Doctor of Science (Latin: Scientiæ Doctor), usually abbreviated Sc.D., D.Sc., S.D. or Dr.Sc., is an academic research degree awarded in a number of countries throughout the world. In some countries, "Doctor of Science" is the title used for the standard doctorate in the sciences; elsewhere the Sc.D. is a "higher doctorate" awarded in recognition of a substantial and sustained contribution to scientific knowledge beyond that required for a Ph.D.

United States[link]

In the United States, the formally recognized traditional Doctor of Science is an academic research doctoral degree awarded by research universities. The academic research Sc.D. (or D.Sc.) is considered by both the United States Department of Education and the National Science Foundation to be equivalent to the more commonly awarded Ph.D.^[1]

The first North American Sc.D. was inaugurated by Harvard University in 1872, when graduate studies first began at Harvard, and where the Ph.D. and Sc.D. degrees were introduced in the same year.^[2] The Doctor of Science research degree is earned with the formal dissertation defense and approval of a committee on the basis of original research and publications, and it is awarded predominantly in doctoral-level science programs, such as engineering, medical and health sciences, and health economics.^[3]

Although rarer than the Doctor of Philosophy, the Doctor of Science research degree has been awarded by institutions such as Harvard University,^[4] Johns Hopkins University,^[5] Massachusetts Institute of Technology,^[6] Robert Morris University^[7] and Tulane University.^[8]

A few university doctoral research programs offer both the Sc.D. and Ph.D. degrees in the same academic field, such as Johns Hopkins University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology, with identical requirements for obtaining either. Currently, research programs that offer the formal research Sc.D. but not the Ph.D. degree for a given field include several doctoral programs at Harvard University[1], Boston University, Capitol College[2], and Dakota State University.^[9]

There are programs where the Sc.D. and Ph.D. have different degree requirements, though the two degrees are officially considered equivalent. The Engineering school at Washington University in St. Louis, for example, requires four graduate courses in the D.Sc. program not required for the Ph.D. degree, while the Ph.D requires teaching assistance services. The Johns Hopkins University also offers both Ph.D. and Sc.D. in certain programs [3], with only minor differences in university administration of the degrees. In some institutions, the Sc.D. has been converted to the Ph.D.^[10] For instance, the doctoral degree in biostatistics at Harvard recently converted from Sc.D. to Ph.D., even though the doctoral degree structure and requirements have remained identical.^[10]

The United Kingdom, Ireland and the Commonwealth[link]

In Ireland, the United Kingdom and the countries of the Commonwealth, such as India, the degree of Doctor of Science is one of the Higher Doctorates. In some older universities it typically has precedence after Divinity, Laws or Civil Law, Medicine, and Letters, and above Music. The degree is conferred on a member of the university who has a proven record of internationally recognised scholarship. A candidate for the degree will usually be required to submit a selection of their publications to the board of the appropriate faculty, which will decide if the candidate merits this accolade.

The degree is only exceptionally and rarely awarded to a scholar under the age of forty. However Marie Stopes obtained hers at the age of 25^[11] and Kevin Warwick had been awarded 2 by the time he was 40^[12].

The first University to admit an individual to this degree was the University of London in 1860.^[13] In 1893 Maria Ogilvie was the first woman to receive this degree. However, the University of London ceased awarding the degree more than ten years ago. ^[14]

In former times the doctorate in science was regarded as a greater distinction than a professorial chair and hence a professor who was also a D.Sc. would be known as Doctor. The Doctor of Science may also be awarded as an honorary degree, that is, given to individuals who have made extensive contributions to a particular field and not for specific academic accomplishments. It is usual to signify this by adding D.Sc. h.c. (for honoris causa)

Argentina[link]

In Argentina the formal title Doctor of Science would be attributed to different fields of the hard or soft sciences. To get into an Argentine Ph.D. program the applicant must have experience in research and at least an Engineering, Licentiate or Master degree:^[15]

Applied Sciences[link]

• Doctorate of Agronomic Sciences (U of BA, NU of LP, NU of C, NU of R, NU of MP, NU of the S)
• Doctorate of Sciences in Nutriment Technology (NU of the S)
• Doctorate of Sciences in Lacteal Technology (NU of the L)
• Doctorate of Sciences in Material Technology (NU of the S, NU of MP)
• Doctorate of Computer Sciences (U of BA, NU of C, NU of SL, NU of the S)
• Doctorate of Engineering Sciences (NU of C, NU of Cu, NU of RC, NU of the S, ITBA)
• Doctorate of Geological Sciences (NU of C, NU of Cu, NU of SJ, NU of SL, NU of the S)
• Doctorate of Informatics Sciences (NU of LP)
• Doctorate of Basic Sciences Applied (NU of Q)
• Doctorate of Science and Technology (NU of GS)
• Doctorate of Geological Sciences (U of BA)
• Doctorate of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology (NU of SAM)
• Doctorate of Systems Control (NU of the S)
• Doctorate of Economy (NU of the S)
• Doctorate of Geography (NU of the S)
• Doctorate of History (NU of the S)
• Doctorate of Chemical Engineering (NU of the S)

Basic Sciences[link]

• Doctorate of Biological Sciences (U of BA, NU of LP, NU of C, NU of R, NU of the L, NU of Cu, NU of RC, NU of MP, NU of the S)
• Doctorate of Biological Chemistry Sciences (U of BA, NU of the S)
• Doctorate of Molecular Biology Sciences (U of BA)
• Doctorate of Mathematics Sciences (U of BA, NU of LP, NU of SL, NU of the S)
• Doctorate of Chemistry Sciences (NU of LP, NU of R, NU of C, NU of RC, NU of MP, NU of the S)
• Doctorate of Physics Sciences (U of BA, NU of LP, NU of MP, NU of SAM, NU of the S)
• Doctorate of Natural Sciences (U of BA, NU of LP)
• Doctorate of Philosophy (NU of the S)

Germany, Austria, Switzerland[link]

In Germany, Austria, and the German-speaking part of Switzerland, the most common doctoral degrees in Natural Sciences are the following:

• Dr. rer. nat. - Doctor rerum naturalium, literally "Doctor of the things of nature"
• Dr. sc. nat. - Doctor scientiae naturalis, Doctor of Natural Sciences (less often used)
• Dr. phil. nat. - Doctor philosophiae naturalis, used only by Goethe University Frankfurt instead of Dr. rer. nat.
• Dr.-Ing. - Doctor of Engineering, commonly awarded from Technical Universities only.
• Dr. mont. - Doctor rerum montanarum, used only by Montanuniversität Leoben instead of Dr.-Ing.
• Dr. techn. - Doctor of technology, awarded by Austrian technical universities.

In these countries there are some related doctoral degrees with very similar names, these are the:

• Dr.sc.agr. - Doctor scientiarum agrariarum, Doctor of Agricultural science
• Dr.sc.hum. - Doctor scientiarum humanarum, Doctor of Humanistic Sciences
• Dr.sc.inf.med. - Doctor scientiarum informaticarum medicæ, Doctor of Science in Medical Informatics
• Dr.sc.inf.biomed. - Doctor scientiarum informaticarum biomedicæ, Doctor of Science in Biomedical Informatics
• Dr.sc.math. - Doctor scientiarum mathematicarum, Doctor of Mathematics
• Dr.scient.med - Doctor scientiæ medicæ, Doctor of Medical Sciences
• Dr.sc.mus. - Doctor scientiae musicae, Doctor of Musicology
• Dr.sc.oec. - Doctor scientiarum oeconomicarum, Doctor of Economics
• Dr.sc.pol. - Doctor scientarium politicarum, Doctor of Political Sciences
• Dr.sc.soc. - Doctor scientiae socialis, Doctor of Social Sciences

All these doctoral degrees are equivalent to the Ph.D. or Sc.D. of the American system. Until German Reunification, universities in East Germany also awarded the Dr.Sc. However, the East German Dr.Sc. wasn't equivalent to the Ph.D. since it was adopted to replace the German Habilitation and therefore was equivalent to this German qualification. After reunification the Habilitation was reintroduced at universities in eastern Germany.

The procedure of habilitation is normally required to receive officially the "venia docendi", which entitles the candidate to lecture at Universities. The academic degree after the successful habilitatation is f.e. Dr.rer.nat.habil., by adding the suffix "habil." to the earlier received Doctors degree.

In Switzerland, the Dr. sc. is a doctoral degree awarded only by the two Swiss Federal Institutes of Technology^[16] and the Department of Informatics of the University of Zurich^[17]. The Swiss Dr. sc., like the D.Sc. in the US, is equivalent to the Ph.D., is earned with the approval of a committee on the basis of original research, publications, and extensive applied professional contributions and is awarded in doctoral level science and technology programs. Since 2004 the Dr. sc. is the only doctoral degree awarded by the ETH Zurich. The École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne awards the degree Docteur ès sciences, abbreviated Dr ès sc..^[18] The title is translated into English as PhD.^[19]

Poland[link]

In Poland "Doctor of Sciences" (pl doktor nauk) is the equivalent of Ph.D. Doctoral degrees in Poland are similar to degrees awarded in Germany.

Doctorate (Doctor of Science) is always translated into English as Ph.D. (or PhD). Just like in Germany and Austria - habilitation (doktor habilitowany or dr. hab.) in Poland is the higher academic qualification, sometimes translated as D.Sc. (or DSc). The highest scientific degree in Poland is professorship (profesor), which is called a scientific title of professor.

Other European Union countries[link]

In Czech Republic and Slovakia "Doctor of Sciences" (Dr.Sc. behind the name) is equivalent to the degree of Doctor of Science in the sense in which the D.Sc. is used in the Commonwealth. It is the highest academic qualification and it is different from both Ph.D. and Ph.Dr. titles. Since 2006 a "Doctor of Sciences" degree (D.Sc. behind the name) is awarded not by Universities but by the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic mostly for research in the field of natural or formal science. In Slovakia, "Doctor of Sciences" (Dr.Sc.) is awarded by the Slovak Academy of Sciences.

In former Yugoslavia, the Serbian, Slovenian, etc. title doktor nauka (literally 'doctor of science') is used in a much broader sense than D.Sc., simply referring to a field of academic study – from art history (Sln. doktor znanosti s področja umetnostne zgodovine), philosophy (Sln. doktor znanosti s področja filozofije), and literary studies (Sln. doktor znanosti s področja literarnih ved) to hard sciences such as molecular biology (Sln. doktor znanosti s področja molekularne biologije). It is therefore formally recognized as a Ph.D. in Western Bloc, but also counts as PostDoc since it usually takes 10 years to obtain it after "Magister of Science" title has been obtained first.

In Finland, most doctoral degrees awarded in the fields of natural sciences, technology and economics are D.Sc. degrees with a suffix indicating the field of study. For example, the proper translation for the doctorate in technology (Tekniikan tohtori) would be D.Sc. (Tech.), whereas a doctorate in economics and business administration (Kauppatieteiden tohtori) would be translated as D.Sc. (Econ.). When conversing or writing in English, the prefix Dr. may be used to address a holder of a doctoral degree awarded in Finland.

In France the Doctor of Sciences degree (doctorat ès sciences also called doctorat d'État) was a higher doctorate in the fields of experimental and natural sciences, superseded in 1984 by the habilitation.

In Denmark Dr. Scient. is a higher doctorate.

Russia and other post-Soviet states[link]

In Russia and various other post-Soviet states, as well as in some of the former Communist Bloc countries, the status of Russian Doktor nauk (literally 'doctor of sciences') is a post-doctoral degree and has no American equivalent but does have a Western equivalent in the degree of Doctor of Science in the sense in which the D.Sc. is used in the Commonwealth.

Uzbekistan[link]

The higher education institutes in Uzbekistan also grant D.Sc. degrees. As an example, the National University of Uzbekistan and the Uzbekistan Academy of Sciences offer D.Sc. in various fields.

Brazil[link]

In Brazil only the Doctor in Science (D.Sc.) category is recognized as a higher doctorate,^[20] generally followed by the concentration area (program field).

This kind of doctorate is obtained in Graduate School after satisfactory evaluation of knowledge, research accomplishment, and thesis defense. This doctorate is comparable to a Ph.D. program found in other countries. In the state of São Paulo, the doctorate title is the second highest academic title given by the state's universities (University of São Paulo - USP, State University of Campinas - UNICAMP and São Paulo State University - UNESP). The highest academic title is the Livre-Docência. No Brazilian University awards the Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degree, except in the strict meaning (i.e. philosophy proper).

China, Japan, South Korea[link]

In these countries usually Sc.D./D.Sc. is equivalent to US Ph.D. in science and obtained in Graduate School after satisfactory evaluation of knowledge, research accomplishment, and thesis defense.

Thailand[link]

Higher education institutes in Thailand generally grant Ph.D. for research doctoral degree, except some universities such as Chulalongkorn University award D.Sc. In exception, Mahidol University can grant both Ph.D. and D.Sc. Doctoral students in Faculty of Science are always awarded Ph.D., but some other programs award D.Sc.

See also[link]

• Doktor nauk

Footnotes[link]

Neil deGrasse Tyson
Tyson at the NASA Advisory Council in Washington, D.C., November 2005
Born	(1958-10-05) October 5, 1958 (age 53) Manhattan, New York City, United States[1]
Residence	Manhattan, New York City, United States
Fields	Astrophysics, physical cosmology, science communication
Institutions	Hayden Planetarium, PBS, Planetary Society
Alma mater	Harvard University (AB) University of Texas at Austin (MA) Columbia University (MPhil, PhD)
Influences	Issac Newton, Carl Sagan, Fred C. Hess
Notable awards	NASA Distinguished Public Service Medal

Neil deGrasse Tyson ( /ˈniːəl dəˈɡræs ˈtaɪsən/ born October 5, 1958) is an American astrophysicist and science communicator. He is currently the Frederick P. Rose Director of the Hayden Planetarium at the Rose Center for Earth and Space, and a research associate in the department of astrophysics at the American Museum of Natural History. Since 2006 he has hosted the educational science television show NOVA scienceNOW on PBS, and has been a frequent guest on The Daily Show, The Colbert Report, Real Time with Bill Maher, and Jeopardy!. It was announced on August 5, 2011, that Tyson will be hosting a new sequel to Carl Sagan's Cosmos: A Personal Voyage television series.^[2]

Early life[link]

Tyson was born as the second of three children in the borough of Manhattan in New York City, but was raised in the Bronx.^[1] His mother, Sunchita Feliciano Tyson, was a gerontologist and his father, Cyril deGrasse Tyson, was a sociologist, human resource commissioner for the New York City mayor, John Lindsay, and was the first Director of HARYOU.^[3][4] Tyson attended the Bronx High School of Science (1972–1976, astrophysics emphasis) where he was captain of the wrestling team and was editor-in-chief of the school's Physical Science Journal. Tyson had an abiding interest in astronomy from the age of eleven, following his visit to the Hayden Planetarium at age nine. Tyson recalls that "so strong was that imprint [of the night sky] that I'm certain that I had no choice in the matter, that in fact, the universe called me."^[5] He obsessively studied astronomy in his teens, and eventually even gained some fame in the astronomy community by giving lectures on the subject at the age of fifteen.

Astronomer Carl Sagan, who was a faculty member at Cornell University, tried to recruit Tyson to Cornell for undergraduate studies.^[6] During an interview with writer Daniel Simone,^[7] Tyson said, "Interestingly, when I applied to Cornell, my application dripped of my passion for the study and research of the Universe. Somehow the admissions office brought my application to the attention of the late Dr. Sagan, and he actually took the initiative and care to contact me. He was very inspirational and a most powerful influence. Dr. Sagan was as great as the universe, an effective mentor." Tyson chose to attend Harvard University, however, where he majored in physics and lived in Currier House. He was a member of the crew team during his freshman year, but returned to wrestling, eventually lettering in his senior year. Tyson earned a bachelor of arts in physics from Harvard in 1980 and began his graduate work at the University of Texas at Austin, where he earned a master of arts in astronomy in 1983. In addition to wrestling and rowing in college, he was also active in dancing in styles including jazz, ballet, Afro-Caribbean, and Latin Ballroom. In 1985, he won a gold medal with the University of Texas dance team at a national tournament in the International Latin Ballroom style. He started to work toward a doctorate at the University of Texas, but transferred to Columbia University in 1988 after his committee was dissolved.^[8] At Columbia University, in 1989, he received a master of philosophy in astrophysics and, in 1991, he earned a doctor of philosophy in astrophysics.

Career[link]

Tyson with students at the 2007 American Astronomical Society conference

Tyson's research has focused on observations in stellar formation and evolution as well as cosmology and galactic astronomy. He has held numerous positions at institutions including University of Maryland, Princeton University, the American Museum of Natural History, and Hayden Planetarium.

Tyson has written a number of popular books on astronomy. In 1995, he began to write the "Universe" column for Natural History magazine. In a column he authored for the magazine in 2002, Tyson coined the term "Manhattanhenge" to describe the two days annually on which the evening sun aligns with the cross streets of the street grid in Manhattan, making the sunset visible along unobstructed side streets.

In 2001, President George W. Bush appointed Tyson to serve on the Commission on the Future of the United States Aerospace Industry and in 2004 to serve on the President's Commission on Implementation of United States Space Exploration Policy, the latter better known as the "Moon, Mars, and Beyond" commission. Soon afterward he was awarded the NASA Distinguished Public Service Medal, the highest civilian honor bestowed by NASA.^[9]

In 2004, he hosted the four-part "Origins" miniseries of PBS's Nova,^[10] and, with Donald Goldsmith, co-authored the companion volume for this series, Origins: Fourteen Billion Years Of Cosmic Evolution.^[11] He again collaborated with Goldsmith as the narrator on the documentary 400 Years of the Telescope which premiered on PBS in April 2009.

Tyson in December 2011 at a conference marking 1,000 days after the launch of the spacecraft Kepler

As director of the Hayden Planetarium, Tyson bucked traditional thinking in order to keep Pluto from being referred to as the ninth planet in exhibits at the center. Tyson has explained that he wanted to look at commonalities between objects, grouping the terrestrial planets together, the gas giants together, and Pluto with like objects and to get away from simply counting the planets. He has stated on The Colbert Report, The Daily Show, and BBC Horizon that this decision has resulted in large amounts of hate mail, much of it from children.^[12] In 2006, the I.A.U. confirmed this assessment by changing Pluto to the "dwarf planet" classification. Daniel Simone wrote of the interview with Tyson describing his frustration. "For a while, we were not very popular here at the Hayden Planetarium."

Tyson has been vice-president, president, and chairman of the board of the Planetary Society. He is also the host of the PBS program Nova ScienceNow.^[13] He attended and was a speaker at the Beyond Belief: Science, Religion, Reason and Survival symposium on November 2006. In 2007, Tyson, who is known for his vibrant character, cheerful demeanor, and awe of the vastness of the universe itself, was chosen to be a regular on The History Channel's popular series The Universe.

In May 2009, he launched a one-hour radio talk show called StarTalk, which he co-hosted with comedienne Lynne Koplitz. The show was syndicated on Sunday afternoons on KTLK AM in Los Angeles and WHFS in Washington D.C. The show lasted for thirteen weeks, but was resurrected in December 2010 and then, co-hosted with comedians Chuck Nice and Leighann Lord instead of Koplitz. The show is also available via the internet through a live stream or in the form of a podcast.^[14]

In April 2011, Tyson was the keynote speaker at the 93rd International Convention of the Phi Theta Kappa International Honor Society of the Two-year School. He and James Randi delivered a lecture entitled Skepticism, which related directly with the convention's theme of The Democratization of Information: Power, Peril, and Promise.

In 2012, Tyson announced that he would appear in a YouTube series based on his popular StarTalk radio show. A premiere date for the show has not been announced, but it will be distributed on the Nerdist YouTube Channel.^[15]

Views[link]

Tyson has argued that the concept of intelligent design thwarts the advance of scientific knowledge.^[16][17][18] When asked if he believed in a higher power, Tyson responded: "Every account of a higher power that I've seen described, of all religions that I've seen, include many statements with regard to the benevolence of that power. When I look at the universe and all the ways the universe wants to kill us, I find it hard to reconcile that with statements of beneficence."^[19] In an interview on podcast Point of Inquiry, Tyson defines himself as an agnostic.^[20]

He has written and broadcast extensively about his views of religion, spirituality, and the spirituality of science including the essays, "The Perimeter of Ignorance"^[21] and "Holy Wars",^[18] both appearing in Natural History magazine and the 2006 Beyond Belief workshop.^[22][23] Tyson has collaborated with evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins and presented talks with him on religion and science.^[24]

Tyson lived near the World Trade Center and was an eyewitness to the September 11, 2001 attacks. He wrote a widely circulated letter on what he saw.^[25] On June 6, 2008, after the conclusion of the Democratic presidential primaries, Tyson wrote an op-ed in The New York Times in which he presented a statistical analysis of then recent polling data. From this analysis, Tyson concluded that in a hypothetical election held on the day of the publication of his article, Barack Obama would lose to John McCain, whereas Hillary Clinton would beat McCain.^[26]

Tyson collaborated with PETA on a PSA that stated, "You don't have to be a rocket scientist to know that kindness is a virtue."^[27] He also granted PETA an interview, in which he discussed the concept of intelligence (both of human and other animals), the failure of humans to heretofore communicate meaningfully with other animals, and the need of humans to be empathetic.^[28]

Media appearances[link]

As a science communicator, Tyson regularly appears on television, radio, and various other media outlets. He has been a regular guest on The Colbert Report, and host Stephen Colbert refers to him in his comedic book I Am America (And So Can You!), noting in his chapter on scientists that most scientists are "decent, well-intentioned people," but, presumably tongue-in-cheek, that "Neil DeGrasse Tyson is an absolute monster."^[31] He has appeared numerous times on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. He also has made appearances on Late Night with Conan O'Brien, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Late Night With Jimmy Fallon, and The Rachel Maddow Show.^[32] He served as one of the central interviewees on the various episodes of the History Channel science program, The Universe, and . Tyson participated on the NPR radio quiz program Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me! in 2007.^[33] He has appeared several times on Real Time with Bill Maher, and he was also featured on an episode of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? as the ask the expert lifeline.^[34]

Tyson has been featured as a guest interviewee on The Skeptics' Guide to the Universe, and has been in several of the Symphony of Science videos.^[35][36]

In 2007 Tyson was the keynote speaker during the dedication ceremony of Deerfield Academy's new science center, the Koch Center. He emphasized the impact science will have on the twenty-first century, as well as explaining that investments into science may be costly, but their returns in the form of knowledge gained, and piquing interest is invaluable. Tyson has also appeared as the keynote speaker at The Amazing Meeting, a science and skepticism conference hosted by the James Randi Educational Foundation.

Tyson made a guest appearance as himself in the episode "Brain Storm" of Stargate Atlantis.^[37] and in the episode "The Apology Insufficiency" of The Big Bang Theory.^[38]

Tyson is also a frequent participant in the website Reddit’s AMAs (Ask Me Anythings) where he is responsible for 3 of the top 10 most popular AMAs of all-time. ^[39]

Personal life[link]

Signing a copy of his book Origins, portrait taken at JREF's The Amazing Meeting 6

Tyson lives in Lower Manhattan with his wife and two children.^[40][41]

Tyson is a fine wine enthusiast whose collection was featured in the May 2000 issue of the Wine Spectator and the Spring 2005 issue The World of Fine Wine.

Selected awards and honors[link]

Awards[link]

• 2001 Medal of Excellence, Columbia University, New York City
• 2004 NASA Distinguished Public Service Medal
• 2007 Klopsteg Memorial Award winner
• 2009 Douglas S. Morrow Public Outreach Award from the Space Foundation for significant contributions to public awareness of space programs.^[9]
• 2009 Isaac Asimov award from the American Humanist Association ^[42]

Selected honorary doctorates[link]

• 1997 York College, City University of New York
• 2000 Ramapo College, Mahwah, New Jersey
• 2000 Dominican College, Orangeburg, New York
• 2001 University of Richmond, Richmond, Virginia
• 2002 Bloomfield College, Bloomfield, New Jersey
• 2003 Northeastern University, Boston, Massachusetts
• 2004 College of Staten Island, City University of New York
• 2006 Pace University, New York City
• 2007 Williams College, Williamstown, Massachusetts
• 2007 Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Worcester, Massachusetts
• 2008 University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
• 2010 University of Alabama in Huntsville, Huntsville, Alabama
• 2010 Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, New York
• 2010 Eastern Connecticut State University, Willimantic, Connecticut
• 2011 Gettysburg College, Gettysburg, Pennsylvania
• 2012 Mount Holyoke College, South Hadley, Massachusetts
• 2012 Western New England University, Springfield, Massachusetts

Honors[link]

• 2000 Sexiest Astrophysicist Alive, People Magazine^[43]
• 2001 asteroid named: 13123 Tyson, renamed from Asteroid 1994KA by the International Astronomical Union
• 2001 The Tech 100, voted by editors of Crain's Magazine to be among the 100 most influential technology leaders in New York
• 2004 Fifty Most Important African-Americans in Research Science^[44]
• 2007 Harvard 100: Most Influential Harvard Alumni Magazine, Cambridge. Massachusetts
• 2007 The Time 100, voted by the editors of Time Magazine as one of the 100 most influential people in the world^[45]
• 2008 Discover Magazine selected him one of the "50 Best Brains in Science".^[46]

Selected books by Tyson[link]

List of books by Tyson:^[47]

• Space Chronicles: Facing the Ultimate Frontier (2012) ISBN 0-393-08210-5
• The Pluto Files: The Rise and Fall of America's Favorite Planet (2009) ISBN 0-393-06520-0
• Death by Black Hole: And Other Cosmic Quandaries (2007) ISBN 0-393-33016-8
• The Sky Is Not the Limit: Adventures of an Urban Astrophysicist (1st ed. 2000 / 2nd ed. 2004) ISBN 978-1-59102-188-9
• Origins: Fourteen Billion Years of Cosmic Evolution (co-authored with Donald Goldsmith) (2004) ISBN 0-393-32758-2
• My Favorite Universe (A twelve part lecture series) (2003) ISBN 1-56585-663-5
• City of Stars: A New Yorker's Guide to the Cosmos (2002)
• Cosmic Horizons: Astronomy at the Cutting Edge (2000) ISBN 1-56584-602-8
• One Universe: At Home in the Cosmos (2000) ISBN 0-309-06488-0
• Just Visiting This Planet (1998) ISBN 0-385-48837-8
• Universe Down to Earth (1994) ISBN 0-231-07560-X
• Merlin's Tour of the Universe (1989) ISBN 0-385-48835-1

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Neil deGrasse Tyson

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Neil deGrasse Tyson

• Official website
• Neil deGrasse Tyson on Twitter
• CV at AMNH page
• Biography at the Planetary Society
• PBS NOVA scienceNOW with Neil deGrasse Tyson
• Star Talk Radio Show hosted by Neil deGrasse Tyson
• Neil deGrasse Tyson at the Internet Movie Database

Winston Wen-Yang Wong (Chinese: 王文洋; pinyin: Wáng Wényáng; born April 2, 1951 in Taipei County (now New Taipei City), Taiwan) is the eldest son of Wang Yung-ching, chair of the Formosa Plastics Group (FPG), by his second wife. Wong is now a widower with a son and a daughter after his wife succumbed to stomach cancer in 2007. Wong holds degrees in physics, applied optics, and chemical engineering from Imperial College London. His English name was chosen during his study in the United Kingdom.

Career[link]

Wong was executive vice president of Nan Ya Plastics, an FPG subsidiary, until a widely publicized affair (and the resulting 14% drop in FPG stocks) led to his dismissal in December 1995. His father then “banished” Wong to the United States, where he spent one year teaching at the business school of the University of California, Berkeley. While in the United States, Wong met Jiang Mianheng, son of Jiang Zemin, the president of the PRC at that time.

In 2000, Wong and Jiang Mianheng co-founded the US$1.63 billion Grace Semiconductor Manufacturing Corp. joint venture in Shanghai, China. Though Wong serves as president and CEO of that company, Wong himself is not a stockholder, due to cross-strait investment restrictions imposed by the Republic of China (ROC). Wong also serves as chair of the Hung Jen Group (宏仁集團) and chair of the Grace THW Group (宏仁企业集团), which are heavily invested in mainland China’s petrochemical and electronics industries, respectively.

Support for Trade Agreements Between Taiwan-NAFTA/United States[link]

As an entrepreneur, Wong has long been a vocal supporter for increased levels of trade cooperation between Taiwan and the West, and free trade agreements in general. On February 26th, 2012, Forbes featured an OP/ED written by Wong in which he discussed, “A Free Trade Agenda For the U.S. and Taiwan”. The premise of the article being that despite global exports totaling $274 billion in 2010, Taiwan has had difficulty establishing a footprint in substantial global trade agreements. Because of Taiwan’s complex diplomatic relations, it has had trouble entering substantial trade pacts with the economic powerhouses of the United States and North American Free Trade Agreement.

Even so, Wong argues that free-trade agreements with several Central American nations, as well as with Singapore have proven Taiwan worthy of inclusion. Wong has pointed to the increased quality of life from “survivor” to “consumer” and entrance into the middle class for millions of people in China, India, and Brazil in advocacy for increased trade cooperation with Taiwan.

Scandals involving women[link]

In 1995, Wong was “banished” to the United States by his father following months of media attention concerning his affair with Annie Lu (呂安妮), a 27-year-old doctoral student at National Taiwan University, who is also his advisee. Lu publicly announced her love for the married man and, it was reported that she wrote a long letter to patriarch Wang Yung-ching requesting to join the family as his son’s concubine. Wang refused. The scandal died down after Wong left for California in December 1995. Lu is currently working in Hung Jen Group as Wong's personal assistant and have given birth to a son.

In 1998, Wong paid NT$3.2 million to Jo Jo Lin (林爰君), a woman who had approached Wong in 1996 on the pretext of wanting to invest in his Hung Jen Group. Wong, who was married at this time, paid that sum in an attempt to keep silent her claims that he had fathered a child by her and then abandoned them. When she went public anyway, Wong successfully sued her for blackmail and for damaging his reputation. Lin was found guilty of both charges, sentenced to 17 months in jail, and ordered to pay Wong NT$5.2 million in damages. Neither penalty was served, however, as Lin has been in hiding since March 2001. Wong also won a slander suit against Power News, for the unsubstantiated reports it published during this scandal.

Scandals involving foreign politicians[link]

In 1996 and 1997, the United States Senate Committee on Governmental Affairs and the House Committee on Government Reform investigated a 21 June 1995 White House coffee reception at which Wong met then-president Bill Clinton. According to a ledger entry made by Clinton’s assistant, Harold Ickes, Wong pledged at that time to donate US$100,000 to the Democratic National Committee (DNC). Records show that the money was not received. However, Charlie Trie, the man who had obtained the invitation for Wong, delivered a $50,000 donation to the DNC the following day and testified before the House Committee that he was reimbursed by Wong’s associates. Trie has since pled guilty to transferring corporate contributions to the DNC in violation of campaign finance laws. This has raised suspicion that Wong may have sought a quid pro quo in the form of waived environmental regulations for FPG interests in the U.S. The matter was investigated but Wong did not face prosecution.

In November 2000, People First Party Legislator Chin Huei-chu accused Wong of coordinating a PRC bribe worth US$4.5 million for the benefit of President Chen Shui-bian. Investigations by the ROC National Security Bureau found no evidence to confirm her charges, and Wong sued the legislator for libel.

In August 2002 Neil Bush, the brother of President George W. Bush, signed a 5-year consulting contract with Grace Semiconductor, reportedly at Wong’s request. This contract, worth a total of $2 million in company stock, came despite Bush’s admission that he possesses “absolutely no educational background in semiconductors.” No wrongdoing has been alleged but some have questioned the propriety of this deal, especially in light of Wong’s investments in the educational software firm that Bush co-founded.

Moon Regan TransAntarctic Expedition Sponsorship[link]

In June 2010, Winston Wong agreed to be the main sponsor of the Moon Regan Trans-Antarctic Expedition led by Andrew Regan and Andrew Moon. The Expedition will travel 3,600 miles across Antarctica, from Patriot Hills on the west coast to the South Pole, heading north from there through the Trans-Antarctic Mountain Range, down the Leverett Glacier and across the Ross Ice Shelf to the coast at McMurdo.

The Expedition has partnered with Imperial College London to carry out a wide range of scientific objectives. The team is travelling in three vehicles across Antarctica, including two mobile laboratories and the Winston Wong Bio-Inspired Ice Vehicle (WWBIV). The WWBIV will be the first bio-fuelled vehicle on Antarctica to endeavour to reach the Geographic South Pole.

See also[link]

• 1996 United States campaign finance controversy

References[link]

• Reuters article on Wong
• AsiaWeek profile of Wong’s business dealings
• Article on Grace Semiconductor groundbreaking
• Report on 1995 Clinton meeting by Sanford Lewis of the Strategic Counsel on Corporate Accountability (.pdf)
• Taipei Times article on slander suit
• Chin Huei-chu’s allegations
• CNN article regarding Wong’s connections to Bush
• Moon-Regan TransAntarctic Expedition
• Winston Wong Bio-Inspired Ice Vehicle
• Imperial College partnership with Moon-Regan TransAntarctic Expedition
• Wong Taiwan-NAFTA/U.S. Trade Agreement OP/ED

External links[link]

• Moon-Regan TransAntarcticExpedition Website

Anne White

Country	United States
Residence	Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Born	(1961-09-28) September 28, 1961 (age 50) Charleston, West Virginia, U.S.
Height	1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)
Plays	Right-handed
Singles
Career record	109–115
Career titles	1
Highest ranking	No. 19
Grand Slam Singles results
Australian Open	2R (1981 1983)
French Open	4R (1984)
Wimbledon	3R (1982)
US Open	4R (1983)
Doubles
Career record	136–108
Career titles	8
Highest ranking	No. 9

Anne White (born September 28, 1961) is a former professional United States tennis player from Charleston, West Virginia. She is most famous for wearing a white body suit at Wimbledon in 1985.^[1][2]

Early life[link]

White attended John Adams Junior High School.^[3] She then graduated from George Washington High School in Charleston, West Virginia, and went on to become a two-time All-American tennis player at the University of Southern California.^[4]

Family background[link]

Anne's father, Pete White, played basketball for Clendenin High School.^[3]

Wimbledon 1985[link]

White, who was playing fifth seed Pam Shriver in the first round at Wimbledon in 1985 on an outer court, warmed up in a tracksuit. When she took the tracksuit off to start play, she revealed that she was wearing a white, one-piece, lycra body suit, which attracted a lot of attention from the crowd and the photographers. With the match tied at one set all, play was stopped for the day because of bad light, and the umpire, Alan Mills, told her to wear more appropriate clothing the next day. She did so, and lost the third set, but the incident was widely reported.^[5][6][7] She was later quoted as saying, "I had no idea it would be so controversial."^[8]

Results[link]

White won her only singles title at Phoenix, Arizona on March 9, 1987, beating the top seeded Dianne Balestrat in the final.^[9] She reached the semifinals of the women's doubles in the 1984 U.S. Open and in 1985 in the French Open. She claimed that her career earnings were more than a million dollars.^[3]

Grand Slam singles tournament timeline[link]

NH = tournament not held.

A = did not participate in the tournament.

SR = the ratio of the number of Grand Slam singles tournaments won to the number of those tournaments played.

External links[link]

• WTA profile page for White
• Anne White at the International Tennis Federation
• Sunday Times article 18 April, 2010

References[link]

This American biographical article related to tennis is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. v t e

The Right Honourable The Lord Prescott PC
Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
In office 2 May 1997 – 27 June 2007
Prime Minister	Tony Blair
Preceded by	Michael Heseltine
Succeeded by	Nick Clegg[c]
First Secretary of State
In office 8 June 2001 – 27 June 2007
Prime Minister	Tony Blair
Preceded by	Michael Heseltine[a]
Succeeded by	Lord Mandelson[b]
Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions
In office 2 May 1997 – 8 June 2001
Prime Minister	Tony Blair
Preceded by	John Gummer (Environment) George Young (Transport)
Succeeded by	Margaret Beckett (EFRA) Stephen Byers (TLGR)
Deputy Leader of the Labour Party
In office 21 July 1994 – 24 June 2007
Leader	Tony Blair
Preceded by	Margaret Beckett
Succeeded by	Harriet Harman
Shadow Secretary of State for Employment
In office 21 October 1993 – 21 July 1994
Leader	John Smith Margaret Beckett
Preceded by	Frank Dobson
Succeeded by	Harriet Harman
In office 26 October 1984 – 13 July 1987
Leader	Neil Kinnock
Preceded by	John Smith
Succeeded by	Michael Meacher
Shadow Secretary of State for Transport
In office 7 June 1988 – 21 October 1993
Leader	Neil Kinnock John Smith
Preceded by	Robert Hughes
Succeeded by	Frank Dobson
In office 31 October 1983 – 26 October 1984
Leader	Neil Kinnock
Preceded by	Albert Booth
Succeeded by	Gwyneth Dunwoody
Shadow Secretary of State for Energy
In office 13 July 1984 – 7 June 1988
Leader	Neil Kinnock
Preceded by	Stanley Orme
Succeeded by	Tony Blair
Member of Parliament for Hull East
In office 18 June 1970 – 6 May 2010
Preceded by	Harry Pursey
Succeeded by	Karl Turner (Kingston upon Hull East)
Personal details
Born	(1938-05-31) 31 May 1938 (age 74) Prestatyn, Wales
Political party	Labour
Spouse(s)	Pauline (née Tilston, 1961–present)
Children	2 sons
Alma mater	Ruskin College University of Hull
Religion	None (Irreligious)[1]
a. ^ Office vacant from 2 May 1997 to 8 June 2001. b. ^ Office vacant from 27 June 2007 to 5 June 2009. c. ^ Office vacant from 27 June 2007 to 11 May 2010.

John Leslie Prescott, Baron Prescott (born 31 May 1938) is a British politician who was the Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1997 to 2007. Born in Prestatyn, Wales, he represented Hull East as the Labour Member of Parliament from 1970 to 2010. In the 1994 leadership election, he stood for both Leader and Deputy Leader of the Labour Party, winning election to the latter office. He was appointed Deputy Prime Minister after Labour's victory in the 1997 election, with an expanded brief as Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions.

A former ship's steward and trade union activist, by the 1980s he was presented as the political link to the working class in a Labour Party increasingly led by modernising, middle-class professionals. In his youth, Prescott managed to overcome the handicap of failing his 11-plus entrance examination for grammar school, going on to graduate from Ruskin College in Oxford. Prescott also developed a reputation as a key conciliator in the often tense relationship between Prime Minister Tony Blair and Chancellor of the Exchequer Gordon Brown.

On 27 June 2007 he resigned as Deputy Prime Minister, coinciding with Blair's resignation as Prime Minister. Following an election within the Labour Party, he was replaced as Deputy Leader by Harriet Harman. Prescott retired as an MP at the 2010 election. On 8 July 2010, he entered the House of Lords as a life peer with the title "Baron Prescott, of Kingston upon Hull in the County of East Yorkshire"; he is now often referred to as Lord Prescott.

Prescott is currently running for Labour's nomination in the election to be the first Police and Crime Commissioner for Humberside Police.^[2]

Early life[link]

The son of John Herbert Prescott, a railway signalman and Labour councillor, and Phyllis, and grandson of a miner, Prescott was born in Prestatyn, Flintshire (now in Denbighshire), Wales, on 31 May 1938.^[3][4][5] In 2009, he said: "I’ve always felt very proud of Wales and being Welsh...I was born in Wales, went to school in Wales and my mother was Welsh. I’m Welsh. It’s my place of birth, my country."^[6]

He left Wales in 1942 at the age of four and was brought up initially in Brinsworth in South Yorkshire, England. He attended Brinsworth Primary School (known then as Brinsworth Manor School), where in 1949 he sat but failed the 11-plus examination to attend Rotherham Grammar School. Shortly after, his family moved to Upton, Cheshire and he went to school in nearby Ellesmere Port, where he attended Grange Secondary Modern School.^[7]

He became a steward and waiter in the Merchant Navy, thus avoiding National Service, working for Cunard, and was a popular left-wing union activist. Prescott's time in the Merchant Marine included a cruise from England to New Zealand in 1957.^[8][9] Among the passengers was Sir Anthony Eden, recuperating after his resignation over the Suez Crisis. Prescott reportedly described Eden as a "real gentleman". Apart from serving Eden, who stayed in his cabin much of the time, Prescott also won several boxing contests, at which Eden presented the prizes.^[9] He married Pauline "Tilly" Tilston at Upton Church in Chester on 11 November 1961.^[10] He then went to the independent Ruskin College in Oxford, which specialises in courses for union officials, where he gained a diploma in economics and politics in 1965. In 1968, he obtained a BSc in economics and economic history at the University of Hull.

Member of Parliament[link]

This biographical section of an article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (February 2011)

He returned to the National Union of Seamen as a full-time official before being elected to the House of Commons as Member of Parliament (MP) for Hull East in 1970, succeeding Commander Harry Pursey, the retiring Labour MP. The defeated Conservative challenger was Norman Lamont. Previously, he had attempted to become MP for Southport in 1966, but came in second place, approximately 9,500 votes behind the Conservative candidate. From July 1975 to 1979, he concurrently served as a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) and Leader of the Labour Group, when its members were nominated by the national Parliaments.

Prescott held various posts in Labour's Shadow Cabinet, but his career was secured by an impassioned closing speech in the debate at the Labour Party Conference in 1993 on the introduction of "one member, one vote" for the selection and reselection of Labour Parliamentary candidates that helped swing the vote in favour of this reform. In 1994 Prescott was a candidate in the party leadership election that followed the death of John Smith, standing for the positions of both leader and deputy leader. Tony Blair won the leadership contest, with Prescott being elected deputy leader.

Deputy Prime Minister[link]

John Prescott in May 2007

With the election of a Labour Government in 1997, Prescott was made Deputy Prime Minister and given a very large portfolio as the head of the newly created Department for Environment, Transport and the Regions.

In the United Kingdom, the title of Deputy Prime Minister is used only occasionally, and confers no constitutional powers (in which it is similar to the pre-20th century usage of Prime Minister). The Deputy Prime Minister stands in when the Prime Minister is unavailable, most visibly at Prime Minister's Questions, and Prescott had attended various Heads of Government meetings on behalf of then Prime Minister Tony Blair.^[11]

Since the position of Deputy Prime Minister draws no salary, Prescott's remuneration was based on his position as Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions until 2001. This "super department" was then broken up, with the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and the Department for Transport established as separate entities. Prescott, still Deputy Prime Minister, was also given the largely honorific title of First Secretary of State. In July 2001 an Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (ODPM) was created to administer the areas remaining under his responsibility.^[12] This was originally part of the Cabinet Office, but became a department in its own right in May 2002, when it absorbed some of the responsibilities of the former Department for Transport, Local Government and the Regions. The ODPM had responsibility for local and regional government, housing, communities and the fire service.

Environment[link]

The UK played a major role in the successful negotiations on the Kyoto Protocol on climate change and Prescott led the UK delegation at the discussions.^[13][14]

In May 2006, in recognition of his work in delivering the Kyoto Treaty, Tony Blair asked Prescott to work with the Foreign Secretary and the Environment Secretary on developing the Government's post-Kyoto agenda.^[15]

Transport[link]

Integrated transport policy[link]

On coming to office, Prescott pursued an integrated public transport policy. On 6 June 1997, he said: "I will have failed if in five years time there are not...far fewer journeys by car. It's a tall order but I urge you to hold me to it."^[16] However, by June 2002, car traffic was up by 7%. This prompted Friends of the Earth’s Tony Bosworth to say "By its own test, Government transport policy has failed".^[17]

Prescott had success in focusing attention on the role of car usage in the bigger environmental picture and the need for effective public transport alternatives if car volume is to be reduced. The subsequent debate on road pricing evolved from his policy. A contrast was highlighted between Prescott's transport brief and an incident, in 1999, when an official chauffeur-driven car was used to transport Prescott and his wife 250 yards (230 m) from their hotel to the venue of the Labour Party Conference, where Prescott gave a speech on how to encourage the use of public transport. Prescott explained, "Because of the security reasons for one thing and second, my wife doesn't like to have her hair blown about. Have you got another silly question?"^[18] Prescott has been fined for speeding on 4 occasions.^[19][20]

Rail regulation[link]

Prescott had a stormy relationship with the privatisation of the railway industry. He had vigorously opposed the privatisation of the industry while the Labour Party was in opposition, and disliked the party's policy, established in 1996 just before the flotation of Railtrack on the London Stock Exchange, of committing to renationalise the industry only when resources allowed, which he saw as meaning that it would never be done.^{[citation needed]} Reluctantly, he supported the alternative policy, produced by then shadow transport secretary Clare Short, that the industry should be subjected to closer regulation by the to-be-created Strategic Rail Authority (in the case of the passenger train operators) and the Rail Regulator (in the case of the monopoly and dominant elements in the industry, principally Railtrack). The policy was spelled out in some detail in the Labour Party's statement in the June 1996 prospectus for the sale of Railtrack shares, and was widely regarded as having depressed the price of the shares.^{[citation needed]}

In 1998, Prescott was criticised by investors in the railway for his statement – at the Labour Party conference that year – that the privatised railway was a "national disgrace". The companies felt that they had had some considerable successes in cutting costs and generating new revenues in the short time since their transfer to private sector hands, and that the criticisms were premature and unfair.^{[citation needed]}

In that speech, Prescott also announced that he would be taking a far tougher line with the companies, and to that end he would be having a "spring clean of the regulators".^{[cite this quote]} This meant that the incumbent Director of Passenger Rail Franchising – John O'Brien – and the Rail Regulator John Swift QC – both appointed by the previous Conservative government, would have to make way for new Labour appointees. In February 1999, the regulation of the passenger rail operators fell to Sir Alastair Morton,^[21] who Prescott announced would be appointed as chairman of the Strategic Rail Authority, which would take over from the Director of Passenger Rail Franchising whose office would be wound up. In July 1999, the new Rail Regulator appointed by Prescott was Tom Winsor.^[21] They shared Prescott's view that the railway industry needed a considerable shake-up in its institutional, operational, engineering and economic matrix to attract and retain private investment and enable the companies within it to become strong, competent and successful.^{[citation needed]}

Local and regional government[link]

Responsible for local government, Prescott introduced a new system guiding members' conduct after 2001. The new system included a nationally agreed Code of Conduct laid down by Statutory Instrument which all local authorities were required to adopt; the Code of Conduct gives guidance on when councillors have an interest in a matter under discussion and when that interest is prejudicial so that the councillor may not speak or vote on the matter. Although on many areas councillors had previously been expected to withdraw where they had declared an interest, the new system made the system more formal and introduced specific sanctions for breaches; it was criticised for preventing councillors from representing the views of their local communities.^[22]

Prescott supported regional government in England. Early in his term, he introduced regional assemblies (consisting of delegates from local authorities and other regional stakeholders) to oversee the work of new Regional Development Agencies in the regions of England. Following Labour's second election victory, he pressed for the introduction of elected regional assemblies, which would have seen about 25 to 35 members elected under a similar electoral system to that used for the London Assembly. However, because of opposition, the government was forced to hold regional referendums on the change. The first three were intended to be in the North-East, North-West and Yorkshire and Humberside. The North-East referendum in November 2004 was first (where support was felt to be strongest) but resulted in an overwhelming vote of 78% against. As a consequence, the plan for elected regional assemblies was shelved.

Housing[link]

A rising number of households (especially in the south-east) was putting added pressure on housing during Prescott's tenure as the minister responsible. An increase in the housebuilding was proposed, primarily on brownfield sites, but also on some undeveloped greenfield areas and as a result he was accused of undermining the Green Belt.^{[23][24][25][26]} The quote "The green belt is a Labour achievement; and we intend to build upon it" is attributed to Prescott.^[27]

In the north of England, Prescott approved the demolition of some 200,000 homes that were judged to be in "failing areas" as part of his Pathfinder regeneration scheme. It has been argued that renovating properties, rather than demolishing them, would have made better financial and community sense.^[28]

Opposition to education reforms[link]

On 17 December 2005, Prescott made public his disapproval of Tony Blair's plans to give state schools the right to govern their finances and admission policies and to increase the number of city academies. It was the first policy stance that Prescott had made against Blair since his election as leader in 1994. Prescott said that the move would create a two-tier educational system that would discriminate against the working class.^[29] He added that Labour were "always better fighting class".^[30]

Links with the grass roots[link]

Prescott, sometimes described as "an old-school unionist", kept in touch with the views of the traditional Labour voters throughout his career. He became an important figure in Tony Blair's "New Labour" movement, as the representative of 'old Labour' interests in the Shadow Cabinet and subsequently around the Cabinet table as Deputy Prime Minister.

However, now a member of the establishment, relationships with the grass roots were not always smooth. Whilst attending the BRIT Awards in 1998, Chumbawamba vocalist Danbert Nobacon poured a jug of iced water over Prescott, saying, "This is for the Liverpool Dockers".^[31][32] (Dock workers in Liverpool had been involved in a two-year industrial dispute: a strike that had turned into a lockout, until a few weeks earlier.) A reporter from the Daily Mirror threw water over Nobacon the following day.^[33]

Abolition of department[link]

In a Cabinet reshuffle on 5 May 2006, Prescott's departmental responsibilities were transferred to Ruth Kelly, as Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, following revelations about his private life and a poor performance by Labour in that year's local elections. He remained as Deputy Prime Minister, with a seat in the Cabinet, and was given a role as a special envoy to the Far East as well as additional responsibilities chairing cabinet committees.^[34][35] Despite having lost almost all his policy responsibilities it was announced that he would retain his full salary (£134,000pa) and pension entitlements, along with both his grace-and-favour homes, an announcement which received considerable criticism.^[36]

The press speculated in July 2006 that, as a consequence of the continuing problems centred on Prescott, Blair was preparing to replace him as Deputy Prime Minister with David Miliband, whilst possibly retaining Prescott as Deputy Leader of the Labour Party,^[37] but nothing came of this.

Announcement of retirement[link]

On 28 September, at the 2006 Labour Party Conference in Manchester, John Prescott apologised in his speech for the bad press he had caused for the party during the previous year. He said: "I know in the last year I let myself down, I let you down. So Conference, I just want to say sorry." He confirmed that he would stand down as Deputy Leader when Tony Blair left Downing Street.^[38] On 30 January 2007, he announced in the House of Commons that "I'm in a rather happy demob stage", in a combative performance.^[39]

Within 30 minutes of Tony Blair announcing the date of his resignation on 10 May 2007, Prescott announced his resignation as Deputy Leader of the Labour Party. During the subsequent special Labour Party Conference, at which Gordon Brown was elected Leader and Harriet Harman succeeded Prescott as Deputy Leader, Prescott received a prolonged standing ovation from the members present, in recognition of his many years of service to the party.

Life after government[link]

Following his resignation, it was announced that he would take over from Tony Lloyd as the lead UK Representative in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe. The post is unpaid, but has an expenses allowance and allows him to sit on the Assembly of Western European Union. In a jocular response to the appointment, Shadow Europe Minister Mark Francois wished the translators good luck.^[40]

On 27 August 2007, Prescott stated that he would stand down as an MP at the next general election, after which he was offered a Peerage. He has also engaged in the campaign against slave labour, which he intends to make a key issue in his work at the Council.^[41][42] Prescott is a director of Super League rugby league club Hull Kingston Rovers, who are based in his former constituency of Hull East.^[43]

His autobiography, Prezza, My Story: Pulling no Punches^[44] ghostwritten by Hunter Davies,^[45] was published on 29 May 2008.

In June 2008, he made a cameo appearance, playing a policeman, in the BBC Radio 4 adaptation of Robert Tressell's The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists. In 2009, he made a brief cameo appearance as himself in the final episode of the BBC Three comedy series Gavin and Stacey (this referred to a running joke in the show regarding a relationship the character Nessa had years ago with Prescott.)

In October and November 2008 he was the subject of a two-part documentary, "Prescott: the Class System and Me", on BBC Two, looking at the class system in Britain, and asking whether it still exists.^[46] In October 2009, he was featured in another BBC Two documentary, Prescott: The North/South Divide, where Prescott and his wife Pauline explored the current state of the North-South Divide from their perspective as Northern Englanders long used to living in the south of the country.^[47]

During the 2010 election campaign, Prescott toured the UK in a customised white transit van dubbed his "Battlebus" canvassing support for the Labour Party.^[48] Prescott was publicly very supportive of Gordon Brown, and has called him a "global giant".^[49]

Prescott has stated in interviews that he is not religious.^[1] He chose to make a non-religious solemn affirmation rather than swearing an oath during his introduction in the House of Lords.

Beginning on 7 January 2011, John Prescott appeared in a TV advert for insurance company moneysupermarket.com, along with comedian Omid Djalili, which gently mocks events in his political career.^{[50][relevant? – discuss]}

On 27 February 2011, Prescott appeared on the BBC's Top Gear as the "Star in the Reasonably Priced Car", where he set a lap time of 1.56.7. It is the slowest time in the new car. He also engaged in spirited discussion with host Jeremy Clarkson regarding his time in Government.

To raise awareness of Red Nose Day 2011, a charity event organised by Comic Relief, Prescott delivered the area forecasts of the 0048 Shipping Forecast on Saturday 19 March 2011. The format then reverted to the BBC continuity announcer Alice Arnold for the reports on coastal areas. On delivering the area forecast for Humber, Prescott (who had represented the parliamentary constituency of Hull East for almost 40 years before retiring) slipped deliberately into his distinctive Humberside accent, saying “'Umber, without the 'H', as we say it up there”.

Life peerage[link]

It was announced on 28 May 2010 that Prescott was to be awarded a life peerage,^[51] The peerage was gazetted on 15 June in the 2010 Dissolution Honours.^[52] He was introduced in the House of Lords on 8 July as Baron Prescott, of Kingston upon Hull in the County of East Yorkshire,^[53] and the Letters Patent were gazetted on 12 July, dated 7 July.^[54]

Iraq War inquiry[link]

On 30 July 2010, Lord Prescott appeared before the panel at the Chilcot Inquiry concerning the Iraq War. Prescott stated that he was doubtful about the legality, intelligence and information about Iraq's Weapons of Mass Destruction. The Inquiry was launched by Gordon Brown in the summer of 2009 shortly after operations the war ended.^[55]

Health concerns[link]

Prescott was diagnosed with diabetes in 1990,^[56] although this was not publicly disclosed until 2002.^[57] On 2 June 2007 he was admitted to hospital after being taken ill on a train from his constituency in Hull to London King's Cross.^[58] He was later diagnosed with pneumonia and was treated at University College Hospital, London. He was moved to a high-dependency ward on 5 June 2007 so he could be monitored more closely because of his age and the fact he suffers from diabetes.^[59] On 6 June 2007 it was reported in the media that his condition was stable and that he was sitting up and "joking" with hospital staff.^[60] He was subsequently released from hospital on 10 June 2007 to continue his recovery at home.^[61]