US or U.S. usually refers to the United States, a country in North America.

US, U.S. or us may also refer to:

Language

we, us is the objective case of we in English

Geography

Us, Val-d'Oise, France

Education

University of Salford, a university in the UK

University of Salzburg, a university in Austria

University of Seville, a university in Spain

Université de Sherbrooke, a university in Canada

University School, a private all-boys day school in Hunting Valley, Ohio, United States

University of Sussex, a university in the UK

Music

''Us'' (Peter Gabriel album)

''Us'' (Mull Historical Society album)

''Us'' (Brother Ali album)

"Us" (Regina Spektor song)

''Us'', a 1974 album by Maceo Parker

"Us", a song by Ice Cube from ''Death Certificate''

"Us", a song by Céline Dion from ''Let's Talk About Love''

"US", a song by Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks from ''Pig Lib''

Urban Symphony, an Estonian music group

Other uses

U.S., used in legal citations to refer to the United States Reports

Union of Russia and Belarus

US Airways' IATA designator

''Us Weekly'', an American celebrity magazine

''Us'' (TV movie)

.us, Internet TLD of the United States of America

''US'', Ultrasonic, Ultrasound

Urgences-Santé, an ambulance compagny in Montréal, Qc, Canada

See also

µs, microsecond

United Services Club or ''US Club'', a golf club in Mumbai

United States (disambiguation)

Uz (disambiguation)

ca:Us cs:US de:US es:Us (desambiguación) eo:Us fr:US ko:US id:US it:US lv:US lt:US nl:US ja:US oc:Us pl:Us pt:US ro:US ru:US (значения) fi:Us sv:US zh-yue:Us zh:US (消歧義)

Name	Georgia
Fullname	State of Georgia
Flag	Flag of Georgia (U.S. state).svg
Flaglink	Flag
Seal	Seal_of_Georgia.svg
Seallink	Seal
Map	Georgia in United States.svg
Nickname	Peach State;Empire State of the South
Motto	Wisdom, Justice, Moderation
Former	Province of Georgia
Song	"Georgia on My Mind"
Tree	Live Oak
Demonym	Georgian
Capital	Atlanta
Largestcity	capital
Largestmetro	Atlanta metro area
Governor	Nathan Deal (R)
Lieutenant governor	Casey Cagle (R)
Legislature	General Assembly
Upperhouse	State Senate
Lowerhouse	House of Representatives
Senators	Saxby Chambliss (R)Johnny Isakson (R)
Representative	8 Republicans, 5 Democrats
Postalabbreviation	GA
Tradabbreviation	Ga.
Officiallang	English
Arearank	24th
Totalareaus	59,425
Totalarea	153,909
Landareaus	57,906
Landarea	149,976
Waterareaus	1,519
Waterarea	3,933
Pcwater	2.6
Poprank	9th
2000pop	9,815,210 (2011 est)
Densityrank	18th
2000densityus	165
2000density	65.4
Medianhouseholdincome	$50,861
Incomerank	23rd
Admittanceorder	4th
Admittancedate	January 2, 1788
Timezone	Eastern: UTC-5/-4
Latitude	30.356 – 34.985° N
Longitude	80.840 – 85.605° W
Widthus	230
Width	370
Lengthus	298
Length	480
Highestpoint	Brasstown Bald
Highestelevus	4,784
Highestelev	1458
Meanelevus	600
Meanelev	180
Lowestpoint	Atlantic Ocean
Lowestelevus	0
Lowestelev	0
Isocode	US-GA
Electoralvotes	15
Website	http://www.georgia.gov/ }}

Georgia () is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. Named after King George II of Great Britain, Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788. It declared its secession from the Union on January 21, 1861, and was one of the original seven Confederate states. It was the last state to be restored to the Union, on July 15, 1870. Georgia is the 24th most extensive and the 9th most populous of the 50 United States. From 2007 to 2008, 14 of Georgia's counties ranked among the nation's 100 fastest-growing, second only to Texas. Georgia is known as the ''Peach State'' and the ''Empire State of the South''. Atlanta is the state's capital and its most populous city.

Georgia is bordered on the south by Florida; on the east by the Atlantic Ocean and South Carolina; on the west by Alabama; and on the north by Tennessee and North Carolina. The northern part of the state is in the Blue Ridge Mountains, a mountain range in the Appalachian Mountains system. The central piedmont extends from the foothills to the fall line, where the rivers cascade down in elevation to the continental coastal plain of the southern part of the state. The highest point in Georgia is Brasstown Bald, 4,784 feet (1,458 m); the lowest point is the Atlantic Ocean.

History

Prior to discovery and settlement by Europeans, Georgia was inhabited by the mound building cultures. The British colony of Georgia was founded by James Oglethorpe on February 11, 1733 (February 1, 1732 O.S.). The colony was administered by the Trustees for the Establishment of the Colony of Georgia in America under a charter issued by (and named for) King George II. The Trustees implemented an elaborate plan for settlement of the colony, now famously known as the Oglethorpe Plan, which envisioned an agrarian society of yeoman farmers and prohibited slavery. In 1742 the colony was invaded by the Spanish during the War of Jenkins' Ear. In 1752, after the government failed to renew subsidies that had helped support the colony, the Trustees turned over control to the crown. Georgia became a crown colony, with a governor appointed by the king. Province of Georgia was one of the Thirteen Colonies that revolted against British rule in the American Revolution by signing the 1776 Declaration of Independence. After the war, Georgia became the fourth state of the Union after ratifying the Constitution on 2 January 1788.

In 1829, gold was discovered in the north Georgia mountains, resulting in the Georgia Gold Rush leading to the establishment of a federal mint in Dahlonega that continued operation until 1861. The influx of white settlers put pressure on the government to take land from the Cherokee Nation. In 1830, the Indian Removal Act was signed into law. This resulting in sending all eastern native tribes to reservations in present-day Oklahoma. Despite the Supreme Court's ruling in Worcester v. Georgia, that states were not permitted to redraw the Indian boundaries, President Andrew Jackson and the state of Georgia ignored the ruling. In 1838, his successor, Martin Van Buren dispatched federal troops to round up the Cherokee and deport them west of the Mississippi. This forced relocation, known as the Trail of Tears, led to the death of over 4,000 Cherokees.

In early 1861, Georgia joined the Confederacy and became a major theater of the Civil War. Major battles took place at Chickamauga, Kennesaw Mountain, and Atlanta. In December 1864, a large swath of the state from Atlanta to Savannah was destroyed during General William Tecumseh Sherman's March to the Sea. In 1870, following reconstruction, Georgia became the last Confederate state restored to the Union.

Broadcast television came to Atlanta-area and northern- and upper central-Georgia viewers on September 29, 1948 with the debut of WSB-TV, broadcasting on VHF channel 8.

Geography

Boundaries

Beginning from the Atlantic Ocean, the state's eastern border with South Carolina runs up the Savannah River, northwest to its origin at the confluence of the Tugaloo and Seneca Rivers. It then continues up the Tugaloo (originally Tugalo) and into the Chattooga River, its most significant tributary. These bounds were decided in the 1797 Treaty of Beaufort, and tested in the U.S. Supreme Court in the two ''Georgia v. South Carolina'' cases in 1923 and 1989.

The border then takes a sharp turn around the tip of Rabun County, at latitude 35°N, though from this point it diverges slightly south (due to inaccuracies in the original survey). This originally was the Georgia and North Carolina border all the way back to the Mississippi River, until Tennessee was divided from North Carolina, and the Yazoo companies induced the legislature of Georgia to pass an act, approved by the governor in 1795, to sell the greater part of Georgia's territory presently comprising Alabama and Mississippi.

The state's western border then departs in another straight line south-southeastward, at a point southwest of Chattanooga, to meet the westernmost point of the Chattahoochee River near West Point. It continues down to the point where it ends at the Flint River (the confluence of the two forming Florida's Apalachicola River), and goes almost due east and very slightly south, in a straight line to the origin of the St. Mary's River, which then forms the remainder of the boundary back to the ocean.

It should be noted that the water boundaries are still set to be the original thalweg of the rivers. Since then, several have been inundated by lakes created by dams, including the Apalachicola/Chattahoochee/Flint point now under Lake Seminole.

Georgia state legislators have claimed that the state's border with Tennessee has been erroneously placed one mile (1.6 km) further south than intended in an 1818 survey, and in 2010 proposed that the border should be corrected. This would allow Georgia, then in the midst of a significant drought, to access water from the Tennessee River.

Geology and terrain

Each region has its own distinctive characteristics. For instance, the Ridge and Valley, which lies in the northwest corner of the state, includes limestone, sandstone, shale and other sedimentary rocks, which have yielded construction-grade limestone, barite, ocher and small amounts of coal.

Flora and Fauna

Georgia has a diverse mix of flora and fauna. The state has approximately 250 tree species and 58 protected plants. Georgia's native trees include red cedar, a variety of pines, oaks, maples, cypress, ''sweetgum'' and scaly-bark and white hickories, as well as many others. Palmettos and other subtropical flora are found in the southern and coastal regions. Yellow jasmine, and mountain laurel make up just a few of the flowering shrubs in the state.

White-tailed (Virginia) deer are in nearly all counties. The northern mockingbird and Brown Thrasher are among the 160 bird species that live in the state.

Reptiles include the eastern diamondback, copperhead, and cottonmouth, salamanders, frogs, alligators and toads. There are about 79 species of reptile and 63 amphibians known to live in Georgia.

The most popular freshwater game fish are trout, bream, bass, and catfish, all but the last of which are produced in state hatcheries for restocking. Popular saltwater game fish include red drum, spotted seatrout, flounder, and tarpon, among many others. Porpoises, whales, shrimp, oysters, and blue crabs are found inshore and offshore of the Georgia coast.

Climate

The majority of Georgia is primarily a humid subtropical climate. Hot and humid summers are typical, except at the highest elevations. The entire state, including the north Georgia mountains, receives moderate to heavy precipitation, which varies from 45 inches (1143 mm) in central Georgia to approximately 75 inches (1905 mm) around the northeast part of the state. The degree to which the weather of a certain region of Georgia is subtropical depends on the latitude, its proximity to the Atlantic Ocean or Gulf of Mexico and the elevation. The latter factor is felt chiefly in the mountainous areas of the northern part of the state, which are farther away from the ocean and can be 4500 feet (1350 m) above sea level. The USDA Plant hardiness zones for Georgia range from zone 6b (no colder than ) in the Blue Ridge Mountains to zone 8b (no colder than ) along the Atlantic coast and Florida border.

The highest temperature ever recorded is 112 °F (44.4 °C) at Louisville on July 24, 1952, while the lowest is −17 °F (−27.2 °C) at northern Floyd County on January 27, 1940. Georgia is one of the leading states in frequency of tornadoes, though they rarely are stronger than F1. A tornado hit downtown Atlanta on March 14, 2008, causing moderate to severe damage. With a coastline on the Atlantic Ocean, Georgia is also vulnerable to hurricanes, although direct hurricane strikes were rare during the 20th century. Georgia often is affected by hurricanes that strike the Florida panhandle, weaken over land, and bring strong tropical storm winds and heavy rain to the interior, as well as hurricanes that come close to the Georgia coastline, brushing the coast on their way north.

>

+ Monthly average daily high and low temperatures for major Georgia cities

! City

! Jan

! Feb

! Mar

! Apr

! May

! Jun

! Jul

! Aug

! Sep

! Oct

! Nov

! Dec

! Athens

51/1133/1

56/1335/2

65/1842/6

73/2349/9

80/2758/14

87/3165/18

90/3269/21

88/3168/20

82/2863/17

73/2351/11

63/1742/6

54/1235/2

! Atlanta

52/1134/1

57/1436/2

65/1844/7

73/2350/10

80/2760/16

86/3067/19

89/3271/22

88/3170/21

82/2864/18

73/2353/12

63/1744/7

55/1336/2

! Augusta

56/1333/1

61/1636/4

69/2142/6

77/2548/9

84/2957/14

90/3265/18

92/3370/21

90/3268/20

85/2962/17

76/2450/10

68/2041/5

59/1535/2

! Columbus

57/1437/3

62/1739/4

69/2146/8

76/2452/11

83/2861/16

90/3269/21

92/3372/22

91/3272/22

86/3066/19

77/2554/12

68/2046/8

59/1539/4

! Macon

57/1434/1

61/1637/3

68/2044/7

76/2450/10

83/2859/15

90/3267/19

92/3370/21

90/3270/21

85/2964/18

77/2551/11

68/2042/6

59/1536/2

! Savannah

60/1638/3

64/1841/5

71/2248/9

78/2653/12

84/2961/16

90/3268/20

92/3372/22

90/3271/22

86/3067/19

78/2656/13

70/2147/8

63/1740/4

Demographics

The United States Census Bureau estimates that the population of Georgia was 9,815,210 on July 1, 2011, a 1.32% increase since the 2010 United States Census.

In 2007, Georgia had an estimated population of 9,544,750 which was an increase of 180,809 from the previous year, and an increase of 1,177,125 since 2000. This includes a natural increase since the last census of 438,939 people (that is 849,414 births minus 410,475 deaths) and an increase from net migration of 606,673 people into the state. Immigration from outside the United States resulted in a net increase of 228,415 people, and migration within the country produced a net increase of 378,258 people.

The state stood sixth in the country for illegal immigrants. There were 35,000 in 1990; the count more than doubled from January 2000 to January 2009, at 480,000.

There were 743,000 veterans in 2009.

Race, language and age

According to the 2010 U.S. Census, Georgia had a population of 9,687,653. In terms of race and ethnicity, the state was 59.7% White (55.9% Non-Hispanic White Alone), 30.5% Black or African American, 0.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 3.2% Asian, 0.1% Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander, 4.0% from Some Other Race, and 2.1% from Two or More Races. Hispanics and Latinos of any race made up 8.8% of the population. The largest ancestry groups are: 10.8% American (mostly British descent), 9.5% Irish, 8.9% English and 8.2% German. In the 1980 census 1,584,303 Georgians cited that they were of English ancestry out of a total state population of 3,994,817 making them 40% of the state, and the largest ethnic group at the time. Today, many of these same people cite that they are of "American" ancestry are actually of English descent and some are of Scots-Irish descent, however they have families that have been in the state so long, in many cases since the colonial period, that they choose to identify simply as having "American" ancestry or do not in fact know their own ancestry. Their ancestry primarily goes back to the original thirteen colonies and for this reason many of them today simply claim "American" ancestry, though they are of predominately English ancestry.

As of 2005, 90% of Georgia residents age 5 and older speak only English at home and 5.6% speak Spanish. French is the third most spoken language at 0.9%, followed by German at 0.8% and Vietnamese at 0.6%. As of 2004, 7.7% of its population was reported as under 5 years of age, 26.4% under 18, and 9.6% were 65 or older. Also as of 2004, females made up approximately 50.6% of the population and African Americans made up approximately 29.6%.

Historically, about half of Georgia's population was composed of African Americans who, prior to the Civil War, were almost exclusively enslaved. The Great Migration of hundreds of thousands of blacks from the rural South to the industrial North from 1914–1970 reduced the African American population.

Georgia had the second fastest growing Asian population growth in the U.S. from 1990 to 2000, more than doubling in size during the ten-year period. In addition, according to census estimates, Georgia ranks third among the states in terms of the percent of the total population that is African American (after Mississippi and Louisiana) and third in numerical Black population after New York and Florida. Georgia was the state with the largest numerical increase in the black population from 2006 to 2007 with 84,000.

Georgia is the state with the third-lowest percentage of older people (65 or older), at 10.1 percent (as of 2008).

The colonial settlement of large numbers of Scottish American, English American and Scotch-Irish Americans in the mountains and piedmont, and coastal settlement by some English Americans and African Americans, have strongly influenced the state's culture in food, language and music. The concentration of Africans imported to coastal areas in the 18th century repeatedly from rice growing regions of West Africa led to the development of Gullah-Geechee language and culture in the Low Country among African Americans. They share a unique heritage in which African traditions of food, religion and culture were continued more than in some other areas. In the creolization of Southern culture, their foodways became an integral part of all Southern cooking in the Low Country.

Largest cities

Religion

Like most other Southern states, Georgia is largely Protestant Christian. The religious affiliations of the people of Georgia are as follows:

Protestant: 70%

* Baptist: 24%

* Methodist: 12%

* Presbyterian: 3%

* Pentecostal: 3%

Catholic: 12%

Other: 3%

Non-religious: 13%

The largest Christian denominations by number of adherents in 2000 were the Southern Baptist Convention with 1,719,484; the United Methodist Church with 570,674; and the Catholic Church with 374,185.

Government

State government

The capital of Georgia is Atlanta. As with all other U.S. states and the federal government, Georgia's government is based on the separation of legislative, executive and judicial power. Executive authority in the state rests with the governor, currently Nathan Deal (Republican). (See List of Governors of Georgia). Both the governor and lieutenant governor are elected on separate ballots to four-year terms of office. Unlike the federal government, but like many other U.S. States, most of the executive officials who comprise the governor's cabinet are elected by the citizens of Georgia rather than appointed by the governor.

Legislative authority resides in the General Assembly, composed of the Senate and House of Representatives. The Lieutenant Governor presides over the Senate, while the House of Representatives selects their own Speaker. The Georgia Constitution mandates a maximum of 56 senators, elected from single-member districts, and a minimum of 180 representatives, apportioned among representative districts (which sometimes results in more than one representative per district); there are currently 56 senators and 180 representatives. The term of office for senators and representatives is two years.

State judicial authority rests with the state Supreme Court and Court of Appeals, which have statewide authority. In addition, there are smaller courts which have more limited geographical jurisdiction, including State Courts, Superior Courts, Magistrate Courts and Probate Courts. Justices of the Supreme Court and judges of the Court of Appeals are elected statewide by the citizens in non-partisan elections to six-year terms. Judges for the smaller courts are elected by the state's citizens who live within that court's jurisdiction to four-year terms.

Local government

Georgia consists of 159 counties, more than any other state except Texas, which consists of 254 counties. Georgia had 161 counties until the end of 1931, when Milton and Campbell were merged into Fulton. Counties have been named for prominent figures in both American and Georgian history, but many bear names with Native American origin. Counties in Georgia have their own elected legislative branch, usually called the Board of Commissioners, which usually also has executive authority in the county. Several counties have a Sole Commissioner government, with legislative and executive authority vested in a single person. Georgia is the only state with Sole Commissioner counties. Georgia's Constitution provides all counties and cities with "home rule" authority, and so the county commissions have considerable power to pass legislation within their county as a municipality would.

Besides the counties, Georgia only defines cities as local units of government. Every incorporated town, no matter how small, is legally a city. Georgia does not provide for townships or independent cities (though there is a movement in the Legislature to provide for townships) but does allow consolidated city-county governments by local referendum. So far, Columbus, Augusta, Athens, and Cusseta have formed consolidated city-county governments (and have excluded any incorporated towns within the new consolidated boundaries). Conyers is studying possibly becoming consolidated with unincorporated Rockdale County. Recently, Savannah has consolidated its police department with the county police department, but efforts toward consolidation with Chatham County have stalled.

There is no true metropolitan government in Georgia, though the Atlanta Regional Commission and Georgia Regional Transportation Authority do provide some services, and the ARC must approve all major land development projects in the Atlanta metropolitan area.

Elections

+ Presidential elections results
! Year	Republican Party (United States)>Republican	Democratic Party (United States)>Democratic
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style="text-align:center; background:#f0f0ff;"
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Until recently, Georgia's state government had the longest unbroken record of single-party dominance, by the Democratic Party, of any state in the Union. This record was established partly by disfranchisement of most blacks and many poor whites in the early 20th century, lasting into the 1960s.

After Reconstruction, white Democrats regained power, especially by legal disfranchisement of most African Americans and many poor whites through erection of barriers to voter registration. In 1900, shortly before Georgia adopted a disfranchising constitutional amendment in 1908, blacks comprised 47% of the state's population. A "clean" franchise was linked by Progressives to electoral reform. White, one-party rule was solidified.

For over 130 years, from 1872 to 2003, Georgians nominated and elected only white Democratic governors, and white Democrats held the majority of seats in the General Assembly. Most of the Democrats elected throughout these years were Southern Democrats or Dixiecrats, who were very conservative by national standards. This continued after the segregationist period, which was ended by court orders in the 1960s. According to the 1960 census, the proportion of Georgia's population that was African American had decreased to 28%. After a Democratic-controlled Congress passed civil rights legislation to secure voting and civil rights in the mid-1960s, most African Americans in the South joined the Democratic Party.

Progress in civil rights was demonstrated with the election of former Georgia Governor Jimmy Carter in 1976 to the U.S. Presidency.

The political dominance of Democrats ended in 2003, when then-Governor Roy Barnes was defeated by Republican Sonny Perdue, a state legislator and former Democrat himself. While Democrats retained control of the State House, they lost their majority in the Senate when four Democrats switched parties. They lost the House in the 2004 election. Republicans now control all three partisan elements of the state government.

Even before 2003, the state had become increasingly supportive of Republicans in Presidential elections. It has supported a Democrat for president only three times since 1960. In 1976 and 1980, native son Jimmy Carter carried the state; in 1992, the former Arkansas governor Bill Clinton narrowly won the state. Generally, Republicans are strongest in the predominantly white suburban (especially the Atlanta suburbs) and rural portions of the state. Many of these areas were represented by conservative Democrats in the state legislature well into the 21st century. One of the most conservative of these was U.S. Congressman Larry McDonald, former head of the John Birch Society who was killed when the Soviet Union shot down KAL 007 near Sakhalin Island. Democratic candidates have tended to win a higher percentage of the vote in the areas where black voters are most numerous,

On April 1, 2009, Senate Resolution 632 passed by a vote of 43–1. It reads in part:

Any Act by the Congress of the United States, Executive Order of the President of the United States of America or Judicial Order by the Judicatories of the United States of America which assumes a power not delegated to the government of the United States of America by the Constitution for the United States of America and which serves to diminish the liberty of the any of the several States or their citizens shall constitute a nullification of the Constitution for the United States of America by the government of the United States of America.

On April 16, Jay Bookman of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution wrote "It wasn’t quite the firing on Fort Sumter that launched the Civil War. But on April 1, your Georgia Senate did threaten by a vote of 43–1 to secede from and even disband the United States."

Economy

Georgia's 2010 total gross state product was $403.1 billion. Its Per Capita personal income for 2007 puts it 37th in the nation at $33,499. If Georgia were a stand-alone country, it would be the 28th largest economy in the world.

There are 15 Fortune 500 companies and 26 Fortune 1000 companies with headquarters in Georgia, including such names as Home Depot, UPS, Coca Cola, Delta Air Lines, Aflac, Southern Company, and SunTrust Banks. Georgia has over 1,700 internationally headquartered facilities representing 43 countries, employing more than 112,000 Georgians with an estimated capital investment of $22.7 billion.

Industry and Commerce

Georgia's agricultural outputs are poultry and eggs, pecans, peaches, cotton, peanuts, rye, cattle, hogs, dairy products, turfgrass, tobacco, and vegetables. Its industrial outputs are textiles and apparel, transportation equipment, cigarettes, food processing, paper products, chemical products, and electric equipment. Tourism also makes an important contribution to the economy. Atlanta has been the site of enormous growth in real estate, service, and communications industries.

Atlanta has a very large effect on the state of Georgia and the Southeastern United States. The city is an ever growing addition to communications, industry, transportation, tourism, and government.

Food is also a major industry in Georgia, with widespread farms producing peanuts, corn, and soybeans across middle and south Georgia. The state is the number one producer of pecans in the world, with the region around Albany in southwest Georgia being the center of Georgia's pecan production. Gainesville in northeast Georgia touts itself as the Poultry Capital of the World.

Industry in Georgia is quite diverse. Major products in the mineral and timber industry include a variety of pines, clays, stones, sands and the clay palygorskite, known as attapulgite. Textile industry is located around the cities of Rome, Columbus, Augusta, Macon and along the I-75 corridor between Atlanta and Chattanooga, Tennessee to include the towns of Cartersville, Calhoun, Ringgold, and Dalton (the Carpet Capital of the World). In November 2009, Kia started production at the first U.S. Kia Motors plant, Kia Motors Manufacturing Georgia in West Point.

Georgia has one of the strongest military presences in the country. Several United States military installations are located in the state including Fort Stewart, Hunter Army Airfield, Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay, Fort Benning, Moody Air Force Base, Robins Air Force Base, Naval Air Station Atlanta, Fort McPherson, Fort Gillem, Fort Gordon, Marine Corps Logistics Base Albany Dobbins Air Reserve Base, Coast Guard Air Station Savannah and Coast Guard Station Brunswick. However, due to the latest round of BRAC cuts, Forts Gillem and McPherson will be closing and NAS Atlanta will be transferred to the Georgia National Guard.

Energy use and production

Georgia's electricity generation and consumption are among the highest in the United States, with coal being the primary electrical generation of fuel. However, the state also has two nuclear power plants which contribute less than one fourth of Georgia's electricity generation. The statistics are 75% coal, 16% nuclear, 7% oil and natural gas, and 1% hydroelectric/other. The leading area of energy consumption is the industrial sector because Georgia "is a leader in the energy-intensive wood and paper products industry".

State taxes

Georgia has a progressive income tax structure with six brackets of state income tax rates that range from 1% to 6%. In 2009, Georgians paid 9.1% of their income in state and local taxes, compared to the US average of 9.8% of income. This ranks Georgia 25th among the states for total state and local tax burden. The state sales tax in Georgia is 6.875%, but there is no sales tax on prescription drugs, certain medical devices, or food items for home consumption.

The state legislature may allow municipalities to institute local sales taxes and special local taxes, such as the 2% SPLOST tax and the 1% sales tax for MARTA serviced counties. Excise taxes are levied on alcohol, tobacco, and motor fuel. Owners of real property in Georgia pay property tax to their county. All taxes are collected by the Georgia Department of Revenue and then properly distributed according to any agreements that each county has with its cities.

Tourism

In the Atlanta area, Zoo Atlanta and Stone Mountain are tourist attractions. Stone Mountain receives several million tourists per year. Atlanta also hosts the Georgia Aquarium. The ten-million-gallon aquarium is billed as the largest in the world and features more marine species than any other aquarium.

Callaway Gardens, in western Georgia, is a family resort.

The Savannah Historic District attracts over eleven million tourists each year.

Cultural

Fine and performing arts

Georgia's major fine art museums include the High Museum of Art and the Michael C. Carlos Museum, both in Atlanta; the Telfair Museum of Art in Savannah; and the Morris Museum of Art in Augusta.

The Atlanta Opera brings opera to Georgia stages. The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra is the most widely recognized orchestra and largest arts organization in the southeastern United States.

There are a number of performing arts venues in the state, among the largest are the Fox Theatre, and the Alliance Theatre at the Woodruff Arts Center, both on Peachtree Street in Midtown Atlanta.

Literature

The rich heritage and southern antebellum atmosphere of Georgia has given rise to a great number of works such as Margaret Mitchell's ''Gone with the Wind'', Olive Ann Burns' ''Cold Sassy Tree'', and Alice Walker's ''The Color Purple''.

Georgia has also given rise to many prominent authors, poets and playwrights such as James Dickey, Sidney Lanier and Lewis Grizzard.

Film

The state film commission was established in 1973; the agency is now referred to as the Georgia Film, Music and Digital Entertainment Office. Since 1972, seven hundred film and television projects have been filmed on location in Georgia. In 2008–2009, Georgia's film and television industry created a $1.15 billion economic impact on the state's economy.

Sports

Sports in Georgia include professional teams in all major sports, Olympic Games contenders and medalists, collegiate teams in major and small-school conferences and associations, and active amateur teams and individual sports. The state of Georgia has a team in seven major professional leagues (MLB, NFL, NBA, ABA, AFL, IL, and ECHL).

NBA superstars Dwight Howard, Josh Smith,and Louis Williams, Heavyweight champion boxer Evander Holyfield are from Atlanta and wrestling superstar Hulk Hogan is from Augusta.

Parks and recreation

There are 63 parks in Georgia, 48 of which are state parks and 15 that are historic sites, and numerous state wildlife preserves, under the supervision of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources. Other historic sites and parks are supervised by the National Park Service and include the Andersonville National Historic Site in Andersonville; Appalachian National Scenic Trail; Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area near Atlanta; Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park at Fort Oglethorpe; Cumberland Island National Seashore near St. Marys; Fort Frederica National Monument on St. Simons Island; Fort Pulaski National Monument in Savannah; Jimmy Carter National Historic Site near Plains; Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park near Kennesaw; Martin Luther King, Jr., National Historic Site in Atlanta; Ocmulgee National Monument at Macon; Trail of Tears National Historic Trail; and the Okefenokee Swamp in Waycross, Georgia

Outdoor recreational activities include hiking along the Appalachian Trail; Civil War Heritage Trails; rock climbing and whitewater paddling. Other outdoor activities include hunting and fishing.

Education

Georgia high schools (grades nine through twelve) are required to administer a standardized, multiple choice End of Course Test, or EOCT, in each of eight core subjects including Algebra I, Geometry, U.S. History, Economics, Biology, Physical Science, Ninth Grade Literature and Composition, and American Literature and Composition. The official purpose of the tests is to assess "specific content knowledge and skills." Although a minimum test score is not required for the student to receive credit in the course, completion of the test is mandatory. The EOCT score comprises 15% of a student's grade in the course. The Criterion-Referenced Competency Tests (CRCT) is taken in 1st–8th grade.

High school students must also receive passing scores on four Georgia High School Graduation Tests (GHSGT) and the Georgia High School Writing Assessment in order to receive a diploma. Subjects assessed include Mathematics, Science, Language Arts, and Social Studies. These tests are initially offered during students' eleventh-grade year, allowing for multiple opportunities to pass the tests before graduation at the end of twelfth grade.

Georgia has almost 70 public colleges, universities, and technical colleges in addition to over 45 private institutes of higher learning.

The HOPE Scholarship, funded by the state lottery, is available to all Georgia residents who have graduated from high school or earned a General Educational Development certificate. The student must maintain a 3.0 or higher grade point average and attend a public college or university in the state.

Media

The Atlanta metropolitan area is the ninth largest media market in the United States as ranked by Nielsen Media Research. The state's other top markets are Savannah (95th largest), Augusta, Georgia (115th largest), and Columbus (127th largest).

There are 48 television broadcast stations in Georgia including TBS, TNT, TCM, Cartoon Network, CNN and Headline News, all founded by Notable Georgia Resident Ted Turner.

By far, the largest daily newspaper in Georgia is the Atlanta-Journal Constitution with a daily readership of 195,592 and a Sunday readership of 397,925. Other large publications include ''The Augusta Chronicle'', the ''Columbus Ledger-Enquirer'', ''The Telegraph'' (formerly ''The Macon Telegraph'') and the ''Savannah Morning News''.

WSB-AM in Atlanta was the first licensed radio station in the southeastern United States, signing on in 1922. Georgia Public Radio has been in service since 1984 and, with the exception of Atlanta, it broadcasts daily on several FM (and one AM) stations across the state. Georgia Public Radio reaches nearly all of Georgia (with the exception of the Atlanta area, which is served by WABE).

Infrastructure

Transportation

Transportation in Georgia is overseen by the Georgia Department of Transportation, a part of the executive branch of the state government. Georgia's major Interstate Highways are I-75 and I-85. On March 18, 1998, the Georgia House of Representatives passed a resolution naming the portion of Interstate Highway 75, which runs from the Chattahoochee River northward to the Tennessee state line the Larry McDonald Memorial Highway. Larry McDonald, a Democratic member of the House of Representatives, had been on Korean Air Lines Flight 007 when it was shot down by the Soviets on September 1, 1983.

Georgia's primary commercial airport is Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL), and is the world's busiest passenger airport. In addition to Hartsfield-Jackson, there are eight other airports serving major commercial traffic in Georgia. Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport is the second-busiest airport in the state as measured by passengers served, and is the only additional international airport. Other commercial airports (ranked in order of passengers served) are located in Augusta, Columbus, Albany, Macon, Brunswick, Valdosta, and Athens.

The Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) is the principal rapid transit system in the Atlanta metropolitan area. Formed in 1971 as strictly a bus system, MARTA operates a network of bus routes linked to a rapid transit system consisting of of rail track with 38 train stations. MARTA operates almost exclusively in Fulton and DeKalb counties, with bus service to two destinations in Cobb county and the Cumberland Transfer Center next to the Cumberland Mall, and a single rail station in Clayton County at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. MARTA also operates a separate paratransit service for disabled customers. , the average total daily ridership for the system (bus and rail) was 482,500 passengers.

Health care

The state has 151 general hospitals, over 15,000 doctors and almost 6,000 dentists. The state is ranked forty-first in the percentage of residents who engage in regular exercise.

Cities

Atlanta, located in north-central Georgia at the Eastern Continental Divide, has been Georgia's capital city since 1868. It is the most populous city in Georgia, with just over 420,000 residents in 2010.

The Atlanta metropolitan area is the cultural and economic center of the Southeast, and its population in 2010 was 5,268,860, or 53.6% of Georgia's total. Atlanta is the nation's ninth largest metropolitan area.

The state has fourteen other cities with populations above 50,000 (based on 2010 census). In descending order of size they are Augusta, Columbus, Savannah, Athens, Sandy Springs, Macon, Roswell, Albany, Johns Creek, Warner Robins, Alpharetta, Marietta, Valdosta and Smyrna.

Along with the rest of the Southeast, Georgia's population continues to grow rapidly, with primary gains concentrated in urban areas. The population of the Atlanta metropolitan area added 1.23 million people (24 percent) between 2000 and 2010, and Atlanta rose in rank from the eleventh largest metropolitan area in the United States to the ninth largest.

State symbols

Amphibian: American Green Tree Frog

Bird: Brown Thrasher

Butterfly: Eastern Tiger Swallowtail

Fish: Largemouth bass

Flower: Cherokee Rose

Insect: European honey bee

Mammal: Right whale

Reptile: Gopher tortoise

Tree: Live oak

Dance: Square dance

Food: Grits, Peach, Vidalia onion

Fossil: Shark tooth

Gem: Quartz

Mineral: Staurolite

Rock: Granite

Shell: Knobbed Whelk

Soil: Tifton

Song: ''Georgia on My Mind''

Nicknames:

:*''Peach State'' :*''Empire State of the South''.

See also

Outline of Georgia (U.S. state)

Index of Georgia (U.S. state)-related articles

List of National Register of Historic Places in Georgia

List of people from Georgia (U.S. state)

List of places in Georgia (U.S. state)

The Oglethorpe Plan

U.S. state

References

Walker, V. (2005). "Organized resistance and black educators' quest for school equality", 1878–1938. ''Teachers College Record'', 107, 355–388.

Further reading

''New Georgia Encyclopedia'' (2005).

Bartley, Numan V. ''The Creation of Modern Georgia'' (1990). Covers 1865–1990 period. ISBN 0-8203-1183-9.

Coleman, Kenneth. ed. ''A History of Georgia'' (1991). ISBN 0-8203-1269-X.

London, Bonnie Bullard. (2005) ''Georgia and the American Experience'' Atlanta, Georgia: Clairmont Press ISBN 1-56733-100-9. A middle school textbook.

Peirce, Neal R. ''The Deep South States of America: People, Politics, and Power in the Seven Deep South States'' (1974). Information on politics and economics 1960–72. ISBN 0-393-05496-9.

External links

Georgia state government website

Georgia state information and cities

Georgia State Guide, from the Library of Congress

Official Georgia Tourism Website

Georgia Archives – Official archives of the State of Georgia.

Summary of duties, powers and responsibilities of the branches of Georgia state government (Georgia Secretary of State website)

Energy Profile for Georgia

USGS real-time, geographic, and other scientific resources of Georgia

U.S. Census Bureau

The New Georgia Encyclopedia

Georgia Guide

Digital Library of Georgia

Georgia State Databases – Annotated list of searchable databases produced by Georgia state agencies and compiled by the Government Documents Roundtable of the American Library Association.

Georgia Constitution Web Page, Carl Vinson Institute of Government at The University of Georgia (includes historical Constitutions of Georgia)

Category:Former British colonies Category:States and territories established in 1788 Category:States of the Confederate States of America Category:States of the Southern United States Category:States of the United States

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name	Sir Nick Faldo
fullname	Nicholas Alexander Faldo
birth date	July 18, 1957
birth place	Welwyn Garden City, Herts.
death date
height
weight
nationality
residence	Orlando, Florida, U.S.
children	Natalie (b. 1986), Matthew (b. 1989), Georgia (b. 1993), Emma Scarlet (b. 2003)
yearpro	1976
retired
tour	PGA TourEuropean TourChampions Tour
prowins	40
pgawins	9
eurowins	30 (5th all time)
champwins
japwins
asiawins
sunwins
auswins
otherwins	7
majorwins	6
masters	Won: 1989, 1990, 1996
usopen	2nd: 1988
open	Won: 1987, 1990, 1992
pga	T2: 1992
wghofid	1014
wghofyear	1997
award1	Member of the Orderof the British Empire
year1	1998
award2	European TourOrder of Merit winner
year2	1983, 1992
award3	European TourPlayer of the Year
year3	1989, 1990, 1992
award4	European TourRookie of the Year
year4	1977
award5	PGA Player of the Year
year5	1990
award6	BBC SportsPersonality of the Year
year6	1989
awardssection	}}

Sir Nicholas Alexander Faldo (born 18 July 1957) is an English professional golfer on the European Tour who now mainly works as an on air golf analyst. Over his career, he has won six majors: three Open Championships and three Masters. He was ranked the World No. 1 on the Official World Golf Rankings for a total of 98 weeks.

In 2006, Faldo became the lead golf analyst for CBS Sports.

Tournament career

Faldo was born in Welwyn Garden City, England. He borrowed some clubs from his neighbours after watching Jack Nicklaus play the 1971 Masters on television. While working as a carpet fitter, Faldo won the English Amateur and the British Youths Championship in 1975. He turned professional in 1976 and quickly achieved success, finishing 8th on the European Tour Order of Merit in 1977 and 3rd in 1978 and winning a European Tour event in each of those seasons. In the former year he became the youngest player to appear in the Ryder Cup at the age of 21. Faldo was one of the leading players on the European Tour in the early 1980s, and he topped the Order of Merit in 1983.

However, feeling that he needed to refine his game in order to become a regular contender in major championships (British tabloids even dubbed him "Nick Foldo" after collapses at the 1983 Open Championship and the 1984 Masters), he spent the mid-1980s remodelling his swing under the tutelage of David Leadbetter. His performances dropped off for a couple of years as the changes occurred, but by 1987 he was playing at an even higher level, and he claimed his first major title at that year's Open Championship. He beat American Paul Azinger by one stroke, having parred every hole in his final round. Azinger held the lead for a time, but bogeyed both seventeen and eighteen.

In the late 1980s and early 1990s, Faldo was considered the best golfer in the world. He was noted for being remarkably composed under pressure, intimidating to his opponents, and won more of the four professional major tournaments (Faldo won six) than any other player in the world from 1987 through 1996 (Nick Price was second with three major victories during this period; Seve Ballesteros, a contemporary of Faldo's from Spain, won five majors from 1979 to 1988). He won the Open Championship again in 1990 in St Andrews, Scotland by six shots, and claimed it for a third time in 1992, outplaying American John Cook. He also won two more majors when he won the Masters Tournament in 1989 and 1990. At the 1989 Masters, he shot a 65, the low round of the tournament, to get into a playoff with Scott Hoch. He won the playoff after holing a somewhat lengthy putt on the 2nd playoff hole (Hoch had missed a 2-foot putt to win on the first playoff hole). At the 1990 Masters, he came from behind again to get into a playoff with Raymond Floyd, once again winning on the second playoff hole after Floyd pulled his approach shot into a pond left of the green. Faldo spent a total of 98 weeks altogether at the top of the Official World Golf Rankings, and claimed the European Tour Order of Merit a second time in 1992. During that time, Faldo said of his success: "The run doesn't have to end. If someone is going to beat me then I'm going to make sure they've worked for their victory. Let them come and get it from me." That year, he had worldwide earnings of £1,558,978, breaking the existing record.

Throughout this time, he remained a European Tour player while also visiting America regularly and playing events around the world, but in 1995 he decided to concentrate on playing on the PGA Tour, as his priority was to win further major championships (and three out of the four majors are played in the United States). At first this strategy didn't seem to work, as he had a moderate 1995 season and start to the 1996 season, but he won a famous victory at the 1996 Masters to collect his sixth and final major championship. He went into the final round trailing Greg Norman by six shots, but was the beneficiary of an infamous Sunday collapse by Norman; Faldo shot a 67 to win by five over Norman, who struggled mightily en route to a 78. Though this is commonly remembered as the tournament Norman threw away, Faldo's 67 was a memorable display of concentration and consistency which put pressure on Norman. After Faldo finished, he hugged Norman and whispered something in his ear, which years later Norman confirmed to have included the line "Don't let the bastards get you down," a reference to the media, which Faldo assumed would aggressively hound Norman for the loss. Norman said in interview after defeat that "He (Faldo) had gone way, way up in my estimations." Since then they have become firm friends and fishing partners, a passion they both share.

Faldo was named the PGA Tour Player of the Year in 1990 and the European Tour Player of the Year in 1989, 1990 and 1992, and has won 29 European Tour titles. As Faldo entered his forties, his form gradually declined and he devoted more time to off-course activities. The last season that he played regularly on the PGA Tour was 2001. Afterwards, he refocused on the European Tour, but has consistently played less than a full schedule. His most recent top-10 finish in a major to date (and quite probably the final of his career) was a tie for eighth place at the 2003 Open Championship. As of July 2005, his career European Tour earnings are just under €8 million, and his PGA Tour earnings are over $5 million.

Faldo is also the most successful Ryder Cup player ever, having won the most points of any player on either team and having represented the European Team a record 11 times and played a key role in making Europe competitive in the event. Having won 23 of his matches, lost 19, and halved 4, he also holds the record for having played the most Ryder Cup matches. He also holds the record for the most points won by any player 25 and is one of only six players to have scored a hole-in-one in the Ryder Cup.

While Faldo's professional individual tournament wins (39) pale in quantity to that of contemporaries Greg Norman, Seve Ballesteros, and Bernhard Langer, the prestige and stature of his successes are impressive, and he has more major victories than any of these players. His CV boasts (often multiple) successes in high-profile tour events such as the French Open, Irish Open, Spanish Open, Swiss Open (now European Masters), the European PGA, the British Masters, the European Open, the Johnnie Walker Classic, and the Volvo Masters, as well as his Nissan Open, Doral Open, and Heritage successes in the US. These wins are not only supplemented by his six majors, but also by his wins in invitational events such as the Nedbank Million Dollar Challenge, the Johnnie Walker World Golf Championship, and the World Matchplay, as well as his team successes in the Dunhill Cup, the World Cup of Golf, and of course the Ryder Cup. In the first half of 2007, Faldo did not appear in any regular tour events. He did play in the 2007 British Open, missing the cut. In his first Champions Tour event, he finished tied for 14th in the Senior British Open.

On Tuesday 20 May 2008, Faldo confirmed that he would not take part in the 2008 Open at Birkdale. It was the first time he had not taken part in the competition since failing to qualify as an amateur in 1975. He entered himself into the 2009 Open Championship at Turnberry and the 2010 Open Championship at St Andrews, missing the 36 hole cut at both events.

Ryder Cup captaincy

Faldo was selected as captain of the European Ryder Cup team in 2008. The 37th Ryder Cup Golf Tournament was won 16½ – 11½ by Team USA to end the streak of three successive victories for Team Europe. This was Team USA's largest margin of victory since 1981, and the first time since 1979 the Americans had the lead after every session of play. It was held at the Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, Kentucky, USA, which was a contributing factor in Faldo getting the captaincy; he had lived and worked in America for over a decade.

Faldo had made a bold move to pick Ian Poulter as his wild card ahead of the much favoured Darren Clarke. This decision, questioned by many, paid off when Poulter emerged as the top scorer in the tournament. Faldo's relationship with the media during the competition was very erratic. During practice, photographers had taken pictures of him holding a list of names, seemingly outlining the partnerships for the coming days. In the following press conference, he denied the list had any part in his tactics and seemed very irritated by continuing questions about it. Another controversial move was to play Sergio García and Lee Westwood, the two most experienced and successful Ryder cup players on his team, for only one session on the Saturday. His team selection was vindicated, however, as Europe finished the day 1 point ahead, closing the gap to 2 points behind the USA. On the final day of the competition, Faldo decided to play a "bottom heavy" tactic, where the best players would start lower down the order, thus if it went to a close finish, Europe would have its best players in play. This tactic seemed to backfire, as the USA, leading by 2 at the start of the day, gained the 5 points they required by the eighth match rendering the last four irrelevant. This led to some severe criticism of Faldo's strategic skills. His cause was not helped by the poor performances of the three most experienced players on the European side, Pádraig Harrington, Sergio García, and Lee Westwood, who failed to win a single match between them.

Broadcasting career

After cutting back on his playing schedule, Faldo became a broadcaster for ABC Sports' PGA Tour coverage, where he worked from 2004 to 2006. While never considered to be a particularly charismatic player, Faldo surprised many fans with his dry, British wit and insightful commentary as part of the ABC team.

On 3 October 2006, it was announced that Faldo had signed a contract with CBS to replace Lanny Wadkins, to become the network's lead golf analyst. ''"I view this as a fabulous opportunity for me, which may come once every 10 years. But it will seriously curtail my playing career. My playing days aren't completely over but my priority now is given to CBS."'' Faldo's decision meant he missed the 2007 Masters, an event he had won three times. In 2007 he became the Golf Channel's lead golf analyst for their coverage on the PGA Tour.

Other activities and awards

In 1991 Faldo launched his golf course design practice Faldo Design, which has designed or remodelled dozens of courses spread across several continents. Designs include Chart Hills Golf Club (Kent, England), Sporting Club Berlin, Ocean Dunes, Vietnam, Cottonwood Hills near Hutchinson, Kansas, and the Wadi course (now named The Faldo) at Emirates Golf Club, Dubai. Faldo will be designing a championship golf course and a golf academy at Lavasa, India.

As way of opening his first course design in the UK (Charthills) in Kent, Faldo teed up on the dog-leg right par four. He drove in to the middle-right of the fairway, he then teed another ball and drove off, the two balls finished within 6 inches of each other and to this day can be seen set in to the fairway in a protective case. This was a mark of the man's ability at his peak. So far he did as well several oversea golf course designs like The Fortress at Louisbourg Resort Golf & Spa on Cape Breton Island, Canada. Most recently, he designed a world-class course in San Miguel de Allende, México. Ventanas de San Miguel hosts an 18 hole par-70 course to be opened in late 2010. He has other business interests including coaching schools and pro shops. In 1996 he launched the Faldo Series to provide opportunities to young European golfers both male and female.

There are over 1,200 participants between the ages of 12 and 21 each year and the top 60 players qualify for the Faldo Series Final, hosted each year by Faldo at the Lough Erne Golf Resort, Northern Ireland. The most notable graduates include Rory McIlroy, Yani Tseng, and Nick Dougherty. The registered charity has also expanded to Asia, where players compete for a place in the Faldo Series Asia Final, hosted at Mission Hills Golf Club, Shenzen, China (A Faldo Design course).

Faldo has written several golf instructional books.

Along with the Marriott hotel chain, Faldo established The Faldo Golf Institute in 1997. This is a golf instructional program designed to help golfers of every level improve their skills and enjoyment of golf. The Institute has five locations: Orlando, Florida; Atlantic City, New Jersey; Palm Desert, California; Marco Island, Florida; and Hertfordshire, UK.

In 2007, Mercedes-Benz tapped Faldo to act as brand ambassador, to promote the revival of the Maybach brand of ultra-luxury automobiles.

Knighthood and other honours

Faldo was voted BBC Sports Personality of the Year in 1989 and inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1997. In 2000, Faldo was ranked 18th greatest golfer of all time by ''Golf Digest'' magazine.

He was awarded the MBE in 1998, then knighted in the 2009 Birthday Honours for his services to golf.

Personal life

Faldo met his first wife, Melanie Rockall, when he was 21. They married in 1979, but five years later they parted when she discovered he was having an affair with his manager's secretary, Gill Bennett. His divorce from Rockall came before his championship successes, and her settlement was relatively small. He married Bennett in 1986, and the couple had three children: Natalie, Matthew, and Georgia. They split up in 1995 after Faldo began a relationship with 20-year-old American golfing student Brenna Cepelak.

The three-year affair with Cepelak ended when Faldo met Valerie Bercher. The spurned Cepelak famously battered Faldo's Porsche 959 with a golf club, causing £10,000 damage. Faldo's relationship with Bercher, a Swiss PR agent, began in 1998 when they met at the European Masters golf tournament. At the time, Bercher was working for marketing company IMG. She left her fiance Olivier Delaloye and married Faldo in July 2001 (the same day as his ex-caddie Fanny Sunesson got married, in a different location) in a lavish ceremony at his Windsor home, and they have a daughter Emma Scarlet (born 2003). It was announced in May 2006 that Faldo had filed for divorce.

Golf World famously summed up the true mark of genius when they profiled the careers of Faldo and his arch rival for many years Greg Norman: "Norman has played and won more events: 87–43; however, Faldo has won more US and European tour titles: 36–34. Norman has won more money; Faldo has won more majors: 6–2. Norman has won more friends, Faldo more admirers."

Faldo is a supporter of the Conservative Party.

Professional wins (40)

PGA Tour wins (9)

{| style="width:53%;" |- | style="width:33%; vertical-align:top; text-align:left;"|

Legend

Major Championships (6)

Other PGA Tour (3)

|}

!No.	!Date	!Tournament	!Winning Score	!Margin of Victory	!Runner(s)-up
1		Sea Pines Heritage	-18 (66–67–68–69=270)	1 stroke	Tom Kite
2		The Open Championship	-5 (69–68–71–71=279)	1 stroke	Paul Azinger, Rodger Davis
3		Masters Tournament	-5 (68–73–77–65=283)	Playoff	Scott Hoch
4		Masters Tournament	-10 (71–72–66–69=278)	Playoff	Raymond Floyd
5		The Open Championship	-14 (65–67–65–71=270)	5 strokes	Mark McNulty, Payne Stewart
6		The Open Championship	-8 (66–64–69–73=272)	1 stroke
7		Doral-Ryder Open	-15 (67–71–66–69=273)	1 stroke	Peter Jacobsen, Greg Norman
8		Masters Tournament	-12 (69–67–73–67=276)	5 strokes	Greg Norman
9		Nissan Open	-12 (66–70–68–68=272)	3 strokes	Craig Stadler

European Tour wins (30)

{| style="width:53%;" |- | style="width:33%; vertical-align:top; text-align:left;"|

Legend

Major Championships (6)

Other European Tour (24)

|}

!No.	!Date	!Tournament	!Winning Score	!Margin ofVictory	!Runner(s)-up
1	17 Aug 1977	Skol Lager Individual	-5 (68–71=139)	Playoff	Craig Defoy, Chris Witcher
2	29 May 1978	Colgate PGA Championship	-10 (71–68–70–69=278)	7 strokes
3	26 May 1980	Sun Alliance PGA Championship	+3 (73–70–71–69=283)	1 stroke	Ken Brown
4	25 May 1981	Sun Alliance PGA Championship	-10 (68–70–67–79=274)	4 strokes	Ken Brown, Neil Coles
5	19 Sep 1982	Haig Whisky TPC	-18 (69–67–65–69=270)	3 strokes	Manuel Calero
6	8 May 1983	Paco Rabanne Open de France	-11 (69–67–72–69=277)	Playoff	José Maria Cañizares, David J Russell, Seve Ballesteros
7	15 May 1983	Martini International	-12 (67–69–66–66=268)	Playoff	José Maria Cañizares
8	22 May 1983	Car Care Plan International	-8 (67–68–68–69=272)	1 stroke
9	24 Jul 1983	Lawrence Batley International	-18 (71–69–64–62=266)	4 strokes	Warren Humphreys, Brian Waites, Paul Way
10	11 Sep 1983	Ebel Swiss Open-European Masters	-20 (70–64–68–66=268)	Playoff	Sandy Lyle
11	13 May 1984	Car Care Plan International	-12 (69–70–66–71=276)	1 stroke	Howard Clark
12	17 May 1987	Peugeot Spanish Open	-2 (72–71–71–72=286)	2 strokes	Hugh Baiocchi, Seve Ballesteros
13	19 Jul 1987	The Open Championship	-5 (68–69–71–71=279)	1 stroke	Paul Azinger, Rodger Davis
14	26 Jun 1988	Peugeot Open de France	-6 (71–67–68–68=274)	2 strokes	Denis Durnian, Wayne Riley
15	30 Oct 1988	Volvo Masters	-4 (74–71–71–68=284)	2 strokes	Seve Ballesteros
16	9 Apr 1989	Masters Tournament	-5 (68–73–77–65=283)	Playoff	Scott Hoch
17	30 May 1989	Volvo PGA Championship	-16 (67–69–69–67=272)	2 strokes	Ian Woosnam
18	4 Jun 1989	Dunhill British Masters	-21 (71–65–65–66=267)	4 strokes	Ronan Rafferty
19	2 Jul 1989	Peugeot Open de France	-7 (70–70–64–69=273)	1 stroke	Hugh Baiocchi, Bernhard Langer, Mark Roe
20	8 Apr 1990	Masters Tournament	-10 (71–72–66–69=278)	Playoff	Raymond Floyd
21	22 Jul 1990	The Open Championship	-18 (67–65–67–71=270)	5 strokes	Mark McNulty, Payne Stewart
22	23 Jun 1991	Carroll's Irish Open	-5 (68–75–70–70=283)	3 strokes	Colin Montgomerie
23	7 Jun 1992	Carroll's Irish Open	-14 (66–65–68–75=274)	Playoff	Wayne Westner
24	19 Jul 1992	The Open Championship	-12 (66–64–69–73=272)	1 stroke
25	2 Aug 1992	Scandinavian Masters	-11 (70–72–66–69=277)	3 strokes	Robert Allenby, Peter Baker (golfer)
26	13 Sep 1992	[[GA European Open	-18 (67–66–64–65=262)	3 strokes	Robert Karlsson
27	7 Feb 1993	Johnnie Walker Classic	-11 (67–68–66–68=169)	1 stroke	Colin Montgomerie
28	4 Jul 1993	Carroll's Irish Open	-12 (72–67–72–65=276)	Playoff	José María Olazábal
29	5 Jun 1994	Alfred Dunhill Open	-5 (67–74–67–71=279)	Playoff	Joakim Haeggman
30	14 Apr 1996	Masters Tournament	-12 (69–67–73–67=276)	5 strokes	Greg Norman

Other wins (7)

1979 ICL International (South African Tour)

1989 Suntory World Match Play Championship (England – not an official European Tour event at that time)

1990 Johnnie Walker Classic (Asia – the European Tour first sanctioned this event in 1992)

1992 Toyota World Match Play Championship (England – not an official European Tour event at that time), Johnnie Walker World Golf Championship (Jamaica – unofficial event)

1994 Nedbank Million Dollar Challenge (South Africa – unofficial event)

1998 World Cup of Golf (with David Carter)

Major championships

Wins (6)

{|class="sortable wikitable" !Year!!Championship!!54 Holes!!Winning Score!!Margin!!Runner(s)-up |- style="background:#abcdef;" | 1987 ||The Open Championship ||1 shot deficit ||−5 (68–69–71–71=279) ||1 stroke || Paul Azinger, Rodger Davis |- style="background:#d0f0c0;" | 1989 ||Masters Tournament ||5 shot deficit ||−5 (68–73–77–65=283) ||Playoff ¹ || Scott Hoch |- style="background:#d0f0c0;" | 1990 ||Masters Tournament (2)||3 shot deficit ||−10 (71–72–66–69=278) ||Playoff ² || Raymond Floyd |- style="background:#abcdef;" | 1990 ||The Open Championship (2)||5 shot lead ||−18 (67–65–67–71=270) ||5 strokes || Mark McNulty, Payne Stewart |- style="background:#abcdef;" | 1992 ||The Open Championship (3)||4 shot lead ||−12 (66–64–69–73=272) ||1 stroke || John Cook |- style="background:#d0f0c0;" | 1996 ||Masters Tournament (3)||6 shot deficit ||−12 (69–67–73–67=276) ||5 strokes || Greg Norman |} ¹ Defeated Scott Hoch in sudden death playoff – Faldo (5–3=8), Hoch (5–4=9) ² Defeated Raymond Floyd in sudden death playoff – Faldo (4–4=8), Floyd (4–5=9)

Results timeline

{| cellpadding="3" cellspacing="0" border="1" style="font-size: 95%; border: #aaa solid 1px; border-collapse: collapse;" |- style="background:#eee;" !align="left"|Tournament !!1976 !! 1977 !! 1978 !! 1979 |- |The Masters | style="text-align:center;"|DNP | style="text-align:center;"|DNP | style="text-align:center;"|DNP | style="text-align:center;"|40 |- |U.S. Open | style="text-align:center;"|DNP | style="text-align:center;"|DNP | style="text-align:center;"|DNP | style="text-align:center;"|DNP |- |The Open Championship | style="text-align:center;"|T28 | style="text-align:center;"|T62 | style="text-align:center; background:yellow;"|T7 | style="text-align:center;"|T19 |- |PGA Championship | style="text-align:center;"|DNP | style="text-align:center;"|DNP | style="text-align:center;"|DNP | style="text-align:center;"|DNP |}

{| cellpadding="3" cellspacing="0" border="1" style="font-size: 95%; border: #aaa solid 1px; border-collapse: collapse;" |- style="background:#eee;" !align="left"|Tournament !!1980 !! 1981 !! 1982 !! 1983 !! 1984 !! 1985 !! 1986 !! 1987 !! 1988 !! 1989 |- |The Masters | style="text-align:center;"|DNP | style="text-align:center;"|DNP | style="text-align:center;"|DNP | style="text-align:center;"|T20 | style="text-align:center;"|T15 | style="text-align:center;"|T25 | style="text-align:center;"|DNP | style="text-align:center;"|DNP | style="text-align:center;"|T30 | style="text-align:center; background:#0f0;"|1 |- |U.S. Open | style="text-align:center;"|DNP | style="text-align:center;"|DNP | style="text-align:center;"|DNP | style="text-align:center;"|DNP | style="text-align:center;"|T55 | style="text-align:center;"|DNP | style="text-align:center;"|DNP | style="text-align:center;"|DNP | style="text-align:center; background:yellow;"|2 | style="text-align:center;"|T18 |- |The Open Championship | style="text-align:center;"|T12 | style="text-align:center;"|T11 | style="text-align:center; background:yellow;"|T4 | style="text-align:center; background:yellow;"|T8 | style="text-align:center; background:yellow;"|T6 | style="text-align:center;"|T53 | style="text-align:center; background:yellow;"|5 | style="text-align:center; background:#0f0;"|1 | style="text-align:center; background:yellow;"|3 | style="text-align:center;"|T11 |- |PGA Championship | style="text-align:center;"|DNP | style="text-align:center;"|DNP | style="text-align:center;"|T14 | style="text-align:center;"|CUT | style="text-align:center;"|T20 | style="text-align:center;"|T54 | style="text-align:center;"|CUT | style="text-align:center;"|T28 | style="text-align:center; background:yellow;"|T4 | style="text-align:center; background:yellow;"|T9 |}

{| cellpadding="3" cellspacing="0" border="1" style="font-size: 95%; border: #aaa solid 1px; border-collapse: collapse;" |- style="background:#eee;" !align="left"|Tournament !! 1990 !! 1991 !! 1992 !! 1993 !! 1994 !! 1995 !! 1996 !! 1997 !! 1998 !! 1999 |- |The Masters | style="text-align:center; background:#0f0;"|1 | style="text-align:center;"|T12 | style="text-align:center;"|T13 | style="text-align:center;"|T39 | style="text-align:center;"|32 | style="text-align:center;"|T24 | style="text-align:center; background:#0f0;"|1 | style="text-align:center;"|CUT | style="text-align:center;"|CUT | style="text-align:center;"|CUT |- |U.S. Open | style="text-align:center; background:yellow;"|T3 | style="text-align:center;"|T16 | style="text-align:center; background:yellow;"|T4 | style="text-align:center;"|T72 | style="text-align:center;"|CUT | style="text-align:center;"|T45 | style="text-align:center;"|T16 | style="text-align:center;"|T48 | style="text-align:center;"|CUT | style="text-align:center;"|CUT |- |The Open Championship | style="text-align:center; background:#0f0;"|1 | style="text-align:center;"|T17 | style="text-align:center; background:#0f0;"|1 | style="text-align:center; background:yellow;"|2 | style="text-align:center; background:yellow;"|T8 | style="text-align:center;"|T40 | style="text-align:center; background:yellow;"|4 | style="text-align:center;"|T51 | style="text-align:center;"|T44 | style="text-align:center;"|CUT |- |PGA Championship | style="text-align:center;"|T19 | style="text-align:center;"|T16 | style="text-align:center; background:yellow;"|T2 | style="text-align:center; background:yellow;"|3 | style="text-align:center; background:yellow;"|T4 | style="text-align:center;"|T31 | style="text-align:center;"|T65 | style="text-align:center;"|CUT | style="text-align:center;"|T54 | style="text-align:center;"|T41 |}

{| cellpadding="3" cellspacing="0" border="1" style="font-size: 95%; border: #aaa solid 1px; border-collapse: collapse;" |- style="background:#eee;" !align="left"|Tournament !! 2000 !! 2001 !! 2002 !! 2003 !! 2004 !! 2005 !! 2006 !! 2007 !! 2008 !! 2009 |- |The Masters | style="text-align:center;"|T28 | style="text-align:center;"|CUT | style="text-align:center;"|T14 | style="text-align:center;"|T33 | style="text-align:center;"|CUT | style="text-align:center;"|WD | style="text-align:center;"|CUT | style="text-align:center;"|DNP | style="text-align:center;"|DNP | style="text-align:center;"|DNP |- |U.S. Open | style="text-align:center; background:yellow;"|7 | style="text-align:center;"|T72 | style="text-align:center; background:yellow;"|T5 | style="text-align:center;"|CUT | style="text-align:center;"|CUT | style="text-align:center;"|DNP | style="text-align:center;"|DNP | style="text-align:center;"|DNP | style="text-align:center;"|DNP | style="text-align:center;"|DNP |- |The Open Championship | style="text-align:center;"|T41 | style="text-align:center;"|CUT | style="text-align:center;"|T59 | style="text-align:center; background:yellow;"|T8 | style="text-align:center;"|CUT | style="text-align:center;"|T11 | style="text-align:center;"|CUT | style="text-align:center;"|CUT | style="text-align:center;"|DNP | style="text-align:center;"|CUT |- |PGA Championship | style="text-align:center;"|T51 | style="text-align:center;"|T51 | style="text-align:center;"|T60 | style="text-align:center;"|DNP | style="text-align:center;"|T49 | style="text-align:center;"|DNP | style="text-align:center;"|DNP | style="text-align:center;"|DNP | style="text-align:center;"|DNP | style="text-align:center;"|DNP |} {| cellpadding="3" cellspacing="0" border="1" style="font-size: 95%; border: #aaa solid 1px; border-collapse: collapse;" |- style="background:#eee;" !align="left"|Tournament !2010 |- |The Masters | style="text-align:center;"|DNP |- |U.S. Open | style="text-align:center;"|DNP |- |The Open Championship | style="text-align:center;"|CUT |- |PGA Championship | style="text-align:center;"|DNP |}

DNP = did not play WD = withdrew CUT = missed the half way cut "T" indicates a tie for a place. Green background for wins. Yellow background for top-10.

Team appearances

Ryder Cup (representing GB & Ireland / Europe): 1977, 1979, 1981, 1983, 1985 (winners), 1987 (winners), 1989 (tied match and retained trophy), 1991, 1993, 1995 (winners), 1997 (winners), 2008 (non-playing captain)

Alfred Dunhill Cup (representing England): 1985, 1986, 1987 (winners), 1988, 1991, 1993

World Cup (representing England): 1977, 1991, 1998 (winners)

UBS Cup: 2001, 2002, 2003

Double Diamond: 1977

Four Tours World Championship: 1986, 1987, 1990

Hennessy Cognac Cup: 1978 (winners), 1980 (winners), 1982 (winners), 1984 (winners)

Royal Trophy (representing Europe): 2006 (winners)

Seve Trophy: 2007 (non-playing captain – winners)

See also

Golfers with most major championship wins

Golfers with most PGA Tour wins

Golfers with most European Tour wins

List of World Number One male golfers

List of celebrities who own wineries and vineyards

References

External links

Profile on about.com

Profile at Hello! magazine

Faldo course at Emirates Golf Club

The Faldo Golf Institute by Marriott

{{navboxes|title=Nick Faldo in the major championships |list1= }} {{navboxes|title=Nick Faldo – awards and achievements |list1= }} {{navboxes|title=Nick Faldo in the Ryder Cup |list1= }}

Category:English golfers Category:European Tour golfers Category:PGA Tour golfers Category:Champions Tour golfers Category:Winners of men's major golf championships Category:World Golf Hall of Fame inductees Category:Golf course architects Category:Golf writers and broadcasters Category:Knights Bachelor Category:Members of the Order of the British Empire Category:Sports players and officials awarded knighthoods Category:BBC Sports Personality of the Year winners Category:British businesspeople Category:British expatriate sportspeople in the United States Category:People from Welwyn Garden City Category:People from Orlando, Florida Category:People from Winter Park, Florida Category:1957 births Category:Living people

da:Nick Faldo de:Nick Faldo es:Nick Faldo fr:Nick Faldo it:Nick Faldo nl:Nick Faldo ja:ニック・ファルド no:Nick Faldo fi:Nick Faldo sv:Nick Faldo zh:尼克·佛度

Name	Orly Taitz
Alt	A photograph of a blond-haired, brown-eyed, middle-aged woman in a blue blouse speaking into a microphone.
Birth date
Birth place	Kishinev, Moldavian SSR, USSR
Death date
Resting place coordinates
Residence	Laguna Niguel, California, U.S.
Citizenship	American
Known for	Filing lawsuits challenging Barack Obama's eligibility to serve as President of the United States
Alma mater	Hebrew University Taft Law School
Occupation	Dentist, lawyer
Home town	Chişinău, Moldova (formerly Moldavian SSR)
Party	Republican
Religion
Spouse	Yosef Taitz
Children	3 sons
Website	www.orlytaitzesq.com

Orly Taitz (born August 30, 1962) is an American dentist, lawyer, former real estate agent, and leading figure in the "birther" movement, which challenges whether Barack Obama is a natural-born citizen eligible to serve as President of the United States. She also promotes a number of other allegations both related and unrelated to Obama, and has initiated a number of lawsuits on behalf of the "birther" movement.

Early life and emigration

Orly Taitz was born to a Jewish family in Chişinău, Moldavian SSR in the Soviet Union (present day Moldova). Both of her parents were science teachers. In 1981, Orly immigrated to Israel, where she obtained a dentistry degree at Hebrew University. In 1987, she met Yosef Taitz who proposed four months later. Orly immigrated to the United States in May 1987, marrying the Latvian-born Yosef in Las Vegas, Nevada. Taitz became a naturalized United States citizen in 1992. She received her law degree from Taft Law School and was admitted to practice law in California in December 2002.

Taitz lives in Laguna Niguel, California and owns dental practices in nearby Mission Viejo and Rancho Santa Margarita. She has three sons, holds a second degree black belt in Taekwondo, and speaks five languages: English, Hebrew, Romanian, Russian and Spanish.

Before her national news exposure, Taitz was quoted in ''The Orange County Register'' in 2006 supporting Israeli military actions against Hamas and Hezbollah, and downplaying the impact of the espionage trial of two American Israel Public Affairs Committee staffers (charges against both were subsequently dropped). Taitz has also said that she lost relatives in the Holocaust and that her grandmother witnessed the Kishinev pogrom.

Activities

Taitz's claims regarding Barack Obama

Taitz alleges that President Obama is not a natural-born citizen of the United States and is therefore ineligible to serve as President. She claims he was born in Kenya and that he falsified his Selective Service papers and his application to the Illinois bar. "I believe [Obama] is the most dangerous thing one can imagine, in that he represents radical communism and radical Islam: He was born and raised in radical Islam, all of his associations are with radical Islam, and he was groomed in the environment of the dirty Chicago mafia. Can there be anything scarier than that?"

Taitz has made other Obama-related claims, including:

A number of homosexuals from Obama's former church have died mysteriously.

Obama has dozens of Social Security numbers, and his passport is inaccurate. Taitz claims that a person who was cooperating with the FBI in connection with Obama's passport died mysteriously, "shot in the head".

A Kenyan birth certificate with the name "Barack Obama" is authentic.

Obama's first act as President was to donate money to Hamas, which she claims will be used to build Qassam rockets.

Obama, or someone connected to him, has made threats to Taitz's life and vandalized her car. Obama is having the Federal Emergency Management Agency build internment camps for "Anti-Obama dissidents". Osama bin Laden was killed years ago, with his body kept on ice, and the announcement of his death was timed to divert attention from an upcoming court case she is litigating challenging Obama's citizenship.

Taitz's other claims

Taitz has also supported a number of other theories not directly related to Obama, including: Goldman Sachs runs the United States Treasury. Baxter International has developed a bird flu vaccine that kills people. Representative Alcee Hastings and the House of Representatives are planning to build at least six labor camps. Hugo Chávez owns the software that runs American voting machines, FactCheck is untrustworthy because of its links to the Annenberg Foundation. Taitz has also advocated numerous Internet-related theories, including PayPal attacks, the deletion of her Wikipedia entry, and Google's flagging her webpage as an attack site and suppressing search results for her name.

Legal actions

''Keyes v. Bowen''

In November 2008, Taitz filed a lawsuit on behalf of independent presidential candidate Alan Keyes, suing California's secretary of state for allegedly failing to ascertain Obama's eligibility for president before placing him on the ballot. The case was dismissed on May 4, 2009. A California Court of Appeal affirmed the dismissal on October 25, 2010; the Supreme Court of California declined, without comment, to review the case on February 2, 2011; and the U.S. Supreme Court declined, without comment, to review the case on October 3, 2011. Taitz was not counsel of record for the appeals.

''Lightfoot v. Bowen''

Taitz filed an emergency petition in the California Supreme Court in 2008 on behalf of Libertarian vice presidential candidate Gail Lightfoot to stop the certification of California's 2008 election results because of the challenge to Obama's eligibility. The California Supreme Court denied the petition, and the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear the case.

''Barnett v. Obama''

Taitz filed a lawsuit on behalf of Pamela Barnett, Alan Keyes, other candidates in the 2008 federal elections, several military personnel, and some legislators from various states alleging that Obama is ineligible to be president. On October 29, 2009, U.S. District Court Judge David O. Carter dismissed the lawsuit. The dismissal criticized Taitz's legal abilities, stated her behavior was "unethical", and suggested that Taitz "may have suborned perjury". On December 22, 2011, the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit affirmed the dismissal.

''Cook v. Good''

Taitz represented Stefan F. Cook, a major in the United States Army Reserve, who challenged orders implementing his voluntary deployment to Afghanistan because of his claim that Obama is not a legitimate president. The case was dismissed when the Army Reserve revoked his order to deploy. Taitz filed an appeal in the Eleventh Circuit, which was dismissed on November 24, 2009, due to a failure to prosecute the appeal.

''Rhodes v. MacDonald''

In September 2009, Taitz was retained by Captain Connie Rhodes, a U.S. Army physician. Rhodes sought a restraining order to prevent her forthcoming deployment to Iraq. In the request for a restraining order, Taitz argued the deployment order was illegal since Obama was illegally serving as President. On September 16, federal judge Clay D. Land rejected the motion and denounced it as frivolous. In his opinion, the judge noted that Rhodes had not previously raised any objections to orders she had received from Obama since he had been sworn in. He noted that while she seemed to have "conscientious objections" to taking orders from Obama, she did not seem to object to serving under him "as long as she is permitted to remain on American soil". Land then upbraided Taitz for using military officers as pawns to further her claims that Obama was not qualified to be President. He also expressed astonishment at Taitz's apparent misunderstanding of American judicial fundamentals, saying that she was trying to make Obama prove his innocence' to 'charges' that are based upon conjecture and speculation".

Within hours of Land's decision, Taitz told the news site ''Talking Points Memo'' that she felt Land's refusal to hear her case was an act of treason. Two days later, she filed a motion to stay Rhodes' deployment pending rehearing of the dismissal order. She repeated her treason allegations against Land and made several other intemperate statements, including claims that Land was aiding and abetting purported aspirations of "dictatorship" by Obama. Land rejected the motion as frivolous and ordered her to show cause why she should not be fined $10,000 for abuse of judicial process.

A few hours later, a letter bearing Rhodes's signature arrived, stating that Taitz filed the motion without her knowledge or consent, asking Land to remove Taitz as her attorney of record in the case, and stating that it was her "plan to file a complaint with the California State Bar due to [Taitz's] reprehensible and unprofessional actions". On September 26, 2009, Taitz filed a motion with the court seeking to withdraw as counsel for Rhodes, so she could divulge in court "privileged attorney-client communications" since the dismissed ''Rhodes'' case "is now a quasi-criminal prosecution of the undersigned attorney, for the purpose of punishment".

Attorney misconduct

On October 13, 2009, Judge Clay Land ordered "Counsel Orly Taitz ... to pay $20,000 to the United States, through the Middle District of Georgia Clerk's Office, within thirty days of the date of this Order as a sanction for her misconduct in violation of Rule 11 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure." Land's decision stated:

The Court finds that counsel's conduct was willful and not merely negligent. It demonstrates bad faith on her part. As an attorney, she is deemed to have known better. She owed a duty to follow the rules and to respect the Court. Counsel's pattern of conduct conclusively establishes that she did not mistakenly violate a provision of law. She knowingly violated Rule 11. Her response to the Court's show cause order is breathtaking in its arrogance and borders on delusional. She expresses no contrition or regret regarding her misconduct. To the contrary, she continues her baseless attacks on the Court.

Upon learning of Land's ruling, Taitz said she would appeal the sanction, declaring that Judge Land was "scared to go against the regime" of the "oppressive" Obama administration, and that the sanction was an attempt to "intimidate" her. On March 15, 2010, the Eleventh Circuit affirmed the sanctions against Taitz, ordering her to pay the $20,000 fine.

In July 2010, Taitz applied to the U.S. Supreme Court to stay the enforcement of sanctions, arguing that "allowing sanctions by judge Land to stand, will signify beginning of tyranny in the United States of America and end to the Constitutional Republic which is the foundation of this nation". On July 8, the application was submitted to Associate Justice Clarence Thomas; on July 15, he denied it. Doubting that Justice Thomas signed the denial order, Taitz claimed to have requested of Chief Justice John Roberts that Thomas's signature be presented to her for verification.

In the meantime, on August 9, the federal government filed an abstract of judgment, a document placing a lien in the amount of $20,000 plus interest on all her real property, prompting Taitz to say, "I will pay the money, and I will continue fighting," should it happen that her application for stay is ultimately denied and that the Supreme Court consents to her request to authenticate Justice Thomas's signature. On August 16, after being resubmitted to Associate Justice Samuel Alito, who in turn referred it to the full court, the application for stay was again denied. On January 10, 2011, the Court declined, without comment, to hear the case.

''Taitz v. Obama''

On January 27, 2010, Taitz, ''in propria persona'', filed a petition for writ of ''quo warranto''. On April 14, 2010, U.S. District Court Chief Judge Royce C. Lamberth dismissed the petition; and, alluding to the novel ''Don Quixote'', he wrote, "The Court is not willing to go tilting at windmills with her."

''Taitz v. Astrue''

In February 2011, Taitz filed, ''in propria persona'', a Freedom of Information Act suit against the commissioner of the Social Security Administration, alleging the agency improperly refused to disclose to her information about Obama's social security number. After Taitz repeatedly failed to follow the court rule regarding the redaction of social security numbers in court filings, Chief Judge Lamberth wrote that Taitz "is either toying with the Court or displaying her own stupidity… There is no logical explanation she can provide as to why she is now wasting the Court’s time, as well as the staff’s time, with these improper redactions." On August 30, 2011, the court granted summary judgment in favor of the government, writing "As her numerous filings with the Court demonstrate, plaintiff will stop at nothing to get to the bottom of this alleged conspiracy. Unfortunately for plaintiff, today is not her lucky day."

''Taitz v. Fuddy''

In August 2011, Taitz filed, ''in propria persona'', a suit against the director of the Hawaii Department of Health, seeking to review Obama's "long form" birth certificate. On October 12, 2011, the Hawaii Circuit Court dismissed Taitz's suit.

''Taitz v. Ruemmler''

Taitz sought to compel White House Counsel Kathryn Ruemmler under FOIA to grant access to Obama's "long form" birth certificate. On October 17, 2011, Chief Judge Lamberth noted Taitz's "Sisyphean quest" and dismissed the suit.

2012 New Hampshire primary challenge

In November 2011, Taitz, backed by four New Hampshire state legislators, filed a complaint with the state's Ballot Law Commission challenging Obama's eligibility to compete in the primary election. As Obama had paid the filing fee and his declaration of candidacy conformed to state law, the Commission unanimously voted to keep Obama on the ballot. The Commission then denied a request for reconsideration.

In response, Taitz wrote to William L. O'Brien, the Speaker of the House of the New Hampshire House of Representatives, and demanded the removal of Bill Gardner, New Hampshire's Secretary of State, for "egregious elections fraud, aiding and abetting fraud, forgery and possibly treason." D.J. Bettencourt, House Majority Leader of the New Hampshire House of Representatives, wrote to Taitz and called her actions "unbecoming of any legitimate political dialogue, nevermind one as ridiculous as the continued obsession over President Obama's birth place." Bettencourt added, "I have spoken to the Representatives who were present and expressed to them my strong desire that they immediately disassociate themselves from you and this folly."

2012 Georgia primary challenge

Five Georgians, including one represented by Taitz, filed challenges with the Georgia Secretary of State, Brian Kemp, regarding Obama's inclusion on the March primary ballot. Kemp referred the challenges to Deputy Chief Judge Michael Malihi, an administrative law judge, who denied Obama's motion to dismiss them and scheduled a hearing for January 26.

On January 23, Malihi denied Obama's motion to quash a subpoena issued by Taitz to compel Obama to appear, saying that Obama did not show why he should not be at the hearing or how his testimony would not be helpful. On January 25, Obama's attorney requested that Kemp halt the proceedings, and indicated that Obama would no longer participate in the litigation pending Kemp's decision. Kemp denied their request and warned that their non-participation would be "at your own peril".

Neither Obama nor his attorney appeared at the January 26 hearing. This normally would result in a default order, but the challengers requested Malihi to allow them to go ahead with the hearing and rule on "the merits of their arguments and evidence". Taitz called eight witnesses (including herself), and presented seven exhibits in support of her claims that Obama was not a natural-born citizen, has used multiple names, has multiple Social Security numbers, and used a fake birth certificate. Taitz asked Malihi to find Obama in contempt for failing to appear.

On February 3, Malihi recommended that Obama remain on the ballot. Concerning Taitz's case Malihi wrote: "The Court finds the testimony of the witnesses, as well as the exhibits tendered, to be of little, if any, probative value, and thus wholly insufficient to support plaintiffs’ allegations". The Drudge Retort described the hearing as, "Empty Table 1, Orly Taitz 0".

On February 6, Kemp accepted Malihi's recommendation.

On February 13, Taitz filed for review, but on February 15 her application to appear ''pro hac vice'' was denied "at this time".

2012 Alabama primary challenge

A lawsuit filed by an Alabama citizen, Albert Hendershot, in December 2011 alleged Obama's birth certificate was forged and that he was ineligible to be on the Alabama primary ballot. Taitz agreed to represent Hendershot and sought to enter the case, but it was dismissed before she could make an appearance.

2012 Indiana primary challenge

On February 24, Taitz appeared as a witness on the behalf of two residents of Indiana who had filed with the Indiana Election Commission a challenge to Obama's eligibility. The challengers demanded a default judgment against Obama, as neither he nor a representative appeared at the hearing; this motion was unanimously denied by the commission.

Taitz argued that the President's surname was not Obama, that he was not a natural-born citizen, and that he was using a stolen Social Security number. "When Taitz accused the commission of a cover-up, Dan Dumezich, the Merrillville Republican who is chairman of the commission, told her that if she was disrespectful one more time, 'your butt is going to be gone.'" The challenge was denied.

Political campaigns

California Secretary of State, 2010 Republican primary

In March 2010, Taitz successfully qualified to run for the office of California Secretary of State. At the same time, she unsuccessfully challenged the eligibility of her Republican Party primary opponent, former NFL player Damon Dunn, claiming that he is pretending to be a Republican. Dunn had registered as a Democrat in the state of Florida in 1999, but that registration had lapsed before he filed for the Republican primary.

On May 12, 2010, Pamela Barnett (named plaintiff from Taitz's lawsuit ''Barnett v. Obama'') filed a lawsuit in the Sacramento County Superior Court alleging that Dunn is not eligible to run for Secretary of State.

Taitz was defeated by Dunn in the June 8 primary by a margin of about three to one, losing by over 900,000 votes.

On June 17, 2010, Taitz filed a lawsuit in the Orange County Superior Court contesting the election results, again alleging Dunn's ineligibility. On March 17, 2011, the judge ruled against Taitz. On May 1, 2012, a California Court of Appeal affirmed the superior court's ruling.

U.S. Senator from California, 2012 nonpartisan blanket primary

Taitz is challenging U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein in 2012, stating, "I think I do have a chance specifically because I do speak Spanish and I speak Hebrew." In November 2011, Taitz trailed Feinstein by a nearly 2-1 margin. A Feinstein advisor stated, "If this race plays out as a bunch of unknowns who have no serious funding, Orly Taitz will probably win the primary [along with Feinstein]."

A March 2012 poll by another Republican candidate had Taitz leading the Republican field; 38% of those polled had not decided whom to vote for. On March 11, the California Republican Party endorsed another candidate, Elizabeth Emken, over Taitz. Citing fears the election might be "rigged", Taitz announced her intention to work with Sharron Angle to ensure "a fair and honest election".

Activities in Israel

Taitz has also actively promoted her theories in Israel, where she claims that "the vast majority" of the population supports her views. She has appeared on the Channel 10 nightly news show ''London and Kirschenbaum'', was the subject of a feature on Channel 1 TV, and filmed a video for the website Arutz 7. Israel's Russian language media, such as Channel 9 and ''Vesti'', the country's largest Russian-language newspaper, have also covered Taitz.

In the media

Taitz received media attention in connection with Obama eligibility questions in late 2008. She was interviewed by co-hosts David Shuster and Tamron Hall on MSNBC on August 3, 2009. Various media outlets described her appearance on the network as an "implosion", while Taitz asserted that Shuster, who is Jewish, was a "brownshirt", a charge she would repeat in a phone interview the following week.

Fox News commentator Bill O'Reilly called Taitz a "nut". In response, she and pastor James David Manning organized a protest outside Fox News headquarters in New York City in November, 2009, which drew an estimated 15 to 20 attendees. In 2010, artist Dan Lacey produced a widely discussed painting of a nude Orly Taitz after giving birth to an object resembling a pancake; Taitz herself expressed outrage at the painting, and urged Lacey to reveal the identity of his sponsor. Lacey subsequently jokingly "revealed" that he had been funded by George Soros.

In April 2011, Lawrence O'Donnell invited Taitz on MSNBC so that she could address Obama's long form birth certificate, which had been released the day before. When Taitz only wanted to talk about Obama's alleged Selective Service papers and refused to comment on his birth certificate, O'Donnell kicked her off the show, stating: "Look, she's crazy. I invited a crazy person on this show to see if the crazy person...could say something responsive, something human, to the document that was released today...and she wants to play with all of her other kid's toys."

See also

Andy Martin

Philip J. Berg

Barack Obama religion conspiracy theories

References

External links

Official web site

Official California Secretary of State Campaign website

Category:1962 births Category:Living people Category:American dentists Category:American female lawyers Category:American Jews Category:California lawyers Category:California Republicans Category:Conspiracy theorists Category:Hebrew University of Jerusalem alumni Category:Israeli emigrants to the United States Category:Moldovan expatriates Category:Moldovan Jews Category:People from Chişinău Category:People from Orange County, California Category:Soviet emigrants to Israel Category:Women dentists Category:Women in California politics

name	Lauren Alaina
background	solo_singer
birth name	Lauren Alaina Kristine Suddeth
birth date	November 08, 1994
origin	Rossville, Georgia, U.S.
genre	Country
occupation	Singer
instrument	Vocals
years active	2011–present
label	19/Interscope/Mercury Nashville
website	http://www.laurenalainaofficial.com }}

Lauren Alaina (born Lauren Alaina Kristine Suddeth; November 8, 1994) is an American country singer from Rossville, Georgia. Alaina was the runner-up on the tenth season of ''American Idol''. Her debut studio album, ''Wildflower'' was released on October 11, 2011.

Early life

Alaina was born on November 8, 1994, to Kristy and J.J. Suddeth of Rossville, Georgia. Her father works as a process technician in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Alaina is a strong Christian and often states that she lives for Jesus Christ.

Alaina was inspired to sing by her cousin, Holly Witherow, who was diagnosed with a brain tumor. Prior to ''Idol'', Alaina worked at CiCi's Pizza. She attended Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe High School in Fort Oglethorpe, Georgia, where she was a cheerleader. Alaina performed at several Chattanooga-area venues and was the first winner of the WinniSTAR youth talent contest at Lake Winnepesaukah amusement park in 2009. In addition to performing, Alaina wrote several songs including "Leaving" and "Set Me Free".

''American Idol''

Overview

Alaina auditioned for the tenth season of ''American Idol'' in Nashville, Tennessee. From early on, Alaina was a judge favorite. After her audition, Idol judge Steven Tyler stated "We found the one." May 14, 2011 was proclaimed "Lauren Alaina Day" in her hometown of Rossville, Georgia. During the season finale, Alaina sang "Before He Cheats" with her idol, Carrie Underwood. On May 25, 2011, Alaina was declared the runner-up.

Performances/Results

{|class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;" |- !Episode !Theme !Song choice !Original artist !Order # !Result |- |rowspan="2"|Audition |rowspan="2"|Auditioner's Choice |Solo "Like We Never Loved at All" |Faith Hill |rowspan="2"|N/A |rowspan="2"|Advanced |- |Duet "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing" with Steven Tyler |Aerosmith |- |Hollywood Round, Part 1 |First Solo |"Unchained Melody" |Todd Duncan |N/A |Advanced |- |Hollywood Round, Part 2 |Group Performance |"Some Kind of Wonderful" |Soul Brothers Six |N/A |Advanced |- |Hollywood Round, Part 3 |Second Solo |"I Don't Want to Miss a Thing" |Aerosmith |N/A |Advanced |- |Las Vegas Round |Songs of The Beatles Group Performance |"Hello, Goodbye" |The Beatles |N/A |Advanced |- |Hollywood Round Final |Final Solo |"Unchained Melody" |Todd Duncan |N/A |Advanced |- |Top 24 (12 Women) |Personal Choice |"Turn On the Radio" |Reba McEntire |11 |Advanced |- |Top 13 |Your Personal Idol |"Any Man of Mine" |Shania Twain |1 |Safe |- |Top 12 |Year You Were Born |"I'm the Only One" |Melissa Etheridge |11 |Safe |- |Top 11 |Motown |"You Keep Me Hangin' On" |The Supremes |4 |Safe |- |Top 11 |Elton John |"Candle in the Wind" |Elton John |6 |Safe |- |Top 9 |Rock & Roll Hall of Fame |"(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman" |Aretha Franklin |4 |Safe |- |Top 8 |Songs from the Movies |"The Climb" – ''Hannah Montana: The Movie'' |Miley Cyrus |2 |Safe |- |Top 7 |Songs from the 21st Century |"Born to Fly" |Sara Evans |7 |Safe |- |rowspan="2"|Top 6 |rowspan="2"|Carole King |Solo "Where You Lead" |Carole King |2 |rowspan="2"|Safe |- |Duet "Up on the Roof" with Scotty McCreery |The Drifters |6 |- |rowspan="2"|Top 5 |rowspan="2"|Songs from Now and Then |"Flat on the Floor" |Katrina Elam |3 |rowspan="2"|Bottom 2 |- |"Unchained Melody" |Todd Duncan |8 |- |rowspan="2"|Top 4 |Inspirational Songs |"Anyway" |Martina McBride |4 |rowspan="2"|Safe |- |Leiber & Stoller Songbook |"Trouble" |Elvis Presley |7 |- |rowspan="3"|Top 3 |Contestant's Choice |"Wild One" |Zaca Creek |2 |rowspan="3"|Safe |- |Jimmy Iovine's Choice |"If I Die Young" |The Band Perry |5 |- |Judges' Choice |"I Hope You Dance" |Lee Ann Womack |8 |- |rowspan="3"|Finale |Favorite Idol Performance |"Flat on the Floor" |Katrina Elam |2 |rowspan="3"|Runner-up |- |Carrie Underwood's Choice |"Maybe It Was Memphis" |Pam Tillis |4 |- |Coronation Song |"Like My Mother Does" |Kristy Lee Cook |6 |} Due to the judges using their one save on Casey Abrams, the Top 11 remained intact for another week, when two contestants were eliminated.

Post-''Idol''

Alaina released her single "Like My Mother Does" following the finale of Season 10 of ''American Idol''. The song entered the ''Billboard'' Hot Country Songs chart at forty-nine and the Hot 100 chart at twenty and sold 121,000 copies in its first week.

Following the conclusion of Season 10, Alaina has appeared and performed on several talk shows such as ''The Tonight Show with Jay Leno'', ''Live with Regis and Kelly'' and ''The Today Show''. On June 8, 2011, Alaina and McCreery presented at the CMT Music Awards. In addition, Alaina made her Grand Ole Opry debut on June 9 and performed with Martina McBride during her LP Field performance at the CMA Music Festival the following day.

The following summer, Alaina toured with the American Idols LIVE! Tour 2011, which began in West Valley City, Utah on July 6, 2011 and ended in Manila, Philippines on September 21, 2011.

As the runner-up in the competition, Alaina has been signed to 19 Entertainment, Interscope and Mercury Nashville.

''Wildflower'' (2011)

On October 11, 2011, Alaina released her debut album ''Wildflower'', which debuted at number five on the US ''Billboard 200'' chart and sold 69,000 copies the first week. The single "Georgia Peaches" was released on October 24, 2011.

To promote her album, Alaina has made numerous television and radio appearances. On October 22, 2011, Alaina performed at ''Opry Goes Pink'', a benefit concert at the Grand Ole Opry for ''Women for the Cure''. On November 10, 2011, Alaina performed "My Grown Up Christmas List" on ''CMA Country Christmas''. In addition, Alaina performed for the president in the PBS special ''In Performance at the White House''. Furthermore, Alaina performed the National Anthem at the Thanksgiving Day game between the ''Detroit Lions'' and ''Green Bay Packers''. On New Years Eve, Alaina performed her single "Georgia Peaches" on ''American Country New Years Eve Live''.

Alaina has been selected to open for Jason Aldean's ''My Kinda Party Tour''. The tour kicked off January 20, 2012 and concludes on May 19, 2012.

In addition to the ''My Kinda Party Tour'', Alaina has been selected to open for Sugarland's ''In the Hands of the Fans'' tour for a number of selected dates, beginning on April 5, 2012.

On March 8, 2012, Alaina performed "Georgia Peaches" on the Top 13 results show for the eleventh season of ''American Idol''. On March 26, 2012, Alaina performed her single "Georgia Peaches" on the ''Today Show''.

Alaina confirmed to Smashing Interviews Magazine that she is currently writing material for her second album.

Discography

Studio albums

Title	Details	Peak chart positions			Sales
		! style="width:45px;"	! style="width:45px;"	! style="width:45px;"
! scope="row"		* Release date: October 11, 2011	19 Entertainment>19/
Title	Details	Peak chart positions				Sales
		! style="width:40px;"	! style="width:40px;"	! style="width:40px;"	! style="width:40px;"
''American Idol Season 10:Lauren Alaina''		* Release date: May 24, 2011	* Label: 19	* Formats: Digital download	9	42	6	85		* US: 17,000

Extended plays

Title	Details	Peak chartpositions			Sales
		! style="width:45px;"	! style="width:45px;"	! style="width:45px;"
''American Idol Season 10Highlights: Lauren Alaina''		* Release date: June 28, 2011	* Label: 19/Interscope/Mercury Nashville	* Format: CD, digital download	6	24	63		* US: 85,000

Singles

Year	Single	Peak chart positions			Sales	Album
		! style="width:45px;"	! style="width:45px;"
	"[[Like My Mother Does">Interscope Records	* Formats: [[Compact disc	2	5	22		*US: 274,000

Compilation albums

Title	Details	Peak chart positions				Sales
		! style="width:40px;"	! style="width:40px;"	! style="width:40px;"	! style="width:40px;"
''American Idol Season 10:Lauren Alaina''		* Release date: May 24, 2011	* Label: 19	* Formats: Digital download	9	42	6	85		* US: 17,000

Extended plays

Title	Details	Peak chartpositions			Sales
		! style="width:45px;"	! style="width:45px;"	! style="width:45px;"
''American Idol Season 10Highlights: Lauren Alaina''		* Release date: June 28, 2011	* Label: 19/Interscope/Mercury Nashville	* Format: CD, digital download	6	24	63		* US: 85,000

Singles

Year	Single	Peak chart positions			Sales	Album
		! style="width:45px;"	! style="width:45px;"
	"[[Like My Mother Does"	36	20	50		*US: 330,000
"Georgia Peaches"	28	—	—		*US: 163,000

Music videos

! Year	Video	! Director
2011	"Like My Mother Does"	Shaun Silva
2012	"Georgia Peaches"	David McClister

References

External links

Lauren Alaina on ''American Idol''

Category:1994 births Category:Living people Category:People from Walker County, Georgia Category:American child singers Category:American Christians Category:American country singers Category:American female singers Category:American Idol participants Category:Country musicians from Georgia (U.S. state) Category:Idol series runners-up Category:Mercury Records artists Category:People from Catoosa County, Georgia Category:People from Chattanooga, Tennessee

de:Lauren Alaina fa:لورن آلااینا id:Lauren Alaina it:Lauren Alaina pt:Lauren Alaina fi:Lauren Alaina