company Activision over the "" character David "Prophet" Wilkes. The lawsuit claimed that the "Black Ops" character contained similarities to Booker's GI Bro comic book character.


title: Booker T (wrestler)

text: On 19 September 2021, All41 Studios and Microgaming released WWE Legends: Link & Win, a game for mobile and desktop browsers. Booker T was featured as one of four main characters alongside Macho Man Randy Savage, Stone Cold Steve Austin, and Eddie Guerrero.


title: Booker T (wrestler)

text: Huffman married his first wife Levestia on May 23, 1996. Booker presented her to the "Nitro" crowd the night after his WCW World Heavyweight Championship win at Bash at the Beach. Levestia was also used to further the feud between himself and Jeff Jarrett when Jarrett hit her in the head with a guitar on Nitro on July 31, 2000. However, they divorced on May 8, 2001.


title: Booker T (wrestler)

text: Huffman has a son, from a previous relationship with a high school girlfriend, named Brandon (born in 1982), with whom he has a strained relationship due to his time spent on the road. Booker married his girlfriend of five years, Sharmell Sullivan, in February 2005. The couple welcomed their twins, a boy named Kendrick and a girl named Kennedy, in 2010. Huffman and his brother Lash opened a wrestling school in Houston in 2005. He is also a fan of Formula One, and was in attendance at the 2012 U.S Grand Prix as a guest of Lewis Hamilton.


title: Booker T (wrestler)

text: In 2005, Huffman started his own wrestling promotion in Houston, Texas, called Pro Wrestling Alliance. In 2012, the promotion rebranded to Reality of Wrestling. After his final 2013 event, Christmas Chaos, ROW was near to close, but Houston business man Hilton Koch, who assisted the event, became a partner with Booker.


title: Booker T (wrestler)

text: On February 21, 2015, Booker T and Stevie Ray reunited as Harlem Heat for one last match in Reality of Wrestling for the promotion's "The Final Heat" event. They defeated the Heavenly Bodies to win the ROW Tag Team Championship. On March 14, the titles were vacated.


title: Booker T (wrestler)

text: On December 10, 2016, Huffman announced that he would be running in the 2019 Houston mayoral election. He was quoted saying that, "2020 is going to be a new era in the city of Houston. We're going to be looked at now from a different perspective. The cool city, 2020 is coming." Huffman was quoted in 2016, stating his focus for the three years leading up to the 2019 election would be concentrated on the city's "homeless, underprivileged, and low income areas." However, in September 2019, Huffman was not among the 12 names listed who applied for the election ballot.


title: Booker T (wrestler)

text: Huffman spent nineteen months in prison after pleading guilty to armed robberies at Wendy's restaurants in Houston. He and his partners wore Wendy's uniforms during the holdups since they had been working there for 2½ years. Because of the gunmen's uniforms and familiarity with the fast food chain's operations, police suspected the robberies were inside jobs—and it did not take long before Huffman and three other men were found. He pleaded guilty in December 1987 to two aggravated robbery counts and was sentenced to five years in prison. Huffman was released after serving 19 months, and was placed on parole until April 1992.


title: Ri Sol-ju

text: Ri Sol-ju (; born 1985–1989) is the current First Lady of North Korea as the wife of Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un.


title: Ri Sol-ju

text: Little is known about her from official North Korean sources, but outside sources have speculated more about her background. While she has made many public appearances with her husband, she has also spent long periods out of the public eye. In April 2018, state media had announced that her new title had been elevated from merely "Comrade" to "Respected First Lady" – considered a significant honor and the first time the title has been used since 1974. At the same time, she began to take on a diplomatic role.


title: Ri Sol-ju

text: North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and his family have been characterized as "secretive". Very little information about Ri Sol-ju has appeared in official North Korean sources, but more speculative information has been reported in foreign media.


title: Ri Sol-ju

text: Very little is known for certain about Ri's origins; some analysts have even said that her name "almost certainly is a pseudonym". Her reported year of birth has ranged between 1985 and 1989. Ri's family is reportedly from the political elite; her mother is the head of a gynecology ward and her father is a professor. She is said to have graduated from Geumsung 2 Middle School in Pyongyang and studied abroad in China, majoring in vocal music. She is said to be related to Ri Pyong-chol, a former general of the Korean People's Army Air and Anti-Air Force and close advisor of Kim Jong-un. "JoongAng Ilbo" and some commentators have identified Ri as a singer in the Unhasu Orchestra that has made several overseas performances. Reportedly, North Korean officials are "trying to erase her past as a singer and entertainer by confiscating popular bootleg CDs of her performances", such as her singing the song ""Sobaeksu"". In 2012, she was reportedly a graduate student at Kim Il-sung University, pursuing a PhD in science.


title: Ri Sol-ju

text: Ri reportedly visited South Korea in 2005, as a member of the North Korean cheerleading team during the Asian Athletics Championships. She was said to be among 90 cheerleaders who chanted "We are one!" Ri reportedly told a South Korean teacher while on the trip: "We want to take classes from the South's teachers after being reunited as soon as possible."


title: Ri Sol-ju

text: The BBC, quoting an analyst who spoke to "The Korea Times" of South Korea, reported that Kim's father, Kim Jong-il, had hastily arranged his son's marriage after suffering a stroke in 2008. The two were reportedly married in 2009.


title: Ri Sol-ju

text: In December 2012, it was reported that Ri was visibly pregnant, although North Korean officials did not comment. In March 2013, former NBA basketball player Dennis Rodman visited Kim Jong-un in North Korea. Rodman told "The Guardian" in September 2013 that the couple's child, a girl, is named (). He said that Jong-un had "a beautiful family" and was a "good dad".


title: Ri Sol-ju

text: South Korean intelligence officials reported that Ri gave birth to a third child of unknown gender in February 2017.


title: Ri Sol-ju

text: In November 2022, North Korean state media published photographs of Kim Jong-un holding hands with his young daughter at the site of a missile launch in Pyongyang. While the child was not named, observers believe it is Kim Ju-ae.


title: Ri Sol-ju

text: In 2012, Ri made several public appearances standing next to Kim Jong-un, causing speculation about who she might be. South Korean intelligence officials wrongly identified her as Hyon Song-wol, a former singer for the Pochonbo Electronic Ensemble, a musical group popular in North Korea. However, on 25 July 2012, North Korean state media announced that she was actually Kim's wife, saying she was "his wife, Comrade Ri Sol-ju". The announcement of the marriage marked a change from Kim's father Kim Jong-il, who had never introduced his wives to the public.


title: Ri Sol-ju

text: In July 2012, at an elite gala concert in North Korea, Ri was stylishly "dressed in a trim black suit in the Chanel tradition", considered unusual for North Korean women. Along with other recent changes, such as the firing of a hard-line top general, Kim Jong-un's marriage is seen by analysts as "a continuation of what is either a policy change, or a propaganda offensive, or both".


title: Ri Sol-ju

text: In September 2012, Kenji Fujimoto, the former personal sushi chef of Kim Jong-il, said he met Ri on a recent trip to North Korea. He described her as "just so charming... I cannot describe her voice, it's so soft..." As a parting gift, Ri gave Fujimoto a Christian Dior handbag, which Ri was earlier reported to have been carrying.


title: Ri Sol-ju

text: From 2012 to 2014, Ri appeared occasionally in the North Korean media, accompanying her husband to events, but subsequently, she was rarely seen. She had long periods out of the public view in 2015, 2016, and 2017.


title: Ri Sol-ju

text: In 2018, Ri took on a diplomatic role. In March 2018, she visited China with her husband, meeting China's paramount leader Xi Jinping and his wife, Peng Liyuan. In April 2018, ahead of the April 2018 inter-Korean summit, Ri's title was elevated to "Respected First Lady" (instead of just "Comrade"), the first time since 1974 the title had been used in North Korea; the previous bearer was Kim Il-sung's second wife, Kim Song-ae. The change in title was made public in a news report read by star anchorwoman, Ri Chun-hee, who often makes major announcements. Ri attended the summit, the first wife of a North Korean leader to do so, and met the First Lady of South Korea, Kim Jung-sook, for the first time. The two first ladies were observed as being close to each other during their meetings that year. In May, she met with US diplomats and helped ease tensions. She also helped host the visit of China's paramount leader Xi Jinping and his wife Peng Liyuan in June 2019.


title: Tether (cryptocurrency)

text: Tether (often referred to by its currency codes, USD₮ and USDT, among others) is an asset-backed cryptocurrency stablecoin. It was launched by the company Tether Limited Inc. in 2014. Tether Limited is owned by the Hong Kong-based company iFinex Inc., which also owns the Bitfinex cryptocurrency exchange. As of July 2022, Tether Limited has minted the USDT stablecoin on ten protocols and blockchains. Tether is described as a stablecoin because it was originally designed to be valued at USD $1.00. Tether Limited has stated that it maintains USD $1 of asset reserves for each USD₮ 1 issued, but has been fined by regulators for failing to do this and has failed to present audits showing sufficient asset reserves.


title: Tether (cryptocurrency)

text: In 2012, J.R. Willett published a whitepaper which described the possibility of building new cryptocurrencies on top of the Bitcoin blockchain. Willett went on to help implement this idea in the cryptocurrency "Mastercoin", which had an associated "Mastercoin Foundation" (later renamed the "Omni Foundation") to promote the use of this new "second layer". The Mastercoin protocol became the technological foundation of the Tether cryptocurrency, and one of the original members of Mastercoin Foundation. Brock Pierce, became a co-founder of Tether. and Tether founder, Craig Sellars, became the CTO of the Mastercoin Foundation.


title: Tether (cryptocurrency)

text: The precursor to Tether, originally named "Realcoin", was announced in July 2014 by co-founders Brock Pierce, Reeve Collins, and Craig Sellars as a Santa Monica based startup. The first tokens were issued on 6 October 2014, on the Bitcoin blockchain. This was done by using the Omni Layer Protocol. On 20 November 2014, Tether CEO Reeve Collins announced the project was being renamed to "Tether". The company also announced it was entering private beta, which supported a "Tether+ token" for three currencies: USTether (US+) for United States dollars, EuroTether (EU+) for euros and YenTether (JP+) for Japanese yen. Tether said "Every Tether+ token is backed 100% by its original currency, and can be redeemed at any time with no exposure to exchange risk." The company's website states that it is incorporated in Hong Kong with offices in Switzerland, without giving details.


title: Tether (cryptocurrency)

text: In January 2015, the cryptocurrency exchange Bitfinex enabled trading of Tether on their platform. While representatives from Tether and Bitfinex say that the two are separate, the Paradise Papers leaks in November 2017 named Bitfinex officials Philip Potter and Giancarlo Devasini as responsible for setting up "Tether Holdings Limited" in the British Virgin Islands in 2014. A spokesperson for Bitfinex and Tether has said that the CEO of both firms is Jan Ludovicus van der Velde. According to Tether's website, the Hong Kong-based "Tether Limited" is a fully owned subsidiary of "Tether Holdings Limited". Bitfinex is one of the largest Bitcoin exchanges by volume in the world.


title: Tether (cryptocurrency)

text: For a while, Tether was processing US dollar transactions through Taiwanese banks which, in turn, sent the money through the bank Wells Fargo to allow the funds to move outside Taiwan. Tether announced that on 18 April 2017, these international transfers had been blocked. Along with Bitfinex, Tether filed suit against Wells Fargo in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California. The lawsuit was withdrawn a week later.


title: Tether (cryptocurrency)

text: Tether issues tokens on Bitcoin (Omni and Liquid Protocol), Ethereum, EOS, Tron, Algorand, SLP and -OMG Network blockchains.


title: Tether (cryptocurrency)

text: Currently, there are a total of five distinct Tether tokens: United States dollar tether on Bitcoin's Omni layer, euro tether on Bitcoin's Omni layer, United States dollar tether as an ERC-20 token, and euro tether as an ERC-20 token, and added in 2020 United States dollar tether as an TRC-20 token on the TRON network.


title: Tether (cryptocurrency)

text: From January 2017 to September 2018, the amount of tethers outstanding grew from about $10 million to about $2.8 billion. In early 2018 Tether accounted for about 10% of the trading volume of Bitcoin, but during the summer of 2018 it accounted for up to 80% of Bitcoin volume. Research suggests that a price manipulation scheme involving tether accounted for about half of the price increase in Bitcoin in late 2017. More than $500 million of Tether was issued in August 2018.


title: Tether (cryptocurrency)

text: On 15 October 2018 the tether price briefly fell to $0.88 due to the perceived credit risk as traders on Bitfinex exchanged tether for Bitcoin, driving up the price of Bitcoin.


title: Tether (cryptocurrency)

text: In 2019, Tether surpassed Bitcoin in trading volume with the highest daily and monthly trading volume of any cryptocurrency on the market.


title: Tether (cryptocurrency)

text: Research by Griffin and Shams found that Bitcoin prices increased after Tether minted new USD₮ during market downturns. They speculated this was an attempt at market manipulation. These findings were contested by the Bitfinex cryptocurrency exchange who claimed the authors cherry-picked data and lacked a complete dataset. Subsequent researchers found little to no evidence that Tether USD₮ minting events influenced Bitcoin prices, supporting the Bitfinex critique. In 2022, research found that Bitcoin prices only increased when Whale Alert tweeted to the public that Tether had minted USDT, supporting a classic investor response to news announcements. Academic research following the Griffin and Shams study did not conclude that Tether manipulated Bitcoin. The CEO of Tether and Bitfinex commented on the academic debate: ""Bitfinex nor Tether is, or has ever, engaged in any sort of market or price manipulation. Tether issuances cannot be used to prop up the price of Bitcoin or any other coin/token on Bitfinex"."


title: Tether (cryptocurrency)

text: Bloomberg News reporters found irregularities on the Kraken cryptocurrency exchange, with small market orders moving the market price of Tether as much as larger market orders from 1 May 2018 to 22 June 2018. New York University Professor Rosa Abrantes-Metz and Federal Reserve bank examiner Mark Williams suggested the unusual order sizes were indicative of wash trading by automated trading programs. The Kraken cryptocurrency exchange offered a rebuttal of these claims, stating that Bloomberg News misunderstood the concept of stablecoin and that the market price of Tether was not greatly influenced by market order size because Tether was a stablecoin pegged to the United States dollar. The user responsible for unusual order sizes also confirmed that the oddly specific order sizes and decimal places were ""randomly selected"." The Kraken cryptocurrency exchange rebuttal of the Bloomberg News findings were later supported by academic research concerning the stability of stablecoins.


title: Tether (cryptocurrency)

text: On 20 November 2018, Bloomberg reported that U.S. federal prosecutors are investigating whether Tether was used to manipulate the price of Bitcoin.


title: Tether (cryptocurrency)

text: According to Tether's website tether can be newly issued, by purchase for dollars, or redeemed by exchanges and qualified corporate customers excluding U.S.-based customers. Journalist Jon Evans states that he has not been able to find publicly verifiable examples of a purchase of newly issued tether or a redemption in the year ending August 2018.


title: Tether (cryptocurrency)

text: Tether claims that it intends to hold all United States dollars in reserve so that it can meet customer withdrawals upon demand. It was unable to meet all withdrawal requests in 2017. Tether purports to make reserve account holdings transparent via external audit; however, Tether never produced an audit showing it had the purported reserve. In January 2018 Tether announced that they no longer had a relationship with their auditor.


title: Tether (cryptocurrency)

text: About $31 million of USDT tokens were stolen from Tether in November 2017. Later analysis of the Bitcoin distributed ledger showed a close connection between the Tether hack and the January 2015 hack of Bitstamp. In response to the theft, Tether suspended trading, and stated it would roll out new software to implement an emergency "hard fork" in order to render all of the tokens that Tether identified as stolen in the heist untradeable. Tether has stated that as of 19 December 2017, it has re-enabled limited cryptocurrency wallet services and has begun processing the backlog of pending trades.


title: Tether (cryptocurrency)

text: On September 19, 2022, due to an ongoing lawsuit in New York District Court, Bitfinex and Tether (referred to in court records as B/T), were ordered to produce documents showing the backing of USDT, the outcome of which is still pending.


title: Tether (cryptocurrency)

text: An online critic who goes by the name "Bitfinex'ed" has raised questions about the relationship between Bitfinex and Tether in 2017, accusing Bitfinex of creating "magic Tethers out of thin air". In September 2017, Tether published a "memorandum" from a public accounting firm that Tether Limited claimed showed that tethers were fully backed by US dollars; however, according to the "New York Times", independent attorney Lewis Cohen stated the document, because of the careful way it was phrased, does not prove that the Tether coins are backed by dollars. The documents also fail to ascertain whether the balances in question are otherwise encumbered. The accounting firm specifically stated that


title: Tether (cryptocurrency)

text: Tether has failed to present audits showing that the amount of tethers outstanding are backed one-to-one by U.S. dollars on deposit despite repeated claims that they would. A June 2018 attempt at an audit was posted on their website in June 2018 which showed a report by the law firm Freeh, Sporkin & Sullivan LLP (FSS) which appeared to confirm that the issued tethers were fully backed by dollars. However, FSS stated "FSS is not an accounting firm and did not perform the above review and confirmations using Generally Accepted Accounting Principles," and "The above confirmation of bank and tether balances should not be construed as the results of an audit and were not conducted in accordance with Generally Accepted Auditing Standards." Stuart Hoegner, Tether's general counsel said "the bottom line is an audit cannot be obtained. The big four firms are anathema to that level of risk. We’ve gone for what we think is the next best thing."


title: Tether (cryptocurrency)

text: On April 25, 2019, New York Attorney General Letitia James (prosecution) filed a lawsuit against iFinex (defendant)—the parent company of Tether Limited and the Bitfinex cryptocurrency exchange. The prosecution claimed that the Bitfinex cryptocurrency exchange had been unable to secure a reliable fiat banking relationship, so it had entrusted USD $1 billion to the Panamanian payment processing firm Crypto Capital Corp. The prosecution alleged that funds were co-mingled with corporate and client deposits and that no contract was ever signed with Crypto Capital. The prosecution speculated that Crypto Capital Corp had lost or stolen the money, and executives at Bitfinex and Tether Limited had been unable to recover up to USD $850 million of funds. The prosecution accused iFinex, Bitfinex, and Tether Limited of using Tether Limited to cover up the shortfall.


title: Tether (cryptocurrency)

text: On April 26, 2019, iFinex contested claims that funds had been lost or stolen by Crypto Capital Corp, stating that funds had actually been seized and Bitfinex sought release of the funds. Crypto Capital Corp told Bitfinex the seizures were temporary and presented excuses as to why the funds could not be released to Bitfinex (Case Point 33). Crypto Capital Corp stated that: in May 2018, the government of Poland had frozen a Crypto Capital Corp bank account holding at least USD $340 million of Bitfinex funds (Case Point No. 33); and between April and July 2018, a Crypto Capital Corp account in Portugal containing around $150 million of Bitfinex funds had also been frozen (Case Point No. 34). The principals of Crypto Capital Corp were later arrested. During the case, iFinex contested claims that Tether Limited had been used to cover up alleged losses, stating that Bitfinex had borrowed USD $400 million from Tether Limited due to the inability to access seized funds from Crypto Capital Corp (Case Point No. 38). Bitfinex stated they had fully repaid the loans with interest to Tether Limited by February 5, 2021.


title: Tether (cryptocurrency)

text: On May 16, 2021, New York Supreme Court Judge Joel M. Cohen granted iFinex's motion to modify the injunction because the New York Attorney General's office's accusations were too general and lacked specificity, stating the prosecution's case was ""couched in exceedingly sweeping terms"" and ""injunctions must be specific.""


title: Tether (cryptocurrency)

text: On February 17, 2021, iFinex settled the legal dispute with the New York Attorney General's office. iFinex, Bitfinex, and Tether Limited did not admit any wrongdoing and paid USD $18.5 million to settle the case.


title: Tether (cryptocurrency)

text: On December 5, 2017, the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (prosecution) issued subpoenas to Bitfinex and Tether Limited concerning the backing of minted USD₮. Before February 25, 2019, Tether Limited's terms claimed ""Every tether is always backed 1-to-1, by traditional currency held in our reserves. So 1 USDT is always equivalent to 1 USD"." After February 25, 2019, Tether Limited revised their terms to more accurately state ""Tether Tokens are 100% backed by Tether’s Reserves"" defined as ""traditional currency and cash equivalents and, from time to time, may include other assets and receivables from loans made by Tether to third parties, which may include affiliated entities"."


title: Tether (cryptocurrency)

text: On April 30, 2019, iFinex (defendant)—the parent company of Tether Limited and the Bitfinex cryptocurrency exchange—issued an affidavit stating that minted USD₮ was 74% backed by a narrow definition of cash and cash equivalents, with the remaining 26% backed by other assets.


title: Tether (cryptocurrency)

text: On October 15, 2021, Tether Limited paid a fine of USD $41.6 million for inaccurately claiming that minted USD₮ were 100% backed by fiat USD, when they were actually 100% backed by a combination of fiat USD and other assets such as ""unsecured receivables, commercial papers, funds held by third parties, and other non-fiat assets"". Tether Limited responded by revising their claims to state that ""All Tether tokens are pegged at 1-to-1 with a matching fiat currency and are backed 100% by Tether’s reserves"." Tether Limited released assurance reports from 2017 to 2022 attesting to the 100% backing of minted USD₮. In May 2021, Tether published a report showing that 2.9% of Tether was backed by fiat USD, with over 49.6% backed by commercial paper, and the remaining amount backed by other assets.


title: Calcium

text: Calcium is a chemical element with the symbol Ca and atomic number 20. As an alkaline earth metal, calcium is a reactive metal that forms a dark oxide-nitride layer when exposed to air. Its physical and chemical properties are most similar to its heavier homologues strontium and barium. It is the fifth most abundant element in Earth's crust, and the third most abundant metal, after iron and aluminium. The most common calcium compound on Earth is calcium carbonate, found in limestone and the fossilised remnants of early sea life; gypsum, anhydrite, fluorite, and apatite are also sources of calcium. The name derives from Latin "calx" "lime", which was obtained from heating limestone.


title: Calcium

text: Some calcium compounds were known to the ancients, though their chemistry was unknown until the seventeenth century. Pure calcium was isolated in 1808 via electrolysis of its oxide by Humphry Davy, who named the element. Calcium compounds are widely used in many industries: in foods and pharmaceuticals for calcium supplementation, in the paper industry as bleaches, as components in cement and electrical insulators, and in the manufacture of soaps. On the other hand, the metal in pure form has few applications due to its high reactivity; still, in small quantities it is often used as an alloying component in steelmaking, and sometimes, as a calcium–lead alloy, in making automotive batteries.


title: Calcium

text: Calcium is the most abundant metal and the fifth-most abundant element in the human body. As electrolytes, calcium ions (Ca) play a vital role in the physiological and biochemical processes of organisms and cells: in signal transduction pathways where they act as a second messenger; in neurotransmitter release from neurons; in contraction of all muscle cell types; as cofactors in many enzymes; and in fertilization. Calcium ions outside cells are important for maintaining the potential difference across excitable cell membranes, protein synthesis, and bone formation.


title: Calcium

text: Calcium is a very ductile silvery metal (sometimes described as pale yellow) whose properties are very similar to the heavier elements in its group, strontium, barium, and radium. A calcium atom has twenty electrons, arranged in the electron configuration [Ar]4s. Like the other elements placed in group 2 of the periodic table, calcium has two valence electrons in the outermost s-orbital, which are very easily lost in chemical reactions to form a dipositive ion with the stable electron configuration of a noble gas, in this case argon.


title: Calcium

text: Hence, calcium is almost always divalent in its compounds, which are usually ionic. Hypothetical univalent salts of calcium would be stable with respect to their elements, but not to disproportionation to the divalent salts and calcium metal, because the enthalpy of formation of MX is much higher than those of the hypothetical MX. This occurs because of the much greater lattice energy afforded by the more highly charged Ca cation compared to the hypothetical Ca cation.


title: Calcium

text: Calcium, strontium, barium, and radium are always considered to be alkaline earth metals; the lighter beryllium and magnesium, also in group 2 of the periodic table, are often included as well. Nevertheless, beryllium and magnesium differ significantly from the other members of the group in their physical and chemical behaviour: they behave more like aluminium and zinc respectively and have some of the weaker metallic character of the post-transition metals, which is why the traditional definition of the term "alkaline earth metal" excludes them.


title: Calcium

text: Calcium metal melts at 842 °C and boils at 1494 °C; these values are higher than those for magnesium and strontium, the neighbouring group 2 metals. It crystallises in the face-centered cubic arrangement like strontium; above 450 °C, it changes to an anisotropic hexagonal close-packed arrangement like magnesium. Its density of 1.55 g/cm is the lowest in its group.


title: Calcium

text: Calcium is harder than lead but can be cut with a knife with effort. While calcium is a poorer conductor of electricity than copper or aluminium by volume, it is a better conductor by mass than both due to its very low density. While calcium is infeasible as a conductor for most terrestrial applications as it reacts quickly with atmospheric oxygen, its use as such in space has been considered.


title: Calcium

text: The chemistry of calcium is that of a typical heavy alkaline earth metal. For example, calcium spontaneously reacts with water more quickly than magnesium and less quickly than strontium to produce calcium hydroxide and hydrogen gas. It also reacts with the oxygen and nitrogen in the air to form a mixture of calcium oxide and calcium nitride. When finely divided, it spontaneously burns in air to produce the nitride. In bulk, calcium is less reactive: it quickly forms a hydration coating in moist air, but below 30% relative humidity it may be stored indefinitely at room temperature.


title: Calcium

text: Besides the simple oxide CaO, the peroxide CaO can be made by direct oxidation of calcium metal under a high pressure of oxygen, and there is some evidence for a yellow superoxide Ca(O). Calcium hydroxide, Ca(OH), is a strong base, though it is not as strong as the hydroxides of strontium, barium or the alkali metals. All four dihalides of calcium are known. Calcium carbonate (CaCO) and calcium sulfate (CaSO) are particularly abundant minerals. Like strontium and barium, as well as the alkali metals and the divalent lanthanides europium and ytterbium, calcium metal dissolves directly in liquid ammonia to give a dark blue solution.


title: Calcium

text: Due to the large size of the calcium ion (Ca), high coordination numbers are common, up to 24 in some intermetallic compounds such as CaZn. Calcium is readily complexed by oxygen chelates such as EDTA and polyphosphates, which are useful in analytic chemistry and removing calcium ions from hard water. In the absence of steric hindrance, smaller group 2 cations tend to form stronger complexes, but when large polydentate macrocycles are involved the trend is reversed.


title: Calcium

text: Although calcium is in the same group as magnesium and organomagnesium compounds are very commonly used throughout chemistry, organocalcium compounds are not similarly widespread because they are more difficult to make and more reactive, although they have recently been investigated as possible catalysts. Organocalcium compounds tend to be more similar to organoytterbium compounds due to the similar ionic radii of Yb (102 pm) and Ca (100 pm).


title: Calcium

text: Most of these compounds can only be prepared at low temperatures; bulky ligands tend to favor stability. For example, calcium dicyclopentadienyl, Ca(CH), must be made by directly reacting calcium metal with mercurocene or cyclopentadiene itself; replacing the CH ligand with the bulkier C(CH) ligand on the other hand increases the compound's solubility, volatility, and kinetic stability.


title: Calcium

text: Natural calcium is a mixture of five stable isotopes (Ca, Ca, Ca, Ca, and Ca) and one isotope with a half-life so long that it can be considered stable for all practical purposes (Ca, with a half-life of about 4.3 × 10 years). Calcium is the first (lightest) element to have six naturally occurring isotopes.


title: Calcium

text: By far the most common isotope of calcium in nature is Ca, which makes up 96.941% of all natural calcium. It is produced in the silicon-burning process from fusion of alpha particles and is the heaviest stable nuclide with equal proton and neutron numbers; its occurrence is also supplemented slowly by the decay of primordial K. Adding another alpha particle leads to unstable Ti, which quickly decays via two successive electron captures to stable Ca; this makes up 2.806% of all natural calcium and is the second-most common isotope.


title: Calcium

text: The other four natural isotopes, Ca, Ca, Ca, and Ca, are significantly rarer, each comprising less than 1% of all natural calcium. The four lighter isotopes are mainly products of the oxygen-burning and silicon-burning processes, leaving the two heavier ones to be produced via neutron capture processes. Ca is mostly produced in a "hot" s-process, as its formation requires a rather high neutron flux to allow short-lived Ca to capture a neutron. Ca is produced by electron capture in the r-process in type Ia supernovae, where high neutron excess and low enough entropy ensures its survival.


title: Calcium

text: Ca and Ca are the first "classically stable" nuclides with a six-neutron or eight-neutron excess respectively. Although extremely neutron-rich for such a light element, Ca is very stable because it is a doubly magic nucleus, having 20 protons and 28 neutrons arranged in closed shells. Its beta decay to Sc is very hindered because of the gross mismatch of nuclear spin: Ca has zero nuclear spin, being even–even, while Sc has spin 6+, so the decay is forbidden by the conservation of angular momentum. While two excited states of Sc are available for decay as well, they are also forbidden due to their high spins. As a result, when Ca does decay, it does so by double beta decay to Ti instead, being the lightest nuclide known to undergo double beta decay.


title: Calcium

text: The heavy isotope Ca can also theoretically undergo double beta decay to Ti as well, but this has never been observed. The lightest and most common isotope Ca is also doubly magic and could undergo double electron capture to Ar, but this has likewise never been observed. Calcium is the only element to have two primordial doubly magic isotopes. The experimental lower limits for the half-lives of Ca and Ca are 5.9 × 10 years and 2.8 × 10 years respectively.


title: Calcium

text: Apart from the practically stable Ca, the longest lived radioisotope of calcium is Ca. It decays by electron capture to stable K with a half-life of about a hundred thousand years. Its existence in the early Solar System as an extinct radionuclide has been inferred from excesses of K: traces of Ca also still exist today, as it is a cosmogenic nuclide, continuously reformed through neutron activation of natural Ca.


title: Calcium

text: Many other calcium radioisotopes are known, ranging from Ca to Ca. They are all much shorter-lived than Ca, the most stable among them being Ca (half-life 163 days) and Ca (half-life 4.54 days). The isotopes lighter than Ca usually undergo beta plus decay to isotopes of potassium, and those heavier than Ca usually undergo beta minus decay to isotopes of scandium, although near the nuclear drip lines, proton emission and neutron emission begin to be significant decay modes as well.


title: Calcium

text: Like other elements, a variety of processes alter the relative abundance of calcium isotopes. The best studied of these processes is the mass-dependent fractionation of calcium isotopes that accompanies the precipitation of calcium minerals such as calcite, aragonite and apatite from solution. Lighter isotopes are preferentially incorporated into these minerals, leaving the surrounding solution enriched in heavier isotopes at a magnitude of roughly 0.025% per atomic mass unit (amu) at room temperature. Mass-dependent differences in calcium isotope composition are conventionally expressed by the ratio of two isotopes (usually Ca/Ca) in a sample compared to the same ratio in a standard reference material. Ca/Ca varies by about 1% among common earth materials.


title: Calcium

text: Calcium compounds were known for millennia, although their chemical makeup was not understood until the 17th century. Lime as a building material and as plaster for statues was used as far back as around 7000 BC. The first dated lime kiln dates back to 2500 BC and was found in Khafajah, Mesopotamia.


title: Calcium

text: At about the same time, dehydrated gypsum (CaSO·2HO) was being used in the Great Pyramid of Giza. This material would later be used for the plaster in the tomb of Tutankhamun. The ancient Romans instead used lime mortars made by heating limestone (CaCO). The name "calcium" itself derives from the Latin word "calx" "lime".


title: Calcium

text: Vitruvius noted that the lime that resulted was lighter than the original limestone, attributing this to the boiling of the water. In 1755, Joseph Black proved that this was due to the loss of carbon dioxide, which as a gas had not been recognised by the ancient Romans.


title: Calcium

text: In 1789, Antoine Lavoisier suspected that lime might be an oxide of a fundamental chemical element. In his table of the elements, Lavoisier listed five "salifiable earths" (i.e., ores that could be made to react with acids to produce salts ("salis" = salt, in Latin): "chaux" (calcium oxide), "magnésie" (magnesia, magnesium oxide), "baryte" (barium sulfate), "alumine" (alumina, aluminium oxide), and "silice" (silica, silicon dioxide)). About these "elements", Lavoisier reasoned:


title: Calcium

text: Calcium, along with its congeners magnesium, strontium, and barium, was first isolated by Humphry Davy in 1808. Following the work of Jöns Jakob Berzelius and Magnus Martin af Pontin on electrolysis, Davy isolated calcium and magnesium by putting a mixture of the respective metal oxides with mercury(II) oxide on a platinum plate which was used as the anode, the cathode being a platinum wire partially submerged into mercury. Electrolysis then gave calcium–mercury and magnesium–mercury amalgams, and distilling off the mercury gave the metal. However, pure calcium cannot be prepared in bulk by this method and a workable commercial process for its production was not found until over a century later.


title: Calcium

text: At 3%, calcium is the fifth most abundant element in the Earth's crust, and the third most abundant metal behind aluminium and iron. It is also the fourth most abundant element in the lunar highlands. Sedimentary calcium carbonate deposits pervade the Earth's surface as fossilized remains of past marine life; they occur in two forms, the rhombohedral calcite (more common) and the orthorhombic aragonite (forming in more temperate seas). Minerals of the first type include limestone, dolomite, marble, chalk, and iceland spar; aragonite beds make up the Bahamas, the Florida Keys, and the Red Sea basins. Corals, sea shells, and pearls are mostly made up of calcium carbonate. Among the other important minerals of calcium are gypsum (CaSO·2HO), anhydrite (CaSO), fluorite (CaF), and apatite ([Ca(PO)F]).


title: Calcium

text: The major producers of calcium are China (about 10000 to 12000 tonnes per year), Russia (about 6000 to 8000 tonnes per year), and the United States (about 2000 to 4000 tonnes per year). Canada and France are also among the minor producers. In 2005, about 24000 tonnes of calcium were produced; about half of the world's extracted calcium is used by the United States, with about 80% of the output used each year.


title: Calcium

text: In Russia and China, Davy's method of electrolysis is still used, but is instead applied to molten calcium chloride. Since calcium is less reactive than strontium or barium, the oxide–nitride coating that results in air is stable and lathe machining and other standard metallurgical techniques are suitable for calcium. In the United States and Canada, calcium is instead produced by reducing lime with aluminium at high temperatures.


title: Calcium

text: Calcium cycling provides a link between tectonics, climate, and the carbon cycle. In the simplest terms, uplift of mountains exposes calcium-bearing rocks such as some granites to chemical weathering and releases Ca into surface water. These ions are transported to the ocean where they react with dissolved CO to form limestone (), which in turn settles to the sea floor where it is incorporated into new rocks. Dissolved CO, along with carbonate and bicarbonate ions, are termed "dissolved inorganic carbon" (DIC).


title: Calcium

text: The actual reaction is more complicated and involves the bicarbonate ion (HCO) that forms when CO reacts with water at seawater pH:


title: Calcium

text: At seawater pH, most of the CO is immediately converted back into . The reaction results in a net transport of one molecule of CO from the ocean/atmosphere into the lithosphere. The result is that each Ca ion released by chemical weathering ultimately removes one CO molecule from the surficial system (atmosphere, ocean, soils and living organisms), storing it in carbonate rocks where it is likely to stay for hundreds of millions of years. The weathering of calcium from rocks thus scrubs CO from the ocean and atmosphere, exerting a strong long-term effect on climate.


title: Calcium

text: The largest use of metallic calcium is in steelmaking, due to its strong chemical affinity for oxygen and sulfur. Its oxides and sulfides, once formed, give liquid lime aluminate and sulfide inclusions in steel which float out; on treatment, these inclusions disperse throughout the steel and become small and spherical, improving castability, cleanliness and general mechanical properties. Calcium is also used in maintenance-free automotive batteries, in which the use of 0.1% calcium–lead alloys instead of the usual antimony–lead alloys leads to lower water loss and lower self-discharging.


title: Calcium

text: Due to the risk of expansion and cracking, aluminium is sometimes also incorporated into these alloys. These lead–calcium alloys are also used in casting, replacing lead–antimony alloys. Calcium is also used to strengthen aluminium alloys used for bearings, for the control of graphitic carbon in cast iron, and to remove bismuth impurities from lead. Calcium metal is found in some drain cleaners, where it functions to generate heat and calcium hydroxide that saponifies the fats and liquefies the proteins (for example, those in hair) that block drains.


title: Calcium

text: Besides metallurgy, the reactivity of calcium is exploited to remove nitrogen from high-purity argon gas and as a getter for oxygen and nitrogen. It is also used as a reducing agent in the production of chromium, zirconium, thorium, and uranium. It can also be used to store hydrogen gas, as it reacts with hydrogen to form solid calcium hydride, from which the hydrogen can easily be re-extracted.


title: Calcium

text: Calcium isotope fractionation during mineral formation has led to several applications of calcium isotopes. In particular, the 1997 observation by Skulan and DePaolo that calcium minerals are isotopically lighter than the solutions from which the minerals precipitate is the basis of analogous applications in medicine and in paleoceanography. In animals with skeletons mineralized with calcium, the calcium isotopic composition of soft tissues reflects the relative rate of formation and dissolution of skeletal mineral.


title: Calcium

text: In humans, changes in the calcium isotopic composition of urine have been shown to be related to changes in bone mineral balance. When the rate of bone formation exceeds the rate of bone resorption, the Ca/Ca ratio in soft tissue rises and vice versa. Because of this relationship, calcium isotopic measurements of urine or blood may be useful in the early detection of metabolic bone diseases like osteoporosis.


title: Calcium

text: A similar system exists in seawater, where Ca/Ca tends to rise when the rate of removal of Ca by mineral precipitation exceeds the input of new calcium into the ocean. In 1997, Skulan and DePaolo presented the first evidence of change in seawater Ca/Ca over geologic time, along with a theoretical explanation of these changes. More recent papers have confirmed this observation, demonstrating that seawater Ca concentration is not constant, and that the ocean is never in a "steady state" with respect to calcium input and output. This has important climatological implications, as the marine calcium cycle is closely tied to the carbon cycle.


title: Calcium

text: Many calcium compounds are used in food, as pharmaceuticals, and in medicine, among others. For example, calcium and phosphorus are supplemented in foods through the addition of calcium lactate, calcium diphosphate, and tricalcium phosphate. The last is also used as a polishing agent in toothpaste and in antacids. Calcium lactobionate is a white powder that is used as a suspending agent for pharmaceuticals. In baking, calcium phosphate is used as a leavening agent. Calcium sulfite is used as a bleach in papermaking and as a disinfectant, calcium silicate is used as a reinforcing agent in rubber, and calcium acetate is a component of liming rosin and is used to make metallic soaps and synthetic resins.


title: Calcium

text: Foods rich in calcium include dairy products, such as yogurt and cheese, sardines, salmon, soy products, kale, and fortified breakfast cereals.


title: Calcium

text: Because of concerns for long-term adverse side effects, including calcification of arteries and kidney stones, both the U.S. Institute of Medicine (IOM) and the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) set Tolerable Upper Intake Levels (ULs) for combined dietary and supplemental calcium. From the IOM, people of ages 9–18 years are not to exceed 3 g/day combined intake; for ages 19–50, not to exceed 2.5 g/day; for ages 51 and older, not to exceed 2 g/day. EFSA set the UL for all adults at 2.5 g/day, but decided the information for children and adolescents was not sufficient to determine ULs.


title: Calcium

text: Calcium is an essential element needed in large quantities. The Ca ion acts as an electrolyte and is vital to the health of the muscular, circulatory, and digestive systems; is indispensable to the building of bone; and supports synthesis and function of blood cells. For example, it regulates the contraction of muscles, nerve conduction, and the clotting of blood. As a result, intra- and extracellular calcium levels are tightly regulated by the body. Calcium can play this role because the Ca ion forms stable coordination complexes with many organic compounds, especially proteins; it also forms compounds with a wide range of solubilities, enabling the formation of the skeleton.


title: Calcium

text: Calcium ions may be complexed by proteins through binding the carboxyl groups of glutamic acid or aspartic acid residues; through interacting with phosphorylated serine, tyrosine, or threonine residues; or by being chelated by γ-carboxylated amino acid residues. Trypsin, a digestive enzyme, uses the first method; osteocalcin, a bone matrix protein, uses the third.


title: Calcium

text: Some other bone matrix proteins such as osteopontin and bone sialoprotein use both the first and the second. Direct activation of enzymes by binding calcium is common; some other enzymes are activated by noncovalent association with direct calcium-binding enzymes. Calcium also binds to the phospholipid layer of the cell membrane, anchoring proteins associated with the cell surface.


title: Calcium

text: As an example of the wide range of solubility of calcium compounds, monocalcium phosphate is very soluble in water, 85% of extracellular calcium is as dicalcium phosphate with a solubility of 2.0 mM and the hydroxyapatite of bones in an organic matrix is tricalcium phosphate at 100 μM.


title: Calcium

text: Calcium is a common constituent of multivitamin dietary supplements, but the composition of calcium complexes in supplements may affect its bioavailability which varies by solubility of the salt involved: calcium citrate, malate, and lactate are highly bioavailable, while the oxalate is less. Other calcium preparations include calcium carbonate, calcium citrate malate, and calcium gluconate. The intestine absorbs about one-third of calcium eaten as the free ion, and plasma calcium level is then regulated by the kidneys.


title: Calcium

text: Parathyroid hormone and vitamin D promote the formation of bone by allowing and enhancing the deposition of calcium ions there, allowing rapid bone turnover without affecting bone mass or mineral content. When plasma calcium levels fall, cell surface receptors are activated and the secretion of parathyroid hormone occurs; it then proceeds to stimulate the entry of calcium into the plasma pool by taking it from targeted kidney, gut, and bone cells, with the bone-forming action of parathyroid hormone being antagonised by calcitonin, whose secretion increases with increasing plasma calcium levels.


title: Calcium

text: Excess intake of calcium may cause hypercalcemia. However, because calcium is absorbed rather inefficiently by the intestines, high serum calcium is more likely caused by excessive secretion of parathyroid hormone (PTH) or possibly by excessive intake of vitamin D, both of which facilitate calcium absorption. All these conditions result in excess calcium salts being deposited in the heart, blood vessels, or kidneys. Symptoms include anorexia, nausea, vomiting, memory loss, confusion, muscle weakness, increased urination, dehydration, and metabolic bone disease.


title: Calcium

text: Chronic hypercalcaemia typically leads to calcification of soft tissue and its serious consequences: for example, calcification can cause loss of elasticity of vascular walls and disruption of laminar blood flow—and thence to plaque rupture and thrombosis. Conversely, inadequate calcium or vitamin D intakes may result in hypocalcemia, often caused also by inadequate secretion of parathyroid hormone or defective PTH receptors in cells. Symptoms include neuromuscular excitability, which potentially causes tetany and disruption of conductivity in cardiac tissue.


title: Calcium

text: As calcium is required for bone development, many bone diseases can be traced to the organic matrix or the hydroxyapatite in molecular structure or organization of bone. Osteoporosis is a reduction in mineral content of bone per unit volume, and can be treated by supplementation of calcium, vitamin D, and bisphosphonates. Inadequate amounts of calcium, vitamin D, or phosphates can lead to softening of bones, called osteomalacia.


title: Calcium

text: Because calcium reacts exothermically with water and acids, calcium metal coming into contact with bodily moisture results in severe corrosive irritation. When swallowed, calcium metal has the same effect on the mouth, oesophagus, and stomach, and can be fatal. However, long-term exposure is not known to have distinct adverse effects.


title: Alexandre Pato

text: Alexandre Rodrigues da Silva (; born 2 September 1989), commonly known as Alexandre Pato () or just Pato, is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays as a striker.


title: Alexandre Pato

text: Pato began his career as a youth player for Internacional in 2000, making his debut in 2006 at age 16. He went on to score 12 goals in 27 appearances and helped them win the 2006 FIFA Club World Cup. In August 2007, he signed for Italian side AC Milan. In 2009, he scored 18 goals in 42 matches in all competitions, which earned him both the Golden Boy and Serie A Young Footballer of the Year awards. During the 2010–11 season, he helped Milan win the Serie A, where he was the club's joint top scorer with 14 goals in 25 games. In January 2013, Pato returned to Brazil, signing for €15 million with Corinthians, where he won the Campeonato Paulista. In 2014, Pato joined São Paulo on a two-year loan deal, where he played 95 games, scoring 38 goals for the club. In January 2016, Pato transferred to English Premier League club Chelsea on a loan deal before going to Spanish side Villarreal that same year. In 2017, he signed for Chinese club Tianjin Tianhai, and in 2019 went back to São Paulo.


title: Alexandre Pato

text: A full international for Brazil since 2008, Pato was part of their squads which won the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup and competed at the 2011 Copa América. He also won two consecutive Olympic medals for the country, a bronze in 2008, and silver four years later.


title: Alexandre Pato

text: In June 2006, at only age 16, Pato was signed by Sport Club Internacional to compete in the Campeonato Brasileiro Sub-20. Despite the fact that he was competing against players up to four years older than he was, Pato became top scorer of the competition as Internacional Sub-20 defeated Grêmio 4–0 in the championship's final match. Ready to join the Inter 13th team in November that same year, his debut finally happened at the Estádio Palestra Itália against São Paulo team Palmeiras for the Campeonato Brasileiro. Alexandre Pato met and surpassed any and all expectations of what was expected of him as he scored his first professional goal within the first minute of the game. The rest of his participation was spent dribbling and confusing defenders as he made two assists (and almost scoring another himself) to help Internacional rout Palmeiras 4–1. He was substituted off in the 77th minute.


title: Alexandre Pato

text: Pato was included in the Internacional squad that won the 2006 FIFA Club World Cup. He scored against Egyptian club Al Ahly in the semi-finals. At the age of 17 years and 102 days, this made Pato the youngest goalscorer at a senior men's FIFA tournament. He broke the record of Pelé, who was 17 years and 239 days old when he scored against Wales at the 1958 FIFA World Cup.


title: Alexandre Pato

text: Keeping up with his promising figure, Pato debuted at the Campeonato Gaúcho on 24 February against Veranópolis and scored a goal in the 2–1 victory. He also debuted in Copa Libertadores on 28 February against Emelec of Ecuador (also his first game at Beira-Rio) and scored once during the 3–0 thumping. But the biggest highlight of Pato's time with Internacional was during the Recopa Sudamericana, as he helped Internacional win their first ever title of that competition. Against Pachuca of Mexico, he scored one goal in the 2–1 defeat in Mexico. But on the return game on 7 June and with more than 51,000 "Colorados" present, Pato had a great performance as he scored once to lead the team to win their third international title.


title: Alexandre Pato

text: Incumbent European champions AC Milan of the Italian Serie A officially confirmed the signing of Pato on 2 August 2007 for a fee of about €24 million.


title: Alexandre Pato

text: Due to FIFA football regulations regarding non-EU minors, Pato was unable to play official matches for Milan until 3 January 2008, when the Italian transfer window and registration reopened. Milan, however, were allowed to include the player in friendlies and training beginning 3 September 2007, one day after his 18th birthday. Pato made his non-competitive debut in a 2–2 draw against Dynamo Kyiv on 7 September 2007 and scored a header. On 4 January 2008, Pato's transfer to Milan became official.


title: Alexandre Pato

text: Pato scored his first Milan goal on his Serie A debut against Napoli in a 5–2 home victory on 13 January 2008. He scored his first brace for Milan, in a 2–0 victory over Genoa at the San Siro on 27 January. He finished the 2007–08 season with 9 goals in 20 appearances (18 in the league).


title: Alexandre Pato

text: In late 2008, Pato scored two goals in Milan's 5–1 win over Udinese just before the Christmas break, and managed to shine again with a brace against Roma the following matchday at the Stadio Olimpico on 11 January 2009, proving that he is a vital part of Milan's attack. He continued his impressive form for Milan, hitting six goals in four games, including a game winning strike against Fiorentina on 18 January. On 15 February, he scored his 11th goal of the season in a 2–1 defeat against home rivals Internazionale. On 26 February, Pato scored his 12th goal of the season against Werder Bremen in the UEFA Cup, a game Milan drew 2–2; but with this, were knocked out the competition on the away goals rule. Pato continued his good form with two goals against Siena on 15 March. Pato finished the 2008–09 season as Milan's top goalscorer with 18 goals.


title: Alexandre Pato

text: On 22 August 2009, in the first Serie A match of the 2009–10 season, Pato scored a goal in each half during the 2–1 win against Siena. Around two months later, on 21 October 2009, during matchday three of the Champions league group stage, Pato scored two second-half goals in a 3–2 win against Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium. He has since played at the right wing in a 4–3–3 formation. On 18 January 2010, Pato was awarded the 2009 Serie A Young Footballer of the Year award at the Oscar del Calcio ceremony, becoming the first Brazilian to be awarded with the title. On his return to the team from injury, Pato scored a goal in each of Milan's next three games against Udinese, Bari and Fiorentina. On 28 February, he scored a brace in the first half at the San Siro, helping Milan beat Atalanta 3–1 but coming off halfway through the second half due to a hamstring injury. This injury forced him to miss two crucial trips to Roma and Manchester United. In an unfortunate conclusion to Pato's season, he injured the same muscle again shortly after returning and was forced to miss the rest of the season, playing only 20 games due to constant injuries.


title: Alexandre Pato

text: In the first match of the season against Lecce, he scored two goals in Milan's 4–0 win. However, he found himself on the treatment table after his second match of the season, which ruled him out for the next three matches. In his next full match after his injury, he scored twice against Chievo at the San Siro, returning to his position as a striker in a 4–3–1–2 formation. He then scored once again against Bari at the Stadio San Nicola. After a string of great performances, Pato injured his hamstring for the third time in less than a year. This injury ruled him out for six weeks.


title: Alexandre Pato

text: On 9 January, he scored his first two goals of 2011 to help Milan draw 4–4 against Udinese after going down 3–1. On 26 January, he scored two goals helping Milan to win 2–1 against Sampdoria in Coppa Italia. On 6 February he scored a goal against Genoa helping Milan to draw 1–1. Another remarkable goal came on 20 February when he scored the winner in a 2–1 away victory over Chievo, by dribbling in between two defenders and finishing with a shot off the post. He scored the third goal after assisting Kevin-Prince Boateng in a 3–0 victory over Napoli on 28 February. With fellow striker Zlatan Ibrahimović suspended for the "Derby della Madonnina" with Internazionale, Pato's two goals saw Milan secure their much needed three points. He dedicated his brace to his supporters. Assisted by Boateng, he scored the second goal in a 2–1 away win against Fiorentina on 10 April.


title: Alexandre Pato

text: On 13 September, in a Champions League group-stage match against Barcelona, Pato scored the fifth-fastest goal in the competition's history, 24 seconds after kick-off. Later that month, he suffered a thigh injury during a 1–1 draw with Udinese. Pato made his return as a sub against Fiorentina and hit the post in the 79th minute in a 0–0 draw. He then scored and won a penalty in a 4–0 win against Chievo and in midweek, scored against Viktoria Plzeň and setup Robinho in a 2–2 draw. He started against Bologna the next week in a 2–2 draw. In January 2012, Pato was on the brink of moving to French Ligue 1 side Paris Saint-Germain. This move would have given Milan the opportunity to make a bid for Manchester City's Carlos Tevez. On 12 January, however, Pato refused the transfer, citing his commitment to Milan. During the Coppa Italia round of 16 victory over Novara, Pato picked up a muscle strain in his thigh, which tests revealed an injury of his biceps femoris of his left thigh, resulting in him missing the remainder of the season.


title: Alexandre Pato

text: Before the start of the new season, Pato switched to the squad number 9, as Filippo Inzaghi had retired at the end of the 2011–12 season. In the third training session of the season, he injured his thigh and was kept out for the first six weeks of the new season. On 21 October 2012, Pato made his return to Milan, in which he assisted Stephan El Shaarawy for the second goal in a 3–2 away defeat to Lazio. On 6 November 2012, in a Champions League group stage match, Pato scored his first goal of the season with a header in a 1–1 draw against Málaga. He scored for the last time for Milan in the Champions League against Anderlecht on 21 November 2012. Due to his poor performances throughout the 2011–12 season, Pato was awarded the 2012 Bidone d'oro, a satirical prize, which is given to the worst Serie A player during a particular season.


title: Alexandre Pato

text: On 3 January 2013, Pato signed for Corinthians for a fee of €15 million on a four-year deal. His debut for the club occurred against Oeste, with Pato scoring on his first touch on the ball after a pass by Paulinho, maintaining his reputation of scoring in his debut matches. On 27 February 2013 in the Copa Libertadores he scored against Colombian team Millonarios with a volley from a cross.


title: Alexandre Pato

text: In May 2013, however, Pato was criticized by fans of Corinthians, after he missed two open goals against Goiás. The forward was defended by his coach Tite. According to the manager, "This pressure comes from his high transfer fee. But football is not only about money. If it was just about money, we would not have won Libertadores last year."


title: Alexandre Pato

text: On 6 June, after Corinthians lost to Cruzeiro 1–0, Pato was criticised again by Fiel, the largest Corinthians supporters' club. He missed four goal chances, and once again was defended by Tite. According to the coach, "He's improved in precision. I asked for this after the game against Ponte Preta: 'Target for goal'. Considering he shot in the direction of the goal and the rival goalkeeper had a good game, the coach is going to award recognition. I always look at the other side. It is necessary to recognise that Fábio had a very happy game, it was his merit. If Pato had missed, I would ask him to improve. But today was Fábio's merit."


title: Alexandre Pato

text: On 7 July, after Emerson Sheik's and Danilo's injuries and ten games without a goal, Pato was in the 11-team of "Alvinegro" and scored twice in Corinthians' victory against Bahia.


title: Alexandre Pato

text: On 24 October, Pato missed a final penalty in a penalty shootout against Grêmio that saw his Corinthians team knocked out of the Copa do Brasil. He attempted a panenka chip down the middle but got no power behind the shot, and it was easily caught by Grêmio goalkeeper and former Milan teammate Dida.


title: Alexandre Pato

text: On 2 December, It was reported that Pato was subject of a £6.6m bid from Premier League club Arsenal, however Corinthians rejected the offer as it was short of their £10m asking price.


title: Alexandre Pato

text: On 5 February 2014, Pato moved to São Paulo in exchange for Jádson moving to Corinthians. While Jádson moved to Corinthians permanently, Pato transferred to "Tricolor" until December 2015, during which time half of his salary (R$400,000) would continue to be paid by Corinthians. If Pato received a proposal in June or July, when the transfer window re-opened in Europe, he would be negotiated to cover Corinthians investment of €15 million.


title: Alexandre Pato

text: According to Pato's agent, Gilmar Veloz, he left Corinthians because Mano Menezes, the new coach of club, contrary to Tite, his predecessor, did not want Pato at the club. Menezes preferred a midfielder, therefore Jádson, who was sitting on the bench at São Paulo, went the opposite way. In Veloz's words, "He [Pato] stayed with no place with new coach [Menezes], who wanted Jádson and did not want Pato. He had other plans, another tactical system in his mind. Pato was not important for Mano's scheme." On 10 April 2014, in his second game for São Paulo, Pato scored his first goal for his new club, against Centro Sportivo Alagoano. He had made his debut in the second round of the Brazilian Cup in the first leg match against Alagoano. In a 3–0 victory in the second leg, Pato scored the first goal of the game, after an assist coming from Maicon.


title: Alexandre Pato

text: On 26 January 2016, Pato flew to London to undergo a medical at English Premier League side Chelsea. Three days later, Chelsea announced the signing of Pato on loan from the Brazilian club, until the end of the 2015–16 season. Upon signing, Pato said, "I am so happy to sign for Chelsea. It is a dream for me. I am looking forward to meeting and getting to know my new team-mates and cannot wait to play."


title: Alexandre Pato

text: On 2 April, he made his debut away to Aston Villa as a 23rd-minute substitute for the injured Loïc Rémy; in first-half added time, he won a penalty when fouled by Aly Cissokho and converted it past Brad Guzan for the second goal of a 4–0 win. He became the sixth Brazilian to score on his Premier League debut, with teammate Willian among the others. After a season with only two appearances, Chelsea decided not to sign Pato and he returned to Corinthians.


title: Alexandre Pato

text: On 26 July 2016, Corinthians confirmed the transfer of Pato to La Liga club Villarreal, with 60% of his federative rights being bought for a fee of €3 million. He scored on his club debut, in a 2–1 home defeat to Monaco in a Champions League play-off match on 17 August. He made his La Liga debut with the club in a 1–1 away draw against Granada on 20 August. In the club's opening UEFA Europa League group match of the season on 15 September, Pato scored and assisted a goal as Villareal came from behind to defeat Zürich 2–1 at home.


title: Alexandre Pato

text: On 30 January 2017, Pato transferred to Chinese club Tianjin Quanjian for a €18 million transfer fee to play under Italian coach Fabio Cannavaro.


title: Alexandre Pato

text: On 4 March 2017, Pato made his debut for Quanjian in a 2–0 loss to Guangzhou R&F, where he missed several chances for the newly promoted side. A week later he missed an 88th-minute penalty kick in a 1–1 draw with Shanghai Greenland Shenhua, denying Quanjian its first ever Chinese Super League win.


title: Alexandre Pato

text: On 27 March 2019, Pato returned to São Paulo. After his signing, the club announced him under the phrase: "Aqui o coração bate mais forte" (Here, the heart beats stronger), in an allusion to Pato's goal celebrations, when he beats the left side of his chest. He signed a deal until the end of 2022.


title: Alexandre Pato

text: On 19 August 2020, Pato reached an agreement with São Paulo for the termination of his contract, ending his second stint at the club with nine goals scored in 35 appearances.


title: Alexandre Pato

text: Having teased his arrival with a series of duck-themed social media posts the day before, MLS side Orlando City announced the arrival of Pato as a free agent signing on a one-year contract ahead of the 2021 season on 13 February 2021. He made his club debut on 17 April, starting in the team's season opener at home against Atlanta United but was forced off injured in the 80th minute of the goalless draw. He underwent arthroscopic surgery on his right knee in May as a result of the injury. After setbacks during his recovery, Pato made his second Orlando City appearance 187 days after his first, entering as an 86th-minute substitute on 20 October 2021 in a 1–1 draw with CF Montréal. He finished the season with 116 minutes played in five appearances across all competitions. Ahead of the 2022 season, Pato re-signed with Orlando on a one-year contract. On 14 November 2022, as part of the team's end of season roster decisions, it was announced Orlando was not in discussions with Pato to renew his contract for the 2023 campaign.


title: Alexandre Pato

text: After gaining prominence at club level, Pato was called up for the youth teams of Brazil. He helped Brazil win the 2007 South American Youth Championship, which qualified the country for the 2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup, and was selected by Brazil coach Dunga for the 2008 Summer Olympics. He scored his first goal for the senior Brazilian team on his debut against Sweden at the Emirates Stadium, London, on 26 March 2008, beating Pelé's record of scoring a goal within seconds of his full international debut.


title: Alexandre Pato

text: He took part at the 2009 Confederations Cup in South Africa, where he played only in the first round match against Egypt. However, he was not called by Dunga to play in the 2010 World Cup.


title: Alexandre Pato

text: Pato became a regular under new coach Mano Menezes, wearing the number 9 jersey. He scored a goal in Brazil's 2–0 friendly win over the United States on 10 August 2010. He scored the second goal in Brazil's 3–0 win against Iran on 7 October 2010. Pato's success in the Brazil national team continued as he again scored in a friendly match against Ukraine, where they won 2–0.


title: Alexandre Pato

text: Pato also participated in the 2011 Copa América, and scored a brace in the group stage against Ecuador.


title: Alexandre Pato

text: Pato was named to the Brazil Olympic Football team for the London 2012 Olympics. He scored his nation's opening goal against Belarus at Old Trafford from a header, as Brazil came from behind to win the match 3–1.


title: Alexandre Pato

text: On 15 August 2012, Pato scored twice as Brazil beat Sweden 3–0 in the final international match at the Råsunda Stadium in Stockholm. He entered in the 76th, scored on a header in the 85th and converted a penalty kick two minutes later after a foul by Pontus Wernbloom.


title: Alexandre Pato

text: A quick, agile, and creative forward with excellent technical ability and an eye for goal, Pato was considered to be one of the world's most promising young footballing stars in his youth; his former managers Dunga and Carlo Ancelotti likened his ability to that of other famous Brazilian attacking players, such as Careca, Kaká, Romário and Ronaldo. A versatile forward, he is capable of playing anywhere along the front line, in the centre as a main striker, in a supporting role, or on either flank; despite being right footed, he can strike the ball well and powerfully with both feet, beat opponents when dribbling, and create chances for teammates. He is also effective in the air and accurate with his head, despite not being particularly tall or physically imposing for a footballer.


title: Alexandre Pato

text: In 2010, "Don Balón" listed him as one of the 100 most talented young players born after 1989. As his career progressed with Milan, however, he suffered numerous recurring injuries which affected his pace, fitness, consistency and mobility, and which limited his amount of playing time at a young age. As a result, he is regarded by some in the media to have failed to live up to his initial potential. His goal celebration would often see him make a ‘heart’ gesture.


title: Alexandre Pato

text: Pato said in an interview with the Brazilian television program "Esporte Espetacular" that at age 11, he broke his arm and found a tumor in the arm and feared the arm needed to be amputated. His surgery to remove the tumor was successful and did not require amputation.


title: Alexandre Pato

text: In 2007, Pato was engaged to Brazilian actress Sthefany Brito. They mutually split up in January 2009. They got back together, and married on 7 July 2009 in a ceremony at the Copacabana Palace in Rio de Janeiro. The marriage lasted less than 10 months; the couple divorced on 21 April 2010, with Brito citing Pato's constant partying as the reason for their split. In 2010, he had a brief romance with Miss Brazil 2010, Débora Lyra.


title: Alexandre Pato

text: On 2 July 2013, after two-and-a-half-year relationship, Pato broke up with girlfriend Barbara Berlusconi, a director of AC Milan and daughter of club owner Silvio Berlusconi. At the end of 2014, Pato began dating Brazilian actress, model, and television presenter Fiorella Mattheis. They separated on 4 July 2017.


title: Alexandre Pato

text: He is currently married to Rebeca Abravanel, television presenter and the daughter of SBT owner Sílvio Santos.


title: Alexandre Pato

text: Pato is a Christian. After going to church once with Rebeca Abravanel before they were married, Pato described the impact it had on him by saying, “Man, it was a revelation. The Bible had all the answers I was looking for. I turned my head to the sky and said, ‘Lord, I no longer want this life.’ That day my life changed forever.”


title: Kill 'Em All

text: Kill 'Em All is the debut studio album by American heavy metal band Metallica, released on July 25, 1983, through the independent label Megaforce Records. Metallica began by playing shows in local clubs in Los Angeles. They recorded several demos to gain attention from club owners and eventually relocated to San Francisco to secure the services of bassist Cliff Burton. The group's "No Life 'til Leather" demo tape (1982) was noticed by Megaforce label head Jon Zazula, who signed them and provided a budget of $15,000 for recording. The album was recorded in May with producer Paul Curcio at the Music America Studios in Rochester, New York. It was originally intended to be titled "Metal Up Your Ass", with cover art featuring a hand clutching a dagger emerging from a toilet bowl. Zazula convinced the band to change the name because distributors feared that releasing an album with such an offensive title and artwork would diminish its chances of commercial success.


title: Kill 'Em All

text: Metallica promoted the album on the two-month co-headlining Kill 'Em All for One tour with English heavy metal band Raven in the US. The album also generated two singles: "Whiplash" and "Jump in the Fire". Although the initial shipment was 15,000 copies in the US, the album sold 60,000 copies worldwide by the end of Metallica's Seven Dates of Hell European tour in 1984. The album did not enter the "Billboard" 200 until 1986, when it peaked at number 155, following Metallica's commercial success with its third studio album, "Master of Puppets"; the 1988 Elektra reissue peaked at number 120. "Kill 'Em All" was critically praised at the time of its release and has since been regarded as a groundbreaking album for thrash metal, because of its "precise musicianship, which fused new wave of British heavy metal riffs with hardcore punk tempos". It was also retrospectively placed on a few publications' best album lists. The album's musical approach and lyrics were markedly different from rock's mainstream of the early 1980s and inspired a number of bands who followed in a similar manner. It was certified 3× Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) in 1999 for shipping three million copies in the United States.


title: Kill 'Em All

text: Metallica was formed in 1981 in Los Angeles by drummer Lars Ulrich and by vocalist/rhythm guitarist James Hetfield. Before settling on a definitive lineup, Metal Blade Records owner Brian Slagel asked Metallica to record a song for the first edition of his "Metal Massacre" compilation. Hetfield and Ulrich chose "Hit the Lights" from Hetfield's and his childhood friend Ron McGovney's previous band Leather Charm, and recorded it with Hetfield on vocals, McGovney on bass, and temporary guitarist Lloyd Grant. The band's first lineup featured Hetfield, Ulrich, McGovney, and guitarist Dave Mustaine, who was acquired through a newspaper advertisement. The band practiced in McGovney's garage and looked for gigs at local clubs. Metallica's first show was on March 14, 1982, at the Radio City in Anaheim. The nine-song setlist consisted of two originals ("Hit the Lights" and an unfinished version of "Jump in the Fire" from Mustaine's earlier band Panic and covers of new wave of British heavy metal (NWOBHM) bands such as Diamond Head, Blitzkrieg, Savage, and Sweet Savage. The gig did not go as well as planned, because Mustaine had problems with the guitar distortion pedal, and broke a string during a song. Metallica's second gig was on March 27, 1982, at Hollywood's Whisky a Go Go, opening for Saxon. Although Mötley Crüe was originally scheduled to open the show, the group canceled because of its growing popularity. Metallica recorded a three-song demo to persuade the venue's management to allow the band to open for Saxon. Metallica's third concert was in April 1982, at which was premiered "The Mechanix", written by Mustaine during his tenure with Panic. Mustaine interacted with the fans at Metallica's earliest shows because Hetfield was shy.


title: Kill 'Em All

text: To garner attention from club owners, Metallica recorded the "Power Metal" demo in April 1982, which featured "Motorbreath" in addition to the already-performed originals. The logo, displaying the band's name with the first and last letter drawn larger with sharp serifs and italicized, was designed by Hetfield. The "No Life 'til Leather" demo was recorded in July 1982, and it created a buzz in the underground tape trading circles. "No Life 'til Leather" featured a re-recorded version of "Hit the Lights", which appeared on the second pressing of "Metal Massacre", in addition to new songs such as "Phantom Lord", "Seek & Destroy", and "Metal Militia". The recording and mastering was financed by Kenny Kane, owner of the punk label High Velocity, and distributed by Ulrich and his friend Pat Scott. Because of tensions with Mustaine, McGovney left the band in December. Ulrich was impressed by Cliff Burton's performance with Trauma at The Troubadour in West Hollywood, and offered to let him join the band. Burton joined on the condition that Metallica would relocate to the San Francisco area. Moving to El Cerrito in February 1983, the band stayed and rehearsed at Exodus manager Mark Whitaker's house, which they called the "Metallica Mansion". Metallica intended to record its debut in Los Angeles on Slagel's independent label on an $8,000 budget. Slagel could not afford the record, and Ulrich contacted Jon Zazula, a New Jersey record store owner and promoter of heavy metal bands on the East Coast who had already heard "No Life 'til Leather". Metallica rented a U-Haul truck and drove to New Jersey in late March, and upon arrival, allowed Zazula to sell copies of "No Life 'til Leather" to help him found Megaforce Records, because no label wanted to finance the album's recording.


title: Kill 'Em All

text: Hetfield and Ulrich fired Mustaine on the morning of April 11 after a gig in New York, because of his drug and alcohol problems, overly aggressive behavior, and clashes with bandmates. On Whitaker's recommendation, Metallica recruited Kirk Hammett, who played in Exodus and was a one-time student of Joe Satriani. Hammett learned the songs on his flight to New York, and started recording the album with Metallica barely a month later. Metallica met producer Paul Curcio at Music America studios in Rochester, and recorded the album in two weeks. Unable to afford a hotel during the recording sessions, the band members stayed over in people's houses in Rochester and at the Music Factory in Jamaica, Queens, where Anthrax held rehearsals. Curcio had set the studio equipment as if he were recording an ordinary rock band. He thought the initial tapes sounded very distorted, and tried to compensate by turning down the knobs. Metallica resented Curcio's involvement, because he seemed uninterested, and had little impact on the sound. Although Zazula wanted Hammett to replicate Mustaine's solos, Hammett's guitar solos on the album were partially based on Mustaine's original solos, with the first four bars of most solos written by Mustaine before his departure. Despite their differences, Mustaine's contributions to the early years of Metallica were still acknowledged, and he received four co-writing credits on "Kill 'Em All". Zazula was not pleased with the initial mix because he thought that the drums were too loud, and the guitars were too low in the mix. The remix was done by sound engineer Chris Bubacz, according to Zazula's instructions. The final cost for the record rounded to an estimated $15,000, which nearly caused Zazula to go bankrupt. "This was mortgage money I'm spending, not something I've got put by I'm going to invest," he said later. Zazula had a hard time finding a distributor for the record, but he eventually convinced Relativity Records to distribute the album in the US and Canada, and Music for Nations in Europe.


title: Kill 'Em All

text: The band intended to title the album "Metal Up Your Ass" with a cover featuring a hand clutching a dagger emerging from a toilet bowl. However, Zazula convinced them to change the title, because he thought that distributors would not stock it as it was too explicit to display. The final cover featured the shadow of a hand letting go of a bloodied hammer. Burton was credited with coming up with the name "Kill 'Em All"—referring to timid record distributors, saying, "Those record company fuckers ... kill 'em all!"—as a response to the situation. Ulrich thought "Kill 'Em All" was a good name, and Zazula agreed. Burton suggested to Gary L. Heard, also responsible for the Metallica photograph on the back cover, to feature a bloodied hammer on the album art. According to Hammett, "Cliff carried a hammer with him everywhere he went. He always had a hammer in his luggage, and he would take it out occasionally and start destroying things." Even though the original title was unused, the band did later release a "Metal Up Your Ass" T-shirt with the proposed artwork. A live bootleg recording of a 1982 performance at the Old Waldorf, titled "Metal Up Your Ass (Live)", featured the original cover artwork. Original pressings of the album came with an inner sleeve that included pictures and lyrics as well as a silver label on the vinyl. Subsequent pressings had a blank white sleeve and standard album label. The 1988 reissue re-introduced the lyrics and photos. The original release can be distinguished by the words "Bang That Head That Doesn't Bang" at the top of the back cover. This was dropped from the reissue. The phrase "Bang That Head That Doesn't Bang" was dedicated to San Francisco fan Ray Burch, known for his headbanging at the band's early shows.


title: Kill 'Em All

text: "Kill 'Em All" features intricate riffing reminiscent of the NWOBHM bands played at high velocity. The album is considered crucial in thrash metal's genesis because it introduced fast percussion, low-register chords, and shredding leads to the genre. Hammett played some pentatonic patterns in addition to his breakneck solos. Ulrich adopted a double time snare pattern that would become a mainstay on Metallica's subsequent albums. Hetfield's vocals evolved from the melodic wail on "No Life 'til Leather" to a rough-edged bark, and the entire band played faster and more accurately on "Kill 'Em All". Author Joel McIver described Burton's and Hetfield's performances as nearly virtuosic, highlighting Burton's smooth-sounding bass and Hetfield's precise picking skills. According to journalist Chuck Eddy, the juvenile lyrical approach to topics such as warfare, violence and life on the road gives the album a "naive charm". The musical approach on "Kill 'Em All" was in contrast to the glam metal bands who dominated the charts in the early 1980s. Because of its rebellious nature and Metallica's street appearance, it appealed to fans who were not into the mainstream of hard rock.


title: Kill 'Em All

text: "Hit the Lights" was based on an unfinished Leather Charm song written by Hetfield and Hugh Tanner. Hetfield had brought the majority of the song to Ulrich, and the two worked out different arrangements. Performed at 160 beats per minute, "Hit the Lights" opens with fade-in distorted guitars and a short shriek by Hetfield. The song is driven by the 16th note repeated main riff and the continuous eighth note snare drum hits. The lyrics celebrate heavy metal itself and are sung with short and high pitched vocals. The song ends with several lengthy guitar solos by Hammett, who performed cleaner and more melodic versions of Mustaine's leads.


title: Kill 'Em All

text: "The Four Horsemen" is a revamp of the Mustaine-penned "The Mechanix", which originally had lyrics about having sex at a gas station. A modified version of his composition with the original lyrics appeared on Megadeth's debut "Killing Is My Business... and Business Is Good!" (1985), named "Mechanix". Although Mustaine told Metallica not to use any of his music, Hetfield wrote lyrics about the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse and added a bridge and cleanly picked guitar solo in the middle. Mustaine said the bridge was inspired by the main riff in Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Sweet Home Alabama".


title: Kill 'Em All

text: "Motorbreath" was written by Hetfield during his time in Leather Charm and tells about life on the road. The song is based on a four-chord verse and a stop-and-start chorus. The most recognizable parts are Ulrich's drum rolls in each chorus and the riff that accompanies Hammett's solos. Because of its speed, the song requires fast picking by the bassist.


title: Kill 'Em All

text: "Jump in the Fire" was the first song ever written by Mustaine, with lyrics about teenage sexual experience. Hetfield's revised lyrics for the album were written from Satan's point of view, describing how the devil watches people killing each other, and is sure they will go to hell for their actions. "Jump in the Fire" was released as a single in the UK in February 1984 to promote a UK tour with Venom. The single featured "Phantom Lord" and "Seek & Destroy" as live tracks, although they are actually studio recordings with fake crowd noise dubbed over them. The single's cover art features an oil painting titled "The Devils of D-Day", created by artist Les Edwards in 1978.


title: Kill 'Em All

text: "(Anesthesia)-Pulling Teeth" is a bass solo by Burton, accompanied on drums by Ulrich. A staple of Burton's live performances since his high school days in the band Agents of Misfortune, the instrumental track featured Burton's distinctive "lead-bass" style of playing, incorporating heavy distortion, use of wah-wah pedal and tapping. Bubacz introduces the track as "Bass solo, take one", informing listeners that the song was recorded in one take. "(Anesthesia)-Pulling Teeth" was the bass solo that Burton was playing when Hetfield and Ulrich first saw him at a gig. Hetfield stated: "We heard this wild solo going on and thought, 'I don't see any guitar player up there.' We were both counting the strings and I finally turned to Lars and said, 'Dude, that's a bass!' Cliff was up there on stage with his band Trauma with a wah-wah pedal and his huge mop of red hair. He didn't care whether people were there. He was looking down at his bass, playing."


title: Kill 'Em All

text: "Whiplash" was the album's first single, issued on August 8, 1983. It features a swift rhythm line of straight 16th notes played at about 200 beats per minute. Hetfield and Burton performed with palm muted technique and precise metronomic control. The lyrics celebrate crowd energy and headbanging. Rock journalist Mick Wall wrote that "Whiplash" signified the birth of thrash metal, stating: "If one wishes to identify the very moment thrash metal arrived spitting and snarling into the world, 'Whiplash' is indisputably it."


title: Kill 'Em All

text: "Phantom Lord" is a lyrical nod to devilry. The song begins with synthesized bass drone and contains a middle section with clean, arpeggiated guitar chords. Written by Mustaine, its central riff is in NWOBHM fashion.


title: Kill 'Em All

text: "No Remorse" is a mid-tempo song which suddenly accelerates its tempo in the fifth-minute . The song is about not feeling any remorse or sense of repentance during battle.