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LeToya Luckett

LeToya Nicole Luckett (born March 11, 1981) is an American R&B singer and actress. She rose to fame in the late 1990s as a founding member of the R&B girl group Destiny's Child, one of the world's best-selling girl groups of all time. As a member of Destiny's Child, she achieved four US Top 10 hit singles, "No, No, No", "Bills, Bills, Bills", "Jumpin', Jumpin'", and "Say My Name", and won two Grammy Awards. In the 2000s, she began her solo career after leaving the group and signing a record deal with Capitol Records. Her solo debut album, LeToya (2006), debuted at number-one on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart, and was certified platinum by the RIAA, that same year.

The lead single, "Torn", reached the Top 40 in the U.S., and set records on BET's top ten countdown show 106 & Park. Luckett was awarded Top Songwriter at the 2006 ASCAP Rhythm and Soul Awards, and was nominated for Outstanding New Artist at the 2007 NAACP Image Awards. Luckett's second solo album, Lady Love (2009), debuted at number-one on the U.S. Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart.

Luckett has since become an actress. She has starred in the feature films Killers (2010) and From the Rough (2011), and landed a leading role in the movie Preacher's Kid (2010). She also had a recurring role in the OWN series Greenleaf, and appeared on the second season of the HBO TV series Treme, and on the third season of the VH1 TV series Single Ladies.

Luckett returned to music in 2017, releasing her third studio album, Back 2 Life (2017), which marked her first independent release. The album was preceded by two singles: "Back 2 Life" and "Used To". Luckett has sold over 25 million records with Destiny's Child on the group's first two albums and singles.

Early life and career
Luckett was born on March 11, 1981, in Houston, Texas to Pamela and Darrell Luckett. She is the older of two children, with a younger brother named Gavin. She grew up singing in her local Brentwood Baptist Church. She also took vocal lessons to become an opera singer. Her father, who was also a singer, was very proud of his daughter's vocal talents and tried to get her in the music business. Luckett was given the chance to sing her first solo at the age of five. "The lady just gave me the mic one Sunday and I sang," she recalled. Shortly thereafter, she joined the children's choir and began performing in plays at her elementary school. One day, she walked to her desk in class to find a girl sitting there. Luckett asked her teacher to remove the girl, Beyoncé Knowles, from her assigned seat. They later became friends and Luckett was invited to join Beyoncé's singing group Girl's Tyme, which later became Destiny's Child.

1993–2000: Destiny's Child and departure
In 1993, Luckett joined Beyoncé Knowles, LaTavia Roberson, and Kelly Rowland to complete the Houston-based R&B group, Destiny's Child. The roles of the group consisted with Knowles as lead vocalist, Rowland as second-lead vocalist alongside Roberson and Luckett as background vocalists with Roberson as alto (and spokesperson) adding the low notes and Luckett as the soprano adding the high notes to the group's harmony, with occasional leads too. After being signed and later dropped by Elektra Records in 1995, the group began working with D'wayne Wiggins and eventually signed with Columbia Records in 1997, but not before signing with group manager Mathew Knowles, Beyoncé's father. According to the E! Television Special, Boulevard of Broken Dreams, Mathew forced the girls to sign management agreements with him before they could sign with the label. Luckett's mother requested the contracts be reviewed by an attorney, but Mathew denied this request. However, Luckett eventually signed with him and joined the group. After graduating from the Houston club scene, the group opened for established acts such as Dru Hill, SWV, and Immature, was included on the Men in Black movie soundtrack, and released their 1998 self-titled debut album Destiny's Child. The album spawned two singles: the platinum "No, No, No Part II" (featuring Wyclef Jean) and "With Me". Subsequently, the group made it on the soundtrack album of the romantic drama Why Do Fools Fall in Love with the song "Get on the Bus" (featuring Timbaland), and later toured as an opening act on TLC's "Fanmail Tour".

In 1999, the group released their second album, The Writing's on the Wall. The album became one of the biggest selling albums released by a female group, and was certified eight times platinum in the USA. As opposed to the first album, Luckett had more contribution to the second album in terms of co-writing. The album spawned four hit singles: "Bills, Bills, Bills", "Bug a Boo", "Say My Name", and "Jumpin' Jumpin'". The two singles "Bills, Bills, Bills" and "Say My Name" were also nominated for Grammy awards, which "Say My Name" won in two different categories. The album had also been released in a "Houston Special Edition" which included a bonus track, where Luckett sung lead along with the other members, titled "Can't Help Myself".

In late 1999, in the midst of the group's success and rise, Luckett and Roberson asserted that they wanted their own manager because of the increasing lack of communication with manager Mathew Knowles. The pair said they never wanted to fire Knowles, but wanted to secure outside management to represent them. Soon after, Luckett and Roberson found themselves ostracized by the Knowles family and the group's management. When the music video for "Say My Name" debuted in February 2000, they were replaced by two new members, Michelle Williams and Farrah Franklin. Luckett and Roberson filed a lawsuit against Mathew, Beyoncé, and Kelly, charging them with breach of partnership and fiduciary duties, and sought unspecified damages. Luckett and Roberson withdrew the case against Beyoncé and Kelly, but continued to sue Mathew. The case was eventually settled, with Luckett and Roberson receiving royalties for their contributions as founding members of the group. Shortly following the release of Destiny's Child's Survivor, Luckett and Roberson filed another lawsuit against the group in March 2002. They claimed that the album's lead single, "Survivor", violated their previous settlement due to its lyrics. The case was again settled out of court.

2001–2008: Solo debut, LeToya
After several months of media speculation, it was announced via the MTV News website that Luckett and Roberson had created a new group called Anjel. After several auditions, Naty Quinones and Tiffany Beaudoin were selected as members. The group recorded a 22-song demo in Atlanta, Georgia, with the help of R&B group Jagged Edge. The group also appeared in Jagged Edge's video for "Where the Party At (Remix)". However, the production company (581 Entertainment) which handled the group collapsed and all the members of Anjel went on to pursue solo projects. The recorded tracks were later leaked onto the Internet.

After the Anjel project fell through, Luckett joined with Noontime, an Atlanta-based management/production company. Along with Noontime, she recorded a five-song demo and eventually signed with Capitol Records in 2003. Soon after, she began working on her debut solo album. The first promotional song, "You Got What I Need", was released in 2004, followed next year by "All Eyes on Me". She was featured on "My Promise" with her label mate Houston on his debut album It's Already Written, "What Love Can Do" on the Coach Carter soundtrack, and on "This Is My Life" with former boyfriend and rapper Slim Thug on his album Already Platinum. LeToya's self-titled debut album was released in July 2006 and debuted at number one on the U.S. Billboard 200 and Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums charts. LeToya was certified gold after one month and by December 2006, the album had been certified platinum. Luckett and Beyoncé Knowles are the only members of Destiny's Child to have an album debut at number one on the Billboard 200 and achieve platinum status in the U.S.

The album is a hip-hop inspired R&B production. Producers included Jermaine Dupri, Scott Storch, Teddy Bishop, B. Cox, and musical guests Slim Thug, Mike Jones, Paul Wall, and Bun B. "All Eyes on Me" was originally chosen as Luckett's debut single, but "Torn" was ultimately selected instead. The ballad (produced by Teddy Bishop) was released in March 2006 and became an R&B hit. The song climbed the Billboard charts, peaking at number two on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs.

Although Torn was still receiving airplay, her second single, "She Don't" was released to radio, and the video premiered on BET's Access Granted in July 2006, featuring Slim Thug. The single received moderate success, reaching number 17 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop chart. In November 2006, "Obvious" was selected as the third single. According to Billboard, the song had a 94% chance of becoming a hit, but due to the merger of Capitol Records and Virgin Records, all promotional money was frozen, therefore the single was never officially released. Luckett was also named "One of the Best New Artists of 2006" by AOL Music, number two on Rap-Up magazines' "Top 5 Breakthrough Artists of 2006," and received multiple nominations from the NAACP, the Soul Train Music Awards, and the Teen Choice Awards. BET promoted Luckett on 106 & Park, The Center, The Black Carpet, and with a three-part reality series special called The H-Town Chick which aired from May to July 2006. The series chronicled Luckett's experiences during her summer promotional tour and insight about her life since Destiny's Child. BET also hosted a contest that gave fans the opportunity to decide the final outcome of the "Torn" video. Cingular hosted a lip-sync contest that awarded those who best performed "Torn" in an online submitted video. In addition to a nationwide radio tour, club performances, a brief European and Asian appearances, Luckett participated in the 2006 "Pantene Total You" Tour, the "Cingular Live in Concert" series, and was invited by Mary J. Blige to join her summer tour, The Breakthrough Experience Tour, as her opening act.

In July 2006, while opening for a Mary J. Blige concert, Luckett announced that her upcoming album would be titled Lady Love; she then introduced and performed two new songs "Lady Love" and "Don't Let Me Get Away". On December 10, 2007, a buzz track, Swagger, that features rappers such as Slim Thug, Killa Kyleon and Bun B leaked onto the Internet. In 2008, Luckett was featured on Webbie's single "I Miss You" which was a moderate success.

2009–2013: Lady Love
Luckett's second solo studio album was released on August 25, 2009. Production for Lady Love originally began in 2007, with a release scheduled several times in 2008. This was postponed due to lack of funding related to the Capitol Records and Virgin Records merger that had earlier affected the release of her third single "Obvious". In early 2009, the release date for Lady Love was announced to be May 19, 2009, then pushed to June 16, and finally set to August 25, 2009. Amidst much anticipation for the album release, Luckett released a five-track sampler on May 19, 2009. The sampler features first single "Not Anymore" and 1 minute 30-second snippets of "Regret", "She Ain't Got...", "Lady Love" and "Matter". The album was released to CD and music download on August 25, 2009, in the US and worldwide a day earlier. An explicit version of the album (bearing a Parental Advisory label) was also made available. To celebrate the album's release, LeToya hosted an album-release party at Cain in New York City on August 27, 2009. "Not Anymore", the lead single, was produced by Bei Maejor and co-produced and written by Ne-Yo. Released in February 2009, it became the most added song at urban radio, debuting at number ninety-eight on the US Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart before peaking at number eighteen and just missing the US Billboard Hot 100 singles chart, peaking at number 107. A music video for the single was shot on February 13, 2009. Directed by Bryan Barber, the music video is set in the 1960s and is split into three sections/time periods – 1961, 1964 and 1968. The sets, costumes and props change accordingly in each section to show the trends, fashions and styles of those particular years.

The video was released on March 10, 2009, and peaked at number three on the 106 & Park video countdown. "She Ain't Got..." the album's second single, was produced by Cory Bold and written by LeToya, Andre Merritt, Chris Brown and Bold. Chosen by fans, it became the first LeToya single to carry a Parental Advisory label, though a "clean" version was also released. It became the most added song on rhythmic radio, peaking at number thirty-nine on the Billboard Rhythmic Top 40 chart, while peaking at number seventy-five on the Billboard Pop 100 Airplay chart and number twenty on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play. However, the single was most successful in Japan where it peaked at number forty-nine on the Japan Hot 100. A music video, directed by Bryan Barber, was shot on June 3, 2009 and premiered on Yahoo Music on June 30, 2009, featuring guest star Major League Baseball players Orlando Hudson and Matt Kemp of the Los Angeles Dodgers, as well as Baseball Hall of Fame member Dave Winfield. "Regret", featuring rapper Ludacris, was produced by Tank and Jerry "Texx" Franklin and written by Tank, LeToya, Franklin, K. Stephens, J. Valentine, R. Newt and C. Bridges. Released as the third single – based only on downloads and airplay – "Regret" peaked at number eight on the US Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart and debuted at number one-hundred on the Billboard Hot 100, making it LeToya's first single since her debut; "Torn", to enter the US Hot 100, peaking at number seventy-eight. It also peaked at number forty-two on the Billboard Radio Songs chart and was listed at number six on AOL Music's "Top R&B Songs of 2009" list. The music video for "Regret" was premiered on BET's 106 & Park on November 11, 2009, before later being ranked at number twenty-three on their BET: Notarized: Top 100 Videos of 2009 countdown. "Good To Me", produced by Tank and Jerry "Texx" Franklin and written by Tank, Franklin, K. Stephens, R. Newt and J. Valentine, was released as the album's fourth and final single on February 1, 2010. Though the song failed to chart, a music video directed by makeup artist AJ Crimson and co-starring model-actor Keston Karter was released on February 11, 2010.

2014–present: Back 2 Life and planned fourth studio album
In January 2014, Luckett announced the title of her third studio album Until Then on The Wendy Williams Show, with a planned 2016 release.

On February 11, 2014, she released the promotional single "Don't Make Me Wait". A remix featuring rapper T.I. was released on March 10, 2015. On January 5, 2015, Luckett released a track "I'm Ready" on her YouTube channel. On January 16, 2015, Luckett, inspired to end illegal gun violence in America, released "Together" in partnership with the Caliber Foundation.

On December 7, 2016, she released the single "Back 2 Life", with an accompanying music video released on January 10, 2017. On April 10, 2017, Luckett posted on her Twitter page that her third studio album would be released on May 12, 2017, with the album title changing from Until Then to Back 2 Life. On April 17, 2017, "Used To", a second single from the album, was released.

Acting career
Luckett's first role on television was on the WB show Smart Guy in 1998 with Destiny's Child. She also had an appearance in the 1999 movie Beverly Hood. She has been a student at Tasha Smith's acting workshop. Since 2008, Luckett has been acting in plays, television and movies. She was cast in JD Lawrence's stage play Rumors, as the character Michelle, and hit the road from January 31, 2008, to March 2, 2008. Luckett was also the star of the movie Preacher's Kid, released in January 2010.

Luckett appeared in the movie Killers, released on June 4, 2010, along with Ashton Kutcher, Katherine Heigl, Tom Selleck and Usher. She then finished shooting the 2011 movie From the Rough, alongside Taraji P. Henson and Tom Felton. For the second season, Luckett was cast in the HBO drama series Treme. In 2013, Luckett landed a recurring role on the VH1 television series Single Ladies. In 2016, she was cast in the second season of Rosewood. In 2017, Luckett began playing a recurring role on the OWN TV series Greenleaf.

Webisodes
LeToya has had two web series of herself on YouTube. In 2006, she did H-Town Chick; and in 2012, she did Life, Love & Music.

2006: H-Town Chick
A three-episode series on YouTube featuring the singer explaining her role in Destiny's Child and discussing her first self-titled album LeToya.

2012: Life, Love and Music
A six-episode series on YouTube giving an inside look at the singer's life and the recording process of her third album.

Relationships
In 2015, Luckett and motivational speaker Rob Hill Sr. reportedly got engaged, after a year of dating, and secretly wed in January 2016. It was later alleged by TMZ that the pair had called it quits, after only two months of marriage. In August 2017, LeToya announced her engagement to entrepreneur Tommicus Walker. They were married in a lavish ceremony at Villa Antonia in Austin, Texas on December 10, 2017. In June 2018, the couple announced that they were expecting their first child together. In October 2018, Luckett revealed on her Instagram that the two were expecting a baby girl. Their daughter was born on January 4, 2019. In March 2020, the couple announced they were expecting a baby boy, their second child together. They welcomed their son on September 14, 2020. On January 11, 2021, the couple announced their divorce. Luckett confirmed that she and Walker were no longer married in July 2021.

Endorsements
In 2010, Luckett became the new face of Luster's Hair Care replacing Karyn White. She appeared on the product line's boxes, billboards and commercials.

Lady Elle Boutique
In 2003, Luckett became the owner of Lady Elle Boutique, an upscale women's boutique. She originally opened this clothing boutique in the Uptown Park shopping center in her hometown of Houston, Texas as Lady L Boutique but later renamed it to Lady Elle Boutique. In 2008, the singer opened the store's second location in The Galleria in Houston.

Philanthropy
After the release of her first solo album, Luckett became involved in philanthropic activity. She has participated in various events like the "Women in Entertainment Empowerment Summit". She was also part of the national tour of the "Hip-Hop Summit Action Network 'Get Your Money Right' a Financial Empowerment Summit."

She visits schools to motivate and encourage children to study and to further their education after graduation. She also speaks on the subject of violence and domestic abuse.

Discography
Studio albums
 * LeToya (2006)
 * Lady Love (2009)
 * Back 2 Life (2017)

with Destiny's Child

 * Destiny's Child (1998)
 * The Writing's on the Wall (1999)

title: LeToya Luckett


text:
User talk:Fecologist

Hi, and welcome to Wikipedia! Thanks for your contributions to the coolest online encyclopedia I know of =). I sure hope you stick around; we're always in need of more people to create new articles and improve the ones we already have.  You'll probably find it easiest to start with a tutorial of how the wikipedia works, and you can test stuff for yourself in the sandbox.  When you're contributing, you'll probably find the manual of style to be helpful, and you'll also want to remember a couple important guidelines.  First, write from a neutral point of view, second, be bold in editing pages, and third, use wikiquette.  Those are probably the most important ones, and you can take a look at some others at the policies and guidelines page. You might also be interested in how to write a great article and possibly adding some images to your articles.

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Again, welcome! It's great to have you. Happy editing! --Spangineer (háblame)  22:33, Jun 13, 2005 (UTC)

Blocked
Sockpuppet of User:Eyeon created to get round 3RR at Feces. Blocked indefinitely. SlimVirgin (talk) 23:40, Jun 13, 2005 (UTC)

Fight the block
Fecologist: An admin is abusing her authority to censor the feces page. She has locked the page AND your account. I can help you get back on; you need to add an email address to your account and then email me. Eyeon 23:57, 14 Jun 2005 (UTC)

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

title: User talk:Fecologist


text:
Hard Rain (film)

Hard Rain is a 1998 action thriller film directed by former cinematographer-turned director Mikael Salomon, written by Graham Yost, produced by Ian Bryce, Mark Gordon, and Gary Levinsohn, and starring Morgan Freeman, Christian Slater, Randy Quaid, Minnie Driver, and Ed Asner. An international co-production among the United States, the United Kingdom, Denmark, Germany, and Japan. In a small Indiana town amidst a natural disaster, a gang attempts to pull off a heist and survive man-made treachery. It received generally negative reviews and was a box office flop.

Plot
During a heavy rainstorm, Tom and his uncle Charlie, two armored truck drivers, are collecting money from banks in the town of Huntingburg, Indiana, which has been evacuated due to flooding. They are ambushed by Jim and his gang of armed robbers, Kenny, Mr. Mehlor, and Ray. Charlie calls the National Guard and is shot dead by Kenny as Tom escapes and hides the cash in a cemetery.

The gang chases Tom, who takes refuge in a nearby church. There he is mistaken for a looter by Karen who knocks him out. Tom wakes up in a cell and tells Sheriff Mike Collig about the gang and the money. Mike and Chief Deputy Wayne Bryce leave him locked up and investigate, whilst Deputy Phil is ordered to take Karen out of town. Karen pushes Phil out of the boat to return to protect the church, which she is restoring.

The town's dam operator Hank is forced to open a spillway, causing a large wave and deeper flooding. Tom is trapped in his cell as the water rises. After protecting the church, Karen rescues him and they hide from the gang. Kenny is electrocuted. They enter a house and are mistaken for looters by the elderly residents Doreen and Henry Sears, who have refused to evacuate and are protecting their property. Henry is persuaded to give Tom their boat to return to the armored truck. Resurfacing from the submerged truck, he finds the gang holding the elderly couple hostage. Tom says he will tell them where the money is.

Jim reveals to Tom that the latter's uncle Charlie was in cahoots with the gang, and did not actually call the National Guard; he was only killed because Kenny was not told Charlie was on their side. Tom finds the money has disappeared. They are ambushed by Mike and his deputies plus Hank, who have found Karen and intend to keep the money for themselves.

Mr. Mehlor and Ray are killed in the shootout, and Jim and Tom escape and hide in the church. Wayne takes Karen to her house intending to rape her. The others firebomb the church and drive their boats through the stained glass windows. Karen stabs and kills Wayne. Hank shoots Phil for not shooting Tom when he had the chance.

The dam overtop alarm sounds. Mike suggests Tom and Jim should let Hank and him go with a couple of the bags of money. Tom agrees, but Jim does not. Tom leaves to try to save Karen, before Mike shoots Jim with a revolver he was hiding, although Jim isn't badly hurt. Mike and Hank escape in a boat; Hank is then pushed out by the sheriff and is killed in a gas explosion.

Tom finds Karen handcuffed to a banister. He frees her and they climb to the roof to avoid the water where they are caught by Mike. Jim comes from behind them in a boat. Mike shoots at him, disabling the steering, forcing him to go over the roof. As he does so, the engine breaks off and collides with the sheriff, knocking him into the water. Mike tries to shoot Karen as he grabs a bag of money, but Tom and Jim shoot the corrupt sheriff dead. Tom tells Jim he should leave, just as the Indiana State Police arrive. Jim picks up Mike's bag of money and rows away, as Tom tells Karen the fire damage to her church was not too bad and can be repaired.

Development
The production of the film was a collaborative effort among numerous film studios, one of which was the British Broadcasting Corporation. Christian Slater himself served as co-producer. At one point, John Woo was attached to direct the film, but he left to direct Face/Off instead and the project was taken over by Mikael Salomon.

The film was originally titled The Flood, but it was changed because the film-makers did not want audiences to assume it was primarily a disaster film and not a heist-thriller. A massive flood the previous year that caused millions in damages was still fresh in the minds of moviegoers also prompted the name change.

The film was shot in Huntingburg, Indiana, where the film is set (in reality there is no major river or dam nearby, although there are two reservoirs near the town), as well as a $6 million set in an aircraft hangar in Palmdale, California where the B-1 Lancer bomber was manufactured, and some exteriors in Etobicoke, Toronto, Canada.

As of April 2016, upon speaking with the Huntingburg City Office, film historian Adam Nichols was informed of and shown a museum located upstairs in the city office where several props, costumes, media, and production stills are displayed featuring this film and the 1992 film A League of Their Own that was also partially filmed in Huntingburg.

About the ending, Morgan Freeman said: "I played a bad guy in [Hard Rain] and they showed it to an audience – and we're letting an audience tell us what to do now – y'know, and the audience said, 'Well, I don't want him – Morgan can't die!' And I was a thief. 'He should get some money'. We went back into the studio and re-shot it so that I didn't die and I did get some money."

In retrospect Screenwriter Graham Yost said: "That was just supposed to be a western. It was basically a modern day western and it was just so expensive to do that it kind of lost its focus in a way, although Mikael [Salomon] did a great job."

Filming
In an April 2024 interview, Minnie Driver claimed a producer of the film told her not to wear a wetsuit under her shirt as they wanted her nipples to show. The film's costume designer Kathleen Detoro did not remember the incident, stating "the producers had me supply everyone including crew with wetsuits," and that "Made to order wet suits from (Body Glove) were purchased for all actors and crew. Actors received full wet suit, shortie wet suit, tops, bottoms and booties. It is up to (the) actor to decide what parts they wear or don't wear." A representative for Freeman said the actor "has no recollection of any part of this".

Box office
Hard Rain opened on the Martin Luther King long weekend in 1998 earning fifth place with $7.1 million from Friday to Sunday and $8 million including the holiday Monday. The film made a total gross of $19.9 million in the US against a $70 million production budget.

Due to its poor box office performance in the US, the film was released straight to video in most countries. The film gained a significant following in the video rental market.

Critical response
Edvins Beitiks of the San Francisco Examiner praised the film, saying "It's fast-moving, it's got fine special effects, the hero and heroine are pure and quick-thinking, the bad people die badly, and the script draws its fair share of laughs." TimeOut.com gave it a positive review, comparing the plot favorably to writer Graham Yost's earlier more financially successful project, Speed, and suggested that it could be considered a spiritual sequel to Speed. StarPulse.com praised the action scenes of Hard Rain yet criticized the plot, calling it "mindless" yet "entertaining". Lawrence Van Gelder of The New York Times gave it a mixed review, praising the cast disaster and special effects but criticizing the plot, concluding "For all the talent and effort involved, Hard Rain turns out to be routine entertainment.

A particularly negative review came from Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times, who gave the film one star out of a possible four and stated: "Hard Rain is one of those movies that never convince you its stories are really happening. From beginning to end, I was acutely aware of actors being paid to stand in cold water. Suspension of my disbelief in this case would have required psychotropic medications." Although he criticised the plot and some of the casting, he did praise the special effects. On the TV show Siskel & Ebert & the Movies, Ebert and his colleague Gene Siskel gave the film "two thumbs down". Commenting on its commercial performance, Total Film called it the "biggest flop of 1998" but said it deserved to perform better because of its "fun tension-cranking moments". Christopher Young's score was praised.

On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds a 34% approval rating based on 47 reviews with an average rating of 4.5/10. The site's critics consensus reads, "Hard Rain is an implausible heist movie soaked in disaster movie trappings." On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 36 out of 100 based on reviews from 17 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews". Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B−" on an A+ to F scale.

title: Hard Rain (film)


text: Category:History of Herefordshire

title: Category:History of Herefordshire


text:
David S. Touretzky

David S. Touretzky is a research professor in the Computer Science Department and the Center for the Neural Basis of Cognition at Carnegie Mellon University. He received a BA in Computer Science at Rutgers University in 1978, and earned a master's degree and a Ph.D. (1984) in Computer Science at Carnegie Mellon University. Touretzky has worked as an Internet activist in favor of freedom of speech, especially what he perceives as abuse of the legal system by government and private authorities. He is a notable critic of Scientology.

Research
Touretzky's research interests lie in the fields of artificial intelligence, computational neuroscience, and learning. This includes machine learning and animal learning, and in particular neural representation of space in rodents (e.g., in the hippocampus) and in robots. In 2006, he was recognized as a Distinguished Scientist by the Association for Computing Machinery.

Criticism of Scientology
Since the 1990s, Touretzky has worked to expose the actions of the Church of Scientology. He sees the actions of the organization as a threat to free speech, and he has taken a prominent part in Internet-based activism to oppose it, also appearing regularly as a critic in radio and print. He has also worked to expose what he sees as dangerous and potentially life-threatening treatments provided by Narconon, the Scientology-based drug rehabilitation program. He maintains a Web site named Stop Narconon, which archives media articles critical of the program. Dr. Touretzky's research into Narconon was a primary source of information for a series of San Francisco Chronicle newspaper articles criticizing Narconon on June 9 and June 10, 2004 that ultimately led to the organization's program being rejected by the California school system in early 2005.

Touretzky has undertaken extensive research into the secret upper levels of Scientology, and he has made this information available to the public on the OT III Scholarship Page (concerning Xenu) and the NOTs Scholars Page (concerning the higher Operating Thetan levels). These pages, he states, are academic studies of Scientology's texts, and the proprietary materials are therefore legally available due to careful application of the academic fair use provisions of copyright law. The Church has failed in their attempts to have them removed, after repeatedly threatening Touretzky with lawsuits and filing complaints against him with Carnegie Mellon University. Carnegie Mellon, in turn, has issued statements in support of Professor Touretzky, noting that his criticism of Scientology is a personal affair and not the opinion of the University itself.

Touretzky has been the object of public attacks by the Church of Scientology, including various "dead agent" campaigns against him. He has been accused of religious bigotry, racism, misogyny, misuse of government funds, support for terrorism, and collusion with the pharmaceutical industry, among other misdeeds.

Free-speech activism
David Touretzky is an Internet free-speech activist. He has supported several movements in what he perceives as abuse of the legal system by government and private authorities.

In 2000, Touretzky testified as an expert witness for the defense in Universal City Studios et al. v. Reimerdes et al., a suit brought by seven motion picture studios against the publishers of 2600: The Hacker Quarterly (the case name refers to Shawn Reimerdes, an unrelated defendant who settled prior to trial.) The suit concerned the publication of DVD decryption software known as DeCSS, which the plaintiffs asserted was illegal under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. Dr. Touretzky testified as an expert in computer science on the expressive nature of computer code, and convinced the court that code was indeed speech. Touretzky also created an online gallery of various renditions of the DeCSS software. Readers sent in their own renditions of the decryption algorithm, including a mathematical description, a haiku, and a square dance.

In reaction to the federal prosecution and eventual imprisonment of 18-year-old political activist Sherman Austin for hosting bomb-making instructions entitled Reclaim Guide on his web site, Dr. Touretzky provided a mirror on his Carnegie Mellon website for more than two years, although he acknowledged on the website that his own reposting of the information did not violate the plain language of the statute under which Austin was convicted. In May 2004, to avoid harassment of the university and controversy in the media, Dr. Touretzky moved the mirror from the Carnegie Mellon server to a private site.

In 2011, Touretzky began hosting a mirror of the website of George Hotz, containing executable files and instructions facilitating the jailbreaking of the Sony PlayStation 3, after Sony filed lawsuits against Hotz and other hackers aiming to utilize the takedown provisions of the DMCA to remove the content from the Internet.

Publications

 * Books:
 * David S. Touretzky, The Mathematics of Inheritance Systems (Research Notes in Artificial Intelligence), Los Altos, California: Morgan Kaufmann, 1986. ISBN 0-934613-06-0.
 * David S. Touretzky, Common Lisp: A Gentle Introduction to Symbolic Computation, Redwood City, California: Benjamin Cummings, 1990. ISBN 0-8053-0492-4. Out of print, but electronic versions are available.
 * David S. Touretzky, Common Lisp: A Gentle Introduction to Symbolic Computation, Mineola, New York: Dover Publications, Inc., 2013. ISBN 978-0-486-49820-1. The Dover edition, first published in 2013, is a revised republication of work originally published by The Benjamin/Cummings Publishing Company, Inc., in 1990.

 * Articles:
 * David S. Touretzky, "Viewpoint: Free speech rights for programmers", Communications of the ACM 44(8):23–25, August 2001., extended version. (On DeCSS.)
 * David S. Touretzky and Peter Alexander, "A church's lethal contract", Razor, 2003. (On Scientology.)

 * Other:
 * David S. Touretzky et al., "Gallery of CSS descramblers".
 * Advances in Neural Information Processing Systems 8: Proceedings of the 1995 Conference (editor) ISBN 0-262-20107-0
 * Advances in Neural Information Processing Systems 7: Proceedings of the 1994 Conference (editor) ISBN 0-262-20104-6
 * Proceedings of the 1993 Connectionist Models Summer School (co-author) ISBN 0-8058-1590-2
 * Connectionist Models: Proceedings of the 1990 Summer School (co-author) ISBN 1-55860-156-2
 * Proceedings of the 1988 Connectionist Models (co-author) ISBN 1-55860-035-3

title: David S. Touretzky


text: Category:Buildings and structures in Herefordshire


text:
Talk:Jaclyn Victor

Untitled
Why does "Jaclyn" redirect here? There is at least one other famous Jaclyn - Jaclyn Smith. Shouldn't "Jaclyn" be a disambig page?165.230.149.169 22:35, 13 Jun 2005 (UTC)

Um...
Paradise Community Church is in Adelaide and Australia for Christ Fellowship Church is in Melbourne. Is this just a mix-up, or...something else? Highconclave 08:42, 15 August 2006 (UTC)

title: Talk:Jaclyn Victor


text:
Rise of the Dragon

Rise of the Dragon, released in 1990 by Dynamix, marks the company's venture into the cyberpunk genre, distinct from its usual portfolio of action and flight simulators. This graphic adventure game is set in a future dystopian version of Los Angeles, circa 2053, and follows the story of detective William 'Blade' Hunter as he investigates the death of the mayor's daughter, linked to a dangerous new drug, MTZ. The gameplay combines detective work, strategy, and action. Players must solve puzzles that influence the storyline, interact with characters who remember past choices, and tackle action sequences. If players fail these sequences multiple times, the game may offer to automatically complete them.

Originally launched for DOS and Macintosh, Rise of the Dragon was later ported to the Sega CD and Amiga, with the Sega CD version introducing voice acting and making alterations for a MA-17 rating, including changes in content. The game's reception was generally positive, with critics noting its effective capture of a cyberpunk atmosphere, detailed graphics, and the non-linear approach to puzzle-solving. It garnered awards for artistic achievement but received some criticism for its control scheme and user interface.

Gameplay
Gameplay in Rise of the Dragon is similar to that of Dynamix's other 1990s adventure games, The Adventures of Willy Beamish and Heart of China. The screen shows the current room roughly from the protagonist Blade's perspective. Movement occurs with the cursor, which becomes an arrow to proceed to another room or a magnifying glass to get closer to a part of the current scene.

The game has a time meter that reflects the passage of time in the game. Each of Blade's actions takes up a certain amount of time. Some game events will only occur at particular times. The player must find a way to delay the plans of the game's villains, or the game will end after only three days and Blade will not have time to save the day. Travelling between locations can take up a lot of in-game time, so players must plan their moves strategically.

Several puzzles in Rise of the Dragon have multiple possible solutions. Blade's activities can influence the plot of the game later on. Game characters remember his earlier behavior, and if he says the wrong thing to key characters they will refuse to help him with his work, which can render the game unwinnable.

Rise of the Dragon features two action scenes and an aim-and-shoot scene. It is possible to beat the game without playing through all of these scenes. If the player tries and fails to complete the action scenes several times, the game will offer the chance to automatically win the sequence and move on to the next scene.

Plot
In 2053, William 'Blade' Hunter is a former Los Angeles Police Department officer turned private detective. When the mayor's rebellious daughter Chandra is found dead and horribly mutated after experimenting with a new designer drug called MTZ, Blade is called upon to track down those responsible. Blade makes contact with a streetwise friend of Chandra nicknamed "the Jake", who indicates Chen Lu as the dealer who had been supplying Chandra with the lethal drug. Blade goes to Chen Lu's apartment only to find Lu assassinated with an overdose of MTZ, as a punishment for attracting public attention by causing the death of a powerful man's daughter.

As Blade tries to reconcile with his girlfriend Karyn, who works at the Crime Records Bureau, he enlists her help to track down Lu's accomplices and discover the mutagenic nature of the MTZ drug. It is revealed that the MTZ business is part of an underground Chinese Mafia operation led by Deng Hwang, a megalomaniacal drug kingpin intent on world domination. Blade also meets an old fortune teller, who tells him the present year coincides with that of the foretold coming of Chinese dragon Bahumat.

Blade disrupts the MTZ production schedule by blowing up the local drug plant, but in doing so he is spotted by Hwang's men. Hwang has the Jake captured in an attempt to lure Blade into a trap, but Blade manages to rescue the Jake and later sabotages the Triad's plans to poison the Hollywood reservoir with MTZ and exterminate the population of Los Angeles. In retaliation, Hwang has Karyn kidnapped and strapped to a chair, threatening to inject MTZ into her system.

Blade infiltrates Hwang's headquarters and, depending on the player's actions, either manages or fails to rescue Karyn. He eventually comes face-to-face with Hwang himself, who suddenly transforms into the dragon Bahumat. In a climactic final battle, Bahumat is defeated by Blade. Outside the headquarters, Blade is greeted by the mayor but angrily punches him for using Blade as a pawn in his crackdown operation and endangering his life and Karyn's. Blade then walks away either with Karyn, if she has survived, or alone.

Ports
Developed by Game Arts, several differences existed between the Sega CD and MS-DOS versions of Rise of the Dragon, the most prominent being the addition of voice acting to the Sega CD release. The graphics of the Sega CD version use 64 on screen colors compared to the 256 for the computer, which gives it a green tint.

The Sega CD version adds voice actors to the game (including Cam Clarke in the main role as William 'Blade' Hunter) and was given a MA-17 rating by the Videogame Rating Council. Unlike the ESRB rating system, VRC ratings do not indicate the reasons why a game received a particular rating, but mature content in the game includes profanity, references to a fictional illicit drug, cross-dressing, prostitution and partial female nudity. A scene with a French kiss and implied sex was removed from the Sega CD release.

Reception

Rise of the Dragon was a commercial hit; Craig Ritchie of Retro Gamer later called it "very successful".

Computer Gaming World stated that Rise of the Dragon more effectively depicted a cyberpunk atmosphere than other games. The magazine liked the story, non-text parser interface, audio, and the fact that completing the arcade sequences was optional, and concluded that the game "is not only an outstanding product in its own right, but points the way for the future of graphic adventures". Dragon gave the game 5 out of 5 stars.

The One gave the Amiga version of Rise of the Dragon an overall score of 92%, noting "evident" stylistic influence from Blade Runner, and praising the game's graphics, stating that "Rise of the Dragon has probably some of the most detailed artwork yet seen in an adventure". The One calls Rise of the Dragon a "very entertaining futuristic tale, with plenty of challenge" and praises the game's plot twists, and the game's multiple endings. The One also expresses the need for lateral thinking in regards to the game's puzzles, stating that the player must "put a lot of thought into what [they're] doing". The One criticises the controls and UI, calling the controls "a little limiting", and expresses that they require getting used to. The One's review of the DOS version of Rise of the Dragon echoed the opinion of the Amiga version, giving it 89%, and praising its graphics and "near-faultless" design.

In 1991, Rise of the Dragon won a Special Award for Artistic Achievement from Computer Gaming World. In 1996, the magazine ranked it as the 83rd best game of all time, stating: "So good that a rival publisher tried to steal it, this cyberpunk game used rotoscoping, hot spot mapping, and cinematic cuts long before they were standard", and the 12th most innovative computer game for pioneering of "using a dynamic, hot-spotted map as the game world travel interface". In 1991, PC Format named Rise of the Dragon one of the 50 best computer games ever. The editors wrote: "When you do finish marvelling at the excellent on-screen graphics, you'll want to get right into the action too".

Electronic Gaming Monthly deemed the Sega CD version "an almost perfect translation of the PC title". Though they criticized the absence of replay value, they approved of the gritty tone and "atmospheric" graphics, and scored it a 7.6 out of 10.

A Computer Games Strategy Plus retrospective in 2000 summarized Rise of the Dragon as "an underrated classic [...] way ahead of its time".

title: Rise of the Dragon


text: User talk:ChrisO~enwiki/Archive 5

title: User talk:ChrisO~enwiki/Archive 5


text:
Reggie Durden

Reggie Durden (born November 22, 1976) is a former gridiron football defensive back.

College career
Reggie Durden played two seasons at Florida State University. In 1999, he shared the Most Improved Player honors at cornerback. He also returned punts and kickoffs for the seminoles, and had 2 interceptions and 13 tackles in 1998.

Professional career
Durden joined the Montreal Alouettes in 2001 as a punt returner after a season with the Los Angeles Xtreme of the XFL. Before the 2006 CFL season, Durden was traded from the Montreal Alouettes to the Edmonton Eskimos. He played one season with the Eskimos before being released.

Personal life
Currently Durden is a football coach at Eisenhower High School

title: Reggie Durden


text:
Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Anti-Basque sentiment

 This page is an archive of the discussion about the proposed deletion of the article below. This page is no longer live. Further comments should be made on the article's talk page rather than here so that this page is preserved as an historic record. The result of the debate was delete.  Grue  14:14, 23 Jun 2005 (UTC)

Anti-Basque_sentiment
The article is inherently POV and un-encyclopaedic. The entry seems to be politically motivated and has also attracted a disagreeing rant on it's article page. Googling for "Anti-Basque sentiment" gives twenty results; at least thirteen of those are from Wikipedia clones and two of them are from an RPG's fictional future timeline. Daniel Medina 22:37, 13 Jun 2005 (UTC)
 * Delete heavily opinionated essay... not an encyclopedia article... Sasquatch′↔Talk↔Contributions 04:27, Jun 14, 2005 (UTC)
 * The latter 2/3rds of the page is (currently) a rant, and requires deleting. The remainder then needs expanding and making objective.  "Sentiment" is inherently POV, but that does not make documenting the existence and flavour of the sentiment POV. --Simon Cursitor 07:41, 14 Jun 2005 (UTC)
 * The above discussion is preserved as an archive of the debate. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be placed on a related article talk page, if one exists; in an undeletion request, if it does not; or below this section.


text:
Joseph Henry Lynch

Joseph Henry Lynch (28 October 1911 – 16 January 1989) was a British artist, better known under his signature J.H. Lynch. His mass reproduced paintings of sultry women, especially Tina (1964) make him one of the protagonists of Mass Market Art. Nymph, Autumn Leaves and Woodland Goddess are some of his best known works, some of which are shown in the movie A Clockwork Orange by Stanley Kubrick and also on the cover of some European releases of the Edwyn Collins single, A Girl Like You.

title: Joseph Henry Lynch


text:
Orders, decorations, and medals of Canada

The orders, decorations, and medals of Canada comprise a complex system by which Canadians are honoured by the country's sovereign for actions or deeds that benefit their community or the country at large. Modelled on its British predecessor, the structure originated in the 1930s, but began to come to full fruition at the time of Canada's centennial in 1967, with the establishment of the Order of Canada, and has since grown in both size and scope to include dynastic and national orders, state, civil, and military decorations; and various campaign medals. The monarch in right of each Canadian province also issues distinct orders and medals to honour residents for work performed in just their province. The provincial honours, as with some of their national counterparts, grant the use of post-nominal letters and or supporters and other devices to be used on personal coats of arms.

The monarch is regarded as the fount of all honours—as the monarch is the only person who may create new national honours—and acts as the Sovereign of all of Canada's orders; he, or other members of the royal family, will conduct inductions or present medals. In Canada, the monarch is represented by the governor general, who also carries out investitures and distributes awards in the sovereign's name. As such, administration of the honours system is the responsibility of the Chancellery of Honours at Rideau Hall, which is a part of the Office of the Secretary to the Governor General of Canada. The governor general also sets out, via order-in-council, the order of precedence for the wearing of insignia, decorations, and medals. Provincial and territorial honours are similarly awarded by their respective lieutenant governors or commissioners.

There also exist in Canada numerous awards distributed by and/or named for members of the royal family or viceroys. These are not, however, included in Canada's formal honours system.

Imperial and colonial honours
Since as far back as the reign of King Louis XIV, the monarchs that reigned over colonies in New France, British North America, and present-day Canada have bestowed royal honours, decorations, and medals on those living under their sovereignty, in recognition of their services to the state. Early governors of New France also desired to establish local honours in or import European honours to Canada; Samuel de Champlain, for instance, founded on 14 November 1606 the Order of Good Cheer (still extant today) and Charles de Montmagny had designs to establish the Sovereign Military Order of Malta in New France while he was governor from 1635 to 1648. The Ordre Royal et Militaire de Saint-Louis, established by King Louis XIV in 1693 specifically to honour worthy French, Catholic military officers, came to be one of the most familiar honours in New France; some 300 people associated with Canada were appointed into it, Louis-Hector de Callière being the first. Appointments into the order continued even after the transfer of New France to the British Crown in 1763.

After the creation of British North America, Canadians were entitled to receive British imperial honours, though the awarding of these was not consistently allowed. From Confederation until the Nickle Resolution in 1919, the Order of Saint Michael and Saint George served as the equivalent of today's Order of Canada, being the highest non-peerage honour available to Canadian politicians, judges, and civil servants. Appointments into the Order of the British Empire, into grades below those that carried a title, were also commonly made. Besides knighthoods, peerage titles (both hereditary and life) were also bestowed on Canadians, sometimes with uniquely Canadian designations—such as Baroness Macdonald of Earnscliffe and Baron Beaverbrook of Beaverbrook in the Province of New Brunswick and of Cherkley in the County of Surrey—and permitted those so honoured to sit in the House of Lords at Westminster. Such acts of recognition were carried out by the reigning British monarch. Prior to Confederation, the sovereign did so on the advice of the British prime minister; the names of those to be honoured were either selected by the colonial governor or governor general in British North America and passed on to the Secretary of state for the colonies and then the prime minister; by the secretary and passed on to the prime minister; or by the prime minister himself. The British government felt no obligation to consult any government in British North America before bestowing an honour upon any resident of the colonies. Following Confederation, the prime minister of Canada submitted a list of names to the monarch via the governor general; though, the governor general also continued to recommend individuals for honours without the Canadian prime minister's knowledge.

This practice came into question in 1901, when Governor General the Earl of Minto nominated Thomas Shaughnessy for a knighthood, even after Prime Minister Wilfrid Laurier (an opponent of Shaughnessy) expressed his opposition to the idea, leading Laurier in the following year to draft a policy whereby all nominees for honours be approved by the prime minister before being forwarded to Westminster. Later, the public began to suspect the worthiness of those receiving the knighthoods and elevations to the peerage; the controversy that surrounded the appointment of Sam Hughes as a Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath in 1915 marked the beginning of the end of such honours in Canada. After it was revealed in 1917 that British Prime Minister David Lloyd George had been selling peerage titles and knighthoods to raise money for his political party (Montreal Star owner Hugh Graham's elevation as the Baron Atholstan being granted seemingly without merit and against the advice of both Canadian Prime Minister Robert Borden and Governor General the Duke of Devonshire), the awarding of such distinctions in Canada immediately ceased. Thereafter, the House of Commons of Canada in 1917 and 1919 passed the Nickle Resolutions, which, though never legally binding, generally cemented the cease of titular awards to Canadians. The end of the conferment of imperial honours on Canadians came in 1955. Awards for gallantry and bravery, such as the Victoria Cross, however, remained available and knighthoods were still conferred: on Sir Frederick Banting in 1934, Sir Edwin Leather in 1964, and Sir Terry Matthews in 2002. Further, some pre-existing Canadian peerages continued to be recognised—the Baron de Longueuil and Baron Thomson of Fleet, for example—and still others were granted after 1919 by the sovereign of Canada, such as the Viscount Bennett of Mickleham, Hopewell, and Calgary.

Canadian honours
Governor General the Viscount Monck had originally pushed for a distinct Canadian order of knighthood in 1867, to be called the Order of St Lawrence. The idea was revived by Vincent Massey in 1935 and again in 1951, in between which he also suggested in 1940 a Royal Order of Canada. The Canadian Cabinet, however, never accepted these proposals, generally wishing instead to steer clear of the controversial topic of orders. Still, the beginnings of a distinct Canadian honours system came in March 1934, with the creation of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police Long Service Medal by royal warrant of King George V, issued on the advice of the Cabinet of R. B. Bennett; this was the first time an honour specific to Canada and for service in Canada had been established by the monarch of Canada (as opposed to earlier campaign and service medals that had been issued to Canadians and British personnel alike by the British monarch). There was uncertainty amongst officials in Canada and Britain alike around how to go about creating such an honour, and delays were incurred not only as Canadian bureaucrats interpreted the Nickle Resolution as applying to medals, but also because the King himself was widening the project to consider all the Empire police forces.

This process was refined through the Second World War and Korean War, though the pool of available honours became smaller and smaller as the decades progressed; non-titular British honours continued to be granted until 1946 and, from 1950 and 1953, only British military decorations were permitted. In 1942, the Canada Medal was created by royal warrant of King George VI, though none was ever struck, and the Canadian Forces' Decoration was founded in 1947. Though the Letters Patent of 1947 issued by the King permitted the governor general to exercise most of the monarch's royal prerogative on his behalf, it was agreed between George VI and his Canadian Prime Minister at the time, William Lyon Mackenzie King, that the sovereign alone would retain the prerogative to create new honours. In 1951, the first distinctly Canadian campaign medal, the Korea Medal, was created, when other Commonwealth countries used the British version.

The centennial of Canadian Confederation in 1967 provided the right opportunity and circumstances in which to establish Canada's first order: the Order of Canada. The system was revised in 1972 and has since expanded, mostly through the 1990s, and generally attracted little criticism; indeed, the orders, decorations, and medals of Canada inspired other Commonwealth realms, such as Australia and New Zealand, to adopt similar approaches in their respective jurisdictions, as did each of Canada's provinces. However, some experts in the field, such as Christopher McCreery, have pointed out what they see as deficiencies in the construct: At the 2006 conference on Commonwealth Honours, the concern was raised that Canada does not have a way to recognize the nation's very best; the three grades of the Order of Canada being insufficient to do so. It was suggested that either two more levels be added to the Order of Canada, equivalent to knighthoods in Australian and British orders, or create a new single class but limited-membership order, similar to the Order of New Zealand. The order of precedence also came under scrutiny, particularly the anomaly that all three grades of the Order of Canada supersede the top levels of each of the other orders, contrary to international practice. McCreery echoed these comments in 2010 and added that the Canadian honours system was lacking a polar medal (which was created in 2015), such as those issued in other northern nations, as well as a public service order, akin to the Imperial Service Order, and honours to specifically recognise protective services other than the police forces.

In June 2010, McCreery highlighted inconsistency in honouring those in Canada's royal family. For example, the Queen Mother was appointed a Companion of the Order of Canada on only an honorary basis, though the Canadian Forces' Decoration awarded to her was substantive. Similarly, Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, was offered only honorary appointment to the Order of Canada, which he refused on the grounds that, as the royal consort of the Queen, he was Canadian and thus entitled to a substantive appointment, as he had been awarded the Canadian Forces Decoration and Commemorative Medal for the Centennial of Saskatchewan. In 2013, the constitutions of the Order of Canada and the Order of Military Merit were amended to create for each of the three grades of each order an extraordinary category reserved for those members of the royal family (in the Canadian Forces for the latter order) nominated and approved for appointment. Upon taking office, governors general and viceregal consorts become Extraordinary Companions of the Order of Canada and the governor general an Extraordinary Commander of the Order of Military Merit.

Structure and the creation of honours

All honours in Canada emanate from the country's monarch, who is regarded as the fount of honour; only he or she may create new honours, though this, as part of the Royal Prerogative, is generally done on the advice of the sitting ministers of the Crown. The sovereign's representative in Canada, the governor general, administers most of the honours system through the Chancellery of Honours, which is a part of the Office of the Secretary to the Governor General of Canada. The governor general also sets out, via order-in-council, the order of precedence for the wearing of insignia, decorations, and medals.

The momentum to create a new honour typically originates at either the Chancellery of Honours or the Department of National Defence, though private organisations or individuals may also make proposals. The Chancellery will investigate whether or not the suggested honour is necessary and if it will conform within the national honours structure. Should it meet these criteria, the notion is put before the Honours Policy Committee—a group of senior public servants, formed in 1980 within the Privy Council Office —and then, if approved, is moved before the Cabinet for an order-in-council to be drawn up. On the prime minister's advice, via the governor general, the documents and drawings for the new honour are presented to the monarch for his consideration; only with his signature on the relevant letters patent and the design sketches does the new honour officially become extant. Any future amendments to the honour's appearance or award criteria do not need the monarch's approval; the governor general will perform such tasks instead.

In the Canadian structure, unlike its counterparts in Britain and other countries, nominees names are put forward to the governor general by independent committees, which in turn receive nominations from the public, in an attempt to create a non-partisan process that avoids political controversy. Most orders have a unique advisory committee, consisting of individuals relevant to the scope of the particular order, all appointed by the governor general or a delegate; for instance, the Advisory Committee for the Order of Military Merit has six members: one appointed by the governor general, four by the chief of the Defence Staff, and the chief of the Defence Staff him or herself. There are also advisory councils or committees for decorations in general and for valour decorations, specifically. The secretary to the governor general will usually serve as secretary general to many of these boards.

The Canadian honours system also includes two dynastic orders—the Order of Merit and the Royal Victorian Order — and one personal award of the sovereign – the Royal Victorian Chain. These were created by the sovereign alone and inductions and presentations are at the monarch's personal discretion.

Orders
Canada has both dynastic (created by the sovereign and membership in which is a personal gift of the monarch, granted without ministerial advice) and national (initiated by order-in-council and created by letters patent and membership in which is carried out on the advice of advisory committees) orders. These have a number of grades or classes to acknowledge different levels of achievement. Usually, the insignia for the top grades are worn on a neck ribbon by men and on a pinned bow by women, while those for the lower levels are worn suspended on ribbons attached to the left of the jacket of dress, those for women again usually on a bow. These insignia are presented to the recipient by either the monarch or governor general. Orders are not awarded to individuals, instead one is appointed into membership in a society of honour, and can be promoted to higher grades within the group. The appointment to an order also entitles the appointee to post-nominal letters.

Order of Merit
Admission to the Order of Merit (Ordre du Mérite) is the highest civilian award for merit in Canada. Founded in 1902 by King Edward VII to recognise distinguished service in the armed forces, science, art, literature, or for the promotion of culture, the Order of Merit has one grade and carries with it only the post-nominal letters OM. One of the few dynastic orders in Canada, the order's membership is limited to, at one time, no more than 24 living individuals from the Commonwealth realms. Five Canadians have been appointed to the order: William Lyon Mackenzie King, Wilder Penfield, Lester B. Pearson, Jean Chrétien, and Margaret MacMillan.

Order of Canada

The Order of Canada (Ordre du Canada) is the country's second highest civilian honour for merit and is administered by the governor general-in-Council, on behalf of the monarch of Canada. Created in 1967, appointment is granted to those who adhere to the order's motto Desiderantes meliorem patriam (Latin for: 'desiring a better country'), meaning that, in essence, the honour recognises lifetime contributions made by Canadians who made a major difference to Canada, or non-Canadians who made the world better by their actions. Musicians, politicians, artists, entertainers, benefactors, and many more have been accepted into the order; since its creation, more than 8,000 people have been appointed to the Order of Canada. The order, of which the monarch is Sovereign and the serving governor general is Chancellor and Principal Companion, is currently composed of three grades: Companion (CC), Officer (OC), and Member (CM).

For each grade, there is an extraordinary category reserved for those members of the royal family nominated and approved for appointment. Upon taking office, governors general and viceregal consorts become Extraordinary Companions for life or until removal from the order.

Order of Military Merit
The Order of Military Merit (Ordre du mérite militaire) is a society of members of the Canadian Forces who have demonstrated dedication and devotion beyond the call of duty. Established in 1972 by Queen Elizabeth II, who serves as the order's Sovereign, with the governor general as the Chancellor and the chief of the Defence Staff as Principal Commander, the award has three classes: Commander (CMM), Officer (OMM), and Member (MMM).

For each grade, there is an extraordinary category reserved for those members of the royal family in the Canadian Forces nominated and approved for appointment. Upon taking office, governors general become Extraordinary Commanders for life or until removal from the order.

Order of Merit of the Police Forces
Members of Canada's various police bodies who have demonstrated conspicuous merit and exceptional service are inducted into the Order of Merit of the Police Forces (Ordre du mérite des corps policiers), which was created in 2000 by Queen Elizabeth II. As with the Order of Military Merit, the reigning monarch is the Sovereign of the order, while the governor general is the Chancellor and the commissioner of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police acts as Principal Commander. The order has three grades: Commander (COM), Officer (OOM), and Member (MOM).

Royal Victorian Order

The Royal Victorian Order (Ordre royal de Victoria) is a dynastic order established in 1896 by Queen Victoria to recognise those who performed exemplary personal service for the sovereign. The order's day is 20 June, the date of Victoria's accession to the throne, and its motto is Victoria. The structure includes five classes and a medal, though the levels of Knight or Dame Grand Cross and Knight or Dame Commander, available to all in other Commonwealth realms, are not normally open to Canadian citizens, due to the titles that come with appointment to those grades and the Cabinet's adherence to the non-binding Nickle Resolution. Members of the royal family, however, as subjects of the Canadian monarch but not citizens of Canada, can, and do, occupy the two uppermost grades. The order's classes, in order of seniority, are: Knight or Dame Grand Cross (GCVO), Knight or Dame Commander (KCVO or DCVO), Commander (CVO), Lieutenant (LVO), and Member (MVO). Award of the Royal Victorian Medal allows the recipient the use of the post-nominal letters RVM.

Order of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem
The Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem (L'Ordre très vénérable de l'Hôpital de Saint-Jean de Jérusalem ) is a working order of charitably minded men and women whose philanthropy is expressed principally through its two foundations: the St. John Eye Hospital in Jerusalem and St. John Ambulance. The order traces its origins to the Knights Hospitaller of the Crusades, who served the Abbey of St. Mary's small hospital for sick pilgrims in Jerusalem in the 12th century. It was established in the United Kingdom in 1831 and given a royal charter by Queen Victoria in 1888, and has existed in Canada in some form for many years, but was only officially brought into the Canadian honours system in 1995. The governor general is the Prior and Chief Officer in Canada, while the lieutenant governors serve as Vice-Prior in their respective province. Each is also automatically appointed as a Knight or Dame of Justice in case of the Prior and his or her spouse, or a Knight or Dame of Grace in the case of lieutenant governors upon being sworn into their viceregal office. Spouses of lieutenant governors are made Officers. Members of the royal family may also hold the level of Bailiffs or Dames Grand Cross, with the post-nominal letters GCStJ.

Currently, there are approximately 5,500 active Canadian members in the Order, induction being granted by nomination only to Canadian citizens or permanent residents at or over the age of 18. This is done at the discretion of the Sovereign Head of the Order, King Charles III, on the advice of the Prior.

In Canada, the order has five grades: Bailiffs or Dames Grand Cross (GCStJ), Knight or Dame (KStJ or DStJ), Commander (CStJ), Officer (OStJ), and Member (MStJ). Esquires are not members of the Order but instead members of the Priory.

Decorations

Decorations are awarded for gallantry, civilian bravery, or meritorious services; only the Royal Victorian Medal (post-nominal letters RVM, Médaille royale de Victoria), a decoration associated with the Royal Victorian Order, is not slotted into any of the three aforementioned categories. They are similar to national orders, are created by the sovereign and conferred by her or her viceroy, and are worn on the left side of the jacket or dress. Decorations also entitle the recipient to post-nominal letters.

Military valour decorations
The military valour decorations were created on 2 February 1993 by Queen Elizabeth II, on the advice of her Cabinet under then-Prime Minister Brian Mulroney. For all three military valour decorations, recipients must be a member of the Canadian Forces or an allied armed force that is serving with or in conjunction with the Canadian Forces, on or after 1 January 1993. All military valour decorations may be awarded posthumously.

The Victoria Cross (post-nominal letters VC, Croix de Victoria) is the highest award for valour available to members of the Canadian Forces of any rank, in any service, and allies serving under or with Canadian military command. Based on the British version of the same medal, it is only awarded for extraordinary valour and devotion to duty while facing a hostile force. Prior to 1993, the original Victoria Cross was awarded to 94 Canadians, none of whom are now living; since its creation, no Canadian Victoria Cross has been issued.

The Star of Military Valour (post-nominal letters SMV, Étoile de la vaillance militaire) was created as an award for Canadian Forces personnel who had demonstrated "distinguished and valiant service in the presence of the enemy." The star may be presented more than once, an additional bar on the medal's ribbon marking each subsequent award. It was only first presented in 2006, as Canada's participation in the 2001 invasion of Afghanistan created for the first time circumstances wherein one could carry out actions deserving of the Star of Military Valour.

The Medal of Military Valour (post-nominal letters MMV, Médaille de la vaillance militaire) is awarded to members of the Canadian Forces for "an act of valour or devotion to duty in the presence of the enemy." The medal, too, was only first awarded in 2006 and may be earned multiple times, marked by the addition of bars to the medal's ribbon.

Bravery decorations
Established on 1 May 1972 by Queen Elizabeth II, on the advice of her Cabinet headed by Pierre Trudeau, the bravery decorations are awarded to any person who risked his or her life to save or protect another person; it is not necessary that the incident take place in Canada, and no particular person must be Canadian, but it is required that at least one individual involved in the occurrence be a Canadian citizen. Nominations must be made within two years of the incident, or within two years after a court or a coroner has concluded its review on the circumstances surrounding the incident or act of bravery, and each decoration may be awarded posthumously.

The Cross of Valour (post-nominal letters CV, Croix de la vaillance) is the highest ranking of the Canadian bravery decorations, and is awarded for "acts of the most conspicuous courage in circumstances of extreme peril." It was intended to both replace the never-issued Medal of Courage of the Order of Canada, and to act as the Canadian equivalent of the George Cross. It was presented for the first time on 20 July 1972.

Presented to both living and deceased individuals deemed to have performed "acts of conspicuous courage in circumstances of great peril," the Star of Courage (post-nominal letters SC, Étoile du Courage) is the second-highest ranking of Canadian bravery decorations. As of April 2018, the Star of Courage has been presented to 458 people, though no bars have yet been issued.

The Medal of Bravery (post-nominal letters MB, Médaille de la Bravoure) is the third rank of the bravery decorations, awarded in recognition of "acts of bravery in hazardous circumstances," and has been awarded most frequently; as of April 2018, 3,304 medals had been awarded.

Meritorious service decorations
The meritous service decorations are each divided into military and civilian categories, which each may be awarded to both Canadians and non-Canadians. The set of awards was initially formed on 11 June 1984 by Queen Elizabeth II, on the advice of Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau, but consisted of decorations available only to Canadian Forces personnel; it was on 6 June 1991 that the civilian classifications were added.

The Meritorious Service Cross (post-nominal letters MSC, Croix du service méritoire) is intended to recognize individuals—both Canadian and foreign—who have carried out meritorious acts bringing benefit and honour. The military division recognises highly professional acts that are of considerable benefit to the Canadian Forces, while its civilian counterpart honours similar acts—whether in athletics, diplomatic relations, humanitarian activities, etc.—that benefit the nation.

The Meritorious Service Medal (post-nominal letters MSM, Médaille du service méritoire) is the secondary meritorious service decoration and recognises highly professional acts that are of considerable benefit to the Canadian Forces by military personnel, and to the nation by civilians.

Royal Victorian Chain
The Royal Victorian Chain is a decoration created in 1902 by King Edward VII as a personal gift of the monarch. Originally reserved for members of the royal family, the chain is a distinct award conferred only upon the highest dignitaries, including foreign monarchs, heads of state, and high-ranking individuals. It is an element of the Canadian honours system, but not included in the order of precedence for the wear of honours, decorations, and medals. It does not provide recipients with any title or post-nominal letters and there is no associated ribbon for men; however, women can wear the insignia on a bow fashioned from the ribbon of the RVC. Former Governors General Vincent Massey and Roland Michener were both given the RVC by Queen Elizabeth II; the second and third commoners to receive the honour.

Medals
Canada has various types of medals, some part of the official honours system and others not. Those in the former category tend to be related to state organisations, such as police forces, fire protection, or the military. These can be further sub-categorised into long service and campaign medals. Others are awarded to military and civilians alike for anniversaries—the Canadian Centennial or the Golden Jubilee of Elizabeth II, for example—or for community service. Still others are awarded by international organisations and integrated into the Canadian honours structure; the United Nations Medals and North Atlantic Treaty Organization medals, for example. As medals are awarded more widely than orders or decorations, they are typically presented by higher-ranking officials in the organization the recipient is a part of. Only the Canadian Forces Decoration grants a holder the use of post-nominal letters.

Sacrifice medals

Within the Canadian system of honours are medals that specifically recognise death or severe injury in the course of military service. The Memorial Cross (Croix du Souvenir) was created in 1919 by King George V, it is to be awarded to the mother, widow, widower, or next of kin of any member of the Canadian Forces who loses his or her life in active service, including peacekeeping, and other such international operations. From amongst the recipients of the medal has been drawn annually the Silver Cross Mother. Later, in 2008, Queen Elizabeth II approved the establishment of the Sacrifice Medal (Médaille du sacrifice) as a replacement for the Wound Stripe, to be presented to any member of the Canadian Forces or allied forces who were wounded or killed in action. The medal is also awarded posthumously to any member of the Canadian Forces who dies under honourable circumstances as a result of an injury or disease related to military service.

Campaign medals
Canada's campaign medals are a continuation of the tradition of the monarch recognising service in a designated military operation or performance of duty in a geographical theatre; save for the General Campaign Stars and Medals, each is associated with a particular conflict. The general star and medal are issued for any active service in a combat zone, which one or ones being distinguished by additional clasps that are worn on the medal's ribbon. Such medals presently recognised in the Canadian honours system are:

 * Korea Medal: recognising combat service in the Korean War, 1950–1953
 * Canadian Volunteer Service Medal for Korea: recognising non-combat service in the Korea War, 1950–1953
 * Gulf and Kuwait Medal: recognising service in the Gulf War, 1990–1991
 * Somalia Medal: recognising service in the Somali Civil War, 1992–1993
 * South-West Asia Service Medal: recognising service in campaigns against terrorism in South-West Asia
 * General Campaign Star: recognising combat service in various campaigns, a unique bar for each campaign
 * Operational Service Medal: recognising combat and non-combat service in various campaigns, a unique ribbon for each campaign

Canadians earlier qualified for British campaign medals, though these awards were, at the time, not foreign to Canada. Some were created specifically for Canada, such as the Canadian General Service Medal, which was issued in 1899 to recognise active participation in defending the country from the Fenian raids and later in suppressing the Red River Rebellion.

Service medals

 * General Service Medal
 * Special Service Medal
 * Canadian Peacekeeping Service Medal

Polar and volunteer medals
The Polar Medal (Médaille polaire) and Sovereign's Medal for Volunteers (Médaille du souverain pour les bénévoles) were both created by Queen Elizabeth II in 2015, incorporating and replacing the Governor General's Northern Medal (established by Governor General Adrienne Clarkson in 2005) and the Governor General's Caring Canadian Award (established by Governor General Roméo LeBlanc in 1995), respectively. This made them honours of the Crown, permitting them to be incorporated into the Canadian honours system.

Commemorative medals
Until 1977, the practice for coronation and jubilee medals was for authorities in the United Kingdom to decide on a total number of medallions to be produced and allocate how many were to be distributed to each of the British Empire and Crown dependencies and possessions, and later Commonwealth of Nations countries. From that point, the award of the medals was at the discretion of the local government authority. Such medals are awarded to Canadians who have been deemed to have made a significant contribution to their fellow citizens, their community or to Canada. So that all regions of the country are recognised equally, the federal, provincial, and civic governments all forward names to Rideau Hall, as do private organizations in the fields of the arts, sports, philanthropy, and charity. The full membership of the Order of Canada and Order of Military Merit, as well as all winners of Canadian bravery decorations will typically also receive commemorative medals automatically, while for members of the Canadian Forces, merit with length of service and prestige of current appointment is considered. Such medals presently recognised in the Canadian honours system are:

 * Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Medal: marking the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II, 1953
 * Canadian Centennial Medal: marking the 100th anniversary of Canadian Confederation, 1967
 * Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Medal: marking the 25th anniversary of the accession of Queen Elizabeth II, 1977
 * 125th Anniversary of the Confederation of Canada Medal: marking the 125th anniversary of Canadian Confederation, 1992
 * Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal: marking the 50th anniversary of the accession of Queen Elizabeth II, 2002
 * Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal: marking the 60th anniversary of the accession of Queen Elizabeth II, 2012
 * Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee Medal (provincial): marking the 70th anniversary of the accession of Queen Elizabeth II, 2022
 * King Charles III Coronation Medal: marking the coronation of King Charles III, 2023

Earlier commemorative medals for Canada or given to Canadians included:
 * Confederation Medal: marking the confederation of Canada, 1867
 * Queen Victoria Golden Jubilee Medal: marking the 50th anniversary of the accession of Queen Victoria, 1887
 * Queen Victoria Diamond Jubilee Medal: marking the 60th anniversary of the accession of Queen Victoria, 1897
 * King Edward VII Coronation Medal: marking the coronation of King Edward VII, 1902
 * King George V Coronation Medal: marking the coronation of King George V, 1911
 * Confederation Diamond Jubilee Medal: marking the 60th anniversary of Canadian Confederation, 1927
 * King George V Silver Jubilee Medal: marking the 25th anniversary of the accession of King George V, 1935
 * King George VI Coronation Medal: marking the coronation of King George VI, 1937

A medal for the sesquicentennial of Confederation in 2017 was originally planned and work on it progressed to the point of renderings, prepared medal certificates, and drafted regulations and letters patent before Minister of Canadian Heritage Melanie Joly cancelled the project in 2016, without stated reason.

Long service and good conduct medals
The Canadian Forces' Decoration (post-nominal letters CD) is given members of the Canadian Forces of all ranks who have completed twelve years of military service. By convention, it is also given to the governor general of Canada upon his or her appointment as viceroy, which includes the title of Commander-in-Chief in and over Canada. Despite its name, the Canadian Forces Decoration is a medal, as opposed to a decoration.

Other long service medals include:
 * Royal Canadian Mounted Police Long Service Medal
 * Service Medal of the Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of St. John of Jerusalem
 * Commissionaires Long Service Medal

Exemplary service medals

 * Police Exemplary Service Medal
 * Corrections Exemplary Service Medal
 * Fire Services Exemplary Service Medal
 * Canadian Coast Guard Exemplary Service Medal
 * Emergency Medical Services Exemplary Service Medal
 * Peace Officer Exemplary Service Medal

Other

 * Queen's Medal for Champion Shot

Provinces and territories

The Canadian provinces each have their own internal honours system, though they differ in some ways from their federal counterpart. British Columbia was the first to create a provincial honour in 1953. However, after the establishment of the Canadian honours system in 1967, other provinces moved to initiate their own systems after the federal government refused to do so on their behalf. An agreement was eventually reached around 1990 on the placement of the provincial honours in the Canadian order of precedence for orders, decorations, and medals.

Imperial and foreign honours
State honours bestowed upon a Canadian by a foreign government must be approved by the governor general-in-Council before the insignia, decoration, or medal may be worn. Those for honours bestowed by other Commonwealth countries are worn, in the order of date of appointment or award, following all those for Canadian honours, should the recipient have any. The same from countries not in the Commonwealth are worn after those from Commonwealth countries, again in order of date of appointment or award. However, the insignia of orders, as well as medals and decorations, within the Imperial (i.e. British) honours system that were received by a Canadian prior to 1 June 1972 have a different order of wear, mixed with the designated order for Canadian honours.

Canadians remain eligible for appointment into the Order of the Companions of Honour, as its statutes set aside a specific number of the order's total 65 places for residents of Australia, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom, and 11 for those from any other Commonwealth country. Appointments are made on the recommendation of the appropriate cabinet. The order currently has three Canadian members: John de Chastelain, Margaret MacMillan, and Margaret Atwood, who were nominated by the Cabinet of the United Kingdom.

Peerages

A number of distinctly Canadian titles have been granted by the sovereign. These include (with existent ones in italics):

 * Baron de Longueuil, named for Longueuil, Quebec. Created in 1700, the present holder is Michael Grant, the 12th Baron de Longueuil.
 * Baron Mount Stephen (of Mount Stephen in the Province of British Columbia and Dominion of Canada, and of Dufftown in the County of Banff), named for Mount Stephen, British Columbia. Created in 1891, the title is extinct, the first and only holder being George Stephen.
 * Baron Macdonald of Earnscliffe (in the Province of Ontario and Dominion of Canada), named for Earnscliffe in Ottawa, Ontario. Created in 1891, the title is extinct, the last and only holder being Agnes Macdonald.
 * Baron Strathcona and Mount Royal (of Mount Royal in the Province of Quebec and Dominion of Canada and of Glencoe in the County of Argyll), named for Strathcona County, Alberta and Mount Royal, Quebec. Created in 1900 (the original creation of 1897, without remainder to the first holder's only child, a daughter, is extinct), the present holder, since 2018, is Donald Alexander Euan Howard, fifth Baron Strathcona and Mount Royal.
 * Baron Shaughnessy (of the City of Montreal in the Dominion of Canada and of Ashford in the County of Limerick), named for Shaughnessy, British Columbia. Created in 1916, the present holder is Charles Shaughnessy, the fifth Baron Shaughnessy.
 * Baron Beaverbrook (of Beaverbrook in the Province of New Brunswick in the Dominion of Canada and of Cherkley in the County of Surrey), named for Beaverbrook, New Brunswick. Created in 1917, the present holder is Maxwell Aitken, the third Baron Beaverbrook.
 * Baron Atholstan (of Huntingdon in the Province of Quebec in the Dominion of Canada and of the City of Edinburgh), named for Huntingdon, Quebec. Created in 1917, the title is extinct, the last and only holder being Hugh Graham.
 * Viscount Bennett (of Mickleham in the County of Surrey and of Calgary and Hopewell in the Dominion of Canada), named for Mickleham, Surrey; Hopewell Hill, New Brunswick; and Calgary, Alberta. Created in 1941, the title is extinct, the last and only holder being Richard Bedford Bennett.

Members of the Canadian royal family, other than the sovereign, also hold peerages, though these were granted by letters patent issued by the sovereign of the United Kingdom and are used in Canada as courtesy titles. Further, Sylvana Tomaselli, a Canadian citizen, has been known as Countess of St. Andrews since her marriage to George Windsor, who uses the courtesy title Earl of St. Andrews, a subsidiary title of his father, Prince Edward, Duke of Kent, a grandson of King George V. Upon the death of the Duke of Kent, is it expected that George will succeed to the title and Sylvana will become Duchess of Kent, Countess of St. Andrews, and Baroness Downpatrick, though her eldest son, Edward, also a citizen of Canada and the present Lord Downpatrick, and his wife, if any, will then use the titles Earl and Countess of St. Andrews as a courtesy title and their eldest son, if any, would be known as Lord Downpatrick. Also, Karen Gordon, a Canadian citizen, became the Countess Spencer upon her marriage in 2011 to the Earl Spencer, brother of Diana, Princess of Wales.

There are also 120 Baronets of Nova Scotia. Created between 1625 and 1706, these baronets technically represent the baronets of Canada.

Arms, flags, and badges
The Canadian Heraldic Authority, which grants armorial bearings (coats of arms), flags, and badges to Canadian citizens, permanent residents, and corporate bodies, forms a part of the Canadian honours system; the granting of arms is regarded as an honour from the monarch, via the governor general, and thus are bestowed only on those whom the Chief Herald has deemed individuals worthy of receiving a grant of arms.


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Tomcat Alley

Tomcat Alley is an interactive movie FMV video game developed by The Code Monkeys for Sega CD. It was the first Sega CD game to feature extensive full screen, full motion video. It was later released, with higher quality video, for Windows-based PCs. A 32X version was also in development, but never released.

Storyline
The player controls a United States Navy pilot who has to bring peace and stability to the world after the cash-poor former Soviet Union sold off some of its military equipment to an unfriendly government.

The game takes place in a full screen, full motion video, first-person perspective, and the player has to move quickly to launch missiles at enemy aircraft.

Critical reception
GamePro named Tomcat Alley the best Sega CD game at the 1994 Consumer Electronics Show, commenting, "The demo at CES was stunning. It still had that grainy Sega CD look and feel, but you actually felt like you were flying inside the Tomcat." They later reviewed the game and gave it a perfect score, stating: "Tomcat Alley uses actors, sets, and outstanding aerial footage to create a breathtaking aerial battlefield." Electronic Gaming Monthly gave the game a largely negative review: "Aaargh, another full-motion video game! If you've played Night Trap or Double Switch, then you've played Tomcat Alley. ... the video [is] very blocky and often hard to see". In a retrospective review, Christopher Baker of Allgame gave the game a rating of 4.5 out of 5 stars. He noted the phrases and scenes are not as repetitive compared to other Sega CD games and praised the gameplay being fun and praised the game's challenging difficulty without being too frustrating.

In 1995, Flux magazine ranked the game 81st on their Top 100 Video Games summarizing: "A full-motion video game that doesn’t suck, thanks to decent interactivity, semi randomized gameplay, and the hot pilot babe."

title: Tomcat Alley


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Harry Catterick

Harry Catterick (26 November 1919 – 9 March 1985) was an English football player and manager. As a player Catterick played for Everton and Crewe Alexandra, in a career that was interrupted by World War II. However, he is most notable as a very successful manager. After spells with Crewe, Rochdale and Sheffield Wednesday, with whom he won the Football League Second Division title, Catterick took over at Everton and won the English Football League twice and the FA Cup with the Merseyside club. He finished his managerial career at Preston North End.

Playing career
Catterick's father, Harry Catterick Sr, was a football player and coach for Stockport. Catterick Jr played at amateur level for Stockport Schoolboys and for Cheadle Heath Nomads before signing part-time for Everton as an 18-year-old in 1937. He was an apprentice marine engine engineer.

However, his professional career coincided with the Second World War so that his opportunities to play were limited. His wartime record with Everton saw him score 55 goals in 71 games. During the war, he also played for Manchester United and Stockport County.

He finally made his league debut in August 1946, aged 26.

Sheffield Wednesday
Replacing Eric Taylor in 1958, Catterick achieved much success in his three years with Sheffield Wednesday. He led to team to the Division 2 title in 1959 and reached the FA Cup semi-final the following season, losing to Blackburn Rovers. The following season, Wednesday were league runners-up to Tottenham Hotspur, who won the Double. Catterick left just before the end of the season following an approach from Everton.

Everton
Catterick took over from Johnny Carey in 1961. He soon began to motivate the team and made some astute signings. Under his authoritarian guidance, Everton won the First Division Championship in the 1962–63 season and the 1966 FA Cup Final. Although he narrowly lost the 1968 FA Cup Final, the same young team eventually dominated the 1969–70 season, winning the Championship again by one point short of a record points total. Catterick upheld Everton's tradition of cultured, attacking football.

Many tipped Everton to dominate the 1970s under Catterick. However, a dip in the team's morale saw Everton struggle in the league the following season. The sale of Alan Ball to Arsenal in December 1971 came as a surprise to supporters. The struggle by a previously great team seriously affected Catterick's health, and he suffered a severe heart attack on 5 January 1972 near Sheffield after watching the league cup semi-final between West Ham United and Stoke City. He spent 14 days in hospital in Sheffield, being discharged on 19 January, and returned later that season, but later said that he felt it took him 12 months to fully recover.

He was persuaded to accept a non-executive role at the club on 11 April 1973 by chairman John Moores. He held that role until becoming manager of Preston North End in August 1975. It was a role he remained in up to May 1977. In the Summer of 1977 Catterick wrote to the FA inquiring about the England managerial vacancy but never got a reply. After that Catterick worked as a scout for Southampton under the management of Lawrie MacMenemy.

The Shankly rivalry
While the manager of rivals Liverpool, Bill Shankly, was an extrovert, Catterick was the opposite; an introvert. He disliked that the press gave information about his team out to the public, even simple details such as the formation. He ensured that the players on the team-sheet were only listed in alphabetical order so that rival managers would not know the line-up.

He also disliked televised games as he wanted to keep Everton's playing style out of the public eye. His rival Shankly was the opposite, welcoming televised matches as he felt it frightened opposing teams.

Catterick once gave an "exclusive" story to a journalist that Everton had missed out on the signing of Preston North End's Howard Kendall and that Kendall had in fact opted to sign for Liverpool. The journalist published the story in the newspaper but hours later Kendall had in fact signed for Everton. It is claimed that Catterick had manipulated the media to score points off the field against Shankly.

Death
Catterick died of a heart attack shortly after watching Everton draw 2–2 with Ipswich Town in an FA Cup Sixth Round match at Goodison Park on 9 March 1985. He was 65 years old. His death came almost exactly five years after former Everton striker Dixie Dean had died while watching a game at the ground, also of a heart attack. Everton won the replay 1–0 and the players wore a black armband in honour of Catterick.

He is buried in the graveyard of St Anne's Church, St Anne's-on-the-Sea, Lancashire after a funeral held there six days after his death. His gravestone bears the Everton motto, "Nil satis nisi optimum".

In popular culture
Catterick was portrayed by Colin Welland in the 1997 TV film The Fix, which featured the events of the 1964 football betting scandal.

Manager

 * Sheffield Wednesday
 * Football League Second Division: 1958–59
 * Everton
 * First Division: 1962–63, 1969–70
 * FA Cup: 1965–66
 * FA Charity Shield: 1963, 1970

title: Harry Catterick


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title: User talk:69.157.255.146


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Eugeniusz Baziak

Eugeniusz Baziak (8 March 1890 in Tarnopol – 15 June 1962 in Warsaw, Poland) was Archbishop of Lviv and apostolic administrator of Kraków. Baziak was rector of the Clerical Seminarium in Lviv. Since 1933 he was an auxiliary bishop and, since 1944, Archbishop of Lviv. In 1951, after the death of Cardinal Adam Stefan Sapieha, he became the apostolic administrator of the archdiocese in Kraków.

In his capacity as apostolic administrator of Kraków, he recommended to Pope Pius XII the promotion of Karol Wojtyła (the future Pope John Paul II), who was then a priest in the Archdiocese of Kraków, to the office of auxiliary bishop of that archdiocese. It is said that this recommendation was made in so strong terms that the Holy See made the appointment without even consulting with the Primate of Poland, Stefan Wyszyński, as was usual. Instead, Wyszyński received notice from the Vatican that he was simply to inform Wojtyła of the appointment, and ask him for his acceptance.

After Wojtyła accepted and the appointment was formalized by the Pope, it fell to Baziak to be the principal consecrator, Bishops Kominek and Jop being co-consecrators, of Wojtyła as a bishop, the episcopal consecration occurring in September 1958. Wojtyła would eventually succeed Baziak at Kraków after Baziak's death.

title: Eugeniusz Baziak


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title: User talk:69.157.246.106