text: On 21 July, News International authorised H&L to answer questions from the Metropolitan Police Service and parliamentary select committees in respect of what they were asked to do. Neil Rose, editor of legalfutures.co.uk, commented that the exact form of News International's waiver means H&L will not be able to declare its innocence but only answer questions by the police or parliament.


title: News International phone hacking scandal

text: On 22 July, Tom Watson MP published a letter from the Solicitors Regulation Authority, in response to his letter expressing concerns about Harbottle and Lewis's part in the phone-hacking affair. In the letter, Anthony Townsend, chief executive of the SRA said:


text: The Culture, Media and Sport Committee wrote to H&L on 29 July asking a series of detailed questions about the interaction between NI and H&L. H&L replied to this request on 11 August. in what was described as "a withering attack on News International and the Murdochs".


text: H&L said that it provided very narrow advice on whether the emails in question could be used to support Clive Goodman's allegations, that his illegal activities were known about and supported by other employees at NOTW. They were not retained to provide NI with a "good conduct certificate" which they could show to parliament. H&L state that the terms of their contract with NI explicitly stated that their advice should not be disclosed to a third party without H&L's written consent. They also state that if NI "had approached them (as it should have done) before presenting the letter to Parliament as evidence of its corporate innocence, H&L would not have agreed to this without further discussion". They also state that they could not have reported NI to the police even if they had found evidence of criminal activity in the emails, because of client confidentiality. Their fee for the work was £10,294 + VAT. The letter suggests that this amount be compared with James Murdoch's evidence where he said that he had been told that the litigation costs in the Gordon Taylor and Max Clifford cases were expected to be between £500,000 and £1m.


text: Charges and a total of seven convictions concerning the illegal acquisition of confidential information were made in three separate waves in 2004–2005, 2006 and 2012. Further convictions resulted from the "R v Coulson, Brooks and others" trial which concluded in July 2014.


text: Between February 2004 and April 2005, the Crown Prosecution Service charged ten men working for private detective agencies with crimes relating to the illegal acquisition of confidential information. No journalists were charged. Three private investigators and two of their sources pleaded guilty or were otherwise convicted. Steve Whittamore and John Boyall pleaded guilty to breaching the Data Protection Act 1998. Alan King and Paul Marshall pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit misconduct in a public office. John Gunning was convicted of acquiring private subscriber information from British Telecom's database. Most of the evidence obtained during these investigations remained unevaluated at Scotland Yard for ten years. Boyall's assistant was Glenn Mulcaire until the autumn of 2001, when "News of the World's" assistant editor, Greg Miskiw, attracted Mulcaire away by giving him a full-time contract to do work for the newspaper.


text: In August 2006, private investigator Glenn Mulcaire and "News of the World" Royal editor Clive Goodman were arrested. During their court proceedings, a small number of other victims of Mulcaire's phone hacking were mentioned, including Sky Andrew, Max Clifford, Simon Hughes, Elle Macpherson, and Gordon Taylor. On 29 November 2006, Goodman and Mulcaire pleaded guilty to conspiracy to intercept communications without lawful authority with respect to three of the royal aides. It was clear from court testimony that Mulcaire had hacked at least five other phones and that he did work for more than just Goodman.


text: On 15 May 2012, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) charged six individuals with conspiring to pervert the course of justice. Charged in relation to removal of documents and computers to conceal them from investigating detectives were former News International CEO Rebekah Brooks, her husband, her personal assistant, her bodyguard, her chauffeur and the head of security at News International. These charges were made about after the Metropolitan Police Service reopened its dormant investigation into phone hacking, about three years after the then Assistant Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Service told the Commons Culture, Media and Sport Committee that "no additional evidence has come to light," five years after News International executives began claiming that phone hacking was the work of a single "rogue reporter," ten years after "The Guardian" began reporting that the Met had evidence of widespread illegal acquisition of confidential information, and 13 years after the Met began accumulating "boxloads" of that evidence but kept it unexamined in bin bags at Scotland Yard.


text: On 24 July 2012, charges were brought against eight former employees and agents of the "News of the World" including editors Rebekah Brooks and Andy Coulson. Of the thirteen suspects that had been referred to the Crown Prosecution Service by the Metropolitan Police Service for review under Operation Weeting, eight were charged with a total of nineteen charges, three were not to be pursued due to insufficient evidence, and two were to continue to be investigated. Seven of the eight were "charged with conspiring to intercept communications without lawful authority from 3rd October 2000 to 9th August 2006." All eight were charged regarding illegal interception of communications relating to specific individuals


text: The trial "R v Coulson, Brooks and others" began in October 2013. In December 2013 the trial judge announced that Ian Edmondson was unwell and that his case would be considered at a separate hearing when he recovered.


text: On 24 June 2014 the trial jury found Coulson guilty of one charge of conspiracy to hack phones and failed to agree a verdict on two other charges in relation to the alleged purchase of confidential royal phone directories in 2005 from a police officer. Brooks and the five remaining defendants were found not guilty. On 30 June 2014 the trial judge announced that Coulson and Clive Goodman, would face a retrial on the outstanding charges.


text: Sentences were announced on 4 July 2014, with Coulson receiving 18 months imprisonment, former chief reporter Neville Thurlbeck and news editor Greg Miskiw sentences of six months each, former reporter James Weatherup a four-month suspended sentence and former private investigator Glenn Mulcaire a six-month suspended sentence. Weatherup and Mulcaire also received 200 hours of community service.


text: On 3 October 2014, Ian Edmondson pleaded guilty to conspiring with Glenn Mulcaire and others to intercept private voicemails between 3 October 2000 and 9 August 2006. Edmondson was jailed for eight months on 7 November 2014.


text: The scandal has triggered multiple investigations from various governmental agencies looking at other News Corporation-owned media outlets in addition to "News of the World".


text: With the unfolding scandal at the "News of the World" came allegations that another News Corporation-owned tabloid, "The Sun", itself engaged in phone hacking. In February 2011, the Metropolitan Police investigated the claims of Scottish trade union leader Andy Gilchrist, who accused "The Sun" of hacking into his mobile phone to run negative stories about him; the stories were published shortly after Rebekah Brooks was installed as the paper's editor.


text: On 5 July 2011, the head of the Press Complaints Commission Baroness Buscombe said in interview with Andrew Neil on the BBC programme "The Daily Politics", that she had been lied to by the "News of the World" over phone hacking. Buscombe said that she did not know the extent of the scandal when she joined the PCC in 2009, but stated that she had been "misled by the News of the World" after she had previously concluded just the opposite. Buscome further admitted that her statement put out in 2009, when the PCC had reviewed the 2007 evidence, that "Having reviewed all the information available, we concluded that we were not materially misled;" was now in hindsight incorrect. This led to Labour leader Ed Miliband calling the PCC a "toothless poodle," and in agreement with Prime Minister David Cameron proposed the creation of a new press watchdog.


text: On 11 July, the day after the "News of the World" ceased publication, "The Guardian" reported that Scotland Yard was investigating both "The Sun" and "The Sunday Times" for illegally gaining access to the financial, phone, and legal records of former prime minister Gordon Brown. It was also reported that "The Sun" improperly obtained medical information on Brown's infant son to publish stories about his diagnosis of cystic fibrosis. Brown issued a statement saying that his family was "shocked by the level of criminality and the unethical means by which personal details have been obtained." On 22 July, the satirical and investigative magazine "Private Eye" reported that sometime between 2001 and 2004, a PR man for the BBC series "EastEnders" had suspected his voicemail was being intercepted. The "Eye" said that the man's suspicions were confirmed when he had a friend leave a voicemail concerning a fake story about "EastEnders", and that same evening received call from a "Sun" reporter declaring that they had "proof" of the fake story.


text: On 6 July 2011, Prime Minister David Cameron announced to parliament that a public government inquiry would convene to further investigate the affair. On 13 July, Cameron named Lord Justice Leveson as chairman of the inquiry, with a remit to look into the specific claims about phone hacking at the "News of the World", the initial police inquiry and allegations of illicit payments to police by the press, and a second inquiry to review the general culture and ethics of the British media.


text: On 20 July 2011, Cameron announced to Parliament the final terms of reference of Leveson's inquiry, stating that it will extend beyond newspapers to include broadcasters and social media. He also announced a panel of six people who will work with the judge on the inquiry:


text: It was subsequently reported in the media that Leveson had attended two parties in the prior 12 months at the London home of Matthew Freud, a PR executive married to Elisabeth Murdoch, the daughter of Rupert Murdoch.


text: The Home Affairs Select Committee (HASC) has taken various forms of evidence and undertaking during the whole affair, and continues to investigate various aspects as part of its normal parliamentary undertakings.


text: On the afternoon of 19 July 2011, the HASC took evidence from both holders of the position of the Director of Public Prosecutions, for the period which covered the scandal. Lord Macdonald, in charge of the Crown Prosecution Service when prosecution of Goodman and Mulcaire was undertaken, stated that he had only been alerted to the case due to the convention that the DPP is always notified of crimes involving the royal family. Committee member Mark Reckless, the then Conservative MP for Rochester and Strood, stated that the original 2007 police investigation and the 2009 review had both been hindered by the advice from the CPS, that "phone hacking was only an offence if messages had been intercepted before they were listened to by the intended recipient;" which was in fact incorrect. Current DPP Keir Starmer in evidence stated that the CPS had told the Metropolitan Police that "the RIPA legislation was untested." Mark Lewis, the solicitor acting for a number of phone hacking victims including the family of Milly Dowler, stated in evidence that he was sacked from his job when fellow partners at his law firm stated they no longer wished to pursue other victims' claims. Lewis stated that he, "The Guardian" newspaper, and Labour MP Chris Bryant had all been threatened to be sued by solicitors Carter-Ruck acting for AC John Yates, all the costs for which after the actions were dropped were picked up by the Metropolitan Police; Lewis submitted letters from Carter Ruck in evidence to the committee. In closing, Lewis stated that the reason for the investigation having taken so long was not only due to the Metropolitan Police: "The DPP seems to have got it wrong and needs to be helped out."


text: On 20 July 2011, the HASC published their completed report on the UK Parliament website. In that report, the Committee says:


text: Lewis, who is not connected with the Harbotte & Lewis firm, first engaged with "News of the World" in 2005 when it was moving to print a story asserting marital infidelity on Gordon Taylor's part. Lewis worked for George Davies Solicitors LLP in Manchester specialising in defamation cases and was able to persuade the paper not to run the story. In 2006, in the criminal trial over the hacking of royals' voicemail accounts, it became public that the paper had also hacked, among others, Taylor's voicemail. In his "eureka moment", Lewis realised then that it was hacked information which had led to the earlier story about Taylor. From that insight came the realisation that the paper had a potential civil liability from its hacking practices, and that led to Taylor's civil case. In 2011, working now with Taylor Hampton Solicitors in London, Lewis seems about to close a $4.7 million settlement in the Dowler case and has "more than 70 clients who believe "News of the World" illegally intercepted their cellphone voice mails", according to a "Wall Street Journal" story.


text: The Culture, Media and Sport Committee spent 6 September 2011 questioning four witnesses: the News of the World's former editor Colin Myler, News Group Newspapers' former legal manager Tom Crone, its former group human resources director, Daniel Cloke, and News International's former director of legal affairs, Jonathan Chapman.


text: In September 2016, the Commons privileges committee stated that Colin Myler and Tom Crone had misled the Culture, Media and Sport Committee during that meeting by "answering questions falsely", and found them found in contempt of Parliament. Myler and Crone rejected this finding.


text: The Independent Police Complaints Commission has been charged or filed to perform various investigations. These presently include:


text: On 18 July 2011, it was announced that former parliamentary commissioner for standards Elizabeth Filkin would "recommend changes to links between the police and the media, including how to extend transparency."


text: It was revealed that both John Whittingdale and Tom Watson may need to speak to James Murdoch again as the Commons culture select committee about recalling James Murdoch. An MP has released a letter from the now jailed journalist, alleging senior "News of the World" figures knew that the hacking scandal was going on, when the former royal editor, Clive Goodman, wrote his letter to News International as he appealed against his dismissal in 2007.


text: "The "News of the World" legal manager Tom Crone attended virtually every meeting of my legal team and was given full access to the Crown Prosecution Service's evidence files." according to Clive Goodman's letter.


text: The effect of the phone hacking scandal originating with the "News of the World" also raised wider questions about the ethics employed by companies under Murdoch's ownership, as well as the effects the scandal will have on the ethics employed specifically by print journalists and to some extent the wider world of journalism.


text: Murdoch had previously been criticised for building a media empire that lacked any ethical base and replacing responsible journalism with "gossip, sensationalism, and manufactured controversy." Karl Grossman, a professor of journalism at State University of New York at Old Westbury, accused Murdoch of building the most "dishonest, unprincipled and corrupt" media empire in history and of "making a travesty of what journalism is supposed to be about." Grossman also claimed that News Corporation changes the culture of their newly acquired news outlets, using them to promote Murdoch's political and financial interests. Once-acclaimed newspapers such as the "New York Post", "The Wall Street Journal", and "The Times" have been accused of becoming an "instrument" to aide politicians that Murdoch favours.


text: In "Newsweek" in July 2011, one of Murdoch's former top executives was quoted as saying: "This scandal and all its implications could not have happened anywhere else. Only in Murdoch's orbit. The hacking at "News of the World" was done on an industrial scale. More than anyone, Murdoch invented and established this culture in the newsroom, where you do whatever it takes to get the story, take no prisoners, destroy the competition, and the end will justify the means." This same executive went on to say, "In the end, what you sow is what you reap. Now Murdoch is a victim of the culture that he created. It is a logical conclusion, and it is his people at the top who encouraged lawbreaking and hacking phones and condoned it."


text: In 2010, it was also suggested that the journalistic approach of such newspapers at the "News of the World" had brought into public focus that there had been a shift away from the traditional ethics of journalism, raising serious questions about privacy, freedom of speech, and confidentiality. There were also observations in the North American Press about the ethics employed by the "News of the World". NBC New York noted that the old journalistic maxim, "Get it first. But, first, get it right," although speaking for accurate reporting does not address the situation where in the case of the "News of the World" information was allegedly obtained in an unethical way or by illegal means. The approach was also criticised by Stephen B. Shepard, dean of the CUNY Graduate School of Journalism, who commenting on the phone hacking scandal, said: "It's wrong. It's not a grey area. What they did was illegal and, even if it weren't, it's just plain wrong. There's no defence for it. Even the government needs a warrant to get into a house or a computer. You can't break into something like this and get away with it."


text: Prime Minister David Cameron first intimated in early July 2011 that an investigation by Parliament on media ethics and standards will be carried out. Soon after he announced that two independent enquiries, led by a senior judge would take place. This led to anxieties being expressed by newspaper editors about the impact of state media regulation on the free press. There was also concerns amongst journalists that new regulations would be enacted as a means of reining in the press—"an attack on the power of the press itself"—rather than more effective self-regulation and ensuring a stricter enforcement of existing legislation to deter the use of phone hacking, breaches of privacy laws and bribery of public officials. A further major concern was expressed that more stringent regulation will not assist the ordinary people who were the subject of investigative journalism, whereas powerful corporations will still have the money, power, and resources to get out of any tough situation they might encounter.


text: The consequences of the exposure of ethical transgressions that occurred at "News of the World" have also led to concerns that such practices could be happening at other News Corporation titles in Britain. Furthermore, there has been speculation that American news companies that are a part of Rupert Murdoch's media empire may have become implicated.


text: In July 2011 the Ethical Investment Advisory Group (EIAG) of the Church of England, England's Established church, issued a statement stating that "The behaviour of the News of the World has been utterly reprehensible and unethical." In August 2012 the EIAG further announced that it had no confidence in News Corporation's stated intention of returning to ethical practices, and that as a result all Church of England organisations would cease investment in News Corporation. In practical terms this involved the Church Commissioners and the Church of England Pensions Board in selling shareholdings valued at around £1.9 million.


text: In light of News Corporations global review, John Hartigan, the CEO of News Corporation's Australian company News Limited, announced a review of all payments in the previous three years, and that he was personally willing to co-operate with any Australian Government led inquiry. The Australian Green party called for a parliamentary inquiry into News Limited, but Hartigan directly denied allegations by both the Greens and the governing Labor party that News Limited has been running a campaign against them, describing his group's journalism as "aggressive but fair".


text: While the scope of the enquiry was yet to be finalised, a spokesman for the Communications Minister, Stephen Conroy, said that the current administration under the Labor Party had decided that an investigation was required.


text: In the United States, where News Corporation is headquartered and operates multiple media outlets, the Federal Bureau of Investigation launched a probe on 14 July 2011, to determine whether News Corporation accessed voicemails of victims of the 9/11 attacks. On 15 July, US Attorney General Eric Holder announced an additional investigation by the Department of Justice, looking into whether the company had violated the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act.


text: News Corporation owns a multitude of news outlets in the United States, including the "New York Post", "The Wall Street Journal", and the Fox News Channel. Several media critics have called for investigations into whether they too engaged in phone hacking activities. In addition to any possible illegal activities in the US, News Corporation and/or its executives might also face civil and criminal liability under the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act.


text: In 2005, US Senator Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ) wrote to Attorney General Alberto Gonzales after a small New Jersey marketing company called FLOORgraphics alleged that News America Marketing engaged in illegal computer espionage by breaking into password protected computer systems and obtaining confidential information.


text: Further controversy was aroused by an unsigned editorial in the News Corporation-owned "Wall Street Journal" which lashed out against the company's critics, specifically mentioning the BBC, "The Guardian" and the news website ProPublica. At the same time, the editorial praised former "Journal" publisher Les Hinton, who had just resigned in the wake of the phone hacking scandal. Many observers were frustrated by "The Wall Street Journal" comments. In tweets, Jay Rosen, professor of journalism at New York University, referred to the "deluded dishonest whining victimology delivered in the form of a Wall Street Journal editorial on the phone hacking crisis" and Sarah Ellison of "Vanity Fair" commented: "Tonite's WSJ Editorial is sad. I've always defended the Edit page, but now It's a PR arm."


title: Angus MacAskill

text: Angus MacAskill (1825 – 8 August 1863) was a Scottish-born Canadian giant. In its 1981 edition the "Guinness Book of World Records" stated he was the strongest man who ever lived, the tallest non-pathological giant in recorded history, the largest true giant to ever have lived at , and had the largest chest measurements of any non-obese man at . He was said to have completed feats such as lifting a ship's anchor that weighed to his chest and could hold over with only three fingers.


title: Angus MacAskill

text: MacAskill was born on the Isle of Berneray in the Sound of Harris, Scotland. His father was Norman MacAskill, who was tall, and his mother was Christina Campbell. He had twelve siblings, several of whom died young, and he was an ordinary-sized baby. After several years in Stornoway, Outer Hebrides, the family settled in the fishing community of Englishtown, Cape Breton Island, around 1831.


title: Angus MacAskill

text: Young MacAskill was said to be of normal stature, but in entering his adolescence he began to grow rapidly and by his 20th year had attained , eventually reaching within another year or two. His early adult weight was . His shoulders were wide, and the palm of his hand wide and long; his wrists were in circumference; his ankles measured in circumference; by 1863 he was wearing boots long. His feet were probably around long and wide. He had "deep-set blue eyes and a musical, if somewhat hollow voice"; and "a mild and gentle manner." Despite his size he was well proportioned.


title: Angus MacAskill

text: He was known in his home community of St. Anns as "Gille Mòr" (translated to "Big Boy"). He was also known to many as the "Cape Breton Giant" or simply "Giant MacAskill."


title: Angus MacAskill

text: When MacAskill was approximately 14 years old he travelled on a fishing schooner from St. Anns to North Sydney and the crew took him along to a dance. An altercation with a dancer led to MacAskill striking his tormentor's jaw with his fist. The man landed in the middle of the floor and was unconscious for so long the other dancers thought he was dead. When the captain returned to his schooner he found MacAskill on his knees praying that he had not killed the man.


title: Angus MacAskill

text: MacAskill was rumored for feats of strength such as lifting a ship's anchor weighing to chest height, and an ability to carry barrels weighing over apiece under each arm or reputedly able to lift a hundredweight, i.e. , with two fingers and hold it at arm's length for ten minutes.


title: Angus MacAskill

text: In 1849 he entered show business and went to work for P.T. Barnum's circus, appearing next to General Tom Thumb. In 1853 he toured the West Indies and Cuba. Queen Victoria heard stories about MacAskill's great strength and invited him to appear before her to give a demonstration at Windsor Castle, after which she proclaimed him to be "the tallest, stoutest and strongest man to ever enter the palace", and presented him with two gold rings in appreciation.


title: Angus MacAskill

text: The fishermen of St. Anns envied MacAskill's strength. While they laboriously bailed their boats, MacAskill set his weight under his two-ton boat, tipped it on its beam ends and reportedly emptied the bilge water. He reportedly single-handedly set a mast into a schooner. He was also said to have been able to lift a fully grown horse over a four-foot fence.


title: Angus MacAskill

text: There are various accounts of an incident with an anchor that may have taken place in New York or New Orleans. French sailors apparently taunted MacAskill to lift an anchor lying on the wharf, which was estimated to weigh . MacAskill easily did so and walked down the wharf with it, but one of the anchor's flukes caught in one of his shoulders, crippling him. However, this was not the cause of his death, as he lived for many years thereafter.


title: Angus MacAskill

text: After a show business career demonstrating his size and strength in Europe and North America, he returned to his home community of Englishtown and purchased a gristmill, a general store and several other properties.


title: Angus MacAskill

text: In the summer of 1863 MacAskill undertook a trip to the colonial capital at Halifax, where he had been planning to sell produce and purchase stock for his store that he would need for the winter season from the city's wholesalers. During the trip, he suddenly became seriously ill and was returned to St. Anns, where his family moved him back to his parents' home. His original childhood bed was hastily lengthened and put up in their living room to provide for his care. The doctor's diagnosis was brain fever. After a week's illness, MacAskill died peacefully in his sleep on August 8, 1863, the Presbyterian minister the Rev. Abraham McIntosh and many neighbours being in attendance in the house.


title: Angus MacAskill

text: The Halifax "Acadian Recorder" of August 15, 1863, reported that "the well-known giant... was by far the tallest man in Nova Scotia, perhaps in British America" and that "his mild and gentle manner endeared him to all who had the pleasure of his acquaintance". The whole county mourned and he was buried in the Englishtown Cemetery alongside his parents, who were of average size; the size of MacAskill's burial mound dwarfs those of his mother and father


title: Angus MacAskill

text: MacAskill's presence lived on in Englishtown for many years where his timber-frame house sat on the edge of Kelly's Mountain, overlooking St. Anns Harbour. The structure, with its massive door frames still stood, albeit in ruins, as late as the 1950s and the foundation was visible into the 1980s.


title: Angus MacAskill

text: Around 1900 the Government of Nova Scotia replaced the family's original grave marker with a new one after the original had fallen into disrepair. Some of MacAskill's original personal effects from his house, including a bed frame, clothes and chair were removed for preservation and displayed for many years during the mid-20th century at the nearby Gaelic College of Celtic Arts and Crafts. These artifacts were moved back to Englishtown after the "Giant MacAskill Museum" was established in the late 1980s on a road-front portion of MacAskill's former property by the "Giant MacAskill Heirs Association". In addition to the collection from the Gaelic College, the museum in Englishtown also houses a more expanded collection of artifacts that had been maintained by family members.


title: Angus MacAskill

text: The "Giant MacAskill Museum" was also established in 1989 at Dunvegan on the Isle of Skye and is operated there by a community group, this museum having several replicated artifacts from the Englishtown museum. It is managed by Peter MacAskill, father of the street trials cycle rider Danny MacAskill.


title: Angus MacAskill

text: In 1977, the new vessel on the Englishtown Ferry, a cable ferry running across the entrance to St. Anns Harbour between Englishtown and Jersey Cove, was christened as the "Angus MacAskill". Despite the relatively short crossing, it became the busiest ferry service in Nova Scotia, carrying hundreds of thousands of vacationers and residents every year until its replacement in 2008 by the newly built vessel "Torquil MacLean".


title: Daniel Amen

text: Daniel Gregory Amen (born July 1954) is an American celebrity doctor who practices as a psychiatrist and brain disorder specialist as director of the Amen Clinics. He is a five-time "New York Times" best-selling author as of 2012.


title: Daniel Amen

text: Amen has built a profitable business around the use of SPECT (single-photon emission computed tomography) imaging for purported diagnostic purposes. His marketing of SPECT scans and much of what he says about the brain and health in his books, media appearances, and marketing of his clinics has been condemned by scientists and doctors as lacking scientific validity and as being unethical, especially since the way SPECT is used in his clinics exposes people to harmful radiation with no clear benefit.


title: Daniel Amen

text: Amen has studied brain injuries affecting professional athletes, and has consulted on post-concussion issues for the National Football League.


title: Daniel Amen

text: Daniel Amen was born in Encino, California, in July 1954 to Lebanese immigrant parents. After attending the University of Maryland, West Germany Campus from 1974 to 1975, he went to Orange Coast College where he received an AA degree from Orange Coast College in 1976. He subsequently obtained a BA degree in Biology from Southern California College (now Vanguard University) in 1978, and an MD degree from Oral Roberts University School of Medicine in 1982. Amen did his general psychiatric training at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C., and his child and adolescent psychiatry training at Tripler Army Medical Center in Honolulu. Amen is board certified by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology in Psychiatry with a subspecialty in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.


title: Daniel Amen

text: Amen's practices use single-photon emission computed tomography, or SPECT, scans of brain activity in an attempt to compare the activity of a person's brain to a known healthy model. Amen prescribes both medication and non-medicative courses of treatment, depending on the case. He also performs before-and-after SPECT scans, which claim to assess the effectiveness of treatment. Amen's clinics claim to have the world's largest database of functional brain scans for neuropsychiatry. , Amen said he had scanned 50,000 people at an estimated cost of $170 million.


title: Daniel Amen

text: John Seibyl of the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging has stated that it is settled that SPECT is of no value for diagnosing psychological disorders. A 2012 review by the American Psychiatric Association found that neuroimaging studies "have yet to impact significantly the diagnosis or treatment of individual patients." The review also states that neuroimaging studies "do not provide sufficient specificity and sensitivity to accurately classify individual cases with respect to the presence of a psychiatric illness." The American Psychiatric Association has concluded that "the available evidence does not support the use of brain imaging for clinical diagnosis or treatment of psychiatric disorders in children and adolescents." According to cognitive neuroscience researcher Martha Farah and psychologist S. J. Gillihan, "[t]he lack of empirical validation has led to widespread condemnation of diagnostic SPECT as premature and unproven."


title: Daniel Amen

text: Questions have been raised about the ethics of selling SPECT scans on the basis of unproven claims: neuroscience professor Martha Farah calls such use "profitable but unproven" and says: "Tens of thousands of individuals, many of them children, have been exposed to the radiation of two SPECT scans and paid thousands of dollars out of pocket (because insurers will not pay) against the advice of many experts". Professor of psychology Irving Kirsch has said of Amen's theory: "Before you start promulgating this and marketing it and profiting from it, you should ethically be bound to demonstrate it scientifically in a peer-reviewed, respected journal" as otherwise "you're just going down the path of being a snake oil salesman". In a 2011 paper the neuroscientist Anjan Chatterjee discussed example cases that were found on the Amen Clinic's website including a couple with marital difficulties and a child with impulsive aggression. The paper noted that the examples "violate the standard of care" because a normal clinical diagnosis would have been sufficient and that there "was no reason to obtain functional neuroimaging for diagnostic purposes in these cases." Most patients do not realize that the SPECT scans rely on unproven claims. In 2021, Steven Hyman, director of the Stanley Center for Psychiatric Research stated "people who are desperate are vulnerable to snake oil, and this has all of the look and feel of a clinic that's preying on people's desperation."


title: Daniel Amen

text: An initial session at one of Amen's clinics costs about $3,500. As reported by "The Washington Post" in 2012, officials at major psychiatric and neuroscience associations and research centers see Amen's claims for the use of SPECT as "no more than myth and poppycock, buffaloing an unsuspecting public."


title: Daniel Amen

text: One of Amen's clinics provides brain scans for current and former National Football League players. Amen made the initial diagnosis of brain damage in NFL kicker Tom Dempsey. During medical examinations and scans, Amen found three holes in Dempsey's brain, along with other damage. He has also provided diagnosis and therapy for hockey player Paul Kariya, related to his concussion issues; Amen advised Kariya to retire as a professional, which he did.


title: Daniel Amen

text: Amen's websites market vitamin supplements and a branded range of other dietary supplements. These supplements have been promoted for a number of health benefits, including a claimed ability to prevent or stop Alzheimer's disease—there is however no known benefit from taking such supplements except for specific substance deficiencies. Neurologist Robert Burton has written that he was "just appalled" by the things offered for sale on Amen's "big business" web sites, and Harriet Hall has said that Amen prescribes "inadequately tested natural remedies" and "irrational mixtures of nutritional diet supplements" as part of his treatment.


title: Daniel Amen

text: Amen's first book, "Change Your Brain, Change Your Life," was published in 1999 and unexpectedly reached "The New York Times" best seller list after selling tens of thousands of copies in the first year. "Publishers Weekly" noted that the book "apparently struck a nerve with readers who love a 'scientific' hook."


title: Daniel Amen

text: In his book "Making a Good Brain Great", he provided his analysis and recommendations for brain improvement purported to enhance a person's overall happiness and ability. For example, he suggested that hobbies which challenge the brain are important to ensure a happy life, as he believes they force the brain to learn and evolve over time. Davi Thornton characterized the book as consisting of "commonplace recommendations for self-improvement."


title: Daniel Amen

text: "Healing the Hardware of the Soul," written by Amen in 2008, was reviewed in the "American Journal of Psychiatry" by Andrew Leuchter. "Dr. Amen makes a good case for the use of brain imaging to explain and medicalize mental disorders," Leuchter said. "However, the reader who has any degree of familiarity with mental illness and brain science is left unconvinced that his [Amen's] highly commercialized use of scanning is justified." Leuchter concluded that Amen "has not subjected his treatment approaches to the level of systematic scientific scrutiny expected for scientifically based medical practice."


title: Daniel Amen

text: In Amen's "The Brain in Love," he described the brain activity that occurs during chanting meditation as similar to that which takes place during the feeling of love and sexual activity.


title: Daniel Amen

text: In 2013, Amen co-authored with pastor Rick Warren "The Daniel Plan: 40 Days to a Healthier Life," on "how to lead a healthy life". Amen was one of the people— others included Mark Hyman and Mehmet Oz—that Warren recruited to help devise the program . Warren encouraged adoption of the plan by all member churches in his network of Saddleback churches. According to Janice Norris, "The Daniel Plan is ... more than a diet. It is a lifestyle program based on Biblical principles and five essential components: food, fitness, focus, faith, and friends." Amen, Warren, and Hyman appeared on the television show "The View" to discuss the Daniel Plan, and 3,000 people came to a rally at Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, California, to hear the three talk about the plan.


title: Daniel Amen

text: In 2013 Amen released an updated version of "Healing ADD from the Inside Out: The Breakthrough Program That Allows You to See and Heal the Seven Types of Attention Deficit Disorder."


title: Daniel Amen

text: In 2017 Amen and his wife Tana published "The Brain Warrior's Way: Ignite Your Energy and Focus, Attack Illness and Aging, Transform Pain into Purpose", which Harriet Hall reviewed; she wrote: "Much of the advice in this book is mainstream medical advice, and there are helpful practical hints like putting your food on a smaller plate and not shopping for food when you are hungry. The problem is that the good advice is inextricably mixed with false information and misleading statements, and with detailed recommendations that are not supported by science."


title: Daniel Amen

text: Amen has produced television programs about his theories. One of them, "Change Your Brain, Change Your Life," was aired by PBS affiliates 1,300 times in 2008 during fund-raising drives.


title: Daniel Amen

text: Another, "Magnificent Mind at Any Age with Dr. Daniel Amen," was aired before January 1, 2009. Neurologist Michael Greicius, director of the Stanford Center for Memory Disorders and principal investigator of the Functional Imaging in Neuropsychiatric Disorders Laboratory at Stanford stated, "The PBS airing of Amen's program provides a stamp of scientific validity to work which has no scientific validity." These programs have been described as infomercials for Amen's clinics. The program's depiction of the "wonders of ginkgo and other 'natural' products such as St. John's wort." was also criticized. Alternative-medicine skeptic and physician Harriet A. Hall and neurologist Robert A. Burton criticized PBS for the airing of these programs. Michael Getler, the PBS ombudsman, replied that "PBS had nothing to do with the 'Brain' program's content and did not vet the program in any way." Local PBS affiliates "make their own editorial decisions based on their own guidelines about what to air," he wrote.


title: Daniel Amen

text: In 2012, "The Washington Post Magazine" ran a cover story titled "Daniel Amen is the most popular psychiatrist in America. To most researchers and scientists, that's a very bad thing." "The Washington Post" detailed Amen's lack of acceptance among the scientific community and his monetary conflict of interest. Journalist Sanjiv Bhattacharya wrote that Amen's critics likened him "to a self-help guru rather than a scientist, on account of all the books, DVDs and nutritional supplements which he hawks so shamelessly on infomercials" and that Amen was "the most controversial psychiatrist in America [who] may also be the most commercially successful." Amen has responded to such criticism by claiming that the criticism comes from jealousy of his financial success and also claiming that his largest source of referrals is from previous patients.


title: Daniel Amen

text: In 2008, Tufts professor and author Daniel Carlat published an article on Amen's use of SPECT imaging. After visiting Amen's clinics, Carlat called Amen's interpretations of the scans "spectacularly meaningless."


title: Daniel Amen

text: Amen is a Distinguished Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association. He has also been an assistant clinical professor of psychiatry and human behavior in the University of California, Irvine, College of Medicine.


title: Daniel Amen

text: Amen is the author of more than 30 books with combined sales of about one million copies. Five of his books have been "The New York Times" bestsellers as of 2012. In 2015, Amen's "The Daniel Plan" received the Christian Book of the Year Award.


title: Bershka

text: Bershka () is a clothing retailer company created in 1998 in Spain. It is part of the Spanish Inditex group (which also owns brands such as Zara, Massimo Dutti, Pull&Bear, Oysho, Uterqüe, Stradivarius and Zara Home).


title: Bershka

text: The company was created in April 1998 as a new store and 'fast-fashion' concept, aimed at a young target market. As of January 2022 has over 971 stores in 75 countries. The sales made from Bershka represent 10% of the Inditex.


title: Mac Dre

text: Andre Louis Hicks (July 5, 1970 – November 1, 2004), known by his stage name Mac Dre, was an American rapper from Vallejo, California. He was an instrumental figure in the emergence of hyphy, a cultural movement in the Bay Area hip hop scene that emerged in the early 2000s. Hicks is considered one of the movement's key pioneers that fueled its popularity into mainstream, releasing songs with fast-paced rhymes and basslines that inspired a new style of dance. As the founder of the independent record label Thizz Entertainment, Hicks recorded dozens of albums and gave aspiring rappers an outlet to release albums locally.


title: Mac Dre

text: On November 1, 2004, Hicks was killed by an unknown assailant after a performance in Kansas City, Missouri, a case that remains unsolved.


title: Mac Dre

text: Andre Louis Hicks was born in Oakland, California on July 5, 1970, to Allen Hicks and Wanda Salvatto. They then moved to the Vallejo area. He would often frequent the Country Club Crest neighborhood, known locally as The Crest. In 1989, the outgoing Hicks made waves with a cassette tape featuring the single, ""Too Hard for the F---in' Radio"" while still a student at Vallejo's Hogan High School. In 2013 NPR noted his sound as being ""fast and confident"" further writing that ""he built upon the bouncy bass that had its roots in the funk era."" When asked about his childhood, Hicks stated that "Situations came out for the better most of them, I went through the little trials and the shit that I went through." Hicks first adopted the stage name MC Dre in 1984, but altered it to Mac Dre the following year because he considered that the name sounded "too East Coast-ish". Hicks recorded his first three EPs as Mac Dre between 1988 and 1992.


title: Mac Dre

text: The city of Vallejo began experiencing a surge in bank robberies in the early 90s. Vallejo police began focusing on the Crest Neighborhood as a source of the crime. Hicks was vocal about the actions he saw being taken by the police and incorporated their aggressive surveillance of residents into his music. Hicks claimed he was rapping about attempts to "wake up the neighbors." As gangster rap music consistently grew in popularity, law enforcement officials began examining the lyrics of local rappers to utilize as evidence in criminal matters.


title: Mac Dre

text: On March 26, 1992, at age 21, Hicks was invited by friends to a road trip to Fresno. Hicks had performed in that city two weeks prior and decided to go on the trip so that he could re-visit a woman he knew there. While driving back to Vallejo, the car was surrounded by the FBI, Fresno, and Vallejo police. The police verbalized that while Hicks was at a motel, his friends were allegedly casing a bank but had changed their mind when they saw a local Fresno TV News van in the bank's parking lot.


title: Mac Dre

text: When questioned by the police, Hicks verbalized that he didn't leave the hotel, therefore did not know anything. The police subsequently charged him with conspiracy to commit robbery, although no bank robbery was conducted and Hicks was neither with his friends nor near the location of the purported bank.


title: Mac Dre

text: He was sentenced to five years in federal prison after he refused a plea deal for the conspiracy charge. The trial was later listed among Complex Magazine's 30 Biggest Criminal Trials in Rap History. At the time of his conviction, Hicks owned the record label Romp Productions. Hicks was released a year early from prison for good behavior on August 2, 1996, after serving four years. It was during his time in prison that Hicks developed a "better appreciation for freedom, life, fun."


title: Mac Dre

text: After his release from Lompoc Prison, Mac Dre and longtime collaborator Coolio Da' Unda Dogg (Troy Reddick) recorded tracks to pitch to major record labels. One song was sent to representatives of fellow Bay Area rapper Too Short for an upcoming compilation, "", but was not selected.


title: Mac Dre

text: Mac Dre moved to the Arden-Arcade area of Sacramento in 1998 in attempt to distance himself from Vallejo law enforcement. There, he founded his independent label Thizz Entertainment, which is currently managed by his mother Wanda Salvatto. In the early 2000s, Dre's change in sound became influential in the hyphy movement.


title: Mac Dre

text: Atlanta rapper and producer Lil Jon, with Salvatto's blessing, incorporated Dre's vocals into his 2019 single "Ain't No Tellin".


title: Mac Dre

text: After Hicks and other Thizz Entertainment members had performed a show in Kansas City, Missouri on October 31, 2004, an unidentified gunman shot at the group's van as it traveled on U.S. Route 71 in the early morning hours of November 1. The van's driver crashed and called 911, but Hicks was pronounced dead at the scene from a bullet wound to the neck. Local rapper Anthony "Fat Tone" Watkins was alleged to have been responsible for the murder, but no evidence ever surfaced, and Watkins himself was shot dead the following year.


title: Mac Dre

text: Hicks' funeral took place on November 9, 2004, at the Mt. Calvary Baptist Church. He was given a public open-casket viewing, and then buried at the Mountain View Cemetery in Oakland.


title: Monolith

text: A monolith is a geological feature consisting of a single massive stone or rock, such as some mountains. For instance, Savandurga mountain is a monolith mountain in India. Erosion usually exposes the geological formations, which are often made of very hard and solid igneous or metamorphic rock. Some monoliths are volcanic plugs, solidified lava filling the vent of an extinct volcano.


title: Monolith

text: In architecture, the term has considerable overlap with megalith, which is normally used for prehistory, and may be used in the contexts of rock-cut architecture that remains attached to solid rock, as in monolithic church, or for exceptionally large stones such as obelisks, statues, monolithic columns or large architraves, that may have been moved a considerable distance after quarrying. It may also be used of large glacial erratics moved by natural forces.


title: Monolith

text: The word derives, via the Latin , from the Ancient Greek word (), from () meaning "one" or "single" and () meaning "stone".


title: Nuvvostanante Nenoddantana

text: Nuvvostanante Nenoddantana (; ) is a 2005 Indian Telugu-language romantic comedy film directed by Prabhu Deva in his directorial debut and produced by M. S. Raju under Sumanth Art Productions who gave the screenplay as well. The film stars Srihari, Siddharth, and Trisha. The music is composed by Devi Sri Prasad with cinematography by Venu.


title: Nuvvostanante Nenoddantana

text: Veeru Potla wrote the story that is inspired from the 1989 Hindi film "Maine Pyar Kiya", where an affluent boy travels to the village of his girlfriend against their parent's wishes to prove his love. The film's title was inspired by the song of the same name from "Varsham" (2004), sung by K. S. Chithra.


title: Nuvvostanante Nenoddantana

text: The film won nine Filmfare Awards South (including Best Film) and five Nandi Awards. The film was remade in nine other languages—the highest for any Indian film. The film also has the distinction of receiving most Filmfare awards by any South Indian film.


title: Nuvvostanante Nenoddantana

text: Siri is a traditional, simple, rural girl from Andhra Pradesh who is brought up by her only older brother Sivaramakrishna. Twenty years prior, their rich father from a nearby town married another woman and kicked the rest of Siri's family, humiliating them on the way. Their mother dies leaving toddler Siri in the care of 13-year-old Sivaramakrishna. With help of relatives, her grave is built on the small land which the siblings inherited, but the Zamindar Narasimha tells them that it is his land, since their mother had not repaid a loan from the man. Sivaramakrishna begs Narasimma and asks for an extension promising to work day and night to pay off the loan, as long as they don't tear down his mother's grave. Narasimha agrees upon security from the local station master. Slowly, Sivaramakrishna turns the tables using his handwork and becomes a rich enough farmer, and Siri grows up to complete engineering in a nearby town. One day, Lalitha, Siri's best friend from school time comes to their house to invite Siri to their house as she is getting married. Sivaramakrishna agrees to send Siri a week ahead of the marriage. Santosh, Lalitha's cousin, a rich city boy born to millionaire parents Janaki and Prakash and brought up in London, also arrives on the same day with his mother.


title: Nuvvostanante Nenoddantana

text: Slowly, Santosh and Siri fall in love, but Janaki does not bear it as Siri is a poor girl, and thus does not meet their standards. Santosh is also to be married to Janaki's brother Srinivasa Rao's business partner's daughter Dolly. When Sivaramakrishna arrives at the wedding, Janaki humiliates him as well as Siri. Both are thrown of the house after Janaki accuses them of trying to entice and trap Santosh. When Santosh learns of this, he goes to Siri's house and pleads to her brother to accept him. Sivaramakrishna gives him a chance, just like he was given a chance by Narasimha when he was a child. Santosh is tasked to take care of the cows, clean up after them, and grow more crops than Sivaramakrishna by the end of the season; if he does not, Santosh shall leave the village forever and never see Siri again. Narasimha and his son are not happy as Narasimha's son wanted to marry Siri. With them, Dolly, and her father trying to get Santosh to lose the competition, Santosh has to work hard for his love, eating red chillies and rice every day, even though he can't bear it. In spite of many antics from Narasimha's and Dolly's side, Santosh eventually proves his love for Siri to Sivaramakrishna and succeeds in growing more grain. However, Narasimha and his son kidnap Siri and then try to force her to marry his son. A fight takes place in which Santosh kills Narasimha's son while Sivaramakrishna violently defeats Santosh's uncle's business partner and Narasimha. After realizing that Santosh and Siri should be together, Sivaramakrishna takes the blame for this murder and spends five years in prison.


title: Nuvvostanante Nenoddantana

text: Sivaramakrishna is released from prison after five years and Janaki accepts Siri to be her daughter-in-law. Siri and Santosh get married, in everyone's presence.


title: Nuvvostanante Nenoddantana

text: M. S. Raju brought in Prabhu Deva, who choreographed the song "Nuvvostanante" in his production "Varsham", to direct the film although Deva was hesitant to direct a film. Raju initially wanted to name the film "O Prema Nuvvostanante Nenoddantana", but decided against it because the title was relatively long.


title: Nuvvostanante Nenoddantana

text: The soundtrack featured a remixed version of the song "Prema Kosamai Volalo" sung by Ghantasala for the 1951 film "Pathala Bhairavi". This version was sung by Jr. Ghantasala. All lyrics were penned by Sirivennela Seetharama Sastry.


title: Nuvvostanante Nenoddantana

text: The film was released with 90 prints on 14 January 2005; more prints were added later to meet the public demand. It was one of the biggest hit of 2005 in Telugu cinema. The film ran for 50 days in 79 centres and 100 days in 35 centres, becoming a blockbuster in Telugu cinema. After the film's success, Siddharth shifted his focus to Telugu films.


title: Nuvvostanante Nenoddantana

text: "Sify" which rated the film 3/5, stated that, ""Nuvvostanante Nenoddantana" a real treat and a joy to watch on screen." The reviewer praising performances of the cast, wrote: "Although the characters are built on obvious cliches, the charming performance of artists bring these seemingly archetypes to life" "Idlebrain.com" rated 4/5 and opined, "Screenplay provided by MS Raju is gripping. He made sure that there is no dull moment throughout the film. Direction by Prabhudeva is really good."


title: Nuvvostanante Nenoddantana

text: This film was highly successful and was remade in 9 languages. This is the highest number for an Indian movie to be remade in other languages.


title: Matthew Carnahan

text: "Valley of the Boom" is a six-part American docudrama television miniseries, created, directed, and executive produced by Carnahan. It premiered on January 13, 2019, on National Geographic.


title: Matthew Carnahan

text: Carnahan studied at New York University, as well as the Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre.


title: Matthew Carnahan

text: He has a son, Emmett Carnahan (b. 1998) from a previous relationship and daughter, Mákena Lei Gordon Carnahan (born 2004) with actress and longtime partner Helen Hunt. In August 2017, the couple split after 16 years together.


title: W.I.T.C.H. (TV series)

text: W.I.T.C.H. is a French-American animated television series based on the Italian comic book series of the same name. The animated series was produced by SIP Animation in association with and with participation from Jetix Europe, The Walt Disney Company and France Télévisions. "W.I.T.C.H." premiered December 18, 2004 and concluded on December 23, 2006 in the U.S., where it aired on ABC Kids and the Jetix blocks on ABC Family and Toon Disney. Reruns have also aired on Disney Channel.


title: W.I.T.C.H. (TV series)

text: The show follows five girls – Will, Irma, Taranee, Cornelia, and Hay Lin – who have respective magical powers over the classical elements quintessence, water, fire, earth and air, which they use to fulfill their duties as Guardians of the Veil. The names of these five characters form the titular acronym, despite the characters not actually being witches. The show takes place in the fictional city of Heatherfield and various mythical worlds, primarily Meridian.


title: W.I.T.C.H. (TV series)

text: The second generation of legendary Guardians of the Veil – Wilhelmina "Will" Vandom, Irma Lair, Taranee Cook, Cornelia Hale and Hay Lin – must save planet Meridian from the evil Prince Phobos and Lord Cedric, who are searching for the tyrannical prince's younger sister, the long-lost princess of Meridian and true heir to the throne. They later find her to be Irma and Taranee's classmate and Cornelia's best friend, Elyon Brown, and the Guardians then set about saving her from Prince Phobos' cunning.


title: W.I.T.C.H. (TV series)

text: When Meridian is finally freed from evil and the true heir takes the throne, a mysterious sorceress named Nerissa releases Prince Phobos' top henchmen and reforms them as the Knights of Vengeance to act as a distraction to the Guardians. Once the Guardians learn more about the sorceress and her evil plan of reuniting the other four former Guardians- the deceased Cassidy, Halinor, Yan Lin and Kadma- they are able to defeat the Knights of Vengeance, only to battle with more powerful Knights of Destruction made from Nerissa's dark vengeful feelings of hatred and anger, fear and misery: Shagon, Khor, Tridart and Ember.


title: W.I.T.C.H. (TV series)

text: The Guardians' chief ally is Hay Lin's paternal grandmother Yan Lin, the original, former Guardian of Air, and the one that taught the girls about their magical abilities and destiny as the second generation of Guardians of the Veil. They are also helped by Caleb, a heroic soldier from Meridian, leader of the rebellion against Phobos, and Blunk, a frog-like goblin creature (known as a Passling) who takes things from the human world to Meridian (and vice versa), humorously mistaking everyday objects for other things or items of value. Matt, Will's boyfriend, accidentally learns about Meridian and when he sees the troubles there going on, he learns how to become a warrior to help them. They are also helped by the Oracle, leader of the Universe in Kandrakar, who was the one who chose the five girls.


title: W.I.T.C.H. (TV series)

text: Each Guardian's powers are further developed and magnified greatly by the mystical world of Kandrakar, transmitted to the pink Heart of Kandrakar via the Aurameres (the physical representations and very source of the Guardians' powers). The Aurameres grant the same exact elemental powers to each of their guardians; for instance, powers held by Irma would also have been possessed by Cassidy. The Keeper of the Aurameres is Luba, a cat-like being.


title: W.I.T.C.H. (TV series)

text: When the Guardians transform, they change form and grow wings, which help them fly. Also, the Guardians can combine their powers together and create a beam as seen on the first episode of the series. Since the Veil was taken down, the Guardians have to cross worlds by folding, with the help of the Heart of Kandrakar. Elyon and Blunk can fold as well.


title: W.I.T.C.H. (TV series)

text: In order to travel to another place in the same world, each Guardian can teletransport. Teletransporting is a difficult ability to learn and one can materialize into another solid object if not careful enough. If a Guardian teletransports while not connected to an Auramere or a Heart, then they will drain their life force.


title: W.I.T.C.H. (TV series)

text: It has been shown that if a Guardian uses her elemental powers and is not connected to an Auramere, it will drain their life force, making them much weaker. This may be why Nerissa aged so much faster than the rest of the former guardians (C.H.Y.K.N.).


title: W.I.T.C.H. (TV series)

text: A Guardian can become a Quinto-Guardian, obtaining powers over all five elements. A Quinto-Guardian can gain the power to create solid ice out of thin air as with liquid water. The only known Quinto-Guardians are Cornelia (temporarily via the merged Aurameres) and Nerissa (by using her Seal).


title: W.I.T.C.H. (TV series)

text: The Guardians can also become one with their dragon (or the powerful nymph Xin Jing, in the case of the Guardian of Quintessence and Keeper of the mystical Heart of Kandrakar, Will) and literally become their element while increasing all of their elemental abilities to their zenith of strength. But this is risky and rather dangerous because it costs them their humanity and they could be easily controlled and enthralled.


title: W.I.T.C.H. (TV series)

text: Using the Heart of Kandrakar, a Guardian can create an Astral Drop, a duplicate of herself, when the words "Spord Lartsa" (Astral Drops spelled backwards) are said. The Astral Drops are doppelgangers, summoned when the Guardians have to go on a mission and need doubles so their absence is not felt. Although a Drop is a perfect physical copy of a person, they possess none of their memories, and have no personality of their own. All the Astral Drops make their debut in "Ambush at Torus Filney". Cornelia makes another Astral Drop in "The Mogriffs", as does Will in "H is for Hunted".


title: W.I.T.C.H. (TV series)

text: An Altermere is an Astral Drop brought to life through the power of Quintessence. Unlike Astral Drops, they do not fade away when "Astral Drop" is said; they are actual living beings with feelings, emotions and memories. The concept of Altermeres is introduced in "H is for Hunted" when Will creates an Astral Drop to do her chores (laundry). Nerissa soon creates trouble by making it an Altermere. In "R is for Relentless", Nerissa tries to corrupt Yan Lin to her side, but can not. So she traps Yan Lin in the Seal of Nerissa and creates an Altermere double who does not realize she is not the real Yan Lin until Nerissa tells her. In "Z is for Zenith", Yan Lin introduces that living, feeling Altermere to her grown son and daughter-in-law as her long-lost "twin sister" from China: Mira Lin.


title: W.I.T.C.H. (TV series)

text: After the Knights of Vengeance were incarcerated, Nerissa formed the Knights of Destruction as her second group:


title: W.I.T.C.H. (TV series)

text: Various worlds play an important role in the "W.I.T.C.H." series. Earth is the home of the Guardians of the Veil, later the Infinite Dimensions while Meridian, Kandrakar and Zamballa are mystical dimensions that are introduced as the story progresses and the evil forces get stronger. In "V is for Victory", Nerissa also briefly visited a place called Aridia, a desert realm home to giant rock creatures, in an attempt to steal its Heart.


title: W.I.T.C.H. (TV series)

text: The Hearts are the sources of immense mystical energy for each of the worlds they come from. They can be represented by a jewel, a talisman or a living being. Prominently featured in the series is the Heart of Kandrakar, a pendant that allows W.I.T.C.H. to transform. Most of the time a mystic Heart is found to be in the form of living being, as it is for Earth, Meridian, and Aridia.


title: W.I.T.C.H. (TV series)

text: The planet where humans live and no-one knows of different kingdoms like Meridian or Zamballa or any creatures that exist there. It is home to each generation of five Guardians of the Veil.


title: W.I.T.C.H. (TV series)

text: The main human-populated city, in which the second generation of Guardians of the Veil live. It is also where original, former Guardian of Air, Yan Lin, still lives with her son, daughter-in-law, and granddaughter Hay Lin. Its main known high school is Sheffield Institute, with Mrs. Knickerbocker as principal.


title: W.I.T.C.H. (TV series)

text: It also happens to be the home of Lilian Hale, Cornelia's eight-year-old younger sister and the mystical Heart of Earth itself. For twelve long years, the younger sister to Prince Phobos of Meridian was taken for safety and raised by Alborn and Miriadel, who posed themselves as her "human" adopted parents Thomas and Eleanor Brown.


title: W.I.T.C.H. (TV series)

text: The Silver Dragon is a Chinese restaurant and is the place where Hay Lin and her family live. Her parents and her Grandma Yan Lin run the Restaurant. The Silver Dragon made its debut in season 1's "It Begins" when Hay Lin has some weird phases of sneezing and the room exploding. This is also the place where Will, Irma, Taranee, Cornelia and Hay Lin learnt they were Guardians and were given the Heart of Kandrakar.


title: W.I.T.C.H. (TV series)

text: The basement is where they all meet up and hang out (Blunk calls the basement "Guardian HQ"). The Guardians spend their time in the basement on planning their attacks and next moves. Yan Lin is always there to help the Guardians on some occasions.


title: W.I.T.C.H. (TV series)

text: Meridian is by far the most important world seen in the series, as most of the action takes place here.


title: W.I.T.C.H. (TV series)

text: Meridian is a kingdom far away under the watching eye of the Oracle. It is ruled by a single Queen, who has powerful magical powers and is the center of mystical energy in the dimension (the Heart of Meridian). As of season 2, the Queen is Elyon Brown. This world has streets full of merchants and extraordinary caves. People here live mainly from agriculture, although some have other jobs.


title: W.I.T.C.H. (TV series)

text: Meridian has many different creatures like Larveks, Mudslugs, Mogriffs, Sandpit, Hermeneutas, Passlings, Kaithim, etc. Some creatures can change between an apparently human form and a beast form, such as Cedric and Miranda.


title: W.I.T.C.H. (TV series)

text: Meridian is the most frequently traveled-to place for the Guardians in season 1. Throughout season 1, Meridian is the only known dimension to the Guardians besides Earth as the Veil was raised and not much was known about the other worlds like Zamballa, Kandrakar and Aridia. Much of the action happened on Meridian in season 1 and the Guardians frequently traveled there to help, and stop Phobos' schemes. An important place in Meridian is in a large village next to the castle, which is on top of high land extending upwards. This is where Phobos lives and is the main centre of activity since the Guardians repeatedly attack it.


title: W.I.T.C.H. (TV series)

text: The Infinite City made its debut in season 1's "A Service to the Community". The Infinite City is below Meridian and the Guardians didn't know at first, but Caleb tells them and shows them. The Mage guards the city. The city is underground and has lots of pillars running along it. The city is colored lime green, but in daytime the city appeared to be red, orange and cream.


title: W.I.T.C.H. (TV series)

text: Nobody knows who created or built the Infinite City and when, as it has a mysterious past and the city is infinite and keeps going on and on in all directions. The Infinite City was kept secret from Phobos because the Rebellion used it as their base of operations. One way of getting down into the city is by using a secret passage in a disused area of land and going through a little cupboard. It then leads down some stairs and into the city itself. Just a few yard's way is another passage, and under there seems like a basement but inside is a waterfall where the Mage stays and guards the city.


title: W.I.T.C.H. (TV series)

text: Kandrakar made its debut in "B is for Betrayal". The Guardians frequently went to Kandrakar for answers, such as why their powers had improved and become stronger. The Council of Kandrakar's job is to look over the whole universe and protect its worlds from any evil. It has its own five Guardians to help accomplish this task and protect the universe from harm. The Guardians also have a leader who wields the pink orb necklace of the mystical Heart of Kandrakar itself, which transforms them and greatly magnifies their elemental powers. The Aurameres are housed in one of Kandrakar's rooms and are guarded over by Luba.


title: W.I.T.C.H. (TV series)

text: Zamballa was first introduced in the season 2 episode "P is for Protectors". Zamballa is a purple world with a jungle stretching out as far as the eye can see. At the center is a pyramid, the palace where Kadma lives while the Veil is still in effect. The Zamballans themselves look like walking purple trees. In "Z is for Zenith" the Heart of Zamballa is returned and Kadma abdicates from her throne to live a more humble life on Earth, while Ironwood takes the Heart and is made Queen herself.


title: W.I.T.C.H. (TV series)

text: Two seasons were produced in total, adapting plot elements from "The Twelve Portals" and "Nerissa's Revenge" comic arcs from the original series. Each season consists of twenty-six episodes, resulting in a total of fifty-two episodes overall.


title: W.I.T.C.H. (TV series)

text: An unaired 15-minute pilot episode exists, which was never fully animated. It was used to test the show with a focus group in 2003. The first episode of the series was originally meant to air on Halloween, with corresponding themes.


title: W.I.T.C.H. (TV series)

text: German network Super RTL was originally announced to be collaborating on the show alongside Jetix and France 3. However, it does not appear in the actual closing credits of the series.


title: W.I.T.C.H. (TV series)

text: SIP Animation announced the production of an animated series based on the comic books in 2002. The show was immediately picked up for a full order of 52 half-hour episodes. According to Justine Cheynet (co-associate producer and co-translator in the first season, story editor in the second), SIP had come to Disney with the initiative of producing a cartoon based on the Disney-owned comics.


title: W.I.T.C.H. (TV series)

text: The first season of the show took roughly 18 months to produce, with about 200 people working on it. Work on the series began in spring 2003, in collaboration with Disney Channel. In September of that year, Andrew Nicholls and Darrell Vickers were hired as supervisory producers, and would serve as showrunners throughout the first season. The show's primary target markets were considered to be Italy, France (represented by SIP Animation), the United Kingdom (Fox Kids UK), and the United States (Disney Channel). As such, while Nicholls and Vickers were officially employed by SIP, they would be working with guidance from all four of these countries.


title: W.I.T.C.H. (TV series)

text: A team of freelance writers was also brought in under their supervision, ultimately being responsible for just over half of the first season. Due to the show's unusually heavy use of continuity for a cartoon, Nicholls and Vickers planned out the season arc and even individual episode stories beforehand, and gave the other writers very careful instructions covering even smaller details of the series to avoid contradictions and repetition throughout the episodes. The director for this season was Marc Gordon-Bates, who was unfamiliar with the series and surprised that he was offered the position over other directors with greater interest in the project and more relevant prior experience.


title: W.I.T.C.H. (TV series)

text: At the outset, the show was more oriented towards comedy (early marketing described the series as an action comedy) than the original comics, which were primarily of the fantasy genre, but in common with the source material was targeted towards the female audience. Early on, the writers were informed that the show was now to be aired on Toon Disney and the Jetix block on ABC Family, as part of a changing business strategy being pursued by Michael Eisner (chairman and CEO of Disney at the time). As such, the show was reoriented to appeal more to boys, including more action and additional focus on the few major male characters. By this point, the first 7 episodes had already been fully scripted (with several more outlined), and had to be rewritten.


title: W.I.T.C.H. (TV series)

text: For the second season, Disney decided on a "darker, more fantasy-driven approach", with less humor. A completely different team of writers was hired, with Greg Weisman now serving as supervisory producer and showrunner, and Norman J. LeBlanc as the new director of the show. According to Nicholls, Weisman had decided against re-hiring him and Vickers to work on the second season due to considering them "sitcom writers". (Although "W.I.T.C.H." was indeed their first non-comedy series, Nicholls has suggested that Weisman's impression may have resulted from omissions on IMDb of shows not under the auspices of the Writers Guild of America, which included numerous other animated series they had worked on.) This may have been a factor in the hiring of other comedy writers during the season, as the network considered the early scripts to have insufficient humor.


title: W.I.T.C.H. (TV series)

text: The writing team for the second season was given "marching orders" to incorporate more material from the comics, and bring the two mediums closer together. At the same time, only the first season of the show was considered official, and as such the first 26 episodes could not be contradicted, while there would continue to be certain differences from the comics. Weisman emphasized the seamless nature of the transition between seasons, especially in production aspects such as character voices and model sheets. The episode "J is for Jewel" was considered to be a turning point during the season, before which a lot of work had been done to set up the new direction of the series.


title: W.I.T.C.H. (TV series)

text: According to Justine Cheynet, the show ended after 52 episodes as a result of "very little to no interest both from the investors' and the producer's side in making a third season". There were no plans for a movie.


title: W.I.T.C.H. (TV series)

text: Although the basic structure of each season follows the respective arc of the comics, and the show shares a great deal of plot points and characters with the source material, there are many differences as well. At the start of production, the showrunners had only approximately the first 6 issues of the comics – about half of the first arc – to work with in developing the overall storyline for the season (for comparison, the first 27 issues were made available to the writers of the second season, which covered slightly beyond the end of the second arc). More than 20 creatures had been created specifically for the animated series by the end of the first season. Certain further changes requested for story reasons were denied by the network in light of the comics' popularity and existing fans.


title: W.I.T.C.H. (TV series)

text: The first season showrunners encountered numerous challenges in adapting the comics material, which had been written with a static narrative in mind, to the dynamic medium of television. According to Andrew Nicholls:


title: W.I.T.C.H. (TV series)

text: One of the major differences is the variety of powers the Guardians have in the first season. During the screenwriting stage, questions arose from the network as to why the girls did not use their powers more in a given situation. As a result, certain powers they had in the comics were not among their abilities during the first season, such as telepathy, "instincts" about people, and communicating with appliances. In the second-season episode "C is for Changes", this changes as the Guardians gain most of the remaining powers they had in the source material.


title: W.I.T.C.H. (TV series)

text: The character of Caleb was altered significantly in the show, including his visual appearance. In the comics, he had clear facial markings that made him obviously different from a regular human. In the show, they are not present for multiple reasons: child test audiences found them unnerving; when animated, they looked too similar to a beard; and in the animated series, in contrast to the comics, he spends extended periods on Earth blending in with the inhabitants, which would be much more difficult to accomplish otherwise.


title: W.I.T.C.H. (TV series)

text: Blunk is an original character created for the cartoon, and does not appear in the comics. A comedic sidekick smuggler, his role and prominence in the story became increasingly important as the show shifted its focus from comedy to action during production of the first season, as one of the few major male characters in a series now trying to appeal to boys. The character's name was reused from a failed pilot, created by Howie Mandel and produced by Nelvana, that the first season showrunners had worked on. Second season showrunner Greg Weisman admitted to initially disliking Blunk, but came to view him as an invaluable part of the team, particularly as a result of the bonds between Blunk and the main characters that had begun to form in the first season.


title: W.I.T.C.H. (TV series)

text: In the comics, Will's dormouse is introduced quite early into the first arc. In the cartoon, this only occurs in episode 24 of the first season. Although the showrunners tried to have this take place earlier in the series, the network did not approve it for some time. According to Andrew Nicholls, this may have been due to its similarity to the naked mole rat Rufus in "Kim Possible", another Disney series.


title: W.I.T.C.H. (TV series)

text: The character Vathek starts out as an enemy of the Guardians in the comics, but in the show he is already on their side. This was changed to streamline the first few episodes due to the number of characters that had to be introduced.


title: W.I.T.C.H. (TV series)

text: Early into production, Nicholls had suggested changing the name "Kandrakar" out of sensitivity toward the ongoing events in the real-life Kandahar in Afghanistan. This request was initially ignored, but ten episodes in the writing team was informed that the spelling had been changed to "Candrakar", with later episodes referring to it as "Candracar". However, the "Heart of Kandrakar" is consistently spelled that way throughout the closing credits of both seasons. Certain character names were changed as well: Laurent was referred to by his nickname "Clubber" instead as it was considered more appropriate for a bully character, and in the second season, Thomas Vandom's first name was changed to Tony for legal reasons.


title: W.I.T.C.H. (TV series)

text: The animation studios for season 1 were Wang Film Productions and Hong Ying Universe, while Dongwoo Animation animated season 2. Hong Ying and provided digital ink and paint services for the second season. The 3D animated design of the Heart of Kandrakar used throughout the series was made by Maga Animation Studio.


title: W.I.T.C.H. (TV series)

text: The series has been considered anime-influenced animation in terms of its visual style. First season director Marc Gordon-Bates cited anime such as "Neon Genesis Evangelion" as design inspiration. The original comics are themselves drawn in line with manga conventions, as opposed to the more rounded style traditionally used by publisher and co-producer Disney. Co-executive producer Olivier Dumont noted that the high-quality animation was intended to be true to the detailed artwork of the comics series.


title: W.I.T.C.H. (TV series)

text: The original, international title sequence shows the girls and their powers in a story version with unique footage for the opening, and music by the composers of the show, Alain Garcia and Noam Kaniel. In the original international English version, the opening theme is "W.I.T.C.H. Theme Song" (title per CD liner notes and back cover; renamed to "W.I.T.C.H (Theme)" on music streaming services) performed by Sabrina. The intro sequence of the second season, storyboarded by Richard Danto and Bruno Issaly, is changed to incorporate the new plot developments and characters, along with a remix of the theme composed by David Vadant.


title: W.I.T.C.H. (TV series)

text: The US opening shows action clips from some episodes and scenes from "W.I.T.C.H." demo reels from various animation studios. The American theme song is "We Are W.I.T.C.H.", written by Adam Watts and Andy Dodd. The opening uses a demo version of the song performed by Chelsea Somma until episode 14, when it is replaced with a version sung by Marion Ravn. It has been explained that once the American broadcaster had chosen to go with a different song, it was decided to make a new opening for it instead of trying to fit the existing one. The footage and theme are unchanged for the remainder of the US series; the intro stayed the same in the second season as the network "wanted consistency in case they aired both seasons simultaneously".


title: W.I.T.C.H. (TV series)

text: Both the first international theme and the US version were included on the soundtrack album "Music From and Inspired By W.I.T.C.H." The US theme song was also released as a promotional two-track CD single titled "W.I.T.C.H. Cartoon: The Original Theme from the U.S.A.", which was distributed with comic issue 54, released in 2005. On this CD, the song is performed by Chelsea Somma, and it also includes an exclusive instrumental version (not available on the album) as the second track.


title: W.I.T.C.H. (TV series)

text: In Italy, a different opening consisting of clips from the show and first international intro sequence was used. The Italian theme song, simply titled "W.I.T.C.H.", was written by Max Longhi and Giorgio Vanni, and performed by the group Lucky Star. The full version of the Italian theme song was released as the first track (and promoted on the cover) of Lucky Star's 2006 album "LS3", which otherwise consists of songs unrelated to the "W.I.T.C.H." franchise.


title: W.I.T.C.H. (TV series)

text: In the United States, a special one-hour preview of "W.I.T.C.H." aired on December 18, 2004 on the Disney-owned ABC network's Saturday morning children's programming block, ABC Kids, and on December 19 on ABC Family and Toon Disney as part of their Jetix programming blocks. The series proper premiered January 15, 2005 on ABC Kids and ABC Family, and January 17 on Toon Disney. On January 28, 2006, it began airing on Disney Channel.


title: W.I.T.C.H. (TV series)

text: As "W.I.T.C.H." is based on a Disney comic series and was produced in association with Jetix Europe, it has been broadcast worldwide on the Disney-owned Jetix channels, as well as Jetix-branded television blocks, including that on Family in Canada (November 26, 2005 – March 10, 2007; reruns until August 26, 2007). In Canada, it was broadcast on none of the English-language terrestrial TV networks, but the French version was shown on the CBC's French-language television network Télévision de Radio-Canada (September 10, 2005 – October 27, 2007; reruns until April 25, 2010). In the United Kingdom, BBC's children's strand CBBC had aired it. In the Republic of Ireland, it was broadcast on RTÉ Two's The Den. In Australia, it was shown on Seven Network and its affiliates. In New Zealand, the show was aired on the "2 Kids" block on TV2.


title: W.I.T.C.H. (TV series)

text: In France, where this TV series was primarily made, it was terrestrially broadcast on France 3. (The second season was known as "Dimension W.I.T.C.H." in the country.) In Italy, where the original comic came from, it was shown on Italia 1.


title: W.I.T.C.H. (TV series)

text: "W.I.T.C.H." has been released on DVD in Europe, Australia, Brazil, Malaysia, and the Philippines (also in VCD format) containing episodes of the first season, which was divided into volumes of varying number of episodes. Each volume contains 2 art cards, each featuring one of the W.I.T.C.H. girls.


title: W.I.T.C.H. (TV series)

text: In the UK, the first three volumes were released in 2006 on 1 May, 19 June, and 21 August respectively. In October 2007 the volumes were re-released as a DVD box set along with the box set of volumes four, five and six, containing the rest of season 1.


title: W.I.T.C.H. (TV series)

text: Season 2 DVDs have been released in the Czech Republic, Poland, and Russia. The Czech and Polish sets have audio available in multiple languages, including English.


title: W.I.T.C.H. (TV series)

text: In France, both seasons have been made available for streaming via Canal+, provided by Disney Channel France which was the last channel to still air it (until 2021). According to the United States Copyright Office, the series remains a property of Disney's defunct subsidiary SIP Animation, but is currently not available for streaming on Disney+.


title: W.I.T.C.H. (TV series)

text: In the early stages of the first season, the series was a major hit and a TV breakout in the US. The two-episode premiere registered record ratings across ABC Kids and the Jetix blocks on ABC Family and Toon Disney, both as a preview and in regular airings.


title: W.I.T.C.H. (TV series)

text: In Europe, "W.I.T.C.H." was the most popular Jetix original series for third-party sales as of fiscal year 2007, when the second season was delivered. All of the major Jetix Europe originals, including "W.I.T.C.H.", ranked "as one of the top two shows in their timeslots in all of the markets in which they aired."


title: W.I.T.C.H. (TV series)

text: Initially, the series received little attention from critics, although a small number of reviews were published when the series began airing regularly in early 2005.


title: W.I.T.C.H. (TV series)

text: In a review of the two-part series premiere, James Harvey of "Toon Zone" (now "Anime Superhero") praised the opening song and animation and complimented the writing and voice acting, asserting that ""W.I.T.C.H." definitely stands out as part of the Jetix blocks on ABC Family and Toon Disney." He later added in an interview with second-season supervisory producer Greg Weisman: "The series acquired a cult following during its first season [...] What makes this a unique series is the approach to the characters, all of whom are fallible and utterly human."


title: W.I.T.C.H. (TV series)

text: Also reviewing the premiere, Jacqueline Cutler of "The New York Times" stated the series succeeds to emphasize the importance of teenage friendships between girls, while saying the show can manage to appeal to boys as well thanks to some of the characters, asserting, "Imbued with superpowers passed on by one girl's grandmother, this attractive, multicultural bunch is not your everyday coven of witches."


title: W.I.T.C.H. (TV series)

text: Larisa Wiseman of "Common Sense Media" gave "W.I.T.C.H." a grade of 3 out of 5 stars, praised the depiction of positive messages, citing teamwork and kindness across the characters, writing, "The five main characters are ethnically diverse and are good role models for girls because they're independent thinkers and deal with challenges head-on."


title: W.I.T.C.H. (TV series)

text: The TV series saw more critical attention in the early 2020s, following the comics reprints which began in 2017 and the 2021 reimagining of competing series "Winx Club" as the live-action "", which spawned new comparisons between the two franchises.


title: W.I.T.C.H. (TV series)

text: Ara Wagoner of "Android Central" stated in a late 2019 article: "This is a Jetix throwback, but "W.I.T.C.H." is a cool comic series and it deserves to be on Disney+, even with all the nonsense that went on during its production. Also, if Disney is looking to reboot some series for D+, this would be a great place to start so that we could have a consistent vision and throw the focus back on our female superhero girls."


title: W.I.T.C.H. (TV series)

text: In 2020, Laura Thornton of "Comic Book Resources" praised the diversity across the main characters, citing their personality and different supernatural abilities, and found that the show depicts themes of determination, friendship, and love, while balancing between action, comedy, and drama, stating, "A real gem of the '00s, the show definitely deserves a second chance, and a spot, on Disney+ — hopefully sooner, rather than later." Juliana Failde of "Screen Rant" described "W.I.T.C.H." as a classic children's show, writing: ""W.I.T.C.H." was a super cool show on Disney's Jetix that followed five totally normal girls who become the Guardians of the Veil with powers to manipulate the elements. This show is like "Sailor Moon" and "" combined but with fairy-like heroines and mythical worlds. This show was one of those series that is still often spoken of today and made remembered by all the fans who watched it."


title: W.I.T.C.H. (TV series)

text: In early 2021, Petrana Radulovic of "Polygon" compared "W.I.T.C.H." very favorably to "Winx Club", another magical girl series that had also debuted in 2004, describing it as an exciting fantasy story with a diverse cast, and saying that ""W.I.T.C.H." is also ahead of "Winx Club" when dealing with complicated relationships with mentor figures." She further argued that the revival "" would have worked better as an adaptation of "W.I.T.C.H." based on the latter's darker and more complex themes, asserting: "The memory of "W.I.T.C.H." lives on — in Tumblr posts, in fan art, and in the striking parallels of a live-action show about 2004’s other five-member magical girl show. Maybe one day it’ll land on Disney Plus, but until then, "Fate: The Winx Saga" will have to suffice." Yelyzaveta Tretiakova of "Comic Book Resources" compared "W.I.T.C.H." to "Winx Club" and stated that both shows manage to surpass the other in several fields, saying that "W.I.T.C.H." provides better vilains, comedy scenes, visuals, comic books, and fashionable characters.


title: W.I.T.C.H. (TV series)

text: The following year, Kyle Grammatica of "Collider" referred to "W.I.T.C.H." as one of the must-watch French cartoons, noting that "the show offers compelling action and stories that can be enjoyed by kids of any age (and plenty of adults too)." Priya Paramanandam of "Comic Book Resources" described the series as "a highly imaginative show with lots of lore and world-building", and complained that it was missing on Disney+ despite Disney retaining the rights.


title: Illegal immigration

text: Illegal immigration is the migration of people into a country in violation of the immigration laws of that country or the continued residence without the legal right to live in that country. Illegal immigration tends to be financially upward, from poorer to richer countries. Illegal residence in another country creates the risk of detention, deportation, and/or other sanctions.


title: Illegal immigration

text: Asylum seekers who are denied asylum may face impediment to expulsion if the home country refuses to receive the person or if new asylum evidence emerges after the decision. In some cases, these people are considered illegal aliens, and in others, they may receive a temporary residence permit, for example with reference to the principle of non-refoulement in the international Refugee Convention. The European Court of Human Rights, referring to the European Convention on Human Rights, has shown in a number of indicative judgments that there are enforcement barriers to expulsion to certain countries, for example, due to the risk of torture.


title: Illegal immigration

text: The terminology surrounding illegal immigration is often controversial. In particular, describing people who immigrated illegally as illegal immigrants has been a matter of debate. It is nevertheless commonly used in formal contexts, among others by the US and by the Canadian governments. Title 8 of the US Code is the portion of United States law that contains legislation on citizenship, nationality, and immigration. Defining the legal term "alien" as "any person not a citizen or national of the United States," the terminology used in Title 8 includes illegal alien (33 times), unauthorized alien (21 times), undocumented alien (18 times), "illegal immigrant" (6 times), "undocumented person" (2 times), and others. An analysis by PolitiFact, however, concluded that the term "illegal alien" "occurs scarcely, often undefined or part of an introductory title or limited to apply to certain individuals convicted of felonies."


title: Illegal immigration

text: There are campaigns that discourage the use of the term "illegal immigrant", generally based on the argument that the act of immigrating illegally does not make the people themselves illegal, but rather they are "people who have immigrated illegally." In Europe, the Platform for International Cooperation on Undocumented Migrants (PICUM) launched its international "Words Matter" campaign in 2014 to promote the use of the terms "undocumented" or "irregular migrants" instead of "illegal". Depending on jurisdiction, culture, or context, alternatives to "illegal alien" or "illegal immigrant" can include "irregular migrant", "undocumented immigrant", "undocumented person", and "unauthorized immigrant".


title: Illegal immigration

text: "Irregular migration" is a related term that is sometimes used, e.g., by the International Organization for Migration; however, because of the word "migration", this term describes a somewhat wider concept which also includes illegal emigration.


title: Illegal immigration

text: Some news associations have discontinued or discourage the term "illegal" "immigrant," except in quotations. These organizations presently include the Associated Press (US), Press Association (UK), European Journalism Observatory, European Journalism Centre, Association of European Journalists, Australian Press Council, and Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance (AU). Related terms that describe actions are not similarly discouraged. Most commonly they use the alternative term "undocumented immigrant." For example, the Associated Press continues to use the term "illegal immigration", whereby "illegal" describes the action rather than the person.


title: Illegal immigration

text: On the other hand, "The New York Times" said described "undocumented immigrant" as a "term preferred by many immigrants and their advocates, but it has a flavor of euphemism and should be used with caution outside quotation." "Newsweek" questions the use of the phrase "undocumented immigrants" as a method of euphemistic framing, namely, "a psychological technique that can influence the perception of social phenomena." "Newsweek" also suggests that persons who enter a country unlawfully cannot be entirely "undocumented," as they "just lack the certain specific documents for legal residency and employment," while "[m]any have driver's licences, debit cards, library cards, and school identifications which are useful documents in specific contexts but not nearly so much for immigration." For example, in the US, youths brought into the country illegally are granted access to public K-12 education and benefits regardless of citizenship status; therefore the youths are not entirely undocumented, since they are in fact documented for educational purposes.


title: Illegal immigration

text: In the United States, while overstaying a visa is a civil violation handled by immigration court, entering (including re-entering) the US without approval from an immigration officer is a crime; specifically a misdemeanor on the first offense. Illegal reentry after deportation is a felony offense. This is the distinction between the larger group referred to as "unauthorized immigrants" and the smaller subgroup referred to as criminal immigrants.


title: Illegal immigration

text: Democratic Senator and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has spoken out against the term "undocumented", stating that "Illegal immigration is wrong – plain and simple" and that proponents of the term were "not serious" about combatting illegal immigration.


title: Illegal immigration

text: In Canada, as in the US, "illegal immigrant" is a commonly used term. However, there is confusion and deep dissent among many about what the term means under the law and under what circumstances, and what it implies socially. "Irregular" is a term used by government authorities to refer to migrants who enter Canada outside of official border crossings ("points of entry"). Entrance into Canada outside of a POE is considered unlawful, but not a criminal offence, or a civil offence under the "Immigration and Refugee Protection Act", SC 2001, c 27. Regulations under IRPA require that a person seeking to enter Canada outside a POE should "appear without delay" at the nearest entry point. Section 33 of the IRPA requires that any legal charges against a migrant be stayed while an entrant's asylum claim is being processed.


title: Illegal immigration

text: The Government of Canada and the Immigration and Refugee Board use the term "irregular" to refer to these crossings. The Liberal Party of Canada and the New Democratic Party typically use the term "irregular", while the Conservative Party of Canada typically uses the term "illegal". The use of the term "undocumented" is increasingly prevalent among individual MPs and MPPs in Canada, and was also used in a NDP policy document as well as by Ontario NDP leader Andrea Horwath in a 2018 platform document. Conservative MP Dave Epp referred to "undocumented workers" in a 2020 interview with the CBC wherein he called for an end to the use of contract migrant labour by Canadian agriculture business, in part because many such workers are undocumented and therefore vulnerable to exploitation and unsafe working conditions.


title: Illegal immigration

text: Research on the economic effects of illegal immigration is scant but existing studies suggest that the effects can be positive for the native population, and for public coffers. One 2015 study shows that "increasing deportation rates and tightening border control weakens low-skilled labor markets, increasing unemployment of native low-skilled workers. Legalization, instead, decreases the unemployment rate of low-skilled natives and increases income per native." This is because the presence of illegal immigrants reduces the labor costs of employers, providing them more opportunities to create more jobs.