document_title: Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory

question_text: where does charlie live in willy wonka and the chocolate factory

text: Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory

text: Plot[edit]

text: In a small town, Charlie Bucket, a poor paperboy, watches a group of children visit a candy shop. Walking home, he passes Willy Wonka's chocolate factory. A mysterious tinker recites the first lines of William Allingham's poem "The Fairies", and tells Charlie, "Nobody ever goes in, and nobody ever comes out." Charlie rushes home to his widowed mother and bedridden grandparents. After telling Grandpa Joe about the tinker, Joe reveals that Wonka locked the factory because other candy makers, including rival Arthur Slugworth, sent in spies to steal his recipes. Wonka disappeared, but after three years resumed selling candy; the origin of Wonka's labor force is unknown.

text: The next day, Wonka announces that he hid five "Golden Tickets" in chocolate Wonka Bars. Finders of the tickets will receive a factory tour and a lifetime supply of chocolate. The first four tickets are found by the gluttonous Augustus Gloop, the spoiled Veruca Salt, the gum-chewing Violet Beauregarde, and the television-obsessed Mike Teevee. As each winner is announced on TV, a man whispers to them. Charlie opens two Wonka Bars but finds no Golden Ticket. The newspapers announce the fifth ticket was found by a millionaire in Paraguay causing Charlie to lose hope. The next day, Charlie finds money in a sewer and uses it to buy a Scrumdiddlyumptious bar. With the change, he buys another Wonka Bar for Joe. Walking home, as Charlie hears people reading the newspapers; revealing that the Paraguayan millionaire's ticket is a fake, he opens the Wonka Bar and finds the fifth golden ticket. While rushing home, he encounters the same man seen whispering to the other winners, who introduces himself as Slugworth and offers a reward for a sample of Wonka's latest creation, the Everlasting Gobstopper.

text: Returning home with the Golden Ticket, Charlie chooses Joe as his chaperone. The next day, Wonka greets the ticket winners and leads them inside where each signs a contract before the tour. The factory includes a river of chocolate, edible mushrooms, lickable wallpaper, and other sweets and inventions. As the visitors sample these, they see Wonka's workers, small men known as Oompa-Loompas. Augustus falls into the chocolate river and is sucked up a pipe to the Fudge Room. In the Inventing Room, everyone receives an Everlasting Gobstopper. Violet becomes a large blueberry after chewing an experimental gum containing a three-course meal, over Wonka's warnings. The group reaches the Fizzy Lifting Drinks Room, where Charlie and Joe ignore Wonka's warning and sample the drinks. They float and have a near-fatal encounter with an exhaust fan before burping back to the ground. In the Chocolate Eggs Room, Veruca demands a golden goose for herself before falling into a garbage chute leading to the furnace, with her father falling in trying to rescue her. The group tests out Wonka's Wonkavision, only for Mike to teleport himself and become a few inches tall.

text: With Charlie and Joe remaining, Wonka says they are not getting anything because they violated the contract by stealing the Fizzy Lifting Drinks. Infuriated by this, Joe suggests to Charlie that he should give Slugworth the Gobstopper in revenge, but Charlie returns the candy back to Wonka. With this selfless act, Wonka declares Charlie as the winner. He reveals that Slugworth is actually Mr. Wilkinson, an employee of Wonka, and the offer to buy the Gobstopper was a morality test that only Charlie passed. The trio enter the "Wonkavator", a multi-directional glass elevator that flies out of the factory. Soaring over the city, Wonka reveals that his actual prize is the factory; Wonka created the contest to find an heir worthy enough, and so Charlie and his family can immediately move in. Wonka then reminds Charlie not to forget about the man who suddenly received everything he ever wanted. Charlie asks, "What happened?" to which Wonka replies, "He lived happily ever after."

text: Cast[edit]

text:
Gene Wilder as Willy Wonka
Jack Albertson as Grandpa Joe
Peter Ostrum as Charlie Bucket
Roy Kinnear as Henry Salt
Julie Dawn Cole as Veruca Salt
Leonard Stone as Sam Beauregarde
Denise Nickerson as Violet Beauregarde
Dodo Denney as Mrs. Teevee
Paris Themmen as Mike Teevee
Ursula Reit as Mrs. Gloop
Michael Bollner as Augustus Gloop
Diana Sowle as Mrs. Bucket
Aubrey Woods as Bill, the Candy Shop owner
David Battley as Mr. Turkentine
Günter Meisner as Arthur Slugworth/Mr. Wilkinson
Peter Capell as The Tinker
Werner Heyking as Mr. Jopeck
Peter Stuart as Winkelmann

text: Oompa Loompas[edit]

text:
Rusty Goffe
Rudy Borgstaller
George Claydon
Malcolm Dixon
Ismed Hassan
Norman McGlen
Angelo Muscat
Pepe Poupee
Marcus Powell
Albert Wilkinson

text: Production[edit]

text: Development[edit]

text: The idea for adapting the book into a film came about when director Mel Stuart's ten-year-old daughter read the book and asked her father to make a film out of it, with "Uncle Dave" (producer David L. Wolper) producing it. Stuart showed the book to Wolper, who happened to be in the midst of talks with the Quaker Oats Company regarding a vehicle to introduce a new candy bar from its Chicago-based Breaker Confections subsidiary (since renamed the Willy Wonka Candy Company and sold to Nestlé). Wolper persuaded the company, which had no previous experience in the film industry, to buy the rights to the book and finance the picture for the purpose of promoting a new Quaker Oats Wonka Bar.[7]

text: It was agreed that the film would be a children's musical, and that Dahl himself would write the screenplay.[7] However, the title was changed to Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.

text: Screenwriter David Seltzer conceived a gimmick exclusively for the film that had Wonka quoting numerous literary sources, such as Arthur O'Shaughnessy's Ode, Oscar Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest, Samuel Taylor Coleridge's The Rime of the Ancient Mariner and William Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice. Seltzer also worked Slugworth (only mentioned as a rival candy maker in the book) into the plot as an actual character (only to be revealed to be Wilkinson, one of Wonka's agents, at the end of the film).[7]

text: Casting[edit]

text: All six members of Monty Python: Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Eric Idle, Terry Gilliam, Terry Jones and Michael Palin, expressed interest in playing Wonka, but at the time they were deemed not big enough names for an international audience. Three of the members, Cleese, Idle and Palin, were later seriously considered for the same role in Tim Burton's version.[8][9]

text: Before Wilder was officially cast for the role, producers considered Fred Astaire, Joel Grey, Ron Moody and Jon Pertwee.[9][10] Spike Milligan was Roald Dahl's original choice to play Willy Wonka.[9] Peter Sellers even begged Dahl for the role.[11]

text: When Wilder was cast for the role, he accepted it on one condition:

text: When I make my first entrance, I'd like to come out of the door carrying a cane and then walk toward the crowd with a limp. After the crowd sees Willy Wonka is a cripple, they all whisper to themselves and then become deathly quiet. As I walk toward them, my cane sinks into one of the cobblestones I'm walking on and stands straight up, by itself; but I keep on walking, until I realize that I no longer have my cane. I start to fall forward, and just before I hit the ground, I do a beautiful forward somersault and bounce back up, to great applause.

text: The reason why Wilder wanted this in the film was that "from that time on, no one will know if I'm lying or telling the truth."[12]

text: Jean Stapleton turned down the role of Mrs. Teevee.[13][14] Jim Backus was considered for the role of Sam Beauregarde.[15] Sammy Davis, Jr. wanted to play Bill, the candy store owner, but Stuart did not like the idea because he felt that the presence of a big star in the candy store scene would break the reality.[8] Nevertheless, Davis' recording of the film's opening musical number, "The Candy Man," would top the Billboard magazine record charts in 1972, despite the fact that Davis initially hated the song. Anthony Newley also wanted to play Bill, but Stuart also objected to this for the same reason.[15]

text: Filming[edit]

text: Principal photography commenced on August 31, 1970, and ended on November 19, 1970. The primary shooting location was Munich, Bavaria, West Germany, because it was significantly cheaper than filming in the United States and the setting was conducive to Wonka's factory; Stuart also liked the ambiguity and unfamiliarity of the location. External shots of the factory were filmed at the gasworks of Stadtwerke München (Emmy-Noether-Straße 10); the entrance and side buildings still exist. The exterior of Charlie Bucket's house, which was only a set constructed for the film, was filmed at Quellenstraße in Munich, Bavaria. Charlie's school was filmed at Katholisches Pfarramt St. Sylvester, Biedersteiner Straße 1 in Munich. Bill's Candy Shop was filmed at Lilienstraße, Munich. The closing sequence when the Wonkavator is flying above the factory is footage of Nördlingen in Bavaria.

text:
Munich Gasworks as it appears today (building on the left)

Munich Gasworks as it appears today

Nördlingen, the town seen from above at the end of the film

text: Production designer Harper Goff centered the factory on the massive Chocolate Room. According to Paris Themmen, who played Mike Teevee, "The river was made of water with food coloring. At one point, they poured some cocoa powder into it to try to thicken it but it didn't really work. When asked this question, Michael Böllner, who played Augustus Gloop, answers, 'It vas dirty, stinking vater.'"[16]

text: When interviewed for the 30th anniversary special edition, Gene Wilder stated that he enjoyed working with most of the child actors, but said that he and the crew had some problems with Paris Themmen, claiming that he was "a handful".[17]

text: Promotion[edit]

text: Before its release, the film received advance publicity though TV commercials offering a "Willy Wonka candy factory kit" for sending $1.00 and two seals from boxes of Quaker cereals such as King Vitaman, Life and any of the Cap'n Crunch brands.[18]

text: Reception[edit]

text: Willy Wonka was released on June 30, 1971. The film was not a big success, being the 53rd highest-grossing film of the year in the U.S., earning just over $2.1 million on its opening weekend.[19] It received positive reviews from critics such as Roger Ebert who gave the film a four out of four stars, while comparing it to The Wizard of Oz. Ebert said, "All of this is preface to a simple statement: Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory is probably the best film of its sort since The Wizard of Oz. It is everything that family movies usually claim to be, but aren't: Delightful, funny, scary, exciting, and, most of all, a genuine work of imagination. “Willy Wonka” is such a surely and wonderfully spun fantasy that it works on all kinds of minds, and it is fascinating because, like all classic fantasy, it is fascinated with itself."[20]

text: By the mid-1980s, Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory had experienced a spike in popularity thanks in large part to repeated television broadcasts and home video sales. Following a 25th anniversary theatrical re-release in 1996, it was released on DVD the next year, allowing it to reach a new generation of viewers. The film was released as a remastered special edition on DVD and VHS in 2001 to commemorate the film's 30th anniversary. In 2003, Entertainment Weekly ranked it 25th in the "Top 50 Cult Movies" of all time.

text: Willy Wonka was ranked No. 74 on Bravo's 100 Scariest Movie Moments[21] for the "scary tunnel" scene.

text: As of 2017, the film holds a 91% "Fresh" rating on Rotten Tomatoes with an average rating of 7.7/10 based on 42 reviews. The site's critical consensus states: "Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory is strange yet comforting, full of narrative detours that don't always work but express the film's uniqueness".[22]

text: Dahl's reaction[edit]

text: Dahl disowned the film, the script of which was partially rewritten by David Seltzer after Dahl failed to meet deadlines. Dahl said he was "disappointed" because "he thought it placed too much emphasis on Willy Wonka and not enough on Charlie", as well as the casting of Gene Wilder instead of Spike Milligan.[23] Dahl was also "infuriated" by the deviations in the plot Seltzer devised in his draft of the screenplay, including the conversion of Slugworth, a minor character in the book, into a spy (so that the film could have a villain) and the "fizzy lifting drinks" scene along with music other than the original Oompa Loompa compositions (including "Pure Imagination" and "The Candy Man"), and the ending dialogue for the movie.[24] In 1996, Dahl's second wife Felicity commented on her husband's objections towards the film saying "they always want to change a book's storyline. What makes Hollywood think children want the endings changed for a film, when they accept it in a book?"[23]

text: Animated adaptation[edit]

text: In 2017, an animated adaptation of the film with Tom and Jerry was released. Tom and Jerry: Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory stars JP Karliak as Willy Wonka and is dedicated to Gene Wilder, who died less than a year before the release.

text: Home media[edit]

text: The film was first released on DVD in 1997/1999 in a "25th anniversary edition"[25] as a double sided disc containing a widescreen and "standard" version. The "standard" version is an open matte print, where the mattes used to make the image widescreen are removed, revealing information originally intended to be hidden from viewers.[26] VHS and Betamax copies were also available, but only containing the "standard" version.

text: A special edition DVD was released, celebrating the film's 30th anniversary, on August 28, 2001, but in fullscreen only. Due to the lack of a letterboxed release, fan petitioning eventually led Warner Home Video to issue a widescreen version on November 13, 2001. It was also released on VHS, with only one of the special features (a making-of feature). Several original cast members reunited to film documentary footage for this special edition DVD release. The two editions featured restored sound, and better picture quality. In addition to the documentary, the DVD included a trailer, a gallery, and audio commentary by the cast.

text: In 2007, Warner Home Video released the film on HD DVD with all the bonus features from the 2001 DVD.[27] The film was released on Blu-ray on October 20, 2009.[28] It includes all the bonus features from the 2001 DVD and 2007 HD-DVD as well as a 38-page book.

text: In 2011, a new deluxe-40th-anniversary edition Blu-ray/DVD set was released on November 1, consisting of the film on Blu-ray Disc and DVD as well as a bonus features disc. The set also included a variety of rarities such as a Wonka Bar-designed tin, four scented pencils, a scented eraser, a book detailing the making of the film, original production papers and a Golden Ticket to win a trip to Los Angeles. The set is now out of print.[29]

text: Music[edit]

text: The Academy Award-nominated original score and songs were composed by Leslie Bricusse and Anthony Newley, and musical direction was by Walter Scharf. The soundtrack was first released by Paramount Records in 1971. On October 8, 1996, Hip-O Records (in conjunction with MCA Records, which by then owned the Paramount catalog), released the soundtrack on CD as a "25th Anniversary Edition". In 2016, UMe and Geffen Records released a 45th Anniversary Edition LP.

text: The music and songs, in order of appearance, are:

text:
"Main Title" – Instrumental medley of "(I've Got A) Golden Ticket" and "Pure Imagination"
"The Candy Man" – Aubrey Woods
"Cheer Up, Charlie" – Diana Lee (dubbing over Diana Sowle)
"(I've Got A) Golden Ticket" – Jack Albertson and Peter Ostrum
"Pure Imagination" – Gene Wilder
"Oompa Loompa (Augustus)" – The Oompa Loompas
"The Wondrous Boat Ride"/"The Rowing Song" – Gene Wilder
"Oompa Loompa (Violet)" – The Oompa Loompas
"I Want It Now!" – Julie Dawn Cole
"Oompa Loompa (Veruca)" – The Oompa Loompas
"Ach, so fromm" (alternately titled "M'appari", from Martha) – Gene Wilder
"Oompa Loompa (Mike)" – The Oompa Loompas
"End Credits" – "Pure Imagination"

tag: ol

text: Soundtrack[edit]

text: The track listing for the soundtrack is as follows:

text:
"Main Title" ("Golden Ticket"/"Pure Imagination")
"The Candy Man"
"Charlie's Paper Run"
"Cheer Up Charlie"
"Lucky Charlie"
"(I've Got A) Golden Ticket"
"Pure Imagination"
"Oompa Loompa"
"The Wondrous Boat Ride"
"Everlasting Gobstoppers/Oompa Loompa"
"The Bubble Machine"
"I Want It Now/Oompa Loompa"
"Wonkamobile, Wonkavision/Oompa Loompa"
"Wonkavator/End Title" ("Pure Imagination")


document_title: Hockey helmet

question_text: when did visors become mandatory in the nhl

root

text: Hockey helmet

text: Visors and shields[edit]

text: A visor or face shield in ice hockey is a device attached to the front of a helmet to reduce potential of injury to the face. Visors cover the upper half of the face, while full face shields cover the entire face. A series of eye injuries, most notably that to Bruce Fogarty,[citation needed] have led to a call from many to enforce their wearing. As of 2015[update], 89% of NHL players wear visors.[2] Many other leagues around the world mandate the use of visors. Visors and shields, made of a high impact-resistant plastic, offer better overall vision than the wire cages available, which can obscure vision in certain areas. The face shield provides excellent straight ahead and peripheral vision, but does not provide as good air flow as a cage.

tag: p

text: The American Hockey League, the top minor league in North America required all players to wear a visor prior to the start of the 2006–07 season. The NHL "strongly recommends" the use of visors. The NHL mandated visors in 2013, with an exception for players having 25 games experience.[3]

text: The hockey visor was first invented by Kenneth William Clay when he lost vision in his left eye to a high stick while playing for the Vanderhoof Bears. After a month in hospital in Vancouver, Clay created the first documented clear face shield in January 1964. The invention caused quite a stir, with announcers calling it a "fish bowl" and a "wrap-around windshield". While the original shield and helmet were lost in the fire that consumed the Vanderhoof Arena a few years later, the newspaper clippings still attest to the dates and facts.[4]

text: Full facial protection[edit]

text: A cage in ice hockey is a device attached to the front of a helmet to reduce potential of injury to the face. It consists of a metal or composite mesh that covers the entire face, although some half cages do exist (to protect the eyes while allowing full airflow). The bars, or cage, are spaced far enough apart to allow seeing through to the action but are close enough to stop pucks and sticks from getting through to injure the face.

text: Some manufacturers now offer the best of both designs—a plastic face shield to protect the eyes and upper part of the face, and a cage to cover the lower jaw and to add ventilation. Full facial protection is mandatory in many amateur leagues and in North America, full face cages, full shields, or shield and cage combination are mandatory in high school hockey, college hockey, and for all players under the age of 18.

text: NHL player George Parsons was forced to retire due to career-ending eye injury in 1939.[5] He became involved with CCM hockey, helping to develop helmets and facial protection that would be safer for players. By early 1976, CCM had developed a hockey helmet complete with eye and face shield and lower face protector that was both approved by the Canadian Standards Association and endorsed by the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association.[6]

text: Facial protection research[edit]

text: In 2002, the British Journal of Sports Medicine published a study identifying the protection offered against concussions between the half-face shield and the full-face shield. The use of a full-face shield compared with half-face shield significantly reduced the playing time lost because of concussion, suggesting that concussion severity may be reduced by the use of a full-face shield.[7]

text: Helmets in the National Hockey League[edit]

text: The first player to regularly wear a helmet for protective purposes was George Owen, who played for the Boston Bruins in 1928–29. In 1927, Barney Stanley presented a prototype of a helmet at the NHL's annual meeting. It was quickly rejected.

text: Helmets appeared after the Ace Bailey–Eddie Shore incident on December 12, 1933, as a result of which Bailey almost died and Shore suffered a severe head injury. After that, Art Ross engineered a new helmet design and when the Boston Bruins took to the ice in a game against the Ottawa Senators, most of the players donned the new helmet. Most Bruins players didn't wear the helmet after the game, with the exception of Eddie Shore, who wore it the rest of his career. In the 1930s, the Toronto Maple Leafs players were ordered to add helmets to their equipment. A few minutes into the first game with the new helmets, the popular King Clancy famously flung his off. The helmets were generally unpopular with fans, media, and other players. A few players, such as Des Smith, Bill Mosienko, Dit Clapper, and Don Gallinger continued to don helmets.

text: During the Original Six era, Maurice Richard and Elmer Lach briefly wore helmets. Jack Crawford wore a helmet to hide his bald head and Charlie Burns wearing one to protect the metal plates in his head from an injury incurred in playing junior ice hockey, predating his NHL career.

text: The death of Bill Masterton from a brain injury in a January 13, 1968 game between the Minnesota North Stars and Oakland Seals started to change perceptions surrounding helmets.[8] Helmet use began to gradually increase during the 1970s, with Ted Green being the first Bruins player since Shore to wear one as a result of his NHL career, for the 1970-71 NHL season and onwards for the same reason that Charlie Burns had worn a helmet, until Green's retirement from pro hockey in 1979. The 1972 Summit Series showcased an entirely helmet clad Soviet Union team, with Paul Henderson, Stan Mikita, and Red Berenson being the only Canadians to sport a helmet. Usage increased to the point that 70% of NHL players were wearing them by 1979.[9]

text: In August 1979, then President of the National Hockey League (NHL), John Ziegler, announced that protective helmets would become mandatory for incoming players in the NHL. "The introduction of the helmet rule will be an additional safety factor," he said. The rule allowed players who signed professional contracts prior to June 1, 1979 to continue to not wear a helmet provided a liability waiver was signed, if they so desired. The last player to play without a helmet was Craig MacTavish, who played his final game during the 1996–97 season for the St. Louis Blues.

text: Brands[edit]

text:
Bauer Hockey (including Mission Hockey, Itech, and Cascade)
Easton Hockey
Oakley
Reebok RBK (including CCM/Koho/Jofa)
Avision Ahead (Boulder Hockey Shield Company)
Hockeyninja.com (Ronin Hockey Visors)

tag: ul


document_title: Parable of the Good Samaritan

question_text: who was the first person to come upon the injured man in the parable of the good samaritan

text: Parable of the Good Samaritan

text: Narrative[edit]

text: In the Gospel of Luke, the parable is introduced by a question, known as the Great Commandment:

text: Behold, a certain lawyer stood up and tested him, saying, "Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?"

text: He said to him, "What is written in the law? How do you read it?"

text: He answered, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, with all your mind, [Deuteronomy 6:5]; and your neighbour as yourself [Leviticus 19:18]."

text: He said to him, "You have answered correctly. Do this, and you will live."

text: Jesus replies with a story:

text: Jesus answered, "A certain man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who both stripped him and beat him, and departed, leaving him half dead. By chance a certain priest was going down that way. When he saw him, he passed by on the other side. In the same way a Levite also, when he came to the place, and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a certain Samaritan, as he travelled, came where he was. When he saw him, he was moved with compassion, came to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. He set him on his own animal, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him. On the next day, when he departed, he took out two denarii, and gave them to the host, and said to him, 'Take care of him. Whatever you spend beyond that, I will repay you when I return.' Now which of these three do you think seemed to be a neighbour to him who fell among the robbers?"

text: He said, "He who showed mercy on him."

text: Historical context[edit]

text: Road from Jerusalem to Jericho[edit]

text: In the time of Jesus, the road from Jerusalem to Jericho was notorious for its danger and difficulty, and was known as the "Way of Blood" because "of the blood which is often shed there by robbers".[4] Martin Luther King, Jr., in his "I've Been to the Mountaintop" speech, on the day before his death, described the road as follows:

text: Samaritans and Jesus[edit]

text: Jesus's target audience, the Jews, hated Samaritans[6] to such a degree that they destroyed the Samaritans' temple on Mt. Gerizim.[7] Due to this hatred, some think that the Lawyer's phrase "The one who had mercy on him" (Luke 10:37a) may indicate a reluctance to name the Samaritan.[8] Or, on another, more positive note, it may indicate that the lawyer has recognized that both his questions have been answered and now concludes by generally expressing that anyone behaving thus is a Lev 19:18 "neighbour" eligible to inherit eternal life.[9] The Samaritans in turn hated the Jews.[10] Tensions were particularly high in the early decades of the 1st century because Samaritans had desecrated the Jewish Temple at Passover with human bones.[11]

text: As the story reached those who were unaware of the oppression of the Samaritans, this aspect of the parable became less and less discernible: fewer and fewer people ever heard of them in any context other than as a description. Today, the story is often recast in a more modern setting where the people are ones in equivalent social groups known not to interact comfortably. Thus, cast appropriately, the parable regains its message to modern listeners: namely, that an individual of a social group they disapprove of can exhibit moral behavior that is superior to individuals of the groups they approve. Christians have used it as an example of Christianity's opposition to racial, ethnic, and sectarian prejudice.[12][13] For example, anti-slavery campaigner William Jay described clergy who ignored slavery as "following the example of the priest and Levite".[14] Martin Luther King, Jr., in his "I've Been to the Mountaintop" speech, described the Samaritan as "a man of another race".[5] Sundee Tucker Frazier saw the Samaritan more specifically as an example of a mixed-race person.[15] Klyne Snodgrass wrote: "On the basis of this parable we must deal with our own racism but must also seek justice for, and offer assistance to, those in need, regardless of the group to which they belong."[16]

text: Samaritans appear elsewhere in the Gospels and Book of Acts. In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus heals ten lepers and only the Samaritan among them thanks him (Luke 17:11–19),[11] although Luke 9:51–56 depicts Jesus receiving a hostile reception in Samaria.[6] Luke's favorable treatment of Samaritans is in line with Luke's favorable treatment of the weak and of outcasts, generally.[17] In John, Jesus has an extended dialogue with a Samaritan woman, and many Samaritans come to believe in him.[18] In Matthew, however, Jesus instructs his disciples not to preach in heathen or Samaritan cities (Matthew 10:5–8).[11] In the Gospels, generally, "though the Jews of Jesus' day had no time for the 'half-breed' people of Samaria",[19] Jesus "never spoke disparagingly about them"[19] and "held a benign view of Samaritans".[20]

text: Many see the model for the Samaritan's neighborly behavior in the parable to be 2Chronicles 28:8–15, in which Northern Israelite ancestors of Samaritans treat Judean enemies as fellow-Israelite neighbors.[21] After comparing the earlier account with the later parable presented to the expert in Israel's religious law, Evans concludes: "Given the number and significance of these parallels and points of correspondence it is hard to imagine how a first-century scholar of Scripture could hear the parable and not think of the story of the merciful Samaritans of 2 Chronicles 28."[22]

text: Priests and Levites[edit]

text: In Jewish culture, contact with a dead body was understood to be defiling.[11] Priests were particularly enjoined to avoid uncleanness.[11] The priest and Levite may therefore have assumed that the fallen traveler was dead and avoided him to keep themselves ritually clean.[11] On the other hand, the depiction of travel downhill (from Jerusalem to Jericho) may indicate that their temple duties had already been completed, making this explanation less likely,[23] although this is disputed.[6] Since the Mishnah made an exception for neglected corpses,[6] the priest and the Levite could have used the law to justify both touching a corpse and ignoring it.[6] In any case, passing by on the other side avoided checking "whether he was dead or alive".[24] Indeed, "it weighed more with them that he might be dead and defiling to the touch of those whose business was with holy things than that he might be alive and in need of care."[24]

text: Interpretation of Life[edit]

text: Allegorical reading[edit]

text: Origen described the allegory as follows:

text: The man who was going down is Adam. Jerusalem is paradise, and Jericho is the world. The robbers are hostile powers. The priest is the Law, the Levite is the prophets, and the Samaritan is Christ. The wounds are disobedience, the beast is the Lord’s body, the [inn], which accepts all who wish to enter, is the Church. … The manager of the [inn] is the head of the Church, to whom its care has been entrusted. And the fact that the Samaritan promises he will return represents the Savior’s second coming.[25]

text: John Welch further states:

text: This allegorical reading was taught not only by ancient followers of Jesus, but it was virtually universal throughout early Christianity, being advocated by Irenaeus, Clement, and Origen, and in the fourth and fifth centuries by Chrysostom in Constantinople, Ambrose in Milan, and Augustine in North Africa. This interpretation is found most completely in two other medieval stained-glass windows, in the French cathedrals at Bourges and Sens."[26]

text: The allegorical interpretation is also traditional in the Orthodox Church.[27] John Newton refers to the allegorical interpretation in his hymn "How Kind the Good Samaritan," which begins:

text:
How kind the good Samaritan
To him who fell among the thieves!
Thus Jesus pities fallen man,
And heals the wounds the soul receives.[28]

text: Robert Funk also suggests that Jesus' Jewish listeners were to identify with the robbed and wounded man. In his view, the help received from a hated Samaritan is like the kingdom of God received as grace from an unexpected source.[29]

text: Ethical reading[edit]

text: John Calvin was not impressed by Origen's allegorical reading:

text: Francis Schaeffer suggested: "Christians are not to love their believing brothers to the exclusion of their non-believing fellowmen. That is ugly. We are to have the example of the good Samaritan consciously in mind at all times."[31]

text: Other modern theologians have taken similar positions. For example, G. B. Caird wrote:

text: The meaning of the parable for Calvin was, instead, that "compassion, which an enemy showed to a Jew, demonstrates that the guidance and teaching of nature are sufficient to show that man was created for the sake of man. Hence it is inferred that there is a mutual obligation between all men."[30] In other writings, Calvin pointed out that people are not born merely for themselves, but rather "mankind is knit together with a holy knot ... we must not live for ourselves, but for our neighbors."[33] Earlier, Cyril of Alexandria had written that "a crown of love is being twined for him who loves his neighbour."[34]

text: Joel B. Green writes that Jesus' final question (which, in something of a "twist,"[35] reverses the question originally asked):

text: Such a reading of the parable makes it important in liberation theology,[37] where it provides a concrete anchoring for love[38] and indicates an "all embracing reach of solidarity."[39] In Indian Dalit theology, it is seen as providing a "life-giving message to the marginalized Dalits and a challenging message to the non-Dalits."[40]

text: Martin Luther King, Jr. often spoke of this parable, contrasting the rapacious philosophy of the robbers, and the self-preserving non-involvement of the priest and Levite, with the Samaritan's coming to the aid of the man in need.[41] King also extended the call for neighbourly assistance to society at large:

text: Other interpretations[edit]

text: In addition to these classical interpretations many scholars have drawn additional themes from the story. Some have suggested that religious tolerance was an important message of the parable. By selecting for the moral protagonist of the story someone whose religion (Samaritanism) was despised by the Jewish audience to which Jesus was speaking, some argue that the parable attempts to downplay religious differences in favor of focusing on moral character and good works.[43]

text: Others have suggested that Jesus was attempting to convey an anti-establishment message, not necessarily in the sense of rejecting authority figures in general, but in the sense of rejecting religious hypocrisy. By contrasting the noble acts of a despised religion to the crass and selfish acts of a priest and a Levite, two representatives of the Jewish religious establishment, some argue that the parable attempts to downplay the importance of status in the religious hierarchy (or importance of knowledge of scripture) in favor of the practice of religious principles.[44]

text: Modern Jewish view[edit]

text: The following is based on the public domain article Brotherly Love found in the 1906 Jewish Encyclopedia

text: The story of the good Samaritan, in the Pauline Gospel of Luke x. 25-37, related to illustrate the meaning of the word "neighbor," possesses a feature which puzzles the student of rabbinical lore. The kind Samaritan who comes to the rescue of the men that had fallen among the robbers, is contrasted with the unkind priest and Levite; whereas the third class of Jews—i.e., the ordinary Israelites who, as a rule, follow the Cohen and the Levite are omitted; and therefore suspicion is aroused regarding the original form of the story. If "Samaritan" has been substituted by the anti-Judean gospel-writer for the original "Israelite," no reflection was intended by Jesus upon Jewish teaching concerning the meaning of neighbor; and the lesson implied is that he who is in need must be the object of our love.

text: The term "neighbor" has not at all times been thus understood by Jewish teachers.[45] In Tanna debe Eliyahu R. xv. it is said: "Blessed be the Lord who is impartial toward all. He says: 'Thou shalt not defraud thy neighbor. Thy neighbor is like thy brother, and thy brother is like thy neighbor.'" Likewise in xxviii.: "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God"; that is, thou shalt make the name of God beloved to the creatures by a righteous conduct toward Gentiles as well as Jews (compare Sifre, Deut. 32). Aaron b. Abraham ibn Ḥayyim of the sixteenth century, in his commentary to Sifre, l.c.; Ḥayyim Vital, the cabalist, in his "Sha'are Ḳedushah," i. 5; and Moses Ḥagis of the eighteenth century, in his work on the 613 commandments, while commenting on Deut. xxiii. 7, teach alike that the law of love of the neighbor includes the non-Israelite as well as the Israelite. There is nowhere a dissenting opinion expressed by Jewish writers. For modern times, see among others the conservative opinion of Plessner's religious catechism, "Dat Mosheh we-Yehudit," p. 258.

text: Accordingly, the synod at Leipzig in 1869, and the German-Israelitish Union of Congregations in 1885, stood on old historical ground when declaring (Lazarus, "Ethics of Judaism," i. 234, 302) that "'Love thy neighbor as thyself' is a command of all-embracing love, and is a fundamental principle of the Jewish religion"; and Stade, when charging with imposture the rabbis who made this declaration, is entirely in error (see his "Geschichte des Volkes Israel," l.c.).

text: Authenticity[edit]

text: The Jesus Seminar voted this parable to be authentic,[46][47] with 60% of fellows rating it "red" (authentic) and a further 29% rating it "pink" (probably authentic).[47] The paradox of a disliked outsider such as a Samaritan helping a Jew is typical of Jesus' provocative parables,[46][6] and is a deliberate feature of this parable.[48] In the Greek text, the shock value of the Samaritan's appearance is enhanced by the emphatic Σαμαρίτης (Samaritēs) at the beginning of the sentence in verse 33.[6]

text: Bernard Brandon Scott, a member of the Jesus Seminar,[49] questions the authenticity of the parable's context, suggesting that "the parable originally circulated separately from the question about neighborliness"[50] and that the "existence of the lawyer's question in Mark 12:28–34 and Matthew 22:34–40, in addition to the evidence of heavy Lukan editing"[50] indicates the parable and its context were "very probably joined editorially by Luke."[50] A number of other commentators share this opinion,[51] with the consensus of the Jesus Seminar being that verses Luke 10:36–37 were added by Luke to "connect with the lawyer's question."[47] On the other hand, the "keen rabbinic interest in the question of the greatest commandment"[51] may make this argument invalid, in that Luke may be describing a different occurrence of the question being asked.[51] Differences between the gospels suggest that Luke is referring to a different episode from Mark and Matthew,[52] and Klyne Snodgrass writes that "While one cannot exclude that Luke has joined two originally separate narratives, evidence for this is not convincing."[52] The Oxford Bible Commentary notes:

text: The unexpected appearance of the Samaritan led Joseph Halévy to suggest that the parable originally involved "a priest, a Levite, and an Israelite",[48] in line with contemporary Jewish stories, and that Luke changed the parable to be more familiar to a gentile audience."[48] Halévy further suggests that, in real life, it was unlikely that a Samaritan would actually have been found on the road between Jericho and Jerusalem,[48] although others claim that there was "nothing strange about a Samaritan travelling in Jewish territory".[8] William C. Placher points out that such debate misinterprets the biblical genre of a parable, which illustrates a moral rather than a historical point: on reading the story, "we are not inclined to check the story against the police blotter for the Jerusalem-Jericho highway patrol. We recognize that Jesus is telling a story to illustrate a moral point, and that such stories often don't claim to correspond to actual events."[53] The traditionally understood ethical moral of the story would not hold if the parable originally followed the priest-Levite-Israelite sequence of contemporary Jewish stories, as Halévy suggested, for then it would deal strictly with intra-Israelite relations just as did the Lev 19:18 command under discussion.

text: As a metaphor and name[edit]

text: The term "good Samaritan" is used as a common metaphor: "The word now applies to any charitable person, especially one who, like the man in the parable, rescues or helps out a needy stranger."[54]

text: The name has consequently been used for a number of charitable organisations, including Samaritans, Samaritan's Purse, Sisters of the Good Samaritan, and The Samaritan Befrienders Hong Kong. The name Good Samaritan Hospital is used for a number of hospitals around the world. Good Samaritan laws encourage those who choose to serve and tend to others who are injured or ill.[55]

text: Art and popular culture[edit]

text: This parable was one of the most popular in medieval art.[57] The allegorical interpretation was often illustrated, with Christ as the Good Samaritan. Accompanying angels were sometimes also shown.[58] In some Orthodox icons of the parable, the identification of the Good Samaritan as Christ is made explicit with a halo bearing a cross.[59]

text: The numerous later artistic depictions of the parable include those of Rembrandt, Jan Wijnants, Vincent van Gogh, Aimé Morot, Domenico Fetti, Johann Carl Loth, George Frederic Watts, and Giacomo Conti.

text: In his essay Lost in Non-Translation, biochemist and author Isaac Asimov asserts (despite portrayals of many good Samaritans in Luke 17:11-19; Acts 8:5-7; 15:3, as well as John 4:4-42, etc.) that at the time when the parable was included in the gospel, there were no good Samaritans; in his view, this was half the point of the parable. As Asimov put it, we need to think of the story occurring in Alabama in 1950, with a mayor and a preacher ignoring a man who has been beaten and robbed, with the role of the Samaritan being played by a poor black sharecropper.

text: The story's theme is portrayed throughout Marvel's Daredevil.[citation needed]

text: The parable of the Good Samaritan is the theme for the Austrian Christian Charity commemorative coin, minted 12 March 2003. This coin shows the Good Samaritan with the wounded man, on his horse, as he takes him to an inn for medical attention. An older coin with this theme is the American "Good Samaritan Shilling" of 1652.[60]

text: Australian poet Henry Lawson wrote a poem on the parable ("The Good Samaritan"), of which the third stanza reads:

text:
"He's been a fool, perhaps, and would
Have prospered had he tried,
But he was one who never could
Pass by the other side.
An honest man whom men called soft,
While laughing in their sleeves —
No doubt in business ways he oft
Had fallen amongst thieves."[61]

text: John Gardiner Calkins Brainard[62] also wrote a poem on the theme.

text: Dramatic film adaptations of the Parable of the Good Samaritan include Samaritan,[63] part of the widely acclaimed[64] Modern Parables DVD Bible study series. Samaritan, which sets the parable in modern times, stars Antonio Albadran in the role of the Good Samaritan.[65]

text: The English composer, Benjamin Britten, was commissioned to write a piece to mark the centenary of the Red Cross. His resulting work for solo voices, choir, and orchestra, Cantata Misericordium, sets a Latin text by Patrick Wilkinson that tells the parable of the Good Samaritan. It was first performed in Geneva in 1963.[66]

text: Wikimedia Commons has media related to The Good Samaritan.

tag: table


document_title: The Independent

question_text: who owns the independent newspaper in the uk

text: The Independent

text: History[edit]

text: 1986 to 1990[edit]

text: Launched in 1986, the first issue of The Independent was published on 7 October in broadsheet format.[8] It was produced by Newspaper Publishing plc and created by Andreas Whittam Smith, Stephen Glover and Matthew Symonds. All three partners were former journalists at The Daily Telegraph who had left the paper towards the end of Lord Hartwell's ownership. Marcus Sieff was the first chairman of Newspaper Publishing, and Whittam Smith took control of the paper.[9]

text: The paper was created at a time of a fundamental change in British newspaper publishing. Rupert Murdoch was challenging long-accepted practices of the print unions and ultimately defeated them in the Wapping dispute. Consequently, production costs could be reduced which, it was said at the time,[by whom?] created openings for more competition. As a result of controversy around Murdoch's move to Wapping, the plant was effectively having to function under siege from sacked print workers picketing outside. The Independent attracted some of the staff from the two Murdoch broadsheets who had chosen not to move to his company's new headquarters. Launched with the advertising slogan "It is. Are you?", and challenging both The Guardian for centre-left readers and The Times as the newspaper of record, The Independent reached a circulation of over 400,000 by 1989.

text: Competing in a moribund market, The Independent sparked a general freshening of newspaper design as well as, within a few years, a price war in the market sector.[citation needed] When The Independent launched The Independent on Sunday in 1990, sales were less than anticipated, partly due to the launch of the Sunday Correspondent four months prior, although this direct rival closed at the end of November 1990. Some aspects of production merged with the main paper, although the Sunday paper retained a largely distinct editorial staff.

text: Since 1990[edit]

text: In the 1990s, The Independent was faced with price cutting by the Murdoch titles, and started an advertising campaign accusing The Times and The Daily Telegraph of reflecting the views of their proprietors, Rupert Murdoch and Conrad Black. It featured spoofs of the other papers' mastheads with the words 'The Rupert Murdoch' or 'The Conrad Black', with 'The Independent' below the main title.

text: Newspaper Publishing had financial problems. A number of other media companies were interested in the paper. Tony O'Reilly's media group and Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN) had bought a stake of about a third each by mid-1994. In March 1995, Newspaper Publishing was restructured with a rights issue, splitting the shareholding into O'Reilly's Independent News & Media (43%), MGN (43%), and Prisa (publisher of El País) (12%).[10]

text: In April 1996, there was another refinancing, and in March 1998, O'Reilly bought the other 54%[clarification needed] of the company for £30 million, and assumed the company's debt. Brendan Hopkins headed Independent News, Andrew Marr was appointed editor of The Independent, and Rosie Boycott became editor of The Independent on Sunday. Marr introduced a dramatic if short-lived redesign which won critical favour but was a commercial failure, partly as a result of a limited promotional budget. Marr admitted his changes had been a mistake in his book, My Trade.[11]

text: Boycott left in April 1998 to join the Daily Express, and Marr left in May 1998, later becoming the BBC's political editor. Simon Kelner was appointed as the editor. By this time the circulation had fallen below 200,000. Independent News spent heavily to increase circulation, and the paper went through several redesigns. While circulation increased, it did not approach the level which had been achieved in 1989, or restore profitability. Job cuts and financial controls reduced the morale of journalists and the quality of the product. Ivan Fallon, on the board since 1995 and formerly a key figure at The Sunday Times, replaced Hopkins as head of Independent News & Media in July 2002. By mid-2004, the newspaper was losing £5 million per year. A gradual improvement meant that by 2006, circulation was at a nine-year high.[12]

text: In November 2008, following further staff cuts, production was moved to Northcliffe House, in Kensington High Street, the headquarters of Associated Newspapers.[13] The two newspaper groups' editorial, management and commercial operations remained separate, but they shared services including security, information technology, switchboard and payroll.[citation needed]

text: On 25 March 2010, Independent News & Media sold the newspaper to Russian oligarch Alexander Lebedev for a nominal £1 fee and £9.25m over the next 10 months, choosing this option over closing The Independent and The Independent on Sunday, which would have cost £28m and £40m respectively, due to long-term contracts.[3][14] In 2009, Lebedev had bought a controlling stake in the London Evening Standard. Two weeks later, editor Roger Alton resigned.[15]

text: In July 2011, The Independent's columnist Johann Hari was stripped of the Orwell Prize he had won in 2008 after claims, which Hari later admitted to,[16] of plagiarism and inaccuracy.[17] In January 2012, Chris Blackhurst, editor of The Independent, told the Leveson inquiry that the scandal had "severely damaged" the newspaper's reputation. He nevertheless told the inquiry that Hari would return as a columnist in "four to five weeks".[18] Hari later announced that he would not return to The Independent.[19] Jonathan Foreman contrasted The Independent's reaction to the scandal unfavourably with the reaction of American newspapers to similar incidents such as the Jayson Blair case, which led to resignations of editors, "deep soul-searching", and "new standards of exactitude being imposed".[20] The historian Guy Walters suggested that Hari's fabrications had been an open secret amongst the newspaper's staff and that their internal inquiry was a "facesaving exercise".[21]

text: Content[edit]

text: Format and design[edit]

text: The Independent began publishing as a broadsheet, in a series of celebrated designs. The final version was designed by Carroll, Dempsey and Thirkell following a commission by Nicholas Garland who, along with Alexander Chancellor, was unhappy with designs produced by Raymond Hawkey and Michael McGuiness – on seeing the proposed designs, Chancellor had said "I thought we were joining a serious paper". The first edition was designed and implemented by Michael Crozier, who was Executive Editor, Design and Picture, from pre-launch in 1986 to 1994.[citation needed]

text: From September 2003, the paper was produced in both broadsheet and tabloid-sized versions, with the same content in each. The tabloid edition was termed "compact" to distance itself from the more sensationalist reporting style usually associated with "tabloid" newspapers in the UK.[22] After launching in the London area and then in North West England,[23] the smaller format appeared gradually throughout the UK. Soon afterwards, Rupert Murdoch's Times followed suit, introducing its own tabloid-sized version.[24] Prior to these changes, The Independent had a daily circulation of around 217,500, the lowest of any major national British daily, a figure that climbed by 15% as of March 2004 (to 250,000). Throughout much of 2006, circulation stagnated at a quarter of a million. On 14 May 2004, The Independent produced its last weekday broadsheet, having stopped producing a Saturday broadsheet edition in January. The Independent on Sunday published its last simultaneous broadsheet on 9 October 2005, and has since followed a compact design.

text: On 12 April 2005, The Independent redesigned its layout to a more European feel, similar to France's Libération. The redesign was carried out by a Barcelona-based design studio. The weekday second section was subsumed within the main paper, double-page feature articles became common in the main news sections, and there were revisions to the front and back covers.[25] A new second section, "Extra", was introduced on 25 April 2006. It is similar to The Guardian's "G2" and The Times's "Times2", containing features, reportage and games, including sudoku. In June 2007, The Independent on Sunday consolidated its content into a news section which included sports and business, and a magazine focusing on life and culture.[26] On 23 September 2008, the main newspaper became full-colour, and "Extra" was replaced by an "Independent Life Supplement" focusing on different themes each day.[27]

text: Three weeks after the acquisition of the paper by Alexander Lebedev and Evgeny Lebedev in 2010, the paper was relaunched with another redesign on 20 April. The new format featured smaller headlines and a new pullout "Viewspaper" section, which contained the paper's comment and feature articles.[28] From 26 October 2010, the same day as its sister paper, i, was launched, The Independent was printed on slightly thicker paper than before and ceased to be full-colour throughout, with many photographs and pictures (though none of those used in adverts) being printed in black and white only. On 11 October 2011, The Independent unveiled yet another new look, featuring a red, sans-serif masthead. In November 2013, the whole newspaper was overhauled again, including new custom fonts and a vertical masthead in black.[citation needed]

text: Front pages[edit]

text: Following the 2003 switch in format, The Independent became known for its unorthodox and campaigning front pages, which frequently relied on images, graphics or lists rather than traditional headlines and written news content. For example, following the Kashmir earthquake in 2005, it used its front page to urge its readers to donate to its appeal fund, and following the publication of the Hutton Report into the death of British government scientist David Kelly, its front page simply carried the word "Whitewash?".[29] In 2003, the paper's editor, Simon Kelner, was named "Editor of the Year" at the What the Papers Say awards, partly in recognition of, according to the judges, his "often arresting and imaginative front-page designs".[30] In 2008, however, as he was stepping down as editor, he stated that it was possible to "overdo the formula" and that the style of the paper's front pages perhaps needed "reinvention".[31]

text: Under the subsequent editorship of Chris Blackhurst, the campaigning, poster-style front pages were scaled back in favour of more conventional news stories.[32]

text: Sections[edit]

text: The weekday, Saturday and Sunday editions of The Independent all included supplements and pull-out subsections:

text:
Daily (Monday to Friday) The Independent:

"Monday Sport": A weekly pull-out containing reports of the previous weekend's sporting events.

Saturday's The Independent:

"Saturday Sport": A weekly pull-out containing reports looking ahead to the weekend's sporting events.
"Radar": A compact, primarily listings magazine, including television schedules, film and DVD reviews and events listings for the coming week. It also includes a round-up of the "50 best" items in a particular category. For example, over the Christmas period there are weekly supplements of "Gifts for him" and "Gifts for her".
"Traveller": Contains travel articles and advertisements.
"The Independent Magazine": A features magazine including sections on food, interiors and fashion.

The Independent on Sunday:

"Sport": A weekly pull-out containing reports of Saturday's sporting events.
"The New Review": A features magazine.
"Arts & Books": A culture supplement.
"Rainbow List" An annually-updated list, first published in 2000, then as the "Pink List", of the most famous and influential people who have declared themselves lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender.[33][34]

text: Online presence[edit]

text: On 23 January 2008, The Independent relaunched its online edition, www.independent.co.uk.[35][36] The relaunched site introduced a new look, better access to the blog service, priority on image and video content, and additional areas of the site including art, architecture, fashion, gadgets and health. The paper launched podcast programmes such as "The Independent Music Radio Show", "The Independent Travel Guides", "The Independent Sailing Podcasts", and "The Independent Video Travel Guides". Since 2009, the website has carried short video news bulletins provided by the Al Jazeera English news channel.[37]

text: In 2014, The Independent launched a sister website, i100, a "shareable" journalism site with similarities to Reddit and Upworthy.[38]

text: Political views[edit]

text: When the paper was established in 1986, the founders intended its political stance to reflect the centre of the British political spectrum and thought that it would attract readers primarily from The Times and The Daily Telegraph. It has been seen as leaning to the left, making it more a competitor to The Guardian, although both also feature conservative columnists. The Independent tends to take a classical liberal, pro-market stance on economic issues.[6] In an editorial on 27 January 2013, the Independent on Sunday referred to itself as a "proudly liberal newspaper".[39]

text: The paper took a strong editorial position against the 2003 Invasion of Iraq, the Iraq War, and aspects of US and UK foreign policy related to the War on Terrorism following the 11 September attacks. It has been a strong supporter of electoral reform.[40] The paper has also taken strong positions on environmental issues, campaigned against the introduction of ID cards, and campaigned against the restriction of mass immigration to the UK. In 1997, The Independent on Sunday launched a campaign for the decriminalisation of cannabis. Ten years later, it reversed itself, claiming that the cannabis strain "skunk" "smoked by the majority of young Britons" in 2007 had become "25 times stronger than resin sold a decade ago".[41] In addition, The Independent has highlighted what it refers to as "war crimes" being committed by pro-government forces in the Darfur region of Sudan.[42]

text: Originally, it avoided royal stories, Whittam Smith later saying he thought the British press was "unduly besotted" with the Royal Family and that a newspaper could "manage without" stories about the monarchy.[43]

text: In 2007, Alan Rusbridger, editor of The Guardian, said of The Independent: "The emphasis on views, not news, means that the reporting is rather thin, and it loses impact on the front page the more you do that".[44] In a 12 June 2007 speech, British Prime Minister Tony Blair called The Independent a "viewspaper", saying it "was started as an antidote to the idea of journalism as views not news. That was why it was called the Independent. Today it is avowedly a viewspaper not merely a newspaper".[45] The Independent criticised Blair's comments the following day[46][47] but later changed format to include a "Viewspaper" insert in the centre of the regular newspaper, designed to feature most of the opinion columns and arts reviews.

text: A leader published on the day of the 2008 London Mayoral election compared the candidates and said that, if the newspaper had a vote, it would vote first for the Green Party candidate, Sian Berry, noting the similarity between her priorities and those of The Independent, and secondly, with "rather heavy heart", for the incumbent, Ken Livingstone.[48]

text: An Ipsos MORI poll estimated that in the 2010 general election, 44% of regular readers voted Liberal Democrat, 32% voted Labour,[49] and 14% voted Conservative, compared to 23%, 29%, and 36%, respectively, of the overall electorate.[50] On the eve of the 2010 general election, The Independent supported the Liberal Democrats, arguing that "they are longstanding and convincing champions of civil liberties, sound economics, international co-operation on the great global challenges and, of course, fundamental electoral reform. These are all principles that this newspaper has long held dear. That is why we argue that there is a strong case for progressively minded voters to lend their support to the Liberal Democrats wherever there is a clear opportunity for that party to win".[40] However, the weekend before the 2015 general election saw The Independent on Sunday claim it would not be advising its readers how to vote in 2015. The editorial piece claimed that "this does not mean that we are a bloodless, value-free news-sheet. We have always been committed to social justice", but the paper recognised that it was up the readers to "make up your own mind about whether you agree with us or not". Rather than support a particular party, the paper urged all its reader to vote as "a responsibility of common citizenship".[51] On 4 May 2015, the weekday version of The Independent said that a continuation of the Conservative–Liberal Democrat coalition after the general election would be a positive outcome.[52]

text: Personnel[edit]

text: Editors[edit]

text:
The Independent:

1986: Andreas Whittam Smith
1994: Ian Hargreaves
1995: Charles Wilson
1996: Andrew Marr
1998: Rosie Boycott
1998: Andrew Marr and Rosie Boycott
1998: Simon Kelner
2008: Roger Alton
2010: Simon Kelner
2011: Chris Blackhurst[53]
2013: Amol Rajan[54]
2016: Christian Broughton[55]

The Independent on Sunday:

1990: Stephen Glover
1991: Ian Jack
1995: Peter Wilby
1996: Rosie Boycott
1998: Kim Fletcher
1999: Janet Street-Porter
2002: Tristan Davies
2008: John Mullin
2013: Lisa Markwell

text: There have also been various guest editors over the years, such as Elton John on 1 December 2010, the Body Shop's Anita Roddick on 19 June 2003 and U2's Bono in 2006.

text: Writers and columnists[edit]

text: Predominantly in The Independent:

text:
Yasmin Alibhai-Brown
Bruce Anderson
Paul Arden
Archie Bland
Thom Brooks
Andrew Brown (writer)
Cooper Brown
Michael Brown
Simon Calder
Alexa Chung
Rob Cowan
Sloane Crosley
Tracey Emin
Nigel Farage
Mitch Feierstein
Helen Fielding
Robert Fisk
Chris Gulker
Howard Jacobson
Alex James
Peter Jenkins
Owen Jones
Andrew Keen
Dominic Lawson
John Lichfield
Philip Llewellin
Laura Lyons[56]
Andy McSmith
Donald MacIntyre
Serena Mackesy
Tracey MacLeod
Rhodri Marsden
Jan McGirk
Deborah Orr
Christina Patterson
Peter Popham
Simon Read
Steve Richards
Lizzie Dearden
Alexei Sayle
Will Self
Mark Steel
Catherine Townsend
Paul Vallely
Brian Viner
Lynne Walker
Andreas Whittam Smith
Claudia Winkleman

text: Predominantly The Independent on Sunday:

text:
Janet Street-Porter — Editor-At-Large
Kate Bassett — Theatre
Patrick Cockburn, John Rentoul, Joan Smith, Paul Vallely and Alan Watkins — "Comment & Debate"
Peter Cole — "On The Press"
Rupert Cornwell — "Out of America"
Hermione Eyre — Reviews
Jenny Gilbert — Dance
Christopher Hirst and Lucinda Rogers — "The Weasel" (weekly illustrated column 1995–2008)
Dom Joly — "First Up" in The Sunday Review
Tim Minogue and David Randall — "Observatory"
Cole Moreton — "News Analysis" (Regular double-spread)
Anna Picard — Opera and Classical
Simon Price — Rock and Pop

text: Photographers[edit]

text: Timothy Allen

text: Longford Prize[edit]

text: The Independent sponsors the Longford Prize, in memory of Lord Longford.[57]

text: Related publications[edit]

text:
Independent on Sunday

Type
Sunday newspaper

Editor
Lisa Markwell[58]

Circulation
155,661[59]

ISSN
0958-1723

OCLC number
500339994

text: Independent on Sunday[edit]

text: The Independent on Sunday was the Sunday sister newspaper of The Independent. It ceased to exist in 2016, the last edition being published on 20 March; the daily paper ceasing print publication six days later.

text: The i[edit]

text: In October 2010, the i, a compact sister newspaper, was launched. The i is a separate newspaper but uses some of the same material. It was later sold to regional newspaper company Johnston Press, becoming that publisher's flagship national newspaper. The i's online presence, i100, was restyled as indy100 and retained by Independent News & Media.

text: The (RED) Independent[edit]

text: The Independent supported U2 lead singer Bono's Product RED brand by creating The (RED) Independent, an occasional edition that gave half the day's proceeds to the charity.[60] The first edition was in May 2006. Edited by Bono, it drew high sales.[61]

text: A September 2006 edition of The (RED) Independent, designed by fashion designer Giorgio Armani, drew controversy due to its cover shot, showing model Kate Moss in blackface for an article about AIDS in Africa.[62]

text: Awards and nominations[edit]

text: The Independent was awarded "National Newspaper of the Year" for 2003[63][64] and the Independent on Sunday was awarded "Front Page of the Year" for 2014's "Here is the news, not the propaganda", printed on 5 October 2014.[63]

text: Independent journalists have won a range of British Press Awards, including:[63]

text:
"Business & Finance Journalist of the Year": Michael Harrison, 2000; Hamish McRae, 2005; Stephen Foley, 2008
"Cartoonist of the Year": Dave Brown, 2012
"Columnist of the Year": Robert Chalmers (Independent on Sunday), 2004; Mark Steel, 2014
"Foreign Reporter of the Year": Patrick Cockburn, 2014
"Interviewer of the Year": Mathew Norman, 2007; Deborah Ross, 2011
"Political Journalist of the Year": Francis Elliott (Independent on Sunday), 2005
"Specialist Journalist of the Year": Michael McCarthy, 2000; Jeremy Laurance, 2011
"Sports Journalist of the Year": James Lawton, 2010
"Young Journalist of the Year": Johann Hari, 2002; Ed Caesar, 2006

text: In January 2013, The Independent was nominated for the Responsible Media of the Year award at the British Muslim Awards.[65]

text: Owners[edit]

text:
Sultan Muhammad Abuljadayel (30%)[66][67] He works for National Commercial Bank, which is controlled by the government of Saudi Arabia.[67]
Alexander Lebedev
Evgeny Lebedev


document_title: Big One (roller coaster)

question_text: what's the tallest roller coaster in the uk

question_tokens: what 's the tallest roller coaster in the uk

text: Big One (roller coaster)

text: History[edit]

text: The Big One was manufactured by Arrow Dynamics. Construction of the ride began in September 1993 and lasted just over seven months. The tubular track and supports were airlifted from Bolton to Blackpool and stored at nearby Blackpool Airport. During the start of the construction of the ride, the south of Blackpool promenade was closed and pieces of the structure were stored on the road adjacent to the Pleasure Beach. The first pieces to be fitted were the large foundations that would follow on from the main supports. Once all the supports were fitted, the tubular track was fitted followed by additional supports on the turnaround and the mid course brake section. The ride opened to the public on 28 May 1994.

text: Statistics[edit]

text: The ride is the second Megacoaster to be built by Arrow Dynamics, the first being Magnum XL-200 at Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio. At its highest point, the ride reaches 235 feet (72 m) above sea level, but only stands 213 feet (65 m) above the ground with the first drop measuring 205 feet (62 m). These numbers were later confirmed by Ron Toomer of Arrow Dynamics.[1] The first drop has an incline angle of 65 degrees and the usual maximum speed for the ride is 74 miles per hour (119 km/h). The ride lasts approximately three minutes and during this time riders normally experience positive g-forces of up to 3.5g and negative g-forces of up to 0.5g. Blackpool Pleasure Beach advertises the ride as rising 235 feet (72 m), but that is above sea level and not the actual height of the ride.

text: The ride is capable of running three trains at any one time. Each train has five cars with six passengers to a car, enabling each train to carry 30 riders two-abreast in total. This gives Big One a capacity of 1,800 people per hour. The colour scheme for each train is the same: a blue base with two coloured bands around the side and front (red and white) showing the Union Jack logo. Each train is numbered at the back of the fifth car, and each car is numbered according to the back of each section. During testing, sand bags are used to weigh the train down. This is a safety mechanism and is common practice on roller coasters of a certain height. Before the ride was granted a certificate to operate, Blackpool Pleasure Beach had to appeal to Blackpool Airport which is one mile from the park. Due to the ride's height, warning beacons had to be installed on the peaks of the first two hills, including the main drop, before the ride was given the all clear to operate.

text: Records[edit]

text: When it opened on 28 May 1994, Big One was both the tallest and steepest roller coaster in the world.[2] It was also one of the longest out-and-back roller coasters, measuring 5,497 feet (1,675 m). With a 205-foot drop and 74 mph top speed, it was second only to Steel Phantom at Kennywood in West Mifflin, Pennsylvania in speed, but it was the fastest coaster in Europe.[2][note 1] The Big One lost its height record to Fujiyama in Japan in 1996, though it remained the tallest and fastest roller coaster in Europe until 2002, when Silver Star opened at Europa-Park in Germany. The ride still remains the tallest in the United Kingdom, although Stealth in Thorpe Park is the fastest. It is also the second longest in the UK, losing only to Lightwater Valley's Ultimate.

text: Richard Rodriguez completed a 112-day endurance record on the roller coaster in 2012. This broke the world record for the most consecutive days on a rollercoaster. This attempt was only during operating hours (approximately six hours a day) as opposed to 24 hours a day. He also had his own row of seating assigned only for him during the record.

text: Incidents[edit]

text: In May 1994 during the ride's inaugural season, 26 people were injured when the computer system failed to completely stop a train returning to the station. The result of this brake failure was a collision with a train parked inside the ride's station.[3] Another train collision occurred in August 2000, caused by another computer failure and injured 16 people.[3]

text: Notes[edit]

text: Jump up ^ When Desperado opened three months later, Big One became the third fastest. Though not standing as tall as Big One, Steel Phantom and Desperado both had longer drops (225 feet) and therefore achieved greater speeds.


document_title: Fifty Shades of Grey

question_text: when was 50 shades of grey book released

text: Fifty Shades of Grey

text: Plot[edit]

text: Anastasia "Ana" Steele is a 21-year-old college senior attending Washington State University in Vancouver, Washington. Her best friend is Katherine "Kate" Kavanagh, who writes for the college newspaper. Due to an illness, Kate is unable to interview 27-year-old Christian Grey, a successful and wealthy Seattle entrepreneur, and asks Ana to take her place. Ana finds Christian attractive as well as intimidating. As a result, she stumbles through the interview and leaves Christian's office believing it went poorly. Ana does not expect to meet Christian again, but he appears at the hardware store where she works. While he purchases various items including cable ties, masking tape, and rope, Ana informs Christian that Kate would like some photographs to illustrate her article about him. Christian gives Ana his phone number. Later, Kate urges Ana to call Christian and arrange a photo shoot with their photographer friend, José Rodriguez.

text: The next day José, Kate, and Ana arrive for the photo shoot at the Heathman Hotel, where Christian is staying. Christian asks Ana out for coffee and asks if she's dating anyone, specifically José. Ana replies that she is not dating anyone. During the conversation, Ana learns that Christian is also single, but he says he is not romantic. Ana is intrigued but believes she is not attractive enough for Christian. Later, Ana receives a package from Christian containing first edition copies of Tess of the d'Urbervilles, which stuns her. Later that night, Ana goes out drinking with her friends and ends up drunk dialling Christian, who informs her that he will be coming to pick her up because of her inebriated state. Ana goes outside to get some fresh air, and José attempts to kiss her, but he is stopped by Christian's arrival. Ana leaves with Christian, but not before she discovers that Kate has been flirting with Christian's brother, Elliot. Later, Ana wakes to find herself in Christian's hotel room, where he scolds her for not taking proper care of herself. Christian then reveals that he would like to have sex with her. He initially says that Ana will first have to fill in paperwork, but later goes back on this statement after making out with her in the elevator.

text: Ana goes on a date with Christian, on which he takes her in his helicopter, Charlie Tango, to his apartment. Once there, Christian insists that she sign a non-disclosure agreement forbidding her from discussing anything they do together, which Ana agrees to sign. He also mentions other paperwork, but first takes her to his playroom full of BDSM toys and gear. There, Christian informs her that the second contract will be one of dominance and submission, and there will be no romantic relationship, only a sexual one. The contract even forbids Ana from touching Christian or making eye contact with him. At this point, Christian realises that Ana is a virgin and agrees to take her virginity without making her sign the contract. The two then have sex. The following morning, Ana and Christian again have sex. His mother arrives moments after their sexual encounter and is surprised by the meeting, having previously thought Christian was homosexual, because he was never seen with a woman. Christian later takes Ana out to eat, and he reveals that he lost his virginity at age 15 to one of his mother's friends, Elena Lincoln, and that his previous dominant/submissive relationships failed due to incompatibility. Christian also reveals that in his first dominant/submissive relationship he was the submissive. Christian and Ana plan to meet again, and he takes Ana home, where she discovers several job offers and admits to Kate that she and Christian had sex.

text: Over the next few days, Ana receives several packages from Christian. These include a laptop to enable her to research the BDSM lifestyle in consideration of the contract; to communicate with him, since she has never previously owned a computer; and to receive a more detailed version of the dominant/submissive contract. She and Christian email each other, with Ana teasing him and refusing to honour parts of the contract, such as only eating foods from a specific list. Ana later meets with Christian to discuss the contract and becomes overwhelmed by the potential BDSM arrangement and the potential of having a sexual relationship with Christian that is not romantic in nature. Because of these feelings, Ana runs away from Christian and does not see him again until her college graduation, where he is a guest speaker. During this time, Ana agrees to sign the dominant/submissive contract. Ana and Christian once again meet to further discuss the contract, and they go over Ana's hard and soft limits. Christian spanks Ana for the first time, and the experience leaves her both enticed and slightly confused. This confusion is exacerbated by Christian's lavish gifts and the fact that he brings her to meet his family. The two continue with the arrangement without Ana's having yet signed the contract. After successfully landing a job with Seattle Independent Publishing (SIP), Ana further bristles under the restrictions of the non-disclosure agreement and her complex relationship with Christian. The tension between Ana and Christian eventually comes to a head after Ana asks Christian to punish her in order to show her how extreme a BDSM relationship with him could be. Christian fulfils Ana's request, beating her with a belt, and Ana realises they are incompatible. Devastated, she leaves Christian and returns to the apartment she shares with Kate.

text: Background and publication[edit]

text: The Fifty Shades trilogy was developed from a Twilight fan fiction series originally titled Master of the Universe and published episodically on fan-fiction websites under the pen name "Snowqueen's Icedragon". The piece featured characters named after Stephenie Meyer's characters in Twilight, Edward Cullen and Bella Swan. After comments concerning the sexual nature of the material, James removed the story from the fan-fiction websites and published it on her own website, FiftyShades.com. Later she rewrote Master of the Universe as an original piece, with the principal characters renamed Christian Grey and Anastasia Steele and removed it from her website before publication.[3] Meyer commented on the series, saying "that's really not my genre, not my thing... Good on her—she's doing well. That's great!"[4]

text: This reworked and extended version of Master of the Universe was split into three parts. The first, titled Fifty Shades of Grey, was released as an e-book and a print on demand paperback in May 2011 by The Writers' Coffee Shop, a virtual publisher based in Australia.[5][6] The second volume, Fifty Shades Darker, was released in September 2011; and the third, Fifty Shades Freed, followed in January 2012. The Writers' Coffee Shop had a restricted marketing budget and relied largely on book blogs for early publicity, but sales of the novel were boosted by word-of-mouth recommendation. The book's erotic nature and perceived demographic of its fan base as being composed largely of married women over thirty led to the book being dubbed "Mommy Porn" by some news agencies.[7][8] The book has also reportedly been popular among teenage girls and college women.[8][9][10] By the release of the final volume in January 2012, news networks in the United States had begun to report on the Fifty Shades trilogy as an example of viral marketing and of the rise in popularity of female erotica, attributing its success to the discreet nature of e-reading devices.[11][12] Due to the heightened interest in the series, the license to the Fifty Shades trilogy was picked up by Vintage Books for re-release in a new and revised edition in April 2012.[13][14] The attention that the series has garnered has also helped to spark a renewed interest in erotic literature. Many other erotic works quickly became best-sellers following Fifty Shade's success, while other popular works, such as Anne Rice's The Sleeping Beauty trilogy, have been reissued (this time without pseudonyms) to meet the higher demand.[15]

text: On 1 August 2012, Amazon UK announced that it had sold more copies of Fifty Shades of Grey than it had the entire Harry Potter series combined, making E. L. James its best-selling author, replacing J. K. Rowling, though worldwide the Harry Potter series sold more than 450 million copies compared with Fifty Shades of Grey's sales of 60 million copies.[16]

text: Reception[edit]

text: Fifty Shades of Grey has topped best-seller lists around the world, including those of the United Kingdom and the United States.[17][18] The series had sold over 125 million copies worldwide by June 2015 and has been translated into 52 languages,[19][20] and set a record in the United Kingdom as the fastest-selling paperback of all time.[21]

text: Critical response[edit]

text: It has received mixed to negative reviews, with most critics noting poor literary qualities of the work. Salman Rushdie said about the book: "I've never read anything so badly written that got published. It made Twilight look like War and Peace."[22] Maureen Dowd described the book in The New York Times as being written "like a Bronte devoid of talent," and said it was "dull and poorly written."[23] Jesse Kornbluth of The Huffington Post said: "As a reading experience, Fifty Shades ... is a sad joke, puny of plot".[24]

text: Princeton professor April Alliston wrote, "Though no literary masterpiece, Fifty Shades is more than parasitic fan fiction based on the recent Twilight vampire series."[25] Entertainment Weekly writer Lisa Schwarzbaum gave the book a "B+" rating and praised it for being "in a class by itself."[26] British author Jenny Colgan in The Guardian wrote "It is jolly, eminently readable and as sweet and safe as BDSM (bondage, discipline, sadism and masochism) erotica can be without contravening the trade descriptions act" and also praised the book for being "more enjoyable" than other "literary erotic books".[27] The Daily Telegraph noted that the book was "the definition of a page-turner", noting that the book was both "troubling and intriguing".[28] A reviewer for the Ledger-Enquirer described the book as guilty fun and escapism, and that it "also touches on one aspect of female existence [female submission]. And acknowledging that fact – maybe even appreciating it – shouldn't be a cause for guilt."[29] The New Zealand Herald stated that the book "will win no prizes for its prose" and that "there are some exceedingly awful descriptions," although it was also an easy read; "(If you only) can suspend your disbelief and your desire to – if you'll pardon the expression – slap the heroine for having so little self respect, you might enjoy it."[30] The Columbus Dispatch stated that, "Despite the clunky prose, James does cause one to turn the page."[31] Metro News Canada wrote that "suffering through 500 pages of this heroine's inner dialogue was torturous, and not in the intended, sexy kind of way".[32] Jessica Reaves, of the Chicago Tribune, wrote that the "book's source material isn't great literature", noting that the novel is "sprinkled liberally and repeatedly with asinine phrases", and described it as "depressing".[33]

text: The book garnered some accolades. In December 2012, it won both "Popular Fiction" and "Book of the Year" categories in the UK National Book Awards.[34][35] In that same month, Publishers Weekly named E. L. James the 'Publishing Person of the Year', a decision whose criticism in the LA Times and the New York Daily News was referred to by and summarised in The Christian Science Monitor.[36] Earlier, in April 2012, when E. L. James was listed as one of Time magazine's "100 Most Influential People in the World",[37] Richard Lawson of The Atlantic Wire criticised her inclusion due to the trilogy's fan fiction beginnings.[38]

text: Controversy[edit]

text: Fifty Shades of Grey has attracted criticism due to its depictions of BDSM, with some BDSM participants stating that the book confuses BDSM with abuse and presents it as a pathology to be overcome, as well as showing incorrect and possibly dangerous BDSM techniques.[39][40]

text: Coinciding with the release of the book and its surprising popularity, injuries related to BDSM and sex toy use spiked dramatically. In 2012, the year after the book was published, injuries requiring Emergency Room visits increased by over 50% from 2010 (the year before the book was published). This is speculated to be due to people unfamiliar with both the proper use of these toys and the safe practice of bondage and other "kinky" sexual fetishes attempting what they had read in the book.[41]

text: There has also been criticism against the fact that BDSM is part of the book. Archbishop Dennis Schnurr of Cincinnati said in an early February 2015 letter, "The story line is presented as a romance; however, the underlying theme is that bondage, dominance, and sadomasochism are normal and pleasurable."[42] The feminist anti-pornography organisation Stop Porn Culture called for a boycott of the movie based on the book because of its sex scenes involving bondage and violence.[43] By contrast, Timothy Laurie and Jessica Kean argue that "film fleshes out an otherwise legalistic concept like 'consent' into a living, breathing, and at times, uncomfortable interpersonal experience," and "dramatises the dangers of unequal negotiation and the practical complexity of identifying one's limits and having them respected."[44]

text: Several critics and scientists have expressed concern that the nature of the main couple's relationship is not BDSM at all, but rather is characteristic of an abusive relationship. In 2013, social scientist Professor Amy E. Bonomi published a study wherein the books were read by multiple professionals and assessed for characteristics of intimate partner violence, or IPV, using the CDC's standards for emotional abuse and sexual violence. The study found that nearly every interaction between Ana and Christian was emotionally abusive in nature, including stalking, intimidation, and isolation. The study group also observed pervasive sexual violence within the CDC's definition, including Christian's use of alcohol to circumvent Ana's ability to consent, and that Ana exhibits classic signs of an abused woman, including constant perceived threat, stressful managing, and altered identity.[45][46]

text: A second study in 2014 was conducted to examine the health of women who had read the series, compared with a control group that had never read any part of the novels. The results showed a correlation between having read at least the first book and exhibiting signs of an eating disorder, having romantic partners that were emotionally abusive and/or engaged in stalking behaviour, engaging in binge drinking in the last month, and having 5 or more sexual partners before age 24. The authors could not conclude whether women already experiencing these "problems" were drawn to the series, or if the series influenced these behaviours to occur after reading by creating underlying context.[47] The study's lead researcher contends that the books romanticise dangerous behaviour and "perpetuate dangerous abuse standards."[48] The study was limited in that only women up to age 24 were studied, and no distinction was made among the reader sample between women who enjoyed the series and those that had a strong negative opinion of it, having only read it out of curiosity due to the media hype or other obligation.[49]

text: At the beginning of the media hype, Dr. Drew and sexologist Logan Levkoff discussed on The Today Show[50] whether the book perpetuated violence against women; Levkoff said that while that is an important subject, this trilogy had nothing to do with it – this was a book about a consensual relationship. Dr. Drew commented that the book was "horribly written" in addition to being "disturbing" but stated that "if the book enhances women's real-life sex lives and intimacy, so be it."[51]

text: Censorship[edit]

text: In March 2012, branches of the public library in Brevard County, Florida, removed copies of Fifty Shades of Grey from their shelves, with an official stating that it did not meet the selection criteria for the library and that reviews for the book had been poor. A representative for the library stated that it was due to the book's sexual content and that other libraries had declined to purchase copies for their branches.[52] Deborah Caldwell-Stone of the American Library Association commented that "If the only reason you don't select a book is that you disapprove of its content, but there is demand for it, there's a question of whether you're being fair. In a public library there is usually very little that would prevent a book from being on the shelf if there is a demand for the information."[52] Brevard County public libraries later made their copies available to their patrons due to public demand.[53]

text: In Macaé, Brazil, Judge Raphael Queiroz Campos ruled in January 2013 that bookstores throughout the city must either remove the series entirely from their shelves or ensure that the books are wrapped and placed out of the reach of minors.[54] The judge stated that he was prompted to make such an order after seeing children reading them,[55] basing his decision on a law stating that "magazines and publications whose content is improper or inadequate for children and adolescents can only be sold if sealed and with warnings regarding their content".[56]

text: In February 2015, the Malaysian Home Ministry banned the Fifty Shades of Grey books shortly after banning its film adaption after permitting them for three years in local bookstores, citing morality-related reasons.[57]

text: Media[edit]

text: Film adaptation[edit]

text: A film adaptation of the book was produced by Focus Features,[58] Michael De Luca Productions, and Trigger Street Productions,[59] with Universal Pictures and Focus Features securing the rights to the trilogy in March 2012.[60] Universal is also the film's distributor. Charlie Hunnam was originally cast in the role of Christian Grey alongside Dakota Johnson in the role of Anastasia Steele,[61][62] but Hunnam gave up the part in October 2013,[63] with Jamie Dornan announced for the role on 23 October.[64]

text: The film was released on 13 February 2015,[2] and although popular at the box office, critical reactions were mixed to negative.[65]

text: Film soundtrack[edit]

text: E. L. James announced the film's soundtrack would be released on 10 February 2015.[66][67] Prior to the soundtrack's release, the first single, "Earned It", by The Weeknd, was released on 24 December 2014.[68] On 7 January 2015, the second single, "Love Me like You Do" by Ellie Goulding was released.[69] Australian singer Sia released the soundtrack's third single, "Salted Wound", on 27 January 2015.[70]

text: Classical album[edit]

text: An album of songs selected by E. L. James was released on 11 September 2012 by EMI Classics under the title Fifty Shades of Grey: The Classical Album, and reached number four on the US Billboard classical music albums chart in October 2012.[71][72] A Seattle P-I reviewer favourably wrote that the album would appeal both to fans of the series and to "those who have no intention of reading any of the Grey Shades".[73]

text: Parodies[edit]

text: The Fifty Shades of Grey trilogy has inspired many parodies in print,[74][75] in film, online, and on stage. In November 2012, Universal Studios attempted to prevent the release of Fifty Shades of Grey: A XXX Adaptation, a pornographic film based on the novel, citing copyright and trademark infringement. Smash Pictures, the porn producer, later responded to the lawsuit with a counterclaim that "much or all" of the Fifty Shades material was placed in the public domain in its original Twilight-based form,[76] but later capitulated and stopped production of their film.[77]

text: In print[edit]

text: Amazon.com lists over 50 book parodies, e.g.:

text:
Fifty Shades of Oy Vey (2013)[78] by E. L. Jamesbergstein
Fifty Shames of Earl Grey (2012)[79] by Fanny Merkin (a.k.a. Andrew Shaffer)

text: In film[edit]

text: Fifty Shades of Black (2016)

text: Online[edit]

text: Parodying the fan fiction origins of Fifty Shades of Grey, Ivy league MBA students have created Erotic FinFiction, a blog containing steamy entries written in business jargon.[80]

text: On stage[edit]

text: Stage productions include:

text:
50 Shades! The Musical Parody[81]
Cuff Me: The Fifty Shades of Grey Musical Parody[82]
Spank! The Fifty Shades Parody