title: 8888 Uprising

text: During the September congress of 1988, 90% of party delegates (968 out of 1080) voted for a multi-party system of government. The BSPP announced they would be organising an election, but the opposition parties called for their immediate resignation from government, allowing an interim government to organise elections. After the BSPP rejected both demands, protesters again took to the streets on 12 September 1988. Nu promised elections within a month, proclaiming a provisional government. Meanwhile, the police and army began fraternising with the protesters. The movement had reached an impasse relying on three hopes: daily demonstrations to force the regime to respond to their demands, encouraging soldiers to defect and appealing to an international audience in the hope that United Nations or United States troops would arrive. Some Tatmadaw did defect, but only in limited numbers, mostly from the Navy. Stephen Solarz who had experienced the recent democracy protests in the Philippines and South Korea arrived in Burma in September encouraging the regime to reform, which echoed the policy of the United States government towards Burma.


title: 8888 Uprising

text: By mid-September, the protests grew more violent and lawless, with soldiers deliberately leading protesters into skirmishes that the army easily won. Protesters demanded more immediate change, and distrusted steps for incremental reform.


title: 8888 Uprising

text: On 18 September 1988, the military retook power in the country. General Saw Maung repealed the 1974 constitution and established the State Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC), "imposing more Draconian measures than Ne Win had imposed." After Maung had imposed martial law, the protests were violently broken up. The government announced on the state-run radio that the military had assumed power in the people's interest, "in order to bring a timely halt to the deteriorating conditions on all sides all over the country." Tatmadaw troops went through cities throughout Burma, indiscriminately firing on protestors.


title: 8888 Uprising

text: Although an exact body count has not been determined as bodies were often cremated, it is estimated that within the first week of securing power, 1,000 students, monks, and schoolchildren were killed, and another 500 were killed whilst protesting outside the United States embassy – footage caught by a cameraman nearby who distributed the footage to the world's media. Maung described the dead as "looters". Protestors were also pursued into the jungle and some students took up training on the country's borders with Thailand.


title: 8888 Uprising

text: By the end of September, there were around 3,000 estimated deaths and unknown number of injured, with 1,000 deaths in Rangoon alone. At this point in time, Aung San Suu Kyi appealed for help. On 21 September, the government had regained control of the country, with the movement effectively collapsing in October. By the end of 1988, it was estimated that 10,000 people, including protesters and soldiers, had been killed.


title: 8888 Uprising

text: Many in Burma believed that the regime would have collapsed if the United Nations and neighbouring countries had refused to recognise the legitimacy of the coup. Western governments and Japan cut aid to the country. Among Burma's neighbours, India was most critical; condemning the suppression, closing borders and setting up refugee camps along its border with Burma. By 1989, 6,000 NLD supporters had been detained and those who fled to the ethnic border areas, such as Kawthoolei, formed groups with those who sought greater self-determination. It was estimated 10,000 had fled to mountains which were controlled by ethnic insurgents such as the Karen National Liberation Army, and many of them later trained to become soldiers.


title: 8888 Uprising

text: After the uprising, the SLORC waged a "clumsy propaganda" campaign against those who had organised the protests. Intelligence Chief Khin Nyunt, held English-language press conferences which were aimed at giving foreign diplomats and the media a favourable account of the SLORC's response to the protests. During this period, more restrictions were imposed upon the Burmese media, denying it the relative freedom to report news which it had been able to exercise at the peak of the protests. In the conferences, he detailed a conspiracy in which the right was plotting to overthrow the regime with the assistance of "subversive foreigners" and a conspiracy in which the left was plotting to overthrow the State. Despite the conferences, few believed the government's version of events. While these conferences were going on, the SLORC was secretly negotiating with mutineers.


title: 8888 Uprising

text: Between 1988 and 2000, the Burmese government established 20 museums which detailed the military's central role throughout Burma's history and the size of the military increased from 180,000 to 400,000. The Burmese government also kept schools and universities closed in order to prevent future uprisings. Initially, Aung San Suu Kyi, U Tin Oo and Aung Gyi publicly rejected the SLORC's offer to hold elections the following year, claiming that they could not be freely held while Burma was under military rule.


title: 8888 Uprising

text: Today, the uprising is commemorated by Burmese expatriates and citizens. In Thailand, students also commemorate the uprising every 8 August. On the 20th anniversary of the uprising, 48 activists were arrested for commemorating the event in Burma. The event garnered much support for the Burmese people internationally. Poems were written by students who participated in the protests. The 1995 film "Beyond Rangoon" is a fictionalized drama which is based on the events that took place during the uprising.


title: 8888 Uprising

text: The uprising led to the death and imprisonment of thousands of individuals. Many of the deaths occurred inside the prisons, where prisoners of conscience were subjected to inhumane torture and deprived of basic provisions, such as food, water, medicine, and sanitation. From 1988 to 2012, the military and the police illegally detained and imprisoned tens of thousands of leaders of the Burmese pro-democracy movement, as well as intellectuals, artists, students, and human rights activists. Pyone Cho, one of the leaders of the uprising, spent 20 years of his adult life in prison. Ko Ko Gyi, another leader of the uprising, spent 18 years of his life in prison. Min Ko Naing was placed in solitary confinement for nine years for his role as a leader of the uprising. Because the uprising began as a student movement, many of the individuals who were arrested, imprisoned, tortured, and killed by the police and the military were high school and university students.


title: 8888 Uprising

text: Many of the student leaders of the uprising became lifelong human rights activists and leaders of the Burmese pro-democracy movement. Nineteen years later, many of these same activists also played a role in the 2007 Saffron Revolution. The 88 Generation Students Group, which is named after the events of 8 August 1988, organised one of the first protests which eventually culminated in the Saffron Revolution. But prior to the outbreak of large-scale demonstrations, its members were arrested and given lengthy prison sentences of up to 65 years. The activists who were arrested included prominent individuals such as Min Ko Naing, Mya Aye, Htay Kywe, Mie Mie, Ko Ko Gyi, Pyone Cho, Min Zeyar, Ant Bwe Kyaw, and Nilar Thein. Though not an 88 Generation Students Group member, a solo protester Ohn Than also joined the demonstration. All of them were released in a general amnesty in 2012. They continue to work as politicians and human rights activists in Myanmar. They also campaigned for the National League for Democracy in the 2015 general election. Pyone Cho, one of the main leaders of the 88 Generation, was elected to the House of Representatives in the 2015 Election.


title: 2015 FIFA U-20 World Cup

text: The 2015 FIFA U-20 World Cup was the twentieth edition of the FIFA U-20 World Cup since its inception in 1977 as the FIFA World Youth Championship. The competition took place for the first time in New Zealand, the third time on Oceanian soil after Australia staged the 1981 and 1993 editions. A total of 52 matches were played in seven host cities.


title: 2015 FIFA U-20 World Cup

text: During the first meeting of the local organising committee in January 2013, provisional dates of 19 June to 11 July were given towards hosting of games, with a final decision on stadiums and cities originally meant to be taken in February 2013. Two more postponements then followed.


title: 2015 FIFA U-20 World Cup

text: France, the 2013 champions, were unable to defend their title as they failed to reach the final round of the UEFA qualifying tournament. In doing so, they became the fourth consecutive incumbent title holder to fail to qualify for the subsequent tournament.


title: 2015 FIFA U-20 World Cup

text: Serbia won the final against Brazil 2–1, becoming the first team representing the country to win a FIFA competition title since their independence from Yugoslavia and the dissolution of Serbia and Montenegro. Yugoslavia previously won the 1987 FIFA World Youth Championship.


title: 2015 FIFA U-20 World Cup

text: Four FIFA member associations officially submitted their bids to host the 2015 FIFA U-20 World Cup by the deadline of 11 February 2011. On 3 March 2011, FIFA announced that the tournament would be held for the first time in New Zealand. This is the third FIFA competition staged in this country, after the 1999 FIFA U-17 World Championship and the 2008 FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup.


title: 2015 FIFA U-20 World Cup

text: Auckland, Christchurch, Dunedin, Hamilton, New Plymouth, Wellington and Whangarei were the 7 cities chosen to host the competition.


title: 2015 FIFA U-20 World Cup

text: Before the stadium announcements were made, Dunedin City council suggested in January 2013, that it would not bid to host matches at Forsyth Barr Stadium (also known as Otago Stadium) unless the costs (an estimated $1m) could be lowered. The stadium hosted seven matches there, the last of which being a Round of 16 game.


title: 2015 FIFA U-20 World Cup

text: In addition to host nation New Zealand, 23 nations qualified from six separate continental competitions.


title: 2015 FIFA U-20 World Cup

text: The final draw was held on 10 February 2015, 17:30 local time, at the SkyCity Grand, Auckland. For the draw, the 24 teams were divided into four seeding pots:


title: 2015 FIFA U-20 World Cup

text: As a basic principle, teams from the same confederation could not be drawn against each other at the group stage. As the CAF U-20 Championship was not completed at the time of the draw, a separate draw took place on 23 March 2015 in Dakar, Senegal, at the tournament's conclusion to determine the groups where the 2nd, 3rd and 4th placed CAF teams would play in, to ensure there was no manipulation of games in the qualifying tournament ensuring fairness to all qualified teams.


title: 2015 FIFA U-20 World Cup

text: A total of 21 referees, 6 support referees, and 42 assistant referees were selected for the tournament.


title: 2015 FIFA U-20 World Cup

text: The 24 squads were officially announced by FIFA on 21 May 2015. Each participating national association had to submit a final list of 21 players (three of whom must be goalkeepers) at least 10 days before the tournament started. These players were shortlisted from a provisional list of 35 players, including a minimum of four goalkeepers. All players must have been born on or after 1 January 1995. If a player listed in the final squad suffered a serious injury up until 24 hours before the kick-off of his team's first match, he could be replaced by a player from the provisional list with the approval of FIFA's medical and organising committees.


title: 2015 FIFA U-20 World Cup

text: In July 2015, it was reported that the New Zealand squad had included an ineligible player, South African Deklan Wynne not having completed the requisite period of residence in New Zealand.


title: 2015 FIFA U-20 World Cup

text: The winners and runners-up of each group and the best four third-placed teams advanced to the round of 16. The rankings of teams in each group were determined as follows:


title: 2015 FIFA U-20 World Cup

text: If two or more teams were equal on the basis of the above three criteria, their rankings were determined as follows:


title: 2015 FIFA U-20 World Cup

text: The four best ranked third-placed teams also advanced to the round of 16. They were paired with the winners of groups A, B, C and D, according to a table published in Section 18 of the tournament regulations.


title: 2015 FIFA U-20 World Cup

text: In the knockout stage, if a match was level at the end of regular time (two periods of 45 minutes), extra time was played (two periods of 15 minutes) and followed, if necessary, by a penalty shoot-out to determine the winner. In the case of the third place match, as it was played just before the final, extra time was skipped and a penalty shoot-out took place if necessary.


title: 2015 FIFA U-20 World Cup

text: The third-placed teams which advanced to the round of 16 were placed with the winners of groups A, B, C and D according to a table published in Section 18 of the tournament regulations.


title: 2015 FIFA U-20 World Cup

text: The following awards were given at the conclusion of the tournament. They were all sponsored by Adidas, except for the FIFA Fair Play Award.


title: 2015 FIFA U-20 World Cup

text: The official emblem of the tournament was unveiled on 20 November 2013. The official mascot, a black sheep named Wooliam, was unveiled on 30 November 2014.


title: 2015 FIFA U-20 World Cup

text: Prior to being released for 'General sale' on 13 June 2014, registered footballers in New Zealand were given 'priority treatment' by allowing them the option to buy tickets from two months earlier.


title: Shakespeare and Company (bookstore)

text: Shakespeare and Company is an English-language bookstore opened in 1951 by George Whitman, located on Paris's Left Bank.


title: Shakespeare and Company (bookstore)

text: The store was named after Sylvia Beach's bookstore of the same name founded in 1919 on the Left Bank, which closed in 1941. Whitman adopted the "Shakespeare and Company" name for his store in 1964.


title: Shakespeare and Company (bookstore)

text: The bookstore is situated at 37 rue de la Bûcherie, in the 5th arrondissement. Opened in 1951 by American George Whitman, it was originally called "Le Mistral", but was renamed to "Shakespeare and Company" in 1964 in tribute to Sylvia Beach's store and on the 400th anniversary of William Shakespeare's birth. Today, it continues to serve as a purveyor of new and second-hand books, as an antiquarian bookseller, and as a free reading library open to the public.


title: Shakespeare and Company (bookstore)

text: Additionally, the shop houses aspiring writers and artists in exchange for helping out around the bookstore. Since the shop opened in 1951, more than 30,000 people have slept in the beds found tucked between bookshelves. The shop's motto, "Be Not Inhospitable to Strangers Lest They Be Angels in Disguise", is written above the entrance to the reading library.


title: Shakespeare and Company (bookstore)

text: In 1951, American ex-serviceman George Whitman opened an English-language bookstore on Paris's Left Bank under the name of "Le Mistral". Its premises, the site of a 16th-century monastery, are at 37 rue de la Bûcherie, near Place Saint-Michel, just steps from the Seine, Notre Dame and the Île de la Cité.


title: Shakespeare and Company (bookstore)

text: Much like Sylvia Beach's historic Shakespeare and Company bookstore which had closed in 1941, Whitman's store quickly became the focal point of literary culture in bohemian Paris. Early habitués included writers of the Beat Generation – Allen Ginsberg, Gregory Corso, and William S. Burroughs, who is said to have researched sections of "Naked Lunch" in the medical section of the bookstore's library. Other visitors were James Baldwin, Anaïs Nin, Julio Cortázar, Richard Wright, Lawrence Durrell, Max Ernst, Bertolt Brecht, William Saroyan, Terry Southern, and editors of "The Paris Review", such as George Plimpton, Peter Matthiessen, and Robert Silvers.


title: Shakespeare and Company (bookstore)

text: George Whitman had modeled his shop after Sylvia Beach's. In 1958, while dining with Whitman at a party for James Jones who had newly arrived in Paris, Beach announced that she was handing the name to him for his bookshop. In 1964, after Sylvia Beach's death and on the 400th anniversary of William Shakespeare's birth, Whitman renamed his store "Shakespeare and Company," which is, as he described it, "a novel in three words."


title: Shakespeare and Company (bookstore)

text: Whitman called his venture "a socialist utopia masquerading as a bookstore". Henry Miller called it "a wonderland of books". The shop has beds tucked among the shelves of books where aspiring writers are invited to sleep for free in exchange for helping around the bookshop, agreeing to read a book a day, and writing a one-page autobiography for the shop's archives. These guests are called "Tumbleweeds", after the plants that "blow in and out on the winds of chance", as Whitman described. An estimated 30,000 people have stayed at the shop since it opened in 1951.


title: Shakespeare and Company (bookstore)

text: Whitman's only child, Sylvia Whitman, named after Sylvia Beach, began helping her father with management of the bookstore in 2003. She now runs the store with her partner, David Delannet, in the same manner as her father did. Regular activities are a Sunday Tea Party, writers' workshops, and weekly events that have included writers such as Dave Eggers, A. M. Homes, Jonathan Safran Foer, and Naomi Klein.


title: Shakespeare and Company (bookstore)

text: In 2003, Sylvia Whitman founded FestivalandCo, a literary festival that was held biennially at the park next-door to the bookstore, Square René-Viviani. Participants included Paul Auster, Siri Hustvedt, Jeanette Winterson, Jung Chang, and Marjane Satrapi.


title: Shakespeare and Company (bookstore)

text: George Whitman was awarded the Officier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres in 2006, one of France's highest cultural honor.


title: Shakespeare and Company (bookstore)

text: In 2010, the bookstore launched The Paris Literary Prize for unpublished novellas, with a top prize of 10,000 euro provided by the de Groot Foundation. The winner of the first contest was Rosa Rankin-Gee, whose entry, "The Last Kings of Sark", was subsequently published by Virago. The winner of the second prize was C. E. Smith; his entry, "Body Electric", was co-published by the bookstore and The White Review.


title: Shakespeare and Company (bookstore)

text: George Whitman died at the age of 98 on 14 December 2011, in his apartment above the bookstore. His daughter Sylvia now runs the store.


title: Shakespeare and Company (bookstore)

text: Partnering with Bob's Bake Shop, Shakespeare and Company opened a café in 2015, located next door to the store in what had been, since 1981, an abandoned garage. The café serves primarily vegetarian food, with vegan and gluten-free options. George Whitman had been trying to open a literary café in the same space since as early as 1969.


title: Shakespeare and Company (bookstore)

text: At the end of October 2020, the bookstore reported that its sales had dropped 80% since March due to the outbreak of COVID-19. During the first lockdown in France, the bookstore was closed for two months and didn't sell online, following the advice from the trade body of the "Syndicat de la Librairie française". The owner of the bookstore informed the media that they receive offers of support and orders for subscriptions to the store's "Year of Reading" offer, and they now also maintain a website.


title: Shakespeare and Company (bookstore)

text: Several literary publications have had their editorial address at the bookstore, including the avant-garde journal "Merlin", which is credited for having discovered Samuel Beckett, it being the first to publish him in English. Among the journal's editors were Richard Seaver, Christopher Logue, and Alexander Trocchi. Jane Lougee was the publisher. From 1959 to 1964, Jean Fanchette published "Two Cities" from the bookshop; the journal's patrons included Anaïs Nin and Lawrence Durrell, and it published, among others, Ted Hughes and Octavio Paz. From 1978 to 1981, a group of American and Canadian expatriates ran a literary journal out of the upstairs library, called "Paris Voices". The journal published young writers such as Welsh poet Tony Curtis and Irish playwright and novelist Sebastian Barry. The editor-in-chief was Kenneth R. Timmerman and the editorial team included Canadian Antanas Sileika. Other publications established from the bookstore include "Frank" magazine, edited by David Applefield with contributions from writers such as Mavis Gallant and John Berger, and Whitman's own "The Paris Magazine" (or "The Poor Man's "Paris Review"", as he called it), with contributors including Lawrence Ferlinghetti, Jean-Paul Sartre, Marguerite Duras, Pablo Neruda, and—in a more recent edition--Lucy Sante, Michel Houellebecq, and Rivka Galchen. The first issue debuted in 1967, the most recent in 2010.


title: Shakespeare and Company (bookstore)

text: In 2016, the bookstore published its own history in a book titled "Shakespeare and Company, Paris: A History of the Rag & Bone Shop of the Heart", edited by Krista Halverson with a foreword by Jeanette Winterson and an epilogue by Sylvia Whitman. Other contributors to the book include Ethan Hawke, Lawrence Ferlinghetti, Allen Ginsberg, Anaïs Nin, Robert Stone, Ian Rankin, Kae Tempest, and Jim Morrison. The book features an illustrated adaptation of Sylvia Beach's memoirs. It also includes a selection of George Whitman's letters and journals written along his "hobo adventures" during the Great Depression. The kindness he received from strangers along the way inspired the founding ethos of the bookstore: "Give what you can; take what you need."


title: Michael Ray (singer)

text: Michael Ray Roach (born April 29, 1988) is an American country music singer and songwriter. He is signed to Warner Music Nashville. He has released two albums for the label: "Michael Ray" and "Amos".


title: Michael Ray (singer)

text: Ray was born in Eustis, Florida. He was inspired by his grandfather Amos "Wilson" Roach, who played music for him and taught him how to play guitar, in addition to having him perform at assisted living centers. Ray chose to form a band in southern Florida after graduating high school, and a disc jockey at WPCV began playing his music. He independently released an album in 2010, which was discovered by manager Tony Conway.


title: Michael Ray (singer)

text: Ray was mentored by John Rich of Big & Rich on the singing competition "", which he won. He and Rich co-wrote Big & Rich's 2015 single, "Run Away with You". After winning the competition, Ray was signed to Warner Bros. Records Nashville. His first EP, "Tour Bootleg", was released in 2014. Two of the EP's tracks, "Kiss You in the Morning" (which went to number one on the Country Airplay charts in 2015) and "Think a Little Less," would later appear on his self-titled second album, released in 2015, becoming Ray's first and third singles, respectively. The track "Real Men Love Jesus" was named as Ray's second single. Ray supported the album with a tour.


title: Michael Ray (singer)

text: On June 16, 2017, Ray released the single "Get to You" ahead of his third studio album, "Amos". Upon the album's release in 2018, it would produce two more singles: "One That Got Away" and "Her World or Mine." Both of his albums were produced by Scott Hendricks.


title: Michael Ray (singer)

text: In September 2020, Ray released the single "Whiskey and Rain" ahead of his fourth studio album, originally set to be released in 2021.


title: Michael Ray (singer)

text: On July 19, 2018, Ray confirmed that he had begun dating country singer Carly Pearce. They became engaged on December 19, 2018. The two were married on October 6, 2019 near Nashville, Tennessee. In June 2020, Pearce filed for divorce from Ray after eight months of marriage.


title: Masai Ujiri

text: Masai Ujiri (born 7 July 1970) is a British-born, Nigerian-Canadian professional basketball executive and former player and is the president of basketball operations of the Toronto Raptors in the National Basketball Association (NBA).


title: Masai Ujiri

text: After a modest professional playing career in Europe, Ujiri became a scout in 2002, first for the Orlando Magic and then the Denver Nuggets. In 2008, he joined the backroom staff of the Toronto Raptors. Ujiri returned to the Nuggets in 2010 as general manager and executive vice president of basketball operations, and helped turn the team's fortunes around, returning them to the playoffs. As a result, he was named the NBA Executive of the Year in 2013. The following season, Ujiri returned to the Raptors as general manager. In the summer of 2016, Masai Ujiri relinquished his title as general manager to Jeff Weltman and accepted the position of president of basketball operations. Weltman was later succeeded by Bobby Webster as general manager a year later. As president, Ujiri worked to usher in a period of sustained success, helping the team win its first NBA championship in 2019.


title: Masai Ujiri

text: Ujiri was born in Bournemouth, England, to a Nigerian family. His parents were foreign students in England. With the family moving back to Nigeria when he was two years old, he grew up in Zaria, Nigeria. Ujiri's father, a hospital administrator and nursing educator, is an Isoko from Aviara in Delta state, while his mother, a doctor, is a Kenyan from Machakos County. He originally played association football as a youth before stating his interest in basketball as a 13-year-old playing with friends on outdoor basketball courts in northern Nigeria. This interest was fed by American sports magazines and VHS tapes of NBA games or basketball movies. He admired Hakeem Olajuwon, an NBA star who was also Nigerian.


title: Masai Ujiri

text: Entering high school, his parents allowed him to pursue his dream of playing college basketball and join a team in one of Europe's top leagues. He left Nigeria to play for Nathan Hale High School in Seattle, WA while staying with a Nigerian family. After a stint overseas, Ujiri enrolled and played two years of basketball at Bismarck State College, a junior college in North Dakota. After community college, he transferred to Montana State University Billings but left after one semester. He left Montana and returned to England to begin a pro career.


title: Masai Ujiri

text: Ujiri spent his entire professional playing career in Europe. Before attending college, Ujiri played one season with the Solent Stars in the National Basketball League Division 3, then the fourth tier of English basketball. Ujiri and his team won the title that season with a 20–2 record.


title: Masai Ujiri

text: Following his collegiate career, Ujiri played a season for the Derby Rams in England. He then returned to Solent Stars, playing two seasons either side of a short stint with Belgian side Tournai-Estaimpuis, followed by just one appearance with Hemel Royals. Ujiri later spent three months in Finland with BC Nokia, where he played two preseason games before being waived. He last played in Denmark.


title: Masai Ujiri

text: After ending a professional playing career in 2002, Ujiri worked as a youth coach in Nigeria. During an NBA summer league game in Boston, he met David Thorpe, who eventually introduced him to college coaches. In 2002, Ujiri was accompanying a young Nigerian player to a draft tryout in Orlando when he impressed Magic scouting director Gary Brokaw, who then introduced Ujiri to coach Doc Rivers and GM John Gabriel. Ujiri then became an unpaid scout for the NBA's Orlando Magic, paying his own way when he had to and sharing rooms with scouts or players when he could.


title: Masai Ujiri

text: Jeff Weltman, then a young executive with the Denver Nuggets, introduced Ujiri to Nuggets general manager Kiki Vandeweghe, who then hired Ujiri on salary as an international scout. After four seasons there, he was hired away by Bryan Colangelo of the Toronto Raptors as their Director of Global Scouting. Ujiri became the Raptors' assistant general manager in 2008.


title: Masai Ujiri

text: Ujiri returned to the Nuggets in 2010, as general manager and executive vice president in charge of basketball operations. With this post, Ujiri became the first African general manager in major American sports.


title: Masai Ujiri

text: After putting together a Nuggets’ roster that won 57 games, the most in Denver's NBA history, Ujiri was named the 2013 NBA Executive of the Year. He is the only non-American ever to win the award.


title: Masai Ujiri

text: On May 31, 2013, Ujiri signed a 5-year, $15 million deal to become executive vice president and general manager of the Toronto Raptors, replacing Colangelo in that capacity. One of his first moves as Raptors GM was to trade away Andrea Bargnani to the New York Knicks.


title: Masai Ujiri

text: During Ujiri's tenure as general manager, the Raptors, led by the backcourt duo of Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan, returned to the playoffs in 2014.


title: Masai Ujiri

text: On April 19, 2014, at a fan rally prior to Game 1 of the first-round Eastern Conference playoff series against the Brooklyn Nets, Ujiri shouted, "Fuck Brooklyn!" to the gathered crowd from the stage. Ujiri apologized during halftime of Game 1, stating: "wrong choice of words. I apologize to kids out there and to the Brooklyn guys." NBA Commissioner Adam Silver fined Ujiri $25,000.


title: Masai Ujiri

text: On April 18, 2015, at a fan rally before the playoff series between the Washington Wizards and the Raptors, in response to comments from Wizards guard Paul Pierce that the Raptors don't have the "it" factor, Ujiri shouted to the gathered crowd, "We don't give a s--t about 'it!'" NBA Commissioner Adam Silver fined Ujiri $35,000 and the Raptors organization another $25,000. Ujiri apologized for his comments saying, "I will choose my words more carefully in the future."


title: Masai Ujiri

text: Under Ujiri, the Raptors became a consistent playoff team every year, winning five Division titles and finishing the 2017-18 regular season with the best regular season record in the Eastern Conference.


title: Masai Ujiri

text: He also helped the team reach the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time in franchise history in 2016, where his contract was extended to act as the team's president. His title as general manager was then transferred to Jeff Weltman. After Weltman left the organization to join the Orlando Magic in 2017, Bobby Webster was named as the team's new general manager, and began reshaping the Raptors roster after suffering consecutive second-round eliminations in 2017 and 2018 (both four-game sweeps), all three playoff defeats at the hands of the Cleveland Cavaliers, led by LeBron James.


title: Masai Ujiri

text: Ujiri fired head coach Dwane Casey shortly after their 2018 second round exit to LeBron James and the Cavs (despite Casey being named Coach of the Year), promoting assistant Nick Nurse to head coach, conducted the high-profile trade of DeRozan for Kawhi Leonard and Danny Green later that summer, and acquired Marc Gasol before the trade deadline. The DeRozan-for-Leonard trade was initially controversial since DeRozan was the longest-tenured Raptor and fan favourite while Leonard had spent most of the 2017–18 season injured, along with his demand to be traded to a Los Angeles-based team only. However, the move paid off as the Raptors went on to win the 2019 NBA championship, their first title in the history of their franchise, and Leonard was named NBA Finals MVP.


title: Masai Ujiri

text: On June 13, 2019, just after the Toronto Raptors had clinched a 4–2 series win over the Golden State Warriors in the 2019 NBA Finals, Ujiri was captured on video in an altercation with an Alameda County Sheriff deputy. Sgt. Ray Kelly, a spokesman for the Sheriff's Department, alleged that Ujiri failed to show proper credentials for access to the floor. Sgt. Kelly further alleged that when stopped, Ujiri had shoved a sheriff's deputy, that the deputy had made contact in response, and that Ujiri shoved the deputy back and made contact with his face. Several bystanders and Oracle Arena security personnel intervened to separate the two. After a tense staredown between the men, Ujiri was restrained from approaching the deputy. Raptors player Kyle Lowry then came over to Ujiri and escorted him onto the court to celebrate with the team. Alternate angles of the incident appear to show Ujiri shouting in the direction of the deputy with his arm around Lowry after making his way onto the court.


title: Masai Ujiri

text: The Sheriff's Department did not release body camera footage depicting the start of the incident and announced that their footage had happened to "switch off" when Ujiri allegedly struck the officer. Warriors season ticketholder Greg Wiener, who was seated near the altercation, alleged that the deputy used excessive force and initiated physical contact, while two other fans (Ben Baller and Lucas Abrenica) that were sitting within 10 feet of the incident also disputed the deputy's version of events. In the videos, Ujiri can be seen with game credentials in his hand. However, the NBA had released a media advisory prior to the conclusion of the game stating that only personnel with gold armbands would be allowed on the court due to a visiting team winning. Many of the gold armbands were visible on photographers and executives on the court (including members of the Raptors ownership), but are not visible in any angles of Ujiri during the incident.


title: Masai Ujiri

text: Following the altercation, the Alameda County Sheriff's Office stated that it would be recommending charges of battery against Ujiri. The deputy involved claimed to have suffered a concussion from the incident and sought $75,000 US for his alleged injuries. The investigation ended on September 21. Following a private meeting on October 21, 2019 with Ujiri, his attorneys and Assistant District Attorney Terry Wiley, which was held at the Sheriff's Department, Assistant District Attorney Teresa Drenick announced that the District Attorney's office would not take further action in connection with the incident.


title: Masai Ujiri

text: Deputy Alan Strickland's body camera footage was released in August 2020. The footage showed Ujiri reaching for his game credentials, but neither the purple trophy credential or the yellow armband credential needed to access the court postgame is seen before the deputy shoved Ujiri twice in the chest. The footage revealed that the deputy, not Ujiri, initiated the physical contact.


title: Masai Ujiri

text: On October 6, 2020, Strickland's lawyers filed a motion to dismiss a counterclaim to a lawsuit from Ujiri. A Zoom hearing was scheduled for November 17.


title: Masai Ujiri

text: Ujiri subsequently dropped his countersuit against Alameda County sheriff's deputy Alan Strickland. The sheriff's deputy dropped his lawsuit against Ujiri on February 10, 2021.


title: Masai Ujiri

text: Ujiri, then a scout for the Nuggets, founded Giants of Africa in 2003 with the goal of discovering basketball talent. The first Giants of Africa camp was held in Nigeria.


title: Masai Ujiri

text: Ujiri has served as director of the NBA's Basketball Without Borders Africa program, which promotes basketball throughout the continent. He also conducts two camps, one for the top 50 players of Nigeria, which is sponsored by Nestle Milo, and another for African big men, which Ujiri sponsors himself with help from Nike. Ujiri and Basketball Without Borders are profiled in Hubert Davis's 2016 documentary film "Giants of Africa".


title: Masai Ujiri

text: Ujiri has taken personal offense to President Donald Trump's comments about immigrants from places like Haiti and his homeland Nigeria, which Trump referred to as "shitholes". Ujiri opined that President Trump's words did not demonstrate inspiring leadership and were unfair to the nations and peoples to which Trump referred.


title: Masai Ujiri

text: On November 28, 2018, Ujiri received the first-ever President's Peace Medal presented by the YMCA of Greater Toronto during Peace Week. He received the honor alongside two YMCA Peace Medal honourees, Toronto police constable Dale Swift and mental health activist Loizza Aquino.


title: Masai Ujiri

text: In February 2020, Ujiri accompanied Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on an official visit to various African nations, including Ethiopia and Senegal. Ujiri appeared on behalf of sport charity Right To Play at an event in the Senegalese capital, Dakar. During that same trip, Trudeau and Ujiri made a surprise visit to thank the Canadian troops in Kuwait.


title: Masai Ujiri

text: In December 2019, Masai Ujiri launched a new philanthropic platform called "That's Humanity" that debuted with a personal manifesto and video titled “What does humanity mean to you?”


title: Masai Ujiri

text: Ujiri is married to fashion model Ramatu Ujiri. The Ujiris have two children, both of whom are Canadian citizens.


title: Masai Ujiri

text: Ujiri has stated he views himself as a Canadian citizen as well as a son of Africa. He later confirmed that he holds Canadian citizenship and has a valid Canadian passport.


title: Bert McCracken

text: Robert Edward McCracken (born February 25, 1982) is an American singer who is the lead vocalist and songwriter of the rock band The Used.


title: Bert McCracken

text: McCracken was born in Provo, Utah, and grew up in Orem. He was raised in a Mormon family with three sisters (Katie, Melanie, Rachel) and one younger brother (Joseph Taylor). McCracken has stated that he read quite voraciously growing up, due to the influence of his mother, who was a schoolteacher. At age 12, he started playing the trumpet in a local band called "I'm With Stupid". He attended Timpanogos High School for a brief time, before dropping out at 16.


title: Bert McCracken

text: Eldest son of the household, Bert enjoyed a happy home life as a child, but as he grew into a teenager his and his parents' views conflicted. He rebeled against his parents and against their Mormon religion, eventually leaving the Latter Day Saint Church. He dropped out of high school; soon after, he left his home at the age of 16. For some time he was homeless until he found enough money for an apartment, moving in with then-girlfriend Kate.


title: Bert McCracken

text: In January 2001, when the band called Dumb Luck (which later became The Used, then consisting of Quinn, Jeph and Branden) were looking for a singer, Quinn remembered Bert and he was invited to try out. After being given music that the band had written without words, Bert wrote the lyrics to what would become "Maybe Memories" and returned the next day with a newly recorded version of the song. The band welcomed him immediately, and renamed themselves "Used". They were eventually discovered by John Feldmann and signed to Reprise Records; they became "The Used" when it was discovered that a Boston band had already trademarked the name "Used". On June 25, 2002, they released their self-titled debut album.


title: Bert McCracken

text: McCracken appeared on the MTV show "The Osbournes" while he was dating Kelly Osbourne, to her mother's dismay and disapproval.


title: Bert McCracken

text: In 2004, McCracken's then-pregnant ex-girlfriend Kate died of a drug overdose, as the recording of The Used's second album "In Love and Death" was coming to a close.


title: Bert McCracken

text: In July 2008, McCracken married his Australian fiancée, Alison, at a private ceremony in Los Angeles. In July 2013, he announced that he and his wife had relocated from Los Angeles to Sydney, Australia, where their first daughter, Cleopatra Rose McCracken, was born in January 2014. Their second child, Minnie Bloom McCracken, was born on March 23, 2018.


title: Bert McCracken

text: McCracken has struggled with drug addiction and alcoholism in the past, the former referenced in the song "Bulimic" on The Used's self-titled album. However, he has since overcome his addictions, being sober since 2012.


title: Bert McCracken

text: Bert McCracken has voiced his support for Palestine and left-wing politics alongside being critical of aspects of contemporary American culture and society, such as the influence of larger corporations on the music industry; which partly prompted his move to Australia in 2013. His political views were also influential in the lyrical content of The Used's 2014 album "Imaginary Enemy".


title: Bert McCracken

text: About a year prior to the recording of The Used's 2017 album "The Canyon", McCracken's friend Tregen died via suicide which heavily influenced the album's lyrical content.


title: The Dresden Dolls

text: The Dresden Dolls are an American musical duo from Boston, Massachusetts. Formed in 2000, the group consists of Amanda Palmer (lead vocals and piano; additional: keyboards, harmonica, ukulele) and Brian Viglione (drums and backing vocals; additional: guitar, bass guitar). The two describe their style as "Brechtian punk cabaret", a phrase invented by Palmer because she was "terrified" that the press would invent a name that "would involve the word "gothic"". The Dresden Dolls are part of an underground dark cabaret movement that started gaining momentum in the early 2000s.


title: The Dresden Dolls

text: The duo formed a week after Brian Viglione witnessed Amanda Palmer perform solo at a Halloween party in 2000. Their live performances soon gained them a cult following. During these performances the two band members often wore dramatic make-up and fancy clothing that pushed their cabaret/theater aesthetic. They encourage fans to become involved at their shows, with the fans' own stilt walking, living statues, fire breathers, and other performance art becoming an integral part of the show. The Dirty Business Brigade coordinated the fans' performances.


title: The Dresden Dolls

text: The band's first name was Out of Arms. At some point, the name became The Dresden Dolls. The name, according to Palmer, was "inspired by a combination of things", including the firebombing of Dresden, Germany and the porcelain dolls that were a hallmark of pre-war Dresden industry; an early song of the same name by The Fall; and a reference to the V. C. Andrews novel "Flowers in the Attic", where the classically blond-haired and blue-eyed protagonists are called "the Dresden dolls". The name also evokes Weimar Germany and its cabaret culture. Additionally, Palmer "liked the parallel between Dresden (destruction) and Dolls (innocence, delicacy), because it is very much in keeping with the dynamics of the music, which sometimes goes from a childlike whisper to a banshee scream within a few seconds".


title: The Dresden Dolls

text: The duo was featured in a webcast performance at the 2002 Ig Nobel Prize ceremony in Cambridge, Massachusetts. After a self-promoted demo recorded and released in 2001, their first release was the mostly live compilation "A Is for Accident" (Important Records), followed in 2003 by a self-titled debut produced and recorded by Martin Bisi (Swans, Sonic Youth) at The Old American Can Factory in Gowanus, Brooklyn after being signed to Roadrunner Records by David Bason. The album features fellow Boston-area musicians Ad Frank (guitar on "Good Day") and Shawn Setaro (bass on "Good Day", "Gravity", and "Jeep Song"). Two songs from the album ranked in the Triple J Hottest 100, 2004: "Girl Anachronism" at number 30 and "Coin-Operated Boy" at number 12. In 2003 they were crowned the winners of Boston's long-running WBCN Rock & Roll Rumble.


title: The Dresden Dolls

text: On October 6, 2005, The Dresden Dolls were interviewed by the subject of one of their songs, Christopher Lydon, on the radio show "Open Source".


title: The Dresden Dolls

text: In March 2005, the duo supported Nine Inch Nails on tour. On June 5, The Dresden Dolls hosted a free concert at the Paradise Rock Club in Boston. When a power outage unexpectedly delayed their performance, city streets became a temporary stage for some of the many performers (living statues, stilt-walkers, and fire-breathers) who had come from across the world to entertain audiences. The entire event—concert and street performances—was filmed and the resulting DVD, "", was released in Europe on October 10, 2005 and in North America on November 22, shortly after the band's fall 2005 tour.


title: The Dresden Dolls

text: Over the summer of that year, the duo performed at South by Southwest, Bonnaroo, Britain's Reading and Leeds Festivals, and Lollapalooza, in addition to touring with Panic! at the Disco as their opening act. During the support tour, the band presented "Fuck the Back Row—A Night of Celluloid Vaudeville". The events consisted of screenings of short films from friends and fans, performances by local artists, and a solo show by Palmer who performed mostly cover songs inspired from film soundtracks.


title: The Dresden Dolls

text: In June 2006, "The Dresden Dolls Companion" was released by Amanda Palmer. The book contains a history of the band and their first album—"The Dresden Dolls"—as well as a partial autobiography. The book also contains the lyrics, sheet music, and notes on each song on the album, as well as a DVD featuring a 20-minute interview with Palmer about the origins of the band and the first LP. The interview was conducted by a friend while Palmer compiled the artwork for the first LP.


title: The Dresden Dolls

text: On August 16, 2006, the East Providence Community Theatre in East Providence, Rhode Island premiered a full-length, fan-written jukebox musical, "The Clockwork Waltz", featuring songs from The Dresden Dolls' three albums. The show was encouraged by the band and their management.


title: The Dresden Dolls

text: In December 2006 and January 2007, the music of The Dresden Dolls was featured in an original production—"The Onion Cellar"—at the American Repertory Theatre's Zero Arrow Theatre in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The play is co-authored by Amanda Palmer, from her original concept.


title: The Dresden Dolls

text: On January 14, 2007, the duo took a temporary hiatus. Palmer worked on her solo album, "Who Killed Amanda Palmer", while Brian Viglione toured with Boston-based HUMANWINE and other local Boston acts, along with touring with Jesse Malin and offering drum clinics.


title: The Dresden Dolls

text: In June 2007, they joined the True Colors Tour 2007, including their debut in New York City's Radio City Music Hall and their first review in "The New York Times".


title: The Dresden Dolls

text: From December 27, 2007 to January 13, 2008, their Winter Tour started at the Sixth & I Historic Synagogue in Washington, D.C., and ending at The Norva in Norfolk, Virginia.


title: The Dresden Dolls

text: On January 15, 2008, they entered the studio to record new material for their third studio album, "No, Virginia..." Released on May 20, 2008, it is a collection of B-sides and rarities, along with new recordings of old favorites and cover songs that were previously only available as live versions. The album spawned the single "Night Reconnaissance".


title: The Dresden Dolls

text: July 2008 saw the release of the second Dresden Dolls book, the "Virginia Companion". It is a follow-up to the "Dresden Dolls Companion", featuring the music and lyrics from the "Yes, Virginia..." and "No, Virginia..." albums.


title: The Dresden Dolls

text: In September 2008, rumors began to circulate about the future of the band. Viglione confirmed that the band was on hiatus but emphasized that he and Palmer are on good terms and that they will get together again when it felt right for both of them. In late July and early August 2009, a rumor began to spread that the band was "reuniting for performances in 2010" but Palmer clarified in her blog on August 7: "There's been a ton of press lately re-printing an old quote from an old interview that's now blown up into a full-fledged press rumour that Brian and I have planned Dresden Dolls' shows for 2010. Not true. We aren't planning any shows. Sorry about that, blame the gossip whores."


title: The Dresden Dolls

text: In 2010, a reunion tour to selected venues in the United States occurred. It started on Halloween in New York City and ended in San Francisco on New Year's Eve.


title: The Dresden Dolls

text: On December 9, 2011, The Dresden Dolls played a show in Mexico City. They had a tour of New Zealand and Australia in January 2012, supported by The Jane Austen Argument in Australia, and Hera, House of Mountain and Princess Chelsea in New Zealand.


title: The Dresden Dolls

text: On April 15, 2015, they had a show in New York to celebrate Record Store Day and promote the release of "The Virginia Monologues".


title: The Dresden Dolls

text: In 2018, they played three nights at the Paradise Rock Club, as part of the Club's 40th anniversary celebration.


title: The Dresden Dolls

text: On October 27 (The Dome, Tuffnel Park), 30 & 31 (The Troxy), 2018, they played three shows in London (their first shows in Europe in 12 years).


title: The Dresden Dolls

text: On her 'There Will Be No Intermission' tour in 2019, Amanda Palmer announced that The Dresden Dolls will be recording and releasing a new album in 2020. This was later scrapped, however, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.


title: The Dresden Dolls

text: In a newsletter, they announced 3 shows in Woodstock, and that they "are working, slowly, on a new album and a new world tour".


title: The Dresden Dolls

text: The Dresden Dolls are a dark cabaret band. Their piano- and drum-driven rock music, incorporated into alternative rock song structures with piano replacing the rhythm guitar, has seen them fall into the piano rock genre. In her influences, Palmer named Cyndi Lauper, Laurie Anderson and Kate Bush. She was also inspired by the likes of Bauhaus, the Cure, The Legendary Pink Dots, Robyn Hitchcock, and Nick Cave.


title: WWE Hardcore Championship

text: The WWE Hardcore Championship was a hardcore wrestling championship in WWE which was contested under "hardcore" rules (no disqualifications, no countouts, and pinfalls count anywhere). In the latter part of the title's history, a rule was implemented allowing anyone to challenge the champion at any place or time, provided a referee was present (dubbed the "24/7 rule"). It is considered one of the most defining titles of the Attitude Era. It was established on November 2, 1998, with Mankind as the inaugural champion. In 2002, it was unified with the WWE Intercontinental Championship by Rob Van Dam, the final Hardcore Champion.


title: WWE Hardcore Championship

text: When Crash Holly won the belt, he introduced the "24/7 rule" that the belt was to be defended at all times as long as a referee was present. This allowed for many comic relief moments, such as the belt changing hands while the champion was asleep, and The Headbangers chasing Crash Holly around an amusement park in Brooklyn (Holly eventually escaped from a ball pit and ran from the building, still the champion).


title: WWE Hardcore Championship

text: At WrestleMania X8, Maven defended the title against Goldust. After they knocked each other out with trash can lids, Spike Dudley entered and pinned Maven to win the title. Then, in the backstage area, The Hurricane pinned Spike for the title. Mighty Molly (The Hurricane's sidekick) told The Hurricane to go to the "Hurri-cycle" before knocking him out with a frying pan when his back was turned and pinning him. While looking for a safe place, Christian won the title by pinning Molly after hitting her in the head with a door. As he was about to leave the building in a taxi, he was attacked and pinned by Maven, who regained the title and escaped in the taxi.


title: WWE Hardcore Championship

text: Trish Stratus faced Jazz (managed by then-Hardcore Champion Stevie Richards) for the Women's Championship, and lost due to Richards' interference. After the match, Bubba Ray Dudley attacked Richards from behind and pinned him for the title. Raven appeared and pinned Dudley, but quickly lost the title to Justin Credible, who was then pinned by Crash Holly. Dudley hit Holly with a trash can, but Stratus stole the pin on him. Dudley tried to attack Stratus from behind, but Jazz sprayed him with a fire extinguisher. Richards then stole the final pin of the night after Dudley accidentally powerbombed Stratus through a wooden table.


title: WWE Hardcore Championship

text: Four women have held the Hardcore Championship: Molly Holly (as Mighty Molly), Trish Stratus, Terri Runnels, and The Godfather's ho.


title: WWE Hardcore Championship

text: The championship often changed hands at house shows, to give the audience a "big moment". In the end, the title always returned to its original holder.


title: WWE Hardcore Championship

text: At WrestleMania 2000, a battle royal match, in the style of Championship Scramble was booked where the title changed hands 10 times during the 15 minutes. The eventual winner was Hardcore Holly, Tazz, Viscera, Funaki, Rodney, Joey Abs, Thrasher, Pete Gas, and Crash Holly all held the title for varying times throughout the match, usually for very short periods of time. The longest reign in the match was Viscera holding the title for nearly seven minutes.


title: WWE Hardcore Championship

text: Between the Invasion storyline and WrestleMania X8, the "24/7" rule was only used twice, during matches on the "Raw Is War" episodes of August 13, 2001 and September 10, 2001 respectively. Both matches were coincidentally between Kurt Angle and Rob Van Dam. On the August 13 episode of "Raw Is War", Jeff Hardy interfered and brought a referee with him, and pinned Van Dam for the title, setting up a match for them at that year's SummerSlam. On the September 10 episode of "Raw Is War", however, Angle won the match, then was thrown off the entrance ramp by Stone Cold Steve Austin, who then also threw Van Dam off the ramp too. Van Dam landed on Angle and a referee counted the pin.


title: WWE Hardcore Championship

text: After the Invasion storyline, The Undertaker won the title from Van Dam. He defended against numerous opponents (usually smaller than him) and assaulted them after the matches (with the exception of Big Show). The Undertaker was not challenged by others under the 24/7 rule.


title: WWE Hardcore Championship

text: The 24/7 rule ended on August 19, 2002 when "Raw" general manager Eric Bischoff suspended it before a six-minute hardcore battle royal, won by Tommy Dreamer. Previously, a 24-hour suspension on the rule was in place for Rob Van Dam and Jeff Hardy's match at WWF Invasion. Commissioner Mick Foley also suspended the rule while Shane McMahon held the title, to ensure he was still the champion at SummerSlam, to defend against Steve Blackman, whom he cheated out of the belt.


title: WWE Hardcore Championship

text: On May 20, 2019, WWE unveiled a new championship, the WWE 24/7 Championship, which was contested under the same 24/7 rule.


title: WWE Hardcore Championship

text: The title was unified with the Intercontinental Championship on August 26, 2002, when Intercontinental Champion Rob Van Dam defeated Hardcore Champion Tommy Dreamer. This was one month after Van Dam defeated Jeff Hardy in a ladder match to unify the Intercontinental and European Championships.


title: WWE Hardcore Championship

text: On the June 23, 2003 episode of "Raw", Mick Foley (who was the first champion, as "Mankind") was awarded the Hardcore Championship belt (but not the championship) by the "Raw" authority figure Stone Cold Steve Austin for his contributions to hardcore wrestling.


title: WWE Hardcore Championship

text: On May 22, 2006, Edge and Foley declared themselves co-holders of the championship as part of a storyline involving alumni of the hardcore wrestling-based Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) promotion and were brought to ECW One Night Stand when they and Lita fought Tommy Dreamer, Terry Funk, and Beulah McGillicutty in an intergender tag team Extreme Rules match. The title was not defended and soon quietly disappeared.


title: WWE Hardcore Championship

text: The Hardcore Championship belt was rumored to have been a replica of the "Winged Eagle" WWF Championship belt, which was smashed in several places and reassembled with two pieces of duct tape, and inscribed with the words "Hardcore" and "Champion" in marker. During a feud between "Mr. Perfect" Curt Hennig and then-champion Hulk Hogan, Hennig stole the championship belt and smashed the center medallion with a hammer during an interview. As Hennig had done so much genuine damage, a replica belt had to be used for the remainder of the story line. The center medallion on the replica and the Hardcore championship is identical. Mick Foley commented that he did not know if the belt that Hennig smashed was later used as the Hardcore Championship, but quipped that "it makes ‘perfect’ sense." WWE listed this theory as one of its urban legends, but was unable to determine whether it is true. The original belt was later sold as memorabilia by former WWE employee Mel Phillips and authenticated by belt makers Dave Millican and Reggie Parks, thus debunking the longtime rumor.


title: WWE Hardcore Championship

text: When Bradshaw won the title in June 2002, he briefly renamed it the Texas Hardcore Championship, and wore a Smoking Skull belt customized with the Texas flag, artificial bull horns and a Bullrope on the centerplate.


title: WWE Hardcore Championship

text: Tommy Dreamer, in the last title defense of the Hardcore Championship, used a variation of the belt with a New York license plate as a centerplate, over a replica of a European Championship. The reason for these changes was because the original belt had become so damaged from wear and tear.


title: WWE Hardcore Championship

text: Mr. McMahon awarded Mankind the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) Hardcore Championship on November 2, 1998. After Mankind lost the title to Big Boss Man, he never attempted to recapture it, mainly because of the main event push he received shortly afterward. At the time of conception, the idea was for the belt to be used in comedy segments to play on Mankind's reputation as a hardcore wrestler. However, as Mankind and hardcore wrestling became more popular with audiences, the Hardcore Championship became a more serious title. Its popularity led competitor World Championship Wrestling (WCW) to create its own Hardcore Championship, a move followed by numerous independent promotions.


title: Andrew Howard

text: Howard trained at Cygnet Training Theatre in Exeter in the late 1980s, touring in productions of "A Christmas Carol", "Twelfth Night", " Beggar's Opera" and "Peer Gynt" among others.


title: Andrew Howard

text: On stage roles included Alex DeLarge in "A Clockwork Orange", Peer Gynt in "Peer Gynt", Orestes in "Electra" at theatres, including The Royal National Theatre (London) and The Donmar Warehouse (London).


title: Andrew Howard

text: Howard has made notable appearances in several major productions, including the HBO miniseries "Band of Brothers" and the Guy Ritchie caper "Revolver", as well as costarring alongside Patrick Stewart and Glenn Close in the 2003 TV movie "The Lion in Winter". He played "Bad" Frank Phillips in History Channel's "Hatfields & McCoys".


title: Andrew Howard

text: In 2001, Howard was awarded best actor at the Tokyo International Film Festival for his portrayal of Jon in "Mr In-Between". He co-wrote the screenplay for "Shooters", a 2002 British crime drama in which he also starred. In 2009, he played Thomas Luster in the thriller film "Luster" under the direction from Adam Mason.


title: Andrew Howard

text: In 2009, he was also in the film "Blood River", for which Howard won Best Actor Award at the Honolulu Film Festival and the Jack Nance Breakthrough Performance Award at the New York Film Festival Downtown. In 2011, he starred in "Limitless", a film by Neil Burger originally titled "The Dark Fields".


title: Andrew Howard

text: In 2014, he played a supporting role as the lead Russian henchman, Maxim, in "Taken 3". Since 2015, he has appeared in the television series "Bates Motel" as Will Decody, who was originally portrayed by actor Ian Hart in the first season.


title: Andrew Howard

text: In 2020, he played Stephen in "Tenet". In the same year, he starred as Officer Merk, a racist NYPD officer, in the Oscar-winning short film "Two Distant Strangers".


title: Phagocyte

text: Phagocytes are cells that protect the body by ingesting harmful foreign particles, bacteria, and dead or dying cells. Their name comes from the Greek "", "to eat" or "devour", and "-cyte", the suffix in biology denoting "cell", from the Greek "kutos", "hollow vessel". They are essential for fighting infections and for subsequent immunity. Phagocytes are important throughout the animal kingdom and are highly developed within vertebrates. One litre of human blood contains about six billion phagocytes. They were discovered in 1882 by Ilya Ilyich Mechnikov while he was studying starfish larvae. Mechnikov was awarded the 1908 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his discovery. Phagocytes occur in many species; some amoebae behave like macrophage phagocytes, which suggests that phagocytes appeared early in the evolution of life.


title: Phagocyte

text: Phagocytes of humans and other animals are called "professional" or "non-professional" depending on how effective they are at phagocytosis. The professional phagocytes include many types of white blood cells (such as neutrophils, monocytes, macrophages, mast cells, and dendritic cells). The main difference between professional and non-professional phagocytes is that the professional phagocytes have molecules called receptors on their surfaces that can detect harmful objects, such as bacteria, that are not normally found in the body. Phagocytes are crucial in fighting infections, as well as in maintaining healthy tissues by removing dead and dying cells that have reached the end of their lifespan.


title: Phagocyte

text: During an infection, chemical signals attract phagocytes to places where the pathogen has invaded the body. These chemicals may come from bacteria or from other phagocytes already present. The phagocytes move by a method called chemotaxis. When phagocytes come into contact with bacteria, the receptors on the phagocyte's surface will bind to them. This binding will lead to the engulfing of the bacteria by the phagocyte. Some phagocytes kill the ingested pathogen with oxidants and nitric oxide. After phagocytosis, macrophages and dendritic cells can also participate in antigen presentation, a process in which a phagocyte moves parts of the ingested material back to its surface. This material is then displayed to other cells of the immune system. Some phagocytes then travel to the body's lymph nodes and display the material to white blood cells called lymphocytes. This process is important in building immunity, and many pathogens have evolved methods to evade attacks by phagocytes.


title: Phagocyte

text: The Russian zoologist Ilya Ilyich Mechnikov (1845–1916) first recognized that specialized cells were involved in defense against microbial infections. In 1882, he studied motile (freely moving) cells in the larvae of starfishes, believing they were important to the animals' immune defenses. To test his idea, he inserted small thorns from a tangerine tree into the larvae. After a few hours he noticed that the motile cells had surrounded the thorns. Mechnikov traveled to Vienna and shared his ideas with Carl Friedrich Claus who suggested the name "phagocyte" (from the Greek words ', meaning "to eat or devour", and ', meaning "hollow vessel") for the cells that Mechnikov had observed.


title: Phagocyte

text: A year later, Mechnikov studied a fresh water crustacean called "Daphnia", a tiny transparent animal that can be examined directly under a microscope. He discovered that fungal spores that attacked the animal were destroyed by phagocytes. He went on to extend his observations to the white blood cells of mammals and discovered that the bacterium "Bacillus anthracis" could be engulfed and killed by phagocytes, a process that he called phagocytosis. Mechnikov proposed that phagocytes were a primary defense against invading organisms.


title: Phagocyte

text: In 1903, Almroth Wright discovered that phagocytosis was reinforced by specific antibodies that he called opsonins, from the Greek "opson", "a dressing or relish". Mechnikov was awarded (jointly with Paul Ehrlich) the 1908 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his work on phagocytes and phagocytosis.


title: Phagocyte

text: Although the importance of these discoveries slowly gained acceptance during the early twentieth century, the intricate relationships between phagocytes and all the other components of the immune system were not known until the 1980s.


title: Phagocyte

text: Phagocytosis is the process of taking in particles such as bacteria, invasive fungi, parasites, dead host cells, and cellular and foreign debris by a cell. It involves a chain of molecular processes. Phagocytosis occurs after the foreign body, a bacterial cell, for example, has bound to molecules called "receptors" that are on the surface of the phagocyte. The phagocyte then stretches itself around the bacterium and engulfs it. Phagocytosis of bacteria by human neutrophils takes on average nine minutes. Once inside this phagocyte, the bacterium is trapped in a compartment called a phagosome. Within one minute the phagosome merges with either a lysosome or a granule to form a phagolysosome. The bacterium is then subjected to an overwhelming array of killing mechanisms and is dead a few minutes later. Dendritic cells and macrophages are not so fast, and phagocytosis can take many hours in these cells. Macrophages are slow and untidy eaters; they engulf huge quantities of material and frequently release some undigested back into the tissues. This debris serves as a signal to recruit more phagocytes from the blood. Phagocytes have voracious appetites; scientists have even fed macrophages with iron filings and then used a small magnet to separate them from other cells.


title: Phagocyte

text: A phagocyte has many types of receptors on its surface that are used to bind material. They include opsonin receptors, scavenger receptors, and Toll-like receptors. Opsonin receptors increase the phagocytosis of bacteria that have been coated with immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibodies or with complement. "Complement" is the name given to a complex series of protein molecules found in the blood that destroy cells or mark them for destruction. Scavenger receptors bind to a large range of molecules on the surface of bacterial cells, and Toll-like receptors—so called because of their similarity to well-studied receptors in fruit flies that are encoded by the Toll gene—bind to more specific molecules. Binding to Toll-like receptors increases phagocytosis and causes the phagocyte to release a group of hormones that cause inflammation.


title: Phagocyte

text: The killing of microbes is a critical function of phagocytes that is performed either within the phagocyte (intracellular killing) or outside of the phagocyte (extracellular killing).


title: Phagocyte

text: When a phagocyte ingests bacteria (or any material), its oxygen consumption increases. The increase in oxygen consumption, called a respiratory burst, produces reactive oxygen-containing molecules that are anti-microbial. The oxygen compounds are toxic to both the invader and the cell itself, so they are kept in compartments inside the cell. This method of killing invading microbes by using the reactive oxygen-containing molecules is referred to as oxygen-dependent intracellular killing, of which there are two types.


title: Phagocyte

text: The first type is the oxygen-dependent production of a superoxide, which is an oxygen-rich bacteria-killing substance. The superoxide is converted to hydrogen peroxide and singlet oxygen by an enzyme called superoxide dismutase. Superoxides also react with the hydrogen peroxide to produce hydroxyl radicals, which assist in killing the invading microbe.


title: Phagocyte

text: The second type involves the use of the enzyme myeloperoxidase from neutrophil granules. When granules fuse with a phagosome, myeloperoxidase is released into the phagolysosome, and this enzyme uses hydrogen peroxide and chlorine to create hypochlorite, a substance used in domestic bleach. Hypochlorite is extremely toxic to bacteria. Myeloperoxidase contains a heme pigment, which accounts for the green color of secretions rich in neutrophils, such as pus and infected sputum.


title: Phagocyte

text: Phagocytes can also kill microbes by oxygen-independent methods, but these are not as effective as the oxygen-dependent ones. There are four main types. The first uses electrically charged proteins that damage the bacterium's membrane. The second type uses lysozymes; these enzymes break down the bacterial cell wall. The third type uses lactoferrins, which are present in neutrophil granules and remove essential iron from bacteria. The fourth type uses proteases and hydrolytic enzymes; these enzymes are used to digest the proteins of destroyed bacteria.


title: Phagocyte

text: Interferon-gamma—which was once called macrophage activating factor—stimulates macrophages to produce nitric oxide. The source of interferon-gamma can be CD4 T cells, CD8 T cells, natural killer cells, B cells, natural killer T cells, monocytes, macrophages, or dendritic cells. Nitric oxide is then released from the macrophage and, because of its toxicity, kills microbes near the macrophage. Activated macrophages produce and secrete tumor necrosis factor. This cytokine—a class of signaling molecule—kills cancer cells and cells infected by viruses, and helps to activate the other cells of the immune system.


title: Phagocyte

text: In some diseases, e.g., the rare chronic granulomatous disease, the efficiency of phagocytes is impaired, and recurrent bacterial infections are a problem. In this disease there is an abnormality affecting different elements of oxygen-dependent killing. Other rare congenital abnormalities, such as Chédiak–Higashi syndrome, are also associated with defective killing of ingested microbes.


title: Phagocyte

text: Viruses can reproduce only inside cells, and they gain entry by using many of the receptors involved in immunity. Once inside the cell, viruses use the cell's biological machinery to their own advantage, forcing the cell to make hundreds of identical copies of themselves. Although phagocytes and other components of the innate immune system can, to a limited extent, control viruses, once a virus is inside a cell the adaptive immune responses, particularly the lymphocytes, are more important for defense. At the sites of viral infections, lymphocytes often vastly outnumber all the other cells of the immune system; this is common in viral meningitis. Virus-infected cells that have been killed by lymphocytes are cleared from the body by phagocytes.


title: Phagocyte

text: In an animal, cells are constantly dying. A balance between cell division and cell death keeps the number of cells relatively constant in adults. There are two different ways a cell can die: by necrosis or by apoptosis. In contrast to necrosis, which often results from disease or trauma, apoptosis—or programmed cell death—is a normal healthy function of cells. The body has to rid itself of millions of dead or dying cells every day, and phagocytes play a crucial role in this process.


title: Phagocyte

text: Dying cells that undergo the final stages of apoptosis display molecules, such as phosphatidylserine, on their cell surface to attract phagocytes. Phosphatidylserine is normally found on the cytosolic surface of the plasma membrane, but is redistributed during apoptosis to the extracellular surface by a protein known as scramblase. These molecules mark the cell for phagocytosis by cells that possess the appropriate receptors, such as macrophages. The removal of dying cells by phagocytes occurs in an orderly manner without eliciting an inflammatory response and is an important function of phagocytes.


title: Phagocyte

text: Phagocytes are usually not bound to any particular organ but move through the body interacting with the other phagocytic and non-phagocytic cells of the immune system. They can communicate with other cells by producing chemicals called cytokines, which recruit other phagocytes to the site of infections or stimulate dormant lymphocytes. Phagocytes form part of the innate immune system, which animals, including humans, are born with. Innate immunity is very effective but non-specific in that it does not discriminate between different sorts of invaders. On the other hand, the adaptive immune system of jawed vertebrates—the basis of acquired immunity—is highly specialized and can protect against almost any type of invader. The adaptive immune system is not dependent on phagocytes but lymphocytes, which produce protective proteins called antibodies, which tag invaders for destruction and prevent viruses from infecting cells. Phagocytes, in particular dendritic cells and macrophages, stimulate lymphocytes to produce antibodies by an important process called antigen presentation.


title: Phagocyte

text: Antigen presentation is a process in which some phagocytes move parts of engulfed materials back to the surface of their cells and "present" them to other cells of the immune system. There are two "professional" antigen-presenting cells: macrophages and dendritic cells. After engulfment, foreign proteins (the antigens) are broken down into peptides inside dendritic cells and macrophages. These peptides are then bound to the cell's major histocompatibility complex (MHC) glycoproteins, which carry the peptides back to the phagocyte's surface where they can be "presented" to lymphocytes. Mature macrophages do not travel far from the site of infection, but dendritic cells can reach the body's lymph nodes, where there are millions of lymphocytes. This enhances immunity because the lymphocytes respond to the antigens presented by the dendritic cells just as they would at the site of the original infection. But dendritic cells can also destroy or pacify lymphocytes if they recognize components of the host body; this is necessary to prevent autoimmune reactions. This process is called tolerance.


title: Phagocyte

text: Dendritic cells also promote immunological tolerance, which stops the body from attacking itself. The first type of tolerance is central tolerance, that occurs in the thymus. T cells that bind (via their T cell receptor) to self antigen (presented by dendritic cells on MHC molecules) too strongly are induced to die. The second type of immunological tolerance is peripheral tolerance.


title: Phagocyte

text: Some self reactive T cells escape the thymus for a number of reasons, mainly due to the lack of expression of some self antigens in the thymus. Another type of T cell; T regulatory cells can down regulate self reactive T cells in the periphery. When immunological tolerance fails, autoimmune diseases can follow.


title: Phagocyte

text: Phagocytes of humans and other jawed vertebrates are divided into "professional" and "non-professional" groups based on the efficiency with which they participate in phagocytosis. The professional phagocytes are the monocytes, macrophages, neutrophils, tissue dendritic cells and mast cells. One litre of human blood contains about six billion phagocytes.


title: Phagocyte

text: All phagocytes, and especially macrophages, exist in degrees of readiness. Macrophages are usually relatively dormant in the tissues and proliferate slowly. In this semi-resting state, they clear away dead host cells and other non-infectious debris and rarely take part in antigen presentation. But, during an infection, they receive chemical signals—usually interferon gamma—which increases their production of MHC II molecules and which prepares them for presenting antigens. In this state, macrophages are good antigen presenters and killers. If they receive a signal directly from an invader, they become "hyperactivated", stop proliferating, and concentrate on killing. Their size and rate of phagocytosis increases—some become large enough to engulf invading protozoa.


title: Phagocyte

text: In the blood, neutrophils are inactive but are swept along at high speed. When they receive signals from macrophages at the sites of inflammation, they slow down and leave the blood. In the tissues, they are activated by cytokines and arrive at the battle scene ready to kill.


title: Phagocyte

text: When an infection occurs, a chemical "SOS" signal is given off to attract phagocytes to the site. These chemical signals may include proteins from invading bacteria, clotting system peptides, complement products, and cytokines that have been given off by macrophages located in the tissue near the infection site. Another group of chemical attractants are cytokines that recruit neutrophils and monocytes from the blood.


title: Phagocyte

text: To reach the site of infection, phagocytes leave the bloodstream and enter the affected tissues. Signals from the infection cause the endothelial cells that line the blood vessels to make a protein called selectin, which neutrophils stick to on passing by. Other signals called vasodilators loosen the junctions connecting endothelial cells, allowing the phagocytes to pass through the wall. Chemotaxis is the process by which phagocytes follow the cytokine "scent" to the infected spot. Neutrophils travel across epithelial cell-lined organs to sites of infection, and although this is an important component of fighting infection, the migration itself can result in disease-like symptoms. During an infection, millions of neutrophils are recruited from the blood, but they die after a few days.


title: Phagocyte

text: Monocytes develop in the bone marrow and reach maturity in the blood. Mature monocytes have large, smooth, lobed nuclei and abundant cytoplasm that contains granules. Monocytes ingest foreign or dangerous substances and present antigens to other cells of the immune system. Monocytes form two groups: a circulating group and a marginal group that remain in other tissues (approximately 70% are in the marginal group). Most monocytes leave the blood stream after 20–40 hours to travel to tissues and organs and in doing so transform into macrophages or dendritic cells depending on the signals they receive. There are about 500 million monocytes in one litre of human blood.


title: Phagocyte

text: Mature macrophages do not travel far but stand guard over those areas of the body that are exposed to the outside world. There they act as garbage collectors, antigen presenting cells, or ferocious killers, depending on the signals they receive. They derive from monocytes, granulocyte stem cells, or the cell division of pre-existing macrophages. Human macrophages are about 21 micrometers in diameter.


title: Phagocyte

text: This type of phagocyte does not have granules but contains many lysosomes. Macrophages are found throughout the body in almost all tissues and organs (e.g., microglial cells in the brain and alveolar macrophages in the lungs), where they silently lie in wait. A macrophage's location can determine its size and appearance. Macrophages cause inflammation through the production of interleukin-1, interleukin-6, and TNF-alpha. Macrophages are usually only found in tissue and are rarely seen in blood circulation. The life-span of tissue macrophages has been estimated to range from four to fifteen days.


title: Phagocyte

text: Macrophages can be activated to perform functions that a resting monocyte cannot. T helper cells (also known as effector T cells or T cells), a sub-group of lymphocytes, are responsible for the activation of macrophages. T1 cells activate macrophages by signaling with IFN-gamma and displaying the protein CD40 ligand. Other signals include TNF-alpha and lipopolysaccharides from bacteria. T1 cells can recruit other phagocytes to the site of the infection in several ways. They secrete cytokines that act on the bone marrow to stimulate the production of monocytes and neutrophils, and they secrete some of the cytokines that are responsible for the migration of monocytes and neutrophils out of the bloodstream. T1 cells come from the differentiation of CD4 T cells once they have responded to antigen in the secondary lymphoid tissues. Activated macrophages play a potent role in tumor destruction by producing TNF-alpha, IFN-gamma, nitric oxide, reactive oxygen compounds, cationic proteins, and hydrolytic enzymes.


title: Phagocyte

text: Neutrophils are normally found in the bloodstream and are the most abundant type of phagocyte, constituting 50% to 60% of the total circulating white blood cells. One litre of human blood contains about five billion neutrophils, which are about 10 micrometers in diameter and live for only about five days. Once they have received the appropriate signals, it takes them about thirty minutes to leave the blood and reach the site of an infection. They are ferocious eaters and rapidly engulf invaders coated with antibodies and complement, and damaged cells or cellular debris. Neutrophils do not return to the blood; they turn into pus cells and die. Mature neutrophils are smaller than monocytes and have a segmented nucleus with several sections; each section is connected by chromatin filaments—neutrophils can have 2–5 segments. Neutrophils do not normally exit the bone marrow until maturity but during an infection neutrophil precursors called metamyelocytes, myelocytes and promyelocytes are released.


title: Phagocyte

text: The intra-cellular granules of the human neutrophil have long been recognized for their protein-destroying and bactericidal properties. Neutrophils can secrete products that stimulate monocytes and macrophages. Neutrophil secretions increase phagocytosis and the formation of reactive oxygen compounds involved in intracellular killing. Secretions from the primary granules of neutrophils stimulate the phagocytosis of IgG-antibody-coated bacteria. When encountering bacteria, fungi or activated platelets they produce web-like chromatin structures known as neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs). Composed mainly of DNA, NETs cause death by a process called netosis – after the pathogens are trapped in NETs they are killed by oxidative and non-oxidative mechanisms.


title: Phagocyte

text: Dendritic cells are specialized antigen-presenting cells that have long outgrowths called dendrites, that help to engulf microbes and other invaders. Dendritic cells are present in the tissues that are in contact with the external environment, mainly the skin, the inner lining of the nose, the lungs, the stomach, and the intestines. Once activated, they mature and migrate to the lymphoid tissues where they interact with T cells and B cells to initiate and orchestrate the adaptive immune response.


title: Phagocyte

text: Mature dendritic cells activate T helper cells and cytotoxic T cells. The activated helper T cells interact with macrophages and B cells to activate them in turn. In addition, dendritic cells can influence the type of immune response produced; when they travel to the lymphoid areas where T cells are held they can activate T cells, which then differentiate into cytotoxic T cells or helper T cells.


title: Phagocyte

text: Mast cells have Toll-like receptors and interact with dendritic cells, B cells, and T cells to help mediate adaptive immune functions. Mast cells express MHC class II molecules and can participate in antigen presentation; however, the mast cell's role in antigen presentation is not very well understood. Mast cells can consume and kill gram-negative bacteria (e.g., salmonella), and process their antigens. They specialize in processing the fimbrial proteins on the surface of bacteria, which are involved in adhesion to tissues. In addition to these functions, mast cells produce cytokines that induce an inflammatory response. This is a vital part of the destruction of microbes because the cytokines attract more phagocytes to the site of infection.


title: Phagocyte

text: Dying cells and foreign organisms are consumed by cells other than the "professional" phagocytes. These cells include epithelial cells, endothelial cells, fibroblasts, and mesenchymal cells. They are called non-professional phagocytes, to emphasize that, in contrast to professional phagocytes, phagocytosis is not their principal function. Fibroblasts, for example, which can phagocytose collagen in the process of remolding scars, will also make some attempt to ingest foreign particles.


title: Phagocyte

text: Non-professional phagocytes are more limited than professional phagocytes in the type of particles they can take up. This is due to their lack of efficient phagocytic receptors, in particular opsonins—which are antibodies and complement attached to invaders by the immune system. Additionally, most non-professional phagocytes do not produce reactive oxygen-containing molecules in response to phagocytosis.


title: Phagocyte

text: A pathogen is only successful in infecting an organism if it can get past its defenses. Pathogenic bacteria and protozoa have developed a variety of methods to resist attacks by phagocytes, and many actually survive and replicate within phagocytic cells.


title: Phagocyte

text: There are several ways bacteria avoid contact with phagocytes. First, they can grow in sites that phagocytes are not capable of traveling to (e.g., the surface of unbroken skin). Second, bacteria can suppress the inflammatory response; without this response to infection phagocytes cannot respond adequately. Third, some species of bacteria can inhibit the ability of phagocytes to travel to the site of infection by interfering with chemotaxis. Fourth, some bacteria can avoid contact with phagocytes by tricking the immune system into "thinking" that the bacteria are "self". "Treponema pallidum"—the bacterium that causes syphilis—hides from phagocytes by coating its surface with fibronectin, which is produced naturally by the body and plays a crucial role in wound healing.


title: Phagocyte

text: Bacteria often produce capsules made of proteins or sugars that coat their cells and interfere with phagocytosis. Some examples are the K5 capsule and O75 O antigen found on the surface of "Escherichia coli", and the exopolysaccharide capsules of "Staphylococcus epidermidis". "Streptococcus pneumoniae" produces several types of capsule that provide different levels of protection, and group A streptococci produce proteins such as M protein and fimbrial proteins to block engulfment. Some proteins hinder opsonin-related ingestion; "Staphylococcus aureus" produces Protein A to block antibody receptors, which decreases the effectiveness of opsonins. Enteropathogenic species of the genus Yersinia bind with the use of the virulence factor YopH to receptors of phagocytes from which they influence the cells capability to exert phagocytosis.


title: Phagocyte

text: Bacteria have developed ways to survive inside phagocytes, where they continue to evade the immune system. To get safely inside the phagocyte they express proteins called invasins. When inside the cell they remain in the cytoplasm and avoid toxic chemicals contained in the phagolysosomes. Some bacteria prevent the fusion of a phagosome and lysosome, to form the phagolysosome. Other pathogens, such as "Leishmania", create a highly modified vacuole inside the phagocyte, which helps them persist and replicate. Some bacteria are capable of living inside of the phagolysosome. "Staphylococcus aureus", for example, produces the enzymes catalase and superoxide dismutase, which break down chemicals—such as hydrogen peroxide—produced by phagocytes to kill bacteria. Bacteria may escape from the phagosome before the formation of the phagolysosome: "Listeria monocytogenes" can make a hole in the phagosome wall using enzymes called listeriolysin O and phospholipase C.


title: Phagocyte

text: Bacteria have developed several ways of killing phagocytes. These include cytolysins, which form pores in the phagocyte's cell membranes, streptolysins and leukocidins, which cause neutrophils' granules to rupture and release toxic substances, and exotoxins that reduce the supply of a phagocyte's ATP, needed for phagocytosis. After a bacterium is ingested, it may kill the phagocyte by releasing toxins that travel through the phagosome or phagolysosome membrane to target other parts of the cell.


title: Phagocyte

text: Some survival strategies often involve disrupting cytokines and other methods of cell signaling to prevent the phagocyte's responding to invasion. The protozoan parasites "Toxoplasma gondii", "Trypanosoma cruzi", and "Leishmania" infect macrophages, and each has a unique way of taming them. Some species of "Leishmania" alter the infected macrophage's signalling, repress the production of cytokines and microbicidal molecules—nitric oxide and reactive oxygen species—and compromise antigen presentation.


title: Phagocyte

text: Macrophages and neutrophils, in particular, play a central role in the inflammatory process by releasing proteins and small-molecule inflammatory mediators that control infection but can damage host tissue. In general, phagocytes aim to destroy pathogens by engulfing them and subjecting them to a battery of toxic chemicals inside a phagolysosome. If a phagocyte fails to engulf its target, these toxic agents can be released into the environment (an action referred to as "frustrated phagocytosis"). As these agents are also toxic to host cells, they can cause extensive damage to healthy cells and tissues.


title: Phagocyte

text: When neutrophils release their granule contents in the kidney, the contents of the granule (reactive oxygen compounds and proteases) degrade the extracellular matrix of host cells and can cause damage to glomerular cells, affecting their ability to filter blood and causing changes in shape. In addition, phospholipase products (e.g., leukotrienes) intensify the damage. This release of substances promotes chemotaxis of more neutrophils to the site of infection, and glomerular cells can be damaged further by the adhesion molecules during the migration of neutrophils. The injury done to the glomerular cells can cause kidney failure.


title: Phagocyte

text: Neutrophils also play a key role in the development of most forms of acute lung injury. Here, activated neutrophils release the contents of their toxic granules into the lung environment. Experiments have shown that a reduction in the number of neutrophils lessens the effects of acute lung injury, but treatment by inhibiting neutrophils is not clinically realistic, as it would leave the host vulnerable to infection. In the liver, damage by neutrophils can contribute to dysfunction and injury in response to the release of endotoxins produced by bacteria, sepsis, trauma, alcoholic hepatitis, ischemia, and hypovolemic shock resulting from acute hemorrhage.


title: Phagocyte

text: Chemicals released by macrophages can also damage host tissue. TNF-α is an important chemical that is released by macrophages that causes the blood in small vessels to clot to prevent an infection from spreading. If a bacterial infection spreads to the blood, TNF-α is released into vital organs, which can cause vasodilation and a decrease in plasma volume; these in turn can be followed by septic shock. During septic shock, TNF-α release causes a blockage of the small vessels that supply blood to the vital organs, and the organs may fail. Septic shock can lead to death.


title: Phagocyte

text: Phagocytosis is common and probably appeared early in evolution, evolving first in unicellular eukaryotes. Amoebae are unicellular protists that separated from the tree leading to metazoa shortly after the divergence of plants, and they share many specific functions with mammalian phagocytic cells. "Dictyostelium discoideum", for example, is an amoeba that lives in the soil and feeds on bacteria. Like animal phagocytes, it engulfs bacteria by phagocytosis mainly through Toll-like receptors, and it has other biological functions in common with macrophages. "Dictyostelium discoideum" is social; it aggregates when starved to form a migrating pseudoplasmodium or slug. This multicellular organism eventually will produce a fruiting body with spores that are resistant to environmental dangers. Before the formation of fruiting bodies, the cells will migrate as a slug-like organism for several days. During this time, exposure to toxins or bacterial pathogens has the potential to compromise survival of the species by limiting spore production. Some of the amoebae engulf bacteria and absorb toxins while circulating within the slug, and these amoebae eventually die. They are genetically identical to the other amoebae in the slug; their self-sacrifice to protect the other amoebae from bacteria is similar to the self-sacrifice of phagocytes seen in the immune system of higher vertebrates. This ancient immune function in social amoebae suggests an evolutionarily conserved cellular foraging mechanism that might have been adapted to defense functions well before the diversification of amoebae into higher forms. Phagocytes occur throughout the animal kingdom, from marine sponges to insects and lower and higher vertebrates. The ability of amoebae to distinguish between self and non-self is a pivotal one, and is the root of the immune system of many species of amoeba.


title: Aiysha Hart

text: Aiysha Hart (born 8 August 1990) is a British-Saudi actress and screenwriter best known for playing DS Sam Railston in "Line of Duty", Ariadne in the BBC drama series "Atlantis", Mona in independent thriller "Honour", and Polaire in "Colette". She also plays Miriam in the Sky One and AMC adaptation of "A Discovery of Witches".


title: Aiysha Hart

text: Hart has mixed parentage; her father is Saudi and her mother is British. She grew up between Saudi Arabia and London. Hart graduated with First Class Honours in English Literature from King's College London.


title: Four Beauties

text: The Four Beauties or Four Great Beauties are four Chinese women who were renowned for their beauty. The four are usually identified as Xi Shi, Wang Zhaojun, Diaochan, and Yang Guifei. The scarcity of historical records concerning them meant that much of what is known of them today has been greatly embellished by legend. They all were said to have in some manner caught the attention of a ruling king or emperor in their respective eras. They gained their reputation from the influence they exercised over kings and emperors and, consequently, the way their actions impacted Chinese history. Three of the Four Beauties brought kingdoms to their knees and their lives ended in tragedy.


title: Four Beauties

text: One of the earliest references to qualities later associated with the canonical Four Great Beauties appears in the "Zhuangzi". In one chapter, the women Mao Qiang and Lady Li are described as "great beauties" who "when fish see them they dart into the depths, when birds see them they soar into the skies, when deer see them they bolt away without looking back". This passage is the source of the well-known Chinese idiom "to make fish sink and birds alight", which refers to feminine beauty (see 沉魚落雁).


title: Four Beauties

text: Xi Shi lived around the 7th to the 6th centuries BCE, during the Spring and Autumn period. Similar to the story in the "Zhuangzi", she was said to be so entrancingly beautiful that fish would forget how to swim and sink below the surface upon seeing her reflection in the water. Xi Shi was from Zhuji, the capital of the Ancient Yue Kingdom. Goujian, the King of Yue, had surrendered to the rival state of Wu, with the aim of biding his time before enacting his revenge. Part of his plan was to dispatch Xi Shi as a gift to Fuchai, the King of Wu, in the hope that Fuchai would become infatuated with her and become distracted from his official duties. The plan was successful, with Fuchai spending all his time entertaining Xi Shi and not attending to military matters. In part due to his distraction, Goujian was able to defeat an unprepared Fuchai in battle. Fuchai, full of regret, committed suicide. There are two accounts of what then happened to Xi Shi. The first is that Goujian killed her by drowning her because he was afraid that he too would be mesmerized by her beauty. The second was that she eventually came together with her lover Fan Li and they lived in seclusion together.


title: Four Beauties

text: Wang Zhaojun was born around 50 BCE, during the Western Han dynasty. Again reflecting the "Zhuangzi", she was said to be so beautiful that her appearance would entice birds in flight to fall from the sky. Locally renowned for her beauty and skill at playing the pipa, she was chosen to be admitted into the harem of Emperor Yun, despite her young age. Despite her beauty, the emperor never visited her, as she had refused to bribe the official portraitists, who had then painted an unflattering portrait of her. In 33 BCE, the Xiongnu Chanyu Huhanye came to the Han capital Chang'an on an official visit, and asked for a Han beauty as his wife as part of the marriage alliance system between the Han dynasty and the Xiongnu. The new emperor, Emperor Huan, ordered that the plainest woman from the harem be given to Huhanye, and so Wang Zhaojun was chosen, based on her unflattering portrait. The artist Mao Yanshou was subsequently executed for deceiving the Emperor.


title: Four Beauties

text: Diaochan lived during the waning years of the Eastern Han and the subsequent Three Kingdoms period. She said to be so luminously lovely that the moon itself would shy away in embarrassment when compared to her face. Chinese historical records indicate that the warrior Lü Bu had a secret affair with one of the warlord Dong Zhuo's maids and he constantly feared that Dong Zhuo would find out. This was one of the reasons why he betrayed and assassinated Dong Zhuo in 192. However, the maid's name was not recorded in history. In later retellings, such as the Ming novel "Romance of the Three Kingdoms", this woman is called Diaochan, and fictional details about her life were added over the centuries.