title: Blade (franchise)

text: In October 2016, star of the "Underworld" film series Kate Beckinsale stated that a crossover film between the franchises had been discussed as a sequel to "Blade: Trinity" with Snipes returning, but was declined because Marvel Studios had plans to introduce the character into the Marvel Cinematic Universe.


title: Blade (franchise)

text: In May 2013, Marvel had a working script for a new Blade film. Snipes said in July 2015 that he hoped to reprise the role in any future film and had discussed this with Marvel. At the San Diego Comic-Con 2019 held in July, Marvel Studios announced "Blade" reboot set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), with Mahershala Ali being cast as the title character. At San Diego Comic-Con 2022, held in July, Marvel Studios announced their Blade film's release date as November 3, 2023, but was subsequently delayed to September 6, 2024 due to a change in the film's director, taking over the original release date of "Deadpool 3". The film is set to shoot at Trilith Studios in Fayetteville, Georgia.


title: Blade (franchise)

text: In 2006, Spike TV aired a thirteen-episode series set after the events of "Blade: Trinity", with Sticky Fingaz portraying Blade, replacing Snipes. Goyer (who wrote the scripts for all three of the films and directed the third film) also created the series.


title: Ham (son of Noah)

text: Ham (in ), according to the Table of Nations in the Book of Genesis, was the second son of Noah and the father of Cush, Mizraim, Phut and Canaan.


title: Ham (son of Noah)

text: Ham's descendants are interpreted by Flavius Josephus and others as having populated Africa and adjoining parts of Asia. The Bible refers to Egypt as "the land of Ham" in Psalm 78:51; 105:23, 27; 106:22; 1 Chronicles 4:40.


title: Ham (son of Noah)

text: Since the 17th century, a number of suggestions have been made that relate the name "Ham" to a Hebrew word for "burnt", "black" or "hot", to the Egyptian word "ḥm" for "servant" or the word "ḥm" for "majesty" or the Egyptian word "kmt" for "Egypt". A 2004 review of David Goldenberg's "The Curse of Ham: Race and Slavery in Early Judaism, Christianity and Islam" (2003) states that Goldenberg "argues persuasively that the biblical name Ham bears no relationship at all to the notion of blackness and as of now is of unknown etymology."


title: Ham (son of Noah)

text: indicates that Noah became the father of Shem, Ham and Japheth at the age of 500 years old, but does not list in detail their specific years. (Noah was 600 years old at the time of the flood in Genesis 7.) An incident involving Ham is related in :


title: Ham (son of Noah)

text: And Noah began to be an husbandman, and planted a vineyard: and he drank of the wine, and was drunken; and he was uncovered within his tent. And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father, and told his two brethren without. And Shem and Japheth took a garment, and laid it upon both their shoulders, and went backward, and covered the nakedness of their father; and their faces were backward, and they saw not their father's nakedness.


title: Ham (son of Noah)

text: What is commonly known as "The Curse of Ham" was not bestowed upon Ham himself; rather, Noah indirectly cursed him via his son Canaan.


title: Ham (son of Noah)

text: The Talmud deduces two possible explanations, one attributed to Rabbi Abba Arikha and one to Rabbi Samuel, for what Ham did to Noah to warrant the curse.


title: Ham (son of Noah)

text: According to Abba Arika, Ham castrated Noah on the basis that, since Noah cursed Ham by his fourth son Canaan, Ham must have injured Noah with respect to a fourth son. Emasculating him thus deprived Noah of the possibility of a fourth son.


title: Ham (son of Noah)

text: According to Samuel, Ham sodomized Noah, a judgment that he based on analogy with another biblical incident in which the phrase "and he saw" is used. In it reads, "And when Shechem the son of Hamor saw her (Dinah), he took her and lay with her and defiled her." With regard to Ham and Noah, Genesis 9 reads, "22] And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father, and told his two brethren without. [23] And Shem and Japheth took a garment, and laid "it" upon both their shoulders, and went backward, and covered the nakedness of their father; and their faces "were" backward, and they saw not their father's nakedness." According to this argument, similar abuse must have happened each time that the Bible uses the same language. The Talmud concludes that, in fact, "both indignities were perpetrated."


title: Ham (son of Noah)

text: Although the story can be taken literally, in more recent times, some scholars have suggested that Ham may have had intercourse with his father's wife. Under this interpretation, Canaan is cursed as the "product of Ham's illicit union."


title: Ham (son of Noah)

text: The chronological scheme of the pseudepigraphal Book of Jubilees has Ham born in the year 1209 Anno Mundi (A.M.) – two years after Shem, three before Japheth, and 99 before the flood. It gives the name of his wife who also survived the flood as "Na'eltama'uk". After his youngest son Canaan was cursed in 1321 A.M., he left Mount Ararat and built a city named for his wife on the south side of the mountain. In 1569 A.M., he received a third division of the earth along with his two brothers for his inheritance: everything west of the Nile River, and to the south of Gadir. In 1639 A.M. when the nations were scattered following the failure of the Tower of Babel, Ham and his children journeyed to their allotment, with the exception of Canaan, who settled in Shem's territory, thus receiving another curse.


title: Ham (son of Noah)

text: According to "Jubilees" 10:29–34, this second curse is attributed to Canaan's steadfast refusal to join his elder brothers in Ham's allotment beyond the Nile, and instead "squatting" within the inheritance of Shem, on the eastern shores of the Mediterranean, the region later promised to Abraham:


title: Ham (son of Noah)

text: And Canaan saw the land of Lebanon to the river of Egypt, that it was very good, and he went not into the land of his inheritance to the west (that is to) the sea, and he dwelt in the land of Lebanon, eastward and westward from the border of Jordan and from the border of the sea. And Ham, his father, and Cush and Mizraim his brothers said unto him: 'Thou hast settled in a land which is not thine, and which did not fall to us by lot: do not do so; for if thou dost do so, thou and thy sons will fall in the land and (be) accursed through sedition; for by sedition ye have settled, and by sedition will thy children fall, and thou shalt be rooted out for ever. Dwell not in the dwelling of Shem; for to Shem and to his sons did it come by their lot. Cursed art thou, and cursed shalt thou be beyond all the sons of Noah, by the curse by which we bound ourselves by an oath in the presence of the holy judge, and in the presence of Noah our father.' But he did not hearken unto them, and dwelt in the land of Lebanon from Hamath to the entering of Egypt, he and his sons until this day. And for this reason that land is named Canaan. – "Jubilees " 10:29–34.


title: Ham (son of Noah)

text: A tomb in Gharibwal, Pakistan, has been claimed by local residents to be the site of Ham's burial since 1891, when Hafiz Sham-us-Din of Gulyana, Gujrat, claimed Ham had revealed this to him in a dream. A plaque on the tomb since erected over the gravesite states that Ham, locally revered as a prophet, was buried there after having lived 536 years.


title: Kingston upon Thames

text: Kingston upon Thames (hyphenated until 1965, colloquially known as Kingston) is a town in the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames, southwest London, England. It is situated on the River Thames and southwest of Charing Cross. It is notable as the ancient market town in which Saxon kings were crowned and today is the administrative centre of the Royal Borough.


title: Kingston upon Thames

text: Historically in the county of Surrey, the ancient parish of Kingston became absorbed in the Municipal Borough of Kingston-upon-Thames, reformed in 1835. From 1893 to 2021 it was the location of Surrey County Council, extraterritorially in terms of local government administration since 1965, when Kingston became a part of Greater London.


title: Kingston upon Thames

text: Today, most of the town centre is part of the KT1 postcode area, but some areas north of Kingston railway station are within KT2. The United Kingdom Census 2011 recorded the population of the town (comprising the four wards of Canbury, Grove, Norbiton and Tudor) as 43,013, while the borough overall counted 175,470. Kingston is identified as a metropolitan centre in the London Plan and is one of the biggest retail centres in the UK, receiving 18 million visitors a year. It is also home to Kingston University.


title: Kingston upon Thames

text: Kingston was called "Cyninges tun" in 838 AD, "Chingestune" in 1086, "Kingeston" in 1164, "Kyngeston super Tamisiam" in 1321 and "Kingestowne upon Thames" in 1589. The name means 'the king's manor or estate' from the Old English words "cyning" and "tun". It belonged to the king in Saxon times and was the earliest royal borough.


title: Kingston upon Thames

text: The first surviving record of Kingston is from AD 838 as the site of a meeting between King Egbert of Wessex and Ceolnoth, Archbishop of Canterbury. Kingston lay on the boundary between the ancient kingdoms of Wessex and Mercia, until in the early tenth century when King Athelstan united both to create the kingdom of England. According to the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, two tenth-century kings were consecrated in Kingston: Æthelstan (925), and Æthelred the Unready (978). There are certain other kings who are said to have been crowned there, but for whom the evidence (including the writings of Florence of Worcester and Ralph de Diceto) is less substantial: Edward the Elder (902), Edmund I (939), Eadred (946), Eadwig (956), Edgar the Peaceful (circa 960) and Edward the Martyr (975). It was later thought that the coronations were conducted in the chapel of St Mary, which collapsed in 1730. Tradition dating to the 18th century holds that a large stone recovered from the ruins played a part in the coronations. It was initially used as a mounting block, but in 1850 it was moved to a more dignified place in the market before finally being moved to its current location in the grounds of the Guildhall.


title: Kingston upon Thames

text: From Medieval times Shrovetide Football was played annually at Kingston upon Thames and in surrounding towns including Richmond and Twickenham. The windows of the houses and shops were boarded up and from 12 noon the inhabitants would kick several balls around the town before retiring to the public houses. The last game was played in 1866, by which time the urban development of the town meant it caused too much damage and the custom was outlawed.


title: Kingston upon Thames

text: Kingston upon Thames formed an ancient parish in the Kingston hundred of Surrey. The parish of Kingston upon Thames covered a large area including Hook, Kew, New Malden, Petersham, Richmond, Surbiton, Thames Ditton and East Molesey.


title: Kingston upon Thames

text: The town of Kingston was granted a charter by King John in 1200, but the oldest one to survive is from 1208 and this document is housed in the town's archives. Other charters were issued by later kings, including Edward IV's charter that gave the town the status of a borough in 1481.


title: Kingston upon Thames

text: The borough covered a much smaller area than the ancient parish, although as new parishes were split off the borough and parish eventually became identical in 1894. The borough was reformed by the Municipal Corporations Act 1835, becoming the Municipal Borough of Kingston-upon-Thames (then spelt with hyphens). It had been known as a Royal borough through custom and the right to the title was confirmed by George V in 1927. Kingston upon Thames was the seat of Surrey County Council when it moved from Newington in 1893 through until 2021 despite not being governed by it.


title: Kingston upon Thames

text: In 1965, the local government of Greater London was reorganised and the municipal borough was abolished. Its former area was merged with that of the Municipal Borough of Surbiton and the Municipal Borough of Malden and Coombe, to form the London Borough of Kingston upon Thames. At the request of Kingston upon Thames London Borough Council another royal charter was granted by Queen Elizabeth II entitling it to continue using the title "Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames" for the new borough.


title: Kingston upon Thames

text: Kingston was built at the first crossing point of the Thames upstream from London Bridge and a bridge still exists at the same site. It was this 'great bridge' that gave it its early importance in the 13th century. Kingston was occupied by the Romans, and later it was either a royal residence or a royal demesne. There is a record of a council held there in 838, at which Egbert of Wessex, King of Wessex, and his son Ethelwulf of Wessex were present. In the Domesday Book it was held by William the Conqueror. Its domesday assets were: a church, five mills, four fisheries worth 10s, 27 ploughs, of meadow, woodland worth six hogs. It rendered £31 10s (£31.5).


title: Kingston upon Thames

text: In 1730, the chapel containing the royal effigies collapsed, burying the sexton, who was digging a grave, the sexton's daughter and another person. The daughter survived this accident and was her father's successor as sexton. Kingston sent members to early Parliaments, until a petition by the inhabitants prayed to be relieved from the burden. Another chapel, the collegiate chapel of St Mary Magdalene, The Lovekyn Chapel, still exists. It was founded in 1309 by a former mayor of London, Edward Lovekyn. It is the only private chantry chapel to survive the Reformation.


title: Kingston upon Thames

text: With the coming of the railway in the 1830s, there was much building development to the south of the town. Much of this became the new town of Surbiton, but the Surbiton Park estate, built in the grounds of Surbiton Place in the 1850s, remained part of Kingston during the period of the Municipal Borough of Kingston-upon-Thames.


title: Kingston upon Thames

text: A permanent military presence was established in the borough with the completion of The Barracks in 1875.


title: Kingston upon Thames

text: Kingston evolved as a market town from the Saxon period, with goods transported on the Thames and over land via the crossing point.


title: Kingston upon Thames

text: Rights to hold markets were amongst the liberties granted by the royal charter of 1208 and the market formally established in 1242. A horse fair was held at a site on the downstream side of the river north of the bridge and a market extended from there to around the church by the 17th century and further south towards the course of the Hogsmill River. Goods traded included oats, wheat, rye, malt, apples and other fruit, flowers, wool, leather and cheese. Cattle, meat and fish were also traded. The regular Saturday market was supplemented by a Wednesday market in 1662. In addition to markets, regular fairs were held. Local industries included pottery, brick making, tanning, leather-working, fishing, milling, brewing and boat-building.


title: Kingston upon Thames

text: The presence of fabric and wood-working craft skills associated with boat-building was a factor in the choice of Kingston as the site chosen by Tommy Sopwith to expand production of early aircraft from Sopwith Aviation's origins at Brooklands. Well known aviation personalities Sydney Camm, Harry Hawker and Tommy Sopwith were responsible for much of Kingston's achievements in aviation. For much of the 20th century, Kingston was a major military aircraft manufacturing centre specialising in fighter aircraft – first with Sopwith Aviation, H G Hawker Engineering, later Hawker Aircraft, Hawker Siddeley and eventually British Aerospace. The renowned Sopwith Camel, Hawker Fury, Hurricane, Hunter and Harrier jump jet were all designed and built in the town and examples of all of these aircraft can be seen today at the nearby Brooklands Museum in Weybridge. British Aerospace finally closed its Lower Ham Road factory in 1992; part of the site was subsequently redeveloped for housing but the riverside part houses a community centre and sports complex.


title: Kingston upon Thames

text: Following the construction of the Kingston Relief Road (commonly known as the "Kingston one-way system") in 1989, major shopping streets in the town centre and the historic Market Place were pedestrianised. Two major commercial developments were also built in Kingston town centre - with John Lewis Kingston department store opening in 1990 and the Bentall Centre shopping centre opening in 1992. In the early 2000s, the Charter Quay development south of Kingston Bridge completed the riverside walk, as well as adding bars, restaurants and the Rose Theatre, which opened in 2008 with Sir Peter Hall as the director. Also, in 2001, the old Kingston bus garage and bus station, closed the previous year, was demolished and the site redeveloped as the Rotunda complex, with an Odeon Cinema, restaurants and tenpin bowling.


title: Kingston upon Thames

text: Kingston straddles two Parliamentary constituencies: the area north of the railway line is part of Richmond Park, which is represented by Sarah Olney of the Liberal Democrats, and the area south of the railway line (including the ancient town centre) is part of Kingston and Surbiton which is represented by Ed Davey of the Liberal Democrats.


title: Kingston upon Thames

text: Central Kingston is a busy, largely pedestrian and predominantly retail centre, with a small number of commercial offices and civic buildings.


title: Kingston upon Thames

text: The shopping centre includes a shopping mall, "The Bentall Centre", containing the Bentalls department store and large branches of chain stores found in many British high streets. There is a large branch of the John Lewis department store group, with a Waitrose supermarket in the basement. A smaller 1960s shopping centre called Eden Walk exists nearby. The Rotunda, in a former Bentalls furniture depository building (a local landmark), includes a bowling alley, fitness centre, a 15-screen Odeon multiplex cinema and a few restaurants.


title: Kingston upon Thames

text: The ancient market is still held daily in the Market Place, including such produce as fish, jewellery, exotic foods, local foods and flowers.


title: Kingston upon Thames

text: Kingston's civic buildings include Kingston Museum, public library, modern Crown Court, smaller County Court and the Guildhall. The Guildhall is located by the part-culverted mouth of the Hogsmill River, and houses Kingston Council and magistrates' court. A short distance away is the County Hall Building which houses the main offices of Surrey County Council. From 1893 to 1965, before Kingston became one of the 32 London boroughs of Greater London, it was the county town of Surrey following the period of 1791–1893 when Newington had this role. Guildford has officially reclaimed this ancient, now ceremonial title as Kingston is no longer administered by Surrey.


title: Kingston upon Thames

text: Kingston's main open space is the River Thames, with its lively frontage of bars and restaurants. Downstream there is a walk through Canbury Gardens towards Teddington Lock. Upstream there is a promenade crossing the Hogsmill river and reaching almost to Surbiton. Eagle Brewery Wharf is a council-owned public space located on the riverside. Across Kingston Bridge is a tree lined river bank fronting the expanse of Hampton Court Park.


title: Kingston upon Thames

text: Kingston has many pubs and restaurants and several public houses in the centre have become restaurants or bars. The more traditional pubs tend to be in the northern part of the town (Canbury) and include The Canbury Arms, Park Tavern, The Wych Elm and Willoughby Arms. Further south are found the Druid's Head, the Spring Grove, The Cricketers, The Albion Tavern, The Duke of Buckingham, and several small local pubs around Fairfield. The Druid's Head is notable as one of the first taverns to make syllabub, the famous dessert, in the 18th century. There are several Chinese, Indian, Thai and Italian restaurants.


title: Kingston upon Thames

text: The local newspapers are the weekly "Surrey Comet", which celebrated its 150th year in 2004, and the "Kingston Guardian".


title: Kingston upon Thames

text: In 2010 retail footprint research, Kingston ranked 25th in terms of retail expenditure in the UK at £810 million, equal to Covent Garden and just ahead of Southampton. This puts it as generating the fifth highest level of retail sales in Greater London, passing Croydon, with just four West End alternatives ahead. In 2005, Kingston was 24th with £864 million, and 3rd in London. In a 2015 study by CACI, Kingston was ranked 28th in the UK in the Hot 100 Retail Locations - and the second highest in Greater London after Croydon. In 2018, Kingston was ranked joint 5th in the UK by Knight Frank in the "High Street Investment Ranking", only bettered by Cambridge, Bath, Chichester and Reading.


title: Kingston upon Thames

text: As of 2011, Kingston upon Thames has the fourth highest retail turnover for comparison goods in Greater London, £432 million annually, only bettered by the West End, Shepherd's Bush and Stratford. As of 2012, Kingston has of total town centre floorspace, the 3rd highest in London.


title: Kingston upon Thames

text: A notable dramatic arts venue is the Rose Theatre. This theatre opened on 16 January 2008 and seats about 900 people. The audience are arranged around the semi-circular stage. All Saints Church is host to classical choral and music concerts mostly on Saturdays and houses a Frobenius organ. There are a number of choral societies including the Kingston Orpheus Choir and the Kingston Choral Society, an amateur symphony orchestra the Kingston Philharmonia, and the Kingston and District Chamber Music Society. A number of annual festivals are organised by the Council and Kingston Arts Council including Kingston Readers' Festival, Think-in-Kingston and the Festival of the Voice. Kingston University runs the Stanley Picker Gallery and Kingston Museum has a changing gallery on the first floor. A regular singing group at the Rose Theatre caters to schools and families.


title: Kingston upon Thames

text: John Galsworthy the author was born on Kingston Hill and Jacqueline Wilson grew up, and went to school in Kingston and still lives there today. Both are commemorated at Kingston University – Galsworthy in the newest building and Wilson in the main hall. Also commemorated at the university is photographer Eadweard Muybridge who was born at Kingston and changed the spelling of his first name in reference to the name of the Saxon king on the Coronation Stone. He was a pioneer in the photography of the moving image. R. C. Sherriff the playwright is also associated with Kingston, writing his first play to support Kingston Rowing Club. An earlier writer born in Kingston was John Cleland.


title: Kingston upon Thames

text: Kingston has been covered in literature, film and television. It is where the comic Victorian novel "Three Men in a Boat" by Jerome K. Jerome begins; cannons aimed against the Martians in H. G. Wells' "The War of the Worlds" are positioned on Kingston Hill; in "The Rainbow" by D. H. Lawrence the youngest Brangwen dreams of a job in Kingston upon Thames in a long, lyrical passage; Mr. Knightly in "Emma" by Jane Austen regularly visits Kingston, although the narrative never follows him there.


title: Kingston upon Thames

text: Fine art is also a prominent feature in the history of Kingston. Both John Hoyland and Jeremy Moon worked from permanent studios in Kingston and many prominent artists and designers have studied at the university including Fiona Banner, John Bratby, David Nash and Jasper Morrison.


title: Kingston upon Thames

text: Early in his music career, the guitarist and singer-songwriter Eric Clapton spent time busking in Kingston upon Thames, having grown up and studied in the area. Rock band Cardiacs were formed in the town.


title: Kingston upon Thames

text: Kingston is mentioned (and used as a filming location) in episodes of Monty Python's Flying Circus. More recently, a scene from "Mujhse Dosti Karoge", a Bollywood film starring Hrithik Roshan as the leading actor, was filmed by the toppled telephone boxes sculpture in Old London Road. A scene in the television programme "The Good Life" sees Richard Briers get on a 71 bus in 'The Avenue' towards Kingston town centre (albeit this route never served the east side of Surbiton where the series is set).


title: Kingston upon Thames

text: The 1974 Doctor Who story "Invasion of the Dinosaurs" used several locations in the town for filming. The 2008 series of "Primeval", shown on ITV1 in January, featured almost an entire episode filmed inside the Bentall Centre and John Lewis department stores. Kingston featured in "Primeval" again in May 2009 with several scenes shot in and around the Market Place. Nipper, the famous "His Master's Voice" (HMV) dog, is buried in the town under Lloyds Bank. His owners lived nearby in Fife Road.


title: Kingston upon Thames

text: Kingston Green Fair was held annually from 1987 to 2008 in Canbury Gardens, next to the river, on the Spring Bank Holiday. The word "Green" in the title refers to the ethos of the fair as promoting sustainable development. For instance no meat or other products derived from dead animals were allowed to be sold, and no electricity was permitted on the site unless generated by wind, sun, or bicycle power. Kingston is also home to Crack Comedy Club which opened at The Grey Horse Pub in 2002.


title: Kingston upon Thames

text: One of the more unusual sights in Kingston is "Out of Order" by David Mach, a sculpture in the form of twelve disused red telephone boxes that have been tipped up to lean against one another in an arrangement resembling dominoes. The work was commissioned in 1988 as part of the landscaping for the new Relief Road, and was described by its creator as "anti-minimalist".


title: Kingston upon Thames

text: The station is in London fare zone 6 and is served by South Western Railway trains from London Waterloo. Trains to Waterloo link Kingston directly to destinations such as Wimbledon, Clapham Junction and Vauxhall. Eastbound trains travel to Shepperton via Teddington, Hampton and Sunbury. Eastbound trains also travel on the Kingston loop line towards Teddington, Strawberry Hill, Twickenham and Richmond, after which trains continue towards Waterloo. From Waterloo, trains to Kingston are advertised towards "Shepperton" and "Strawberry Hill".


title: Kingston upon Thames

text: Nearby Surbiton station - originally named Kingston when it opened in 1838 - is on the South West Main Line in London fare zone 6. Surbiton is also served by South Western Railway trains from Waterloo. Southbound services link Surbiton to destinations in Surrey and Hampshire, such as Hampton Court, Guildford, Woking and Basingstoke. The station building at Surbiton was built in 1937, designed in Art Deco style by James Robb Scott. It is Grade II listed.


title: Kingston upon Thames

text: Kingston is served by two bus stations, Cromwell Road and Fairfield, and a large number of bus stops, with destinations across Greater London and Surrey including links directly to Heathrow Airport.


title: Kingston upon Thames

text: The Kingston Bypass passes to the south and east of Kingston. The bypass carries the A3, which links the area to Wandsworth, Clapham and the City of London to the north. To the south, the A3 runs to Portsmouth via Guildford and Petersfield.


title: Kingston upon Thames

text: In the 1960s, planners proposed a partially elevated ring road encircling the town centre, to alleviate congestion on major shopping streets and traffic heading towards Kingston Bridge. After objections from local residents, an interim one-way system was implemented in July 1963. Following this, the Kingston Relief Road was constructed in Kingston town centre in the late 1980s. Commonly known as the "Kingston one-way system", the road encircles the town centre, allowing for major shopping streets such as Clarence Street to be pedestrianised. On the western side of the town centre, the road passes underneath John Lewis Kingston before crossing the River Thames via Kingston Bridge. As part of the project, two bus stations were constructed, cycle lanes installed and several artworks commissioned including "Out of Order" by David Mach and "River Celebration" by Carole Hodgson.


title: Kingston upon Thames

text: Kingston Town End and Kingston Turks piers are situated in Kingston. Turk Launches operates a Summer-only river tour between Hampton Court and Richmond St Helena.


title: Kingston upon Thames

text: There is a network of cycle lanes throughout Kingston linking the area to destinations throughout south-west London and England.


title: Kingston upon Thames

text: Kingston is the location of Kingston University and Kingston College. Primary schools in the town include Latchmere School, Fernhill School, King Athelstan School and St Agatha's Catholic Primary School. Secondary schools in the town include The Kingston Academy, Tiffin School, Tiffin Girls' School and Kingston Grammar School, all of which have large catchment areas across Greater London and Surrey.


title: Kingston upon Thames

text: The growth and development of Kingston Polytechnic, and its transformation into Kingston University in 1992, has made Kingston a university town.


title: Kingston upon Thames

text: The 12th-century All Saints Church serves the Church of England parish of Kingston which lies ecclesiastically in the Diocese of Southwark, although there has been a church in Kingston since at least 838. The suffragan or Area Bishop of Kingston is the Rt Rev Dr Richard Cheetham. Other Anglican churches in Kingston, of more recent date, are St John the Evangelist and St Luke.


title: Kingston upon Thames

text: Kingston lies in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Southwark, and there is a Roman Catholic Church dedicated to Saint Agatha.


title: Kingston upon Thames

text: Kingston is also the home of the Kingston Surbiton & District Synagogue. It also has a Quaker meeting house, a Mosque and a Sikh Gurdwara.


title: Kingston upon Thames

text: Lady Booth Road, formally Fairfield Road, is named to commemorate the former location of the Salvation Army citadel.


title: Kingston upon Thames

text: Kingston is the home of four association football clubs, Chelsea F.C. Women who play at the Kingsmeadow Stadium, Corinthian-Casuals and Kingstonian who play in Tolworth and Chessington & Hook United who play in Chessington. Chelsea F.C. Women play in the FA Women's Super League, whereas Kingstonian, Corinthian-Casuals and Chessington & Hook United are non-league clubs.


title: Kingston upon Thames

text: Kingston Athletic Club and Polytechnic Harriers are based at the neighbouring Kingsmeadow athletics stadium. This stadium has a 400m track which is floodlit, a gym and 5-a-side football facilities. Kingston Rugby Club is based on the outskirts of the town, and Kingston Rowing Club (founded in 1858) is based in Canbury Gardens on the River Thames. The Club holds two large timed race events (HEADs) in the Spring and Autumn. Kingston Regatta takes place on the river just above the bridge over a weekend in early July.


title: Kingston upon Thames

text: The town has a large leisure centre next to Fairfield named the Kingfisher Centre, which contains an indoor swimming pool and gymnasium. Sport in Kingston is promoted and encouraged by Sport Kingston, an organisation funded by the Royal Borough of Kingston.


title: Kingston upon Thames

text: Kingston Wildcats School of Basketball is a community basketball development club that practices and plays its home fixtures at Chessington School, competing in the Surrey League and Basketball England National League.


title: Kingston upon Thames

text: Prior to the opening of the games, Kingston hosted the 2012 Summer Olympics torch relay on two occasions with the flame travelling through the borough on 24 July 2012 and aboard the "Gloriana" in a cauldron on 27 July 2012 en route to the Olympic Stadium for the opening ceremony. The borough was the setting for four cycling events during the Olympics, the men's road race, women's road race, men's road time trial and women's road time trial.


title: Kingston upon Thames

text: Following the games, the London–Surrey Classic professional road bicycle race ran through the town from 2013 to 2018, using a similar course to the Olympic road race. Following the COVID-19 pandemic, the race will not return to Kingston, with the RideLondon festival using the roads of Essex instead.


title: Kingston upon Thames

text: Kingston upon Thames has been twinned with Oldenburg in Germany since 2010. It also has been historically twinned with Delft in the Netherlands.


title: Mímir

text: Mímir or Mim is a figure in Norse mythology, renowned for his knowledge and wisdom, who is beheaded during the Æsir–Vanir War. Afterward, the god Odin carries around Mímir's head and it recites secret knowledge and counsel to him.


title: Mímir

text: Mímir is attested in the "Poetic Edda", compiled in the 13th century from earlier traditional sources, the "Prose Edda", written in the 13th century by Snorri Sturluson of Iceland, and in euhemerized form as one of the Æsir in "Heimskringla", also written by Snorri Sturluson in the 13th century. Mímir's name appears in the names of the well Mímisbrunnr, and the names Mímameiðr and Hoddmímis holt, which scholars generally consider to be names for Yggdrasil. Scholars have proposed that Bestla may be Mímir's sister, and therefore Mímir would be Odin's maternal uncle (avunculus).


title: Mímir

text: The proper names "Mímir" and "Mim" present difficulties for historical linguists. However, the most generally accepted etymology among philologists is that "Mímir" stems from a reduplication of the Proto-Indo-European verb *"(s)mer-", meaning 'to think, recall, reflect, worry over' (compare Sanskrit "smárati", Avestan "hi-šmaraiti", Ancient Greek "mermaírō", Gothic "maúrnan").


title: Mímir

text: In turn, scholars note that the names "Mímir" and "Mim" are therefore likely ultimately to be related to the modern English word 'memory' and its associated concepts. For example, scholar Rudolf Simek renders the name as meaning 'the rememberer, the wise one'.


title: Mímir

text: Mímir is mentioned in the "Poetic Edda" poems "Völuspá" and "Sigrdrífumál". In "Völuspá", Mímir is mentioned in two stanzas. Stanza 28 references Odin's sacrifice of his eye to Mímir's Well, and states that Mímir drinks mead every morning "from the Father of the Slain's [Odin] wager." Stanza 46 describes that, in reference to Ragnarök, the "sons" of Mím are at play while "fate burns" (though no further information about these "sons" has survived), that the god Heimdallr blows the Gjallarhorn, and that Mímir's severed head gives counsel to Odin. The single mention in stanza 14 of "Sigrdrífumál" is also a reference to Mímir's speaking, decollated head. Stanzas 20 and 24 of the poem "Fjölsvinnsmál" refer to Yggdrasil as "Mímameiðr".


title: Mímir

text: In chapter 15 of the "Prose Edda" book "Gylfaginning", as owner of his namesake well, Mímir himself drinks from it and gains great knowledge. To drink from the well, he uses the Gjallarhorn, a drinking horn which shares its name with the sounding horn used by Heimdallr intended to announce the onset of Ragnarök. The section further relates that the well is located beneath one of the three roots of Yggdrasil, in the realm of the frost jötnar.


title: Mímir

text: Chapter 51 relates that, with the onset of Ragnarök, "Heimdall stands up and blows the Gjallarhorn with all his strength. He wakens all the gods who then hold an assembly. Odin now rides to Mimir's Well, seeking council for both himself and his followers. The ash Yggdrasil shakes, and nothing, whether in heaven or on earth, is without fear."


title: Mímir

text: In the "Prose Edda" book "Skáldskaparmál", Mímir's name appears in various kennings. These kennings include "Mím's friend" (for "Odin") in three places, "mischief-Mímir" (a kenning for "jötunn"), and among a list of names for jötunn.


title: Mímir

text: Mímir is mentioned in chapters 4 and 7 of the saga "Ynglinga Saga", as collected in "Heimskringla". In chapter 4, Snorri presents a euhemerized account of the Æsir-Vanir War. Snorri states that the two sides eventually tired of the war and both agree to meet to establish a truce. The two sides meet and exchanged hostages. Vanaheimr are described as having sent to Asgard their best men: Njörðr—described as wealthy—and his son Freyr in exchange for Asaland's Hœnir—described here as large, handsome, and thought of by the people of Vanaheimr well suited to be a chieftain. Additionally, the Æsir send Mímir—described as a man of great understanding—in exchange for Kvasir, who Snorri describes as the wisest man of Vanaheimr.


title: Mímir

text: Snorri continues that, upon arrival in Vanaheimr, Hœnir was immediately made chief and Mímir often gave him good counsel. However, when Hœnir was at meetings and at the Thing without Mímir by his side, he would always answer the same way: "Let others decide." Subsequently, the Vanir suspected they had been cheated in the exchange by the Æsir, so they seized Mimir and beheaded him and sent the head to Asgard. Odin took the head of Mímir, embalmed it with herbs so that it would not rot, and spoke charms over it, which gave it the power to speak to him and reveal to him secrets. The head of Mímir is again mentioned in chapter 7 in connection with Odin, where Odin is described as keeping Mímir's head with him and that it divulged information from other worlds.


title: Mímir

text: On the basis of "Hávamál" 140 – where Odin learns nine magic songs from the unnamed brother of his mother Bestla – some scholars have theorized that Bestla's brother may in fact be Mímir, who would then be Odin's maternal uncle. This also means that Mimir's father would be Bölþorn.


title: Mímir

text: In the theories of Viktor Rydberg, Mímir's wife is Sinmara, named in the poem "Fjölsvinnsmal". According to Rydberg, the byname "Sinmara" ("sinew-maimir") refers to "Mímir-Niðhad"'s "queen ordering Völund's hamstrings to be cut".


title: Mímir

text: Mimir features heavily in Santa Monica Studio's 2018 action-adventure video game "God of War" and its 2022 sequel "God of War Ragnarök". In both he serves as an ally and advisor to the series protagonist Kratos and his son Atreus. Similar to the Mímir of Norse mythology, he spends the majority of the game as a reanimated severed head but differs in that he is an enemy of Odin and was beheaded by Kratos to free him from Odin's captivity. He is voiced by Scottish actor Alastair Duncan in both entries.


title: The Bends (album)

text: The Bends is the second studio album by the English rock band Radiohead, released on 13 March 1995 by Parlophone. Most tracks were produced by John Leckie, with extra production by Radiohead, Nigel Godrich and Jim Warren. "The Bends" was the first Radiohead album with cover art by Stanley Donwood, who, with singer Thom Yorke, has produced all of Radiohead's artwork since. It was also Radiohead's first collaboration with Godrich, who has produced all their subsequent albums.


title: The Bends (album)

text: "The Bends" combines guitar songs and ballads, with more restrained arrangements and cryptic lyrics than Radiohead's debut album, "Pablo Honey" (1993). Work began at RAK Studios, London, in February 1994. Tensions were high, with pressure from EMI to match sales of Radiohead's debut single "Creep", and progress was slow. After an international tour in May and June, recording resumed at Abbey Road in London and the Manor in Oxfordshire; the recording took around four months in total. The album was mixed by Leckie and by Sean Slade and Paul Q. Kolderie, who had produced "Pablo Honey."


title: The Bends (album)

text: "The Bends" produced several singles, backed by music videos: "My Iron Lung" (released as an EP in 1994), the double A-side "Planet Telex / High and Dry", "Fake Plastic Trees", "Just", and Radiohead's top-five UK entry "Street Spirit (Fade Out)". "The Bends" was also released as a single in Ireland. A live video, "Live at the Astoria," was released on VHS on the same day as the album. Radiohead toured extensively in support of "The Bends," including US tours supporting R.E.M. and Alanis Morissette. Though it reached number four on the UK Albums Chart, "The Bends" failed to build on the success of "Creep" outside the UK, reaching number 88 on the US "Billboard" 200. It has since been certified platinum in the US and quadruple platinum in the UK.


title: The Bends (album)

text: "The Bends" received greater acclaim than "Pablo Honey", including a nomination for Best British Album at the Brit Awards 1996; it elevated Radiohead from one-hit-wonders to one of the most recognised British bands. It is frequently named one of the greatest albums of all time, and was included in Colin Larkin's "All Time Top 1000 Albums" 3rd Edition (2000) and all three editions of "Rolling Stone"'s 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. "The Bends" is credited for influencing a generation of post-Britpop acts, such as Coldplay, Muse and Travis.


title: The Bends (album)

text: Radiohead released their debut album, "Pablo Honey", in 1993. By the time they began their first US tour early that year, their debut single "Creep" had become a hit. Tensions were high, as the band felt smothered by the success and mounting expectations. Following the tours, the singer, Thom Yorke, became ill and Radiohead cancelled an appearance at Reading Festival. He told "NME", "Physically I'm completely fucked and mentally I've had enough." According to some reports, Radiohead's record company, EMI, gave them six months to "get sorted" or be dropped. EMI's A&R head Keith Wozencroft denied this, saying: "Experimental rock music was getting played and had commercial potential. People voice different paranoias, but for the label [Radiohead] were developing brilliantly from "Pablo Honey"."


title: The Bends (album)

text: After Radiohead finished recording "Pablo Honey", Yorke played the co-producer Paul Q Kolderie a demo tape of new material with the working title "The Benz". Kolderie was shocked to discover the songs were ""all" better than anything on "Pablo Honey"". The guitarist Ed O'Brien later said: "After all that touring on "Pablo Honey" ... the songs that Thom was writing were so much better. Over a period of a year and a half, suddenly, "bang"." Kolderie credited Radiohead's "Pablo Honey" tours for "turning them into a tight band".


title: The Bends (album)

text: For their next album, Radiohead selected the producer John Leckie, who had produced records by acts they admired, including Magazine. The drummer, Philip Selway, said Radiohead were reassured by how relaxed and open-minded Leckie was on their first meeting. EMI instructed Radiohead to deliver a followup to "Creep" for the American market; however, according to Leckie, Radiohead had disowned "Creep" and did not "think in terms of making hit singles".


title: The Bends (album)

text: Recording was postponed so Leckie could work on the album "Carnival of Light", by another Oxford band, Ride. Radiohead used the extra time to rehearse in a disused barn on an Oxfordshire fruit farm in January 1994. Yorke said: "We had all of these songs and we really liked them, but we knew them almost too well ... so we had to sort of learn to like them again before we could record them, which is odd."


title: The Bends (album)

text: EMI gave Radiohead nine weeks to record the album, planning to release it in October 1994. Work began at RAK Studios in London in February 1994. Yorke would arrive at the studio early and work alone at the piano; according to Leckie, "New songs were pouring out of him." The band praised Leckie for demystifying the studio environment. The guitarist Jonny Greenwood said: "He didn't treat us like he had some kind of witchcraft that only he understands. There's no mystery to it, which is so refreshing." The sessions saw Radiohead's first collaboration with their future producer Nigel Godrich, who engineered the RAK sessions. When Leckie left the studio to attend a social engagement, Godrich and the band stayed to record B-sides. One song produced by Godrich, "Black Star", was included on the album.


title: The Bends (album)

text: While "Pablo Honey" was mostly written by Yorke, "The Bends" saw greater collaboration. Previously, all three guitarists had often played identical parts, creating a "dense, fuzzy wall"; their "Bends" roles were more divided, with Yorke generally playing rhythm, Greenwood lead and Ed O'Brien providing effects. "(Nice Dream)" began as a simple four-chord song by Yorke, but was expanded with extra parts by O'Brien and Greenwood. Much of "Just" was written by Greenwood, who, according to Yorke, "was trying to get as many chords as he could into a song". The band also created more restrained arrangements; in O'Brien's words, "We were very aware of something on "The Bends" that we weren't aware of on "Pablo Honey"… If it sounded really great with Thom playing acoustic with Phil and [bassist Colin Greenwood], what was the point in trying to add something more?"


title: The Bends (album)

text: "Planet Telex" began with a drum loop taken from another song, the B-side "Killer Cars", and was written and recorded in a single evening at RAK. Not satisfied with the versions of "My Iron Lung" recorded at RAK, Radiohead used a live performance from the London Astoria for the album, with Yorke's vocals replaced and the audience removed. Radiohead made several efforts to record "Fake Plastic Trees"; O'Brien likened one version to the Guns N' Roses song "November Rain", saying it was "pompous and bombastic ... just the worst". Eventually, Leckie recorded Yorke playing "Fake Plastic Trees" alone, which the rest of the band used to build the final song. "High and Dry" preceded the "Bends" sessions; it was recorded in 1993 at Courtyard Studios by Radiohead's live sound engineer, Jim Warren. Yorke later said it was a "very bad" song that EMI had pressured him into releasing.


title: The Bends (album)

text: "The Bends", "(Nice Dream)" and "Just" were identified as potential singles and became the focus of the early sessions, which created tension. Leckie recalled: "We had to give those absolute attention, make them amazing, instant smash hits, number one in America. Everyone was pulling their hair out saying, 'It's not good enough!' We were trying too hard." Yorke in particular struggled with the pressure, and Radiohead's co-manager Chris Hufford considered quitting, citing Yorke's "mistrust of everybody". Jonny Greenwood spent days testing new guitar equipment, searching for a distinctive sound, before reverting to his Telecaster. Colin Greenwood described the period as "eight weeks of hell and torture". According to Yorke, "We had days of painful self-analysis, a total fucking meltdown for two fucking months."


title: The Bends (album)

text: With the October deadline abandoned, recording paused in May and June while Radiohead toured Europe, Japan and Australasia. The tour gave Radiohead a new sense of purpose, and their relationships improved. Hufford encouraged them to make the album they wanted, instead of worrying about "product and units". Work resumed for two weeks in July at the Manor studio in Oxfordshire, where Radiohead completed songs including "Bones", "Sulk" and "The Bends".


title: The Bends (album)

text: Recording ended in November 1994 at Abbey Road Studios in London. Selway said the album was recorded in about four months total. Leckie mixed some of "The Bends" at Abbey Road. With deadlines approaching, EMI grew concerned that he was taking too long. Without his knowledge, they sent tracks to Sean Slade and Paul Q. Kolderie, who had produced "Pablo Honey", to mix instead. Leckie disliked their mixes, finding them "brash", but later said: "I went through a bit of trauma at the time, but maybe they chose the best thing." Only three of Leckie's mixes were used on the album.


title: The Bends (album)

text: "The Bends" has been described as alternative rock, Britpop and indie rock. Like "Pablo Honey", it features guitar-oriented rock songs, but its songs are "more spacey and odd", according to "The Gazette"'s Bill Reed. The music is more eclectic than "Pablo Honey;" Colin Greenwood said the band wanted to distinguish themselves from "Pablo Honey" and that "The Bends" better represented their style. The album title, a term for decompression sickness, references Radiohead's rapid rise to fame with "Creep". Yorke said, "We just came up too fast."


title: The Bends (album)

text: According to Kolderie, ""The Bends" was neither an English album nor an American album. It's an album made in the void of touring and travelling. It really had that feeling of, 'We don't live anywhere and we don't belong anywhere.'" Reed described the album as "intriguingly disturbed" and "bipolar". He likened "The Bends" to the late music of the Beatles, described "My Iron Lung" as hard rock, and noted more subdued sounds on "Bullet Proof..I Wish I Was" and "High and Dry", showcasing Radiohead's "more plaintive and meditative side".


title: The Bends (album)

text: "Rolling Stone" described "The Bends" as a "mix of sonic guitar anthems and striking ballads", with lyrics evoking a "haunted landscape" of sickness, consumerism, jealousy and longing. Several songs evoke a "sense of a disintegrated or disconnected subject". The journalist Mac Randall described the lyrics as "a veritable compendium of disease, disgust and depression" that nonetheless become uplifting in the context of the "inviting" and "powerful" arrangements. "Fake Plastic Trees" was inspired by the commercial development of Canary Wharf and a performance by Jeff Buckley, who inspired Yorke to use falsetto. Yorke laments the effects of consumerism on modern relationships. Sasha Frere-Jones compared its melody to the "second theme of a Schubert string quartet". In "Just", Jonny and Colin Greenwood create substantial space by playing octatonic scales that extend over four octaves. The angular guitar riff was influenced by John McGeoch's playing on the 1978 Magazine song "Shot By Both Sides"; Jonny Greenwood said that it was "pretty much the same kind of idea".


title: The Bends (album)

text: "Sulk" was written as a response to the Hungerford massacre. It originally ended with the lyric "just shoot your gun"; Yorke omitted it after the suicide of the Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain in 1994, as he did not want listeners to believe it was an allusion to Cobain. "Street Spirit (Fade Out)" was inspired by R.E.M. and the 1991 novel "The Famished Road" by Ben Okri; the lyrics detail an escape from an oppressive reality. The journalist Rob Sheffield described "Street Spirit", "Planet Telex" and "High and Dry" as a "big-band dystopian epic".


title: The Bends (album)

text: "The Bends" was the first Radiohead album with artwork by Stanley Donwood. Donwood met Yorke while they were students at the University of Exeter, and previously created artwork for the "My Iron Lung" EP; Donwood has created all of Radiohead's artwork since. For "The Bends", Yorke and Donwood hired a cassette camera and filmed objects including road signs, packaging and street lights. They entered a hospital to film an iron lung, but, according to Donwood, found that iron lungs "are not very interesting to look at". Instead, they filmed a CPR mannequin, which Donwood described as having "a facial expression like that of an android discovering for the first time the sensations of ecstasy and agony, simultaneously". To create the cover image, the pair displayed the footage on a television set and photographed the screen.


title: The Bends (album)

text: In September 1994, EMI released the "My Iron Lung" EP, comprising "My Iron Lung" plus "Bends" outtakes. "The Bends" was released in Japan on 8 March 1995 by EMI, and in the UK on 13 March by Parlophone Records. It spent 16 weeks on the UK Albums Chart, reaching number four. On the same day as the UK release, Radiohead's performance at the London Astoria in May 1994 was released on VHS as "Live at the Astoria", including several "Bends" tracks.


title: The Bends (album)

text: In the US, "The Bends" was released on 4 April by Radiohead's North American distributor, Capitol Records. According to the journalist Tim Footman, Capitol almost refused to release the album, feeling it lacked hit singles. "The Bends" debuted at the bottom of the US "Billboard" 200 in the week of 13 May before climbing to number 147 in the week of 24 June. "Fake Plastic Trees" was used in the 1995 film "Clueless" and is credited for introducing Radiohead to a larger American audience.


title: The Bends (album)

text: The interest from influential musicians such as the R.E.M. vocalist Michael Stipe, combined with several distinctive music videos, helped sustain Radiohead's popularity outside the UK. Selway credited the videos for helping the album "gradually seep into people's consciousness". "The Bends" re-entered the US "Billboard 200" chart in the week of 17 February 1996, and peaked at number 88 on 20 April, almost exactly a year after its release. It was certified gold by the RIAA for sales of half a million copies on 4 April. Though it remains Radiohead's lowest-charting album in the US, "The Bends" was certified platinum in January 1999 for sales of one million copies. According to the MTV host Matt Pinfield, other record companies would ask why MTV kept promoting "The Bends" when it was selling less than their albums; his reply was: "Because it's great!" Yorke thanked Pinfield by giving him a gold record of "The Bends."


title: The Bends (album)

text: By the end of 1996, "The Bends" had sold around 2 million copies worldwide. In the UK, it was certified platinum in February 1996 for sales of over 300,000. In July 2013, it was certified quadruple platinum.


title: The Bends (album)

text: The first American single from "The Bends", "Fake Plastic Trees", failed to enter the US "Billboard" Hot 100, but reached number 20 on the UK Singles Chart. "Just", released in the UK on August 21, reached number 19. It was not released as a single in the US, but its music video, directed by Jamie Thraves, received attention there. The next US single, "High and Dry", reached number 78. "Street Spirit (Fade Out)", released in January 1996, reached number five on the UK Singles Chart, beating "Creep" and demonstrating that Radiohead were not one-hit wonders. "The Bends" was released as a single in Ireland and reached number 26 on the Irish Singles Chart in August 1996.


title: The Bends (album)

text: Radiohead toured extensively for "The Bends", with performances in North America, Europe and Japan. They first toured in support of Soul Asylum, then R.E.M., one of their formative influences and one of the world's biggest rock bands at the time. The night before a 1995 performance in Denver, Colorado, Radiohead's tour van was stolen, and with it their musical equipment. Yorke and Jonny Greenwood performed a stripped-down acoustic set with rented instruments and several shows were cancelled. In 2015, Greenwood was reunited with one of the stolen guitars after a fan recognised it as one they had purchased in Denver in the 1990s.


title: The Bends (album)

text: Radiohead's American tour included a performance at the KROQ Almost Acoustic Christmas concert at the Universal Amphitheatre in Los Angeles, alongside Oasis, Alanis Morissette, No Doubt and Porno for Pyros. The Capitol employee Clark Staub described this as a "key stepping stone" for Radiohead in the US. In March 1996, Radiohead toured the US again and performed on "The Tonight Show" and "120 Minutes". In mid-1996, they played at European festivals including Pinkpop in Holland, Tourhout Werchter in Belgium and T in the Park in Scotland. In August, Radiohead toured as the opening act for Morissette.


title: The Bends (album)

text: "The Bends" received acclaim in the United Kingdom. The "Guardian" critic Caroline Sullivan wrote that Radiohead had "transformed themselves from nondescript guitar-beaters to potential arena-fillers ... The grandeur may eventually pall, as it has with U2, but it's been years since big bumptious rock sounded this emotional." "Q" described "The Bends" as a "powerful, bruised, majestically desperate record of frighteningly good songs", while "NME"s Mark Sutherland wrote that "Radiohead clearly resolved to make an album so stunning it would make people forget their own name, never mind ['Creep']", describing it as "the consummate, all-encompassing, continent-straddling '90s rock record". Dave Morrison of "Select" wrote that it "captures and clarifies a much wider trawl of moods than "Pablo Honey"" and praised Radiohead as "one of the UK's big league, big-rock assets". "NME" and "Melody Maker" named "The Bends" among the top ten albums of the year.


title: The Bends (album)

text: Critical reception in the United States was mixed. Chuck Eddy of "Spin" deemed much of the album "nodded-out nonsense mumble, not enough concrete emotion", while Kevin McKeough from the "Chicago Tribune" panned Yorke's lyrics as "self-absorbed" and the music as overblown and pretentious. In "The Village Voice", Robert Christgau wrote that the guitar parts and expressions of angst were skilful and natural, but lacked depth: "The words achieve precisely the same pitch of aesthetic necessity as the music, which is none at all." A positive review in the American press came from the "Los Angeles Times" Sandy Morris, who described Yorke as "almost as enticingly enigmatic as Smashing Pumpkins' Billy Corgan, though of a more delicate constitution".


title: The Bends (album)

text: "The Bends" brought Radiohead significant critical attention. In 1997, Jonny Greenwood said it had been a "turning point" for Radiohead: "It started appearing in people's [best of] polls for the end of the year. That's when it started to feel like we made the right choice about being a band." In 2015, Selway said it marked the origin of the "Radiohead aesthetic", aided by Donwood's artwork. The success gave Radiohead the confidence to self-produce their next album, "OK Computer" (1997), with Godrich.


title: The Bends (album)

text: The journalist Rob Sheffield recalled that "The Bends" "shocked the world", elevating Radiohead from "pasty British boys to a very 70s kind of UK art-rock godhead". Two years after its release, the "Guardian" critic Caroline Sullivan wrote that it had taken Radiohead from "indie one hit-wonder" into the "premier league of respected British rock bands"; the "Rolling Stone" journalist Jordan Runtagh wrote in 2012 that "The Bends" was a "a musically dense and emotionally complex masterwork that erased their one-hit-wonder status forever". The writer Nick Hornby wrote in 2000 that, with "The Bends," Radiohead "found their voice ... No other contemporary band has managed to mix such a cocktail of rage, sarcasm, self-pity, exquisite tunefulness and braininess."


title: The Bends (album)

text: "The Bends" influenced a generation of British and Irish acts, including Coldplay, Keane, James Blunt, Muse, Athlete, Elbow, Snow Patrol, Kodaline, Turin Brakes and Travis. "Pitchfork" credited songs as such as "High and Dry" and "Fake Plastic Trees" for anticipating the "airbrushed" post-Britpop of Coldplay and Travis. The Cure contacted Radiohead to inquire about the "Bends" production in the hope of replicating it; acts including Garbage, R.E.M. and k.d. lang began to cite Radiohead as a favourite band.


title: The Bends (album)

text: In 2006, "The Observer" named "The Bends" one of "the 50 albums that changed music", saying it had popularised an "angst-laden falsetto ... a thoughtful opposite to the chest-beating lad-rock personified by Oasis", which "eventually coalesced into an entire decade of sound". Yorke held contempt for the style of rock "The Bends" popularised, feeling other acts had copied him. He said: "I was really, really upset about it, and I tried my absolute best not to be, but yeah, it was kind of like— that sort of thing of missing the point completely." Godrich told him: “You're just imagining it. Look, it's a guitar with some drums behind it. You didn't invent that… It's a guy singing in falsetto with an acoustic guitar."


title: The Bends (album)

text: In 2000, in a vote of more than 200,000 music fans and journalists, "The Bends" was named the second-greatest album of all time behind "Revolver" (1966) by the Beatles. "Q" readers voted it the second-best album in 1998 and 2006, behind "OK Computer". It was included in the 2005 book "1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die". "Rolling Stone" placed it at number 110 on its original 2003 list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time, at 111 in its 2012 list, and at 276 in its 2020 list. In 2006, it reached number 10 in a worldwide poll of the great albums organised by "British Hit Singles & Albums" and "NME". "Paste" named it the 11th greatest album of the 1990s. In 2020, the "Independent" named it the best album of 1995, writing: "Downbeat, melancholic, yet wonderfully melodic and uplifting ... "The Bends" stood apart from Britpop and everything else in the storied year of 1995." In 2017, "Pitchfork" named "The Bends" the third-greatest Britpop album, writing that its "epic portrayal of drift and disenchantment secures its reluctant spot in Britpop's pantheon".


title: The Bends (album)

text: On 31 August 2009, EMI reissued "The Bends" and other Radiohead albums in a "Collector's Edition" compiling B-sides and live performances. Radiohead had no input into the reissue and the music was not remastered. The "Collector's Editions" were discontinued after Radiohead's back catalogue was transferred to XL Recordings in 2016. In May 2016, XL reissued Radiohead's back catalogue on vinyl, including "The Bends".


title: Paralegal

text: A paralegal, also known as a legal assistant, or paralegal specialist is a professional who performs tasks that require knowledge of legal concepts but not the full expertise of a lawyer with a license to practice law. The market for paralegals is broad, including consultancies, companies that have legal departments or that perform legislative and regulatory compliance activities in areas such as environment, labor, intellectual property, zoning, and tax. Legal offices and public bodies also have many paralegals in support activities using other titles outside of the standard titles used in the profession . There is a diverse array of work experiences attainable within the paralegal (legal assistance) field, ranging between internship, entry-level, associate, junior, mid-senior, and senior level positions.


title: Paralegal

text: In United States in 1967, the "American Bar Association" (ABA) endorsed the concept of the paralegal and, in 1968, established its first committee on legal assistants.


title: Paralegal

text: The exact nature of their work and limitations that the law places on the tasks they are allowed to undertake vary between nations and jurisdictions. Paralegals generally are not allowed to offer legal services independently in most jurisdictions. In some jurisdictions, paralegals can conduct their own business and provide services such as settlements, court filings, legal research and other auxiliary legal services; these tasks often have instructions from a solicitor attached.


title: Paralegal

text: In the United States, a paralegal is protected from some forms of professional liability under the theory that paralegals are working as an enhancement of an attorney, who takes ultimate responsibility for the supervision of the paralegal's work and work product. Paralegals often have taken a prescribed series of courses in law and legal processes. Paralegals may analyze and summarize depositions, prepare and answer interrogatories, draft procedural motions and other routine briefs, perform legal research and analysis, legislative assistance, draft research memos, and perform some quasi-secretarial or legal secretarial duties, as well as perform case and project management. Paralegals often handle drafting much of the paperwork in probate cases, divorce actions, bankruptcies, and investigations. Consumers of legal services are typically billed for the time paralegals spend on their cases. In the United States, they are not authorized by the government or other agency to offer legal services (including legal advice) except in Washington State in the same way as lawyers, nor are they officers of the court, nor are they usually subject to government-sanctioned or court-sanctioned rules of conduct. In some jurisdictions (Ontario, Canada, for example) paralegals are licensed and regulated the same way that lawyers are and these licensed professionals may be permitted to provide legal services to the public and appear before certain lower courts and administrative tribunals.


title: Paralegal

text: A legal secretary is generally a secretary who has a basic understanding of legal terminology and the specific formatting required by a particular court or government agency. Legal secretaries are also typically responsible for keeping case files organized and indexed, often taking on the duties of a file clerk. Although legal secretaries may be trained to prepare some basic legal papers and letters, they generally have little or no knowledge of particular legal doctrines, statutes or regulations, and typically have no training or experience in conducting legal research or drafting legal documents, pleadings, motions, briefs or other court papers. On the other hand, a typical paralegal in the United States can perform all of these tasks under an attorney or law office. Paralegals bill for their time at a higher rate than legal secretaries.


title: Paralegal

text: Many paralegals have completed a formal paralegal education program. Formal paralegal education programs may result in a diploma, higher diploma, advanced diploma, vocational education, associate degree, bachelor's degree, master's degree, or graduate certificate programs in the academic discipline of legal management and paralegal studies, or a paralegal professional certificate of continuing education. Others may enter through adjacent fields of study such as bachelor's, academic minors, master's, or graduate certificate degree programs in criminology and the sociology of law, political science, public administration, legal studies, sociology, literature and creative writing, history, philosophy, other fields in the social sciences, humanities, and liberal arts, or proof of higher education in any field of study or academic discipline. Many paralegals have completed all of their training or obtained a higher education degree in an adjacent field before entering the profession, while some have only on-the-job paralegal training entering only with a high school diploma and no formal post-secondary education with most later on completing their education while working their way up from some administrative assistance or secretarial positions in law firms, in-house legal departments, or government agencies where depending on the type of work completed may or may not have required a bachelor's degree level of specialized knowledge in a given field. Many paralegals take Continuing Legal Education (CLE), Continuing Education Unit (CEU), or Continuing Professional Development (CPD) courses to fulfill the requirements of their firm, employer, government-appointed regulatory body, association, or to obtain and maintain a professional certificate or license to practice.


title: Paralegal

text: Paralegals exist precisely because they are not lawyers and thus can do the work more cheaply. Other than expertise, the main constraint on what work a paralegal can or cannot do tends to be local rules that reserve particular activities to lawyers. Some jurisdictions have a reserved activities list.


title: Paralegal

text: According to United States law, there are five specific acts which only a licensed attorney can perform:


title: Paralegal

text: Beyond the five acts above, the paralegal can perform practically any other task, including legal research, legal writing, factual investigation, preparation of exhibits, and the day-to-day tasks of case management. The key is that attorneys are entirely responsible for the actions of their paralegals and, by signing and filing court documents drafted by paralegals (or law clerks), attorneys make those documents their own.


title: Paralegal

text: In the United States, the need for accredited qualifications and bar licensure limits the number of licensed attorneys. There are some tasks for which a bar license is unnecessary but some amount of legal training is helpful. To lower costs, businesses may choose to employ paralegals to undertake such tasks. Paralegal time is typically billed at only a fraction of what a lawyer charges, and thus to the paralegal has fallen those substantive and procedural tasks which are too complex for legal secretaries (whose time is not billed) but for which lawyers can no longer bill. This in turn makes lawyers more efficient by allowing them to concentrate solely on the substantive legal issues of the case, while paralegals have become the "case managers".


title: Paralegal

text: The growing demand of paralegal professionals at a very rapid rate has resulted in schools and colleges catering to such education popping up everywhere. It has been found through a survey that currently 50,000 students are enrolled in paralegal education courses. The American Association for Paralegal Education (AAPE) itself has more than 450 members; 260 of them are ABA-approved. Seminars and events are being held by various institutes to help broaden the knowledge base of the paralegal service providers and the importance associated with it. Although the nation is experiencing a recession, the paralegal profession continues to grow. Law firms and legal departments are cutting costs and increasing access to legal services by hiring paralegals.


title: Paralegal

text: The United Kingdom has gone one step further. Much legal work by lawyers for the poorer elements of society is legally aided, or paid for by the state. As overall costs have risen due to more people than ever engaging with the law, the government has reduced such legal aid. As a result, the work has become uneconomic for many and they have ceased doing it. Paralegal advisory firms are stepping in to fill the gap.


title: Paralegal

text: The increased use of paralegals has slowed the rising cost of legal services and serves in some small measure (in combination with contingency fees and insurance) to keep the cost of legal services within the reach of the regular population. However, one commentator has warned that "our profession makes a serious error if it uses legal assistants only as economic tools."


title: Paralegal

text: Some attorneys who practice in fields involving medical care have only a limited knowledge of healthcare and medical concepts and terminology. Therefore, legal medical consultants which are professional physicians, physician assistants, paramedics, nurses and respiratory therapists, have become fully trained as paralegals in the manner described above and assist behind the scenes on these cases, in addition to serving as expert witnesses from time to time.


title: Paralegal

text: Australia has a distinct regime for the utilization of paralegals. According to one paralegal studies scholar:


title: Paralegal

text: Furthermore, Australian paralegals have "little formal recognition of, or status accorded" them, yet they "require specialist education."


title: Paralegal

text: In Canada, paralegals (except in Ontario) are generally trained assistants who assist lawyers, and work under the supervision of lawyers. Paralegals are not regulated by legislation (except in Ontario) and are not professionals in their own right. Some provinces (such as British Columbia) allow lawyers to designate certain paralegals to provide additional services to clients. However, lawyers remain fully responsible for all action or omission of the designated paralegals.


title: Paralegal

text: In Ontario, paralegals are licensed by the Law Society of Ontario. Ontario is with Washington State the only jurisdiction in the western hemisphere where paralegals are licensed and the profession is regulated as officers of the court. Licensed paralegals operate within a defined scope of practice, representing clients in matters such as provincial offenses (traffic tickets, etc.), immigration, landlord and tenant disputes, labor law, small claims court (up to $35,000), and specific criminal matters. They are currently not permitted to represent clients in family court or wills and estates. By virtue of their office, licensed paralegals are commissioners for taking affidavits (swearing oaths).


title: Paralegal

text: In the province of Ontario paralegals are a regulated body within the legal system. Paralegals become commissioners upon licensing, and may become non-lawyer notaries, Crown prosecutor, municipal prosecutor or a justice of the peace if appointed.


title: Paralegal

text: Ontario recently became the first jurisdiction in North America to provide for the licensing of independent paralegals. This task will be the responsibility of the Law Society of Ontario (founded in 1797), which already regulates Ontario's 40,000 or so lawyers. Aspiring paralegals must complete an accredited educational program and complete a licensing exam. The Society will also be responsible for disciplining paralegals who do not conform to rules of professional conduct, known as the Paralegal Rules of Conduct.


title: Paralegal

text: In Ontario, as of December 2017, licensed paralegals are now endorsed and recognized as officers of the court.


title: Paralegal

text: The Law Society began issuing the first paralegal licenses to grandparent applicants who fulfilled all the necessary licensing requirements (including insurance) in April 2008. Paralegals who provide legal services to the public must carry professional liability insurance in accordance with By-Law 6, Part II, section 12 (1). Licensees must provide written proof of their compliance with this requirement to carry mandatory insurance before they begin providing legal services, as well as on an annual basis. Paralegal services may be provided via a sole proprietorship, partnership or professional corporation. Licensees are strongly encouraged to seek professional advice on the best business structure for their particular situations. A paralegal license allows a paralegal to independently represent clients in provincial offences court, summary conviction criminal court, small claims court and administrative tribunals such as the Financial Services Commission of Ontario or the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board. The role that a paralegal has in the United States is similar to the role of a law clerk or legal assistant in Ontario. Many paralegals in Ontario work in the areas of permitted practice for paralegals and also work alongside lawyers in areas of practice that are only permitted to be practiced by lawyers. It is illegal for paralegals in Ontario to independently practice in an area of law that is permitted only for lawyers. An example of this is family law, or an indictable offence in criminal law.


title: Paralegal

text: All lawyers and paralegals who practice law and provide legal services in Ontario, are required to complete the CPD program. Continuing professional development (CPD) is the maintenance and enhancement of a lawyer or paralegal's professional knowledge, skills, attitudes and professionalism throughout the individual's career. It is a positive tool that benefits lawyers and paralegals and is an essential component of the commitment they make to the public to practice law or provide legal services competently and ethically.


title: Paralegal

text: In Japan, the institution of exists, and functions similarly to paralegals. Scriveners perform legal work, above the level of secretary but below the level of attorney, and may be attached to an attorney's office or operate independently. Scriveners may represent clients in some low-level matters, but not in more advanced stages of litigation. As with lawyers in Japan, scriveners are regulated and must pass an exam.


title: Paralegal

text: In South Africa, legal assistants or paralegals must have extensive knowledge of the law and the administration of justice. Their duties may include: liaising with clients of their employers to assist in solving legal problems, legal research, preparing cases for court and liaising with the public. This programme is uniquely designed to impart a comprehensive overview of all aspects of paralegal specialisation and an understanding of individual rights and the rights of others. Paralegal offers the use and application of skills and competencies related to Criminal Law and Procedure, Civil Litigation, Wills and Estates, Dispute Resolution, Legal Advise, Property Law and Conveyancing as well as Legal Office Practice Management and Debt Collecting/Counselling.


title: Paralegal

text: Paralegals in South Africa are hired mostly by Legal Aid South Africa, big corporations, Patent law firms, legal firms, Estate agents, Government Departments etc. to provide legal support to those corporate world. Legal support may be by legal research, investigation/inspectors, legal advice or legal assistance. Certification may be acquired at: Tshwane University of Technology National Diploma in Legal Assistance/Paralegal, University of Johannesburg Diploma in Paralegal, UNISA National Diploma in Law, South African School of Paralegals, Intec College Diploma in Paralegal, South African Law School Qualification in Paralegal, Damelin College Paralegal, Boston City Campus Paralegal certificate. Salaries range from R60,000 to R450,000 per year depending on experience.


title: Paralegal

text: Newly established law firms in South Africa are likely to hire qualified Paralegals with 3 year qualification in Legal Studies to provide Legal assistance. Though the South African Law Society and The Minister of Justice do want to come with regulation to guide paralegals in South Africa just like Canada and the US, many practicing attorneys and Advocates did disprove in many instances however the new legislation is pending.


title: Paralegal

text: In South Korea a similar system to the Japanese exists, and is known as beopmusa (Hangul: , Hanja: ).


title: Paralegal

text: The original concept of paralegals in the UK started with the Paralegal Association in the mid-1980s (now the National Association of Licensed Paralegals). However the oldest incorporated professional body for paralegals in the UK who set the competency standards for paralegals and legal secretaries, issue legal qualifications, and support, represent and promote paralegals is the Institute Of Paralegals.


title: Paralegal

text: Both the Association and Institute have similar roles in recognizing and registering Paralegals but do not always agree on all the principles of practice.


title: Paralegal

text: However, it is only recently that paralegals have begun to be seen as more than merely assistants to qualified lawyers. They are now a newly emergent, and increasingly distinct, group of legal professionals.


title: Paralegal

text: Due to a lack of metrics it is unclear exactly how many paralegals there are in the United Kingdom. The Office of National Statistics and the register of Standard Occupational Classification estimate that there are currently 76,000 mid-skilled "legal associate professionals". Research published in 2014 by the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) predicts that this figure is set to grow by 17% within the next decade. Moreover, it is estimated that there are now almost 4,000 government registered/regulated paralegal advisory firms offering services that would previously have been offered only by lawyers.This is because most legal work in the United Kingdom is deregulated and therefore there is nothing to stop anyone from opening their own paralegal law firm.


title: Paralegal

text: As the term 'paralegal' is not protected like the term 'solicitor' anyone may call himself/herself a paralegal without any qualification or registrations. Professional bodies are lobbying for this to change and the term 'paralegal' to become a protected title.


title: Paralegal

text: Paralegals in England and Wales may only offer limited legal advice, as may any person, with the following exceptions strictly forbidden:


title: Paralegal

text: In the United Kingdom, the Solicitors Act 1974 reserves certain activities for solicitors. Broadly, these include:


title: Paralegal

text: Paralegals technically have very limited rights to conduct litigation/rights of audience before courts/tribunals. In practice though many appear in courts and particularly tribunals at all levels as assistants.


title: Paralegal

text: Paralegals also act as Police Station Representatives if they are accredited, giving general advice to clients held in police custody.


title: Paralegal

text: Scotland has separate legal jurisdiction from the rest of the United Kingdom. The term "paralegal" came into use from the 1980s. There have always been individuals undertaking legal work but not qualified as a solicitor but they would have had other titles such as 'legal assistant'. From the early 1990s the term "paralegal" became more common. In 1993 Scottish Paralegals Association was founded. It is a voluntary body whose remit is to promote the interests of paralegals in Scotland. From 1991 Scotland's colleges began to offer paralegal qualifications, awarded by the Scottish Qualification Authority, namely the Higher National Diploma and Certificate in Legal Services. They were offered by Central College of Commerce, Stevenson College and Dundee College. As a result of the efforts of the Scottish Paralegal Association and in particular its president Christine Lambie, in 2010 the Law Society of Scotland, the solicitors' professional body, instituted the Law Society of Scotland Registered Paralegal scheme. This was a voluntary scheme providing a professional status for high quality paralegals. Around 400 paralegals, mainly individuals who had come through the ranks in legal firms, joined the scheme. From 2010 Scottish Qualification Authority and Stirling University offered qualifications for individuals wishing to enter the Registered Paralegal profession. Paralegals qualify in particular legal domains, e.g., Domestic Conveyancing; and Wills & Executries. In 2017 the name of the scheme was changed to Law Society of Scotland Accredited Paralegal scheme.


title: Paralegal

text: The largest number of paralegals in the UK are represented by the Chartered Institute of Legal Executives (CILEx). Unlike other paralegal bodies CILEx is an Approved Regulator, meaning all its members are independently regulated in the public interest and must comply with a code of conduct, including all its paralegal members. CILEx is also the only body that provides paralegals with a limited progression route to lawyer status.


title: Paralegal

text: CILEx provides a non-University route to qualification as lawyer, with the majority of its members learning on-the-job and working as paralegals. It is open to those with or without law degrees, and allows paralegals to progress through to ultimately become fully qualified lawyers, partners, advocates, coroners and judges, subject to achieving the correct level of qualifications, skills, and experience.


title: Paralegal

text: Since 1994 City and Guilds, in association with CILEx, has offered the UK's leading range of nationally and internationally approved qualifications for paralegals and legal secretaries, which have been taken by over 20,000 people. They offer a Level 2 Award/Certificate/Diploma in Legal Studies qualification. This provides the underpinning knowledge which will help in day-to-day work and will also allows progression onto the CILEx route to becoming a lawyer. The qualification is divided into units and is assessed by way of assignments and a multiple-choice test. A Level 3 Diploma in Vocational Paralegal Studies qualification is also available, and this is equivalent to A-level standard. The qualification is divided into units and again, is assessed by way of assignments. The qualifications are also recognized by the CILEx as a route into their membership grades.


title: Paralegal

text: The Institute of Paralegals (IOP) administer a Route to Qualification: the nationally recognized career path for professional paralegals. They also set and administer Competency Standards for paralegals and legal secretaries.


title: Paralegal

text: NALP (National Association of Licensed Paralegals) is an awarding body for paralegal qualifications, recognized as an awarding organisation by Ofqual, the regulator of qualifications in England and Wales. NALP offers self-regulation and Licensing for paralegals in England & Wales. NALP's objective is to raise the profile of paralegals in the UK and has dedicated itself to the promoting the status of paralegals and paralegal training in the United Kingdom and abroad. NALP offers affordable accessible training and qualifications at all levels. NALP is a not for profit company limited by guarantee.


title: Paralegal

text: There are various levels of certification and membership according to the level of training, qualification and experience. To become a Licensed Paralegal a person should have an acceptable qualification in law, e.g., the Association's Diploma in Paralegal Studies, ILEX, Law Degree or HND (plus a procedural law qualification) or any other qualification deemed suitable, and who can satisfy the other criteria laid down by the Association namely: knowledge, competence, dedication, character requirements and continuous professional development.


title: Paralegal

text: NALPs mission is to re-enforce and increase its position as the leading professional organisation catering for the career paralegal not only within the legal profession but also within commerce, industry and the private and public sectors and will strive to ensure the proper recognition of its members as an integral part of the legal profession by the quality of its qualifications, professional development and the standards of behavior and its regulatory powers laid down for its members. It will encourage, promote and develop the role and practice of the paralegal and represent the best interests of its members.


title: Paralegal

text: The Institute of Paralegals (IOD) is an incorporated professional body for paralegals in the UK. A not-for-profit organisation, they set the competency standards for paralegals and legal secretaries, issue legal qualifications, and support, represent and promote paralegals.


title: Paralegal

text: The National Association of Licensed Paralegals(NALP) was established in 1987 and is the professional self-regulatory governing body for accredited paralegals. Access into the profession can either be with a law degree or without. Those who are already graduates can take The Post Graduate Diploma in Paralegal Practice (PPC) (similar to the LPC for solicitors). Those that have no previous qualification can do the Diploma in Paralegal Studies. The NALP is an awarding body regulated by OFQUAL and is also a member of the National Federation of Paralegal Associations (based in the US).


title: Paralegal

text: As a not-for-profit professional body incorporated by guarantee, they were formed in 2003. They were granted institute status by the UK government in 2005, with the support of, among others, The Law Society of England & Wales, the Bar Council, Citizens Advice and the Crown Prosecution Service, all of whom recognized the need for the developing paralegal profession to have a representative body.


title: Paralegal

text: IOP offer: The Registered Paralegal, Certified Paralegal and Qualified Paralegal designations and believe these are not a 'licence to practice' as a paralegal. IOP state: "There is no such as a 'licensing scheme' operating in England and Wales. Anyone implying otherwise (i.e. that you need to do a particular course to qualify) is misrepresenting the position. You become a paralegal simply by getting a job as a paralegal. The majority of paralegals still do not have any formal legal qualifications. The only paralegals needing prior permission before practicing are paralegal law firms or paralegal sole practitioners who come under the remit of the Ministry of Justice Or Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner."


title: Paralegal

text: The National Association of Licensed Paralegals is working to improve recognition for paralegals and has done so for nearly 24 years, having introduced qualifications and standards and self-regulation to the profession and is recognized by The Law Society of England as the professional body for paralegals in England & Wales.


title: Paralegal

text: In the United Kingdom paralegal salaries in law firms can range from around £15,000 in some rural or suburban areas but may reach as high as £60,000 – £80,000 for the most senior in the larger city firms and some PLCs.


title: Paralegal

text: A paralegal can also work as a freelance offering their services to solicitors performing tasks such assisting Counsel at court and taking notes in court and presenting applications to District Judges in chambers. They can be paid on a daily or hourly rate earning up to £60 – £260 per day.


title: Paralegal

text: In the United States, paralegals originated as assistants to lawyers at a time when only lawyers offered legal services. In those jurisdictions where the local legal profession/judiciary is involved in paralegal recognition/accreditation, the profession of paralegal still basically refers to those people working under the direct supervision of a lawyer. The profession of paralegal varies greatly between the states, because some states do require paralegals to be licensed. In other jurisdictions however, such as the United Kingdom, the lack of local legal profession/judiciary oversight means that the definition of paralegal encompasses non-lawyers doing legal work, regardless of whom they do it for. Although most jurisdictions recognize paralegals to a greater or lesser extent, there is no international consistency as to definition, job-role, status, terms and conditions of employment, training, regulation or anything else and so each jurisdiction must be looked at individually.


title: Paralegal

text: In the United States, there is no such thing as a paralegal "licensed" by a government body; rather, paralegals can be "registered," "certified," or "certificated" by private organizations.


title: Paralegal

text: There are two major national organizations that offer professional certification to paralegals who meet voluntary regulation standards: the National Association of Legal Assistants (NALA) established in 1976 and the National Federation of Paralegal Associations (NFPA) established in 1996.


title: Paralegal

text: Both NALA and the NFPA offer professional certification exams that should not be confused with a paralegal certificate offered by an officially accredited college or university.


title: Paralegal

text: NALA offers its Certified Legal Assistant or Certified Paralegal examination, a comprehensive two-day examination that covers the following subjects: Communications, Ethics, Legal Research, Judgment and Analytical Ability, American Legal System and four sub-sections selected by the applicants from a list of nine substantive areas of the law. These sub-section tests cover general knowledge of the following practice areas: Administrative Law, Bankruptcy, Business Organizations, Civil Litigation, Contracts, Criminal Law and Procedure, Estate, Planning and Probate, Family Law and Real Estate. After successful completion of the examination, NALA awards the paralegal the "CLA" (Certified Legal Assistant) or "CP" (Certified Paralegal) designation. Both the "CLA" and "CP" designations are proprietary trademarks owned by NALA. Paralegals who have attained further education and received a paralegal certificate are referred to as "Certificated" unless they have passed the examination and have been awarded the "Certified" designation. Additionally, those paralegals who receive the "Certified Paralegal" designation then have the opportunity to earn the "Advanced Certified Paralegal" designation. There is a 45 to 50 percent pass rate for persons taking the NALA exams.


title: Paralegal

text: The NFPA offers its non-accredited Paralegal Advanced Competency Exam, which is a four-hour exam on a variety of legal topics; those who pass that exam can call themselves PACE-Registered Paralegals and display the "RP" designation. NFPA's core purpose is to advance the paralegal profession and is committed to the profession's Code of Ethics.


title: Paralegal

text: Some states have considered the licensure of paralegals. Whether paralegals should be licensed or certified is one of the most important issues for paralegals today.


title: Paralegal

text: The greatest differences between lawyers and paralegals are that lawyers give legal advice, can set fees, appear as counsel of record in court, and sign pleadings (and other court documents) in a representative capacity. A paralegal who attempts to do any of these acts will be in violation of the unauthorized practice of law statutes in most U.S. states. Paralegals are responsible for handling tasks such as legal writing, research, and other forms of documentation for the lawyers for whom they work.


title: Paralegal

text: Paralegals are restrained from exercising independence and prohibited from providing even basic legal advice to consumers of legal advice. In her book, "Access to Justice", Stanford law professor Deborah Rhode states: "Over four-fifths of surveyed attorneys have supported prosecution of lay practitioners, and the profession has repeatedly blocked licensing proposals that would enable independent paralegals to offer routine services. Many local, state and national bar associations have recently launched initiatives to broaden the definition, raise the penalties, and increase the enforcement of unauthorized practice prohibitions."


title: Paralegal

text: In some areas, legal document assistants actually advertise themselves as paralegals. Many states, including Florida, have enacted laws or bar rules which require any person referring to himself or herself as a paralegal to work under the supervision of a licensed attorney. This rule would prohibit those individuals working as "independent paralegals" from using the title "paralegal".


title: Paralegal

text: In the United States, as of May 2021, the median annual salary for a paralegal was US$56,230. Paralegals working for the U.S. federal government average around $73,580 per year while state and local government paralegals earn around $54,000 to $57,000.


title: Paralegal

text: Several state governments have designated a "Paralegal Day", which is not the same day everywhere, in particular New York's governor David Paterson, Michigan's governor Jennifer M. Granholm, South Carolina, Idaho's governor James E. Risch and the Texas Legislature have designated Paralegal Day in their respective states. California, Connecticut, Ohio, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and Utah also have a Paralegal Day.


title: Paralegal

text: There are a variety of services available to the general public depending on the State of residence. These companies have been known as Paralegal Services until they were required to change their names. These companies are now typically known to the general public as Court Document Preparers or Court Forms Providers. The State of Florida has numerous companies that prepare court documents for a variety of issues, such as Divorce, Bankruptcy, Paternity, Custody, Modification of Child Support, Name Change, Wills, Power of Attorney, Quit Claim Deeds, etc. If you do not have the ability to remedy your situation because of the high cost fees of any attorney a Court Document Preparer can save thousands of dollars. Such document preparers, however, frequently come under the scrutiny of various state bar organizations by overstepping the basic document preparation and engaging in what could be considered "unauthorized practice of law." Such document preparation is indeed cost-saving for those who truly want to represent themselves in a legal matter, but want to pay someone to create the required documents. If problems arise in the legal case, however, the person who hired the paralegal service needs to understand that there is typically no legal liability on the part of the paralegal service and that such institutions cannot be sued for legal malpractice. Again, the philosophy is that the person utilizing such service is representing himself or herself in all legal matters and merely hiring a document preparer.


title: Paralegal

text: In California, under Business and Professions Code § 6450, a paralegal must have at least one of the following:


title: Paralegal

text: Up until Business and Professions Code § 6450 was signed into law by Governor Gray Davis in 2000, there was little regulation of paralegals in California. One of the purposes of regulation under Business and Professions Code § 6450 was to shut down the paralegals who were providing self-help legal services to consumers. There had been relatively few consumer complaints against paralegals; instead most of the complaints were from lawyers who urged the California State Bar to police the unauthorized practice of law (UPL).