Sunday Adelaja

# Sunday Adelaja

## Abstract

Sunday Adelaja (Russian, Belarusian and Ukrainian: Сандей Аделаджа) is the founder and senior pastor of the Embassy of the Blessed Kingdom of God for All Nations, an evangelical - charismatic megachurch and a Christian denomination in Kyiv, Ukraine.

## Biography

Sunday Sunkanmi Adelaja was born in the village of Idomila Ijebu-Ode, Nigeria. His name Adelaja means "crown settled this fight" in Yoruba. He was raised by his grandmother and became Christian in March 1986 just before graduating from high school.

In 1986, after graduation, Adelaja left Nigeria because he received a scholarship to study journalism at the Belarusian State University in Minsk, Byelorussian SSR.

After graduation and the breakdown of the USSR, he moved from Belarus to Ukraine in December 1993.

He claims he was threatened there by authorities for having a picture of Jesus in his house, but nevertheless, he began Christian activities in Belarus during his studies. He married and took a job in Kyiv.

## Ministry

In 1993, 7 people and he founded the " Embassy of the Blessed Kingdom of God for All Nations " in his apartment. The church was officially founded in 1994 as the "World of Faith Bible Church".

In 2013, the church claimed 25,000 members in Kyiv, 100,000 members in Ukraine, and 1,000 churches in the rest of the world.

Thousands of people are fed daily in the church's soup kitchens in Kyiv. The church also has a program helping homeless people acquire skills, thus helping them back to a normal life and work. According to the church, 2,000 children have been helped off the street and have been returned to their families. Furthermore, the church runs a 24-hour hotline, named "Trust line" for people in need to call for help. The church also works with addicted people and has a program helping them to be set free from their various addictions. The main organization is called "Love Rehabilitation Center.” According to the church, more than 5000 drug and alcohol addicted people have been set free from their addictions through the church's work.

The New York Times made the following statement about Adelaja: "Could there be a more unlikely success story in the former Soviet Union than the Rev. Sunday Adelaja, an immigrant from Nigeria who has developed an ardent — and enormous — following across Ukraine?"

He founded many educational institutions connected to the church, and among them the following are more known: the Joshua Missionary Bible Institute in Ukraine, the Center of Restoration of Personality and Transformation of the Society in Ukraine, the History Makers Bible School in the US, the UK, Germany, France, and the Institute for National Transformation in Nigeria.

## Role in Orange Revolution

The church has been credited with playing an active role in the popular gatherings that eventually led to the Orange Revolution. Sunday Adelaja has, however, denounced in Ukrainian media his implied initiation of the Orange Revolution. The then-mayor of Kyiv, Leonid Chernovetsky, is a member of the Embassy of God, but he is in opposition to the principal actors of the Orange Revolution, including Premier Yulia Tymoshenko. President Viktor Yushchenko has provided Adelaja with a certificate of thankfulness for his support in the Orange Revolution. During the protests, the church erected a tent chapel on Independence Square and offered shelter to thousands of people who came to Kyiv.

## Awards and honors

In October 2010, Sunday Adelaja was one of the foreigners in Ukraine who were awarded The Most Influential Expats 2010 by the Kyiv Post newspaper.

In May 2009, Sunday Adelaja became The Face of Kyiv 2009. The annual competition was conducted by the magazine Afisha and Adelaja took the first place with more than 1/3 of the votes, beating to the second position, the most popular actor in Ukraine, Bohdan Stupka; to the third place, the Heavy weight boxer Vitali Klitschko; to the fourth place, one of the richest Entrepreneurs in Ukraine, Viktor Pinchuk; and to the fifth place the Mayor of Kyiv, Leonid Chernovetskyi.

At the Azusa Street Revival Festival on Saturday April 25, 2009, Sunday Adelaja received the first International William J. Seymour Award. This award is given to ministers who exhibit the characteristics of William J. Seymour. A statement from the award committee said: "This year we will award an international and national recipient: The international recipient will be Pastor Sunday Adelaja who is a Nigerian-born leader with an apostolic gift for the 21st century. In his mid-thirties Pastor Sunday has already proven to be one of the world's most dynamic communicators and church planters and is regarded as the most successful pastor in Europe with over 25,000 members as well as daughter and satellite churches in over 35 countries worldwide".

In March 2008 the Archbishop Benson Idahosa Prize for Missionary Exploits was presented to Rev. Sunday Adelaja in recognition of his missionary exploits and social engagement in Kyiv, Ukraine and around the world.

In March 2007 Sunday Adelaja became an Honorable Member of the Euroasian International Chamber of Commerce.

In May 2004 The Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) Holland Mission gave a Special Appreciation to Pastor Sunday Adelaja for being part of what God is using His church to do in reaching out to the people of the Netherlands.

Pastor Sunday was honored to open the U.S. Senate in prayer on April 23, 2007.

Pastor Sunday was honored to speak twice at the United Nations on August 23, 2007.

## Accusations

Adelaja was accused in November 2008 of being involved in the dealings of King's Capital, a financial group led by a former member of his congregation. The company promises as much as 60 percent returns on investments and drew many of its investors from the church. Later several former church members went to the authorities saying they were unable to recover the money they invested, which left many of them bankrupt. Police later arrested one of King's Capital leaders, Aleksandr Bandurchenko, on suspicion of fraud.

On February 5, 2009, a criminal case against Sunday Adelaja was filed on acclaim and suspicion of fraud. Investigators say they have testimony indicating that Adelaja was involved in the financial machinations allegedly committed by the King's Capital financial group. Kyiv's Mayor Chernovetsky, himself a church member, had earlier said that Adelaja was not involved in the financial scheme at King's Capital.

In September 2009, the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine admitted that they have exhausted their possibilities in the criminal case against Sunday Adelaja. Since the Ministry of Internal Affairs has still delayed and refused to take the case to the court the Embassy of God church and Sunday Adelaja has initiated a lawsuit against the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Police of Ukraine for unlawful accusation and libel. The judge has asked the Ministry of Internal Affairs to show their evidence for their accusation of fraud, but after five court hearings, they have still not provided any evidence to support their accusation.

On October 12, 2009, Kyiv investigators questioned Adelaja in connection with the fraud accusation. During a press conference On October 14, 2009, the Minister of Internal Affairs Yuriy Lutsenko said that the pre-trial proceedings had found out that from October 2006 to May 2008, Adelaja and others embezzled property of people most of whom were the believers of the Embassy of God church. The total amount of the damage due to these actions is over ₴1.5 million in accordance with evidence provided by several witnesses, according to the Minister.

Adelaja considers the police's decision to investigate him for involvement in the financial group's machinations as an implementation of political order. And has said that the cause of the financial problems at the King's Capital financial group was the economic crisis rather than deliberate fraud.

As of April 2011, the case has not been taken to court.

## Criticisms

On 28 December 2008, nine leaders of evangelical churches in Ukraine signed a statement in which they, among other things, dissociate themselves from Sunday Adelaja and his activity. They accuse him of trying to create a cult of personality, and accuse him of using methods and activity based on self-advertisement, exaggeration of personal merits, teaching the doctrine of prosperity and the sin of love of money, and his practice of cursing the church members and parishioners who disagree with his opinion.

In March 2016, the Russian Union of Christians of Evangelical Faith announced in a press release that Adelaja was in recovery after confessing before a conference of pastors to adultery with women in the church. The pastor denied the affair, citing an attempt by pastors to take his place and not having been to Russia for 10 years.

## Political views

Adelaja supports Ukrainian nationalism, according to him Ukraine can only become independent through a nationalist mood. He considers it unfortunate that patriotism does not apply to all Ukrainians. "Only through the nationalistic mood can the Ukrainian nation become independent at all. If Ukrainians do not become more nationalistic, I am afraid that this country may come back under the Russian or Polish or Hungarian or some other yoke".

Adelaja thinks racism is not typical of the Ukrainian society. "I think it is a more Russian phenomenon, which came here. But Russia also sees how bad racism is for a country's reputation".

Adelaja was a strong supporter of the Orange Revolution. "Twelve years ago we were freed from Communism. Though we have had a different government with different uniforms since, the same corrupt people have remained in power. Now, Ukraine has its first opportunity to choose our own free way of life." He stated about the then candidate in and later winner of the 2004 Ukrainian presidential election Viktor Yushchenko: "He is a committed believer who is serious about his faith, and is influenced by God and the Bible ". However, during the 2010 president elections Adelaja decided and called all affiliated churches to vote for Victor Yanukovich, the opponent of the "Orange" leaders (Tymoshenko and Yushchenko).


Amber Beacon Tower murder

# Amber Beacon Tower murder

## Abstract

The Amber Beacon Tower murder is an unsolved case where a woman was murdered by two unknown attackers, who ambushed her and her boyfriend during the couple's romantic night out at Amber Beacon Tower in East Coast Park. During the attack, the female victim, 21-year-old Kelly Tan Ah Hong (陈亚凤 Chén Yàfèng), was stabbed in the neck by one of the men while her 22-year-old boyfriend, James Soh Fook Leong (苏福良 Sū Fúliáng), was stabbed in the back by the man's accomplice. Although Soh managed to survive with timely medical intervention, Tan died as a result of massive bleeding from her wound. Despite the extensive police investigations of this case, the murderer(s) were never identified or caught.

## Background

Born sometime in late 1968, Kelly Tan Ah Hong was the second of seven children in an affluent family. Although Tan was a Singaporean by birth, her father, Tan Lam Lee, was a Chinese Indonesian immigrant who operated a vegetable wholesale business, while her mother, Ong Lye, was a housewife. Tan had one elder sister, three younger sisters and two younger brothers in her family, who resided at a bungalow house in Thomson Road.

After completing her primary school education, Tan enrolled at Yio Chu Kang Secondary School at Ang Mo Kio, where she became classmates with her future boyfriend, James Soh Fook Leong, who was the only child of his family. His father was the owner of an electronics business. Soh was said to be a studious student and enthusiastic about sports and games. Both he and Tan, who were of the same age, became prefects. Although Tan was the opposite of Soh in terms of their interests and personality, Soh was attracted to Tan, who had mutual feelings for him, and they became friends after they first met.

After both Soh and Tan graduated, Soh enrolled into an electronic engineering course at Ngee Ann Polytechnic, while Tan did not continue studying and instead joined her father's business and worked under him. In 1990, before Soh began his third year in polytechnic, he decided to ask Tan out, and on 13 May 1990, about a decade after they first met, Soh and Tan officially became a couple. According to Soh's parents, they didn't meet Tan until a few days before her death, when Soh invited her to their flat. Soh's parents remembered their son telling them that Tan was his former schoolmate, but they never knew the specific nature of the couple's relationship.

## Murder of Kelly Tan

On the night of 15 May 1990, merely two days after they first became a couple, James Soh and Kelly Tan went to have a date at East Coast Park, heading to the Amber Beacon Tower in the park itself, where it was a popular spot for young couples to hang out.

When Soh and Tan were sitting on the tower's spiral staircase and chatting with each other, there were two men who walked past them and went to the upper level of the tower. Subsequently, after about fifteen minutes, the two men ambushed the couple with knives. While Tan ran away to escape one of the attackers, the other man stayed at the tower to attack Soh, who instinctively defended himself against the assailant. The violent attack led to Soh being stabbed on the back. The wound itself was so deep that it narrowly missed Soh's spinal cord, and would have been fatal if it had struck the spinal cord.

However, from a short distance away, Tan was in a more dire situation compared to Soh. She sustained a deep neck wound on the left side of her neck, after her attacker viciously used his knife to stab her below her left ear after managing to catch up with her. The knife wound caused Tan to suffer from massive bleeding. After the two men escaped the scene, Soh, who barely retained his consciousness, staggered to help his girlfriend and tried to bring her to the nearby Singa Inn Seafood Restaurant, where one of their attackers was last seen running towards it, while the other was last seen running to the bird sanctuary of the park.

Soh, who was drenched in blood, managed to reach the restaurant, and asked the employees to help his girlfriend and himself, before he fainted. The police and ambulance, as well as Soh's parents (who rushed to the scene), were contacted, and 22-year-old James Soh Fook Leong was rushed to Singapore General Hospital, where he survived with timely medical intervention. However, 21-year-old Kelly Tan Ah Hong, who was mortally wounded by her killer, was pronounced dead at the scene. Reportedly, Soh, who regained his consciousness in hospital and was in stable condition, was unaware of his girlfriend's death and kept asking his mother if she was alright. Soh was said to be devastated upon receiving news of Tan's death two days after she was killed. Soh's parents had kept the news from their son for fear it may affect his recovery progress, in accordance to the doctor's opinion. According to Soh's 47-year-old mother, whose surname was Tan, she and her husband were baffled over the horrific and senseless attack, and she knew that her son did not have any enemies since he was often a well-behaved person.

Tan's father, who was in Indonesia at the time of the killing, flown back to Singapore to attend his daughter's funeral.

## Investigations

The case of Kelly Tan Ah Hong's death was classified as murder. Under the laws of Singapore, the death penalty was the mandated sentence for any offenders found guilty of murder. In light of the violent killing of Tan, which shocked the nation at that time, members of the public, especially young people and couples, were advised by the authorities to be vigilant when going out at night.

As part of their investigations, the police also interviewed the survivor James Soh in the hospital. Despite surviving the attack, Soh was unable to recall the faces of their attackers, and could not hear their voices, since the two men never spoke a word during the attack. However, the police were able to gain a description that the men were dark-looking and out of these two men, the person who attacked Soh had short hair and was about 173 cm tall. The second male assailant who went after Tan was about 167 cm and had curly black hair. While the assailants were speculated to be drug addicts, they were also speculated to be foreigners since Soh remembered hearing the two killers speaking a foreign language while they were escaping from the tower. Although both Tan and Soh did not lost anything, robbery was theorized as a possible motive of the crime, and this theory was corroborated by the previous reports of people being robbed at the area itself and several other areas in East Coast Park during nights or late evenings. The police also did not rule out the possibility of a revenge killing, but both Soh and Tan were known to be good-mannered people who never had any grudges or feuds with other people. Still, due to lack of clues in this case, the police were unable to make a breakthrough in their investigations. The murder weapons were also never recovered.

In April 1992, two years after the incident, a coroner's court held an inquiry hearing of Kelly Tan's death and issued a verdict of murder by a person or persons unknown. Professor Chao Tzee Cheng, the senior forensic pathologist, certified that due to the assailant having stabbed Tan in the neck, the knife had cut through a blood artery on the neck, which resulted in Tan losing an excessively huge amount of blood and she died as a result. James Soh, who by then had begun to serve his National Service after completing his diploma, came to court to testify during the coroner's inquiry. After the coroner's verdict was meted out, Tan's bereaved family put up a reward of S$30,000 for any information leading up to the arrest of Tan's murderer(s). According to Tan's 28-year-old cousin Anthony Tan, who was also the manager of her father's company, the reward would be entrusted to the police and be indefinitely in effect up until the arrest of Tan's killer(s).

In June 1992, Singaporean crime show Crimewatch re-enacted the Amber Beacon Tower murder and inside the episode, both the police and Tan's family, including Tan's 42-year-old mother Ong Lye and 26-year-old older sister Tan Kwee Mui appealed for information from members of the public to assist in their investigations of the case. Tan's mother and sisters were reportedly still haunted by nightmares and sadness about the case, due to the uncertainty of when the case itself would be solved. Flyers were also published on newspapers to seek the public's help to solve the murder.

Despite the police's efforts to investigate Tan's murder, the Amber Beacon Tower murder case remains unsolved as of today, and the police were unable to uncover the identities of the killer(s). However, the police investigations remained open in this case because all criminal cases in Singapore, including murder, did not carry the statute of limitations and the police would regularly review these outstanding cases from time to time to yield any new clues to solve these cases.

## Aftermath

The murder of Kelly Tan Ah Hong remains as one of Singapore's infamous cases of unsolved murders, which also included the 1979 Geylang Bahru family murders, the 1985 Winnifred Teo murder case, the 1984 curry murder and several others.

After surviving the attack, Tan's former boyfriend James Soh Fook Leong would eventually work in sales after completing his education. He was later married with another woman and together, they had a son, who was reportedly 16 years old when his father was interviewed in 2015.

In July 2015, 25 years after his former girlfriend's murder, James Soh, then 47 years old, was approached for an interview, and he agreed to talk about his ordeal. Soh, who remained haunted with trauma over the attack, stated that even after many years, he was unable to understand why he and Tan were attacked, and he still could not recall the faces of their assailants. He also developed a fear of footstep sounds coming from behind him and avoided secluded places at all times. Soh stated that he regretted not knowing Tan better before she died, and he still tried to move on from the incident, something which he finally told his son in 2014. Soh added that due to the attack, he often remind his son to not go to secluded places and be vigilant at all times. Soh also held on to the hope that the killer(s) of Tan would be brought to justice, and asked that anyone with information about the killing can step forward to help crack the case.

The Amber Beacon Tower, where Kelly Tan was murdered, was rumoured to be haunted ever since her death, and there were reported sightings of a ghostly figure, described as the restless soul of Tan, roaming around the area at night, due to her unjust death and her murderer(s) not being arrested or punished. Wailing sounds and some fresh bloodstains at the tower were also included among the witness accounts regarding the tower's haunted presence. Lee Teng, a Taiwanese television host based in Singapore, revealed that when he and his friends camped nearby the tower at East Coast Park back in secondary school, his Buddha penchant mysteriously disappeared the next morning after the night camping trip, and Lee also claimed that inside one of the photographs taken by his friend at the tower that night itself, a shadowy figure was seen "hovering near another friend's head."


Presidency of Nicolás Maduro

# Presidency of Nicolás Maduro

## Abstract

On 14 April 2013, Nicolás Maduro was elected President of Venezuela, narrowly defeating opposition candidate Henrique Capriles with just 1.5% of the vote separating the two candidates. Capriles immediately demanded a recount, refusing to recognize the outcome as valid. Maduro was later formally inaugurated as President on 19 April, after the election commission had promised a full audit of the election results. On 24 October 2013, he announced the creation of a new agency, the Vice Ministry of Supreme Happiness, to coordinate all the social programmes.

## Rule by decree

Beginning six months after being elected, Maduro has ruled by decree for the majority of his presidency: from 19 November 2013 to 19 November 2014, 15 March 2015 to 31 December 2015, 15 January 2016 to present.

### 2013–2014

In October 2013, Maduro requested an enabling law to rule by decree in order to fight corruption and to also fight what he called an "economic war". On 19 November 2013, the National Assembly granted Maduro the power to rule by decree until 19 November 2014.

### 2015–2016

On 10 March 2015, Maduro asked to rule by decree for a second time following the sanctioning of seven Venezuelan officials by the United States, requesting the Enabling Law to be used to "confront" what Maduro called "the aggression of the most powerful country in the world, the United States". Days later on 15 March 2015, the National Assembly granted Maduro power to rule by decree until 31 December 2015.

### 2016–2017

After a coalition of opposition parties won in the 6 December 2015 elections, the lame duck Assembly named 13 new Justices sympathetic toward Maduro to the Supreme Court. On 15 January 2016, Maduro declared an economic emergency and issued a "vaguely worded" decree that would grant himself extraordinary powers for 60 days, or until 15 March 2016. Days after on 18 March 2016, the expiration of the decree powers, the Supreme Court granted Maduro the power to rule by decree for an additional 60 days, or until 17 May 2016.

Days before his second 60-day rule by decree were to end, Maduro stated on 11 May 2016 that he would continue to rule by decree through the rest of the year until 2017.

### 2017–2018

While meeting with the Supreme Tribunal of Justice on 15 January 2017, Maduro signed a new economic decree, extending his rule by decree for the sixth time since the original ruling in January 2016. On 19 January, the Supreme Tribunal of Justice established the "Decree on the State of Emergency and Economic Emergency", granting Maduro to rule by decree further into 2017.

On 13 May 2017 at a time of rising unrest during the 2017 Venezuelan protests, President Maduro extended his decree powers for the eighth time since January 2016, allowing him to rule by decree for another 60 days. The powers were extended again on 13 July 2017 for an additional 60 days.

On 15 October, the Bolivarian government Great Patriotic Pole won 18 of the 23 governorships while the opposition only 5 during the 2017 Venezuelan regional elections.

On 10 December, the Bolivarian government Great Patriotic Pole won 306 of the 337 Mayorships during the 2017 Venezuelan municipal elections.

## Cabinet of Maduro

State Ministries:

## Military authority

Since coming to power three years ago, Mr. Maduro has relied increasingly on the armed forces as a spiraling economic crisis pushed his approval ratings to record lows and food shortages led to lootings.... The armed forces have swiftly repressed all opposition rallies as well as the food riots that flare up daily across the country.

The Wall Street Journal

Maduro has relied on the military to maintain power since he was initially elected into office. According to Luis Manuel Esculpi, a Venezuelan security analyst, "The army is Maduro's only source of authority." As time passed, Maduro grew more reliant on the military, showing that Maduro was losing power as described by Amherst College professor, Javier Corrales. Corrales explains that "From 2003 until Chavez died in 2013, the civilian wing was strong, so he did not have to fall back on the military. As civilians withdrew their support, Maduro was forced to resort to military force." The New York Times states that Maduro no longer has the oil revenue to buy loyalty for protection, instead relying on favorable exchange rates, as well as the smuggling of food and drugs, which "also generate revenue".

On 12 July 2016, Maduro granted Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino López the power to oversee product transportation, price controls, the Bolivarian missions, while also having his military command five of Venezuela's main ports. This action performed by President Maduro made General Padrino one of the most powerful people in Venezuela, possibly "the second most powerful man in Venezuelan politics". The appointment of Padrino was also seen to be similar to the Cuban government's tactic of granting the Cuban military the power to manage Cuba's economy. It is the first time since the dictatorship of General Marcos Perez Jimenez in 1958 that a military official has held such power in Venezuela. According to Corrales, "For all of the ministers of the cabinet to have to respond to a soldier, this is associated with military dictatorships ".

According to Nicolás Maduro:

All ministries and government institutions are subordinated to the National Command of the Great Mission for Safe Sovereign and Safe Supply, which is under the command of the President and of the top General, Vladimir Padrino López.

## Domestic policy

Maduro denies that Venezuela has been facing a humanitarian crisis. Maduro stuck to his predecessor Hugo Chávez's policies in order to remain popular to those who find a connection between the two. Despite the increasingly difficult crises facing Venezuela, such as a faltering economy and high crime rate, Maduro continued the use of Chávez's policies.

After continuing Chávez's policies, Maduro's support among Venezuelans began to decrease, with Bloomberg explaining that he held on to power by placing opponents in jail and impeding upon Venezuela's freedom of press. According to Marsh, instead of making any policy changes, Maduro placed attention on his "hold on power by closing off the legal channels through which the opposition can act". Shannon K. O'Neil of the Council on Foreign Relations stated that "After Chavez's death, Maduro has just continued and accelerated the authoritarian and totalitarian policies of Chavez".

Regarding Maduro's ideology, Professor Ramón Piñango, a sociologist from the Venezuelan University of IESA, "Maduro has a very strong ideological orientation, close to the Communist ideology. Contrary to Diosdado, he is not very pragmatic". Maduro himself has stated that Venezuela must build a more socialist nation, highlighting that the country needs an economic overhaul, a political-military union and government involvement in the workplace.

### Crime

One of the first important presidential programs of Maduro became the "Safe Homeland" program, a massive police and military campaign to build security in the country. Three thousand soldiers were deployed to decrease homicide in Venezuela, which has one of the highest rates of homicide in Latin America. Most of these troops were deployed in the state of Miranda (Greater Caracas), which has the highest homicide rate in Venezuela. According to the government, in 2012, more than 16,000 people were killed, a rate of 54 people per 100,000, although the Venezuela Violence Observatory, a Venezuelan NGO, claims that the homicide rate was in fact 73 people per 100,000. The program had to be reinitiated one year later after the program's creator, Miguel Rodríguez Torres, was replaced by Carmen Melendez Teresa Rivas. Murder also increased over the years since the program's initiation according to the Venezuela Violence Observatory, with the murder rate increasing to 82 per 100,000 in 2014. 23,047 homicides were committed in Venezuela in 2018, a rate of 81.4 per 100,000 people.

### Economic

When elected in 2013, Maduro continued the majority of existing economic policies of his predecessor Hugo Chávez. When entering the presidency, Maduro's Venezuela faced a high inflation rate and large shortages of goods that was left over from the previous administration of President Chávez.

Maduro blamed wealthy businessmen for hoarding goods and speculation that is driving high rates of inflation and creating widespread shortages of staples, and often said he was fighting an "economic war", calling newly enacted economic measures "economic offensives" against political opponents he and loyalists state are behind an international economic conspiracy. However, Maduro has been criticized for only concentrating on public opinion instead of tending to the practical issues economists have warned the Venezuelan government about or creating any ideas to improve the economic situation in Venezuela such as the "economic war".

Venezuela was ranked as the top spot globally with the highest misery index score in 2013, 2014, and 2015 In 2014, Venezuela's economy entered an economic depression that has continued as of 2017. Under Maduro’s rule, GDP has approximately halved.

### Military

Since coming to power three years ago, Mr. Maduro has relied increasingly on the armed forces as a spiraling economic crisis pushed his approval ratings to record lows and food shortages led to lootings.... The armed forces have swiftly repressed all opposition rallies as well as the food riots that flare up daily across the country.

The Wall Street Journal

Maduro has relied on the military to maintain power since he was initially elected into office. He has promised to make Venezuela a great power by 2050, stating that the Venezuelan military would lead the way to make the country "a powerhouse, of happiness, of equality".

On 12 July 2016, Maduro granted Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino López the power to oversee product transportation, price controls, the Bolivarian missions, while also having his military command five of Venezuela's main ports. This action performed by President Maduro made General Padrino one of the most powerful people in Venezuela, possibly "the second most powerful man in Venezuelan politics". The appointment of Padrino was also seen to be similar to the Cuban government's tactic of granting the Cuban military the power to manage Cuba's economy.

According to Nicolás Maduro:

All ministries and government institutions are subordinated to the National Command of the Great Mission for Safe Sovereign and Safe Supply, which is under the command of the President and of the top General, Vladimir Padrino López.

It was the first time since the dictatorship of General Marcos Pérez Jiménez in 1958 that a military official has held such power in Venezuela.

## Foreign policy

Maduro has accused the United States of intervention in Venezuela several times with his allegations ranging from post-election violence by " neo-Nazi groups", economic difficulties from what he called an "economic war" and various coup plots. The United States has denied such accusations while analysts have called such allegations by Maduro as a way to distract Venezuelans from their problems.

In early 2015 the Obama administration signed an executive order which imposed targeted sanctions on seven Venezuelan officials whom the White House argued were instrumental in human rights violations, persecution of political opponents and significant public corruption and said that the country posed an "unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security and foreign policy of the United States ". Maduro responded to the sanctions in a couple of ways. He wrote an open letter in a full page ad in The New York Times in March 2015, stating that Venezuelans were "friends of the American people" and called President Obama's action of making targeted sanctions on the alleged human rights abusers a "unilateral and aggressive measure". Examples of accusations of human rights abuses from the United States to Maduro's government included the murder of a political activist prior to legislative elections in Venezuela. Maduro threatened to sue the United States over an executive order issued by the Obama Administration that declared Venezuela to be a threat to American security. He also planned to deliver 10 million signatures, or signatures from about 1/3 of Venezuela's population, denouncing the United States' decree declaring the situation in Venezuela an "extraordinary threat to US national security". and ordered all schools in the country to hold an "anti-imperialist day" against the United States with the day's activities including the "collection of the signatures of the students, and teaching, administrative, maintenance and cooking personnel". Maduro further ordered state workers to apply their signatures in protest, with some workers reporting that firings of state workers occurred due to their rejection of signing the executive order protesting the "Obama decree". There were also reports that members of Venezuelan armed forces and their families were ordered to sign against the United States decree.

On 6 April 2015, twenty-five (25) ex-presidents issued a Declaración de Panamá, a statement denouncing the VII Cumbre de las Américas, what they called "democratic alteration" in Venezuela, promoted by the government of Nicolas Maduro. The statement calls for the immediate release of "political prisoners" in Venezuela. Among the former heads of government that have called for improvements in Venezuela are: Jorge Quiroga (Bolivia); Sebastián Piñera (Chile): Andrés Pastrana, Álvaro Uribe and Belisario Betancur (Colombia); Miguel Ángel Rodríguez, Rafael Ángel Calderón Guardia, Laura Chinchilla, Óscar Arias, Luis Alberto Monge (Costa Rica), Osvaldo Hurtado (Ecuador); Alfredo Cristiani and Armando Calderón (EL Salvador); José María Aznar (Spain); Felipe Calderón and Vicente Fox (México), Mireya Moscoso (Panamá), Alejandro Toledo (Perú) and Luis Alberto Lacalle (Uruguay).

Maduro has reached out to China for economic assistance while China has funneled billions of dollars from multiple loans into Venezuela. China is Venezuela's second largest trade partner with two-thirds of Venezuelan exports to China composed of oil. According to Mark Jones, a Latin American expert of the Baker Institute, China was "investing for strategic reasons" rather than ideological similarities. The Venezuelan military has also used military equipment from China using the NORINCO VN-4 armoured vehicle against protesters during the 2014–15 Venezuelan protests, ordering hundreds more as a result of the demonstrations.

At the 17th Summit of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) in 2016, hosted by Venezuela at Margarita Island, Maduro was elected chairperson by acclamation, a position that he is to hold until the 18th Summit in Azerbaijan in 2019. Maduro's administration spent over US$120 million on the event, and Maduro billed it as a meeting that would "be remembered for centuries"; according to Al Jazeera, the "delegates who did come complained privately of a lack of organisation, delays and shabby hotels". The Maduro administration did not respond to a request from Al Jazeera for a list of delegations present; of the 120 NAM member states, media sources estimated between 10 and 15 heads of state attended, including Bolivia, Cuba, Ecuador, Palestine, Iran, Syria and Zimbabwe. For only the second time since NAM was founded, India did not attend; of the countries that did attend, many are recipients of Venezuelan oil subsidies, according to Foreign Policy and Fox News.

In the Israeli–Palestinian conflict, Maduro has frequently supported the Palestinian cause in international forums including his stance that his country recognizes Jerusalem as the eternal capital of Palestine after the US embassy move to Jerusalem which he called an "extremist decision" that lacks legal validity and violates international law. In January 2019, Maduro reaffirms the unconditional support for the struggle of the Palestinians in defense of their sovereignty in accordance with the principles of the Charter of the United Nations and international law.

In December 2017, Maduro was invited as the special honorary guest at the Extraordinary Summit of the OIC (Organisation of Islamic Cooperation) in Istanbul, Turkey with the main issue being to unify the response of the Muslim world to the US embassy move to Jerusalem, which Maduro called a "colonial act."

On 11 August 2017, President Donald Trump said that he is “not going to rule out a military option” to confront the government of Nicolás Maduro. On 23 January 2019, Maduro announced that Venezuela was breaking ties with the United States following President Trump's announcement of recognizing Juan Guaidó, the Venezuelan opposition leader, as the interim President of Venezuela.

On 14 January 2019, days after Brazil recognised Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaidó as the country's interim president, Maduro called Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro “a Hitler of the modern era”.

## 2014–present: Venezuelan protests

Since 2014, a series of protests, political demonstrations, and civil insurrection began in Venezuela due to the country's high levels of violence, inflation, and chronic shortages of basic goods attributed to economic policies such as strict price controls. Maduro's government saw the protests as an undemocratic coup d'etat attempt orchestrated by " fascist opposition leaders and the United States ".

If they want to march every day, go ahead and march... I will use the iron fist granted to me by Chávez. Make no mistake about me. I am willing to do anything to defend the homeland, its sovereignty and our people.

Nicolás Maduro

Although Maduro, a former trade union leader, says he supports peaceful protesting, the Venezuelan government has been widely condemned for its handling of the protests. Venezuelan authorities have reportedly gone beyond the use of rubber pellets and tear gas to instances of live ammunition use and torture of arrested protestors, according to organizations like Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, while the United Nations has accused the Venezuelan government of politically-motivated arrests, most notably former Chacao mayor and leader of Popular Will, Leopoldo Lopez, who has used the controversial charges of murder and inciting violence against him to protest the government's "criminalization of dissent."

Protests dwindled through 2015 and into 2016, though a movement to recall Maduro rekindled anti-government sentiment among Venezuelans, culminating with over one million protesting nationwide on September 1, 2016. Protests since then have continued, especially due to controversies surrounding the recall movement and the continued socioeconomic hardships Venezuelans face on a daily basis.

## Recall referendum project

The process to hold a recall referendum to vote on recalling Maduro was started on May 2, 2016. On that date, opposition leaders in Venezuela handed in a petition to the National Electoral Council (CNE) that started a several stage process. As of July 2016, the Venezuelan government had stated that if enough signatures were collected, a recall vote would be held no sooner than 2017.

### Initial petition

On May 2, 2016, opposition leaders in Venezuela handed in a petition calling for a recall referendum. On June 21, 2016, the BBC reported that signatures for a referendum to recall Maduro were being recorded by the National Electoral Council (CNE), with the process ongoing for several days. The petition required 1% of the electorate to endorse it before the next stage of voting could be held. According to opposition leaders, in July during a preliminary signature drive for the recall, the CNE "rejected more than half a million signatures for reasons ranging from unclear handwriting to smudged fingerprints."

In early July 2016, Barack Obama urged Venezuela to allow the recall referendum. On July 5, 2016, the Venezuelan intelligence service detained five opposition activists involved with the recall referendum, with two other activists of the same party, Popular Will, also arrested.

According to a July 27, 2016 article in The Guardian, "Venezuela's opposition has demanded authorities move forward on a referendum to force Nicolás Maduro from office, amid complaints that the government is digging in its heels to delay the process." Several days before protests on the issue at the headquarters of the CNE had been held after the CNE missed a deadline on announcing whether a recent petition had collected enough valid signatures. The government, in response, argued the protestors were part of a plot to topple Maduro. At the time, a poll by Venebarómetro found that "88% of 'likely' voters in a recall would choose to oust Maduro."

### Second phase of the referendum

On August 1, 2016, the CNE announced that enough signatures had been validated for the recall process to continue. A date was not set by the CNE for the second phase to take place, which requires raising 20 percent of the electorates' signatures. While opposition leaders pushed for the recall to be held before the end of 2016, allowing a new presidential election to take place, the government vowed a recall would not occur until 2017, ensuring the current vice president would potentially come to power. Reuters reported that the government had launched 9,000 lawsuits alleging fraud in signature collection by that time.

On August 9, 2016, the CNE presented a timeline for the referendum that made it unlikely it would be held before the end of 2016, in part due to a new 90-day verification period for signatures. The second stage of the petition was estimated by the CNE to likely take place in October 2016, resulting in a vote likely happening in February 2017. Opposition leaders were reported to be planning a large protest march in response, with leaders accusing the CNE of favoring the incumbent Socialist Party with the wait time. According to Reuters on August 9, "Socialist Party leaders have dismissed the recall effort as fraudulent and noted that the elections council found nearly 10,000 signatures corresponding to people who were deceased."

Early on September 21, 2016, the National Electoral Council set new guidelines for the recall campaign that The Associated Press described as "unfavorable to the opposition." Among other rules, officials announced that signatures would need to be gathered from 20 percent of Venezuelan voters over three days, specifically October 26 until October 28. In addition, officials required campaigners to gather 20 percent from the electorate in each state, although "opposition leaders say they should only have to gather signatures from 20 percent of voters nationwide." The opposition, which had asked for 20,000 voting machines, was granted 5,400 by officials. On September 21, 2016, the National Electoral Council announced the recall referendum would not be held before January 10, meaning new elections would be ruled out in favor of the VP assuming Maduro's place until the end of the term in 2019. The CNE said that the vote "could be held in the middle of the first quarter of 2017."

### Suspension of referendum

When this happens there is no democracy. What Venezuela has is dictatorship...

Jose Vicente Haro, Venezuelan law expert

On 21 October 2016, the CNE suspended the referendum only days before preliminary signature-gatherings were to be held. The CNE blamed alleged voter fraud as the reason for the cancellation of the referendum.

#### Reaction

Opposition leaders responded by calling on protests against the CNE's actions. The day after the government's announcement, several thousand Venezuelans marched through Caracas protesting against the suspension. Demonstrators were led by Lilian Tintori and Patricia Gutiérrez, wives of arrested opposition politicians.

Experts described the suspension as "unconstitutional". Venezuelan constitutional law expert Jose Vicente Haro stated that the move by the Bolivarian government shows no respect for the constitution while the Washington Office on Latin America called the suspension "a setback for democracy".

### International reactions

Reuters reported on August 4, 2016 that U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry had stated that "we encourage Venezuela to embrace the recall not in a delayed way that pushes it into next year, but to do this as a sign of respect for the constitution of the country and the needs of the people of the country." On August 11, 2016, 15 countries in the Organization of American States released a joint statement urging for the referendum to be held "without delay," to "contribute to the quick and effective resolution of the current political, economic and social difficulties in the country."

## Overthrow attempts

On 3 May 2020 Venezuelan security forces prevented an attempt to overthrow Maduro by armed deserters from Venezuela’s security forces. The attempt, named Operation Gideon, was organised by former United States Army Special Forces operator Jordan Goudreau and the men were trained in Colombia. Goudreau claimed the operation had involved 60 troops, including two former US special forces members. The Venezuelan government claimed the United States and its Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) were responsible for the operation and had support from Colombia. Juan Guaidó denied involvement in the operation, however, Goudreau claimed that Guaidó and two political advisers had signed a contract with him for $213 million in October 2019.


Blaise Zabini

# Blaise Zabini

## Abstract

Blaise Zabini is a fictional character in J. K. Rowling 's Harry Potter series. A minor character, his gender was not revealed until Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, which resulted in several fans initially believing him to be female and errors in the series' Dutch translation. Despite this, he is more popular in fan-fiction of the series, partially due to his status as one of the few characters in Harry Potter of African descent.

## Appearances

Blaise is one of the "few black students at Hogwarts." He was initially mentioned as the last student to have been sorted by the Sorting Hat, which placed him in Slytherin. In Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, he is described as "a tall black boy with high cheekbones and long, slanting eyes". His mother is described as a "famously beautiful" witch who had "married seven times", with all of them ending in mysterious fatalities that left her significantly wealthier.

He is portrayed as snobbish and with "exceptional good looks". In one of the few lines he has, he calls Ginny Weasley "blood traitor", a derogatory term used by "pure-blood" wizards against other pure-bloods who choose to associate with "muggles" or "muggle-borns". Due to the gender-neutral nature of his name and the lack of a description of him in the earlier novels, Dutch translations of the first novels in the series referred to him as female. This was corrected in the translation of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince when his gender was revealed.

In the film adaptations of the novels, Blaise is portrayed by Louis Cordice. The character replaced the role of Vincent Crabbe in the Battle of Hogwarts in the second part of the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows as Jamie Waylett, the actor who portrayed Crabbe, had been arrested for being in possession of cannabis and a knife.

## Reception

As he was only mentioned once in the first book with no other descriptors, he was the "subject of rampant speculation, shipping, and fan art." Fan fiction written prior to the publishing of the sixth book typically depicted him as a "ghostly pale white male." Keidra Chaney and Raizel Liebler argue that this largely arose from writer Cassandra Clare 's depiction of Blaise in her Harry Potter fan-fiction work The Draco Trilogy. According to Maria I Velazquez, following the reveal of his race, some fans of the series reacted with "frustration, grief, and anger at rowling for "shatter" their image of Blaise by making him black." She quoted a blogger who argued that this exemplified the "ways in which racism and stereotypes frame the ways in which one reads a text", and that "whiteness becomes a kind of default, so characters are often assumed to be white unless the text explicitly states otherwise." Velazquez, notes that his race is "still an ongoing tension" within the fandom. She writes that "anti-black sentiments" towards the casting of Zabini in the films "became an opportunity for antiracist fans to engage in an extended, ongoing critique of real-world racism(s) in both fandom and the series itself." Chaney and Liebler note that some fan-fiction works continued to depict Blaise as "white" and a "goth". However, they did not understand why those fans believed that Blaise "could not continue to be gothy while being African-British", and posited that they were either "slightly racist" or that as a character of African descent, to them, he no longer fit into the "Goth identity." There were also disputes between fans regarding his gender.

The character is significantly more prominently featured in fan fiction than in the original series. As of 2018, there were 6,000 pieces of fan-fiction on FanFiction.Net and another 6,000 on Archive of Our Own featuring him as the main character, with many more featuring him as a major character. Judith Brottrager, Joël Doat, Julian Häußler and Thomas Weitin write that he is a "fan favorite" despite him "scarcely" having a presence in the source material. They attributed this to fan fiction authors' "desire for completion", with the characters and settings of the houses of Hogwarts other than Gryffindor, being "mostly unexplored" in the original novels. They further write that the "mere quantitative rise in the occurrences of his character name is also connected to an increased intensity of connections to other characters" and that he is a "prime example for a fanfiction shift." They argue that his status as one of the few " POCs " from the original novels and as a "flat character", with his background and identity being "not overly explored or spelled out", makes him more attractive to fan fiction authors. The further note that while he may act as a ' tabula rasa ' for fan fiction authors, the few characteristics of his that are depicted are a "useful shorthand for a character type in fanfictions."

Taylor Pernini argues that Blaise's "position as both a character of color and an espouser of blood supremacist ideals places the audience in an uncomfortable space", giving him the "potential to be an incredibly complex and even inscrutable character". However, Rowling does "almost nothing" with the character, providing the "barest glimpse of a character who could present a variety of complicated issues of identity and ‘otherness’ within discriminatory groups", even though he remains nearly "nonexistent in the text." He occupies a "difficult space" within the source material, which "does very little to address that difficulty". Pernini argues that it is for this reason that Blaise "possesses the largest discrepancy" between his prominence in the source material and in fan-fiction. She writes that fan-fiction is the "only way" for fans to deal with the "complete and utter lack of attention to a character of color in such an unexpected position", which is seen by them as a "tragic failure". Pernini notes that fan works range from depicting him as a "total and unrepentant Death Eater-sympathizer" to being "forced to espouse those beliefs for his own life and the lives of others" to a "cunning man who refuses to pick a side and remains neutral." Some pieces of fan-fiction depict him eventually changing his views with regard to blood supremacy. She concludes: "To a large degree, Blaise Zabini remains a huge question mark in the source text, and the only way to handle that is to try to provide some kind of answers in a new story."

Vilma Vuorinen notes that his mother is potentially the only other Black woman in the series apart from Angelina Johnson, a Hogwarts student, and that she "serves no other purpose in the story other than to be perceived as a Jezebel" and is "completely devoid of agency outside her nature as a temptress."

The character is the subject of the 2007 song Who is Blaise Zabini? by wizard rock band The Parselmouths. The song describes how both he and his peers were initially unable to perceive him clearly. In the song, his peers attempt to determine his gender by observing the dormitory in which he resides, but this fails as he "just kind of disappears", with Blaise himself "confunded" of his own gender identity, unsure of which restroom to use. Once he is described, his peers are able to properly perceive him and he is then "secure in being a boy". Anne Collins Smith writes that through the line "he would have been a nice girl as well", the song "emphasizes his earlier gender indeterminacy as a potentiality that could have gone in either direction", and that it "may also be interpreted as an olive branch offered to fans who had previously imagined the character as female and were disappointed to have their version deauthorized." Smith argues that the band "ordinarily stick fairly close" to the original perspective of the source material while giving him a "readerlike stance so that he too perceives himself as undefined until the original author (J. K. Rowling) provides him with a more distinctive description." Smith notes that while the song appears to reference the conflict regarding Blaise's gender, the line "we knew that he was cool" suggests a "desire to maintain a positive standpoint on the character."


# List of Disney's Hollywood Studios attractions

## Abstract

Disney's Hollywood Studios is a theme park located at the Walt Disney World Resort. Major attractions are listed below.

## Hollywood Boulevard

Hollywood Boulevard is lined with shops selling Disney merchandise and food. While parades are a major attraction today, the area was not originally built to handle parades, and an appropriate sound system and other facilities had to be retrofitted after initial construction. Michael Eisner, who had a major part in the park's creation ever since the earliest development, wanted the opening land to operate on the same principle as Main Street, U.S.A. — a street lined with shops and food, but in a style more fitting to Hollywood.

- Mickey & Minnie's Runaway Railway, a trackless dark ride, which inside the Grauman's Chinese Theatre, based on the Mickey Mouse animated shorts, as well as the first Mickey Mouse -themed ride-through attraction in the history of Walt Disney Parks, Experiences and Consumer Products.

## Echo Lake

- Star Tours – The Adventures Continue, a 3D motion simulator ride, set in the Star Wars universe. It is the refurbished successor to the park's original attraction.

- Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular!, a live-action movie stunt performance re-enacting various scenes from the film, Raiders of the Lost Ark, in the Stunt Theater.

- For the First Time in Forever: A Frozen Sing-Along Celebration, a musical stage show retelling the story of the film in Hyperion Theater.

## Grand Avenue

- Muppet*Vision 3D, a 4D film experience, in the Grand Arts Theatre, starring The Muppets.

## Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge

- Star Wars: Millennium Falcon – Smugglers Run

- Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance

## Toy Story Land

- Toy Story Mania!, an interactive 3D shooting gallery featuring characters from the Toy Story films.

- Slinky Dog Dash, a family-friendly rollercoaster themed around Slinky Dog. The story goes that Andy used his "Mega Coaster Play Kit" to build around his backyard, and then put Slinky Dog on the track.

- Alien Swirling Saucers, an attraction similar to Mater's Junkyard Jamboree at Disney California Adventure, themed around the Claw and Little Green Aliens.

## Animation Courtyard

- Disney Junior Play and Dance!, a live performance in Soundstage Theater, featuring television characters from Mickey and the Roadster Racers, Vampirina, Jake and the Never Land Pirates, Doc McStuffins, Sofia the First, Fancy Nancy, and The Lion Guard.

- Star Wars Launch Bay, an interactive walkthrough attraction featuring Star Wars character meet-and-greets, memorabilia, games, and a gift shop.

- The Little Mermaid – A Musical Adventure, a live performance in Animation Courtyard theater, featuring The Little Mermaid.

- Walt Disney Presents, a museum-like walk-through attraction that explores Walt Disney 's life and legacy through photos, models, rare artifacts, and a short biographical film narrated by Julie Andrews.

## Sunset Boulevard

- The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror is a thrill ride which drops guests in an elevator in a randomized set of four sequences- each involving multiple high speed drops and ascents.

- Rock 'n' Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith, an indoor roller coaster in the dark with three inversions and a high-speed launch in the G-Force Records Studio, which was became part of Sunset Showcase.

- Lightning McQueen's Racing Academy, The completely indoor Sunset Showcase Theater hosts Lightning McQueen's Racing Academy, and features Lightning McQueen and other Cars characters teaching "rookie racers" about the lessons they've learned when racing. On September 3, 2024, Disney's Hollywood Studios announced that the final performance of the show will be permanently closed on October 7, 2024, to make way for an all-new Disney Villains-themed stage show in the Sunset Showcase Theater.

- Beauty and the Beast – Live on Stage, a simplified version of the film. Appeared on Hollywood Boulevard until the Theater of the Stars moved to Sunset Boulevard in July 1994.

- Fantasmic! – held in the Hollywood Hills Amphitheater, this live show serves as the park's nighttime spectacular; however, due to inclement weather and other scheduling situations, it is not held every night.

## Entertainment

### Theater of the Stars

Originally located off Hollywood Boulevard (1989-1993) and relocated to Sunset Boulevard (1994-present)

- Hollywood! Hollywood! A Star-Studded Spectacular (May 1 – August 31, 1989)

- Dick Tracy starring in Diamond Double-Cross (May 21, 1990 – February 16, 1991)

- Hollywood's Pretty Woman (September 24 – November 3, 1991)

- Beauty and the Beast – Live on Stage (1991 – 1993; July 15, 1994 – March 15, 2020; August 15, 2021 – present)

- Used for seasonal special events: Star Wars Weekends, etc. (2015) The Music of Pixar Live! (May 26 – August 27, 2017) Disney Socienty Orchestra and Friends (August 2 – October 3, 2020) Disney Holidays in Hollywood (November 11 – present; seasonals)

- Star Wars Weekends, etc. (2015)

- The Music of Pixar Live! (May 26 – August 27, 2017)

- Disney Socienty Orchestra and Friends (August 2 – October 3, 2020)

- Disney Holidays in Hollywood (November 11 – present; seasonals)

The theater is also used for occasional corporate, seasonal, promotional and internal events, and presentations.

### Hyperion Theater (Soundstage 10)

Formerly known as SuperStar Television Theater (1989–1998; 2009–2014) and ABC TV Theater (1999–2008)

- SuperStar Television (May 1, 1989 – September 26, 1998)

- Doug Live! (March 15, 1999 – May 12, 2001)

- Get Happy...With ABC ! (July 1 – October 5, 2002)

- The American Idol Experience (February 14, 2009 – August 30, 2014)

- For the First Time in Forever: A Frozen Sing-Along Celebration (June 17, 2015 – present)

- What’s This? Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas Sing-Along (November 11 – present; seasonals)

### Mickey Shorts Theater (Soundstage 11)

Formerly known as Monster Sound Studio (1989–1997) and ABC Sound Studio (1997–2012)

- The Monster Sound Show (May 1, 1989 – June 30, 1997)

- One Saturday Morning Sound Show (July 1, 1997 – February 20, 1999)

- Sounds Dangerous! (April 22, 1999 – January 4, 2009, seasonally until May 18, 2012)

- Jedi Training Academy Sign-Up/Carbon Freeze Me (2012–2015)

- Star Wars: Path of the Jedi (December 4, 2015 – May 14, 2018)

- Mickey & Minnie in Vacation Fun (March 4, 2020 – present)

### Epic Theater

- Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular! (August 25, 1989 – March 12, 2020; December 19, 2021 – present)

### Grand Arts Theatre

- Muppet*Vision 3D (May 16, 1991 – November 1, 2024)

### Hollywood Boulevard

- High School Musical Pep Rally (January 22 – September 14, 2007)

- High School Musical 2: School's Out (September 23, 2007 – September 13, 2008)

- High School Musical 3: Right Here! Right Now! (October 24, 2008 – October 2, 2010)

- Disney Channel Rocks! (October 22, 2010 – April 6, 2013)

- March of the First Order (May 4, 2016 – July 6, 2019)

### New York Street

This entertainment venue is no longer operating as it has been demolished for Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge

- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (July 1, 1990 – May 31, 1995)

- Muppets on Location: The Days of Swine & Roses (September 16, 1991 – January 23, 1994)

- Ace Ventura: Pet Detective – Live in Action (November 10, 1995 – ? 1996)

- Goosebumps HorrorLand Fright Show and Funhouse (October 8, 1997 – November 1, 1998)

- Mulch! Sweat and Shears! (2011–15)

### Premier Theater

Formerly known as Backlot Theater (1993-2002). This entertainment venue is no longer operating as it has been demolished for Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge

- Beauty and the Beast – Live on Stage (1993–1994; built on a temporary basis while Theater of the Stars was being constructed)

- The Spirit of Pocahontas (June 23, 1995 – February 24, 1996)

- The Hunchback of Notre Dame – A Musical Adventure (June 21, 1996 – September 28, 2002)

- Used for seasonal special events: Star Wars Weekends, etc. (January 2008 – July 5, 2014)

- For the First Time in Forever: A Frozen Sing-Along Celebration (July 5, 2014 – June 16, 2015)

### Soundstages 2 & 3

Originally a portion of the Disney-MGM Studios Backstage Studio Tour (1989-1990), Inside the Magic (1990-1996), Backstage Pass (1996-2000). This entertainment venue is no longer operating as it closed to make room for Toy Story Mania!, which became part of Toy Story Land

- Who Wants to Be a Millionaire – Play It! (April 7, 2001 – August 19, 2006)

### Soundstage 4

Originally a portion of the Disney-MGM Studios Backstage Studio Tour (1989-1990), Inside the Magic (1990-1996). This entertainment venue is no longer operating as it has been demolished to make room for the entrance of Toy Story Land

- The Haunted Mansion (October 8, 2003 – May 1, 2004)

- Journey into Narnia: Creating The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe (December 9, 2005 – January 1, 2008)

- Journey into Narnia: Prince Caspian (June 27, 2008 – September 10, 2011)

- The Legend Of Captain Jack Sparrow (December 6, 2012 – November 6, 2014)

### Walt Disney Theatre

Originally a portion of the Disney-MGM Studios Backstage Studio Tour (1989-1990), Inside the Magic (1990-1994)

- Making of: The Lion King (1994–1995) Pocahontas: A Legend Comes to Life (July 1995) Toy Story (? 1995 – June 22, 1996) The Hunchback of Notre Dame (premiered 1996) Evita (January 10 – July 13, 1997) George of the Jungle (July 14 – November 20, 1997) Flubber (November 21, 1997 – January 1998) Armageddon (July 1, 1998 – June 1999)

- The Lion King (1994–1995)

- Pocahontas: A Legend Comes to Life (July 1995)

- Toy Story (? 1995 – June 22, 1996)

- The Hunchback of Notre Dame (premiered 1996)

- Evita (January 10 – July 13, 1997)

- George of the Jungle (July 14 – November 20, 1997)

- Flubber (November 21, 1997 – January 1998)

- Armageddon (July 1, 1998 – June 1999)

- Walt Disney: One Man's Dream / Walt Disney Presents (2001 - present)

### Animation Courtyard Theater (Soundstage 16)

Formerly known as Walt Disney Theater and was the final portion of the Disney-MGM Studios Backstage Studio Tour (1989-1990). This building was originally soundstage 15 until Rock 'n' Roller Coaster opened with its show building labeled as soundstage 15. The Animation Courtyard Theater then became soundstage 16 around 1999.

- Here Come the Muppets (May 25, 1990 – September 2, 1991)

- Voyage of the Little Mermaid (January 7, 1992 – March 15, 2020)

- The Little Mermaid – A Musical Adventure (Opening in Fall 2024)

### Soundstage Theater (Soundstage 5)

- Soundstage Restaurant (May 1, 1989 – November 14, 1998; featured sets over the years from Big Business, Beauty and the Beast and Aladdin)

- Bear in the Big Blue House – Live on Stage (June 7, 1999 – August 4, 2001)

- Playhouse Disney – Live on Stage! (October 1, 2001 – April 3, 2005; consisted of Bear in the Big Blue House, Rolie Polie Olie, Stanley, and The Book of Pooh) (April 11, 2005 – January 1, 2008; consisted of Bear in the Big Blue House, JoJo's Circus, Stanley, and The Book of Pooh) (February 1, 2008 – January 29, 2011; consisted of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Handy Manny, Little Einsteins, and My Friends Tigger & Pooh)

- (October 1, 2001 – April 3, 2005; consisted of Bear in the Big Blue House, Rolie Polie Olie, Stanley, and The Book of Pooh)

- (April 11, 2005 – January 1, 2008; consisted of Bear in the Big Blue House, JoJo's Circus, Stanley, and The Book of Pooh)

- (February 1, 2008 – January 29, 2011; consisted of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Handy Manny, Little Einsteins, and My Friends Tigger & Pooh)

- Disney Junior – Live on Stage! (March 4, 2011 – January 13, 2013; consisted of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Handy Manny, Little Einsteins, and Jake and the Never Land Pirates) (February 15, 2013 – September 1, 2018; consisted of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Sofia the First, Doc McStuffins, and Jake and the Never Land Pirates)

- (March 4, 2011 – January 13, 2013; consisted of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Handy Manny, Little Einsteins, and Jake and the Never Land Pirates)

- (February 15, 2013 – September 1, 2018; consisted of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Sofia the First, Doc McStuffins, and Jake and the Never Land Pirates)

- Disney Junior Play and Dance! (December 22, 2018 – present; consisted of Mickey and the Roadster Racers, Vampirina, Doc McStuffins, and The Lion Guard)

- (December 22, 2018 – present; consisted of Mickey and the Roadster Racers, Vampirina, Doc McStuffins, and The Lion Guard)

### Sunset Showcase Theater

- Club Disney (December 5, 2015 – February 6, 2016) Club Villain (January 16, 2016 – October 31, 2017; seasonals)

- Club Villain (January 16, 2016 – October 31, 2017; seasonals)

- Lightning McQueen's Racing Academy (March 31, 2019 – October 7, 2024)

- New Disney Villains-themed stage show (Opening in Summer 2025)

### Hollywood Hills Amphitheater

- Fantasmic! (October 15, 1998 – March 15, 2020; November 3, 2022 – present)

### Nighttime entertainment

- Sorcery in the Sky (May 29, 1990 – October 1998) – This fireworks show debuted in 1990 when the film Fantasia was celebrating its 50th anniversary, and featured music score from such films as Puttin' on the Ritz, The Wizard of Oz, Singin' in the Rain, The Bridge on the River Kwai, Mary Poppins, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Star Wars, Chariots of Fire, Raiders of the Lost Ark, and Fantasia. The show was cancelled in 1998, and its park replacement was Fantasmic!, debuting later that same year. The show was brought back from 2001 to 2003 for performances on July 4 and New Year's Eve before being replaced with new shows in 2004. While Sorcery in the Sky is no longer performed, a Hollywood-themed fireworks show is still occasionally presented during corporate functions and on special evenings such as New Year's Eve and Independence Day.

- Fantasmic! (October 15, 1998 – March 15, 2020; November 3, 2022 – present) – This nighttime spectacle with mist projection screens, fireworks, water fountains, pyrotechnics, and Disney characters has drawn record numbers of guests to the park. The show was updated with new animation and live-action sequences when it returned on November 3, 2022.

- Lights, Camera, Happy New Year! (2004–07) – This show debuted in 2004 as the New Year's Eve fireworks display for Disney's Hollywood Studios. A visually similar display was shown on Independence Day until 2011 when it was replaced by a new show.

- Rock the Night Fireworks (2008–15) – This was the New Year's Eve fireworks display. The show starred the park's in-house band Mulch, Sweat and Shears, and the fireworks were set to the band's live music performance. Occasionally, the show was performed outside of the New Year's holiday.

- Rockin' Fourth of July Celebration (2011–2017) – This is the former Independence Day fireworks display. It starred Mulch, Sweat and Shears, and was a similar set up to the New Year's show.

- Frozen Fireworks Spectacular (2014–15; seasonal)

- Symphony in the Stars: A Galactic Spectacular (2014–15; seasonal, 2015–16) – A Star Wars -themed fireworks show featuring John Williams ' music. This fireworks show was first presented at a private showing on December 17, 2015 during an opening night event for The Force Awakens, and had been a nightly fireworks show until 2016.

- Star Wars: A Galactic Spectacular (June 17, 2016 – March 15, 2020) – A "second-generation" version of Symphony in the Stars and the largest fireworks display in the park's history. The show featured fireworks, projection mapping, fire effects, lasers, fog effects, and searchlights.

- Jingle Bell, Jingle BAM! (November 14, 2016 – January 5, 2020; November 11, 2023 – present) – A seasonal holiday-themed fireworks and projection mapping display featuring fireworks, projection mapping, lasers, artificial snow, and searchlights, with a story based on the Prep & Landing franchise. On June 15, 2023, Disney's Hollywood Studios announced that the revamped version of the holiday shows will return in a new holiday event, Disney's Jollywood Nights at Walt Disney World Resort, as part of the Disney 100 Years of Wonder celebration.

- Disney Movie Magic (2017–19; 2021–present) – A projection mapping show themed to Walt Disney Studios ' live-action films, including Beauty and the Beast, Mary Poppins, The Jungle Book, Pirates of the Caribbean, Indiana Jones, Tron: Legacy, Doctor Strange, and Guardians of the Galaxy.

- Wonderful World of Animation (May 1, 2019 – March 15, 2020; August 1, 2021 – present) – The show will kickoff with a tribute to the beginning of Disney animation, Mickey Mouse, and be followed by segments highlighting a number of animated feature film. Concept art currently confirms Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Sleeping Beauty, The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, Lilo & Stitch, Finding Nemo, The Incredibles, Frozen, Big Hero 6, Zootopia, Cars 3, Coco, and Ralph Breaks the Internet. Chris Diamantopoulos voices the 2013 edition of Mickey Mouse in a cameo appearance.

### Parades

- Dinosaurs Live (September 26, 1991 – August 29, 1992)

- Aladdin 's Royal Caravan (December 21, 1992 – August 27, 1995)

- Toy Story Parade (November 22, 1995 – June 8, 1997)

- Hercules "Zero to Hero" Victory Parade (June 27, 1997 – April 18, 1998)

- Mulan Parade (June 19, 1998 – March 11, 2001)

- Disney Stars and Motor Cars Parade (October 1, 2001 – March 8, 2008)

- Block Party Bash (March 14, 2008 – January 1, 2011)

- Pixar Pals Countdown To Fun! (January 16, 2011 – April 6, 2013)

- 25th Anniversary Parade (May 1, 2014)

- Frozen Royal Welcome Ceremony (Summer 2014–2015; seasonal)

## Characters

### Current Characters

#### Seen in Hollywood Boulevard

- Chip 'n' Dale

#### Seen in Echo Lake

- Olaf

- Indiana Jones and Marion Ravenwood

#### Seen in Grand Avenue

- Donald Duck and Daisy Duck

- Goofy and Max Goof

#### Seen in Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge

- Kylo Ren

- First Order Stormtroopers

- R2-D2

- Rey

- Chewbacca

- Vi Moradi

#### Seen in Toy Story Land

- Woody

- Bo Peep

- Jessie

- Buzz Lightyear

- Green Army Men

#### Seen in Pixar Plaza

- James P. Sullivan from Monsters, Inc.

- Mr. Incredible, Elastigirl and Frozone from The Incredibles

- Edna Mode

- Joy from Inside Out

#### Seen in Commissary Lane

- Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse

#### Seen in Animation Courtyard

- Pluto

- Vampirina

- Doc McStuffins

- Fancy Nancy

- Ariel from The Little Mermaid

- Darth Vader

- Chewbacca

- BB-8

- Stormtroopers

#### Seen in Sunset Boulevard

- Cruz Ramirez and DJ from Cars

- Evie Starlight

- Ginny Vermouth

- Phoebe Bizarre

- Cloe Canard

- Betty Shambles

- Flora Fiera

- Ace Victory

- Stone Granite

- Officer Pat Friskem

- Officer William Club

- Officer Percival Peabody

- Oscar Mayer Weiner

- Juan Scenario

- Jack Diamond

- Mayor Sonny Burbank

- Beau Wrangler

- Buddy Flowers

### Former characters

- Ace Ventura

- Dick Tracy Mobsters

- Animal, Dr. Teeth, Floyd Pepper, Janice, Zoot and Bean Bunny

- Roger Rabbit

- Baby, Earl, Fran, Robbie, Charlene and Ethyl from Jim Henson's Dinosaurs

- Leonardo, Donatello, Raphael, Michelangelo and April O'Neil

- Tom Cat and Jerry Mouse

- Special Agent Oso

- Handy Manny

- Leo, June, Quincy and Annie from Little Einsteins

- Jake from Jake and the Never Land Pirates

- Sofia the First

- Olie Polie and Zowie Polie from Rolie Polie Olie

- Stanley

- JoJo and Goliath the Lion from JoJo's Circus

- Jawas

- Star-Lord and Baby Groot

- Moana

- Queen of Narnia and Prince Caspian from The Chronicles of Narnia

- Kuzco and Kronk from The Emperor's New Groove

- Milo Thatch, Princess Kida, Vinny Santorini and Gaetan Molière from Atlantis

- Chicken Little and Abby Mallard

- Lewis Robinson, Wilbur Robinson and Bowler Hat Guy from Meet the Robinsons

- Bolt, Mittens and Rhino

- Carl Fredricksen, Russell and Dug from Up

- Lots-O’-Hugging Bear from Toy Story 3

- Winnie the Pooh

- Wreck-It Ralph and Vanellope Von Schweetz

- Hiro Hamada and Baymax

- Doug Funnie and Patti Mayonnaise from Doug

- Bear from Bear in the Big Blue House

- Power Rangers characters Pink Ranger (Power Rangers: Time Force), Lunar Wolf Ranger (Power Rangers: Wild Force), Green Ranger (Power Rangers: Ninja Storm), White Dino Ranger (Power Rangers: Dino Thunder), Red Ranger (Power Rangers: SPD), Pink Ranger (Power Rangers: Mystic Force), Yellow Ranger (Power Rangers: Operation Overdrive), Blue Ranger (Power Rangers: Jungle Fury) and Green Ranger (Power Rangers RPM)

- Pink Ranger (Power Rangers: Time Force), Lunar Wolf Ranger (Power Rangers: Wild Force), Green Ranger (Power Rangers: Ninja Storm), White Dino Ranger (Power Rangers: Dino Thunder), Red Ranger (Power Rangers: SPD), Pink Ranger (Power Rangers: Mystic Force), Yellow Ranger (Power Rangers: Operation Overdrive), Blue Ranger (Power Rangers: Jungle Fury) and Green Ranger (Power Rangers RPM)

- Kim Possible and Ron Stoppable

- Phineas Flynn and Ferb Fletcher

- Lightning McQueen and Tow Mater

- Rockhopper and Bambadee

- Constantine from Muppets Most Wanted

- Mike Wazowski from Monsters, Inc.


NFL Rookie of the Year Award

# NFL Rookie of the Year Award

## Abstract

Various entities present a National Football League Rookie of the Year Award each season to the top rookie(s) in the National Football League (NFL). The NFL considers the (rookie) of the year awards by the Associated Press (AP) to be its official honor. The AP awards and Pepsi 's rookie of the year award are presented each year at the NFL Honors.

## Associated Press NFL ROTY Award

## Pepsi NFL ROTY Award

Pepsi NFL Rookie of the Year is an award given to the best performing rookie player in the National Football League (NFL). It was first awarded in 2002 and is sponsored by Pepsi. Winners are chosen among five finalists tallied from total votes given to Pepsi NFL Rookie of the Week winners by an online vote on the NFL's official website. The award is sometimes named after other varieties of Pepsi, such as Diet Pepsi and Pepsi Zero.

## Pro Football Writers of America NFL ROTY Award

The Pro Football Writers of America (PFWA) Rookie of the Year awards have been given annually to an offensive and defensive rookie in the NFL since 1969, except in 1985. In 2013, PFWA began selecting an overall NFL rookie of the year in addition to its offensive and defensive honors. The winners are chosen by Pro Football Weekly writers/editors and PFWA members.

### Overall ROTY winners (2013–present)

## Sporting News NFL ROTY Award

The Sporting News NFL Rookie of the Year award is chosen annually by NFL players, coaches, and executives. There were 617 voters in 2010, 632 voters in 2011, and over 800 voters in 2012.

### NFL ROTY winners (1955–1959)

## Defunct awards

### United Press International NFL ROTY Award

United Press International (UPI) awarded an annual NFL Rookie of the Year award from 1955 to 1959 and two annual awards from 1960 to 1996. From 1960 to 1969 the awards went to a rookie from the NFL and American Football League (AFL), and after the AFL–NFL merger in 1970, the awards went to a rookie from the National Football Conference (NFC) and American Football Conference (AFC).

### NEA NFL ROTY Award

The NEA NFL Rookie of the Year award was founded in 1964 by the Newspaper Enterprise Association and was created by Murray Olderman, the senior sports editor for the NEA. From 1971 through 1976 winners for both the American Football Conference and National Football Conference were chosen, except in 1974. The award was discontinued after the 1996 season. Winners were awarded the Bert Bell Memorial Trophy in honor of former NFL commissioner Bert Bell.


Nick Koback

# Nick Koback

## Abstract

Nicholas Nicholie Koback (July 19, 1935 – January 23, 2015) was a Russian American professional baseball player whose career spanned eight seasons, three of which were spent with the Major League Baseball (MLB) Pittsburgh Pirates (1953–55). At the age of 17, Koback signed with the Pirates as a bonus baby out of Hartford Public High School. He made his MLB debut without ever playing in the minor leagues. At the time, he was the youngest Pittsburgh Pirates player ever. During his first career start, Koback caught a complete game shutout by Pirates pitcher Murry Dickson. Most of Koback's time with Pittsburgh was spent as a bullpen catcher. Over his three-year MLB career, Koback compiled a.121 batting average with one run scored, four hits, one triple and one base on balls in 16 games played. The majority of his playing career was spent in the minor leagues with the Lincoln Chiefs (1955, 1958), Williamsport Grays (1956), Hollywood Stars (1956–57), New Orleans Pelicans (1956–57), Columbus/Gastonia Pirates (1958) and Charleston Senators (1960). He batted and threw right-handed. During his career, he weighed 187 pounds (85 kg) and stood at 6 feet (180 cm). After retiring from baseball, Koback played pro–am golf in Connecticut.

## Early life

Nicholas Nicholie "Nick" Koback was born on July 19, 1935, in Hartford, Connecticut, to Nickolai Koback, who was a naturalized citizen of the United States originally from Russia. He worked at the Hartford Machine Screw Company. Nick Koback attended Hartford Public High School where he played baseball. During his sophomore season, his school's team won the Triangular League championship.

In May 1952, Koback missed playing time for his high school team due to a broken finger. He also played guard on the school's basketball team. Koback graduated from Hartford Public High School in June 1953.

## Baseball career

### Pittsburgh Pirates (1953–55)

On July 9, 1953, after being scouted by Ed McCarrick, Koback was signed by the Major League Baseball (MLB) Pittsburgh Pirates out of high school. Koback received contract offers from the Boston Red Sox, Brooklyn Dodgers, Chicago Cubs and New York Giants who wanted to start him out in the minor leagues, but he declined after Pittsburgh offered the most money. Koback later said in an interview with The Pittsburgh Press that "Money looks awful big to an 18-year-old". Koback was signed under the Bonus Rule which at the time stated that he had to be on the Pirates roster for two years.

To fit Koback on the roster, Pirates general manager Branch Rickey released pitcher Bob Schultz. The official sum of his contract was not initially disclosed. However, his contract was later valued at US$20,000. Upon joining the Pittsburgh club, Koback went through a three-day training program with Pirates coaches. He made his MLB debut on July 29, without ever playing in the minor leagues, as a pinch hitter for catcher Mike Sandlock against the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium. In both of his at-bats he had over the night, Koback went hitless against St. Louis pitcher Harvey Haddix. Koback was the youngest Pittsburgh player ever at 18 years and 10 days old when he made his MLB debut. He got the first start of his career on July 31, against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field. During that game, Koback caught the entire game, which was a complete game shutout by Pirates pitcher Murry Dickson. Koback got his first MLB hit that game against Cubs pitcher Paul Minner. In his next game on August 1, against the Cubs, Koback got his first career sacrifice hit. In mid-August, Pirates manager Fred Haney stated that Koback "is a good receiver but he's only a kid". During the first game of a doubleheader against the Milwaukee Braves on August 30, Koback served as a pinch hitter for pitcher Roger Bowman when he got his first career MLB triple off pitcher Johnny Antonelli. Koback's final game of the season came on September 26, against the New York Giants at Forbes Field. In that game, he started as the catcher going hitless in three at-bats.

After the 1953 season, Koback played amateur baseball on pitcher Spec Shea 's traveling team. After returning to his home-town from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Kocack was asked if he felt any homesickness during the season, to which he replied, "Homesick? I was too busy and too excited to be homesick". While in Hartford for the off-season, Koback was the guest of honor at a Hartford Public High School sports rally. He gave a speech to local fire fighters, which was received positively according to The Hartford Courant. In mid-January 1954, the Pittsburgh Pirates held a workout for incoming rookies and younger players, in which Koback took part. The 1954 season would be the last year he would be protected by the Bonus Rule. Before the start of the season, United Press International stated that Koback and his teammate Vic Janowicz were a problem for the Pirates because "neither ready for full-time duty".

Koback made his season debut on July 11, as a pinch hitter for catcher Toby Atwell in a game against the New York Giants. Koback's second game of the season came on July 17, as a pinch hitter for catcher Jack Shepard in a game against the Chicago Cubs. On July 25, the Sunday Herald's sports editor Sam Cohen wrote a scathing critique of the Bonus Rule, which he stated " we feel hampers rather than aids the costly prospects' development, because in practically every case, they see so little action". Cohen went on to use Koback as an example of how the rule is "detrimental" to the development of young players. During his third game on September 22, against the Philadelphia Phillies, Koback started as the catcher going hitless in three at-bats. On September 26, Koback made his final appearance of the season against the Brooklyn Dodgers, where in three at-bats he went hitless. In four games that season, he went hitless in 10 at-bats. Defensively, Koback played all of his four games as catcher. Of those four games, two were starts. He made 14 putouts.

Koback re-signed with the Pittsburgh Pirates on January 15, 1955. He made his season debut on May 17, against the Cincinnati Reds at Crosley Field. During his appearance, which was as a pinch hitter for pitcher Nellie King, Koback got one hit, a single, in one at-bat against Reds pitcher Joe Nuxhall.

Koback recalled a conversation he had with then-rookie Roberto Clemente during the 1955 season, saying, "Sometimes would come out on the field and bullshit with me. He'd say, 'Hey you—strong guy!'" On June 5, Koback played both games of a doubleheader against Cincinnati. In the first game, he appeared as a defensive replacement as the catcher. In his only at-bat that game, which was against Reds pitcher Johnny Klippstein, Koback flied out. Koback started the second game of the doubleheader.

During his second at-bat of the game, Koback hit a single off Reds pitcher Jackie Collum, which would later prove to be the last hit of Koback's MLB career. Koback's fourth appearance of the season came on June 19, against the Cincinnati Reds. During that game, he served as a pinch-hitter for pitcher Dick Littlefield in the seventh inning. Koback's final MLB appearance came on July 4, against the New York Giants. In that game, he served as a pinch hitter for pitcher Lino Donoso and struck-out in one at-bat. Over his career with the Pirates, Koback primarily served as a bullpen catcher. In his five games that season, he batted.286 with two hits in seven at-bats. Behind the plate, Koback made no errors, one assist and four putouts.

### Later career (1955–1960)

On July 12, 1955, the Pittsburgh Pirates sold Koback to the minor league Lincoln Chiefs of the Class-A Western League. The Chiefs, who represented Lincoln, Nebraska, were managed by former St. Louis Browns and Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Bill Burwell. His teammates featured past and future MLB players Bill Bell, Joe Christopher, Bennie Daniels, Dick Hall, Cholly Naranjo, Earl Smith, Jim Waugh and George Witt. With the Lincoln club that season, Koback batted.223 with 23 hits, five doubles and two triples in 38 games played. In November 1955, Koback was assigned to the minor league Hollywood Stars of the Pacific Coast League, which was to be under an open classification in 1956. His manager with the Stars was long-time minor league player and manager Clay Hopper. Most of Koback's teammates on the Stars had major league experience one time or another over their careers. He played with Hollywood during their season opener on April 10, 1956. With the Starts that season, Koback batted.176 with three hits and three runs batted in (RBIs) in 10 games played. Defensively, Koback had a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage in 42 total chances. In early-May, Koback was farmed out to the minor league New Orleans Pelicans of the Double-A Southern Association. In five games played with the Pelicans under the management of Andy Cohen, Koback accumulated one hit. Later in May, he was again sent to another team, this time it was the Williamsport Grays of the Class-A Eastern League. The manager of Williamsport was John Fitzpatrick, a long-time minor league player and manager. With the Grays that season, Koback batted.313 with 62 hits, 16 doubles and two home runs in 68 games played.

In October 1956, Koback joined the Venados de Mazatlán of the Mexican Pacific League. On March 1, 1957, Koback played a charity game as a member of the Hartford, Connecticut Young Democrats against the Hartford Young Republicans. Koback began the 1957 season with the Hollywood Stars. Koback batted.167 with five hits, one of which was a double, in 11 games played. In the field, he had a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage in 52 total chances. In May, Koback was farmed out to the Mobile Bears of the Double-A Southern Association. He later joined the New Orleans Pelicans, also of the Southern Association. Koback batted.230 with 28 hits, six of which were doubles, in 41 games played. Before the start of the 1958 season, Koback joined the minor league Salt Lake City Bees of the Pacific Coast League. However, before the start of the regular season, Koback broke his finger. By May, Koback was played for the minor league Lincoln Chiefs of the Class-A Western League. Monty Basgall, a former MLB player, was Koback's manager that season. On the season, he batted.240 with 54 hits, four doubles, four triples and three home runs in 68 games played.

After the 1958 season, Koback enlisted in the Nebraska National Guard and took up primary residence in that state. He spent the entire 1959 season with the minor league Pirates who represented Columbus, Georgia, and Gastonia, North Carolina. The Pirates, who were members of the Class-A South Atlantic League, were managed by former MLB pitcher Ray Hathaway. On the season, Koback batted.226 with 18 runs scored, 30 hits, six doubles, two triples, three home runs and 30 RBIs in 50 games played. Defensively, he made four errors, had 21 assists and 188 putouts. In April, Koback was traded by the Salt Lake City Bees, who still owned his contract, to the minor league Charleston Senators in exchange for outfielder Chick King. The Senators, who were members of the Triple-A American Association, were managed by Del Wilber, a former MLB player. Koback played five games with the Senators that season. In those games, he went hitless in four at-bats. That season would later prove to be his final in professional baseball.

## Later life

After his baseball career was over, Koback took up golf. In 1965, he began to work as a golf instructor at Goodwin Park in Hartford, Connecticut. Koback participated in the Keney Park Invitation in May 1966. He served as the assistant to Harry Nettelblatt at the Golf Club of Avon. Koback won a pro–am tournament at Cliffside Country Club in Hartford, Connecticut in June 1969. In 1970, Koback was named the assistant to Bud Cordone at the Pequot Golf Club. Koback was inducted in the Hartford Public High School Athletic Hall of Fame in 2004 for his contributions to the school's baseball team in the early 1950s. By 2006, Koback was living in Weatogue, Connecticut.

Koback died January 23, 2015, aged 79.


Nikolai Morozov (figure skater)

# Nikolai Morozov (figure skater)

## Abstract

Nikolai Alexandrovich Morozov (Russian: Николай Александрович Морозов; born 17 December 1975) is a Russian former competitive ice dancer, figure skating coach and choreographer. He represented Russia, Belarus and Azerbaijan in competition. He coached Shizuka Arakawa to the 2006 Olympic gold medal and Miki Ando to two World titles. He is a former competitive ice dancer who appeared with Tatiana Navka for Belarus at the 1998 Winter Olympics, placing 16th, and at the 1998 World Championships, placing 10th. Earlier in his career, he competed with Olga Pershankova for Azerbaijan and with Ekaterina Gvozdkova for Russia.

## Personal life

Morozov was born in Moscow, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union. He was formerly married to French ice dancer Caroline Douarin, with whom he has a daughter, Annabelle Nicole, born in 2001. He was married to Canadian ice dancer Shae-Lynn Bourne from August 2005 to July 2007. He briefly dated his former pupil Miki Ando while he was coaching her. In May 2016, Morozov married another student of his, Vasilisa Davankova. In July 2019 during an interview Davankova revealed that she and Morozov were divorced.

## Competitive career

### Early career

Morozov's parents introduced him to skating when he was five after doctors advised them that he needed more exercise. He was a singles skater until the age of 16 when he took up ice dancing. He spent one year working with coach Natalia Linichuk in Switzerland and was paired with Olga Pershankova. Representing Azerbaijan, they placed 21st at the 1994 World Championships.

In the 1994–95 season, Morozov began competing with Ekaterina Gvozdkova for Russia. They won the bronze medal at the 1995 Lysiane Lauret Challenge.

### Partnership with Navka

Morozov teamed up with Tatiana Navka in 1996. They represented Belarus. At their first practice at the 1997 World Championships, he sustained a torn meniscus in his knee but they finished 14th at the event and he then underwent surgery.

Navka/Morozov earned an Olympic berth by winning gold at the 1997 Karl Schäfer Memorial. 90 seconds into their free dance at the 1998 Winter Olympics, nearly three-quarters of the floodlights turned off but Navka/Morozov did not interrupt their performance. They finished 16th at the Olympics in Nagano, Japan, and 10th at the 1998 World Championships in Minneapolis. They were coached by Alexander Zhulin and Bob Young at the International Skating Center in Simsbury, Connecticut. When Navka decided to skate with another partner, Morozov tried skating with another woman for three months but then decided to retire.

## Coaching and choreography career

After his competitive retirement, Morozov became a coaching assistant for Tatiana Tarasova, with whom he choreographed for Alexei Yagudin, Barbara Fusar-Poli / Maurizio Margaglio, and Isabelle Delobel / Olivier Schoenfelder. In 2002 or 2003, he left Tarasova and began coaching and choreographing on his own. Morozov initially coached in Newington, Connecticut and later at the Ice House in Hackensack, New Jersey (United States). He returned to Moscow after the Russian government asked him to help in the preparation for the 2014 Sochi Olympics. He was based mainly at the Novogorsk national training center near Moscow and spent some time in New Jersey during summers.

His current and former students include:

Ladies' single skaters

- Miki Ando Coached her to win the 2007 and 2011 World Championships. He also served as her choreographer.

- Shizuka Arakawa Coached her to win the Olympic gold medal in 2006.

- Elene Gedevanishvili

- Jelena Glebova

- Alena Leonova

- Valentina Marchei

- Fumie Suguri

Men's single skaters

- Daisuke Takahashi Coached him to win the silver medal at the 2007 World Championships. They split in May 2008 and then resumed working together in June 2012.

- Denis Ten Coached since 2016.

- Florent Amodio Coached him to win the 2011 European Championships.

- Sergei Voronov

- Artur Dmitriev, Jr.

- Javier Fernández Coached until mid-2011. He was also the choreographer.

- Maxim Kovtun Coached until mid-2012. He was also his choreographer

- Austin Kanallakan

- Nobunari Oda

- Daisuke Murakami

- Kevin van der Perren

- Adam Rippon

- Michael Christian Martinez

Ice dancers

- Kaitlyn Weaver / Andrew Poje Coached since 2016.

- Elena Ilinykh / Nikita Katsalapov Coach from mid-2011 to Olympic bronze medal in 2014.

- Ekaterina Pushkash / Jonathan Guerreiro Coach since 2012

- Shae-Lynn Bourne / Victor Kraatz. Coached them to win the 2003 World Championships.

- Anna Cappellini / Luca Lanotte Coach from 2011 until mid-2012.

- Kristin Fraser / Igor Lukanin

- Melissa Gregory / Denis Petukhov

- Elena Grushina / Ruslan Goncharov Coached them to an Olympic bronze medal in 2006.

- Nóra Hoffmann / Attila Elek.

- Svetlana Kulikova / Arseni Markov

- Emilie Nussear / Mathew Gates

- Cathy Reed / Chris Reed

- Isabella Tobias / Otar Japaridze

- Jennifer Wester / Daniil Barantsev

- Anna Zadorozhniuk / Sergei Verbillo

- Alexandra Zaretski / Roman Zaretski

Pair skaters

- Tatiana Volosozhar / Stanislav Morozov

- Ksenia Stolbova / Andrei Novoselov

### As a choreographer

His current and former choreography clients include

- Sasha Cohen

- Alisa Drei

- Elene Gedevanishvili

- Michelle Kwan

- Yulia Lipnitskaya

- Ann Patrice McDonough

- Elena Muhhina

- Alexia Paganini

- Anna Pogorilaya

- Elena Radionova

- Sofia Samodurova

- Ivan Dinev

- Takeshi Honda

- Brian Joubert

- Tamar Katz

- Crystal Kiang

- Michael Christian Martinez

- Alban Préaubert

- Daniel Samohin

- Scott Smith

- Yosuke Takeuchi

- Xu Ming

- Alexei Yagudin

- Julia Golovina / Oleg Voiko

- Alexandra Kauc / Michał Zych

- Pang Qing / Tong Jian

- Tatiana Volosozhar / Maxim Trankov

## Competitive highlights

GP: Champions Series (Grand Prix)

## Programs

(with Navka)