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- Duration: 9:48
- Updated: 13 Jan 2013
- published: 16 May 2008
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- author: shifoooo
Suez السويس (Arabic) Al-Sūwais |
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Satellite view of the port and city that are the southern terminus of the Suez Canal that transits through Egypt and debouches into the Mediterranean Sea near Port Said. (Up is south). | |
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Coordinates: 29°58′N 32°33′E / 29.967°N 32.55°E | |
Country | Egypt |
Governorate | Suez |
Government | |
• Governor | Saif al-Din Galal |
Elevation | 16 ft (5 m) |
Population (2004) | |
• Total | 478,553 |
Time zone | EST (UTC+2) |
Suez (Arabic: السويس as Suwais, Egyptian Arabic: [esseˈweːs]) is a seaport city (population ca. 497,000) in north-eastern Egypt, located on the north coast of the Gulf of Suez (a branch of the Red Sea), near the southern terminus of the Suez Canal, having the same boundaries as Suez governorate. It has three harbors, Adabya, Ain Sokhna and Port Tawfiq, and extensive port facilities. Together they form a metropolitan area. Railway lines and highways connect the city with Cairo, Port Said, and Ismailia. Suez has a petrochemical plant, and its oil refineries have pipelines carrying the finished product to Cairo.
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In the 7th-century CE a town named "Kolzum" stood just north of the site of present-day Suez and served as eastern terminus of a canal built by Amr ibn al-'As linking the Nile River and the Red Sea. Kolzum's trade fell following the closure of the canal in 770 by the second Abbasid caliph al-Mansur to prevent his enemies in Arabia from accessing supplies from Egypt and the lands north of it. Nonetheless, the town benefited from the trade that remained between Egypt and Arabia.[1] By 780 al-Mansur's successor al-Mahdi restored part of the canal.[2] The Qarmatians led by Hasan ibn Ahmad defeated a Fatimid army headed by Gawhar al-Siqilli at Kolzum in 971 and thereby captured the town. Following his defeat in Cairo by al-Siqilli at the end of that year, Hasan and his forces retreated to Arabia via Kolzum.[3] Suez was situated nearby and served as a source of drinking water for Kolzum according to Arab traveler al-Muqaddasi who visited in 986.[4]
The Ayyubid sultan of Egypt, Saladin, fortified both Kolzum and Suez in to defend Egypt's eastern frontier from Crusader raids by Raynald of Chatillon.[5] Between 1183-84, Raynald had ships stationed in the Red Sea to prevent the Ayyubid garrison at Kolzum from accessing water. In response, Saladin's brother al-Adil had Husam ad-Din Lu'lu build a naval fleet which sailed to the southern port of Aidab to end Raynald's venture.[3] By the 13th-century it was recorded that Kolzum was in ruins as was Suez which had gradually replaced the former as a population center.[1] According to Muslim historians al-Maqrizi and al-Idrisi, Kolzum had once been a prosperous town, until it was occupied and plundered by Bedouins. Arab geographer al-Dimashqi noted that Kolzum belonged to the Mamluk province of al-Karak at the time.[3]
To prevent Portuguese attacks against Egyptian coastal towns and the Red Sea port of Jeddah, Qansuh al-Ghawri the last Mamluk sultan ordered a 6,000-man force headed by Selman Reis to defend Suez in 1507, which in turn limited the Mamluk military's capabilities against the Ottomans in the Mediterranean sea.[6] Following the Ottoman's conquest of Egypt at the beginning of the 16th-century, Suez became both a major naval and trading station. The Ottoman fleets at Suez were instrumental in disputing control with the Portuguese over Indian Ocean trade.[1]
German explorer Carsten Niebuhr noted that in the 18th-century a 20-vessel fleet sailed annually from Suez to Jeddah—which served as the Islamic holy city of Mecca's port and Egypt's gateway for trade with India. However, by 1798, during Napoleonic invasion, Suez had devolved into an unimportant town. Fighting between the French and the British in 1800 left most of the town in ruins.[1] Its importance as a port increased after the Suez Canal opened in 1869.
The city was virtually destroyed during battles in the late 1960s and early 1970s between Egyptian and Israeli forces occupying the Sinai Peninsula. The town was deserted following the Six Day War in 1967. Reconstruction of Suez began soon after Egypt reopened the Suez Canal, following the October War with Israel.
Suez was the first city to hold major protests against the government of Hosni Mubarak during the 2011 Egyptian revolution and was the scene of the first fatality of that uprising.[7] On account of this, it has been called the Sidi Bouzid of Egypt, recalling that small town's role in the 2010–2011 Tunisian revolution.[8]
There was a canal from the Nile delta to the Gulf of Suez in ancient times, when the gulf extended further north than it does today. This fell into disuse, and the present canal was built in the nineteenth century.
The Suez Canal offers a significantly shorter passage for ships than passing round the Cape of Good Hope. The construction of the Suez Canal was favoured by the natural conditions of the region: the comparatively short distance between the Mediterranean and the Red Sea, the occurrence of a line of lakes or depressions which became lakes (Lake Manzala in the north, and depressions, Timsah and the Bitter Lakes, part way along the route), and the generally flat terrain. The construction of the canal was proposed by the engineer and French diplomat Ferdinand de Lesseps, who acquired from Said Pasha the rights of constructing and operating the canal for a period of 99 years. The Compagnie Universelle du Canal Maritime de Suez was formed. Construction took 11 years, and the canal opened on 17 November 1869. The canal had an immediate and dramatic effect on world trade.
In 1956 Egyptian president Gamal Abdel Nasser nationalised the canal, provoking the Suez Crisis. Following the Arab-Israeli war of 1967, the canal was closed, and reopened in 1975.
Today, the canal is a vital link in world trade, and contributes significantly to the Egyptian economy; in 2009 the income generated from the canal accounted for 3.7% of Egypt's GDP.[9]
Climate data for Suez | |||||||||||||
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Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
Average high °C (°F) | 19.4 (66.9) |
21.2 (70.2) |
23.6 (74.5) |
28.5 (83.3) |
32.4 (90.3) |
35.1 (95.2) |
36.1 (97.0) |
37.7 (99.9) |
33.2 (91.8) |
30.1 (86.2) |
25.4 (77.7) |
20.7 (69.3) |
28.4 (83.1) |
Average low °C (°F) | 10.5 (50.9) |
11.3 (52.3) |
13.1 (55.6) |
16.4 (61.5) |
19.5 (67.1) |
22.4 (72.3) |
23.9 (75.0) |
24.2 (75.6) |
22.8 (73.0) |
20.0 (68.0) |
15.7 (60.3) |
11.8 (53.2) |
17.6 (63.7) |
Precipitation mm (inches) | 5 (0.2) |
2 (0.08) |
4 (0.16) |
1 (0.04) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
2 (0.08) |
3 (0.12) |
17 (0.67) |
Source: Climate Charts [10] |
Suez is twinned with:
Media related to Suez at Wikimedia Commons
Coordinates: 29°58′N 32°33′E / 29.967°N 32.55°E
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Sarah Silverman | |
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Silverman at the 2012 Tribeca Film Festival premiere of Take This Waltz |
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Birth name | Sarah Kate Silverman |
Born | Bedford, New Hampshire,[citation needed] United States |
December 1, 1970
Medium | Stand up, Television, Film, Radio |
Years active | 1992–present |
Genres | Blue comedy Black comedy Political satire |
Influences | Steve Martin |
Domestic partner(s) | Jimmy Kimmel (2002-2009) Alec Sulkin (2010) |
Notable works and roles | Saturday Night Live Sarah Silverman on The Sarah Silverman Program |
Emmy Awards | |
Outstanding Original Music and Lyrics 2008 Jimmy Kimmel Live! |
Sarah Kate Silverman (born December 1, 1970) is an American comedienne, writer, actress, singer and musician. Her satirical comedy addresses social taboos and controversial topics such as racism, sexism, and religion.
Silverman first gained notice as a writer and occasional performer on Saturday Night Live. She starred in and produced The Sarah Silverman Program, which ran from 2007 to 2010, on Comedy Central.[1] She often performs her act mocking bigotry and stereotypes of ethnic groups and religious denominations by having her comic character endorse them in an ironic fashion.[2][3]
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Sarah Silverman, the youngest of four daughters, was born in Manchester, New Hampshire. Her mother, Beth Ann Halpin, was George McGovern's personal campaign photographer and founded the theater company New Thalian Players.[4] Her father, Donald Silverman, was a social worker by training who ran the discount clothing store Crazy Sophie's Outlet. She was raised without religion, though she is ethnically Jewish.[5]
She appeared in community theater at age 12, most notably with Community Players of Concord, New Hampshire in Annie and also appeared on a local television show in the Boston area called Community Auditions at age 15. At seventeen, she performed stand-up comedy in a restaurant, singing a song she called "Mammaries."
After graduating from The Derryfield School in Manchester, New Hampshire, she attended New York University and continued her stand-up in Greenwich Village.[6][7][8][9]
Silverman first received national attention in the 1993–94 season of Saturday Night Live (SNL) as a writer and featured player. She was fired after one season because only one of the sketches she wrote survived to dress rehearsal, and none aired. Bob Odenkirk, a former SNL writer explained, "I could see how it wouldn't work at SNL because she's got her own voice, she's very much Sarah Silverman all the time. She can play a character but she doesn't disappear into the character — she makes the character her."[6] Silverman states she was upset when SNL fired her via fax. She parodied the situation when she appeared on The Larry Sanders Show episode "The New Writer" (1996), playing Sanders' new staff writer, whose jokes are not used because of the chauvinism and bias of the male chief comedy writer, who favors the jokes of his male co-writers. She appeared in three episodes of Larry Sanders during its last two seasons.
Silverman was a featured performer on the HBO sketch comedy show Mr. Show (1995–97). She made TV program guest appearances on Seinfeld, in the episode "The Money"; (1997) on Star Trek: Voyager, in the two-part time travel episode "Future's End" (1996); on V.I.P. in the episode "481⁄2 Hours" (2002); on Greg the Bunny as a series regular (2002); and on the puppet television comedy Crank Yankers, as the voice of Hadassah Guberman (2003, 2007). She had small parts in the films There's Something About Mary, Say It Isn't So, School of Rock, The Way of the Gun, Overnight Delivery, Screwed, Heartbreakers, Evolution, School for Scoundrels, and Rent, playing a mixture of comic and serious roles.
Silverman's concert film, Sarah Silverman: Jesus Is Magic, based on her one-woman show of the same name, was released in 2005. Liam Lynch directed the movie, distributed by Roadside Attractions. Rotten Tomatoes gave Jesus Is Magic a "fresh" rating of 64% with 54 positive reviews and 30 negative ones, with the "cream of the crop" giving it a rating of 67%.[10] It made US$124,475 on its opening weekend, showing on seven screens. The box office performance led to an expanded release in as many as 57 theaters, resulting in a box office take of more than US$1.3 million.[11] The DVD was released in June 2006. The soundtrack featured songs and standup from the movie, and previously unreleased songs.[12] As part of the film's publicity campaign, she appeared online in Slate, as the cover subject of Heeb magazine, and in roasts on Comedy Central of Pamela Anderson and Hugh Hefner.
Silverman played a therapist in a skit for a bonus DVD of the album Lullabies to Paralyze by the band Queens of the Stone Age. Silverman also appears at the end of the video for American glam metal band Steel Panther's "Death To All But Metal". On Jimmy Kimmel Live!, Silverman parodied sketches from Chappelle's Show, replaying Dave Chappelle's characterizations of Rick James and "Tyrone", as well as a Donnell Rawlings character based on the miniseries Roots. The parody addressed a popular rumor that Silverman was the planned replacement for Chappelle after he left his popular television show. In 2006, Silverman placed #50 on Maxim Hot 100 List.[13] In 2007, she placed #29 and appeared on the cover.[14] She made the cover of The Observer in the United Kingdom, with an article naming her "the world's hottest, most controversial comedian".[15]
Silverman's television sitcom, The Sarah Silverman Program, debuted on Comedy Central in February 2007. The show proved to be a ratings success, scoring the highest premiere ratings of any Comedy Central show in three years, with 1.81 million viewers and the highest 18–49 rating of the night on cable.[1][16] It portrays the day-to-day adventures of fictionalized versions of Silverman, her sister Laura and their friends. A number of comedic actors from Mr. Show have reappeared on The Sarah Silverman Program. Silverman was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award[17] for her acting on the show. At the awards ceremony, she wore a fake mustache. Comedy Central canceled The Sarah Silverman Program after three seasons.[18]
In June 2007 she hosted the MTV Movie Awards. During her opening act, she commented on the upcoming jail sentence of Paris Hilton, who was in the audience, "In a couple of days, Paris Hilton is going to jail... As a matter of fact, I heard that to make her feel more comfortable in prison, the guards are going to paint the bars to look like penises. I think it is wrong, too. I just worry she is going to break her teeth on those things."[19] In September 2007 she appeared at the MTV Video Music Awards. Following the comeback performance of Britney Spears, Silverman mocked her on stage, saying: "Wow, she is amazing. I mean, she is 25 years old, and she has already accomplished everything she's going to accomplish in her life."[20]
In January 2008 she appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live! to show Jimmy Kimmel, her boyfriend at the time, a special video. The video turned out to be a song called "I'm Fucking Matt Damon", in which she and Matt Damon sang a duet about having an affair behind Kimmel's back. The video created an "instant YouTube sensation".[21] Kimmel responded with his own video a month later with Damon's friend Ben Affleck, which enlisted a panoply of stars, to record Kimmel's song "I'm Fucking Ben Affleck".[22] On September 13, 2008, Silverman won a Creative Arts Emmy for writing the song "I'm Fucking Matt Damon".[23] Silverman guest starred in a second season episode of the USA cable program Monk as Marci Maven. She returned in the sixth season premiere, and for the 100th episode of Monk. According to the audio commentary on the Clerks II DVD, director Kevin Smith offered her the role that eventually went to Rosario Dawson, but she turned it down out of fear of being typecast in "girlfriend roles". However, she told Smith the script was "really funny" and mentioned that if the role of Randal Graves was being offered to her she "would do it in a heartbeat."
In October 2008, Silverman visited the United Kingdom to promote the release of The Sarah Silverman Program on Paramount Comedy, but her media and stage performances failed to impress audiences. Her debut stand-up performance at the Hammersmith Apollo was widely panned by the critics and audiences alike. The performance bombed when Silverman's warm-up act failed to appear and Silverman rushed through a short 35–40 minute set. The heckling audience, who had been charged £40–50 a seat, refused to leave the theatre and Silverman, sporting a pair of after-show slippers, was forced to return to the stage for an impromptu question and answer session. Steve Bennett from comedy website Chortle declared that "minute for minute, there are sex phonelines that are cheaper than Sarah Silverman."[24][25] In an interview on the How Was Your Week podcast, Silverman made one of her only public comments on the matter, claiming that the show had been one of the best of her life and that the audience reaction had been misreported by bloggers and the press.[26]
She also appears in Strange Powers, the 2009 documentary by Kerthy Fix and Gail O'Hara about cult songwriter Stephin Merritt and his band, the Magnetic Fields. Silverman wrote a comic memoir, The Bedwetter: Stories of Courage, Redemption, and Pee, which was published in 2010, and became a New York Times Best Seller. She received a $2.5 million advance for the book.
Silverman played a dramatic role alongside Michelle Williams and Seth Rogen in the film Take This Waltz, written and directed by Sarah Polley. The film was well received when it premiered in Toronto in 2011[27] and was picked up by Magnolia for U.S. distribution in Summer 2012.[28] Much was made of the fact that the movie features a full-frontal nude scene from Silverman,[29] which the actress has spoken about on several occasions. At the Toronto International Film Festival, she told the press she'd deliberately gained weight for the part, emphasizing that Polley wanted "real bodies and real women" rather than impossibly skinny ones.[30] In interviews she warned fans not to expect too much.[31] However, she later told podcaster and author Julie Klausner that she had not really gained weight for the role, and that the statements were meant as self-deprecating humor.[26]
A single camera comedy pilot by Silverman was given the go ahead by television network NBC in 2011 after a bidding war between multiple networks.[32] Arrested Development producer, Ron Howard was reported to have been personally involved in the development process of the series.[33] It was to be loosely based on Silverman's life as a woman who had just ended a decade long live-in relationship.[32] The series was tentatively titled Susan 313 and received a put pilot commitment, which would require the network to pay a large fine if the pilot was not aired.[34] However, NBC did not pick up the series for the fall 2012 season.[35]
In a July 2001 interview on NBC's Late Night with Conan O'Brien Silverman used the ethnic slur "chink" explaining that a friend advised her to avoid jury duty by writing a racial slur on the selection form, "something inappropriate, like 'I hate chinks.'" Silverman said she decided that she did not want to be thought of as a racist, so "I wrote 'I love chinks' – and who doesn't?" Silverman said that the joke satirizes the racist thought process. Guy Aoki, of the Media Action Network for Asian Americans (MANAA), objected to her use of the slur.[36][37] NBC and O'Brien apologized, but Silverman did not, later appearing on Politically Incorrect with Bill Maher in July and August 2001. Silverman questioned Aoki's sincerity, accusing him of exploiting the opportunity for publicity. On an episode of the show, Aoki appeared with Silverman, and stated that he did not accept Silverman's explanation, saying that it was not successful satire and that comedians should consult with groups such as his before performing such material. Silverman stated in an NPR's Fresh Air interview that she was asked to repeat the joke on Politically Incorrect, among other places, but she eventually dropped the joke from her act because she felt it was becoming stale.[12] Silverman has since turned the complaint into grist for her stand-up act, saying that the experience helped teach her the important lesson that racism is bad: "And I mean bad, like in that black way."[38]
A minor controversy arose over Silverman's performance in the documentary film The Aristocrats (2005). The film shows Silverman giving an apparently autobiographical account of her life as a child sex performer and mentions how Joe Franklin, a New York radio and TV personality whose nostalgic programs have aired since the early 1950s, would ask her to perform privately for him in his apartment. Silverman looks at the camera and, in a deadpan voice, accused Franklin of raping her. The film was edited in such a way that it appears as if Franklin knows what Silverman said about him. Later, after her clip, Franklin is shown stating "Sarah Silverman is a young lady to watch". After the film came out, Franklin took offense to Silverman's using his name and considered suing her. A month later the New York Times noted he remained undecided, but said, "the best thing I could do is get Sarah better writers so she'd have funnier material."[39]
Silverman has said that she does not consume alcohol, because it nauseates her. She is open about her lifelong battle with clinical depression which at one point led to her developing an addiction to Xanax. She credited her subsequent emotional health to taking prescription drug Zoloft.[8][40][41] She struggled with bedwetting from the time she was young until well into her teens and has stated that the last time she wet her bed was when she was fired from Saturday Night Live.[12][41] Her autobiography, published in April 2010, entitled The Bedwetter, explores the subject, among others.
Silverman talked about having dated Dave Attell on one of her appearances on The Howard Stern Show. Silverman and Colin Quinn joked about having been romantically linked during her Saturday Night Live career. In her first appearance on the Stern show in June 2001 she said she was dating someone named Tom who wrote for SNL. Silverman was in a relationship that began in 2002 with comedian Jimmy Kimmel.[42] She referred to the relationship in some of her comedy, "I'm Jewish, but I wear this Saint Christopher medal sometimes; my boyfriend is Catholic — but you know... it was cute the way he gave it to me. He said if it doesn't burn a hole through my skin, it will protect me."[6] In July 2008, Vanity Fair reported that the couple had split, ending their relationship of five years. However, in October 2008 it was revealed by Fox News and People magazine that they were on "the road back to being together."[43] The couple attended the wedding of Howard Stern and Beth Ostrosky together,[44] but split again in March 2009.[45]
Silverman has stated she does not want to get married until same-sex couples are able to.[46] She has also stated she doesn't want to have biological children to avoid the risk that they might inherit her depression.[47] Silverman's biological sister Laura plays her sister on The Sarah Silverman Program. Another sister, Susan, is a rabbi who lives in Jerusalem, Israel with her husband and five children.[48][49] Silverman is a fan of Jenny Lewis and appeared in Lewis' music video for the song "Rise Up With Fists!!" She is also a fan of comedian Steve Martin, who was one of her major inspirations as a younger comedian.[15] Silverman enjoys playing Scrabble on the Internet. One of her regular opponents is Alyssa Milano, who lives in the same building that she does.[40][50] She credited comedian Tig Notaro as one of her best friends in an interview in The Advocate.[46]
She considers herself ethnically Jewish, which she has frequently mined for material, but says she is agnostic[51] and does not follow the religion, claiming, "I have no religion. But culturally I can't escape it; I'm very Jewish."[52][53] Her humor has also touched on other religions. In 2009, she suggested the Pope sell the Vatican and use some of the money for luxurious housing and the remainder to stop world hunger, saying he would "get crazy pussy."[54] In January 2010, Silverman was dating Family Guy producer/writer Alec Sulkin,[55] but as of October 2010, they had broken up.[56]
At the 2011 Israeli Presidential Conference in Jerusalem, in an interview with Yigal Ravid, Silverman spoke about her support for solar power as a project on which Israelis and Palestinians could work together. Silverman endorsed solar energy not only as good for the environment but as a peace-building industry as well. She said:
When I think about peace… and I think about the Jews and the Palestinians…. I think the only real solution is the classic buddy-movie formula… You take two enemies and they are forced to work together on some common goal and in the end they realize they aren’t that different. Right? So they’ve got to come together either for some common goal — how about solar power? [to applause] How about solar power!? How about powering the world with this beautiful sun they share?[57]
Features:
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Short subjects: |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Sarah Silverman |
Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Sarah Silverman |
Preceded by Jessica Alba |
MTV Movie Awards host 2007 |
Succeeded by Mike Myers |
Kevin Butler | |
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It Only Does Everything commercials Long Live Play commercials character |
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File:Kevin Butler.jpg Kevin Butler as he appears in "It Only Does 256 Players/Relentless War" |
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First appearance | Dustin vs. PlayStation |
Created by | Sony Computer Entertainment |
Portrayed by | Jerry Lambert |
Information | |
Gender | Male |
Occupation | Vice President of various departments of PlayStation |
Kevin Butler (portrayed by actor Jerry Lambert) is a marketing character used by Sony Computer Entertainment America as part of their It Only Does Everything (2009–2011) and Long Live Play (2011–present) advertising campaigns for the PlayStation 3 in North America.[1] He stars as the Vice President of various fictitious departments within the PlayStation division of Sony, responding to "Dear PlayStation" queries.[2] Due to the positive reception of the commercials, Sony extended them throughout the remainder of 2010[3] as well as into 2011. The character was created by Deutsch/LA, the advertising agency responsible for the campaign.[4] Deutsch/LA also manages Kevin Butler's Twitter account and wrote his E3 2010 speech.[5] Creative Circus graduates Will Lindberg and Mark Adler are responsible for creating the "Hall of Play" Facebook app to induct PlayStation gamers into the Hall of Play by Kevin Butler.[6]
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Kevin Butler first appeared in a 2009 ad for MLB 09: The Show called "Dustin vs. PlayStation" where he, the "Director of Game Accuracy", was debating the in-game abilities of Dustin Pedroia, 2008 AL MVP. He then appeared in another ad for the game called "Joe the Fan" discussing Pedroia's abilities with a fan named Joe Biancanellio, a Baseball Connoisseur.[7] These are the only two commercials not part of the It Only Does Everything campaign and featured the original model PS3 due to these two commercials being made before the slim model was released. The original PS3 model can also be seen in Kevin Butler's "Artist Spotlight" for ModNation Racers.
The first commercial in the It Only Does Everything campaign began with the price drop and rebranding of the PS3 where the "Director of Rumor Confirmation", Kevin Butler, responded to a call in regards to a rumor about the PS3 price drop. Kevin Butler has since appeared in many additional commercials.[3] On June 15, 2010, he made a live appearance at Sony's E3 press conference promoting the PlayStation Move and gaming in general. He revealed on his Twitter account that he has a college degree in M.B.A., Master of Being Awesome.[8] In the "What Are You Waiting For?" commercial, it is shown that Kevin Butler has his own RV called "The PlayStation VP-ehicle" and he put the PlayStation Move to the ultimate test by spending 90 days in the Maguire family's house.[9]
For the 2009 holiday season, Kevin Butler teamed up with Best Buy employee Nick DeVita from New York to promote a PS3 Best Buy bundle. They have since teamed up to promote PS3 Best Buy bundles for the consequent holiday seasons in 2010 and 2011.
On August 26, 2011, Butler told his Twitter followers "KB's off to be PRESIDENT of my uncle's new upstart company" which was later revealed to be fictional "Economy Flooring". This led to the launch of a new marketing campaign, Long Live Play, to succeed the It Only Does Everything marketing campaign. The first commercial in the Long Live Play campaign began with Butler as President, Economic Flooring, until he receives a call from Jack Tretton, President of Sony Computer Entertainment America, to return to PlayStation.[1]
On October 27, 2011 (until Thanksgiving 2011), as part of the Long Live Play campaign, Kevin Butler opened the "Hall of Play" inducting PlayStation gamers into the Hall of Play through Facebook.[10]
He has a different title in each commercial (except the two MLB 11: The Show commercials, the Resistance 3 and Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception commercials), such as "Director of Rumor Confirmation" or "VP of First Person Shooter Relations".[11] In his YouTube Channel, he notes that he is "PlayStation VP of... Lots of Stuff." [12] In the PlayStation Move commercials, instead of responding to "Dear PlayStation" queries, Kevin Butler has "Dear World" queries about motion gaming. In the "EyePet, There's a New Pet in Town" commercial, he has a "Dear Puppies" query for puppies. In the video announcing the launch of video streaming on PlayStation 3 in Canada, he referred to Canadians as "Canadese".
There have also been some unofficial titles given to him. At E3 2010, for example, when Gabe Newell came out to present Portal 2 on the PlayStation 3, Gabe made a joke stating that Kevin Butler had introduced himself backstage as the "VP of Sharpening Things" which is why Gabe seemed nervous.
Game promotions | |||
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Year | Title | Game | Tagline |
2009 | Director of Game Accuracy [7] | MLB 09: The Show | "Dustin vs. PlayStation" |
"Joe the Fan" | |||
VP of Big Action Moments [13] | Uncharted 2: Among Thieves | It Only Does Action/Multi-Player | |
Chief Weaponologist [14] | Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack in Time | It Only Does Time Travel/Crazy Weapons | |
2010 | VP of First Person Shooter Relations [15] | MAG | It Only Does 256 Players/Relentless War |
VP of PS3 Softball Team [16] | MLB 10: The Show | It Only Does The Show/Realism/Walk-Offs | |
Regional Manager of War [17] | God of War III | It Only Does Epic Trilogies/Vengeance/Rage | |
VP of Inspiration & Perspiration [18] | ModNation Racers | It Only Does Race, Create, Share/Track Creations/Parties | |
VP of Virtual Pet Relations [19] | EyePet | "There's a New Pet in Town" | |
VP of Family Showdowns [20] | Tiger Woods PGA Tour 11 | "Distractions"; It Only Does Family Showdowns | |
VP of Add More Awesome [21] | Gran Turismo 5 | It Only Does Revolutionary Racing Experiences/1000+ Cars | |
2011 | VP of Infinite Infinity [22] | LittleBigPlanet 2 | It Only Does Endless Fun |
VP of The Cold Hard Truth [23] | Killzone 3 | It Only Does Multiplayer | |
No VP title for this ad Joe Mauer vs. Kevin Butler: MLB 11 The Show-down [24] |
MLB 11: The Show | It Only Does Pure Controls | |
No VP title for this ad Kevin Butler Trashes Your Talk [25][26] |
Kevin Butler's S.H.A.F.T. Method (Specific, Hurtful, Accents, Frequency, Tijuana) | ||
VP of Silent But Deadly [27] | SOCOM 4: U.S. Navy SEALs | It Only Does Tactical Strategy/Teamwork | |
VP of Heroic Actions [28] | inFamous 2 | It Only Does New Heroes | |
No VP title for this ad Parody of Mel Gibson in Braveheart [29] |
Resistance 3 | First Long Live Play commercial for a PS3 game | |
No VP title for this ad Grab The Ring [30] |
Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception | Second Long Live Play commercial for a PS3 game | |
TV promotions | |||
Year | Title | TV promotion | Tagline/Notes |
2009 | Director of Rumor Confirmation [31] | PlayStation 3 Price drop to $299 USD | It Only Does Games/Blu-ray/Everything |
VP of Enough is Enough [31] | "Candle" | It Only Does PlayStation Home/Movie Downloads/Epic Fun | |
Family Activities Director [32] | "Desperate Dad" | It Only Does Family Togetherness/Family Games/Blu-ray | |
VP of Epic Footage [14] | "Mon Tage" | It Only Does Great Games/All-Nighters/Blu-ray Games | |
VP of Blu-ray Superiority [33] | "Grandma" | It Only Does Blu-ray Movies/Wi-Fi | |
VP of Big Deal Deal Making [34] | 2009 Best Buy Bundle - a PS3, a select PS3 game, and a select Blu-ray movie | "BOOM!"; It Only Does Unbelievable HD Entertainment Bundles | |
2010 | VP of Fanboy Relations [35] | New PSP campaign | Kevin Butler interviews Marcus Rivers for Step Your Game Up PSP campaign |
VP of Epic Gaming for All [9] | "Epic" | PlayStation Move promo | |
VP of Family Funterventions [9] | "What Are You Waiting For?" | PlayStation Move promo | |
Gift Giving Guru [36] | "Conundrum" | It Only Does Gifts for the Whole Family/Blu-ray | |
Family Whisperer [36] | "Fake TV Family" | It Only Does Gifts for the Whole Family/Free Access | |
Boombassador of Deals [37] | 2010 BestBuy Bundle - a PS3, Gran Turismo 5, Grown Ups on Blu-ray, and a select BRAVIA HDTV | It Only Does Unstoppable Deals | |
2011 | First Person Sensei [23] | PlayStation Move Sharp Shooter | It Only Does Sharp Shooter |
President, Economic Flooring[1] | PlayStation 3 Price Drop to $249 USD | First Long Live Play commercial | |
VP of Bringin' It in 3D [38] | 2011 Best Buy Bundle - PlayStation 3D Display and a PS3 | Players can get a PS3 for $100 USD when they purchase a PlayStation 3D Display | |
VP of All or Nothing [39] | PlayStation 3D Display | Kevin Butler's latest gaming innovation: SimulView TM | |
Web (Twitter, PlayStation.Blog, Youtube, etc.) | |||
Year | Title | Web | Notes |
2010 | VP of Apologetic Apologies [40] | Via a Twitter tweet on the PSN being down for 24 hours. | |
VP of Realistic Movements [41] | Youtube | Promo for the PlayStation Move; It Only Does Fun/Immersion | |
VP of Artistic Modification [42] | PlayStation.Blog | Artist Spotlight for ModNation Racers, stars alongside Jack Tretton, CEO of SCEA | |
VP of Soiling Oneself in Excitement [43] | Via a Twitter tweet about Killzone 3 | ||
VP of Still Got It | Via a Twitter tweet | ||
VP of International Diplomacy [44] | PlayStation.Blog | Kevin Butler's response to New Zealand's TV3 montage TV promo | |
VP of Being Teased [45] | Via a Twitter tweet about Resistance 3 | ||
VP of Shaking What His Mother Gave Him [46] | Via a Twitter tweet about SingStar Dance | ||
VP of Yes We Canada [47] | PlayStation.Blog | It Only Does Movies; Kevin Butler announces Video Streaming in Canada | |
VP of Auditory Opinions [48] | PlayStation Yay Buttons | PlayStation Move website | |
2011 | No VP Title Kevin Butler Comes to Facebook [49] |
Youtube | Kevin Butler announces he's now on Facebook and has something big planned (the "Hall of Play") |
Unofficial titles | |||
Year | Title | Source | Notes |
2010 | VP of Micro-Minigames [50] | LittleBigPlanet | "Kevin Butler Ware" LittleBigPlanet level |
VP of Sharpening Things [51] | E3 2010 | Gabe Newell's E3 2010 presentation of Portal 2 | |
VP of Tweeting [52] | New PSP campaign | Huge Gamer's article on Kevin Butler hiring Marcus Rivers as PSP publicist | |
VP of Gamer Inspiration [53] | E3 2010 | Kotaku Australia's article about Kevin Butler's E3 2010 appearance | |
VP of Explosions [54] | PlayStation Move | Game Rant's article about Kevin Butler's PlayStation Move "Epic" commercial | |
2011 | VP of Guest Characters [55] | Capcom Unity | Capcom Senior VP Christian Svensson on whether or not Kevin would appear as a guest character on Street Fighter X Tekken. |
The Hall of Play is a fictional Hall of Fame that honors PlayStation gamers as part of Sony's Long Live Play campaign. The Hall of Play opened on October 27, 2011 with a Kevin Butler version of PlayStation's "To Michael" commercial (Kevin Butler was praised and his picture was shown at the end instead of Michael's). Kevin Butler began inducting various gamers every week day into the Hall of Play on November 1, 2011 until Thanksgiving (November 24, 2011).[10] Though Kevin Butler won't personally be inducting gamers with their own induction video after Thanksgiving, PlayStation gamers can still be inducted by Butler through PlayStation's Facebook page app (hallofplay.com) where Kevin Butler walks players through the Hall of Play and has players recite the Hall of Play oath. Players are then treated to their own version of the "To Michael" commercial, with their name being praised and a picture of themselves in the place of Michael's picture.
Kevin Butler's Induction video | PlayStation gamer(s) |
---|---|
PlayStation "To Michael" Kevin Butler version [56] | Kevin Butler |
Adoption [57] | Nychus13 |
Manp-stamp [58] | MotherBoop |
Platinum [59] | Legion_Dragon |
Teamwork [60] | DirkTheDaring |
Butler Time [61] | Legit_Btness |
The Ballad of GraveyardBoots [62] | GraveyardBoots |
Party [63] | DKLincol |
Blood, Sweat, and Tears [64] | KChow23 |
Jersey [65] | APickledEgg |
Heroes [66] | TheBigIrish1138 |
Toast [67] | Siloeyes and Okeneko |
Sidekick [68] | Frometheus |
Marmalade [69] | Himeshinra |
Blades [70] | WithoutAFace |
Father and Son [71] | Vurma and Yutlord22 |
Cake [72] | Kailsen |
Future President [73] | IDoGigs |
Fireworks [74] | BRWCRW19 |
Thanksgiving [75] | gamers everywhere |
In one of his first commercials, in response to a rumor monger questioning a then-confirmed price drop for the PlayStation 3, he says, "You can't believe everything you read on the Internet. Otherwise, I'd be a Nigerian millionaire by now." This prompted Nigeria's Minister of Information and Communication, Professor Dora Akunyili, to demand an apology from Sony, calling the commercial an "unwarranted attack on the reputation and image of the country." In response, Sony promptly issued an apology to the Nigerian government and immediately pulled the commercial from the air.[76] A few days later, Sony replaced the commercial with an edited version, changing the original line to, "You can't believe everything you read on the Internet. That's how World War I got started."[77]
In July 2010, New Zealand television station TV3 ran an advertisement for "Something big on Monday nights". Gaming website ButtonMasher accused TV3 of directly ripping off the "Mon-Tage, It Only Does All-Nighters/Blu-ray Games" commercial.[78] Kevin Butler replied via Twitter: "Dear TV3: You could have at least put my photo on top of the amp. Sheesh." [79]
In January, 2011, Sony sued George Hotz and others, in part for publishing PS3's private keys[80] (which allows users to modify the system to run customized or unofficial software). On 9 February 2011, a post was published on Kevin Butler's Twitter account containing an earlier dongle key. The post was made in reply to another user who tweeted the code to @TheKevinButler in an attempt to mock Sony's threat that they'd prosecute anyone who "posts the PlayStation 3 private key"[81] Kevin Butler replied, appearing to mistake the code for a series of Battleships co-ordinates, joking "Lemme guess... you sank my Battleship?" and copying the original message in his reply. The post was later deleted from the @TheKevinButler Twitter account.[82]
The string of commercials starring Kevin Butler has been met with positive acclaim due to its humorous and lively tone. Gaming site Kotaku commented on the first two commercials that were released, "What we didn't mention is how funny they are."[2] Sony Computer Entertainment America Senior Vice President Peter Dille said that the commercials have "been tremendously successful. Consumers love it. It's great to hear people like you guys love it. And the results are really in the sales because it's really been flying since this coincided in September with the launch of the new PS3."[3] Engadget also loved the commercials saying, "We have to hand it to Sony, they've followed up nicely on their "worst kept secret" trade show jokes with an ad campaign that is fittingly self aware".[83] Destructoid praised the commercials, saying that they were much better than Sony's previous White Room series of ads, which was met with mostly negative reception, with most calling it "creepy."[84] When Butler appeared at E3 2010, he was met with large praise from the audience.
Peter Dille, (real) VP of Marketing for Sony Computer Entertainment America, stated that they have received contacts from media, requesting an interview with Butler, not realizing he isn't a real person.[85]
NPR has named a sandwich in his honor.[86] The sandwich, a double bacon cheeseburger sandwiched in between two Monte Cristos was based on a remark that was made by the fictional executive.[87]
His catchphrase "Well played, Mauer", from a series of commercials with 2009 AL MVP Joe Mauer, is widely quoted among baseball fans, and has been the subject of parodies and t-shirts.
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Li Jiang (李絳) (764 – March 8, 830[1]), courtesy name Shenzhi (深之), formally Duke Zhen of Zhao Commandery (趙郡貞公), was an official of the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty, serving as a chancellor during the reign of Emperor Xianzong.
Contents |
Li Jiang was born in 764, during the reign of Emperor Daizong.[2] His family was part of the prominent Li clan of Zhao Prefecture (趙州, in modern Shijiazhuang, Hebei) — not part of the same clan as Tang Dynasty's imperial Li clan, but which had been considered one of the five most prominent Han clans of Northern Wei.[3] It traced its ancestry to the prominent Warring States Period state Zhao general Li Mu, and the line included officials of Qin Dynasty, Han Dynasty, Cao Wei, Jin Dynasty (265-420), Northern Wei, Sui Dynasty, and Tang. His grandfather Li Gang (李岡) served as a county magistrate, while his father Li Yuanshan (李元善) served as a prefectural official.[4]
After Li Jiang passed the imperial examinations, including a special examination in grand speech, he was made Xiaoshu Lang (校書郎), a copyeditor at the archival bureau, and later served as the sheriff of Weinan County (渭南, in modern Weinan, Shaanxi). Late in the Zhenyuan era (785-805) of Emperor Daizong's son Emperor Dezong, Li Jiang became an imperial censor with the title Jiancha Yushi (監察御史).[2]
In 807, during the reign of Emperor Dezong's grandson Emperor Xianzong, Li Jiang was made Hanlin Xueshi (翰林學士), an imperial scholar.[2] Later that year, after the rebellion of the warlord Li Qi the military governor (Jiedushi) of Zhenhai Circuit (鎮海, headquartered in modern Zhenjiang, Jiangsu) was suppressed, the officials in charge confiscated Li Qi's wealth. At the suggestion of Li Jiang and fellow imperial scholar Pei Ji, Emperor Xianzong agreed to have Li Qi's wealth deemed to substitute for the taxes that the people of Zhenhai would have submitted that year (as Li Jiang and Pei reasoned that Li Qi extracted the wealth from the people). Later that year, when Emperor Xianzong discussed with Li Jiang an accusation by the chancellor Li Jifu that another chancellor, Zheng Yin was in secret communications with the warlord Lu Congshi (盧從史) the military governor of Zhaoyi Circuit (昭義, headquartered in modern Changzhi, Shanxi), Li Jiang pointed out that Zheng had a reputation for faithfulness and would not be conspiring with a warlord. As a result, Emperor Xianzong took no actions against Zheng. Yet later that year, when Emperor Xianzong was set to marry his daughter Princess Puning to Yu Jiyou (于季友), the son of another warlord, Yu Di the military governor of Shannan East Circuit (山南東道, headquartered in modern Xiangfan, Hubei), Li Jiang opposed, pointing out that Yu Di was of Xianbei extraction, and Yu Jiyou was not even born of Yu Di's wife — but Emperor Xianzong overruled him, as he used the marriage to bring Yu Di into the imperial fold.[5]
In 808, at Li Jiang's and Pei's suggestion, Emperor Xianzong, when declaring a general pardon, did not send eunuchs out to the circuits as messengers, to avoid the eunuchs demanding bribes and disturbing the circuits. In 809, during a drought, Li Jiang and fellow imperial scholar Bai Juyi made several recommendations — decreasing taxes, decreasing the number of ladies in waiting, disallowing regional governors from submitting tributes (so that they would not extract wealth from the people), and the banning of slave-capture in the southern regions of the realm. Emperor Xianzong accepted their suggestions. In 809, at the suggestion of Li Jiang and his fellow imperial scholars that Emperor Xianzong should have a crown prince, Emperor Xianzong created his oldest son Li Ning crown prince. Later that year, when the military governor Pei Jun (裴均) submitted a tribute of silver vessels despite the regulations banning the tributes, Li Jiang and Bai pointed out to Emperor Xianzong that if his edicts were to be taken seriously, he needed to decline the tribute; Emperor Xianzong thus transferred the silver vessels to the bureau of finances, but thereafter ordered the circuits not to inform the imperial censors on tributes, despite Bai's objections. Meanwhile, as Wang Shizhen the military governor of Chengde (成德, headquartered in modern Shijiazhuang, Hebei), had just recently died, Emperor Xianzong considered using the opportunity to seize control of Chengde (which had been ruled in a de facto independence from the imperial government), rather than allowing Wang's son Wang Chengzong to inherit the circuit. Li Jiang and the other imperial scholars opposed, pointing out that Chengde would be more difficult of a target than Zhangyi Circuit (彰義, headquartered in modern Zhumadian, Henan), then ruled by Wu Shaoyang. However, Emperor Xianzong, persuaded by the powerful eunuch Tutu Chengcui, prepared for a campaign against Chengde anyway. Meanwhile, later that year, after Tutu headed a project to rebuild Anguo Temple (安國寺) and built a grand monument, intending to use it to praise Emperor Xianzong, Li Jiang pointed out that in history, the truly great rulers did not establish monuments for themselves. Emperor Xianzong thus ordered the monument destroyed.[5]
Late in 809, Emperor Xianzong resolved to allow Wang Chengzong to inherit the circuit, after Wang informed the imperial official sent to visit him, Pei Wu (裴武), that he would submit two of Chengde's six prefectures to imperial control. When Wang subsequently reneged on the promise, Emperor Xianzong ordered a campaign against Wang and was set to punish Pei Wu, but Li Jiang pointed out that it was not Pei Wu's fault that Wang reneged and further pointed out that the accusations against Pei Wu appeared to be intending to harm Pei Ji (who had by then become a chancellor) as well. Emperor Xianzong agreed and took no actions against Pei Wu. It was said that Li Jiang often pointed out to Emperor Xianzong that the eunuchs were interfering with governance. In 810, when eunuchs injured the official Yuan Zhen (元稹) in a confrontation, Emperor Xianzong demoted Yuan despite the objections of Li Jiang and fellow imperial scholar Cui Qun. Later in 810, after Tutu, working with Lu's subordinate Wu Chongyin, arrested Lu at a feast that Tutu held for Lu, Emperor Xianzong, at Li Jiang's recommendation, transferred Meng Yuanyang (孟元陽) the military governor of Heyang Circuit (河陽, headquartered in modern Luoyang, Henan) to Zhaoyi and made Wu the military governor of Heyang, rather than directly giving Zhaoyi to Wu, under the rationale that if Wu were given Zhaoyi, effectively, the imperial government had not regained authority over Zhaoyi. After the campaign against Chengde, which Tutu commanded and which Lu encouraged, thereafter ended later that year, it was at Li Jiang's insistence that Emperor Xianzong demoted Tutu. However, when Li Jiang continued to criticize Tutu for interfering in political matters, Emperor Xianzong became angry on one occasion. When Li Jiang, weeping, pointed out that it was his responsibility to do try to report honest advice to the emperor, Emperor Xianzong's anger dissipated and praised Li Jiang for his faithfulness, and he made Li Jiang Zhongshu Sheren (中書舍人), a mid-level official at the legislative bureau of government (中書省, Zhongshu Sheng).[6] During these years that Li Jiang served as imperial scholar, he was promoted in his titles several times, but remained imperial scholar, and it was said that he was earnest in his responsibilities as correcting the emperor.[2]
In 811, it was said that because the eunuchs disliked having Li Jiang at the Hanlin Institute (where the imperial scholars resided), Li Jiang was made the deputy minister of census (戶部侍郎, Hubu Shilang). On one occasion, when Emperor Xianzong asked him why he was not submitting surpluses to the imperial treasury like prior deputy ministers of census, he pointed out that there should not be such a thing as surpluses — that any property that the ministry of census was in charge of was governmental property in any case. Emperor Xianzong approved of his honesty. In summer of that year, at Li Jifu's suggestion, Emperor Xianzong commissioned Li Jiang, along with Duan Pingzhong (段平仲), Wei Guanzhi, and Xu Mengrong (許孟容), to revise the salary scales of imperial officials.[6]
In winter 811, Emperor Xianzong made Li Jiang Zhongshu Shilang (中書侍郎), the deputy head of the legislative bureau, and de facto chancellor with the title Tong Zhongshu Menxia Pingzhangshi (同中書門下平章事), because he had heard that Li Jifu, as chancellor, often based his decisions on his personal likes and dislikes. It was said that Li Jifu was often flattering the emperor, while Li Jiang was direct in his opinions, and the two therefore often argued before Emperor Xianzong. Emperor Xianzong often agreed with Li Jiang, causing a rift between Li Jiang and Li Jifu. In 812, when Li Jiang sent the mayor of Jingzhao Municipality (京兆, i.e., the region of the Tang capital Chang'an), Yuan Yifang (元義方), whom Li Jifu had promoted, out of Chang'an to serve as the governor (觀察使, Guanchashi) of Fufang Circuit (鄜坊, headquartered in modern Yan'an, Shaanxi) because he despised Yuan for having flattered Tutu Chengcui, Yuan accused Li Jiang of favoring the deputy mayor Xu Jitong (許季同), who had passed the imperial examinations in the same year that Li Jiang did. Emperor Xianzong was skeptical of Yuan's accusations, and subsequently, when Li Jiang stated that he had no particular reason to favor those who passed the imperial examinations in the same year, Emperor Xianzong sent Yuan on his way.[6]
Also in 812, Tian Ji'an the military governor of Weibo Circuit (魏博, headquartered in modern Handan, Hebei), which had also had de facto independence from the imperial government, died. Li Jifu advocated preparing for a campaign against Weibo to seize it, while Li Jiang believed that soon there would be an uprising from a Weibo officer to seize control of Weibo from Tian Ji'an's young son Tian Huaijian and thus believed that preparing for a campaign was unnecessary. Emperor Xianzong agreed with Li Jiang. Soon thereafter, the Weibo officer Tian Xing seized control of Weibo from Tian Huaijian and submitted to the imperial government.[6][7] At Li Jiang's suggestion, Emperor Xianzong immediately named Tian Xing military governor, rather than just acting military governor, and awarded a large amount of monetary rewards to the Weibo soldiers. Tian Xing thereafter became a key general in various imperial campaigns against warlords. Also at Li Jiang's suggestion, Emperor Xianzong commissioned a project to put fields in the border Zhenwu (振武, headquartered in modern Hohhot, Inner Mongolia) and Tiande (天德, headquartered in modern Bayan Nur, Inner Mongolia) Circuits to use. It was said that after some four years, a large amount of fields were created, greatly reducing the expenses of shipping food to the border defense troops. After a Tufan attack on the western border, Li Jiang also advocated that the command of imperial Shence Army soldiers, sent to the western borders to support the local troops, be given to the local commanders, rather than having the eunuchs in command of Shence Army maintain control. Emperor Xianzong initially agreed with Li Jiang, but due to the eunuchs' opposition did not actually carry out the plan.[7]
In 813, with Li Jifu and Li Jiang continuing to often argue and fellow chancellor Quan Deyu not taking sides, Emperor Xianzong lost respect for Quan and stripped Quan of his chancellor position. Meanwhile, in fall 813, when Li Guangjin (李光進) the military governor of Zhenwu requested permission to reconstruct the walls of the Eastern Surrender Fort (東受降城, in modern Hohhot), which had been destroyed by a Yellow River flood in 812, Emperor Xianzong, at Li Jifu's suggestion, instead sent the soldiers originally stationed at the Eastern Surrender Fort to Tiande Circuit, despite the objections of Li Jiang and Lu Tan (盧坦) that the Eastern Surrender Fort was a strategically important spot that the Tang armies should continue to station. However, Li Jiang also used the opportunity to report to Emperor Xianzong the serious issue that the border armies actually lacked soldiers despite their apparent grand numbers — such that while 400 soldiers were supposed to be transferred to Tiande from the Eastern Surrender Fort, only 50 soldiers actually went (because although a 400-strong force existed on paper, there were actually only 50 soldiers there). Emperor Xianzong ordered a review of the border defense rolls, but it was said that because Li Jiang soon thereafter left the chancellorship, the review was never carried out.[7]
Also in 813, Li Jiang was created the Baron of Gaoyi. He soon offered to resign his chancellorship due to a foot ailment.[2] In 814, Emperor Xianzong accepted the resignation and made him the minister of rites (禮部尚書, Lǐbu Shangshu). (However, it was also said that Emperor Xianzong, in doing so, was keenly aware of the long-running feud between Li Jiang and Tutu Chengcui. He had demoted Tutu out of the capital before making Li Jiang chancellor, and it was said that he demoted Li Jiang in order to recall Tutu to the capital, and Tutu was indeed soon thereafter recalled.)[7]
After Li Jiang's removal from chancellorship, he continued to give Emperor Xianzong advice. For example, soon thereafter, he suggested that Huigu's proposal of having a Tang princess marry Huigu's Baoyi Khan, which Emperor Xianzong had declined previously due to the expenses involved, should be accepted, to further affirm the alliance between Tang and Huigu. His suggestion, however, was not accepted.[7] In 815, he was sent out of the capital to serve as the prefect of Hua Prefecture (華州, in modern Weinan), but soon recalled to serve as the minister of defense (兵部尚書, Bingbu Shangshu). He later, when his mother died, left governmental service to observe a mourning period for her. In 819, he returned to government service and was made the governor of Hezhong Circuit (河中, headquartered in modern Yuncheng, Shanxi), which typically was governed by a military governor, but as the chancellor in power at the time, Huangfu Bo, disliked Li Jiang, Li Jiang was only given a governor title.[2]
In 820, after Emperor Xianzong died and was succeeded by his son Emperor Muzong, Huangfu Bo was exiled,[8] and Li Jiang was recalled to again serve as minister of defense. He was soon made the chief imperial censor (御史大夫, Yushi Daifu). As Emperor Muzong was often spending time on tours and games, Li Jiang tried to correct his behavior, but Emperor Muzong would not follow his advice. He therefore offered to resign, but was instead again made the minister of defense. In 821, he was made the minister of civil service affairs (吏部尚書, Lìbu Shangshu, note different tone than the minister of rites). Later in the year, he was made the defender of the eastern capital Luoyang. In 822, he was made the military governor of Yanhai Circuit (兗海, headquartered in modern Jining, Shandong). In 823, he was again made the defender of Luoyang. In 824, he was given the title of acting Sikong (司空, one of the Three Excellencies).[2] Around this time, he also served for some time as the military governor of Dongchuan Circuit (東川, headquartered in modern Mianyang, Sichuan).[9][10]
Early in the Baoli era (824-826) of Emperor Muzong's son Emperor Jingzong, Li Jiang was recalled to serve as Zuo Pushe (左僕射), one of the heads of the executive bureau (尚書省, Shangshu Sheng). In 825, when Liu Wu the military governor of Zhaoyi died and left a request to let his son Liu Congjian inherit the circuit, Li Jiang opposed, believing that the imperial government should send a replacement for Liu Wu quickly, and that if that occurred, Liu Congjian would not dare to resist. However, it was said that because the chancellor in power at the time, Li Fengji, and the powerful eunuch Wang Shoucheng, had both received bribes from Liu Congjian, they allowed Liu Congjian to inherit the circuit regardless. It was said that Li Jiang despised wicked individuals without compromise, and there was an incident in which, on the street, the deputy chief imperial censor Wang Bo (王播), despite being less senior in rank, refused to yield to him, leading to Li Jiang initiating a debate on whether the deputy chief imperial censor needed to yield to a Pushe. Li Fengji disliked Li Jiang, and therefore had Li Jiang made Taizi Shaoshi (太子少師), an advisor to the Crown Prince,[11] and had Li Jiang's office transferred to Luoyang.[2]
After Emperor Jingzong died in 826 and was succeeded by his brother Emperor Wenzong,[12] Li Jiang was recalled to serve as the minister of worship (太常卿, Taichang Qing). In 828, he was made the military governor of Shannan West Circuit (山南西道, headquartered in modern Hanzhong, Shaanxi) and the mayor of its capital Xingyuan Municipality (興元),[2] and he was created the Duke of Zhao Commandery.[9] After Nanzhao forces made a major attack on Chengdu, the capital of the neighboring Xichuan Circuit (西川, headquartered in modern Chengdu) in winter 829, Li Jiang was ordered to reinforce Xichuan forces, Li Jiang retained some 1,000 soldiers and was ready to send them to Xichuan. However, before the soldiers could head to Xichuan, the Nanzhao forces withdrew. As Shannan West had a set quota of soldiers, Li Jiang could not retain these soldiers, and in spring 830, after distributing wheat to them, he decommissioned them. When the soldiers went to bid farewell to the eunuch monitor of the army, Yang Shuyuan (楊叔元), Yang, who had long resented Li Jiang for not respecting him, wanted to incite a mutiny against Li Jiang, and therefore aroused their anger by pointing out how little they received. These soldiers, thus incited, attacked Li Jiang's headquarters. Li Jiang, who did not expect this to happen, could not defend against the attack, but when his staff members suggested that he flee the city, he refused, pointing out that as the commander of the region, he could not abandon it. The soldiers killed him and his staff and further slaughtered his household.[13] Yang submitted a false report accusing Li Jiang of having caused the mutiny by embezzling the salary of the soldiers. The imperial officials defended Li Jiang, and Kong Minxing (孔敏行) submitted a report on how Yang incited the mutiny. When the new military governor, Wen Zao (溫造), arrived at Shannan West, he led these mutineers into a trap by holding a feast for them, and then slaughtering them, offering their heads to Li Jiang and the staff members as sacrifices. Yang was spared but exiled.[14] Emperor Wenzong awarded Li Jiang posthumous honors.[2]