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Ned Leeds

Edward "Ned" Leeds is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. A supporting character in stories featuring the superhero Spider-Man, he has been a reporter for the Daily Bugle, and husband of Betty Brant. Leeds is one of the characters that appears under the mantle of the supervillain Hobgoblin, for a long time believed to be his true identity. However, ten years following his assassination, he is retroactively established to have been brainwashed to serve as a stand-in for Roderick Kingsley and later left to be killed when he was no longer deemed necessary. The character was revived in a 2018–2022 storyline, with both Ned and Roderick brainwashed again by the Queen Goblin to serve as Hobgoblins once more, in service to her. Synergetic with his MCU adaptation, Ned's Hobgoblin was revealed to be a sorcerer, having trained under Baron Mordo in the art of reality-altering chaos magic in Symbiote Spider-Man.

Jacob Batalon portrays Ned Leeds in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), appearing in Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017), Avengers: Infinity War (2018), Avengers: Endgame and Spider-Man: Far From Home (both 2019), and The Daily Bugle and Spider-Man: No Way Home (both 2021).

Publication history
Created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko, Ned Leeds made his first appearance in The Amazing Spider-Man #18 (November 1964). His character is killed off in the one-shot Spider-Man vs. Wolverine (February 1987), written by then Spider-Man editor Jim Owsley. Tom DeFalco, Ron Frenz, and Peter David (of the creative teams on the ongoing Spider-Man books) found this objectionable, saying that Owsley gave them no warning that he was going to kill Leeds, then a regular cast member in the Spider-Man books. Frenz remarked:

"Owsley let Tom [DeFalco] and I continue with our plans without telling us in advance that he was going to kill Ned. We had no heads up until Spider-Man vs. Wolverine came out that Ned Leeds was killed in that story. I can't speak to why he did it, but I can speak to the way he did it. He kept it a big secret until we felt screwed."

Leeds was revealed to be the Hobgoblin in The Amazing Spider-Man #289.

Fictional character biography
Ned Leeds was a reporter for the Daily Bugle. He and Peter Parker compete for the affections of Daily Bugle secretary Betty Brant, but Parker drops out of the running due to realizing that Brant will not be able to accept Spider-Man's double identity. He would win outright when Betty went into stress induced shock after J. Jonah Jameson was attacked at the Daily Bugle by the Scorpion. Leeds and Brant are married shortly after. However, the couple's marriage is often strained, eventually becoming abusive.

When Spider-Man battles the Hobgoblin, Ned follows the Hobgoblin to a hideout. When the Hobgoblin realizes Ned is present, Ned is captured and brainwashed as a scapegoat in case of being unmasked. Wanting to find out about the Kingpin, Ned approaches Richard Fisk. Discovering that Richard hates the Kingpin, Leeds helps create Richard's secret identity as the Rose. The Hobgoblin manipulates Ned to remove the Kingpin from the scene. Ned's regular brainwashing causes his marriage with Betty and professional relationships to fall apart. Increasingly mentally unstable, Ned drives Betty to seek solace in Flash Thompson. While Flash makes statements about the Hobgoblin and events are staged so Flash is revealed as the enigmatic villain, Ned and Richard reach a disagreement and Ned decides to turn in the Rose to the Kingpin, and thus Ned is no longer needed as Hobgoblin. After Flash is cleared of being framed, the New York underworld empire is known that Ned is actually Hobgoblin and that he would soon be traveling to Berlin. Ned and Peter go on an assignment in Berlin, and Leeds is murdered by the Foreigner at Jason Macendale's request as a replacement Hobgoblin. The Kingpin presents photos of Ned in the Hobgoblin costume (which was obtained via the Foreigner) to Spider-Man in an attempt to get Spider-Man to go after the Foreigner. Peter reflected on Ned's death years later, believing Ned must have been framed as Hobgoblin as the Foreigner's non-superhuman operatives would never have been able to defeat the real Hobgoblin. Around this time, the original Hobgoblin returns to eliminate Macendale, revealing the deception of Leeds being a stand-in. Spider-Man and Betty subsequently provoked Roderick Kingsley into confessing to Ned's framing on tape.

During the "Dead No More: The Clone Conspiracy" storyline, a clone of Ned Leeds is created by Ben Reilly (posing as Jackal) and is seen in New U Technologies' facility Haven. The clone is revealed to have survived the end of the event and disguised himself as a hobo to continue watching over Betty. It is shown that Betty still cares for Ned. While still unaware of his survival, Ned feels that he is proud of Betty's accomplishments. The clone later dies during a conflict between Spider-Man, Rhino, Taskmaster and Black Ant and tries to warn Spider-Man of something after Betty in the near future, revealed to be the real Ned Leeds, apparently revived.

In Symbiote Spider-Man: Alien Reality, set before Ned's death, Ned is revealed to have become the sorcerer apprentice of Baron Mordo while serving as the Hobgoblin, training under him in the art of reality-altering chaos magic. On assisting Mordo in reshaping reality to make Mordo Sorcerer Supreme, Ned also makes himself Spider-Man's main archenemy, before luring the wall-crawler to the Sanctum Sanctorum to do battle with him, killing his Aunt May in front of Peter's newly resurrected uncle. Swearing revenge, Peter retreats into his own body, with Venom taking over his functions to train for years in a pocket dimension with Doctor Strange to defeat Ned, beating the Hobgoblin to a pulp as his girlfriend the Red Cat flees, before travelling into the realm of Nightmare to return reality to its normal state, with both Peter and Ned losing their memories of the "alien reality" as a result.

By the time Spider-Man meets Kindred in person during the "Last Remains" arc, he finds that Kindred had dug up the bodies of Ned Leeds, Ben Parker, George Stacy, Gwen Stacy, Jean DeWolff, and Marla Jameson and sat them around a dinner table.

In spite of this, Ned is revealed to have been alive all along, his body having resurrected himself immediately following his assassination due to him having ingested Norman Osborn's Goblin Formula beforehand. After spending years in hiding, stalking Betty, he reveals himself to her and convinces her to let him back into her life, getting back together with her and eventually even have a child together. In "The Hobgoblins' Last Stand", both Ned and Kingsley are both turned into Hobgoblins again by the Queen Goblin, serving as her enforcers.

"Peter Parker: 'If you're wondering whether the Hobgoblin is Ned Leeds or Roderick Kingsley… …The Answer is “Yes.” It's not a whole lot of fun, frankly.'"

Powers and abilities
Ned Leeds had a Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism, and was a master of deductive reasoning and investigation. He was a normal man who engaged in regular exercise, which increased to more intensive levels after assuming the Hobgoblin role. As the Hobgoblin, Ned wore his signature uniform and used the glider and equipment which included Jack O'Lantern bombs, razor bats and electrical shock gloves. However, he had no healing factor or superhuman strength, prior to ingesting the Goblin Formula, after which he developed superhuman strength, speed, reflexes, and stamina as well as a low-level rapid healing factor, the latter of which allow him to survive otherwise fatal gunshot wounds.

Ultimate Marvel
The Ultimate Marvel version of Ned Leeds is a reporter for the Daily Bugle and an alcoholic with an antagonistic relationship with Betty Brant.

Spider-Man Loves Mary Jane
Ned Leeds appears in the dramatic comic book Spider-Man Loves Mary Jane. In this continuity, the characters are high school students, and Ned is Mary Jane's boyfriend, who breaks up with her to reunite with his ex-girlfriend Betty Brant.

Television

 * Ned Leeds appears in Spider-Man (1994), voiced by Bob Bergen. This version is a reporter for the Daily Bugle.
 * Additionally, Leeds as the Hobgoblin serves as partial inspiration for the series version of the character, Jason Phillips, voiced by Mark Hamill.
 * A character based on Ned Leeds, named Ned Lee, appears in The Spectacular Spider-Man, voiced by Andrew Kishino. This version is a Korean-American reporter for the Daily Bugle who is convinced that he can uncover Spider-Man's secret identity and that the Green Goblin is connected. He also displays an attraction to his co-worker Betty Brant. He primarily makes minor appearances, investigating leads on Spider-Man's identity throughout the series, most notably determining it cannot be Peter Parker after Venom tried unsuccessfully to out the hero's identity.

Film

 * Ned Leeds appears in films set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), portrayed by Jacob Batalon. This version is Filipino-American and Peter Parker's best friend who is initially unaware of the latter's secret identity as Spider-Man and is partially inspired by Ganke Lee.
 * Introduced in Spider-Man: Homecoming, Leeds discovers Parker's secret identity and begins supporting him as his self-proclaimed "guy in the chair".
 * Leeds makes a cameo appearance in Avengers: Infinity War, aiding Parker by distracting their classmates so the latter can leave and help the Avengers.
 * Leeds makes a cameo appearance In Avengers: Endgame, sharing an emotional reunion with Parker following their return from the Blip.
 * In Spider-Man: Far From Home, Leeds becomes romantically involved with classmate Betty Brant despite his initial claims of being a single bachelor throughout a school field trip to Europe while supporting Parker's feelings for MJ. Following the end of the trip however, Leeds and Brant mutually break up and remain friends.
 * In Spider-Man: No Way Home, Leeds, Parker, and MJ have trouble applying to colleges after Mysterio publicly exposes Parker's identity. Parker seeks help from Doctor Strange for help in making everyone forget. However, Strange's spell backfires and pulls in supervillains who fought Spider-Man from across the multiverse. Strange tasks Parker, Leeds, and MJ with capturing the villains, but Parker traps Strange in the Mirror Dimension in an attempt to reform the villains. While using Strange's Sling Ring to find Parker, Leeds and MJ encounter two alternate universe versions of Parker that they nickname "Peter-Two" and "Peter-Three". Once the three Spider-Men defeat and cure the villains, Strange returns the displaced individuals to their respective home universes before Parker asks him to erase all memory of the latter from everyone in their universe, resulting in Leeds forgetting his friendship with Parker and Spider-Man's secret identity.
 * An alternate universe incarnation of Ned Leeds from Earth-65 makes a minor non-speaking appearance in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (2023) as one of Peter Parker's bullies.

Video games

 * Ned Leeds / Hobgoblin appears in Spider-Man and Captain America in Doctor Doom's Revenge.
 * Ned Leeds / Hobgoblin appears as a boss in The Amazing Spider-Man.
 * Ned Leeds / Hobgoblin appears in Spider-Man: The Video Game, voiced by David Hadinger.
 * Ned Leeds / Hobgoblin appears as a boss in The Amazing Spider-Man 2.

Miscellaneous
Ned Leeds / Hobgoblin appears in The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man, voiced by Pat Fraley. This version is a member of Doctor Octopus' Sinister Syndicate.

title: Ned Leeds


text: Template:Nirvana

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

title: Template:Nirvana


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Lava tube

A lava tube, or pyroduct, is a natural conduit formed by flowing lava from a volcanic vent that moves beneath the hardened surface of a lava flow. If lava in the tube empties, it will leave a cave.

Formation
A lava tube is a type of lava cave formed when a low-viscosity lava flow develops a continuous and hard crust, which thickens and forms a roof above the still-flowing lava stream. Tubes form in one of two ways: either by the crusting over of lava channels, or from pāhoehoe flows where the lava is moving under the surface.

Lava usually leaves the point of eruption in channels. These channels tend to stay very hot as their surroundings cool. This means they slowly develop walls around them as the surrounding lava cools and/or as the channel melts its way deeper. These channels can get deep enough to crust over, forming an insulating tube that keeps the lava molten and serves as a conduit for the flowing lava. These types of lava tubes tend to be closer to the lava eruption point.

Farther away from the eruption point, lava can flow in an unchanneled, fan-like manner as it leaves its source, which is usually another lava tube leading back to the eruption point. Called pāhoehoe flows, these areas of surface-moving lava cool, forming either a smooth or rough, ropy surface. The lava continues to flow this way until it begins to block its source. At this point, the subsurface lava is still hot enough to break out at a point, and from this point the lava begins as a new "source". Lava flows from the previous source to this breakout point as the surrounding lava of the pāhoehoe flow cools. This forms an underground channel that becomes a lava tube.

Characteristics
A broad lava-flow field often consists of a main lava tube and a series of smaller tubes that supply lava to the front of one or more separate flows. When the supply of lava stops at the end of an eruption or lava is diverted elsewhere, lava in the tube system drains downslope and leaves partially empty caves.

Such drained tubes commonly exhibit step marks on their walls that mark the various depths at which the lava flowed, known as flow ledges or flow lines depending on how prominently they protrude from the walls. Lava tubes generally have pāhoehoe floors, although this may often be covered in breakdown from the ceiling. A variety of speleothems may be found in lava tubes including a variety of stalactite forms generally known as lavacicles, which can be of the splash, "shark tooth", or tubular varieties. Lavacicles are the most common of lava tube speleothems. Drip stalagmites may form under tubular lava stalactites, and the latter may grade into a form known as a tubular lava helictite. A runner is a bead of lava that is extruded from a small opening and then runs down a wall. Lava tubes may also contain mineral deposits that most commonly take the form of crusts or small crystals, and less commonly, as stalactites and stalagmites. Some stalagmites may contain a central conduit and are interpreted as hornitos extruded from the tube floor.

Lava tubes can be up to 14 - 15 m wide, though are often narrower, and run anywhere from 1 - 15 m below the surface. Lava tubes can also be extremely long; one tube from the Mauna Loa 1859 flow enters the ocean about 50 km from its eruption point, and the Cueva del Viento–Sobrado system on Teide, Tenerife island, is over 18 km long, due to extensive braided maze areas at the upper zones of the system.

A lava tube system in Kiama, Australia, consists of over 20 tubes, many of which are breakouts of a main lava tube. The largest of these lava tubes is 2 m in diameter and has columnar jointing due to the large cooling surface. Other tubes have concentric and radial jointing features. The tubes are infilled due to the low slope angle of emplacement.

Extraterrestrial lava tubes
Lunar lava tubes have been discovered and have been studied as possible human habitats, providing natural shielding from radiation.

Martian lava tubes are associated with innumerable lava flows and lava channels on the flanks of Olympus Mons. Partially collapsed lava tubes are visible as chains of pit craters, and broad lava fans formed by lava emerging from intact, subsurface tubes are also common.

Caves, including lava tubes, are considered candidate biotopes of interest for extraterrestrial life.

Notable examples

 * Iceland
 * Surtshellir – For a long time, this was the longest known lava tube in the world.
 * Kenya
 * Leviathan Cave – At 12.5 kilometres, it is the longest lava tube in Africa.
 * South Korea
 * Manjang Cave – more than 8 kilometers long, located in Jeju Island, is a popular tourism spot.
 * United States
 * Kazumura Cave, Hawaii – Not only the world's most extensive lava tube, but at 40.7 mi, it has the greatest linear extent of any cave known.

title: Lava tube


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List of geological features on Triton

This is a list of named geological features on Triton.

Cavi
Tritonian cavi are named after mythological water spirits.

Fossae (ditches)
Tritonian fossae are named after sacred bodies of water.

Maculae (dark spots)
Tritonian maculae are named after water spirits from various mythologies.

Paterae (irregular craters)
Tritonian paterae are named after sacred waters and sea monsters from various mythologies.

Planitiae (plains)
Tritonian plains are named after watery realms in various mythologies.

Plana (plateaus)
Tritonian plateaus are named after legendary islands.

Plumes
Volcanic plumes on Triton are named after water spirits in various mythologies.

Regiones (regions)
Tritonian regions are named after images from various mythologies.

Sulci
Sulci are long, parallel grooves. Tritonian sulci are named after sacred rivers in the mythology of various cultures.

title: List of geological features on Triton


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Roman Catholic Diocese of Sofia and Plovdiv

The Diocese of Sofia and Plovdiv (Diœcesis Sophiae et Philippopolis) is a Latin diocese of the Catholic Church  which includes the whole southern part of Bulgaria. The remainder of Bulgaria falls within the Diocese of Nicopoli. The diocese is exempt, i.e. immediately subject of the Holy See, not part of any ecclesiastical province. The seat of the episcopal see is the Cathedral of St Louis is in Plovdiv and there is a new co-cathedral in Sofia — the Cathedral of St. Joseph, consecrated on May 21, 2006 by Cardinal Angelo Sodano. The construction was symbolically started by Pope John Paul II during his visit in Sofia in 2002.

History
The former name of the city, and of the previous diocese (now Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria) was Serdica, the city of the Serdi, a Celtic people defeated by Crassus in 29 BC and subjected to the Kingdom of Thrace, then a vassal state of republican Rome. When this kingdom was suppressed in 49 BC, the Serdi were included in the Roman Province of Thracia. Roman Emperor Trajan transformed the borough of the Serdi into a city which he called Ulpia Serdica. In 275 Aurelian caused Dacia beyond the Danube to be evacuated, and transplanted to Moesia and Roman Thracia the soldiers and colonists who were faithful to the Roman cause. The country occupied by these immigrants formed the new Province of Dacia, Sardica being included in this province (Homo, "Essai sur le règne de l'empereur Aurélien", pp. 313–21). Later, Diocletian divided Dacia into Dacia Ripensis and Dacia Mediterranea. Sardica was the civil and ecclesiastical metropolis of the latter. Gallienus established a mint at Sardica, and Constantine the Great, who was born in the region, contemplated making it his capital. The Edict of Serdica ending the Diocletian persecution was signed into law here.

Ecclesiastically, Sardica belonged to the Patriarchate of Rome until 733, when it was annexed to the Patriarchate of Constantinople until 809. Upon the conversion of the Bulgarians to Christianity in 865, Sardica was one of the first cities which had an episcopal see. Until 1204 it was included in the Graeco-Bulgarian Patriarchate of Achrida, until 1393 in the Bulgarian Patriarchate of Tirnovo and until 1872 again in the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople. Since then Sardica, which is now called Sophia, belongs to the Orthodox national Church of Bulgaria.

The earliest known bishop is Protagenes, who assisted at the First Council of Nicaea in 325; the best known is Bonosus, who shortly afterwards attacked the virginity of the Blessed Virgin.

Julian of Sardica who was metropolitan of Dacia Meditteranea attended the Council of Ephesus, in 431.

When it was captured by the Bulgars, they changed its name to Sredetz, later transformed by the Greeks into Sraditza and Triaditza. Again occupied by the 'Greek' Byzantines from 1018 to 1186, it enjoyed great prosperity; a section of the population was Paulician or Manichaean, heresies from both Catholic and (later) Orthodox points of view. After some years of troubles it again fell into the power of the Bulgars. Its present name of Sophia dates from the Middle Ages, though the precise date of its first use cannot be assigned; in the sixteenth century Sredetz and Sophia were used simultaneously. In 1382 the city was captured by the Ottoman Turks, and for more than four centuries it was the residence of the beglerbeg (governor general) of all Rumelia. In 1878 Sophia was chosen as the capital of the tributary Principality of Bulgaria, and since 1908 became the capital of the Kingdom of Bulgaria, later of the present republic.

Ancient Bishopric
Melitone (2nd century) Giuliano (4th century) Protogene (316 - 343) Apollinare (fl380 ) Giuliano(424 - 431) Zosimo (fl 458) Domnus (fl 516) Basil (553 - circa. 550) Teupreprio † (6th century) Felice (fl 594) Eutimio(9th or 10th century)

Council of Sardica
The Council of Sardica was summoned as an Ecumenical Council in 342, 343, or 347 in response to the Arian Heresy. Emperors Constans and Constantius, the two remaining sons of Constantine worked together at the urging of Pope Julius in response to this heresy that not only divided the church, but the state as well. Constans, Augustus in Rome, favored the Nicene bishops while Constantius, Augustus in Constantinople, often supported Arian ones. To help insure equal representation to solve this divisive issue, Sardica (now Sofia in Bulgaria) was chosen as a location near the division between eastern and western portions of the Roman State. However, fearing domination of the council by Western bishops, many Eastern bishops left the council to hold another council in Philippopolis. As a result, the Council of Sardica failed to universally represent the church and is not one of the official Ecumenical Councils.

Sardica produced 21 canon. In addition to the attempt to resolve the Arian issue, other major points were:
 * 1) Bishops should not attempt to recruit from diocese other than their own
 * 2) Bishops should be permanent residents of their own diocese
 * 3) Bishops should spend most of their time in their own diocese (not at the court in Rome)
 * 4) Bishops should not be transferred to another diocese

Modern Catholic jurisdiction in Sofia
An Apostolic vicariate (missionary pre-diocesan jurisdiction, entitled to a titular bishop) was created here at an early date and confided to the Franciscans. In 1610 Rome reestablished – but now as a suffragan bishopric – the episcopal see of Sophia, which in 1643 was made archiepiscopal again. It was suppressed towards the end of the eighteenth century, because the Catholics felt persecuted by the Turks and had emigrated, mostly to imperial Austria-Hungary and Russia, yet in 1758 restored, now as Apostolic Vicariate of Sofia–Plovdiv. Relative peace was restored in 1835, and Rome confided the direction of the Catholics to the Redemptorists, under a vicar Apostolic who had not received episcopal consecration. The Redemptorists were replaced by the Capuchins in 1841, their superior being consecrated bishop in 1848.

In the early 20th century a titular bishop (of various other sees) was the head of this vicariate Apostolic. Sophia had 105,000 inhabitants, of whom a small number are Catholics. The Christian Brothers had a school there, and the Sisters of St. Joseph of the Apparition three convents.

Episcopal ordinaries
(incomplete?; all Latin Rite)

 * Metropolitan Archbishops of Sofia
 * Petrus Deodatus, Friars Minor (O.F.M.) (1642 – death 1672), Titular Bishop of Callipolis (1638.02.13 – 1642), succeeding as former Coadjutor Bishop of Sofia (Bulgaria) (1638.02.13 – 1642)
 * Pavao Joščić (? – 1719.07)
 * Marko Andrijašević (1723.11.20 – ?)
 * Gjergj Radovani (1767–1771)
 * Paolo Dovanli (1771–1776)

Apostolic Vicars of Sofia–Plovdiv
 * Giovanni Nepomuceno, Holy Ghost Fathers (C.SS.R.) (?–?)
 * Andrea Canova (1851–1856)
 * Francesco Domenico Raynaud (Reynaudi), Capuchin Franciscans (O.F.M. Cap.) † (12 Dec 1867 Appointed – 1885 Resigned), Titular Bishop of Ægeæ (1867.12.12 – 1885.05.05), Titular Archbishop of Stauropolis (1885.05.05 – death 1893.07.24)
 * Roberto Menini, O.F.M. Cap. † (19 May 1885 Appointed – 14 Oct 1916 Died), succeeding as former Coadjutor Vicar Apostolic of Sofia–Plovdiv (Bulgaria) (1880.01.30 – 1885.05.05) & Titular Bishop of Metellopolis (1880.01.30 – 1885.05.19), emeritate as Titular Archbishop of Gangra (1885.05.19 – 1916.10.14)
 * Vinkenti Peev (Cleto Vincenzo Pejov), O.F.M. Cap. † (14 Oct 1916 Succeeded – 1941 Died), succeeding as former Coadjutor Vicar Apostolic of Sofia–Plovdiv (Bulgaria) (1912.12.13 – 1916.10.14) & Titular Bishop of Lyrbe (1912.12.13 – 1941.11.03)
 * Ivan Romanov (Catholic bishop) † (6 Jul 1942 Appointed – 1959 Died), Titular Bishop of Prizren (Kosovo) (1942.07.06 – 1959)
 * Apostolic Administrator Simeon Kokov (Kokoff), O.F.M. (1958.04.20 – 1974.07.11)
 * Bogdan Stefanov Dobranov † (22 Jul 1975 Appointed – 1978.12.14 see below), Titular Bishop of Giufi (1959.10.10 – 1978.12.14)

 * Suffragan Bishops of Sofia–Plovdiv
 * Bogdan Stefanov Dobranov † (see above 1978.12.14 – 4 Oct 1983 Died)
 *  Apostolic Administrator 1988.07.06 – 1995.11.13 see below) Gheorghi Ivanov Jovcev, Titular Bishop of Lamphua (1988.07.06 – 1995.11.13)
 * Gheorghi Ivanov Jovcev (see above 13 Nov 1995 Appointed – ... )

Titular see of Philippopolis
The position of a Titular Bishop of Philippopolis (in Thracia) (i.e. Plovdiv) existed since 1893 and 1967

It was originally just called Philippopolis, until 'in Thracia' was added (distinguishing it from several homonymous sees) in 1926 (in curiate Italian; also in Latin in 1933).

It is vacant for decades, having been occupied by the following individuals:
 * Giovanni Giorgio Topich, O.F.M. (10 Jul 1859 – 11 Jun 1868)
 * Félix-Clair Ridel, M.E.P. (27 Apr 1869 – 20 Jun 1884)
 * José Tomás Mazarrasa y Rivas (21 Feb 1885 – 11 Mar 1907 )
 * Macario Sorini: 1893–1895
 * François Lesné: 1896–1910
 * Bonaventura Cerretti: 1914–1914, later Cardinal
 * Wincenty Kluczynski: 1914–1917
 * Ernesto Cozzi: 1920–1926
 * Jean-Pierre Rey: 1926–1930
 * Carlo Salotti: 1930–1935, later Cardinal
 * Ivan Rafael Rodić: 1936–1954
 * Franjo Šeper: 1954–1960, later Cardinal
 * Emile-Arsène Blanchet: 1960–1967

Sources and external links

 * GigaCatholic Sofia-Plovid
 * GigaCatholic Titular Metropolitan Philippopolis in Thracia
 * Council of Sardica
 * Arms of the Cross site (Unification of Catholic and Orthodox)
 * English translations of the Greek and Latin versions of the canon
 * Canon and documentation as to when the council was actually held
 * Canon and documentation as to when the council was actually held


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List of complexity classes

This is a list of complexity classes in computational complexity theory. For other computational and complexity subjects, see list of computability and complexity topics.

Many of these classes have a 'co' partner which consists of the complements of all languages in the original class. For example, if a language L is in NP then the complement of L is in co-NP. (This does not mean that the complement of NP is co-NP—there are languages which are known to be in both, and other languages which are known to be in neither.)

"The hardest problems" of a class refer to problems which belong to the class such that every other problem of that class can be reduced to it.

title: List of complexity classes


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Talk:Ned Leeds

Retcon
What does "retconned" mean? --Tagishsimon

 * Subsequent stories rewrote the information. In this case it was a limited series entitled "Hobgoblin Lives", about 8 years ago now. Timrollpickering 01:40, 25 Jun 2004 (UTC)

Pictures
I propose we add some pictures of Ned Leeds, aswell as one with him as the Hobgoblin. What do you think? 70.58.221.220

Main suspect
Ned Leeds was the main suspect when the Green Goblin's identity was still a secret

Is there any evidence for this? It's been a while since I've read the stories but I can't recall much that really pushed Leeds as a suspect - the only suspect investigated (and cleared) was Frederick Foswell. It does, however, seem likely he was Ditko's choice (see the quote on Green Goblin) but I think someone may have over extrapolated the details on the Spidey Kicks Butt article at http://www.spideykicksbutt.com/SquanderedLegacy/SquanderedLegacyPart1.html Timrollpickering (talk) 00:28, 9 April 2008 (UTC)

Out-universe editorial info on the Leeds-Kingsley controversy
As I understand it, Roger Stern originally wanted Roderick Kingsley to be the Hobgoblin, but it was later revealed to be Leeds, either because of editorial disagreement, or because Stern left the title for other reasons before the reveal could be written. I read the book Stern wrote several years ago in which he established that Kingsley was indeed Hobs, and not Leeds, and addressed some of the continuity issues and logic problems with the idea of Leeds being the villain, but none of this is currently mentioned in the article. It needs to be added, and with proper sources.

Also, the pic currently in the Infobox is indeed an important one, but since he was not really Hobgoblin, it should be moved further down in the article, and replaced with a more neutral one that shows him in normal attire.

Replacement for main article picture
As others have pointed out in this discussion page, it is misleading to have Ned Leeds' in the Hobgoblin attire as his main article photo, given that he was not the main Hobgoblin (Roderick Kingsley was). I propose we replace that picture with a different one that highlights his position as a Daily Bugle employee.

Quirky-artist-charlie (talk) 15:59, 12 December 2017 (PST)

I just wanted to acknowledge that the image was changed in July 2019. Thank you! Quirky-artist-charlie (talk) 05:56, 18 November 2021 (UTC)

Image deletion nomination(s)
One or more images currently used in this article have been nominated for deletion as violations of the non-free content criteria (NFCC).

You can read more about what this means and why these files are being nominated for deletion at Wikipedia talk:WikiProject Comics.

You can participate at the deletion discussion(s) at Files for discussion/2020 May 1. If you are not familiar with NFCC-related deletion discussions, I recommend reading the post linked above first.

Sincerely, The Squirrel Conspiracy (talk) 00:25, 1 May 2020 (UTC)

MCU movies
Why is the listing for No Way Home a synopsys of the entire movie instead of focus on the Ned character? 24.32.230.242 (talk) 14:13, 11 March 2024 (UTC)

title: Talk:Ned Leeds


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Bull Connor

Theophilus Eugene "Bull" Connor (July 11, 1897 – March 10, 1973) was an American politician who served as Commissioner of Public Safety for the city of Birmingham, Alabama, for more than two decades. A member of the Democratic Party, he strongly opposed the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s. Under the city commission government, Connor had responsibility for administrative oversight of the Birmingham Fire Department and the Birmingham Police Department, which also had their own chiefs.

As a white supremacist, Bull Connor enforced legal racial segregation and denied civil rights to black citizens, especially during 1963's Birmingham campaign led by the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. He is well known for directing the use of fire hoses and police attack dogs against civil rights activists, including against children supporting the protests. National media broadcast these tactics on television, horrifying much of the world. The outrages served as catalysts for major social and legal change in the Southern United States and contributed to passage by the United States Congress of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

Early life
Connor was born in 1897 in Selma, Alabama, the son of Molly (Godwin) and Hugh King Connor, a train dispatcher and telegraph operator.

Career
He entered politics as a Democrat in 1934 winning a seat in the Alabama House of Representatives and maintained that party affiliation throughout his career. As a legislator, he supported populist measures and pro-union policies for white people. He voted for extending the poll tax, which served as a barrier to voter registration by poor blacks and whites, and against an anti-sedition bill intended to stifle union activity. He did not stand for a second term in 1936, instead running for Commissioner of Public Safety for the City of Birmingham. Concurrently during this period, Connor served as the radio play-by-play broadcaster of the minor league Birmingham Barons baseball club spanning the 1932 through 1936 seasons. Willie Mays remembered listening to him call games: "Pretty good announcer, too, although I think he used to get too excited."

Commissioner of Public Safety (1936–1954, 1957–1963)
In 1936, Connor was elected to the office of commissioner of Public Safety of Birmingham, beginning the first of two stretches that spanned a total of 26 years. His first stretch ended in 1952, but he was re-elected in 1956, serving to 1963.

In 1938, Connor ran as a candidate for Governor of Alabama. He announced he would be campaigning on a platform of "protecting employment practices, law enforcement, segregation and other problems that have been historically classified as states' rights by the Democratic party".

In 1948, Connor's officers arrested the U.S. Senator from Idaho, Glen H. Taylor. He was the running mate of Progressive Party presidential candidate Henry Wallace, former Democratic vice president. Taylor, who had attempted to speak to the Southern Negro Youth Congress, was arrested for violating Birmingham's racial segregation laws. Connor's effort to enforce the law was caused by the group's reported communist philosophy, with Connor noting at the time, "There's not enough room in town for Bull and the Commies."

During the 1948 Democratic National Convention, Connor led the Alabama delegation in a walkout when the national party included a civil rights plank in its platform. The offshoot States' Rights Democratic Party (Dixiecrats) nominated Strom Thurmond for president at its convention in Birmingham's Municipal Auditorium.

Connor's second run for governor failed in 1954. He was the center of controversy that year by pushing through a city ordinance in Birmingham that outlawed "communism."

Civil rights era
Before returning to office in 1956, Connor quickly resumed his brutal approach to dealing with perceived threats to the social order. His forces raided a meeting which was being held at the house of African-American activist Reverend Fred Shuttlesworth, where three Montgomery ministers were in attendance. He feared that the Montgomery bus boycott which was under way would spread to Birmingham, in an effort to integrate city buses. He had the ministers arrested on charges of vagrancy, which meant that they were not allowed to pay bail, nor were they allowed to receive any visitors during the first three days of their incarceration. A federal investigation followed, but Connor refused to cooperate.

In 1960, Connor was elected Democratic National Committeeman for Alabama, soon after filing a civil lawsuit against The New York Times for $1.5 million. He objected to what he claimed was their insinuation that he had promoted racial hatred. He dropped his claim for damages to $400,000; the case dragged on for six years until Connor lost a $40,000 judgment on appeal.

Freedom Riders
In the spring of 1961, integrated teams of civil rights activists mounted what they called "Freedom Rides" to highlight the illegal imposition of racial segregation on interstate buses, whose operations came under federal law and the constitution. They had teams ride Greyhound and Trailways buses traveling through southern capitals, with the final stop intended as New Orleans. The teams encountered increasing hostility and violence as they made their way deeper into the South.

On May 2, 1961, Connor had won a landslide election for his sixth term as Commissioner of Public Safety in Birmingham. As Commissioner, he had administrative authority over the police and fire departments, schools, public health service, and libraries, all of which were segregated by state law. Tom King, a candidate running for mayor of Birmingham, met with Connor on May 8, 1961, to pay his respects. In addition, he asked him to refrain from announcing support for the other leading mayoral candidate, Art Hanes, so that King's chances would be greater. At the end of the meeting, Connor noted that he was expecting the Freedom Riders to reach Birmingham the following Sunday, Mother's Day. He stated, "We'll be ready for them, too," and King responded, "I bet you will, Commissioner," as he walked out.

After a stop in Anniston, Alabama, the Greyhound bus of the Freedom Riders was attacked. They were offered no police protection. After they left town, they were forced to stop by a violent mob that firebombed and burned the bus, but no activists were fatally hurt. A new Greyhound bus was placed into service and departed for Birmingham. The activists on the earlier Trailways bus had been accosted by Ku Klux Klan members who boarded the bus in Atlanta and beat up the activists, pushing them all to the back of the bus.

The Freedom Riders arrived in Birmingham on May 14, 1961. As the Trailways bus reached the terminal in Birmingham, a large mob of Klansmen and news reporters was waiting for them. The Riders were viciously attacked soon after they disembarked from the bus and attempted to gain service at the whites-only lunch counter. Some were taken to the loading dock area, away from reporters, but some reporters were also beaten with metal bars, pipes, and bats and one's camera was destroyed. After 15 minutes, the police finally arrived, but by then most Klansmen had left.

Connor intentionally let the Klansmen beat the Riders for 15 minutes with no police intervention. He publicly blamed the violence on many factors, saying that "No policemen were in sight as the buses arrived, because they were visiting their mothers on Mother's Day". He insisted that the violence came from out-of-town meddlers and that police had rushed to the scene "as quickly as possible." The violence was covered by national media.

He said: "As I have said on numerous occasions, we are not going to stand for this in Birmingham. And if necessary we will fill the jail full and we don't care whose toes we step on. I am saying now to these meddlers from out of our city the best thing for them to do is stay out if they don't want to get slapped in jail. Our people of Birmingham are a peaceful people and we never have any trouble here unless some people come into our city looking for trouble. And I've never seen anyone yet look for trouble who wasn't able to find it."

In 1962, Connor ordered the closing of 60 Birmingham parks rather than follow a federal court order to desegregate public facilities.

In November 1962, in response to the extremely negative perception of the city—it was derisively nicknamed "Bombingham" by outsiders for the numerous attacks on the homes and churches of black civil rights activists—Birmingham voters changed the city's form of government. Rather than an at-large election of three commissioners, who had specific oversight of certain city departments, there would be a mayor-council form of government. Members of the city council were to be elected from nine single-member districts. Blacks were still largely disenfranchised. For instance, in 1961 when the president of the city's Chamber of Commerce was visiting Japan, he saw a newspaper photo of a bus engulfed in flames, which occurred during the Freedom Rides. Bull Connor had arranged for opponents to have time to attack civil rights activists when their bus reached Birmingham.

Endorsed by Governor George C. Wallace, Connor attempted to run for mayor, but lost on April 2, 1963. Connor and his fellow commissioners filed suit to block the change in power, but on May 23, 1963, the Supreme Court of Alabama ruled against them. Connor ended his 23-year tenure in the post. Citing a general law, he had argued that the change could not take effect until the October 1 following the date of the election, but the Supreme Court of Alabama held that the general law was preempted by a special law applicable to only the City of Birmingham.

Birmingham campaign
Local civil rights activists had been unable to negotiate much change with the city or business leaders, in their efforts to gain integration of facilities and hiring of blacks by local businesses. They invited Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and his team to help mount a more concerted campaign. The day after the April election, Dr. King and local civil rights leaders began "Project 'C'" (for "confrontation") against the Birmingham business community. They used economic boycotts and demonstrations to seek integration of stores and job opportunities. Throughout April 1963, King led smaller demonstrations, which resulted in his arrest along with many others.

King wanted to have massive arrests to highlight the brutal police tactics used by Connor and his subordinates. (By extension, the campaign was intended to demonstrate the general suppression by other Southern police officials as well). After King was arrested and jailed, he wrote his Letter from Birmingham Jail, which became noted as a moral argument for civil rights activism. The goal of the campaign was to gain mass arrests of non-violent protesters and overwhelm the judicial and penal systems. It would also demonstrate to national media and local residents the strong desire of African Americans to exercise their constitutional rights as citizens.

Children's Crusade
In the final phase of Project C, the Southern Christian Leadership Conference's James Bevel introduced a controversial new tactic of using young people in the demonstrations. Most adults were working for bosses who openly threatened their jobs with termination for participating in the demonstrations. On May 2, 1963, the first youths and students walked out of the 16th Street Baptist Church and attempted to march to Birmingham's City Hall to talk to the Mayor. By the end of the day, 959 children, ranging from ages 6–18, had been arrested.

The next day, even more students joined the marches, against whom Connor ordered the use of fire hoses and attack dogs. This did not stop the demonstrators, but generated bad publicity for Connor through the news media. The use of fire hoses continued and by May 7, Connor and the police department had detained more than 3,000 demonstrators.

The Black Americans' economic boycott of businesses that refused to hire them and downtown stores that kept segregated facilities helped gain negotiation by the city's business leaders. The SCLC and the Senior Citizens Committee, who represented a majority of Birmingham businesses, came to an agreement. On May 10, they agreed on desegregation of lunch counters, restrooms, fitting rooms, and drinking fountains at department stores, the upgrading in position and hiring of blacks, cooperation with SCLC legal representatives in releasing all detainees, and the establishment of formal communication between black and whites through the Senior Citizens Committee.

Later life and death
On June 3, 1964, Connor resumed a place in government when he was elected president of the Alabama Public Service Commission. He suffered a stroke on December 7, 1966, and used a wheelchair for the rest of his life. Connor won another term in 1968, but was defeated in 1972.

He suffered another stroke on February 26, 1973, which left him unconscious. He died a few weeks later, in March of that year. Survivors included his widow, Beara, a daughter, and a brother, Ed Connor.

Legacy
Connor's brutality and violence against civil rights activists contributed to Ku Klux Klan and other violence against black people in the city of Birmingham. On a Sunday in September 1963, the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing destroyed a portion of the church basement causing the death of four African-American girls, Addie Mae Collins age 14, Carol Denise McNair age 11, Carole Rosamond Robertson age 14, and Cynthia Dionne Wesley, age 14. The church was known as the center of civil rights activities in Birmingham. The city and movement leaders had just reached a negotiated agreement on integration of facilities and jobs. The deaths of the children prompted the Attorney General Robert Kennedy to call Governor George Wallace and threaten to send in federal troops to control violence and bombings in Birmingham.

In popular culture

 * Connor is mentioned in contemporary folk singer Phil Ochs's 1965 song "Talking Birmingham Jam".
 * Connor is played by Kenneth McMillan in the 1978 television miniseries King.
 * Spike Lee's 1997 documentary 4 Little Girls, which is about the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing, includes footage of Connor and interviews with people describing police tactics during his tenure.
 * Footage of Connor appears in the 1999 film Our Friend, Martin, in which he is voiced by veteran voice artist Frank Welker.
 * Connor is cited by name in the 2014 film Selma as an example of a particular type of bullying public official and police officer whose tolerance, or encouragement, of violence towards Civil Rights campaigners plays into the hands of the media-conscious SCLC and Martin Luther King Jr.
 * Connor is referenced in the syndicated comic strip The Boondocks, where Huey Freeman mistakes a man washing his car for Connor. Connor also appears as an antagonist in the 2014 episode "Freedom Ride or Die" in the animated TV series based on the strip.
 * Connor is framed as an antagonist in John Lewis's graphic novel memoir series March, appearing in the 2015 second novel of the trilogy as an opposition to the Freedom Riders and general racial equality.
 * In the movie The Ladykillers, the character played by JK Simmons stands up to another character and says 'You don't scare me, Bull Connor didn't scare me.'

title: Bull Connor


text:
Talk:Sebastián de Belalcázar

Untitled
THhe great page I just read was over soperb it was tremendase thank you were great SassySammie

The link at the bottom is dead. You might want to remove it... Arska — Preceding unsigned comment added by 195.197.214.4 (talk) 10:04, 16 May 2012 (UTC)

title: Talk:Sebastián de Belalcázar


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Jakki Degg

Jakki Degg (born 20 February 1978) is an English glamour model and actress. While the bulk of her work has been done in England, she has appeared in American film and television, and has posed for posters and magazine pictorials.

Early life
Although born in Stone, Degg, daughter of David Degg, was raised in Hednesford, Staffordshire, England. Degg studied dance as a child, particularly ballet, and won several competitions. She went on to hairdressing school and managed a salon of her own by age 20.

Modelling
Jakki became famous when, at her mother's encouragement, she entered and won the inaugural Max Power magazine babes competition. Following this she became a Page 3 girl for The Sun newspaper. She has posed topless and semi-nude for lad mags such as Front.

Acting
She has appeared on television several times. She had a small role in the drama Is Harry on the Boat? (Sky One) and played the lead in the short film Remember My Dream, directed by Joao Costa Menezes. She was also a stand-in for the TV show The Games but was not used. She wielded a shotgun on Channel 4's Banzai as viewers were encouraged to wager on how many balloons she would pop with it.

Degg won the Page 3 model charity special edition of BBC1's The Weakest Link, beating Leilani Dowding in the sudden death round, with her winnings going to the RSPCA. However, her appearance on the show's 1,000th episode was short lived, as she was the first contestant eliminated on a countback. She was sent off after incorrectly answering the question: "In the abbreviated names of fruit and veg often found in a greengrocers, pots is an abbreviation of which word?", to which Degg answered "Pottery"; the correct answer was potatoes.

In 2004 she won the Celebrity 24 Hour Quiz on ITV with her winnings also going to the RSPCA.

She also appeared in The Poker Academy, and the American film Eurotrip.

title: Jakki Degg


text:
Bucket elevator

A bucket elevator, also called a grain leg, is a mechanism for hauling flowable bulk materials (most often grain or fertilizer) vertically.

It consists of:
 * 1) Buckets to contain the material;
 * 2) A belt to carry the buckets and transmit the pull;
 * 3) Means to drive the belt;
 * 4) Accessories for loading the buckets or picking up the material, for receiving the discharged material, for maintaining the belt tension and for enclosing and protecting the elevator.

A bucket elevator can elevate a variety of bulk materials from light to heavy and from fine to large lumps.

A centrifugal discharge elevator may be vertical or inclined. Vertical elevators depend entirely on centrifugal force to get the material into the discharge chute, and so must be run at a relatively high speed. Inclined elevators with buckets spaced apart or set close together may have the discharge chute set partly under the head pulley. Since they do not depend entirely on centrifugal force to put the material into the chute, their speed may be slower.

Nearly all centrifugal discharge elevators have spaced buckets with rounded bottoms. They pick up their load from a boot, a pit, or a pile of material at the foot pulley.

The buckets can be also triangular in cross-section and set close together on the belt with little or no clearance between them. This is a continuous bucket elevator. Its main use is to carry difficult materials at a slow speed.

Early bucket elevators used a flat chain with small, steel buckets attached every few inches. While some elevators are still manufactured with a chain and steel buckets, most current bucket elevators use a rubber belt with plastic buckets. Pulleys several feet in diameter are used at the top and bottom. The top pulley is driven by an electric motor.

The bucket elevator is the enabling technology that permitted the construction of grain elevators. A diverter at the top of the elevator allows the grain to be sent to the chosen bin.

A similar device with flat steps is occasionally used as an elevator for humans, e.g. for employees in parking garages. (This sort of elevator is generally considered too dangerous for use by the public.)

Bucket elevator styles
There are three common bucket elevator designs seen in bulk material handling facilities worldwide:

 * Centrifugal Discharge Elevator – This is the typical style of elevator used in many grain handling facilities. The elevator buckets discharge the grain freely, using centrifugal force. The grain is flung out of the bucket into the discharge spout at the top of the elevator. The most common style of agricultural elevator bucket is the "CC" style. This style can be recognized by the four breaks in the inside bottom of the bucket, straight sides, and the presence of high sides or "ears".
 * Continuous Discharge Elevator – This style of bucket elevator is used typically to discharge sluggish and non-free flowing materials; the elevator buckets discharge on top of each other. To achieve the required centrifugal force, a speed of around 6 metres (20 feet) per second is used. Common styles of elevator buckets used are the MF, HF, LF, and HFO due to their "V" style, among other attributes.
 * Positive Discharge Elevator – Buckets are used to elevate delicate products such as popcorn, candy and potato chips (British: crisps), for which gentle handling is very important. This style elevator bucket operates off a double strand chain; the buckets are held in place by two pins so that they can swivel freely. To discharge the bucket, it is mechanically flipped, but until then the bucket is held parallel to the floor and upright. These elevators typically form an "S" or "L" in design and run throughout a plant.

title: Bucket elevator


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John Landis

John David Landis (born August 3, 1950) is an American filmmaker and actor. He is best known for directing comedy films such as The Kentucky Fried Movie (1977), National Lampoon's Animal House (1978), The Blues Brothers (1980), An American Werewolf in London (1981), Trading Places (1983), Three Amigos (1986), Coming to America (1988) and Beverly Hills Cop III (1994). He also directed the music videos for Michael Jackson's "Thriller" (1983) and "Black or White" (1991).

Landis later ventured into television work, including the series Dream On (1990), Weird Science (1994) and Sliders (1995). He also directed several episodes of the 2000s horror anthology series Masters of Horror and Fear Itself, as well as commercials for DirecTV, Taco Bell, Coca-Cola, Pepsi, Kellogg's and Disney. In 2008, Landis won an Emmy Award for the documentary Mr. Warmth: The Don Rickles Project (2007).

In 1982, Landis became the subject of controversy when three actors, including two children, died on set while filming his segment of Twilight Zone: The Movie (1983). Landis, as well as several other parties, were subsequently sued and acquitted, but the incident had long-lasting effects on film industry practices.

Landis is the father of filmmaker Max Landis.

Early life
Landis was born into a Jewish American family in Chicago, Illinois, the son of Shirley Levine (née Magaziner) and Marshall Landis, an interior designer and decorator. Landis and his parents relocated to Los Angeles when he was four months old. Though spending his childhood in California, Landis still refers to Chicago as his home town; he is a fan of the Chicago White Sox baseball team.

When Landis was a young boy, he watched The 7th Voyage of Sinbad, which inspired him to become a director:"I had complete suspension of disbelief—really, I was eight years old and it transported me. I was on that beach running from that dragon, fighting that Cyclops. It just really dazzled me, and I bought it completely. And so, I actually sat through it twice and when I got home, I asked my mom, 'Who does that? Who makes the movie?'"

Early
Landis began his film career working as a mailboy at 20th Century-Fox. He worked as a "go-fer" and then as an assistant director during filming Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's Kelly's Heroes in Yugoslavia in 1969; he replaced the film's original assistant director, who became ill and was sent home. During that time Landis became acquainted with actors Don Rickles and Donald Sutherland, both of whom would later work in his films. Following Kelly's Heroes, Landis worked on several films that were shot in Europe (especially in Italy and the United Kingdom), including Once Upon a Time in the West, El Condor and A Town Called Bastard (a.k.a. A Town Called Hell). Landis also worked as a stunt double.

"I worked on some [pirate] movies, all kind of movies. French foreign movies. I worked on a movie called Red Sun where Toshiro Mifune kills me, puts a sword through me. ... I worked as a stunt guy. I worked as a dialogue coach. I worked as an actor. I worked as a production assistant."

Aged 21, Landis made his directorial debut with Schlock. The film, which he also wrote and appeared in, is a tribute to monster movies. The gorilla suit for the film was made by Rick Baker—the beginning of a long-term collaboration between Landis and Baker. Though completed in 1971, Schlock was not released until 1973 after it caught the attention of Johnny Carson. A fan of the film, Carson invited Landis on The Tonight Show and showed clips to help promote it. Schlock has since gained a cult following, but Landis has described the film as "terrible".

Landis was hired by Eon Productions to write a screen treatment for The Spy Who Loved Me, but his screenplay of James Bond foiling a kidnapping of the Pope in Latin America was rejected by Albert R. Broccoli for satirizing the Catholic Church. Landis was then hired to direct The Kentucky Fried Movie after David Zucker saw his Tonight Show appearance. The film was inspired by the satirical sketch comedy of shows like Monty Python, Free the Army, The National Lampoon Radio Hour and Saturday Night Live. It is notable for being the first film written by the Zucker, Abrahams and Zucker team, who would later have success with Airplane! and The Naked Gun trilogy.

1978–1981
Sean Daniel, an assistant to Universal executive Thom Mount, saw The Kentucky Fried Movie and recommended Landis to direct Animal House based on that. Landis says of the screenplay, "It was really literally one of the funniest things I ever read. It had a nasty edge like National Lampoon. I told him it was wonderful, extremely smart and funny, but everyone's a pig for one thing." While Animal House received mixed reviews, it was a massive financial success, earning over $120 million at the domestic box office, making it the highest grossing comedy film of its time. Its success started the "gross-out" film genre, which became one of Hollywood's staples. It also featured the screen debuts of John Belushi, Karen Allen and Kevin Bacon.

In 1980, Landis co-wrote and directed The Blues Brothers, a comedy starring John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd. It featured musical numbers by R&B and soul legends James Brown, Cab Calloway, Aretha Franklin, Ray Charles and John Lee Hooker. It was, at the time, one of the most expensive films ever made, costing almost $30 million (for comparison, Steven Spielberg's contemporary film 1941 cost $35 million). It is speculated that Spielberg and Landis engaged in a rivalry, the goal of which was to make the more expensive film. The rivalry might have been a friendly one, as Spielberg makes a cameo appearance in Blues Brothers (as the unnamed desk clerk near the end) and Landis had made a cameo in 1941 as a messenger.

In 1981, Landis wrote and directed another cult-status film, the comedy-horror An American Werewolf in London. It was perhaps Landis' most personal project; he had been planning to make it since 1969, while in Yugoslavia working on Kelly's Heroes. It was another commercial success for Landis and inspired studios to put comedic elements in their horror films.

Twilight Zone deaths and legal action against Landis
On July 23, 1982, during the filming of Twilight Zone: The Movie, actor Vic Morrow and child actors Myca Dinh Le (age 7) and Renee Shin-Yi Chen (age 6) were killed in an accident involving an out-of-control helicopter. The three were caught under the aircraft when it crashed, and Morrow and one child were decapitated.

In June 1983, Landis, associate producer George Folsey Jr., production manager Dan Allingham, head of special effects Paul Stewart and helicopter pilot Dorcey Wingo were charged with involuntary manslaughter. In December, Morrow's daughters Jennifer Jason Leigh and Carrie Morrow also sued Landis, Wingo, Warner Bros. Studios and others for negligence and wrongful death, resulting in Warner Bros. settling their case out of court, awarding $850,000 to each party. Following the accident, Spielberg ended his friendship with Landis.

In October 1984, the National Transportation Safety Board reported:

"The probable cause of the accident was the detonation of debris-laden high temperature special effects explosions too near a low-flying helicopter leading to foreign object damage to one rotor blade and delamination due to heat to the other rotor blade, the separation of the helicopter's tail rotor assembly, and the uncontrolled descent of the helicopter. The proximity of the helicopter to the special effects explosions was due to the failure to establish direct communications and coordination between the pilot, who was in command of the helicopter operation, and the film director, who was in charge of the filming operation."

The lawsuit finally proceeded in 1985. Landis insisted that the deaths of Morrow, Le and Chen were the result of an accident. However, camera operators filming the scene testified to Landis being a very imperious director, and a "yeller and screamer" on set. During a take three hours before the incident, Wingo (a veteran of the Vietnam War) told Landis that the fireballs were too large and too close to the helicopter, to which Landis responded, "You ain't seen nothing yet." With special effects explosions blasting around them, the helicopter descended over Morrow, Le, and Chen. Witnesses testified that Landis was still shouting for the helicopter to fly "Lower! Lower!" moments before it crashed.

The prosecutors demonstrated that Landis was reckless and had not warned the parents, cast or crew of the children's and Morrow's proximity to explosives, or of limitations on their working hours. He admitted that he had violated California law regulating the employment of children by using the children after hours, and conceded that that was wrong, but still denied culpability. Numerous members of the film crew testified that the director was warned of the extreme hazard by technicians but ignored them. Metallurgist Gary Fowler testified that the heat from two explosions engulfed and delaminated the helicopter's tail rotor, causing it to fall off, and that there had been "no historical basis" for the phenomenon.

Deputy District Attorney Lea Purwin D'Agostino stated that Landis was acting "cool", "slippery" and "glib" during the trial, and that his testimony contained inconsistencies. After a ten-month jury trial that took place in 1986 and 1987, Landis—represented by criminal defense attorneys Harland Braun and James F. Neal—and the other crew members were acquitted of the charges.

Both Le's and Chen's parents later filed civil suits against Landis and other defendants and eventually settled out of court with the studio for $2 million per family. In 1988, Landis was reprimanded by the Directors Guild of America for unprofessional conduct on the set of the film and the California Labor Commission fined him $5,000 for violating child labor laws. Additionally, Cal/OSHA issued 36 citations and $62,375 in fines, although this amount was later reduced to $1,350. Warner Bros. vice president John Silvia also spearheaded a committee to create new safety standards for the film industry.

During an interview with journalist Giulia D'Agnolo Vallan, Landis said, "When you read about the accident, they say we were blowing up huts—which we weren't—and that debris hit the tail rotor of the helicopter—which it didn't. The FBI Crime Lab, who was working for the prosecution, finally figured out that the tail rotor delaminated, which is why the pilot lost control. The special effects man who made the mistake by setting off a fireball at the wrong time was never charged."

Subsequent film career
Trading Places, a Prince and the Pauper-style comedy starring Dan Aykroyd and Eddie Murphy, was filmed directly after the Twilight Zone accident. After filming ended, Landis and his family went to London. The film, a big hit at the box office (the 4th most popular movie of 1983) did well enough for Landis' image and career to improve, along with his involvement with Michael Jackson's "Thriller".

Next, Landis directed Into the Night, starring Jeff Goldblum, Michelle Pfeiffer and David Bowie, and appeared in the film, which was inspired by Hitchcock productions, as an Iranian hitman. To promote the film, Landis collaborated with Jeff Okun to direct a documentary film called B.B. King "Into the Night".

His next film, Spies Like Us, (starring co-writer Dan Aykroyd and Chevy Chase) was an homage to the Road to ... films of Bob Hope and Bing Crosby. It was the 10th most popular movie of 1985. Hope made a cameo in the Landis film, portraying himself.

In 1986, Landis directed Three Amigos, which featured Chevy Chase, Martin Short and Steve Martin. He then co-directed and produced the 1987 satirical comedy film Amazon Women on the Moon, which parodies the experience of watching low-budget films on late-night television.

Landis next directed the 1988 Eddie Murphy film Coming to America, which was hugely successful, becoming the third most popular movie of 1988 at the U.S. box office. It was also the subject of Buchwald v. Paramount, a civil suit filed by Art Buchwald in 1990 against the film's producers. Buchwald claimed that the concept for the film had been stolen from a 1982 script that Paramount optioned from Buchwald, and won the breach of contract action.

In 1991, Landis directed Sylvester Stallone in Oscar, based on a Claude Magnier stage play. Oscar recreates a 1930s-era film, including the gestures along with bit acts and with some slapstick, as an homage to old Hollywood films. In 1992, Landis directed Innocent Blood, a horror-crime film. In 1994, Landis directed Eddie Murphy in Beverly Hills Cop III, their third collaboration following Trading Places and Coming to America. In 1996, he directed The Stupids and then returned to Universal to direct Blues Brothers 2000 in 1998 with John Goodman and, for the fifth time in a Landis film, Dan Aykroyd, who also appeared in Landis' film Susan's Plan, released that same year. None of the above six films scored well with critics or audiences.

Burke and Hare was released in 2010, as Landis' first theatrical release in 12 years.

In August 2011, Landis said he would return to horror and would be writing a new film. He was the executive producer on the comedy horror film Some Guy Who Kills People.

Music videos
Landis has directed several music videos. He was approached by Michael Jackson to make a video for his song "Thriller". The resulting video significantly impacted MTV and the concept of music videos; it has won numerous awards, including the Video Vanguard Award for The Greatest Video in the History of the World. In 2009 (months before Jackson died), Landis sued the Jackson estate in a dispute over royalties for the video; he claimed to be owed at least four years' worth of royalties.

In 1991, Landis collaborated again with Michael Jackson on the music video for the song "Black or White".

Television
Landis has been active in television as the executive producer (and often director) of the series Dream On (1990), Weird Science (1994), Sliders (1995), Honey, I Shrunk the Kids: The TV Show (1997), Campus Cops (1995), The Lost World (1998), Masters of Horror, and various episodes of Psych. He also made commercials for DirecTV, Taco Bell, Coca-Cola, Pepsi, Kellogg's, and Disney. In 2011 he made an appearance in Reece Shearsmith and Steve Pemberton's television series Psychoville. In June 2020, Landis signed on to direct and executive produce the streaming series Superhero Kindergarten.

Documentaries
Landis made his first documentary, Coming Soon, in 1982; it was only released on VHS. In 1983, he worked on the 45-minute documentary Making Michael Jackson's Thriller, which aired on MTV and Showtime and was simultaneously released on home video, which became the biggest selling home video release of the time. Next, he co-directed B.B. King "Into the Night" (1985) and in 2002 directed Where Are They Now?: A Delta Alumni Update, which can be seen as a part of the Animal House DVD extras. Initially, his documentaries were only made to promote his feature films. Later in his career he became more serious about the oeuvre and made Slasher (2004), Mr. Warmth: The Don Rickles Project (2007) and Starz Inside: Ladies or Gentlemen (2009) for television. Landis won a 2008 Emmy Award for Mr. Warmth. In 2023, he appeared in the Spanish documentary The Man Who Saw Frankenstein Cry, which covered the career of Spanish movie director Paul Naschy.

Archives
Landis' moving image collection is held at the Academy Film Archive. The film material at the Archive is complemented by photographs, artwork and posters found in Landis' papers at the Academy's Margaret Herrick Library.

Personal life
Landis is married to Deborah Nadoolman, a costume designer. They have two children: Max and Rachel. In a BBC Radio interview, he stated that he is an atheist. The family lives in Beverly Hills, California. They had purchased Rock Hudson's estate in Beverly Crest after the actor died there from complications of AIDS. The property was later sold to Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen.

In 2009, Landis signed a petition in support of director Roman Polanski, who had been detained while traveling to a film festival in relation to his 1977 sexual abuse charges, which the petition argued would undermine the tradition of film festivals as a place for works to be shown "freely and safely", and that arresting filmmakers traveling to neutral countries could open the door "for actions of which no-one can know the effects."

Film
Executive producer Acting roles
 * The Lost World (1998)
 * Some Guy Who Kills People (2012)
 * I Hate Kids (2019)

Television
Acting roles

title: John Landis


text:
Irondale

Irondale is the name of several places in the United States: In Canada:
 * Irondale, Alabama
 * Irondale, Georgia
 * Irondale, Missouri
 * Irondale, New York
 * Irondale, Ohio
 * Irondale, Washington
 * Irondale Township, Minnesota
 * Irondale, Ontario
 * Irondale River (Ontario)

Irondale is also the name of a school in New Brighton, Minnesota: Irondale High School.

title: Irondale


text:
Duchy of Courland and Semigallia

The Duchy of Courland and Semigallia (Ducatus Curlandiæ et Semigalliæ; Herzogtum Kurland und Semgallen; Kurzemes un Zemgales hercogiste; Kuršo ir Žiemgalos kunigaikštystė; Księstwo Kurlandii i Semigalii) was a duchy in the Baltic region, then known as Livonia, that existed from 1561 to 1569 as a nominally vassal state of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and subsequently made part of the Crown of the Polish Kingdom from 1569 to 1726 and incorporated into the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth in 1726. On March 28, 1795, it was annexed by the Russian Empire in the Third Partition of Poland.

There was also a short-lived wartime state with the same name that existed from March 8 to September 22, 1918. Plans for it to become part of the United Baltic Duchy, subject to the German Empire, were thwarted by Germany's surrender of the Baltic region at the end of the First World War. The area became a part of Latvia at the end of World War I.

History

In 1561, during the Livonian Wars, the Livonian Confederation was dismantled and the Livonian Order was disbanded. On the basis of the Treaty of Vilnius, the southern part of Estonia and the northern part of Latvia were ceded to the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. On 25 December 1566, the Union of Grodno established a real union between the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the Duchy of Livonia. The part of Latvia between the west bank of the Daugava River and the Baltic Sea became the Duchy of Courland and Semigallia. It was ruled by the dukes from the House of Kettler with the exception of Ernst Johann Biron and his son Peter von Biron.

Gotthard Kettler, the last Master of the Livonian Order, became the first duke of Courland. Other members of the Order became the Couronian nobility, with the fiefdoms they had hitherto held becoming their estates. In all, Kettler received nearly one-third of the land in the new duchy. Mitau (Jelgava) was designated as the new capital and a Landtag was to meet there twice a year.

Several parts of the Courish area did not belong to the Duchy. The Order of Livonia had already loaned the Grobiņa district (on the coast of Baltic Sea) to the Duke of Prussia. Another district, the former Bishopric of Courland, belonged to Magnus, son of the king of Denmark. He promised to transfer it to the Duchy of Courland after his death, but this plan failed and only later did Wilhelm Kettler regain this district.

Like the other members of the Order, Kettler was German and set about establishing the Duchy along the lines of similar German states. In 1570, he issued the Privilegium Gotthardinum, which allowed the landholders to enserf the native peasantry on their lands.

When Gotthard Kettler died in 1587, his sons, Friedrich and Wilhelm, became the dukes of Courland. They divided the Duchy into two parts in 1596. Friedrich controlled the eastern part, Semigalia (Zemgale), with his residence in Mitau (Jelgava). Wilhelm owned the western part, Courland (Kurzeme), with his residence in Goldingen (Kuldīga). Wilhelm regained the Grobiņa district when he married the daughter of the Duke of Prussia. He also paid out and regained control over the Piltene district, but eventually, it fell to the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. Here he developed metalworking and shipyards, and the new ships delivered the goods of Courland to other countries.

However, relations between the duke and the landowners were quite hostile. In addition, the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, which was the overlord of the Duchy of Courland, supported the landowners. Wilhelm expressed his disappointment with the landowners, but this ended with his removal from the duke's seat in 1616. Finally, Wilhelm left Courland and spent the rest of his life abroad. Thus, Friedrich became the only duke of Courland after 1616.

From 1600 to 1629, the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth and Sweden conducted a war with its main battlefields around Riga. As a result, Sweden gained control of what is today central and northern Latvia, which became Swedish Livonia. The Commonwealth retained the eastern part of the Duchy of Livonia, thereafter called Inflanty Voivodeship in Polish. Courland was also involved in this war, but did not suffer severe damage.

Under the next duke, Jacob Kettler, the Duchy reached the peak of its prosperity. During his travels in Western Europe, Jacob became a eager proponent of mercantilist ideas. Metalworking and shipbuilding became much more developed, and powder mills began producing gunpowder. Trading relations developed not only with nearby countries but also with Britain, France, the Netherlands and Portugal. Jacob established the merchant fleet of the Duchy of Courland, with its main harbours in Ventspils and Libau.

Colonization
In 1651 the Duchy established its first colony in Africa, St. Andrews Island at the Gambia River, and founded Jacob Fort there. The main export goods included ivory, gold, furs and spices. Soon afterwards, in 1652, Courlanders established another colony, in Tobago in the West Indies. There the main export goods included sugar, tobacco, coffee and spices.

However, during this time, the Duchy of Courland remained an object of interest for both Sweden and the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. In 1655 the Swedish army entered the territory of the Duchy, starting the Swedish–Polish war (1655–1660). The Swedish army captured Duke Jacob (1658–1660). During this period, the Dutch took over both of Courland's colonies that lacked supplies and manpower, and the merchant fleet and factories suffered destruction. This war ended with the peace Treaty of Oliwa (1660). Courland regained Tobago on the basis of the treaty and held it until 1689. Duke Jacob set about restoring the fleet and factories, but the Duchy of Courland never again reached its pre-war level of prosperity.

18th century
When Jacob died in 1682, his son, Friedrich Casimir, became the next duke. During his reign production continued to decrease. The duke himself was more interested in glamorous celebrations and spent more money than he had. This forced him to sell Tobago to the British. During this period, the Commonwealth increased its influence in the political and economic life of the Duchy. Additionally, Russia showed an interest in this area.

Friedrich Casimir died in 1698. His successor, Friedrich Wilhelm Kettler, was only six years old and was under the regency of his uncle Ferdinand – a Polish general. During this time the Great Northern War (1700–1721) began between Sweden and Russia with its allies – the Commonwealth, Saxony and Denmark. As a result of the war, Russia took control of Swedish Livonia starting in 1710. In Courland, Russia also had such a strong influence that its ambassador, Pyotr Bestuzhev, became the most powerful man in the duchy. The Tsar of Russia, Peter the Great, received a promise from Friedrich Wilhelm that he would marry one of the daughters of the tsar's brother. By having this promise, Peter the Great wished to increase the influence of Russia in Courland. In 1710, Friedrich Wilhelm married Anna Ioannovna (later Empress of Russia), but on his way back from St Petersburg, he took ill and died. Anna ruled as the duchess of Courland from 1711 to 1730.

After the death of Friedrich Wilhelm, the next candidate for the seat of duke was Ferdinand Kettler, who, at the time, lived in Danzig. Because the law required the duke to reside within the Duchy, the Diet did not recognize him. Because Ferdinand was the last representative of Kettler's family, a remarkable number of candidates tried to gain the dukedom during this period. One favorite was Maurice de Saxe, natural son of Augustus II the Strong, King of Poland. Saxe had managed to gain support and was even mentioned as marrying Anna Ioannovna, Duchess of Courland at that time. He was elected duke in 1726, but only managed to maintain himself by force of arms till the next year. Russia disliked him and sent an army to western Courland to destroy Maurice's base. When Catherine was Empress Peter Lacy was given responsibility for removing Maurice de Saxe from Courland. As the result Maurice de Saxe had to leave Courland, and Russia increased its influence. This was achieved in good measure due to service of Peter Lacy who was governor of Livonia from 1727 until his death in 1751. Russian influence increased further when Frederick August III, the Elector of Saxony, in his successful bid to succeed his father on the Polish throne in the 1730s, agreed to grant Anna of Russia her choice of successor to the Courish duchy in exchange for Russian support in the War of the Polish Succession. (Because of the duchy's position as a vassal of the Commonwealth and Ferdinand Kettler's lack of issue, the duchy would otherwise formally have devolved onto the Polish throne.) Anna appointed Ernst Johann von Biron duke of Courland in 1737.

Von Biron received remarkable financial support from Russia and invested it in construction – for example, the Castle of Ruhenthal projected by the distinguished Italian architect Bartolomeo Rastrelli. Anna Ivanovna died in 1740, resulting in von Biron's exile to Siberia the following year. From there, through the Council of the Duke, he continued to control the Duchy, with the agreement of the king of Poland. However, the landowners of Courland disliked the agreement and even refused to follow the regulations of the Council of the Duke.

Duke Louis Ernest of Brunswick-Lüneburg was selected as Biron's successor on June 27, 1741, with the support of his cousin Maria Theresa of Austria, but while he was in St Petersburg to get this title ratified, Elizabeth of Russia carried out a coup on December 6, 1741, and he lost the title.

King Augustus III of Poland proclaimed his son, Carl Christian Joseph of Saxony, the next duke. Thus, the Duchy of Courland had two dukes simultaneously thereafter. The situation became extremely tense – one part of the Landtag of Courland accepted von Biron, the other, Carl of Saxony. The Empress Catherine II of Russia (reigned 1762–1796) solved this situation by recalling Ernst von Biron from exile in 1763. By doing this, she avoided the possible increase of influence of the Commonwealth in Courland. However, political fighting had exhausted Ernst Biron, and he turned the seat of duke over to his son, Peter von Biron, in 1769. But political tumult continued in Courland. Some landowners supported the Commonwealth, some Russia. Ultimately, Russia determined the further fate of Courland when with its allies it began the third division of Poland (1795). Given a "nice recommendation" by Russia, Duke Peter von Biron gave up his rights to Russia in 1795. With the signing of the final document on March 28, 1795, the Duchy of Courland was incorporated into the Russian Empire and title of Duke of Courland was added to the title of Russian emperors.

title: Duchy of Courland and Semigallia


text:
Luke Wilson

Luke Cunningham Wilson (born September 21, 1971) is an American actor. He is known for his roles in films such as Bottle Rocket (1996), Rushmore (1998), My Dog Skip (2000), Legally Blonde (2001), The Royal Tenenbaums (2001), Old School (2003), My Super Ex-Girlfriend (2006), Idiocracy (2006), You Kill Me (2007), The Skeleton Twins (2014), Meadowland (2015) and Brad's Status (2017). On television, he played Casey Kelso on That '70s Show (2002–2005), Levi Callow on Enlightened (2011–2013) and Pat Dugan / S.T.R.I.P.E. on Stargirl (2020–2022). He is the younger brother of actors Andrew Wilson and Owen Wilson.

Early life
Wilson was born in Dallas, Texas, the youngest of three sons of Robert Andrew Wilson (1941–2017), an advertising and television executive, and his wife Laura (née Cunningham; born 1939), a photographer. His family, originally from Massachusetts, is of Irish Catholic descent.

All three Wilson boys attended St. Mark's School of Texas. According to Owen, Luke was voted class president the first year he attended St. Mark's. He became interested in acting while attending Occidental College in Los Angeles.

Career
Wilson's acting career began with the lead role in the short film Bottle Rocket in 1994 which was co-written by his older brother Owen and director Wes Anderson. It was remade as a feature-length film in 1996. After moving to Hollywood with his two brothers, he was cast opposite Calista Flockhart in Telling Lies in America and made a cameo appearance in the film-within-the-film of Scream 2, both in 1997. Wilson filmed back-to-back romantic films in 1998, opposite Drew Barrymore, Best Men, about a group of friends who pull off a heist on their way to a wedding, and Home Fries which is about two brothers interested in the same woman for different reasons. He played the physician beau of a schoolteacher in Rushmore (also released in 1998) also directed by Anderson and co-written by his brother Owen.

In 1999, he portrayed Detective Carlson in Blue Streak. He later starred opposite Reese Witherspoon in the 2001 comedy Legally Blonde. It was followed by Old School and The Royal Tenenbaums. Wilson also had a role on That '70s Show, as Michael Kelso's older brother Casey Kelso appearing sporadically from 2002 through 2005.

In 2006, Wilson starred in Idiocracy, a dystopian comedy directed by Mike Judge. Wilson portrayed an ordinary serviceman frozen in a cryogenics project. He awakens after hundreds of years in an America which is significantly less intelligent.

In 2007, Wilson starred in the thriller Vacancy, opposite Kate Beckinsale, and Blonde Ambition. In the same year, he worked on Henry Poole is Here in La Mirada, California which was released in 2008. In 2009, he starred in Tenure. In 2010, he appeared in films Death at a Funeral and Middle Men. From 2011 to 2013 he starred in the HBO TV series Enlightened.

Since 2020, Wilson stars in the DC Universe/The CW series Stargirl as sidekick-turned-mechanic-turned superhero Pat Dugan / S.T.R.I.P.E.

In 2023, he starred in the HBO Max animated series Fired on Mars as Jeffrey Cooper, a graphic designer for a business on Mars whose life is changed upon his termination.

Wilson has written a Wright Brothers biopic with his brother Owen, in which they also plan to star.

Personal life
Wilson was formerly in a relationship with Home Fries co-star Drew Barrymore.

In a 2019 interview, he commented on the fact that he has publicly expressed interest in starting a family since 1996, saying, "I'm 47, I'm ready for that. I need to get to work."

title: Luke Wilson