title: Buddhism in Thailand

text: Young men typically do not live as novices for longer than one or two years. At the age of 20, they become eligible to receive upasampada, the higher ordination that establishes them as full bhikkhus. Novice are usually sponsored by their parents in their ordination, but in rural villages, the entire village participates by providing robes, alms bowls, and other requisites that monks need in their monastic lives.


title: Buddhism in Thailand

text: Temporary ordination is the norm among Thai Buddhists. Most young men traditionally ordain for the term of a single vassa or rainy season (Thai "phansa"), three months or so. Those who remain monks beyond their first vassa typically remain monks for between one and three years, officiating at religious ceremonies in surrounding villages and possibly receiving further education in reading and writing (possibly including the Khom or Tai Tham alphabets traditionally used in recording religious texts). After this period of one to three years, most young monks return to secular life, going on to marry and start a family or going on to higher education or the military. Young men in Thailand who have undergone ordination are seen as being more suitable partners for marriage; unordained men are euphemistically called "unripe", while those who have been ordained are said to be "ripe". A period as a monk is a prerequisite for many positions of leadership within the village hierarchy. Most village elders or headmen were once monks, as were most traditional doctors, spirit priests, and some astrologists and fortune tellers. Thai society also sees short ordination as an appropriate transition from things like being discharged from the military and going back to civilian life.


title: Buddhism in Thailand

text: In a country where most males can be ordained as monks for even short periods of time, the experience can be profitable. The Thai musician, Pisitakun Kuantalaeng, became a monk for a short period following the death of his father in order to make merit. He observed that, "Being a monk is good money... When you go and pray you get 300 baht [about £7] even though you have no living expenses, and you can go four times a day. Too many monks in Thailand do it to get rich. If you become a monk for three months you have enough money for a scooter."


title: Buddhism in Thailand

text: Monks who do not return to secular life typically specialize in either scholarship or meditation. Those who specialize in scholarship typically travel to regional education centers to begin further instruction in the Pāli language and the scriptures and in some cases may learn the English language, and may then continue on to the major monastic universities in Bangkok. The scholarship route is also followed by monks who desire to rise in the ecclesiastic hierarchy, as promotions within the government-run system are contingent on passing examinations in Pāli and Dhamma studies.


title: Buddhism in Thailand

text: Thai tradition supports lay men going into monasteries, following the monks' rules and studying while there. The time line is based on threes, staying as a monk for three days, or three weeks, or three months or three years, or three weeks and three days. This retreat is expected of all Thai males, rich or poor, and often is scheduled after high school. Such retreats bring honor to the family and blessings (merit) to the young man. Thais also make allowances for men who follow this practice, such as holding open a job.


title: Buddhism in Thailand

text: Rising obesity among monks and concerns for their well-being has become an issue in Thailand. A study by the Health Ministry in 2017 of 200 Bangkok temples found that 60 percent of monks suffer from high cholesterol and 50 percent from high blood sugar. Public health experts attribute this to two factors. First, monks are required to accept and eat whatever is given to them on their daily alms rounds. Second, monks are not permitted to engage in cardiovascular exercise as it is undignified. Monks eat only two meals per day, breakfast and lunch. But the remainder of the day they are allowed to drink "nam pana", which includes the juice of fruit less than fist-sized, often high in sugar. To combat the high rate of non-communicable diseases among monks, the National Health Commission Office (NHCO) issued a pamphlet, "National Health Charter for Monks", designed to educate monks and lay people alike as to healthy eating habits.


title: Buddhism in Thailand

text: The Thai media often reports on Buddhist monks behaving in ways that are considered inappropriate. There have been reports of sexual assault, embezzlement, drug-taking, extravagant lifestyles, even murder. Thailand's 38,000 temples, populated by 300,000 monks, are easy targets for corruption, handling between US$3 to 3.6 billion yearly in donations, mostly untraceable cash. In a case that received much media attention, Luang Pu Nen Kham Chattiko was photographed in July 2013 wearing Ray-Ban sunglasses, holding a Louis Vuitton bag full of US dollars, and "...was later found to be a trafficker of methamphetamines, an abuser of women and the lover of a pregnant fourteen-year-old."


title: Buddhism in Thailand

text: There have been cases of influential monks persecuted and jailed by the Thai government, through verdicts later declared moot or controversial. A well-known case in Thailand is that of Phra Phimontham, then abbot of Wat Mahadhatu, known in Thailand for having introduced the Burmese Satipatthana meditation method to Thailand. In 1962, during the Cold War, he was accused of collaboration with communist rebels and being a threat to national security, and was fully defrocked and jailed. In fact, the government persecuted him because of his political views and promotion of changes in the Sangha. Phra Phimontham had strong pro-democratic leanings, which did not comport well with the regime of the day nor the palace. Furthermore, Phra Phimontham was part of the Maha Nikaya fraternity, rather than the Dhammayuttika fraternity, which the government and monarchy historically have preferred. Phra Phimontham was likely to become the next supreme patriarch. For this reason, his treatment has been described by Thai scholars as a "struggle between patriarchs" (), referring to the political objective of disabling him as a candidate. After four years, when the country changed its government, Phra Phimontham was released from prison when a military court decided he had not collaborated with communists after all. Afterwards, he ordained again and eventually regained his former status, though he continued to be discredited.


title: Buddhism in Thailand

text: Buddhadasa Bhikkhu was subject to similar allegations from the Thai government, and so was Luang Por Phothirak, the founder of Santi Asoke. Luang Por Pothirak was eventually charged of altering the Vinaya and defrocked. A recent example is Phra Prajak Kuttajitto, an environmentalist monk critical of government policies, who was arrested and defrocked.


title: Buddhism in Thailand

text: In 1999 and again in 2002, Luang Por Dhammajayo, the then abbot of Wat Phra Dhammakaya, was accused of fraud and embezzlement by the Thai media and later some government agencies when donations of land were found in his name. Wat Phra Dhammakaya denied this, stating that it was the intention of the donors to give the land to the abbot and not the temple, and that owning personal property is common and legal in the Thai Sangha. Widespread negative media coverage at this time was symptomatic of the temple being made the scapegoat for commercial malpractice in the Thai Buddhist community in the wake of the 1997 Asian financial crisis. The Sangha Supreme Council declared that Luang Por Dhammajayo had not broken any monastic rule (Vinaya). In 2006, the Thai National Office for Buddhism cleared the Dhammakaya Foundation and Luang Por Dhammajayo of all accusations when Luang Por Dhammajayo agreed to put all of the disputed land in his temple's name.


title: Buddhism in Thailand

text: In March 2016, Thai police formally summoned then Acting Supreme Patriarch Somdet Chuang Varapunno, after he refused to answer direct questions about his vintage car, one of only 65 made. The car was part of a museum kept at Wat Paknam Bhasicharoen in Bangkok, but has now been seized by police investigating possible tax evasion. Somdet reportedly transferred ownership of the vehicle to another monk after the scandal broke. He refused to answer police questions directly, insisting that written questions be sent to his lawyer. He did say that the car was a gift from a follower.


title: Buddhism in Thailand

text: Analysts from different news outlets have pointed out that the actions of the Thai government towards Wat Paknam Bhasicharoen may have reflected a political need to control who should be selected as the next Supreme Patriarch, since Somdet had already been proposed as a candidate by the Sangha Supreme Council. Selecting him would mean a Supreme Patriarch from the Maha Nikaya fraternity, rather than the Dhammayuttika fraternity, which historically has always been the preferred choice of the Thai government and the monarchy. In fact, Somdet Chuang's nomination was postponed and eventually withdrawn after the Thai government changed the law in December 2016 to allow King Vajiralongkorn to appoint the Supreme Patriarch directly, with Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha countersigning, leading to the appointment of a monk from the Dhammayuttika fraternity instead. The Thai government cited several reasons for this, including the car. At the end of the same year, however, prosecutors decided not to charge Somdet Chuang, but to charge his assistant abbot instead along with another six people who took part in importing the vintage car. In February 2016, in a protest organized by the National Centre for the Protection of Thai Buddhism, a Red Shirt-oriented network, the example of Phra Phimontham was also cited as demands were made for the Thai government to no longer involve itself with the selection of the next leader of the Sangha.


title: Buddhism in Thailand

text: Unlike in Burma and Sri Lanka, the bhikkhuni lineage of women monastics was never established in Thailand. Women primarily participate in religious life either as lay participants in collective merit-making rituals or by doing domestic work around temples. A small number of women choose to become maechi, non-ordained religious specialists who permanently observe either the Eight or Ten Precepts. Maechi do not receive the level of support given to bhikkhu and their position in Thai society is the subject of some discussion.


title: Buddhism in Thailand

text: There have been efforts to attempt to introduce a bhikkhuni lineage in Thailand as a step towards improving the position of women in Thai Buddhism. The main proponent of this movement has been Dhammananda Bhikkhuni. Unlike similar efforts in Sri Lanka, these efforts have been extremely controversial in Thailand. Women attempting to ordain have been accused of attempting to impersonate monks (a civil offense in Thailand), and their actions have been denounced by many members of the ecclesiastic hierarchy.


title: Buddhism in Thailand

text: In 1928, a secular law was passed in Thailand banning women's full ordination in Buddhism. Varanggana Vanavichayen became the first female monk to be ordained in Thailand in 2002. Some time after this, the secular law was revoked. On 28 February, 2003, Dhammananda Bhikkhuni received full monastic ordination as a bhikkhuni of the Theravada tradition in Sri Lanka, making her the first modern Thai woman to receive full ordination as a Theravada bhikkhuni. She is Abbess of Songdhammakalyani Monastery, the only temple in Thailand where there are bhikkhunis. It was founded by her mother, Voramai, a Mahayana bhikkhuni, in the 1960s.


title: Buddhism in Thailand

text: No one denies that men and women have an equal chance to attain enlightenment. In Mahayana Buddhism, practised in Taiwan, mainland China, Hong Kong, and Tibet, female ordinations are common, but in countries that adhere to the Theravada tradition, such as Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Myanmar, women were banned from becoming ordained about eight centuries ago, "for fear that women entering monastic life instead of bearing children would be a disruption of social order", according to Kittipong Narit, a Buddhist scholar at Bangkok's Thammasat University. Critics charge that the ban on female ordination is about patriarchy and power. The status quo benefits those in power and they refuse to share the perks with outsiders.


title: Buddhism in Thailand

text: Most objections to the reintroduction of female monastics hinge on the fact that the monastic rules require that both five ordained monks and five ordained bhikkhunis be present for any new bhikkhuni ordination. Without such a quorum, critics say that it is not possible to ordain any new Theravada bhikkhuni. The Thai hierarchy refuses to recognize ordinations in the Dharmaguptaka tradition (the only currently existing bhikkhuni ordination lineage) as valid Theravada ordinations, citing differences in philosophical teachings and, more critically, monastic discipline.


title: Crown the Empire

text: Crown the Empire is an American metalcore band formed in 2010 in Dallas, Texas. They have released one EP and four studio albums.


title: Crown the Empire

text: Crown the Empire was formed in May 2010, when "Brandon [Hoover] and Austin decided to start jamming together" during their time at Colleyville Heritage High School. The initial line-up consisted of lead vocalist Andrew "Andy Leo" Rockhold (then Velasquez), rhythm guitarist/backing vocalist Hayden Tree, lead guitarist/backing vocalist Brandon Hoover, bassist Devin Detar, drummer Alex Massey and keyboardist Austin Duncan. The band's ultimate goal was to "be heavier than most bands in their area," while "bringing huge, poppy choruses to a genre that can become pretty stale." Crown the Empire played their first show at Compass Church in Colleyville, Texas, on July 10, 2010. During their formative years, the band experienced a number of lineup changes: In late 2010, Detar was replaced by Brandon Shroyer and in early 2011, the band fired their drummer Alex Massey. After some months of auditioning drummers, Brent Taddie was announced as the band's new drummer on June 6, 2011. Five days later, the band uploaded a video asking their fans for vocal covers with a focus on harsh vocals. The winner of this contest was announced on June 30 as Zac Johnson, who was invited to join Crown the Empire, performing harsh vocals at their live shows. Around October 2011, bassist Brandon Shroyer decided to leave the band, which resulted in the guitarists switching instruments. Brandon Hoover switched from lead to rhythm guitar, Hayden Tree took over Shroyer's position on bass and Bennett "Benn Suede" Vogelman joined Crown the Empire as their new lead guitarist.


title: Crown the Empire

text: This lineup, with the exception of Johnson, would go on to record their first EP, "Limitless", which was released on iTunes on November 29, 2011. On December 5, 2011, the band released a behind-the-scenes look at the filming for the music video for "Voices". During the video the band announced the release date for the music video to be December 11. Also in December, they released a cover of the classic holiday song "Let It Snow" and an acoustic performance of "Wake Me Up".


title: Crown the Empire

text: By February 2012, Johnson had left the band and they would enlist the help of their manager Brendan Barone to perform harsh vocals. In March, Crown the Empire performed a short tour with A Skylit Drive and appeared at the Never Say Never Music Festival. They also teased a big announcement, which turned out to be their signing to Rise Records. Along with the announcement video, the band released a free cover of the song "Moves Like Jagger" in appreciation of the support from their fans.


title: Crown the Empire

text: Having performed with the band since June 2, 2012, the band officially announced the addition of harsh vocalist David Escamilla on August 26, 2012. Along with the news of Escamilla joining the band, they announced that they would be heading into the studio with Joey Sturgis to begin recording their debut album. On September 7, the band released the music video for "Johnny Ringo". Around this time, Hayden Tree was let go because the band felt he didn't focus on the craft enough. After touring Europe for the first time with Pierce the Veil, the band asked Tree to come back.


title: Crown the Empire

text: On October 23, the band announced the name and release date of their debut album, "The Fallout", which was released on November 20 through Rise Records. One week later, Austin Duncan left the band and Andrew Rockhold took the keyboards. On November 14, the band released part one of their two part extended music video beginning with the intro track, "Oh, Catastrophe". The following day the band released the second part of their extended music video with the title track of their upcoming album, "The Fallout". On November 15, the band streamed their debut album in its entirety five days before the official release of the album.


title: Crown the Empire

text: On March 11, 2013, the band announced their first headlining tour called The Generation Now Tour, which kicked off on May 7 in Ohio, and wrapped up in Oklahoma on May 26, with supporting acts Capture, Palisades, Heartist and Famous Last Words. The band also played South by South West and toured with Like Moths to Flames. On March 23, the band was announced to be playing Warped Tour 2013. Later that day, the band released a live music video of their single "Makeshift Chemistry". The following day the band released their own Warped Tour announcement.


title: Crown the Empire

text: On June 4, the band released a live music video for "Menace". On June 25, the band was announced to be joining Asking Alexandria on their headlining tour coinciding with the release of their new album "From Death to Destiny", with fellow supporting acts Motionless in White and Upon a Burning Body. Also on June 25, the band announced that they would shoot a music video for a song from their 2012 debut album. This song turned out to be "Memories of a Broken Heart", the music video was released on August 2, 2013.


title: Crown the Empire

text: A reissue of "The Fallout" was released on December 10, 2013. It came with a re-recording of the band's debut EP "Limitless", with David Escamilla handling all harsh vocals. On November 28, 2013, the re-recorded version of "Breaking Point" was released for streaming.


title: Crown the Empire

text: On July 21, 2014, Crown the Empire won "Alternative Press" Magazine's award for best breakthrough band and their second album reached number 1 on the iTunes Rock Charts. Then on July 22, 2014, the band released their second album "The Resistance: Rise of The Runaways", which debuted in its first week at number 7 on the Billboard Top 200. On July 24, the band announced their music video for the song "Machines" to be released the following day and in under 48 hours it got over 100,000 views. On July 26, Crown the Empire announced their new headlining tour supported with Volumes, Secrets, Ice Nine Kills, and The Family Ruin which starts on August 30, 2014 in Anaheim, California and ends on September 20, 2014 in Birmingham, Alabama.


title: Crown the Empire

text: On September 8, 2015, Crown the Empire released a new single, titled "Prisoners of War" on digital retailers as part of a deluxe reissue of "The Resistance: Rise of The Runaways". The deluxe reissue was released on October 30, 2015, including "Prisoners of War", another new track titled "Cross Our Bones", an alternate version of "Machines" and an acoustic version of "Millennia". On November 6, Crown the Empire revealed to "Alternative Press" that their lead guitarist Benn Suede was no longer part of the band. Brandon Hoover switched to lead guitar, while David Escamilla took over rhythm guitar duties, as Hayden Tree returned to perform backing vocals.


title: Crown the Empire

text: In late 2016, Crown The Empire covered the My Chemical Romance song "Welcome to the Black Parade" for a collective cover album.


title: Crown the Empire

text: The band released their third studio album "Retrograde" on July 22, 2016. The album debuted at number 15 on the Billboard 200. In November 2016, the band announced that vocalist/rhythm guitarist Dave Escamilla was going to be on a hiatus from touring. On January 8, 2017, the band announced that vocalist/rhythm guitarist David Escamilla was no longer part of the band through their Facebook page. Brandon Hoover and Hayden Tree took their vocal duties, and now the band has three vocalists instead of two. Later the same day, Dave Escamilla made statements alleging most of the band's music to date was written by outside sources, which was eventually confirmed by the band.


title: Crown the Empire

text: In January 2018, the band debuted the song "20/20" while on tour with Asking Alexandria and Black Veil Brides. The song is the first not to feature former vocalist/rhythm guitarist David Escamilla and has bassist Hayden performing backing unclean vocals and guitarist Brandon Hoover performing backing clean vocals.


title: Crown the Empire

text: The band began working on writing new music before embarking on Warped Tour 2018. While working on the new album lead vocalist/keyboardist Andy Leo released a demo of a song that he had written that was deemed "too sad" to be on the new album. The song, "Everything Breaks" can be found on Dropbox for free download.


title: Crown the Empire

text: On July 13, the band released an official version of their song "20/20" which they had been playing live since January along with an accompanying music video starring Vered Blonstein and Jonny Preston. On September 20, that same year, the band released a new track titled "What I Am" along with a music video. On April 5, 2019, the band released another track, "Sudden Sky". On June 19, the band released another new track, titled "MZRY" and announced their album "Sudden Sky" set for release on July 19, 2019.


title: Crown the Empire

text: On March 16, 2020, the band announced on Instagram that guitarist Brandon Hoover had been tested positive for COVID-19 after their tour in Asia and Africa. On March 28, Hoover announced that he had recovered and was clear from the virus.


title: Crown the Empire

text: On July 8, the band announced an acoustic compilation album entitled "07102010", which was released through Rise Records on July 10, 2020. The album celebrates the 10 year anniversary of the band's first show together, and includes acoustic renditions of tracks spanning the band's career. A bonus track entitled "Everything Breaks" that was uploaded as a demo by frontman Andy Leo in 2018 was also included. On August 12, 2021, the band released "In Another Life" featuring Courtney LaPlante of Spiritbox, along with its music video. On October 29, the band released "Dancing with the Dead" and its corresponding music video. On January 7, 2022, Crown the Empire announced that their drummer Brent Taddie departed from the band on good terms. On April 13, the band announced Jeeves Avalos, who had toured with the band in late 2021, as their new drummer. On December 1, the band published "Immortalize" along with a music video.


title: Equal Employment Opportunity Commission

text: The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) is a federal agency that was established via the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to administer and enforce civil rights laws against workplace discrimination. The EEOC investigates discrimination complaints based on an individual's race, color, national origin, religion, sex (including sexual orientation, pregnancy, and gender identity), age, disability, genetic information, and retaliation for participating in a discrimination complaint proceeding and/or opposing a discriminatory practice.


title: Equal Employment Opportunity Commission

text: The commission also mediates and settles thousands of discrimination complaints each year prior to their investigation. The EEOC is also empowered to file civil discrimination suits against employers on behalf of alleged victims and to adjudicate claims of discrimination brought against federal agencies. Since 2021, the chair of the EEOC is Charlotte Burrows.


title: Equal Employment Opportunity Commission

text: The EEOC has the authority to investigate and prosecute cases against most organizations, including labor unions and employment agencies, employing 15 workers or more, or, in the case of age discrimination, 20 or more workers. The commissioner of the EEOC can issue charges without a complainant, referred to as a "commissioner's charge." Discrimination complaints can be based on hiring, firing, promotions, harassment, training, wages, and/or benefits, and responsibility covers:


title: Equal Employment Opportunity Commission

text: The EEOC investigation is confidential until the charge is filed, when the EEOC has 10 days to notify the employer of the charge. Charges may be filed on behalf of someone else to maintain some anonymity, for example, a parent may file a charge on behalf of a minor child.


title: Equal Employment Opportunity Commission

text: Because all federal agencies are required to offer an alternative dispute resolution, the EEOC offers mediation with external or internal professional mediators as a voluntary alternative to litigation, which typically results in faster resolutions. In the 2020 fiscal year (FY), the EEOC reported more than 6,000 mediations conducted recovering nearly half of the $333.2 million in relief from mediation, conciliation, and settlement. Mediation is offered, or can be requested, prior to investigation, or after a finding of discrimination has been issued, during conciliation. If the EEOC does not find merit in the charge, they will not offer, nor allow for a request, for mediation. The average mediation with the EEOC takes 3 months.


title: Equal Employment Opportunity Commission

text: Employers have 30 days from receipt of a charge to respond to allegations prior to any investigation or mediation offering, or if voluntary mediation was utilized, but unsuccessful. Charging parties have 20 days to respond to the respondent's position statement. The EEOC may ask the employer for additional information such as witness interviews, an on-site interview, or personnel files and policies. An investigator will determine whether or not there is reasonable cause to determine whether or not discrimination has occurred. In FY 2020, the EEOC found 17.4% of charged cases to have merit. The EEOC says investigations typically take 10 months or longer.


title: Equal Employment Opportunity Commission

text: A Right to Sue gives claimants the right to file a lawsuit in federal court. Right to Sue notices are granted when the agency does not pursue litigation, because the claimant requests the notice after 180 days have elapsed into an investigation; the EEOC finds merit following an investigation, but declines to prosecute; or the agency is unable to determine if there is reasonable cause that the law may have been violated.


title: Equal Employment Opportunity Commission

text: Charges filed under the Equal Pay Act or Age Discrimination in Employment Act do not require a Right to Sue. Age discrimination lawsuits may be filed 60 days after the charge has been filed with the EEOC, while lawsuits due to wage discrimination based on sex may be within two years from the last discriminatory paycheck.


title: Equal Employment Opportunity Commission

text: The Office of General Counsel, which is led by an appointee of the President that has been confirmed by the Senate for a four-year term, prosecutes EEOC cases in order to recover relief for complainants the agency has found to be victims of discrimination. The EEOC does not have the resources to file a lawsuit in every case where discrimination has been found and weighs the seriousness and potential impact on determining whether or not to litigate. In FY 2020, the EEOC recovered $106 million in relief through litigation of 93 meritorious lawsuits, 13 of which were systemic, accounting for $69.9 million of the relief. The EEOC defines systemic cases as "pattern or practice, policy and/or class cases where the discrimination has a broad impact on an industry, profession, company or geographic location," and all cases are investigated as potentially systemic.


title: Equal Employment Opportunity Commission

text: When a finding of discrimination is found by the EEOC, the goal of the agency is injunctive relief, both to put the victim in the position they would have been in had the discrimination not occurred, and to stop and prevent the discriminatory behavior. This could include back-pay, job reinstatement, attorney's fees, expert witness fees, court costs, other compensatory damages, and punitive damages. Age and gender-based are not eligible for compensatory or punitive damages, but instead are limited to liquidated damages equal to the amount of back pay. Compensatory and punitive damages are limited per employee by the size of the employer:


title: Equal Employment Opportunity Commission

text: EEOC applies an investigative compliance policy when respondents are uncooperative in providing information during an investigation of a charge. If a respondent fails to turn over requested information, field offices are to subpoena the information, file a direct suit on the merits of a charge, or use the legal principle of adverse inference, which assumes the withheld information is against the respondent.


title: Equal Employment Opportunity Commission

text: On March 6, 1961, President John F. Kennedy signed Executive Order 10925, which required government contractors to "take affirmative action to ensure that applicants are employed and that employees are treated during employment without regard to their race, creed, color, or national origin." It established the President's Committee on Equal Employment Opportunity, which then Vice President Lyndon Johnson was appointed to head. This was the forerunner of the EEOC.


title: Equal Employment Opportunity Commission

text: The EEOC was established on July 2, 1965. Management directive 715 is a regulatory guidance document from the commission to all federal agencies regarding adherence to equal opportunity employment laws and reporting requirements.


title: Equal Employment Opportunity Commission

text: The EEOC's first complainants were female flight attendants. However, the EEOC at first ignored sex discrimination complaints, and the prohibition against sex discrimination in employment went unenforced for the next few years. One EEOC director called the prohibition "a fluke... conceived out of wedlock."


title: Equal Employment Opportunity Commission

text: In 2005, the EEOC established the Systemic Task Force (STF) to evaluate how the agency combats systemic discrimination. In March 2006, the STF determined that the agency could not effectively address system discrimination without a nationwide system, but that the EEOC was uniquely prepared to fight systemic discrimination because the EEOC's broad authority, commissioner's charges, access to data, exemption from Rule 23 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, focus on injunctive relief, and nationwide coverage. As a result, the commission created the role of Systemic Coordinator and Lead Systemic Investigator, and implemented programs that resulted in improved systemic expertise in the agency and all charges being investigated as potential systemic cases.


title: Equal Employment Opportunity Commission

text: In 2008, disability-based charges handled by the EEOC rose to a record 19,543, up 10.2 percent from the prior year and the highest level since 1995. That may again be showing that because the EEOC has not adjusted many of their initial 1991 fines for inflation, the backlog of EEOC cases illustrates erosion of deterrence.


title: Equal Employment Opportunity Commission

text: In 2011, the Commission included "sex-stereotyping" of lesbian, gay, and bisexual individuals, as a form of sex discrimination illegal under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. In 2012, the Commission expanded protection provided by Title VII to transgender status and gender identity. In 2015, it concluded that for Title VII, sex discrimination includes discrimination based on sexual orientation. The Supreme Court upheld this position in "R.G. & G.R. Harris Funeral Homes Inc. v. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission" in 2020.


title: Equal Employment Opportunity Commission

text: In 2012, the EEOC achieved a second consecutive year of a significant reduction in the charge inventory, something not seen since FY 2002. Due to a concerted effort, the EEOC reduced the pending inventory of private sector charges by 10 percent from FY 2011, bringing the inventory level to 70,312. This inventory reduction is the second consecutive decrease of almost ten percent in charge inventory.


title: Equal Employment Opportunity Commission

text: During FY 2020, the EEOC secured a record amount of recovery, more than $535 million, for victims of discrimination in the workplace. Also, the agency reduced the private sector charge inventory by nearly 4 percent to the lowest level in 14 years. Notably, the agency increased the percentage of charges resolved and those with an outcome favorable to the charging party increased by nearly two percent, to 17.4 percent.


title: Equal Employment Opportunity Commission

text: In 1975, when the backlog reached more than 100,000 charges to be investigated, President Gerald Ford's full requested budget of $62 million was approved. A "Backlog Unit" was created in Philadelphia in 1978 to resolve the thousands of federal equal employment complaints inherited from the Civil Service Commission. In 1980, Eleanor Holmes Norton began re-characterizing the backlog cases as "workload" in her reports to Congress, thus fulfilling her promise to eliminate the backlog.


title: Equal Employment Opportunity Commission

text: In June 2006, civil rights and labor union advocates publicly complained that the effectiveness of the EEOC was being undermined by budget and staff cuts and the outsourcing of complaint screening to a private contractor whose workers were poorly trained. In 2006, a partial budget freeze prevented the agency from filling vacant jobs, and its staff had shrunk by nearly 20 percent from 2001. A Bush administration official stated that the cuts had been made because it was necessary to direct more money to defense and homeland security. By 2008, the EEOC had lost 25 percent of its staff over the previous eight years, including investigators and lawyers who handle the cases. The number of complaints to investigate grew to 95,400 in fiscal 2008, up 26 percent from 2006.


title: Equal Employment Opportunity Commission

text: The outsourcing to Pearson Government Solutions in Kansas cost the agency $4.9 million and was called a "huge waste of money" by the president of the EEOC employees' union in 2006.


title: Equal Employment Opportunity Commission

text: The EEOC requires employers to report various information about their employees, in particular their racial/ethnic categories, to prevent discrimination based on race/ethnicity. The definitions used in the report have been different at different times.


title: Equal Employment Opportunity Commission

text: In 1997, the Office of Management and Budget gave a Federal Register Notice, the "Revisions to the Standards for the Classification of Federal Data on Race and Ethnicity," which defined new racial and ethnic definitions. As of September 30, 2007, the EEOC's EEO-1 report must use the new racial and ethnic definitions in establishing grounds for racial or ethnic discrimination. If an employee identifies their ethnicity as "Hispanic or Latino" as well as a race, the race is not reported in EEO-1, but it is kept as part of the employment record.


title: Equal Employment Opportunity Commission

text: A person's skin color or physical appearance can also be grounds for a case of racial discrimination. Discrimination based on national origin can be grounds for a case on discrimination as well.


title: Equal Employment Opportunity Commission

text: On May 1, 2013, a Davenport, Iowa jury awarded the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commissission damages totaling $240 million — the largest verdict in the federal agency's history — for disability discrimination and severe abuse. The jury agreed with the EEOC that Hill County Farms, doing business as Henry's Turkey Service subjected a group of 32 men with intellectual disabilities to severe abuse and discrimination for a period between 2007 and 2009, after 20 years of similar mistreatment. This victory received international attention and was profiled in the New York Times.


title: Equal Employment Opportunity Commission

text: On June 1, 2015, the U.S. Supreme Court held in an 8–1 decision written by Justice Antonin Scalia that an employer may not refuse to hire an applicant if the employer was motivated by avoiding the need to accommodate a religious practice. Such behavior violates the prohibition on religious discrimination contained in Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. EEOC General Counsel David Lopez hailed the decision. "At its root, this case is about defending the quintessentially American principles of religious freedom and tolerance," Lopez said. "This decision is a victory for our increasingly diverse society and we applaud Samantha Elauf's courage and tenacity in pursuing this matter.”


title: Equal Employment Opportunity Commission

text: Some employment-law professionals criticized the agency after it issued advice that requiring a high school diploma from job applicants could violate the Americans with Disabilities Act. The advice letter stated that the longtime lowest common denominator of employee screening must be "job-related for the position in question and consistent with business necessity." A Ballard Spahr lawyer suggested, "There will be less incentive for the general public to obtain a high school diploma if many employers eliminate that requirement for job applicants in their workplace."


title: Equal Employment Opportunity Commission

text: The EEOC has been criticized for alleged heavy-handed tactics in their 1980 lawsuit against retailer Sears, Roebuck & Co. Based on a statistical analysis of personnel and promotions, EEOC argued that Sears both was systematically excluding women from high-earning positions in commission sales and was paying female management lower wages than male management. Sears, represented by lawyer Charles Morgan, Jr., counter-argued that the company had encouraged female applicants for sales and management, but women preferred lower-paying positions with more stable daytime working hours, as compared to commission sales, which demanded evening and weekend shifts and featured drastically varying paychecks, depending on the numbers of sales in a given pay period. In 1986, the court ruled in favor of Sears on all counts and noted that the EEOC had neither produced a single witness who alleged discrimination nor identified any Sears policy that discriminated against women.


title: Equal Employment Opportunity Commission

text: In a 2011 ruling against the EEOC, Judge Loretta A. Preska declared that the agency relied too heavily on anecdotal claims rather than on hard data, in a lawsuit against Bloomberg, L.P. that alleged discrimination against pregnant employees. In a ruling described in the "New York Times" as "strongly worded," Preska wrote, "the law does not mandate 'work-life balance' and added that while Bloomberg had expected high levels of dedication from employees, the company did not treat women who took pregnancy leave differently from those who took leave for other reasons.


title: Equal Employment Opportunity Commission

text: During the Trump administration, the EEOC came under criticism for being ineffective. The budget allocated to the EEOC by Congress has forced it to downsize, cutting its original staffing levels by over 40%.


title: Equal Employment Opportunity Commission

text: All Commission seats and the post of general counsel to the commission are filled by the US President, subject to confirmation by the Senate.


title: The Honourable Woman

text: The Honourable Woman is a 2014 British political spy thriller television miniseries in eight parts, directed and written by Hugo Blick for the BBC and SundanceTV. Featuring Maggie Gyllenhaal in the title role, it aired on BBC Two in the United Kingdom on 3 July 2014 and premiered on SundanceTV in the United States on 31 July 2014. An advance screening of the series was held on 7 April 2014 at the MIPTV Media Market.


title: The Honourable Woman

text: "The Honourable Woman" received positive reviews, with Gyllenhaal winning a Golden Globe Award for her performance, Stephen Rea winning the 2015 British Academy Television Award for Best Supporting Actor and the series was awarded a Peabody Award in 2015.


title: The Honourable Woman

text: Eight years after taking over the family company from her brother Ephra Stein, Anglo-Jewish businesswoman Nessa Stein is made a life peer for her continued commitment to the Middle East peace process. She becomes "The Rt Hon. Baroness Stein of Tilbury".


title: The Honourable Woman

text: When her new business partner dies in a mysterious suicide, Lady Stein is forced to delay the third phase of an ambitious and long-planned project: connecting the West Bank with optical fibre cables. Various stakeholders manoeuvre for influence in connection with this venture.


title: The Honourable Woman

text: The stakes become the highest possible for the family when Kasim, the son of Atika Halabi, a Palestinian translator/housekeeper and Nessa Stein's very close friend, is kidnapped. Soon, a mystery around his parentage comes to light, and further secrets are revealed.


title: The Honourable Woman

text: Hugo Blick re-uses several actors from his previous series "The Shadow Line" (e.g. Stephen Rea, Tobias Menzies and Eve Best).


title: The Honourable Woman

text: The eight-part series was announced in June 2013. It was commissioned by Ben Stephenson (Controller, BBC Drama Commissioning) and Janice Hadlow (Controller, BBC Two), and co-funded by the Sundance Channel. Written and directed by Hugo Blick, it was made by production companies Drama Republic and Eight Rooks, with Hugo Blick and Abi Bach as producers.


title: The Honourable Woman

text: Stephenson describes the drama as "really grown up, complicated" and said he was keen to work with Blick again following the 2011 series "The Shadow Line". The President of the Sundance Channel Sarah Barnett said that it is "a superbly wrought character piece about hope, compromise, guilt and families". Speaking about her casting, Gyllenhaal said: "I couldn't put the scripts down. Nessa is such an exciting and intricate character. I can't wait to begin filming."


title: The Honourable Woman

text: The three-month filming schedule began in July 2013 in London and Romney Marsh in Kent, with further filming in the Middle East and the United States. Gyllenhaal's performance was informed by private decisions she made about her character's life; for example, she decided that Nessa was 104 years old, and that she was high on mushrooms in one scene. Gyllenhaal did not share these choices with Blick because she did not think he would understand.


title: The Honourable Woman

text: The series was warmly received upon its initial debut in the UK, with "The Guardian"s Gabriel Tate summarising the series as "the most satisfying, densely plotted TV series for years."


title: The Honourable Woman

text: "The Honorable Woman" (retitled to follow American spelling) premiered in the United States, with strong reviews coming from "The New York Times", "The Washington Post", "New York", "Entertainment Weekly", "Time" and the "Los Angeles Times", and received a Metacritic score of 82 out of 100 based on 24 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim". Particular raves came from Matt Roush of "TV Guide", who described Blick's work as "written and directed with ruthless intelligence," and Tim Goodman of "The Hollywood Reporter", calling the miniseries "a spectacularly well-constructed story—intricate, dense, demanding and rewarding.


title: The Honourable Woman

text: Specific notices focused on Gyllenhaal—Hank Stuever of "The Washington Post" described her performance as "remarkably measured and moving," while Alessandra Stanley of "The New York Times" said "Ms. Gyllenhaal is remarkable playing a principled but conflicted woman whose quicksilver personality alters from hour to hour and flashback to flash-forward" and on the series' mature treatment of gender roles. Sara Stewart of "Indiewire" credited "The Honourable Woman" with "upending the sexy spy drama," celebrating it for favouring the protagonist's intellect and interior complexity over romantic and sexual conflict. Sarah Chalmers of "The Telegraph", meanwhile, said: "For here, at last, is a new kind of female protagonist: one not only driving the drama and outwitting the male characters, but looking amazing as she does so."


title: The Honourable Woman

text: Responses in the UK to the series' conclusion were extremely positive. Julia Raeside of "The Guardian" wrote that it concluded as a "taut and perfectly controlled thriller ... something truly special." Nicholas Blincoe of "The Telegraph", claimed that the series achieved the "must-watch" label of the summer.


title: The Honourable Woman

text: The ending of "The Honourable Woman" was met with raves in the US; Willa Paskin of "Slate" praised the conclusion, explaining that ""The Honorable Woman", unlike so many series that claim to do so, genuinely complicates notions of villainhood and herodom. It does not shortchange historical atrocity, pooh-pooh grievances, or whitewash systematic injustices." Tim Goodman of "The Hollywood Reporter" said, in terms of the series' conclusion, "Few things this dense and ambitious are able to stick the landing when the last act comes, but "The Honorable Woman" does it with aplomb." A more critical look at the series as a whole came from Sonia Saraiya at "The A.V. Club", who explained that "The story lobs so many ideas into the air that it can't possibly give them all a safe landing. But along the way to the ending, "The Honorable Woman" is enthralling—a beautiful, dark portrait of a woman against the backdrop of the continued conflict between Israel and Palestine."


title: The Honourable Woman

text: The series ranked on several publications' year-end top 10 lists, including "The Hollywood Reporter", the "Los Angeles Times", "The Wall Street Journal", "The Guardian" and "Grantland".


title: The Honourable Woman

text: For the 72nd Golden Globe Awards, Maggie Gyllenhaal won for Best Actress – Miniseries or Television Film. For the 21st Screen Actors Guild Awards, Gyllenhaal was nominated for Best Female Actor in a TV Movie or Miniseries. For the 5th Critics' Choice Television Awards, it received three nominations, for Best Limited Series Series, Gyllenhaal for Best Actress in a Movie or Limited Series, and Janet McTeer for Best Supporting Actress in a Movie or Limited Series. The series was nominated for the 2015 TCA Award for Outstanding Achievement in Movies, Miniseries and Specials.


title: The Honourable Woman

text: "The Honourable Woman" was awarded with a 2014 Peabody Award, with the organisation writing: "A visually rich, densely-plotted thriller set against the backdrop of the Israeli-Palestine conflict, it suggests complexities and age-old vendettas that often escape even the best documentaries, to say nothing of the evening news."


title: The Honourable Woman

text: For the 67th Primetime Emmy Awards, the series received nominations for Outstanding Limited Series, Maggie Gyllenhaal for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series or a Movie, and Hugo Blick for both Outstanding Directing and Outstanding Writing for a Limited Series, Movie or a Dramatic Special.


title: The Honourable Woman

text: "The Honourable Woman" was released on DVD in the UK on 1 September 2014, in the US on 14 October 2014, and in Canada on 25 November 2014.


title: Anointing of the Sick in the Catholic Church

text: In the Catholic Church, the anointing of the sick, also known as Extreme Unction, is a Catholic sacrament that is administered to a Catholic "who, having reached the age of reason, begins to be in danger due to sickness or old age", except in the case of those who "persevere obstinately in manifest grave sin". Proximate danger of death, the occasion for the administration of Viaticum, is not required, but only the onset of a medical condition of serious illness or injury or simply old age: "It is not a sacrament for those only who are at the point of death. Hence, as soon as anyone of the faithful begins to be in danger of death from sickness or old age, the fitting time for him to receive this sacrament has certainly already arrived."


text: Despite that position, anointing of the sick has in practice often been postponed until someone is near dying, in spite of the fact that in all celebrations of this sacrament, the liturgy prays for recovery of the health of the sick person if that would be conducive to his salvation. In the past it became increasingly administered only to the dying and so came to be called Extreme Unction (Final Anointing).


text: The sacrament is administered by a bishop or priest, who uses the "oleum infirmorum" ('oil of the sick'), an olive oil or another pure plant oil blessed by a bishop, to anoint the patient's forehead and perhaps other parts of the body while reciting certain prayers. It gives comfort, peace, courage and, if the sick person is unable to make a confession, even forgiveness of sins.


text: The Catholic Church sees the effects of the sacrament as follows: As the sacrament of Marriage gives grace for the married state, the sacrament of Anointing of the Sick gives grace for the state into which people enter through sickness. Through the sacrament a gift of the Holy Spirit is given, that renews confidence and faith in God and strengthens against temptations to discouragement, despair and anguish at the thought of death and the struggle of death; it prevents the believer from losing Christian hope in God's justice, truth and salvation. Because one of the effects of the sacrament is to absolve the recipient of any sins not previously absolved through the sacrament of penance, only an ordained priest or bishop may administer the sacrament.


text: An extensive account of the teaching of the Catholic Church on Anointing of the Sick is given in "Catechism of the Catholic Church", 1499–1532.


text: The chief Biblical text concerning anointing of the sick is : "Is any man sick among you? Let him bring in the priests of the church and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith shall save the sick man. And the Lord shall raise him up: and if he be in sins, they shall be forgiven him." , and are also quoted in this regard.


text: In the past, the usual name of the sacrament in official documents of the Catholic Church was "Extreme Unction" (meaning "final anointing"), a name attached to it as it was administered only to those near death. Peter Lombard (died 1160) is the first writer known to have used the term, which did not become the usual name in the West till towards the end of the twelfth century, and never became current in the East. The word "extreme" (final) indicated either that it was the last of the sacramental unctions (after the anointings at Baptism, Confirmation and, if received, Holy Orders) or because at that time it was normally administered only when a patient was "in extremis" (near death). In the early 1970s the official name was changed to "Anointing of the Sick" to reflect Church teaching that the sacrament is to be conferred on those who are "dangerously ill".


text: The sacrament has also been known by various other names in Western Christianity throughout the years, including: the holy oil or unction of the sick; the unction or blessing of consecrated oil; the unction of God; the office of the unction. In the Eastern Church it is technically known as "euchelaion" (i.e., prayer-oil); other names used include: "elaion hagion" (holy oil), "hegismenon elaion" (consecrated oil), "elaiou chrisis" (anointing with oil), "chrisma" (anointing).


text: Catholic canon law indicates who may receive the sacrament: "The anointing of the sick can be administered to a member of the faithful who, having reached the use of reason, begins to be in danger due to sickness or old age." If a new illness develops or the first illness relapses or worsens, the patient may receive the sacrament a further time. A priest may, on the basis of his pastoral judgment, administer the sacrament numerous times in cases of old age or chronic illness. Like any sacrament, anointing of the sick can be given only to someone who is alive; however, as the precise moment of death is not known or defined with precision, someone may be anointed conditionally ("if you are alive" prefixed to the sacramental formula) during a brief period after being declared clinically dead.


text: The sacrament of anointing can be administered to an individual whether at home, in a hospital or institution, or in church. Several sick persons may be anointed within the rite, especially if the celebration takes place in a church or hospital. The celebration may also take place during a Catholic Mass.


text: When administered to those near to death, the sacraments of Penance, Anointing of the Sick and Viaticum (Holy Communion administered to someone who is dying) are sometimes called the last rites.


text: What in the judgment of the Catholic Church are properly described as the last rites are Viaticum, and the ritual prayers of Commendation of the Dying, and Prayers for the Dead.


text: The normal order of administration of these three sacraments to the dying is: first Reconciliation (if the dying person is physically unable to confess, absolution is given conditionally on the existence of contrition), then Anointing, then Viaticum.


text: Only a priest or bishop can administer the sacraments of Reconciliation and Anointing of the Sick, but a lay person may give a dying person Holy Communion as "Viaticum, the Last Sacrament of the Christian".


text: The oil used in the sacrament is usually olive oil, though other oils may also be used. It is blessed by the bishop of the diocese at the Chrism Mass he celebrates on Holy Thursday or on a day close to it. In case of necessity, the priest administering the sacrament may bless the oil within the framework of the celebration.


text: In the Roman Rite of the Latin Church, the priest anoints the sick person's forehead and hands with oil (usually in the form of a cross), saying: "Through this holy anointing, may the Lord in his love and mercy help you with the grace of the Holy Spirit. May the Lord who frees you from sin save you and raise you up." He may also, in accordance with local culture and traditions, and the needs of the sick person, anoint other parts of the body, but without repeating the sacramental formula.


text: This is the form established for the Roman Rite through the papal document "Sacram unctionem infirmorum" of 1972. The form used in the Roman Rite in the preceding period included anointing of seven parts of the body (though that of the loins was generally omitted in English-speaking countries), while saying (in Latin): "Through this holy anointing, may the Lord pardon you whatever sins/faults you have committed by... ." The sense in question was then mentioned: sight, hearing, smell, taste, touch, walking, carnal delectation.


text: In the Eastern Catholic churches, the sacrament (or "sacred mystery") of Anointing the Sick is administered using various liturgies often identical with forms used by non-Catholic Eastern churches. Adaptation or development of the liturgical forms used in the Eastern Catholic churches is overseen by the Congregation for the Oriental Churches, part of the Roman Curia.


title: Gabriella Charlton

text: Gabriella Natalie Charlton is a reality television personality and actress who works in Tamil-language television and film. She has appeared on the reality dance television series "Jodi Junior" and appeared on the sixth season of "Jodi Number One", which she won. In 2020, she was a contestant on the fourth season of the reality series "Bigg Boss Tamil".


title: Gabriella Charlton

text: Charlton began her career in television at the age of nine, by appearing in "Jodi Junior", a dance reality show broadcast on STAR Vijay. She also appeared as Gaby in "7aam Vaguppu C Pirivu", a Tamil soap opera about school children, that aired on STAR Vijay. She also appeared on the sixth season of Star Vijay's reality dance series "Jodi Number One", which she won.


title: Gabriella Charlton

text: Gabriella Charlton appeared as Sumi in the romantic thriller film "3", and later as Riya in "Chennaiyil Oru Naal". She also portrayed Rashitha in "Appa". She was a finalist in Bigg Boss Season 4. And currently in eeramana rojaave 2 as a main lead


title: Mohel

text: A ( , Ashkenazi pronunciation , plural: , , "circumciser") is a Jew trained in the practice of , the "covenant of circumcision".


title: Mohel

text: The noun ( in Aramaic), meaning "circumciser", is derived from the same verb stem as (circumcision). The noun appeared for the first time in the 4th century as the title of a circumciser (Shabbat (Talmud) 156a).


title: Mohel

text: For Jews, male circumcision is mandatory as it is prescribed in the Torah. In the Book of Genesis, it is described as a mark of the covenant of the pieces between Yahweh and the descendants of Abraham:


title: Mohel

text: Biblically, the infant's father () is commanded to perform the circumcision himself. However, as most fathers are not comfortable or do not have the training, they designate a . The is specially trained in circumcision and the rituals surrounding the procedure. Many are doctors or rabbis (and some are both) or cantors and are required to receive appropriate training both from the religious and medical fields.


title: Mohel

text: Traditionally, the uses a scalpel to circumcise the newborn. Today, doctors and some non-Orthodox use a perforating clamp before they cut the skin. The clamp makes it easier to be precise and shortens recovery time. Orthodox have rejected perforating clamps, arguing that by crushing and killing the skin it causes a great amount of unnecessary pain to the newborn, cutting off the blood flow completely, which according to Jewish law is dangerous to the child and strictly forbidden, and also renders the (foreskin) as cut prior to the proper ritual cut.


title: Mohel

text: Under Jewish law, a must draw blood from the circumcision wound. Most do it by hand with a suction device, but some follow the traditional practice of doing it by mouth. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a warning in 2012 about the health implications of the latter practice, citing 11 cases of neonatal Herpes simplex virus (HSV) and two recorded fatalities. A 2013 review of cases of neonatal HSV infections in Israel identified ritual circumcision as the source of HSV-1 transmission in 31.8% of the cases.


title: Mohel

text: Even up until today, many list the names and birthdates of the boys they circumcise in little booklets. These books have become important documents for genealogical scholarship. Increasingly, these notes on circumcision are being digitalized.


title: Mohel

text: According to traditional Jewish law, in the absence of a Jewish male expert, a woman that has the required skills is also authorized to perform the circumcision, provided that she is Jewish. Non-Orthodox Judaism allows female , called (, plural of , , feminine of ), without restriction. In 1984, Dr. Deborah Cohen became the first certified Reform Jewish ; she was certified by the Berit Mila Program of Reform Judaism.


title: Proposals for the United States to purchase Greenland

text: Since 1867, the United States has considered, or made, several proposals to purchase the island of Greenland from Denmark, as it did with the Danish West Indies in 1917. While Greenland remains an autonomous territory within the Kingdom of Denmark, a 1951 treaty gives the United States much control over an island it once partially claimed from exploration.


text: In 1261, the Norse colonies in southern Greenland accepted Norwegian overlordship. While these colonies later died out in the 1400s, Norway's territorial claims to the area were not abandoned and continued to be asserted by Denmark-Norway after the union of the Danish and Norwegian realms in 1537. Beginning in 1721, missionaries and traders from Denmark-Norway began recolonizing southern Greenland. In 1775 Denmark-Norway declared Greenland a colony. Along with all other Norwegian dependencies, Greenland was formally transferred from Norway to Denmark by the Treaty of Kiel in 1814, and Denmark began trying to colonize all of the island in the 1880s.


text: The United States also had a strong claim on Greenland. Much of it was unexplored when the treaty was signed. American Charles Francis Hall was the first to see northwest Greenland, during the Polaris Expedition, and Robert Peary claimed much of the north. When the United States wanted to purchase the Danish West Indies during World War I, Denmark required the country to recognize the Danish claim over the whole island. United States Secretary of State Robert Lansing did so in 1917, and American opposition prevented an attempt by the United Kingdom to secure a right of first refusal if Denmark ever decided to sell. The British acted after John Douglas Hazen successfully proposed at the Imperial War Conference that the British Empire buy Greenland for Canada to prevent the United States from acquiring it.


text: Since 1823 the United States has, in the Monroe Doctrine, opposed expansion of foreign sovereignty in the Americas. Lansing's declaration was an exception to the doctrine, and influenced other countries. In 1919, Denmark asked other nations to recognize its sovereignty. Canada advised Britain to do so in 1920, and Britain reiterated that it should be consulted before any sale; France, Japan, Italy, and Sweden had no reservations. Denmark formally declared sovereignty over all of Greenland in 1921. Norway renewed a claim to Erik the Red's Land in 1931, but two years later the Permanent Court of International Justice ruled against the country, finding that the claim had been transferred to Denmark in 1814.


text: Peary opposed the United States giving up its claim to Greenland, believing that doing so violated the Monroe Doctrine. He wanted to purchase the island for mineral wealth and to avoid foreign bases that would, as air and sea technology improved, threaten his country. During World War I, the United States decided that obtaining the Danish West Indies to defend the Panama Canal was more important, but in the 1920s General Billy Mitchell, advocating for expanding American air forces, wanted American bases on Greenland and Iceland.


text: By the early 1940s the government agreed about Greenland's importance to the Arctic policy of the United States. Before World War II, the island was part of RAINBOW 4, a contingency plan to deal with a siege of North America in which the United States was simultaneously attacked from every direction by every great power. In RAINBOW 4, American forces would preemptively seize all Dutch, Danish, and French possessions in the western hemisphere – including Greenland – and garrison them to form a defensive perimeter around the United States.


text: The German invasion of Denmark on April 9, 1940 gave that country a strong legal claim on Greenland in World War II. Because of its proximity to mainland North America and being the only known significant source of cryolite, and German attempts to use the island during the North Atlantic weather war, the United States for the first time applied the Monroe Doctrine on European colonies in the North Atlantic Ocean. The US landed armed United States Coast Guard personnel from in Greenland to hold the territory. Prior to landing, the Coast Guardsmen were formally discharged from service and reconstituted as a force of "volunteers" to create a legal fiction that would avoid charges of an American invasion of the country, the United States being neutral and the Danish government-in-exile not having agreed to the landing. The Danish government later agreed to the official entry of United States forces into Greenland, and the United States Army occupied the island in 1941.


text: In 1946 the Joint Chiefs of Staff listed Greenland and Iceland as two of the three essential international locations for American bases. During the creation of NATO, the two islands were seen as more important to American and Canadian defense than some Western European countries; Greenland is on the shortest polar route between Washington and Moscow, and about midway between the two cities. As Denmark is unable to defend an ice-covered island 50 times larger than itself, in April 1951 the country and the United States signed a treaty which gave the latter exclusive jurisdiction over defense areas within Greenland. Denmark recognized that without the agreement Greenland would become closer to the United States anyway, whether as a nominally independent country or with a Puerto Rico-like affiliation. The Pentagon told President Dwight Eisenhower that the Danes were "very cooperative in allowing the United States quite a free hand in Greenland". A Danish scholar later wrote that his country's sovereignty over the island during the Cold War was fictional, with the United States holding "de facto" sovereignty.


text: Circa 1953 in Operation Blue Jay the United States built Thule Air Base in northern Greenland. From 1959 the island was part of NORAD. Thule employed more than 1,000 Greenlanders and had almost 10,000 American personnel. It and about 50 other American bases performed duties such as tracking Soviet submarines in the GIUK gap. Camp Century was an experiment in polar engineering that presaged colonization of the Moon. The canceled Project Iceworm would have deployed 600 Minuteman missiles under the ice. United States interest abruptly declined after the Cold War; the NORAD radars were abandoned, "though Thule, the United States’ northernmost air base houses the ...network of sensors, which provides early missile warning and space surveillance and control." and since 2004 Thule has been the only United States base, with a few hundred Americans. Post-Cold War United States disinterest in the island reportedly disappointed many Greenlanders; as late as 2004, proposals for American funding of climate research and scholarships did not succeed.


text: The United States, Russia, and China increased their attention to Greenland and Arctic geopolitics in the early 21st century. American Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and her Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov attended the 2010 Arctic five meeting. Rasmus Nielsen of the University of Greenland said in 2019, "The last couple of years we can see a bigger focus and also involvement that the U.S. wants to have [in Greenland]. You can feel that the U.S. is really waking up to Arctic reality – partly because of Russia, partly because of China".


text: American Ambassador to Denmark James P. Cain wrote in 2007 that Greenlandic independence was inevitable. His country had the opportunity to influence the structure of a new nation so should prepare by directly communicating with Greenland as the island gains autonomy. Ongoing American educational, cultural, and scientific programs strengthened relations with the future country and kept China out, Cain wrote.


text: The island is still important to American and NATO security; Walter Berbrick of the Naval War College said in 2019, "Whoever holds Greenland will hold the Arctic. It's the most important strategic location in the Arctic and perhaps the world". The United States emphasizes Greenland's North American geography, and American diplomatic and military officials and the United States Geological Survey (USGS) often visit the island. In 2018 the Americans reestablished the United States Second Fleet, responsible for the North Atlantic; Berbrick proposed basing the fleet in Greenland, and Under Secretary of Defense for Policy John Rood signed an agreement to invest in dual-use infrastructure. Henrik Breitenbauch of the University of Copenhagen said that the agreement, which Greenland welcomed, was part of increasing American emphasis on defending North America. The island could be where the United States builds the new strategic Arctic port that the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2020 mandates.


text: In 2019 Greenland asked the United States for an aerial survey. Planned before but occurring after the Trump administration purchase proposal, the United States Navy used hyperspectral imaging over Garðar and the USGS interpreted the data to search for mineral resources. Greenland in April 2020 accepted a $12.1 million American grant. Denmark in December 2019 approved a Trump administration request for a consulate in Greenland. Opened during World War II and closed in 1953, the consulate reopened in June 2020, a day after the administration announced that it would build a new icebreaker fleet. Nick Solheim of the Wallace Institute for Arctic Security said that the two acts "are the most monumental things we’ve done in Arctic policy in the last 40 years".


text: Reuters described Greenland in October 2020 as "a security black hole" for the United States and allies, and that its 27,000 miles (44,000 km) of coastline was difficult to monitor. "On several occasions since 2006, foreign vessels have turned up unexpectedly or without the necessary protocols, in waters that NATO-member Denmark aims to defend", the news agency reported. Detection of foreign vessels, including a Russian submarine, has often been by accident. The security concerns described included the presence of Russian ships believed to have the ability to map the ocean floor, and deploy robots that could tap undersea cables or sever them during a conflict.


text: As part of the Arctic policy of China, the country in 2018 declared itself a "near-Arctic state". Chinese interest in Greenland began when Prime Minister of Greenland Hans Enoksen visited the country in 2005. Minister of Land and Resources Xu Shaoshi visited Greenland in 2012. China is interested in polar science, infrastructure, and natural resources, while Greenland wants outside investment; more delegations have visited China than the United States. China is the largest outside investor, with $2 billion in investments from 2012 to 2017 accounting for 11.6% of island GDP. Shenghe Resources owns 12.5% of Greenland Minerals, which in 2018 agreed to let Shenghe oversee extraction at Kvanefjeld. Although the island imports little from China it is Greenland's second-largest export partner after Denmark. Chinese imports of Greenlandic fish were the bulk of their $126 million in trade in the first seven months of 2019.


text: China collaborates with Greenlandic scientific projects, and encourages Chinese cultural activities. In 2016, the island permitted the State Oceanic Administration to build a research station. In 2017, the Danish government declined a proposal from a Chinese mining company to purchase an abandoned naval base on Greenland over concerns the arrangement would hurt relations with the United States. When Greenland's prime minister flew to Beijing to ask for financial assistance to build two airports, the United States persuaded Denmark to instead provide billion. As of February 2021, three airports planning projects are underway: Nuuk Airport, Ilulissat Airport and Qaqortoq Airport. They are planned for Kalaallit Airports.


text: Greenland gives Denmark a role in the Arctic—it is a member of the Arctic Council, and as one of the five Arctic littoral states, a signatory to the Ilulissat Declaration—but Danish investors have little presence, although one fifth of Greenlanders live in Denmark. Denmark's Arctic Command has one aircraft, four helicopters, four ships, and six dog sleds to patrol the entire island.


text: Denmark in 2019 announced that it would spend billion to monitor Greenland. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 2020 sent an advisor on security issues to the Greenlandic government. Minister of Defence Trine Bramsen denied that her government sent the advisor because of the American consulate, but Rasmus Gjedssø Bertelsen of University of Tromsø said that Denmark did not want Greenland and the consulate to communicate directly, excluding Copenhagen. Bramsen said that increased American cooperation with Greenland was good for the kingdom.


text: The European Union (EU) is the great power that is least interested in Greenland. After the withdrawal of Greenland from the European Communities in 1985, it remained one of the union's Overseas Countries and Territories and islanders are EU citizens. The EU's annual subsidy of about €30 million is unlikely to greatly increase, the island is ineligible for the European Development Fund, and no EU diplomats are there. The union's need for a domestic source of rare earths, and a desire to decrease dependence on China after the COVID-19 pandemic, may increase interest.


text: Greenland is an autonomous territory within the Kingdom of Denmark, and many islanders opposed Danish interference in the airport deal. Greenlandic independence is possible at any time based on Danish law; with Greenland Home Rule, elected leaders decide most internal affairs. Denmark controls foreign affairs and guards sea borders, while the United States controls external defense; while the latter cannot increase its presence without consent from Denmark and Greenland, under the 1951 agreement it pays no rent for bases, and has almost complete authority within "defense areas" Denmark and the United States agree to within NATO. American forces and civilians have free access to and between defense areas, and can freely fly over the island; Denmark has little ability to act in Greenland where United States national security is involved. The American presence benefits Danish civil authority over the island, however, and allows the country to spend less on NATO while avoiding having foreign troops on Danish soil. Greenlandic governments have stated their intention to join NATO as an independent country, welcome increasing United States interest, and do not oppose the American presence if the island benefits from United States investments in jobs and infrastructure.


text: Denmark was reluctant to pay for the airports because it sees the island seeking investment as preparing for independence. Icelandic scholar Gudmundur Alfredsson, one of the authors of the 2014 report, said that it overemphasized Greenland's membership in the Danish kingdom. He said that the island should consider Denmark one of several competitors, and that the United States or Canada might provide more funding.


text: In 1867, United States Secretary of State William H. Seward negotiated the Alaska Purchase from the Russian Empire. He that year considered the idea of United States annexation of both Greenland and Iceland an idea "worthy of serious consideration". Seward commissioned a report ("A Report on the Resources of Iceland and Greenland", Peirce 1868), but made no offer.


text: A proposal for acquisition of Greenland was discussed within the American government in 1910 by United States Ambassador to Denmark Maurice Francis Egan. As suggested by Danish "persons of importance" who were friends of Egan, the United States would trade Mindanao for Greenland and the Danish West Indies; Denmark could then trade Mindanao to Germany for Northern Schleswig. Denmark regained Northern Schleswig from Germany after the German defeat in World War I following the 1920 Schleswig plebiscites.


text: In 1946, the United States offered Denmark $100 million ($ billion today) in gold bullion for Greenland. United States Senator Owen Brewster said in November 1945 that he considered buying the island "a military necessity". The planning and strategy committee of the Joint Chiefs of Staff determined in April 1946 that acquiring the "completely worthless to Denmark" island was vital to the United States.


text: William C. Trimble of the State Department agreed that while "there are few people in Denmark who have any real interest in Greenland, economic, political or financial", owning it would give the United States staging areas from which to launch military operations over the Arctic against America's adversaries. He suggested the $100 million price, and discussed an alternate offer of land in Point Barrow, Alaska. Had the Alaska trade occurred, from 1967 Denmark would have benefited from Prudhoe Bay Oil Field, the richest petroleum discovery in American history. Secretary of State James F. Byrnes made the $100 million offer on December 14, 1946, in a memorandum delivered to Danish foreign minister Gustav Rasmussen when he visited Washington.


text: The memorandum described the American position on what to do about an informal agreement made in 1941 by Danish Ambassador to the United States Henrik Kauffmann to station United States forces on Greenland. It suggested three alternatives: Two variations on the 1941 agreement—A 99-year lease on the existing American bases there, or the United States wholly taking over the defense of the island—or the purchase of Greenland. The United States preferred to purchase and believed that doing so was better for Denmark, as it would prevent criticism of American bases on Danish soil and save Denmark the cost of supporting Greenland. The American told the Dane that a sale "would be the most clean-cut and satisfactory".


text: "Our needs ... seemed to come as a shock to Rasmussen", Byrnes said. The memorandum indeed surprised the Dane; rumors at the time stated that the United States wanted to purchase Greenland, but the Danish government's position was that the United States would withdraw its troops, based upon language in the 1941 Kauffmann agreement that it remained in force "until agreement has been reached that current threats to the peace and security of the American continent have ended". The Danish government understood that the threats were the world war;


text: it did not know that the U.S. understood this to include postwar threats from the Soviet Union as well.


text: Rasmussen declined all three options, and returned to Denmark. He told United States Ambassador Josiah Marvel, "[w]hile we owe much to America I do not feel that we owe them the whole island of Greenland". The American offer surprised Rasmussen because of duplicity by Kauffmann, who with a friend at the United States Department of State advocated for an American presence in Greenland while not fully informing the Danish government. Kauffmann had minimized in his reports the importance of proposals of a takeover or purchase in the U.S. House of Representatives, saying that the idea was considered ridiculous by the U.S. government, when in fact it was not. He had also not conveyed important parts of a 1945 American proposal to keep its bases on the island after the war. Rasmussen visited Washington in 1946 expecting to annul the 1941 agreement, not understanding because of Kauffmann's duplicity why nothing had happened with the Danish government's previous overtures in that regard.


text: Reporting on the United States military's interest in purchasing it, "Time" in January 1947 stated that Lansing had erred in relinquishing the American claim to "the world's largest island and stationary aircraft carrier". The magazine predicted that Greenland "would be as valuable as Alaska during the next few years" for defense. "Time" observed that despite national pride "Denmark owes U.S. investors $70 million" while the country had a shortage of dollars, and rumors in Copenhagen stated that the price for the island would be $1 billion ($ billion today), or almost four times Denmark's aid from the Marshall Plan.


text: Selling Greenland might have made a return to Denmark's traditional neutrality easier, and would have provided funds the country greatly needed after the war. All Danish political parties rejected selling the island when they heard the rumors, however. Jens Sønderup said in a 1947 budget debate:


text: Rasmussen responded in the debate that the idea was absurd, and declared Denmark unwilling in any way to cede sovereignty over Greenland. The West Indies were only an investment to Danes, but from the Danish Golden Age of the 19th century they saw Danish overseas colonies in the North Atlantic, including Greenland, as part of their Viking history and national identity. The island was for Denmark similar to the British Raj for the United Kingdom, and Danes felt a paternalistic, "White Man's Burden"-like responsibility for its people. While Greenland did not contribute to the Danish economy, Denmark planned to expand trade and resource extraction there..


text: By offering to purchase Greenland, the United States told Denmark that it was not likely to ever leave. Denmark would not fully understand for another decade the island's strategic importance to the United States. The Danish government's own outlook on national security was more parochial, and did not extend to viewing Greenland as a part of that. The legal status of the 1941 arrangement was unsettled, with the United States still pressing for purchase and Denmark rejecting the offer, leaving matters at the "status quo ante" until the 1960s.


text: After the November 1947 Danish Folketing election, the new government of Hans Hedtoft continued and expanded Kauffmann's strategy of duplicity.


text: To the Danish public, it maintained that the United States would withdraw from Greenland as expected. To the United States the Hedtoft government stated that its own private position was that the American presence would remain. Its own private position was to persuade the United States to withdraw. Kauffmann likewise continued with his own personal agenda. The Danish government was not duplicitous on one point: It was not going to outright cede Greenland to a foreign power.


text: Marvel told Rasmussen that he should not do anything that would lead to the disclosure of anything that had transpired in Rasmussen's meeting with Byrnes. The Danish government kept the American interest secret from the public, as part of its own strategy. The 1947 offer was classified until the 1970s, and "Jyllands-Posten" reported on it in 1991.


text: By spring 1948 Denmark gave up on persuading the Americans to leave. Part of why the country joined NATO, Trade Minister Jens Otto Krag wrote in his diary, was that since "the USA's "de facto" partial occupation of Greenland (which we do not possess the power to prevent)" would cause the Soviet Union to see his country as an American ally, Denmark should benefit from the relationship. A scholar wrote in 1950 that, despite official denials of the rumors of an American purchase, because of Greenland's large expense to Denmark and strategic importance, "the potential sale of the island to the United States remains a distinct possibility". Some Danes hoped that as a NATO member the United States would discuss Greenlandic issues multilaterally, or vacate the bases as Denmark was an ally, but such did not occur. The April 1951 agreement between Denmark and the United States—which finally ended the 1941 agreement—stated, however, that it would remain in force as long as the NATO treaty did.


text: U.S. President Donald Trump discussed the idea of purchasing Greenland with senior advisers and Senator Tom Cotton, who proposed buying the island to Danish ambassador Lars Gert Lose in August 2018. Australian geologist Greg Barnes discussed the island's rare earths with 20 administration officials at the White House in July 2019. Supporters of an acquisition in and out of the Trump administration, including the Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs, reportedly discussed expanding the American partnership with the island, including a possible purchase. One official stated that the United States can subsidize Greenland for much more than Denmark can; the subsidy is less than the annual budget of El Paso, Texas. Cotton said that he suggested the purchase to the president because of the island's importance to American national security and great economic potential. "Anyone who can't see that is blinded by Trump derangement", Cotton said.


text: When the "Wall Street Journal" reported on Trump's discussions in August 2019, Premier of Greenland Kim Kielsen, Greenland's Minister of Foreign Affairs Ane Lone Bagger, the Greenlandic representatives in the Parliament of Denmark, Prime Minister of Denmark Mette Frederiksen, previous Prime Minister of Denmark and de facto leader of the opposition coalition Lars Løkke Rasmussen, and members of other parties, from the far-left Red–Green Alliance to the far-right Danish People's Party all rejected a sale. Statements ranged from simple diplomatic comments that "Greenland is not for sale" to strong refusals calling the idea of a sale of Greenland and its people "completely ridiculous". Some politicians suggested that Trump's proposal to buy Greenland had to be a joke. Frederiksen, already in Greenland, said "This is an absurd discussion" as "Greenland is not for sale. Greenland is not Danish. Greenland is Greenlandic". The prime minister emphasized Denmark's desire to continue close Denmark–United States relations, stating that she was open to increasing the American military presence.


text: On 20 August 2019, Trump canceled a planned state visit of the United States to Denmark over Frederiksen's remarks rejecting the possibility of a sale. The cancellation came shortly after Carla Sands, the American ambassador, had tweeted that "Denmark is ready for the POTUS @realDonaldTrump visit! Partner, ally, friend" and reportedly surprised the Danish government; according to the "New York Times", Denmark was bewildered by the news. The Danish government quickly communicated to the United States its support of American policy, including in the Arctic; the following day, Frederiksen invited "stronger cooperation" with the United States on Arctic affairs. After reiterating that Greenland was not for sale, Frederiksen repeated her statement about the importance of the United States alliance in English to ensure that American officials heard her words. The Danish attempt to placate the larger country apparently worked; later that day, United States Secretary of State Mike Pompeo phoned Danish foreign minister Jeppe Kofod, praising the Danish–American cooperation in the Arctic region, including Greenland, and the alliance between the two countries. Both also confirmed their intentions of strengthening the cooperation in the region. Danish analyst Kristian Mouritzen said that Pompeo helped Frederiksen "smooth things out with Trump", averting what was "becoming a very big problem for Denmark".


text: A diplomat in Beijing said that Trump was likely thinking of China when he offered to purchase Greenland. The president's interest showed that "the United States does not intend to leave ... which Greenland can do nothing about. Neither can Denmark" since 1941, Bo Lidegaard said. "That's just how it is in a world where ultimately the strongest are the ones to decide", with China and Russia worse alternatives, he added. Andreas Bøje Forsby of the University of Copenhagen said that Trump's interest was "a very clear signal to both China and Denmark that Greenland is part of an exclusive American strategic zone". Admiral , former head of the Royal Danish Navy, said "Trump's approach may be wacky but it does send a serious message to Russia and China – don't mess with us on Greenland. This is a complete game-changer".


text: American purchase supporters do not mention the Greenlandic independence movement in official documents to avoid annoying the Danish. Because the island can declare independence, it can affiliate with the United States. "The only way Trump would be able to buy Greenland would be to give them an offer they couldn't turn down", Ulrik Pram Gad of Aalborg University said. Jon Rahbek-Clemmensen of the Royal Danish Defence College predicted difficult negotiations for Denmark. He expected the island to seek diplomatic and financial benefits from Denmark and the United States, and Greenland and the United States possibly to negotiate bilaterally. Agreeing that they should negotiate without Denmark, "The London Globalist" suggested that "The United States should make clear that ... this [subsidy] will be enlarged enormously, however blunt and unseemly this instrument may be".


text: Islanders could use the possibility of American affiliation when negotiating with Denmark, said Thorsten Borring Olesen of Aarhus University. Poul Krarup, editor-in-chief of "Sermitsiaq", said that the American interest started a new domestic debate that might result in the island becoming more autonomous or independent from Denmark. He said that Greenlanders do not want to sell to the United States but want to cooperate as an equal partner, suggesting that Trump visit the island instead of Denmark to negotiate. While a majority of Greenlanders prefer Denmark to the United States, most prefer the latter to China. Another Greenlander hoped that Trump's interest would cause Denmark to "wake up and show Greenland some respect. A lot of Danes think everyone here is just a drunk Inuit. But now that America wants to buy us, maybe they can see there is much of value here". A third said that "for hundreds of years [Danes] earned many, many billions of kroner from Greenland" while neglecting Greenlanders, and hoped that the American attention would give them more power when negotiating with Denmark.


text: Krarup said that Greenlanders Trump offended with his offer were also angry at Denmark for discussing Greenland without them. While Trump needed to "change [his] attitude", Krarup hoped that the president's interest would change the island's political situation. Among Greenlandic politicians, Folketing MP Aaja Chemnitz Larsen said that the Danish government was already treating her island differently because of Trump. Frederiksen's "Greenland is not Danish. Greenland is Greenlandic" statement was, Gad said, the first time a Danish prime minister said that the island had some control over foreign or security issues. Pele Broberg of Partii Naleraq stated that with the American willingness to replace the Danish subsidy, Greenland had an alternative to Danish disinterest in Greenlandic independence. While rejecting a purchase he said that Denmark was not better than the United States, which already can do what it wants in Greenland. He proposed that the island begin the process in Danish law of becoming independent, and negotiate directly with the United States for American military and financial support. of the Democrats agreed, stating that Greenland should use Trump's offer to become independent of the Danish subsidy.


text: Islanders hoped that the publicity from Trump's interest would increase outside investment and tourism in Greenland. A real-estate company in Nuuk reported that international inquiries rose from one or two a year to 10 in the week after Trump's proposal. Krarup said that the president had "done us a service; he has made Greenland known throughout the world. The best advertisement we could get". The island needs American investment and subsidy for airports, roads, and United States air routes, Krarup said, which would also make Greenland more independent from Denmark. After the president joked that he would not build a Trump Tower there, Nordic travel agencies saw significantly more interest in tourism on the island; Krarup said that Greenlanders enjoyed the joke and interpreted it as Trump saying that he does not want to destroy Greenlandic culture, many responding on social media with "Make Greenland Great Again". Greenland's tourism bureau listed Trump's offer and previous American interest in the island on its website.


text: Martin Lidegaard, "Weekendavisen", Breitenbauch, and Hans Mouritzen of the Danish Institute for International Studies were among those who said that Trump forced Denmark to not ignore Greenland as usual, and imagine the two apart. Kielsen and Frederiksen likely will support additional American bases; Breitenbauch said that because the United States is his country's most important security partner, he described as a nightmare for Denmark the possibility of Trump demanding it choose between fulfilling the Wales Summit Declaration of defense spending as 2% of GDP, or keeping Greenland. Whether the island is independent or affiliated with Denmark or America, Breitenbauch said, the United States would continue military supremacy and to restrict foreign investments that affect national security.


text: Reopening its consulate increased American influence on islanders, and was consistent with Cain's 2007 proposal for directly communicating with Greenland. Vice President of the United States Mike Pence said that reopening it was "the culmination of the administration's efforts to strengthen our engagement in the Arctic region". Larsen said in October 2019 that the consulate was part of "a massive charm offensive from the US and 'soft power' in diplomacy", and that because of Danish neglect of its responsibilities in Greenland, a majority on the island might support American annexation in five to ten years. Espersen in November accused Greenlandic finance minister Vittus Qujaukitsoq of secret bilateral negotiations with American officials, defying Danish authority over foreign and security policy. As part of the "American charm offensive" ambassadors since Cain in 2007 had, Espersen said, "methodically prepared for the day when Greenland declares itself independently – so that the US could move in on the island at the same time". He asked Greenland to choose between Denmark and the United States. Qujaukitsoq denied the claim and said that his schedule of American meetings was public. While criticizing Espersen for distrusting the island's officials, Martin Lidegaard said that the United States had "aggressive interest in ... Greenland and the Arctic".


text: In 1939, United States Secretary of State Cordell Hull's staff advised him to not offer to buy Greenland. United States Secretary of War Harry Woodring said that the island was too far from American sea or air routes.


text: During the 1970s, Vice President of the United States Nelson Rockefeller suggested buying Greenland for mining. The proposal was first publicly reported in 1982 by Rockefeller's speechwriter Joseph E. Persico in his book "The Imperial Rockefeller".


text: In 1917, Denmark sold the Danish West Indies to the United States, which were renamed the United States Virgin Islands and made an unincorporated territory of the United States.


text: An acquisition of Greenland would give the United States permanent possession of an island that is crucial to its defense. The country would acquire vast amounts of natural resources—whether found or expected—including petroleum and rare minerals; the island has the largest deposits of rare earths outside China. Climate change may by 2030 make the Northern Sea Route the first of the Arctic shipping routes to be ice-free, connecting the Atlantic and Pacific oceans and greatly improving accessibility of Greenland's resources.


text: The United States would become the second-largest nation in the world by land area, after the Russian Federation. It would be the single-largest territorial acquisition in American history, slightly larger than the Louisiana Purchase.


text: In August 2019, the "Washington Post" estimated the purchase price of Greenland would fall between $200 million and $1.7 trillion, with a middle estimate of $42.6 billion. The lower figure was based on an inflation and size-adjusted valuation of what the United States paid for Alaska, and the higher figure based on a price-to-earnings ratio of 847, which the newspaper said might be justified based on future valuations of its mineral deposits combined with the possibility that it might become a residential destination due to the effects of climate change. FT Alphaville estimated a $1.1 trillion price for the territory. Its sum-of-the-parts analysis valued potential oil fields at $300 to 400 billion, rare-earth minerals at $500 to 700 billion, and real estate at $200 to $220 billion. The newspaper wrote that the US has "a history of accretive land acquisitions", with a 7.1% internal rate of return for the Louisiana Purchase, 7.4% for Manhattan, and 9.0% for Alaska. 24/7 Wall Street estimated a purchase price for Greenland of $533 billion, using Wyoming as a comparable. "If the United States wants it for the strategic value of its property, both on land and offshore, and to project military power, the answer is that a value of $500 billion is not overly rich", 24/7 Wall Street concluded.


title: The End (novel)

text: The End is the thirteenth and final novel in the children's novel series "A Series of Unfortunate Events" by Lemony Snicket. The book was released on Friday, October 13, 2006.


title: The End (novel)

text: The book begins with the Baudelaire orphans and Count Olaf on a boat heading away from the burning Hotel Denouement. After a storm, the Baudelaires arrive and are welcomed on an island by a young girl named Friday. Count Olaf, however, is not welcomed due to his snobby attitude and death threat to Friday.


title: The End (novel)

text: Later, the pregnant Kit Snicket (who first appeared in "The Grim Grotto") and a friendly snake known as the "incredibly deadly viper (a misnomer)" (which first appeared in "The Reptile Room") are shipwrecked on the island. Count Olaf disguises himself as Kit, but for the first time in the series, it fails to convince anybody. The Islanders, led by a man called Ishmael (who, multiple times, says that 'he won't force them' to do what he wants), capture him and shun the Baudelaires for possessing forbidden items.