honorific-prefix	Senator The Honourable
name	Penny Wong
Office	Australian Senator for South Australia
term start	1 July 2002
birth date	November 05, 1968
birth place	Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia
office2	12th Minister for Finance and Deregulation
primeminister2	Julia Gillard
term start2	14 September 2010
predecessor2	Lindsay Tanner
office3	Minister for Climate Change, Energy Efficiency and Water
primeminister3	Kevin RuddJulia Gillard
term start3	3 December 2007
term end3	13 September 2010
predecessor3	position created
successor3	Greg Combet
nationality	Australian
party	Australian Labor Party
religion	Uniting Church in Australia
residence	Australia
alma mater	University of Adelaide
partner	Sophie Allouache
children	Alexandra
occupation	Politician
website	www.financeminister.gov.au
footnotes	}}

Penelope "Penny" Ying-yen Wong (born 5 November 1968), an Australian senator representing South Australia, is the Commonwealth Minister for Finance and Deregulation. Wong is a member of the Labor Party and member of the Australian federal cabinet.

Wong was the first Australian Minister for Climate Change and Water. Her appointment was amended on 26 February 2010, by the Prime Minister, to the Minister for Climate Change, Energy Efficiency and Water. This change in the Government's cabinet was brought about by the controversy of the Home Insulation Program (HIP). On 13 September 2010, she was sworn in as Minister for Finance and Deregulation in the Gillard Labor cabinet. She has been a member of the Australian Senate since 2002, representing South Australia.

Wong is the first openly lesbian member of the cabinet, and the first Asian-born federal minister. Before entering Parliament, Penny Wong was a barrister and solicitor in Adelaide and an adviser to the Carr Government in New South Wales.

Early life

Wong was born in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia to a Malaysian Chinese Hakka father and an Australian mother. She moved to Australia at the age of eight with her mother and younger brother Toby, after her parents separated. Toby went on to become a chef in Adelaide, South Australia.

Wong studied chemistry, physics and mathematics at high school and was accepted into the Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery at the University of Adelaide. After spending a year on exchange in Brazil, Wong found she had an aversion to blood and so studied and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts and a Bachelor of Laws at the University of Adelaide instead.

When she was 18, Wong took over the control of the Adelaide University Labor Club. While at university, she worked part-time for the Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union. Wong also became involved in political activism at university, winning a position on the National Executive of the National Union of Students. Wong has been a delegate to the South Australian Labor Party State Convention every year since 1989, with the exception of 1995. Her time at university was one where a substantial number of contemporaries became Australian politicians. Former senator Natasha Stott Despoja was a contemporary, along with current Premier of South Australia, Jay Weatherill whom Wong dated while at university.

Career

Wong graduated from university in 1992, and continued on with the CFMEU, working as an industrial officer, gaining admission to the bar in 1993. During 1995 and 1996, she acted as an advisor to the timber union and the newly-elected New South Wales state government, specialising in the area of forest policy in the middle of the fierce 1990s environmental battles over logging in NSW. On returning to Adelaide, she began practising law, won a position on the ALP's state executive, and also took on work as a legal officer with the Liquor, Hospitality and Miscellaneous Union.

Wong ran for pre-selection for the Senate in 2001, and was selected for the top position on the Labor Party's South Australian ticket. Wong is a member of EMILY's List Australia, the support network for Labor women, and, until her appointment as a minister following the 2007 election, sat on a number of Senate committees, primarily those related to economics.

In June 2005, Wong was appointed Shadow Minister for Employment and Workforce Participation and Shadow Minister for Corporate Governance and Responsibility. Following the reshuffle in December 2006, she became responsible for the portfolios of Public Administration and Accountability, Corporate Governance and Responsibility, and Workforce Participation.

In November 2007, in the wake of the Labor Party victory in the 2007 election, Wong was appointed Minister for Climate Change and Water. As a result of this promotion, she is the highest ranked politician representing South Australia. She accompanied then Prime Minister Kevin Rudd to Bali for the international climate change talks. Wong led final negotiations as Chair of the United Nations Working Group in the closing days of the United Nations Climate Change Conference in December 2007, shortly after her appointment as Minister for Climate Change and Water.

In September 2010, Prime Minister Julia Gillard announced Wong had been promoted to succeed Lindsay Tanner as Minister for Finance and Deregulation.

Personal life

Penny Wong is lesbian, and was the first sitting member of the Australian Labor Party to come out while still in parliament. Her partner, Sophie Allouache, a public servant and former University of Adelaide Students' Association president, attended her swearing-in ceremony along with Wong's mother, Jane Chapman. Although her father remains overseas, they keep in touch. In December 2011, Allouache gave birth to their first child, Alexandra, after announcing the IVF-assisted pregnancy using donor sperm in August 2011.

In 2010, Wong was selected by readers of samesame.com.au as one of the 25 most influential lesbian Australians. Wong is a practising Christian, attending Pilgrim Uniting Church in Adelaide.

See also

Rudd Ministry

Gillard Ministry

References

External links

Official ALP website biography

Penny Wong Senate Biography

Category:Australian Labor Party politicians Category:Australian people of Chinese descent Category:Australian people of Malaysian descent Category:Hakka people Category:Lesbian politicians Category:Members of the Australian Senate Category:Members of the Australian Senate for South Australia Category:Members of the Cabinet of Australia Category:Government ministers of Australia Category:LGBT Christians Category:LGBT people from Malaysia Category:LGBT politicians from Australia Category:Politicians of Chinese descent Category:Uniting Church in Australia people Category:University of Adelaide alumni Category:Women members of the Australian Senate Category:1968 births Category:Living people Category:People from Sabah Category:People educated at Scotch College, Adelaide Category:LGBT Parents de:Penny Wong ko:페니 웡 pl:Penny Wong zh:黄英贤

Name	Gerald Celente
Birth date	November 29, 1946
Birth place	The Bronx, New York City, New York, U.S.
Occupation	Trend forecaster
Nationality	American
Ethnicity	White
Parents	}}

Gerald Celente (born November 29, 1946) is an American trend forecaster, publisher of the ''Trends Journal'', business consultant and author who makes predictions about the global financial markets and other events of historical importance. Celente has described himself as a "political atheist" and "citizen of the world". He has appeared as a guest on television news shows such as ''The Oprah Winfrey Show'', ''The Today Show'', ''Good Morning America'', ''CBS Morning News'', ''The Glenn Beck Show'', ''NBC Nightly News'', ''The Alex Jones Show'' and ''Russia Today''.''

Background

Celente was born in The Bronx, New York City, New York. He had early political experience running a mayoral campaign in Yonkers, New York and served as executive assistant to the secretary of the New York State Senate, which Celente called the worst job he ever had. From 1973 to 1979 Celente traveled between Chicago and Washington D.C. as a government affairs specialist. In 1980 Celente founded The Trends Research Institute (at first called the Socio-Economic Research Institute of America), now located in Kingston, New York, publisher of the ''Trends Journal'' which forecasts and analyzes business, socioeconomic, political, and other trends.

Forecasting

His forecasts since 1993 have included predictions about terrorism, economic collapses and war. More recent forecasts involve fascism in the United States, food riots and tax revolts. Celente has long predicted global anti-Americanism, a failing economy and immigration woes in the U.S. In December 2007 Celente wrote, "Failing banks, busted brokerages, toppled corporate giants, bankrupt cities, states in default, foreign creditors cashing out of US securities ... whatever the spark, the stage is set for panic in the streets" and "Just as the Twin Towers collapsed from the top down, so too will the U.S. economy ... when the giant firms fall, they’ll crush the man on the street." He has also predicted tax revolts. In November 2008 Celente appeared on Fox Business Network and predicted economic depression, tax rebellions and food riots in the United States by 2012. Celente also predicted an "economic 9/11" and a "panic of 2008."

In 2009 Celente predicted turmoil which he described as "Obamageddon" and he was a popular guest on conservative cable-TV shows such as ''Fox News Sunday'' and Glenn Beck's television program. In April 2009 Celente wrote, "Wall Street controls our financial lives; the media manipulates our minds. These systems cannot be changed from within. There is no alternative. Without a revolution, these institutions will bankrupt the country, keep fighting failed wars, start new ones, and hold us in perpetual intellectual subjugation." He appeared on the ''Glenn Beck'' show and criticized the U.S. stimulus plan of 2009, calling government controlled capitalism "fascism" and saying shopping malls in the U.S. would become "ghost malls." Celente has said, "smaller communities, the smaller groups, the smaller states, the more self-sustaining communities, will 'weather the crisis in style' as big cities and hypertrophic suburbias descend into misery and conflict," and forecasts "a downsizing of America."

Revolution in the USA

On Russia Today, he predicted that the USA would face a revolution.

Neosurvivalism

Celente's website has stated that:

Predictions

2009

"The Crash of '09 was as dramatic as the crash of '29. The New Depression had begun." (Trends Journal, Summer 2008, pg. 12)

2010

Some areas of the U.S. are experiencing resurgences in real estate values due to highly localized factors, and some investors profit from this. However, the rises will almost all stop and reverse with time, and the overall national trend in real estate values is downward. (T.J. Summer 08, pg. 8)

Ghost malls have become a common sight across America. Especially hard-hit are big chain stores (Sears, Home Depot, etc.). (T.J. Summer 08, pg. 8)

2011

Developers have begun rehabbing some of the ghost malls for more productive uses. (T.J. Summer 08, pg. 9)

2012

The economic policies of the U.S. government over the past few years have failed to fix America's fundamental problems and have merely papered over them and in fact made them worse. By 2012, the "American Empire" is collapsing. In the U.S., basic staple goods like quality food and water are too expensive for most people to afford,(T.J. Summer 08, pg. 1) and "food riots" happen across the country (T.J. Summer 09, pg.1). Major American cities look like disaster zones, and mass homelessness exists across the country. Crime is rampant, with much of it being directed at the rich. (T.J. Summer 08, pg. 1) Kidnappings and ransomings of rich people are on the rise. Average people fed up with big government, high taxes and out-of-control spending join tax revolts. (T.J. Summer 09, pg. 1) The world is also experiencing major environmental problems and "the blackest of plagues." The global financial system has also "melted down" and the situation is very bad outside the U.S.(T.J. Summer 08, pg. 1) The advanced industrial economies collapse first, and their sagging consumer spending drags down the export-based economies of emerging economies next.(T.J. Summer 09, pg. 2) The economy is as bad as it was during the Great Depression in many ways. In spite of all this, the U.S. government, power elites, and mainstream media continue to insist that the fundamentals of the world economy are sound, and that official policies can lead to a recovery. A growing number of average people, however, doubt this. (T.J. Summer 08, pg. 1)

While the Mayan and Hopi prophecies of global destruction do not come to pass, 2012 is indeed a watershed year that sees the death of an ailing and unsustainable global economic system and lifestyle and its replacement with something better. (T.J. Summer 08, pg. 2)

By 2012, Obama is viewed by most as a stale president who sold himself as a fresh, visionary candidate in 2008 and instead proved to be a servant of the big corporations and the military-industrial complex like his predecessors.(T.J. Summer 09, pg. 5) His economic policies only delayed disaster and in fact have made the situation worse: Expansionary monetary policy and the various government bailouts and stimulus programs create a "Bailout Bubble" that invariably bursts in a cataclysm for the U.S. and world economy.(T.J. Summer 09, pg. 11) Obama blames other factors for this and might have even tried to start a war by 2012 to distract attention from the domestic misery.(T.J. Summer 09, pg. 12) Obama's foreign policy has also failed to accomplish anything significant on the world stage, and Pakistan is a mess and the Afghan war continues to drag on without hope of conclusion.(T.J. Summer 09, pg. 12)

In the 2012 U.S. elections, online news sites, bloggers and independent journalists wield as much influence on voters as mainstream media outlets (TV, cable, magazines, newspapers) for the first time. This breaks the corporate and moneyed stranglehold on American politics and allows a third party to attain nation-level recognition. (T.J. Summer 08, pg. 5)

Broad future trends

Americans will adapt to lower standards of living and will travel less, both on a daily basis and for vacations. Higher fuel costs, advances in telecommuting and an aging American population will push many more people to work from home or close to home. Walking-distance communities will be constructed and will become popular. (T.J. Summer 08, pg. 7)

Geographically isolated resort destinations like Las Vegas will wither due to higher fuel costs, lower American incomes and increased overseas competition while vacation spots closer to population centers will revive. (T.J. Summer 08, pg. 9)

Government-run lotteries, on the other hand, will thrive. (T.J. Summer 08, pg. 9)

In America and to a lesser extent overseas, consumer spending habits will be motivated out of fear and escapism. Businesses that capitalize upon this will succeed. (T.J. Summer 09, pg. 24)

Publications

''Trend Tracking: The System to Profit from Today's Trends'' (1991), ISBN 978-0446392877

''Trends 2000: How to Prepare for and Profit from the Changes of the 21st Century'' (1997), ISBN 978-0446519014

''What Zizi Gave Honeyboy: A True Story about Love, Wisdom, and the Soul of America'' (2002), ISBN 978-0066212661

References

External links

trendsresearch.com

geraldcelente.com

Category:1946 births Category:Living people Category:American economics writers Category:Futurologists Category:People from the Bronx

de:Gerald Celente fr:Gerald Celente pl:Gerald Celente fi:Gerald Celente sv:Gerald Celente

#REDIRECTBarack Obama

#REDIRECTBarack Obama

Name	Richard Hammond
Birth name	Richard Mark Hammond
Birth date	December 19, 1969
Birth place	Solihull, Warwickshire, England
Residence	Weston under Penyard, Herefordshire, England
Other names	Hamster
Known for	Presenting:
Height
Education	Solihull SchoolRipon Grammar School
Alma mater	Harrogate College of Art and Technology
Employer
Occupation	Broadcaster, journalist, author, media personality, talk and game show host, voice-over artist
Years active
Home town	Solihull, West Midlands,England
Spouse
Children	2
Parents	Eileen and Alan Hammond }}

Richard Mark Hammond (born 19 December 1969) is an English broadcaster, writer, and journalist most noted for co-hosting the car programme ''Top Gear'' with Jeremy Clarkson and James May, as well as presenting series 1–4 of ''Brainiac: Science Abuse'' on Sky 1. Since 2009, Hammond has co-hosted ''Total Wipeout'' with Amanda Byram on BBC One.

Early life

Hammond was born in Solihull and is the grandson of workers in the Birmingham automobile industry. In the mid-1980s Hammond moved with his family (mother Eileen, father Alan, and younger brothers Andrew, writer of the 'Crypt' Series, and Nicholas) to the North Yorkshire cathedral city of Ripon where his father ran a probate business in the market square. Originally a pupil of Solihull School, a fee-paying boys' independent school, he moved to Ripon Grammar School, and from 1987 to 1989 attended Harrogate College of Art and Technology. After his graduation he worked for several radio stations, including Radio Cleveland, Radio York, Radio Cumbria, Radio Leeds, Radio Newcastle and Radio Lancashire, before auditioning for ''Top Gear''.

Top Gear

Hammond became a presenter on ''Top Gear'' in 2002, when the show began in its present format. He is sometimes referred to as "Hamster" by fans and his co-presenters on ''Top Gear'' due to his name and comparatively small stature. His nickname was further reinforced when on three separate occasions in series 7, Hammond ate cardboard, mimicking hamster-like behaviour. A running gag is Hammond's supposed use of teeth whitener. In a series 7 episode, co-presenter Jeremy Clarkson claimed to have found a pack of teeth whiteners in a Marcos TSO GT2 that Hammond had tested. Hammond objected, claiming it was a set-up. In a series 10 episode that featured the Peel P50, Clarkson was seen supposedly talking to Hammond on the phone about him considering a tooth whitening treatment costing £4000. Later, during a series 13 episode that featured the presenters in their office searching for car insurance prices, a teeth whitening kit was pictured on his desk. It was staged to appear that he was caught looking at a website on teeth whiteners on ''Richard Hammond's 5 O'Clock Show''.

In the first episode of series 9 broadcast on 28 January 2007, having recovered from his high speed crash Hammond returned to a hero's welcome, complete with dancing girls, aeroplane style stairs and fireworks. The show also contained images of the crash, which had made international headlines, with Hammond talking through the events of the day after which the audience broke into spontaneous applause. Hammond then requested that the crash never be mentioned on the show again, though all three Top Gear presenters have since referred to it in jokes during the news segment of the programme. He told his colleagues, "The only difference between me now, and before the crash, is that I like celery now and I didn't before".

During the third episode of series sixteen, Hammond suggested that no one would ever want to own a Mexican car, since cars are supposed to reflect national characteristics and so a Mexican car would be a "lazy, feckless, flatulent, overweight oaf." Hammond finished with the remark "I'm sorry, but can you imagine waking up and remembering you're Mexican?!" Following complaints, the BBC defended the broadcast of this segment on the grounds that such national stereotyping was a "robust part" of traditional British humour.

Brainiac: Science Abuse

In 2003, Hammond became the first presenter of ''Brainiac: Science Abuse''; he was joined by Jon Tickle with Charlotte Hudson joining in series 2. After the fourth series it was announced that Hammond was no longer going to present the Sky1 show after he signed an exclusive deal with the BBC. Vic Reeves took his place as main presenter.

Other television work

Early in his career, as well as his radio work, Hammond presented a number of daytime lifestyle shows and motoring programmes such as Motor Week on ''Men & Motors''.

He presented the ''Crufts'' dog show in 2005, the 2004 and 2005 British Parking Awards, and has appeared on ''School's Out'', a quiz show on BBC One where celebrities answer questions about things they learned at school. He has also presented ''The Gunpowder Plot: Exploding The Legend''. Along with his work on ''Top Gear'', he presented ''Should I Worry About...?'' on BBC One, ''Time Commanders'' on BBC Two and the first four series of ''Brainiac: Science Abuse'' on Sky One. He was also a team captain on the BBC Two quiz show, ''Petrolheads'', in which a memorable part was one where Hammond was tricked into smashing his classic Ferrari while trying to parallel park blindfolded in another car.

From 3 January 2006 until 10 February 2006, Hammond was the eponymous star of ''Richard Hammond's 5 O'Clock Show'' with his co-star Mel Giedroyc of ''Light Lunch'' fame. The programme, which discussed a wide range of topics, was shown every weekday on ITV between 17:00 and 18:00.

In July 2005, Hammond was voted number one in a ''Heat'' magazine poll of top "weird celebrity crushes". Also in 2005 he was voted one of the top 10 British TV talents.

He presented ''Richard Hammond and the Holy Grail'' in 2006. During the special, he travelled to various locations around the world, including the Vatican Secret Archives, exploring the history of the Holy Grail.

In one episode of ''Top Gear'', fellow presenter James May was mocked by both Hammond and Clarkson for being named the celebrity with the worst hairstyle, while Hammond was named the celebrity with the best.

As part of Red Nose Day 2007, Hammond stood for nomination via a public telephone vote, along with Andy Hamilton and Kelvin MacKenzie, to be a one-off co-presenter of BBC Radio 4's Woman's Hour on 16 March 2007. However, he was defeated by Andy Hamilton.

In April 2007, Hammond presented a one off special on BBC Radio 2 for Good Friday followed by another in August 2007 for the Bank Holiday. He is scheduled to present more Bank Holiday specials for the station.

Hammond recorded an interview with the famed American stuntman Evel Knievel, which aired on 23 December 2007 on BBC One, and was Knievel's last interview before his death on 30 November 2007.

In September 2008, Hammond presented the first episode of a new series; ''Richard Hammond's Engineering Connections'' on the National Geographic Channel. In this show, Hammond discovers how the inventions of the past, along with assistance from nature, help designers today. Episodes include the building of the Airbus A380, Taipei 101 and the Keck Observatory. Series 2 of Richard Hammond's Engineering Connections began in May 2010 and has included the building of the Wembley Stadium and the Sydney Opera House.

Hammond also filmed an advertisement for Morrisons supermarkets in 2008, and joined the cast of TV show ''Ashes To Ashes'' for a special insert on the 2008 Children in Need special.

While in New Zealand for ''Top Gear Live 2009'', Hammond filmed several television commercials for Telecom New Zealand's new XT UTMS mobile network. Telecom claimed that the new network was "faster in more places", compared to its competitors and its existing CDMA network. After the network repeatedly failed in late 2009 and early 2010, Hammond became the butt of a joke when he did not return to New Zealand for ''Top Gear Live 2010''. His fellow ''Top Gear'' co-hosts said he was too embarrassed to come back to New Zealand, and in a supposed live feed back to Hammond, the feed suddenly drops out as the "XT Network had crashed". Hammond was later given the right of reply to his colleagues during an interview with Marcus Lush on RadioLIVE's breakfast show in New Zealand.

Hammond is currently hosting the UK version of the US series ''Wipeout'', called ''Total Wipeout''. It takes place in Argentina, and is co-presented by Hammond and Amanda Byram. Hammond presents and does the voiceover for the clips in a London studio, and Byram is filmed at the obstacle course in Buenos Aires.

Hammond also presented a science-themed game show for children, ''Richard Hammond's Blast Lab'' which aired on BBC Two and CBBC.

In March 2010, Hammond presented a 3 episode series called Richard Hammond's Invisible Worlds, which looked at things too fast for the naked eye to see, things that are beyond the visible spectrum (e.g. ultraviolet and infra-red light), as well as microscopic things.

One of Hammond's lesser known television roles was as presenter of the BBC2 'gameshow' Time Commanders, a sophisticated warfare simulator which used a modified version of Creative Assembly's Rome: Total War game engine.

Since February 2011, Hammond has presented a online technology series ''"Richard Hammond's Tech Head"''.

In July 2011, Hammond presented a two-part natural science documentary ''Richard Hammond's Journey To The Centre Of The Planet'', focused on Earth geology and plate tectonics.

Hammond will also host the upcoming BBC America programme ''Richard Hammond's Crash Course''.

Personal life

Hammond has been married to Amanda Etheridge (mostly known as Mindy) since May 2002; the couple have two daughters.

Hammond is a fan of Porsche 911s and claims the Pagani Zonda to be the ultimate supercar. He once owned a 1982 Porsche 911 SC (sold in the mid-2000s), and later purchased a 2006 Porsche 911 (997) Carrera S. In 2004, Hammond purchased a Porsche 928 for the purpose of daily driving. Much unlike Clarkson and May, he also has an interest in American muscle cars. Hammond has owned a 1969 Dodge Charger R/T, a 1967 Ford Mustang GT 390, and a 2008 Dodge Challenger SRT-8 (which was purchased in the United States on a Series 12 episode of ''Top Gear'').

Hammond had also owned a Morgan AeroMax, in which he was involved in a car accident on 9 August 2009. He also owns a Jaguar E-Type and is also a fan of monster trucks, having attended Truckfest '07.

An interview with ''The Sunday Times'' in February 2008 reported Hammond as having moved briefly from Gloucestershire to Buckinghamshire, then back again because he missed the country life.

Hammond is a keen motorcyclist and Land Rover Defender fan. He spent over £70,000 rebuilding his 110 "Buster" in 2008.

During the news segment of Top Gear's 2010 USA Road Trip special, Hammond openly expressed his dislike of the band Genesis. This fact was later exploited by his co-presenters in two special episodes: during the Middle East Special, when they installed a secret second stereo unit in his Fiat Barchetta that only plays the band's Live over Europe 2007 concert; in the India Special, Clarkson played the same song used in the previous special through the megaphone mounted in his Jaguar XJS, despite Hammond driving a different car (a Mini Cooper Sport).

In October it was reported he had spent over £2 million buying Bollitree Castle which is situated near Weston under Penyard, Ross-on-Wye. It has been rumoured he has also bought a large house in the small town of Wantage, Oxfordshire.

On ''Top Gear'' in 2007, Hammond went to Africa on an 'Epic Road Trip' across Botswana. While there he found a 1963 Opel Kadett, in which he drove across Botswana. Hammond named it Oliver. On ''Top Gear'' a week after the special was aired, Hammond announced during the news, that he had shipped Oliver back to the UK, where it was restored by a team from Practical Classics magazine. Oliver features on Hammond's children's science television show ''Richard Hammond's Blast Lab'' and in another episode of Top Gear as a kind of "Hill-holder" in the trailer truck challenge (after it acquired the personal plate "OLI V3R"). Oliver is also mentioned in Hammond's second autobiography ''As You Do''.

In 2010, Hammond was the President of the 31st Herefordshire Country Fair held at Hampton Court in Hope under Dinmore. His involvement caused unprecedented attendance with "nearly 15,000 people" drawn to the event to meet the presenter.

In 2010, Hammond gained a private pilot licence PPL(H) in an R44 helicopter.

During season 18 of ''Top Gear'' it was revealed that he owns a Fiat 500 TwinAir.

Charity work

Richard Hammond is a Vice-President of UK children's brain injury charity The Children's Trust, Tadworth.

''Vampire'' dragster crash

thumb|left|200px|Hammond in the ''Vampire'' immediately before the crash. The front-right tyre has burst.During filming of a ''Top Gear'' segment at the former RAF Elvington airbase near York on 20 September 2006, Hammond was injured in the crash of the jet-powered car he was piloting. Hammond was travelling at at the time of the crash.

His vehicle, a dragster called ''Vampire'', was theoretically capable of travelling at speeds of up to . The vehicle was the same car that in 2000, piloted by Colin Fallows, set the British land speed record at . The ''Vampire'' was powered by a single Bristol-Siddeley Orpheus afterburning turbojet engine producing hp}} .

Some accounts suggested that the accident occurred during an attempt to break the British land speed record, but the Health and Safety Executive report on the crash found that a proposal to try to officially break the record was vetoed in advance by ''Top Gear'' executive producer Andy Wilman, due to the risks and complexities of such a venture. (The report stated: "Runs were to be carried out in only one direction along a pre-set course on the Elvington runway. Vampire’s speed was to be recorded using GPS satellite telemetry. The intention was to record the maximum speed, not to measure an average speed over a measured course, and for [Hammond] to describe how it felt.")

Hammond was completing a seventh and final run to collect extra footage for the programme when his front-right tyre failed, and, according to witness and first responder Dave Ogden, "one of the parachutes had deployed but it went on to the grass and spun over and over before coming to a rest about 100 yards from us." The emergency crew quickly arrived at the car, finding it inverted and partially embedded in the grass. During the roll, Hammond's helmet had embedded itself into the ground, flipping the visor up and forcing dirt into his mouth and left eye, damaging the eye. Rescuers felt a pulse and heard the unconscious Hammond breathing before the car was turned upright. Hammond was cut free with hydraulic shears, and placed on a backboard. "He was regaining consciousness at that point and said he had some lower back pain". He was then transported by the Yorkshire Air Ambulance to the neurological unit of the Leeds General Infirmary. Hammond's family visited him at the hospital along with ''Top Gear'' co-presenters James May and Jeremy Clarkson. Clarkson wished Hammond well, saying "Both James and I are looking forward to getting our 'Hamster' back", referring to Hammond by his nickname.

The Health & Safety Executive report stated that "Hammond's instantaneous reaction to the tyre blow out seems to have been that of a competent high performance car driver, namely to brake the car and to try to steer into the skid. Immediately afterwards he also seems to have followed his training and to have pulled back on the main parachute release lever, thus shutting down the jet engine and also closing the jet and afterburner fuel levers. The main parachute did not have time to deploy before the car ran off the runway." The HSE notes that, based on the findings of the North Yorkshire Police (who investigated the crash), "the accident may not have been recoverable", even if Hammond's efforts to react were as fast as "humanly possible".

The crash was shown on an episode of ''Top Gear'' on 28 January 2007; this was the first episode of the new series, which had been postponed pending Hammond's recovery. Hammond requested at the end of the episode that his fellow presenters never mention the crash again, a request which has been generally observed by both Hammond and the other presenters, although occasional oblique references have been made. ''On The Edge: My Story'', which contains first hand accounts from both Hammond and his wife about the crash, immediate aftermath, and his recovery was published later that year.

In February 2008 Hammond gave an interview to ''The Sunday Times'' newspaper in which he described the effects of his brain injuries and the progression of his recovery. He reported suffering loss of memory, depression, and difficulties with emotional experiences, for which he was consulting a psychiatrist. He also talked about his recovery in a 2010 television programme where he interviewed Sir Stirling Moss and they discussed the brain injuries they had both received as a result of car crashes.

After the car crash the BBC website Have Your Say received more than 10,000 messages of good wishes and sympathy for Richard Hammond from people around the world.

Works

TV shows

Year !! Title !! Notes
1998	''Motorweek (Men & Motors TV series)''	Presenter
2002–present	Top Gear (2002 TV series)>Top Gear''
2003–06	''Brainiac: Science Abuse''
rowspan="2"	2004–05	''Crufts''
''Should I Worry About...?''	Presenter
rowspan="3"	2005	''The Gunpowder Plot: Exploding The Legend''
''Time Commanders''	Presenter
''Inside Britain's Fattest Man''	Presenter
rowspan="6"	2006	''Richard Hammond's 5 O'Clock Show''
''Petrolheads''	Contestant
''School's Out (TV series)	School's Out''	Contestant
''Richard Hammond: Would You Believe It?''	Presenter
''Richard Hammond: The Holy Grail''	Presenter
''Battle of the Geeks''	Presenter
rowspan="3"	2007	Last Man Standing (UK TV series)>Last Man Standing''
''Helicopter Heroes''	Narrator
''Richard Hammond Meets Evel Knievel''	Presenter
rowspan="2"	2008	Timewatch>BBC Timewatch''
''Sport Relief#Sport Relief 2008	Sport Relief''	Presenter
rowspan="2"	2009–2011	''Richard Hammond's Blast Lab''
''Richard Hammond's Engineering Connections''	Presenter
2009–2012	''Total Wipeout''
rowspan="3"	2010	''Richard Hammond's Invisible Worlds''
''Sport Relief 2010''	Presenter
''Hammond Meets Moss''	Presenter
2011	''Richard Hammond's Journey To The Centre Of The Planet''
2011	''Richard Hammond's Journey To The Bottom Of The Ocean ''
rowspan="2"	2012	''Richard Hammond's Crash Course''
''Planet Earth Live''	Presenter

Books

Car books

Children's books

Biographies

DVDs

# Top Gear Interactive Challenge Quiz (2007, 2|Entertain). # Top Gear Interactive Stunt Challenge Quiz (2008, 2|Entertain). # Top Gear Uncovered: The DVD Special (2009, 2|Entertain). # Richard Hammond's Engineering Connections: Series One (2009, Nat Geo DVD). # Richard Hammond's Invisible Worlds (2010, 2|Entertain). # Top Gear: Apocalypse (With James May) (2010, 2|Enertain). # Richard Hammond's Engineering Connections: Series Two (2010, Nat Geo DVD). # Hammond Meets Moss (2010, Acorn Media UK). # Richard Hammond's Journey To The Centre Of The Planet (2011, 2|Entertain). # Top Gear: At The Movies (With James May) (2011, 2|Entertain). # Richard Hammond's Engineering Connections: Series Three (2011, Nat Geo DVD).

Television advertisements

# Morrisons (2008) # Morrisons (Christmas 2008) # Morrisons (2009) # Morrisons (Christmas 2009) # Top Gear Turbo Challenge Trading Cards Test Set (2009) # Top Gear Turbo Challenge Trading Cards (2010) # Top Gear Interactive Challenge DVD (2007) # Top Gear Interactive Stunt Challenge DVD (2009) # Top Gear Uncovered DVD (2009) # Top Gear [Re-Runs On Dave] (2009) # Telecom XT network NZ (2009)

References

External links

Donations to Yorkshire Air Ambulance double as a result of their life-saving rescue of Richard Hammond

Richard Hammond on Top Gear

Q&A – The Guardian – 2009-1-3. Hammond questions about himself. Retrieved 2009-6-29.

Category:1969 births Category:Living people Category:People from Solihull Category:People educated at Solihull School Category:People educated at Ripon Grammar School Category:English autobiographers Category:English children's writers Category:English broadcasters Category:English journalists Category:English non-fiction writers Category:English radio DJs Category:English radio personalities Category:English science writers Category:English television presenters Category:British motoring journalists Category:People with brain injuries Category:Top Gear presenters

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