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Stephen Colbert (character)
| 1,163,892,846 |
Persona of political satirist Stephen Colbert
|
[
"Comedy television characters",
"Cultural depictions of American men",
"Fictional Republicans (United States)",
"Fictional candidates for President of the United States",
"Fictional characters from South Carolina",
"Fictional interviewers",
"Fictional reporters",
"Fictional television personalities",
"Marvel Comics male characters",
"Narcissism in television",
"Talk show characters",
"Television characters introduced in 1997",
"The Colbert Report",
"The Daily Show"
] |
The Reverend Sir Dr. Stephen T. Mos Def Colbert D.F.A., Heavyweight Champion of the World, or Stephen Colbert, is the fictionalized persona of political satirist Stephen Colbert, as portrayed on the Comedy Central series The Daily Show and The Colbert Report, and occasionally on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert on CBS. Described as a "well-intentioned, poorly informed high-status idiot" and a "self-important right-wing commentator", the character incorporates aspects of the real Colbert's life and interests but is primarily a parody of cable news pundits, particularly former Fox News prime time host Bill O'Reilly.
Colbert first appeared as a correspondent on Comedy Central's news parody series The Daily Show in 1997 and remained a regular contributor until 2005, when he left to host The Colbert Report, a spin-off show satirizing personality-driven political pundit programs. He has also been featured in a number of other public performances, most notably at the 2006 White House Correspondents' Association Dinner, and as the author of the books I Am America (And So Can You!), I Am a Pole (And So Can You!), and America Again: Re-becoming the Greatness We Never Weren't.
Colbert's performance attracted widespread critical attention and acclaim, with a reviewer writing for Time magazine calling it "one of the greatest sustained performances in pop culture, TV or otherwise," while a Vulture reporter called him "one of TV’s greatest characters."
On April 23, 2014, the character appeared on The Daily Show to announce that he had clearly "won television" and would be ending The Colbert Report because he had met his goal. This came after the real Colbert announced he would not be using the character when he replaced David Letterman as the host of Late Show on CBS in 2015. The final episode of The Colbert Report aired on December 18, 2014.
The character has made a few media appearances following the conclusion of The Colbert Report. He made a cameo appearance in the House of Cards season three episode "Chapter 27", which was released on February 27, 2015. He returned for the August 6, 2015 episode of The Daily Show to honor Jon Stewart during his final episode as host of the series. He made an appearance on the July 18, 2016 episode of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert to do a special segment of "The Wørd", during the show's coverage of the 2016 Republican National Convention.
## Development and inspirations
### The Dana Carvey Show
Colbert's earliest mainstream exposure came in the prime time sketch comedy program The Dana Carvey Show. While only lasting seven episodes in early 1996, it provided Colbert with roles that would help forge his future onscreen persona. This was largely due to its format of delivering sketch performances directly to the camera. Although they did not air, several sketches inspired by The Onion also had Colbert playing a deadpan anchor delivering the news. In an interview with The New York Times regarding The Dana Carvey Show, Colbert noted, "If you have an opportunity to give it right to the audience, there’s a special connection that you make by looking at the camera."
Upon the show's cancellation, Colbert was cast for The Daily Show by co-creator Madeleine Smithberg. This was thanks to his performance as a nauseated waiter on The Dana Carvey Show.
### The Daily Show
Colbert appeared as a correspondent on The Daily Show between 1997 and 2005. During this time, the comedian developed the character that would later form the basis for his Colbert Report persona, one that its creator calls a "fool who has spent a lot of his life playing not the fool". Colbert frequently cites Stone Phillips — whom he describes as having "the greatest neck in journalism" — as a source of inspiration for the character, as well as Geraldo Rivera, "because he's got this great sense of mission... He just thinks he's gonna change the world with this report". As a correspondent, Colbert was regularly pitted against knowledgeable interview subjects, fellow correspondent Steve Carell, or host Jon Stewart in scripted exchanges which typically revealed the character's lack of knowledge of whatever subject he was discussing. Other Daily Show correspondents have since adopted a similar style; former correspondent Rob Corddry recalls that when he and Ed Helms first joined the show's cast in 2002, they "just imitated Stephen Colbert for a year or two".
### The Colbert Report
In 2005, Colbert left The Daily Show to host a spin-off series entitled The Colbert Report, a parody of personality-driven political pundit programs such as Fox News's The O'Reilly Factor that center largely on the personal views of their hosts. Because of this enlarged role, the personality and beliefs of the Stephen Colbert character have become more clearly defined over the course of the show, complete with a fictitious backstory that has been revealed piecemeal in short monologues accompanying a part of the program.
The character Colbert portrays in Report originated as an amplification of his self-important Daily Show correspondent. As they developed the character and the show Colbert and his staff began to look at some more specific models. Bill O'Reilly, whom the character affectionately nicknames "Papa Bear", is the most commonly cited point of reference. In a 2006 episode of The Colbert Report, Colbert remarked that, "if it wasn't for [O'Reilly], this show wouldn’t exist". In adapting the character for the Report, Colbert has also mentioned Aaron Brown, Anderson Cooper, Sean Hannity, Lou Dobbs and Joe Scarborough as having an influence over his performance. References to the character's abuse of prescription drugs are believed to be an allusion to Rush Limbaugh's addiction to painkillers.
The nightly in-character guest interviews were initially of concern to Colbert, who worried his character's belligerent nature would be off-putting to guests. However, since the show's debut, he says he has found he is able to "slide the intensity" of his behavior depending on his interviewee's ability to respond to his aggressive approach. Colbert now often cites the interview segment as his favorite part of the show, because it allows him to improvise. Colbert advises his guests to disabuse the character of his ignorance. "Don't let me get away with anything. Don't try to play my game. Be real. Be passionate. Hold your ideas. Give me resistance. Give me traction I can work against."
### Books
Colbert is the central character in the 2007 book I Am America (And So Can You!). Co-written with Paul Dinello and the writers of The Colbert Report, I Am America delves into what the character considers to be the most pressing issues facing America. The book takes influence from the literary endeavors of the character's pundit models, such as O'Reilly's The O'Reilly Factor (2000) and Hannity's Deliver Us From Evil (2004), which Colbert says he "forced" himself to read as a reference. I Am America is considered a pure extension of the Report; the written medium allowed the writers to employ different styles, such as long-format arguments, that they could not have used on television. "You can actually spend 20 pages talking about religion whereas in the show, two pages is about as long as we hold any one idea", Colbert explains. In doing this, the writers "discovered things that [the character] cared about that... they didn't know he cared about before".
A character similar to Colbert's Daily Show persona featured in the 2003 book Wigfield: The Can Do Town That Just May Not by Colbert, Dinello and Amy Sedaris. Russell Hokes, a self-aggrandizing journalist, was voiced by Colbert in both stage performances of the text and the audiobook. Colbert likens Hokes to his self-important correspondent character, but "more extreme, more self-involved".
## Non-fictional elements
Certain elements of the character are drawn from the real Colbert's personal life. Both the real Colbert and the character were raised in Charleston, South Carolina; both are the youngest of 11 children; both played Dungeons & Dragons as teenagers; and both are practicing Roman Catholics. Colbert's own interest in and knowledge of religion, science fiction, and J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings story will often show through in the Report. His character has a chocolate portrait of Viggo Mortensen (who portrayed Aragorn in Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings films) in a place of honor on his shelf; Mortensen briefly reprised the role of Aragorn in the Report's September 13, 2007 episode. He also owns a Sting sword presented to him by Peter Jackson.
Occasionally, Colbert mentioned his real-life siblings on the show. In one episode, he placed his brother Ed, a lawyer who advises the International Olympic Committee, "on notice" for refusing to grant the show the rights to air footage of a dispute between two American speed skaters. Ed later appeared at the start of the February 22, 2010 edition advising Stephen on how to cover the Vancouver Winter Olympics since his character does not have the television rights to the games. Footage from the Richmond Olympic Oval was used after Stephen was named a special advisor to USA Speedskating. Generally, journalists covering the Olympics do not have access to the venues unless their employer has the rights to Olympic TV coverage, and cannot show moving video coverage of any official Olympic event unless they have permission from the rights holder. When his sister Elizabeth Colbert Busch declared her intention to run for Congress, he mentioned the event. Later, when she was nominated to run against Mark Sanford and the MSNBC show Morning Joe declared their support for Sanford and mentioned Colbert, he defended his sister's campaign.
In an appearance at Harvard University in 2006, Colbert revealed that his character's fear of bears was in part inspired by a recurring nightmare he has had, in which a bear is standing between him and his goal. The character's phobia, which was initially referenced in the show's first "ThreatDown" skit, was originally slated to be a fear of alligators. By the time the Report went to air, the alligator story was several weeks old, and the writers chose to use a more recent news item involving a bear in its place.
After Colbert received an honorary Doctor of Fine Arts from Knox College, the show began listing his name in the ending credits as "Dr. Stephen T. Colbert, D.F.A." even though using both the honorific prefix and post-nominal letters is incorrect. During the show, the character will sometimes refer to the degree and the qualifications he mistakenly believes it bestows upon him.
In May 2007, Colbert was voted the "second most influential person in the world" by a Time magazine online poll. The first spot was taken by Rain, a young Korean pop star with a large following in Asia and the United States. Colbert then declared Rain his "arch-nemesis" and began mentioning him frequently on the Report. Colbert filmed a satirical music video poking fun at Rain's popular single "How to Avoid the Sun" and referencing several stereotypical South Korean dishes and products. The one-sided feud eventually culminated in Colbert challenging Rain to a competition on air. After telling Colbert "not to quit his day job", Rain appeared in a short segment on the show and competed (and won) a DDR dance-off with Colbert. Both have been defeated by Shigeru Miyamoto in recent polls, though they still continue to be strong contenders .
On June 21, 2007, Colbert broke his left wrist on the set of the Report while performing his warm-up for the show. This quickly became a regular source of comedy on the show as the self-absorbed character requested his audience send flowers, launched a campaign against Hollywood's supposed glorification of "wrist violence", and began a "wrist awareness" campaign with "WristStrong" silicone bracelets. On August 23, 2007, the cast was removed on air and was put up for auction to the general public, complete with celebrity signatures, on eBay, where it achieved a winning bid of \$17,200. All of the proceeds from both the cast and the bracelets were donated to the Yellow Ribbon Fund.
In an interview with The Buffalo News, Colbert said "The weird thing about my character, even on the show, is sometimes I say what I mean. It doesn't matter to me that the audience doesn't know when that is."
On June 19, 2013, Colbert returned from an unplanned break of several days following the passing of his 92-year-old mother, Lorna Colbert. The emotional Colbert started the show with a tribute to his mother, in which he presented a brief biography of her life in photos, accompanied by his eulogy of her.
## Titles and styling
The titles and styling of Her Excellency The Rev. Sir Doctor Stephen Tyrone Mos Def Colbert, D.F.A., Heavyweight Champion of the World✱✱ featuring Flo Rida La Première Dame De France are mostly for comedic reasons. Colbert became an ordained minister on June 2, 2011, granting himself the title of Reverend. Colbert was mock-knighted by Queen Noor of Jordan on April 7, 2009, bestowing him with the title of Sir. He was granted an honorary doctorate of fine arts by Knox College in 2006, giving him the title of Doctor and use of the suffix D.F.A. (Doctor of Fine Arts). This title was featured regularly during his segments Cheating Death with Dr. Stephen T. Colbert, DFA. Yasiin Bey gave Colbert the use of his stage name Mos Def on October 5, 2011.
After Mike Tyson failed to appear in a scheduled interview with Colbert on July 23, 2013, Colbert declared himself Heavy Weight Champion of the World and granted himself use of the title. The large asterisk in the title is to denote that he did not defeat Tyson in a boxing match. The suffix featuring Flo Rida was added during the segment I tried to sign up for Obamacare on October 23, 2013, where his name on the ACA form said featuring Flo Rida. Her Excellency was added to the title as Colbert was seated next to Michelle Obama at the White House state dinner in February 2014, in which the President of France François Hollande was not accompanied by a partner. Because it is customary that the First Lady of a visiting nation is seated next to the First Lady of the United States, Colbert proclaimed himself First Lady of France on February 12, 2014.
## Fictional biography
Colbert's fictional history is not always rigidly adhered to by the show's writers. The comedian himself says that, "My character's history may not always be perfectly consistent ... There's my bio and there's my character's bio, and then there's my character's history, which is slightly different than my character's bio." His early life, prior to becoming host of The Colbert Report, is expanded upon in I Am America (And So Can You!).
Like the actor who portrays him, Stephen T. Colbert is the youngest of 11 children, born into a devout Roman Catholic family—the character's family was so devout, in fact, they sent their teenage son to an "exorcism day camp located in Canton, Ohio" when they discovered he liked Dungeons & Dragons. In his in-character appearance on The O'Reilly Factor, Colbert stated that he is of Irish descent and only adopted the French pronunciation of his surname to "get the cultural elites" on his side. Colbert has made conflicting statements regarding his middle name, which he has at different times stated to be Tyrone (Colbert's actual middle name), Tiberius (like that of Captain James T. Kirk), Lee-Harvey, and Qxyzzy. The character has said he was regularly beaten up in high school, and by the time he left for college he was determined never to be a victim again. As such, on the first day of his freshman year he walked into class and punched the first person he saw (unfortunately, this happened to be his ethics professor). He attended Dartmouth College (instead of his first pick, Hogwarts, claiming that his white owl led them to reject him), and was a member of the ΣΑΕ fraternity, although his acceptance into the college appears to have been largely influenced by a claimed familial relationship with a wealthy donor, and graduated in the top 47 percent of his class with a major in history. He has also referred to Bob Jones University as an alma mater.
Prior to embarking on a career in journalism, Colbert worked as a carnival roustabout and a construction worker. During the 1980s, he was the lead singer and guitarist of an ABC-like new wave band called "Stephen and the Colberts". The comedian portrays his character's younger self in the band's music video, wearing worn jeans, cowboy boots and a spiky hair style. Their only revealed song to date is entitled "Charlene (I'm Right Behind You)", one of numerous references to an ex-girlfriend (and cousin) whom he continues to stalk despite numerous restraining orders. This song has been made available for download for free in the video game Rock Band. On the May 14, 2008 episode, Colbert claimed to have been the "totalitarian ruler of Malawi from 1982 to 1984". He mentions that his wife's first name is Lorraine.
Colbert later moved into reporting, working in TV news for several stations in Virginia and North Carolina. Occasionally he will show footage of himself as a "young man" (portrayed by Colbert, wearing a false moustache) working as an anchor at a local news station (WPTS) in Patterson Springs, North Carolina, still displaying his trademark outrage over minor municipal issues in the manner of 20/20 correspondent John Stossel. In 1997, Colbert was promoted to anchor of the Channel 7 News on WPTS Patterson Springs after outing the previous anchor, Wayne Colt, for his cocaine addiction. His ensuing investigative reports into Colt's downfall earned him a local Emmy, and eventually a correspondent position at The Daily Show. This corresponds with the year the comedian joined the cast of the show.
Colbert often makes digs at the expense of Daily Show host Jon Stewart. He has implied a strained relationship with Stewart, in contrast with the real Colbert's admiration for the comedian, and suggests that his departure from The Daily Show occurred under dubious circumstances. The character has described Stewart as a sexual predator and has been known to become tearful when his name is brought up. On the other hand, Colbert has also implied that he only got his own show by blackmailing Stewart with incriminating photographs.
Colbert is described in America (The Book): A Citizen's Guide to Democracy Inaction, to which he was a contributor while serving as a 'Daily Show' correspondent, as holding the positions of the Arthur Schlesinger Professor of American Studies at Harvard University, and of Chief Defender of International War Crimes at the World Court in the Hague. The book also states that he is the seven-time recipient of the Werner Heisenberg Prize for Excellence in Theoretical Mathematics. Paradoxically, Colbert is described as being "barely capable of feeding himself" as well as being "personally unpleasant".
### Retirement from television
On April 10, 2014, it was announced that the real-life Colbert would be replacing David Letterman as the host of CBS's The Late Show in 2015. It was also announced that The Colbert Report would be ending and Colbert would not be using the character on the CBS show. Following the announcement, the character made a special surprise appearance on the April 23, 2014 episode of The Daily Show to report that it has become clear to him that he has "won television" and changed the world, the goal he originally set out to do, and thus no longer feels the need to continue. He expressed interest in taking over The Late Show after Letterman retired but could not because "they already gave it to some fat guy".
During the final episode, Colbert accidentally kills "lifelong friend and colleague" Grimmy in the final segment of "Cheating Death", after which he becomes immortal and uses his powers to fuel a star-studded celebrity singalong of "We'll Meet Again", before boarding a sleigh driven by Santa Claus, Abraham Lincoln, and "the man with all the answers". At the end of the show, Colbert tosses back to Stewart at The Daily Show, implying that the show's existence was just an extended correspondent report for the program.
On the July 18, 2016 episode of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Colbert is revealed to have been living with a now-retired Stewart in a remote cabin in a forest. In the skit, the real Colbert visited Stewart, asking him to explain how Donald Trump became the 2016 Republican nominee for president. Perplexed, Stewart turned to Colbert the character, who briefly returned to television to deliver an edition of "The Wørd" explaining Trump's appeal, before turning the show back to "that other guy", the real Colbert.
Following Colbert's segment on the July 18 program, CBS's legal team was informed by Viacom that the character Stephen Colbert is their intellectual property and cannot appear on The Late Show. As a result, on the July 27, 2016 episode of The Late Show, the real Colbert announced that the character "will never be seen again". He then immediately introduced Stephen Colbert's "identical twin cousin" (a possible allusion to The Patty Duke Show), Stephen Colbert, as a new member of The Late Show team. Colbert stated the difference between him and the other Colbert is they have birthmarks of the opposite Olsen twins. He returned for a "WERD" segment on The Late Show on January 19 to beg Obama to stay in office. As of December 4, 2019, any further real-life legal disputes involving the character are likely moot, with CBS and Viacom's re-merger as ViacomCBS.
## Presidential campaigns
### Colbert '08
Colbert dropped hints of a potential presidential run throughout 2007, with speculation intensifying following the release of his book, I Am America (And So Can You!), which was rumored (invariably by Colbert himself) to be a sign that he was indeed testing the waters for a future bid for the White House. Colbert staunchly refused to confirm or deny his candidacy, stating he had not yet made up his mind and must first talk the possibility over with his family.
Colbert confirmed his presidential ambitions on his October 16, 2007 show, stating his intention to run both on the Republican and Democratic platforms, but only as a favorite son in his native South Carolina. In an interview with Larry King he revealed that, as his running mate, he would consider Mike Huckabee (who himself jokingly offered Colbert the vice presidential position). He also speculated on the possibility of a Colbert-Putin or Colbert-Colbert ticket. Colbert abandoned plans to run as a Republican due to the \$35,000 fee required to file for the South Carolina primary. On November 1, 2007, it was announced that he would not appear on the Democratic primary ballot either, after being deemed ineligible by the South Carolina Democratic Party executive committee. Several days later he announced that he was withdrawing from the race, saying that he did not wish to put the country through an agonizing Supreme Court battle.
The show went on hiatus immediately after this as a result of the Writers Guild of America Strike. When it returned to air on January 7, 2008, without a writing staff, the character justified his absence by stating that he had taken some time off to have "a good cry" about his failed presidential attempt. He said that he had returned to air in celebration of Huckabee's success in the Iowa Caucus, something for which he considers himself personally responsible as Huckabee has appeared on the Report on numerous occasions to invite Colbert to be his running mate.
Despite having withdrawn from the presidential race, Colbert continued to be referred to as an active candidate in the Marvel Universe. Colbert '08 paraphernalia appeared in the artwork of various Marvel comics, and Colbert himself teamed up with Spider-Man in the October 2008 comic Amazing Spider-Man \#573. On November 5, 2008, Marvel announced that its fictional newspaper The Daily Bugle was reporting Colbert's victory over both John McCain and Barack Obama. Several hours later Marvel released a second Daily Bugle article correcting its initial reports, stating that while Colbert had won the popular vote Obama had secured more electoral votes, thus winning the presidency. "Oops, our bad", said Marvel's then editor-in-chief Joe Quesada of the confusion. "We completely forgot the Marvel Universe reflects what happens in the real world."
### 2012 exploration for "President of the United States of South Carolina"
During the September 28, 2011 episode of The Colbert Report, Colbert consulted his lawyer and they set up his own 501(c)(4) organization, similar to American Crossroads. As a super PAC the organization can raise unlimited sums of money from corporations, unions and other groups, as well as wealthy individuals. With Colbert as president of the Colbert Super PAC, the PAC ran several political ads prior to the Ames Straw Poll. The first ad, titled "Episode IV: A New Hope", told Iowans to write-in "Rick Parry" instead of Rick Perry, and the second ad, "Behind the Green Corn", supported "Parry" as well.
During the January 12, 2012 episode of The Colbert Report, Colbert announced his plans to form an exploratory committee to lay the groundwork for his possible candidacy for "President of the United States of South Carolina". In the process, he transferred control of the Super PAC to Jon Stewart, renaming it The Definitely Not Coordinating With Stephen Colbert Super PAC, since, according to Colbert's lawyer, Trevor Potter, it would definitely be illegal for Colbert and Stewart to coordinate their efforts in super PAC activities. A CBS news report called Colbert's run "essentially a joke", saying, "The real significance of Colbert's announcement may be the spotlight it puts on super PACs, into which donors can pour unlimited money in order to support or attack candidates, and thus influence election outcomes. Super PACs were made possible by the 2010 "Citizens United" Supreme Court decision that effectively classified money as speech".
Colbert's timing was too late for his name to be added the South Carolina primary ballot, and South Carolina law would not allow for write-in candidates. Polling showed that 21% of the potential Republican primary electorate reported they would be "more likely" to vote for former candidate Herman Cain, who remained on the ballot, if that vote served as encouragement for Colbert. Herman Cain received 6,338 votes in the South Carolina Republican Primary, which was more than all the other withdrawn candidates received combined. On the next episode of The Colbert Report broadcast on January 23, 2012, Colbert boasted about passing the 1% threshold and for Cain receiving many more votes in South Carolina than in Iowa and New Hampshire. Colbert then announced that he would no longer be exploring a run for President of the United States of South Carolina.
## Characteristics
Described as a "caustic right-wing bully", an "arch-conservative blowhard", and by his creator and namesake as a "well-intentioned, poorly informed, high status idiot", Colbert is egomaniacal, xenophobic and fiercely anti-intellectual. He claims to be politically independent, like his idol Bill "Papa Bear" O'Reilly; although in fact the character fawns over the Bush administration and the Republican Party, and frequently asks his guests, "George Bush: Great president, or the greatest president?" Following the election of Barack Obama in 2008, Colbert continued his right-wing views, but stated he would "support our new President as long as [he] remains popular". Colbert emphasizes that his character is genuinely well-meaning and wants to do the right thing, but does not have the tools to achieve it "because he has no curiosity, he doesn't like to read and he won't listen to anybody except the voices in his head".
Colbert is deeply self-centered and takes everything personally, a trait which is reflected in his discussion of the news and current events. According to the comedian, "There's nothing too large that doesn't involve him. Every news story is really about him ... Everything he cares about is a news story because he cares about it." This is expressed in his frequent attacks on and feuds with well-known figures such as The Decemberists, Sean Penn, Conan O'Brien, Rain, Barry Manilow, Tony Bennett, and Don Rickles (the latter three of whom beat out Colbert for Best Individual in a Variety or Music Program at the Emmys). The comedian equates these feuds with Bill O'Reilly's culture wars.
Central to Colbert's personality is his rigid belief that "what I say is right, and [nothing] anyone else says could possibly be true", regardless of any evidence to the contrary. He discussed this in the Report'''s first Wørd segment, using the term "truthiness" as he explained what he perceives to be the difference between "those who think with their head and those who know with their heart". He has further gone on to ascribe "truthiness" to other institutions including Wikipedia, which he believes upholds his view that reality can be determined by consensus opinion, and often encourages viewers to use Wikipedia to "change reality". Colbert believes that if a majority of people want something to be true, that thing therefore must become the truth. For instance, after months of scoffing at global warming, Colbert suddenly reversed his position, conceding its existence only due to the box office success of An Inconvenient Truth, a sign that "the free market has spoken".
Colbert describes himself as racially color-blind and unable to visually identify a person's race, explaining, "Now, I don't see race ... People tell me I'm white, and I believe them, because I own a lot of Jimmy Buffett albums." His race-blindness is a recurring joke, and this statement is often repeated on the show with different punch lines. For this same reason he believed that he was black when he had an emotional breakdown after watching Obama's inauguration video. He later qualified these statements in his book, stating, "When I say I don't see race, I mean I don't see Black people. But I can spot a Mexican at a hundred paces." Despite all these claims, Colbert often boasts that he has a large number of token minority friends (including Jon Stewart as "[his] Jewish friend" and Oprah Winfrey as "[his] black friend"), although in the photos shown these friends appear decidedly uninterested in him. He has stated a similar inability to distinguish between the sexes, claiming to only "see an American". This comes in contradiction of his at times sexist behavior, for instance, calling only on men during an open discussion with his audience on women's issues.
The comedian has said that he likes playing weak characters, and particularly revealing weaknesses in high status figures. During the course of the show, he will frequently peel back the Colbert character's apparent bravado to expose a very weak inner core. In one instance, Colbert demands one of his staff members subject him to simulated waterboarding, only to break down into pleas for mercy upon hearing a water bottle cap popped. In another episode, he criticizes The Today Show cohost Matt Lauer for saying that it's unacceptable for men to cry, only to sob hysterically upon learning that Katie Couric has left the show. These status shifts occur commonly, and constitute a central component of the show's comedy.
Colbert frequently uses his show as a platform for promoting his own fictional merchandise, including colognes, science fiction novels, medication, and his own sperm.
## 2009 visit to Baghdad, Iraq
Colbert arrived in Baghdad, Iraq on June 5, 2009, to film a week of shows called "Operation Iraqi Stephen: Going Commando". The episodes were filmed June 7–9, 2009, which was sponsored by the USO (United Service Organizations). Al-Faw Palace's rotunda was used for the filming of Operation Iraqi Stephen. Colbert had a suit tailored for him in the Army Combat Uniform pattern and went through an abbreviated version of the Army's basic training regimen. The suit was specially tailored by Brooks Brothers. As a tribute to Bob Hope, Colbert brought a golf club on stage, a Hope trademark.
The first episode included an interview with Multinational Force - Iraq commander General Ray Odierno, which was interrupted by U.S. President Barack Obama. Obama stated that if Colbert really wanted to be a soldier, along with his attendance to Basic Combat Training, he needed to have his hair shaved off. Obama then ordered General Odierno to "shave that man's head". General Odierno then began to shave Colbert's head; the job was finished during the commercial break by one of Colbert's staff members. One Army major said that "shaving of the hair is an amazing show of support" that was "very touching". The episode also featured a message to the troops from U.S. Senator John McCain with a friendly reminder to "always remember to clean your muskets", a lesson he claimed to have learned at Valley Forge, as a reference to old age jokes that he faced during the 2008 Presidential Election. Several other prominent politicians, including former presidents Bill Clinton, George H. W. Bush, and George W. Bush, along with Vice President Joe Biden and then Alaska governor Sarah Palin recorded messages for the troops that were aired in the following episodes.
## Other appearances
- White House Correspondents' Association Dinner April 29, 2006
- 58th Primetime Emmy Awards, presenter, August 27, 2006
- Night of Too Many Stars: An Overbooked Benefit for Autism, October 15, 2006
- Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man \#15, December 20, 2006
- The O'Reilly Factor, in-character interview, January 18, 2007
- 59th Primetime Emmy Awards, presenter, September 16, 2007
- Meet the Press, in-character interview as presidential candidate, October 21, 2007
- 60th Primetime Emmy Awards, presenter, September 21, 2008
- The Amazing Spider-Man \#573, October 15, 2008
- Late Night with Conan O'Brien, February 4, 2008 and February 17, 2009
- United States House Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration Policy and Enforcement, September 24, 2010. However, Colbert did break character when he responded to questions by Congresswoman Judy Chu about the plight of immigrant workers.
- Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear, Co-organizer October 30, 2010
- This Week with George Stephanopoulos, January 15, 2012
- A White House state dinner in honor of French president, Francois Hollande, February 11, 2014. Colbert was seated at the head table, in a seat which would have gone to Hollande's guest had he brought one. The following night, Colbert referenced on his show his seating assignment at the head table, calling himself the "First Lady of France".
- In 2014 the character was used in an ad campaign for Wonderful Pistachios, which launched with a Super Bowl commercial that aired during Super Bowl XLVIII
- The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, February 17, 2014, the first episode. Fallon had several celebrities come on stage and give him \$100 bills paying off bets that they lost because he got to host The Tonight Show. Colbert was the last celebrity and he came with \$100 in a bucket of pennies, pouring them down Fallon's clothes.
- 2014 RSA Conference
- 2014 Comic-con: appeared both as a panel moderator as well as in costume portraying a character called "Prince Hawkcat" which is supposed to be "Half Hawk. Half Cat. Whole Prince". The attendance in costume was not revealed until two months after the event.
- October 2014 Apple Inc. press event: Colbert participated in the event via phone where he asked to be given the title "Supreme Allied Commander of Super Secrecy"
- Colbert appeared in the November 6, 2014 episode of @midnight to announce the "Hashtag Wars" for the episode.
### After the conclusion of The Colbert Report
- Colbert made an appearance in the House of Cards season three episode "Chapter 27". The segment was taped before The Colbert Report set was transformed into the set for The Nightly Show with Larry Wilmore. It was first released on February 27, 2015, two months after the final episode of The Colbert Report aired.
- On August 6, 2015, Colbert (both in and out of character) returned for Jon Stewart's last night on The Daily Show. Colbert appeared along with many other correspondents who have served under Stewart's tenure in order to pay tribute to the departing host.
- On July 18, 2016, Colbert reprised the character on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. The character appeared with Jon Stewart and Colbert (as himself, in his capacity as host), before the character hosted the Colbert Report segment, "The Wørd".
- On July 27, 2016, Colbert announced that the character could no longer appear on The Late Show, explaining that, immediately after the July 18 airing, lawyers at CBS were contacted by a lawyer "at another company" and told the character was the intellectual property of the unnamed company (presumably Viacom, Comedy Central's parent company). Instead, Colbert told the audience that he was welcoming via satellite "Stephen Colbert's identical twin cousin, Stephen Colbert", with the new character showing interest in returning to The Late Show regularly. Colbert then introduced a close facsimile of the Colbert Report's "The Wørd" segment, spelled instead as the "WERD".
- On January 19, 2017, Colbert asked his Comedy Central character's "identical twin cousin", Stephen Colbert, to discuss Barack Obama's legacy. Despite his assertion that he was not the same character seen on The Colbert Report, this "Stephen Colbert", the identical twin cousin, was interviewed "live via satellite" from the cabin where the original character now lives with Jon Stewart, as shown in the July 18, 2016 episode when the original character reappeared for the first time since the conclusion of The Colbert Report. He also appeared to share many of the characteristics of the original character, such as the "C" lapel pin and Captain America shield, and wearing a suit. After legal issues with Comedy Central and Viacom over the ownership of the character, his "identical cousin" introduced on the July 27, 2016 episode wore an American flag shirt, not a suit. In addition to sharing the original character's signature bombastic commentary and using his catchphrase "Nation", Colbert also introduced his alter-ego's cousin as "conservative pundit, Stephen Colbert", suggesting he is in fact playing the original character.
- On March 20, 2017, the character broke into the monologue to chastise Colbert for his "misguided analysis of Trump's budget" and prevent him from "making an ass of yourself on network TV". The character mentioned his fear of bears from The Colbert Report, saying that "they are godless killing machines". The character, introduced as Colbert's "conservative pundit colleague", proceeded to do the "WERD".
- On April 19, 2017, Colbert reprised the role of the character in The Late Show with Stephen Colbert to mourn Bill O'Reilly's departure from Fox News.
- On April 30, 2018, the character Stephen Colbert briefly reappeared to discuss comedian Michelle Wolf's controversial speech at the 2018 White House Correspondents' Dinner.
## See also
- Cultural impact of The Colbert Report
- Tek Jansen
- Wally George
- Who Made Huckabee?
- List of The Colbert Report'' characters
|
23,977,362 |
Night of the Dead Living
| 1,157,289,545 | null |
[
"1993 American television episodes",
"Homicide: Life on the Street (season 1) episodes"
] |
"Night of the Dead Living" is the ninth episode and first season finale of the American police drama television series Homicide: Life on the Street. It originally aired on NBC in the United States on March 31, 1993. In the episode, the homicide squad works the night shift on a summer evening, but no calls come in, leaving the detectives to brood over their personal matters. The teleplay was written by Frank Pugliese based on a story he wrote along with executive producer Tom Fontana. It was directed by Michael Lehmann.
"Night of the Dead Living" was originally intended to be the third episode of the season, but NBC programmers moved it to the end of the season because they felt its slow pace and lack of traditional action was inappropriate early in the series, when the show was trying to woo viewers. The broadcast schedule change led to some consistency and time-line errors, which Homicide producers addressed by adding the words "One hot night, last September..." to the beginning of the episode. Actress N'Bushe Wright makes a guest appearance as a cleaning woman who loses her baby in the police station.
Since ratings for Homicide had gradually declined throughout the season, NBC announced a decision about whether the series would be renewed would depend on the Nielsen ratings of the final four episodes, including "Night of the Dead Living". Nevertheless, it was seen by 6.7 million household viewers, marking one of the lowest viewerships of the season. It received generally positive reviews upon its original broadcast, although some mainstream television audiences were turned off by its minimalist approach. It marked the last original episode of Homicide for nine months until the second season premiere, "Bop Gun". The episode's teleplay won a Writers Guild of America Award for Outstanding Achievement in Television Writing for Episodic Drama.
## Plot summary
The episode begins with an unknown person lighting a candle in the homicide squadroom. One by one, the detectives arrive for the night shift on an unusually hot September evening. A furious Gee (Yaphet Kotto) calls maintenance to complain about the non-working air conditioner and learns it has been shut off for the night. Felton (Daniel Baldwin) and Lewis (Clark Johnson) try to find out who secretly lights the candle every night; they blow it out a number of times, but it always ends up lit again without anyone noticing. Munch (Richard Belzer) loudly complains about his ex-girlfriend breaking up with him. While the other detectives sweat and complain about the heat, a calm and comfortable Pembleton (Andre Braugher) wears a tie and drinks hot tea without sweating. Bayliss (Kyle Secor), who acts uncooperative with his partner Pembleton, says he has found the fingerprints of a man named James Hill who he believes is the murderer in the Adena Watson case. Officer Thormann (Lee Tergesen) brings in Hill, who turns out to be a 12-year-old boy (Kenny Blank), much to the amusement of the other detectives.
The detectives are shocked at the lack of homicide-related calls they are receiving throughout the night. Bolander (Ned Beatty) tries several times throughout the night to call Medical Examiner Blythe (Wendy Hughes) and ask her out on a date, but he cannot build up the courage. With encouragement from Howard (Melissa Leo), he finally asks Blythe out and is shocked when she accepts. Crosetti (Jon Polito) gets agitated when his daughter calls and wants her boyfriend to sleep over. Gee comforts Crosetti and lets him go home to take care of her. Gee finds a baby boy in a small animal carrier-like cage on the bottom floor of the police department. The baby is very popular with the detectives, who take care of him while they wait for social services to arrive. After the social services worker takes the baby, the cleaning lady Loretta Kenyatta (N'Bushe Wright) hysterically screams somebody kidnapped her baby. The detectives get the baby back for her while Bayliss, infatuated with Loretta, listens to her talk about her life.
Howard gets a call from her sister, who has recently found a tumor on her breast. The sister has just learned her husband has been having an affair. Although Howard is initially hesitant to confide in Felton, he eventually surprises her by offering genuine words of comfort. A drunken man dressed as Santa Claus (Cleve Wall) is arrested for threatening his wife and a crowd of people with a water pistol. Later, the detectives get a call that Santa Claus has escaped from custody in the department, and he is found after falling through the ceiling and landing on Munch's desk. Meanwhile, Pembleton and Bayliss discuss the Watson murder scene. Bayliss insists he has already gone over the information repeatedly, but Pembleton tells him he needs to think outside the box and approach it with from the mind-frame of a criminal. Later, Bayliss reexamines the information and realizes the killer brought Watson down a fire escape, offering a new lead in the case. As the new day dawns, Gee has the detectives assemble on the roof so he can spray them with a garden hose to cool them off.
The episode ends with Munch revealing to Thormann that he lights the candle each night "for all the ones who have been killed," while Thormann admits that he re-lit it in Munch's absence because he knew it meant something to him.
## Production
"Night of the Dead Living" was directed by Michael Lehmann. The teleplay was written by Frank Pugliese based on a story he wrote along with executive director Tom Fontana. It was originally intended to be the third episode of the first season, but NBC programmers felt it was too slow-paced to run so early in the season. The episode takes place entirely within the squad room and lacks the traditional action of a typical police series, which NBC executives felt was not appropriate for an early stage when the series was still trying to woo viewers. The programmers also preferred to end the series on the upbeat note of the final scenes in "Night of the Dead Living", which includes the detectives happily smiling and laughing on the roof of the police department building as Gee sprays them with a hose to relieve the summer heat. In contrast, the originally-planned season finale, "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes", which Homicide producers felt had a sense of resolving season storylines, was a somber episode which ended with a sad image of Bolander quietly singing to himself at a bar over a beer.
Running the episode out of sequence produced several notable continuity errors. For example, Bayliss and Pembleton are still working on the Adena Watson murder, which they had stopped investigating in the earlier episode "Three Men and Adena". Additionally, Officer Thormann is seen onscreen working and healthy, although he was blinded in the earlier episode "Son of a Gun" as a result of a gunshot wound to the head that forced him to leave the police department. These consistency errors were addressed by Homicide producers by adding the words "One hot night, last September..." to the beginning of the episode, thus establishing the events of the episode took place within the correct timeline of the series, even though the episodes are shown out of order. The Watson case depicted in the episode was based on the real-life 1988 Baltimore slaying of Latonya Kim Wallace, which is chronicled in Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets, the 1991 David Simon non-fiction book about a Baltimore Police Department, which was adapted into the Homicide series.
During "Night of the Dead Living", Crosetti displays an overriding concern for the safety and welfare of his daughter Beatrice. After Crosetti was revealed to have killed himself in the third season episode "Crosetti", many viewers claimed suicide was unrealistic for his character based on his feelings about his daughter displayed in this episode. Beatrice is referred to only by name in "Night of the Dead Living", and would not appear onscreen until she grieved over her father's death in "Crosetti". While discussing the mysterious candle with Lewis in the episode, Felton said he generally solves cases with physical evidence, witnesses and confessions, not by investigating motives. This insight into detective work is consistent with the conclusions Simon drew in Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets, and reviewers have praised Homicide for its realism in portraying detective work from this perspective, which is in stark contrast to other typical police dramas.
N'Bushe Wright, best known to this point for playing the student activist Claudia Bishop in the NBC drama series I'll Fly Away, made a guest appearance in "Night of the Dead Living" as the cleaning woman Loretta Kenyatta. Wright was cast in the role based on her performance in Zebrahead (1992), a drama film about an interracial romance. A number of songs play on radios in the squad room throughout "Night of the Dead Living". Among the music featured in the episode were the songs "Lay Down My Life" by Carole King, "Texas Slide" by Jean-Jacques Milteau, "N.Y.C (Can You Believe This City?)" by Charles & Eddie, "Little Boy Blues" and "Break Up" by Gary Fitzgerald, and "Tropic Call" by Mitchell Coodley and Andrew Snitzer.
## Ratings
Ratings for Homicide: Life on the Street gradually declined since the series first premiered. In response, NBC announced to fans that a decision about whether Homicide would be renewed or canceled would depend on how the last four episodes of the season fared in the ratings, including "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes". In its original American broadcast on March 31, 1993, the episode was watched by 6.7 million households, according to Nielsen Media Research, earning the episode a 7.2 rating. It was one of the lowest ratings of the first season of Homicide: Life on the Street, continuing the downward trend of the season. By comparison, the previous episode, "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes", was seen by 7.08 million households, while the season premiere, "Gone for Goode", was watched by more than 18 million households due to a lead-in from Super Bowl XXVII. Homicide ranked low in the Nielsen ratings compared to other shows the week of "Night of the Dead Living", while its time-slot competitor, the ABC comedy Home Improvement, ranked second for the week with 20.39 million household viewers.
At the time that the season finale aired, Homicide producers still did not know whether their show would be renewed for a second season. After the season finale, Homicide: Life on the Street went on a hiatus while the network decided whether the series would be renewed. That hiatus ultimately lasted nine months until the premiere of the second season premiere, "Bop Gun".
## Reception
The episode received generally positive reviews from commentators, although David P. Kalat, author of Homicide: Life on the Street: The Unofficial Companion, said mainstream television audiences were "somewhat turned off by the minimalist approach". USA Today writer Matt Roush gave the episode four out of four stars, comparing it to David Mamet's Glengarry Glen Ross and calling it "minimalist drama (with) maximum impact". Roush wrote, "Imagine a crime show during which no crime occurs. Next to nothing happens. Yet every second counts." Lon Grahnke of the Chicago Sun-Times also gave it four out of four stars. He wrote, "If Life on the Street winds up dead after tonight's episode – the victim of low Nielsen ratings – at least the nine superb actors in the squad will know they made a grand exit."
The Salt Lake Tribune writer Harold Schindler praised the episode, particularly the "excellent writing, great acting [and] super atmosphere". Rocky Mountain News writer Dusty Saunders called the series "superb" and described Night of the Dead Living as "fascinating character studies of police officers in the squad room". In a 2007 article, Star Tribune writer Neal Justin included "Night of the Dead Living" in a list of 10 excellent network television episodes dating back 40 years. Justin said the episode proved it was not acting that made for good television, but rather strong writing and acting. Not all reviews were positive. John J. O'Connor of The New York Times praised the series in general, but said the various overlapping subplots in "Night of the Dead Living" – like the Santa Claus suspect, the pre-teen murder suspect and the cleaning woman's missing baby – felt like gratuitous "oddball routines". O'Connor added, "Too much cleverness can be grating."
Frank Pugliese and Tom Fontana won a Writers Guild of America award for Outstanding Achievement in Television Writing for Episodic Drama for the "Night of the Dead Living" teleplay. The script competed in that category against another Homicide episode, the first season premiere "Gone for Goode". The "Night of the Dead Living" teleplay also defeated scripts for the shows I'll Fly Away, Life Goes On, Picket Fences, TriBeCa and Reasonable Doubts.
## Home media
The first and second season episodes were included in the four-DVD box-set "Homicide: Life on the Street: The Complete Seasons 1 & 2", which was released by A&E Home Video on May 27, 2003.
|
1,409,484 |
North Coast Hiawatha
| 1,163,856,033 |
Former long-distance Amtrak train
|
[
"Former Amtrak routes",
"Former long distance Amtrak routes",
"Passenger rail transportation in Idaho",
"Passenger rail transportation in Illinois",
"Passenger rail transportation in Minnesota",
"Passenger rail transportation in Montana",
"Passenger rail transportation in North Dakota",
"Passenger rail transportation in Oregon",
"Passenger rail transportation in Washington (state)",
"Passenger rail transportation in Wisconsin",
"Proposed Amtrak routes",
"Railway services discontinued in 1979",
"Railway services introduced in 1971",
"Transportation in Seattle"
] |
The North Coast Hiawatha was a streamlined passenger train operated by Amtrak between Chicago, Illinois, and Seattle, Washington. Operating from 1971 to 1979, the train was a successor to the Northern Pacific Railway's North Coast Limited and Mainstreeter. Its name is a combination of North Coast Limited and Hiawatha, a Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad (Milwaukee Road) train whose route it followed east of Minneapolis–St. Paul. Created at the behest of the United States Congress, the North Coast Hiawatha enjoyed an uncertain existence before being discontinued in 1979. Since then, there have been several unsuccessful attempts to restore it.
## History
### Background
The flagship train on the Northern Pacific Railway (NP) main line was the North Coast Limited, which began in 1900. Its running mate since 1952 was the Mainstreeter, which operated on a slower schedule with fewer amenities. The NP main line mirrored that of its rival, the Great Northern Railway (GN), with the latter using a more northerly route through Montana and North Dakota.
The NP, GN, and Chicago, Burlington, and Quincy Railroad (CB&Q) shared closer relations starting in the 1920s and merged in 1970, forming the Burlington Northern Railroad. Passenger service continued over both the ex-NP and ex-GN after the merger. When passenger service transferred to Amtrak in 1971, they chose the Empire Builder—the former flagship train of the GN—for their Chicago–Pacific Northwest route. Amtrak based this decision on several factors, including the overall higher speed of the ex-GN route and better alternate transportation options along the ex-NP.
### Operation
Amtrak's decision caused consternation in Montana. Mike Mansfield (D–Montana), then Senate Majority Leader, demanded that Amtrak find a way to serve Montana's larger cities that the Empire Builder bypassed by not using the ex-NP line, including Billings, Bozeman, Butte, and Missoula.
Amtrak reacted to the pressure and announced a resumption of service over the ex-NP line effective June 14, 1971, creating an unnamed section of the Empire Builder that ran three days a week over the ex-NP route between Minneapolis and Spokane. Mansfield's intervention earned the train the nickname "Mike Mansfield Limited". The NP route, which included the Yellowstone River, Homestake Pass and Bitterroot Mountains, was praised for its scenery, and Amtrak considered it one of its six most beautiful. The train also provided a convenient connection to Yellowstone National Park at Livingston, Montana.
On November 14, 1971, Amtrak formally named this service the North Coast Hiawatha and extended it to Chicago. It retained its tri-weekly schedule and joint operation with the Empire Builder west of Spokane. On the four days of the week that the North Coast Hiawatha did not run, its route between Chicago and Minneapolis was served by a train on the same schedule. This Chicago–Minneapolis train was initially named Hiawatha, then Twin Cities Hiawatha (starting January 16, 1972), and, finally, Hiawatha again (starting October 29, 1972). This name remained until the North Coast Hiawatha went daily on May 19, 1974.
The joint operation with the Empire Builder ended on June 11, 1973, when Amtrak extended the North Coast Hiawatha to Seattle using the GN's route via Stevens Pass and the Cascade Tunnel, which included stops at the northern Washington cities of Wenatchee and Everett. The train remained on a tri-weekly schedule west of Minneapolis. For the summer of 1974, Amtrak added a second train, the Expo '74 (named for Expo '74 being held in Spokane), to the Seattle–Spokane segment.
The train operated daily between Chicago and Seattle during the summers of 1974 and 1977, and during certain holiday seasons, such as December 12, 1975–January 12, 1976. Otherwise, it remained tri-weekly west of Minneapolis.
In early 1976, the North Coast Hiawatha was threatened with discontinuance, along with the Pacific International and the three daily Portland–Seattle trains, after the Ford Administration proposed budget cuts. Several members of Congress protested the proposed cuts, including Representative Max Baucus (D–Montana), and Senators Warren Magnuson (D–Washington) and Bob Packwood (R–Oregon). Congress eventually approved a budget for Amtrak \$62 million above the administration's request, saving all three services.
In October 1976, Amtrak announced that the North Coast Hiawatha would be the second train (after the Empire Builder) to receive the new bi-level Superliner coaches, then on order from Pullman Standard. The train was ultimately cancelled before the Superliners entered long-distance service.
In May 1977, Amtrak added seven hours to the schedule, increasing it to 52 hours 30 minutes. The change was caused by speed restrictions on Amtrak's new EMD SDP40F diesel locomotives after they suffered a rash of derailments.
In September 1977, Amtrak brought back the Twin Cities Hiawatha name for the train's four-day-per-week Chicago–Minneapolis service.
In November, Amtrak reduced the running time to 46 hours 40 minutes, after the replacement of the SDP40Fs permitted an easing of speed restrictions. Even as this improved service began, the train was threatened with cancellation. Facing a budget deficit of \$60 million, Amtrak identified a half dozen routes that it considered financially troubled. Amtrak proposed merging the North Coast Hiawatha and the Empire Builder, or even cancelling both. Throughout 1978, no decision was taken, and both trains continued to provide daily service between Chicago and Seattle.
### Discontinuance
In January 1979, Secretary of Transportation Brock Adams announced plans to cut 12,000 miles (19,000 km) from Amtrak's network. The North Coast Hiawatha was one of many routes scheduled for elimination. The train had faced cancellation before, but after eight years of federal subsidies, members of Congress favored retrenchment. Once-vocal supporters such as Senator Magnuson expressed regret but made no public commitment. Adams noted that the service recovered only \$6 million against expenses of \$24 million, and that the per-passenger cost was \$178.
In July an attempt by Representative (and future Vice President) Al Gore (D–Tennessee) to impose a one-year moratorium on the proposed system-wide cuts failed 214–197. In the end the Senate approved a smaller cutback, citing a 24% spike in Amtrak ridership after an oil shock during the summer, but the North Coast Hiawatha remained on the chopping block. In late September, the Railway Labor Executives' Association, along with Senator John Melcher (D–Montana) and Representative Pat Williams (D–Montana), sued the U.S. Department of Transportation to prevent the discontinuance of the service, then scheduled for October 1. A federal judge temporarily restrained Amtrak from ending the service, but the last North Coast Hiawathas ran on October 6, 1979, arriving in Chicago on the 7th and Seattle on the 8th.
### Proposed return
The end of the North Coast Hiawatha severed much of the populated portion of Montana from the national rail network, and also spelled the end of intercity rail service in southern North Dakota. Over the years there have been periodic attempts to restore service in these areas. A plan in 1982–83 proposed North Dakota and Montana paying 45% of costs in the first year and 65% thereafter for a new section of the Empire Builder operating tri-weekly between Fargo and Sandpoint. This proposal went nowhere when neither state approved the needed subsidy. Another proposal in 1991 would have required an additional yearly federal appropriation of \$12–15 million plus new equipment. In this scenario, the Portland section would operate over the old route. Again, nothing came of it.
In 2008, Congress directed Amtrak to study resumption of service, which rekindled hope of restoration. Amtrak published a feasibility study in October 2009, which proposed restoring the North Coast Hiawatha to its 1979 route where, possible with a daily schedule, Amtrak projected a yearly ridership of 359,800, some of whom would be drawn from the Empire Builder. Amtrak estimated that \$1 billion in funds would be necessary to relaunch the service, including over \$300 million for new locomotives and rolling stock. The corporation estimated it would take four to five years to reintroduce the service if a decision was made to move forward.
#### Efforts in the 2020s
In 2020, local rail advocates started an informal Greater Northwest Passenger Rail Working Group focused on restarting the North Coast Hiawatha, Pioneer, and other routes in the Northwestern United States. This approach is modeled on the Gulf Coast Working Group and Southern Rail Commission, which are on track to restore Amtrak service between New Orleans and Mobile in 2022.
In December 2020, twelve Montana counties formed the Big Sky Passenger Rail Authority (BSPRA), the first entity to have railway authority powers under Montana state law. The BSPRA's focus is restoring passenger rail in southern Montana along the former route of the North Coast Hiawatha. The authority held its first annual conference in August 2021. As of August 2022, the number of member counties participating in the BSPRA has grown to eighteen, covering the great majority of the proposed route. Amtrak, BNSF Railway, the Montana Department of Transportation, and three federally recognized tribes are ex officio members. Amtrak is the presumed operator of the service, while BNSF would host the train on its southern Montana line once it takes control back from Montana Rail Link in 2022.
In September 2021, the Rail Passengers Association assessed restoration of the full North Coast Hiawatha as proposed by the Big Sky Passenger Rail Authority. On an annual basis, they forecast ridership of 426,000, economic benefit of \$270.6 million, operating cost of \$68 million, revenue of \$41 million, and a vehicle-miles traveled reduction of 45.9 million.
In June 2021, Senator Jon Tester (D-Montana) added an amendment to the Surface Transportation Investment Act of 2021 which requires the Department of Transportation (not Amtrak itself) to evaluate the restoration of discontinued long-distance routes including the North Coast Hiawatha. The bill passed the Senate Commerce Committee with bipartisan support, and was later rolled into President Biden's Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which was passed into law in November 2021. The report must be delivered to Congress within two years. The law also provides \$2.4 billion in new funds to Amtrak's long-distance route network.
In October 2022, North Dakota Department of Transportation submitted a note to FRA's Establishment of the Corridor Identification and Development Program in support of comments submitted by the Big Sky Passenger Rail Authority and the Dickinson Convention and Visitor's Bureau regarding interest in exploring a restored North Coast Hiawatha route through Fargo, Bismarck and Dickinson, ND.
On October 28, 2022, the Amtrak Daily Long-Distance Service Study was announced by the Federal Railroad Administration. Its purpose is to evaluate the restoration and addition of discontinued and new long-distance passenger services, as well as the upgrading of tri-weekly long-distance services (the Sunset Limited and the Cardinal) to daily operation. The criteria for either restoring or creating new long-distance routes are that they connect large and small communities as part of a "regional rail network", provide economic and social well-being for rural areas, provide "enhanced connectivity" for the existing long-distance passenger trains, and reflect the support and engagement of the locals and region for restored long-distance passenger service. These criteria include the North Coast Hiawatha, among other trains. The study will take place through 2023, and will engage with stakeholders, the rail companies, and communities as it "evaluates how to better connect people with long-distance rail services".
## Equipment
The North Coast Hiawatha saw a variety of motive power and rolling stock during its eight years, as Amtrak disposed of its inherited equipment as best it could and gradually replaced the older equipment with its own stock. In the early 1970s a typical train might feature as many as four dome cars pulled by ex-Milwaukee Road EMD E9s. In the summer of 1972 the train maxed out at 18 cars, including five dome coaches, an ex-California Zephyr dome lounge, and a dome-sleeper-lounge. The 1970 Burlington/Great Northern merger notwithstanding, cars carried both the "Big Sky Blue" livery characteristic of late Great Northern passenger trains and the "Cascade Green" of the Burlington Northern Railroad.
The train was one of many routes to receive the new EMD SDP40F, which worked the route between 1974 and 1977, although older EMD E8 and EMD E9s continued to be used. A series of derailments involving the SDP40F prompted their replacement, and by late 1977 Amtrak had introduced the EMD F40PH. These sometimes ran with an E9 "B" unit as well. In late 1976 a typical North Coast Hiawatha departed Seattle with two SDP40Fs, a baggage car, two 44-seat long-distance coaches, a Budd dome coach, one of the dormitory-coffee shop cars formerly used on California Zephyr, an ex-North Coast Limited dining car, and a single Pacific series sleeping car. Two more baggage cars were added at Minneapolis for mail and express service.
## See also
- Pioneer
- Desert Wind
|
20,933,354 |
Schulze Baking Company Plant
| 1,151,526,334 | null |
[
"Bakeries of the United States",
"Industrial buildings and structures on the National Register of Historic Places in Chicago",
"Industrial buildings completed in 1914"
] |
Schulze Baking Company Plant is a factory building located on the South Side of Chicago, Illinois, United States. It is located at 40 East Garfield Boulevard (also described as 55th Street and Wabash Avenue) in the Washington Park community area in Cook County. Built in 1914, the building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on November 12, 1982. Originally built for the Schulze Baking Company, it was the home of the Hostess Brands' Butternut Bread until 2004.
The building features a terra cotta exterior with ornamentation that pays tribute to Louis Sullivan. The original flooring is made of reinforced concrete. In the early 21st century, the building fell into a state of disrepair. In 2016, however, a developer stated that the building was being rehabilitated for adaptive reuse in 2017 and following years as a data center.
## Location and function
The building is located between the western edge of Washington Park and the Dan Ryan Expressway along a section of Garfield Boulevard that formerly hosted prominent businesses, including Schulze and the Wanzer Milk Company. The area has suffered from economic decay and crime during the second half of the 20th century. One of the few significant remaining businesses in the old Black Belt during this time was Hostess, which still used the building to make Butternut Bread.
## Baking company
Schulze, with its signature Butternut Bread, eventually became Interstate Bakeries Corporation/Hostess Brands. The business was once Chicago's largest wholesale business entity. Although, according to Form 10-K filings by the Interstate Bakeries Corporation with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission, the Schulze Baking Company was not formed until 1927, many records contradict this claim. Historical accounts of Chicago claim that Paul Schulze, 1910-11 president of the National Association of Master Bakers, started the Schulze Baking Company in 1893 with his brothers. Interstate's own company history even confirms the 1893 beginning of Schulze.
In 1912, prior to the construction of the plant, the company had four baking plants throughout the city of Chicago and general offices in the Chicago Stock Exchange Building on LaSalle Street in the Chicago Loop. In the 1910s, the company had extensive legal battles regarding protecting its trademarks.
In 1921, Paul Schulze sold control of the company to Ralph Leroy Nafziger. In 1930, Nafziger announced the formation of Interstate Bakeries through the merger of Schulze Baking and Western Bakeries of Los Angeles to form Interstate Bakeries. Schulze and Western continued to maintain their own separate companies under the Interstate umbrella until 1937, when Schulze formally became Interstate.
Paul Schulze went on to operate small bakeries elsewhere under the name of Schulze and Burch Biscuit Company.
## Architecture
The building is a white terra cotta structure designed by John Ahlschlager in 1914 for the Schulze Baking Company. The terra cotta walls were five storeys high. The building featured blue lettering, foliated cornice ornamentation, and stringcourses of rosettes. The building uses 700 windows grouped to complement the ornamentation's allusion to themes of nature and purity. The ornamentation is considered abstract, Sullivanesque and modern. The company used Apron conveyor manufactured by the Jeffrey Manufacturing Company of Columbus, Ohio. A lengthy low industrial complex extends northward behind the main five-story building.
The structure has a flat concrete slab floor with four-way reinforcement designed to support 300 pounds per square inch (2,100 kPa). The dimensions of the building 298 feet 4 inches (90.93 m) by 160 feet (49 m) and it is composed of floor space segmented into 17 feet 6 inches (5.33 m) by 20 feet (6.1 m). The second floor is 9 inches (23 cm) thick except in the 7 feet 6 inches (2.29 m) square surrounding each column where it is 14 inches (36 cm) thick.
As of late 2008, the building was showing signs of wear, disrepair, and neglect. At least one terra cotta cornice was missing, and the building had numerous walkway coverings to protect passersby from falling debris such as further terra cotta loss. One side wall was propped up with wood beams at 45 degree angles. In addition, the building had some graffiti markings. However, developer Ghian Foreman stated in February 2016 that the rehabilitation of the former Schulze Baking Company plant into a data center, to be called the Midway Technology Center, was on schedule for operation in 2017. The adaptive reuse project allegedly involved the investment of more than \$130 million.
|
31,863,455 |
Wahrlich, wahrlich, ich sage euch, BWV 86
| 1,106,275,287 |
Church cantata by Johann Sebastian Bach
|
[
"1724 compositions",
"Church cantatas by Johann Sebastian Bach"
] |
Wahrlich, wahrlich, ich sage euch (Truly, truly I say to you), BWV 86, is a church cantata by Johann Sebastian Bach. He composed it in Leipzig for Rogate, the fifth Sunday after Easter, and first performed it on 14 May 1724.
An unknown poet began the text with a quotation from the farewell discourses of Jesus. He used a stanza of Georg Grünwald's hymn "Kommt her zu mir, spricht Gottes Sohn" in movement 3 and as the closing chorale a stanza from "Es ist das Heil uns kommen her" by Paul Speratus (1524). Bach structured the cantata in six movements, a gospel quotation in the beginning, chorales as movements 3 and 6, otherwise recitatives and arias. He scored it for three vocal soloists, a four-part choir and a Baroque instrumental ensemble of two oboes d'amore, strings and continuo.
## History and words
Bach composed the cantata in Leipzig in his first annual cycle as Thomaskantor for the Fifth Sunday after Easter, called Rogate. The prescribed readings for the Sunday were from the Epistle of James, "doers of the word, not only listeners" () and from the Gospel of John, from the farewell discourses of Jesus, prayers will be fulfilled (). The theme of the cantata is a quotation from the gospel at the beginning, the promise of Jesus "Verily, verily, I say unto you, whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give you". An unknown poet used as movement 3 the 16th stanza of Georg Grünwald hymn "Kommt her zu mir, spricht Gottes Sohn" (1530), and as the closing chorale the eleventh stanza of "Es ist das Heil uns kommen her" by Paul Speratus (1524). The poet hints at the question how the promise can be understood looking at the reality of life. In movement 2 he uses the image of a rose with thorns to illustrate two conflicting aspects. In movements 3 and 4 he confirms the promise which has to be seen in the perspective of time. Movement 5 refers to the waiting for a promise being kept, and the closing chorale assures that God knows the right time. The structure of the six movements – a gospel quotation in the beginning, chorales as movements 3 and 6, the sequence of recitative and arias – is similar to Wo gehest du hin? BWV 166, first performed one week earlier.
Bach first performed the cantata on 14 May 1724.
## Music
### Structure and scoring
Bach structured the cantata in six movements, beginning with a biblical quotation for the vox Christi, Jesus speaking. An aria is followed by a chorale for the soprano, a set of recitative and aria, and the closing chorale, the only movement for choir. Bach scored the work for three vocal soloists (alto, tenor, bass), a four-part choir and a Baroque instrumental ensemble of two oboes d'amore (Oa), two violins (Vl), viola (Va) and basso continuo.
In the following table of the movements, the scoring follows the Neue Bach-Ausgabe. The keys and time signatures are taken from Alfred Dürr, using the symbol for common time (4/4). The continuo, playing throughout, is not shown.
### Movements
#### 1
The gospel quotation, "Wahrlich, wahrlich, ich sage euch, so ihr den Vater etwas bitten werdet in meinem Namen, so wird er's euch geben. " (Truly, truly I say to you, whatever you ask of the Father in My name, so will it be given to you.), is given to the bass as the vox Christi, the voice of Jesus. The instruments, strings probably doubled by oboe d'amore, introduce vocal motifs which the voice picks up. The bass sings the text three times, while the instruments continue playing the same motifs. Julian Mincham observes: "The richness of the text, the unobtrusive nature of the melodic ideas and the gently flowing rhythms combine to create an appropriate atmosphere of dignified restraint".
#### 2
In the alto aria, "Ich will doch wohl Rosen brechen" (I will yet indeed pluck roses), the voice is accompanied by the strings and a violin obbligato in virtuoso figuration, which may illustrate the heavenly light promised as the final fulfillment. John Eliot Gardiner, who conducted the Bach Cantata Pilgrimage in 2000, interprets the solo violin's motif as an image of plucking a rose, who notes that the solo violin is silent when fulfillment is reached ("For He has pledged His word").
#### 3
In the chorale, "Und was der ewig gültig Gott in seinem Wort versprochen hat" (And whatever the eternally merciful God has promised with His word), the unadorned cantus firmus in the soprano is embedded in a trio of the two oboes d'amore and the continuo. Gardiner notes that the oboes' music may illustrate the "stratospheric circling of the angelic host" which the hymn text refers to.
#### 4
In a short tenor recitative for tenor, "Gott macht es nicht gleichwie die Welt, die viel verspricht und wenig hält" (God does not do as the world does, that promises much and upholds little), the musicologist Julian Mincham notes "a moment of harsh severity in the melody at the mention of the world′s failings".
#### 5
In the tenor aria, "Gott hilft gewiß; wird gleich die Hilfe aufgeschoben" (God helps indeed; even if that help is delayed), a motif on the first line is introduced by the violin, repeated by the voice, and repeated several times.
#### 6
The closing chorale, "Die Hoffnung wart' der rechten Zeit" (Hope awaits the right time), is set for four parts.
## Recordings
The selection is taken from the listing on the Bach Cantatas Website. Choirs with one voice per part (OVPP) and instrumental groups playing period instruments in historically informed performances are markeded green.
### Complete cycles
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77,925 |
Bree, Middle-earth
| 1,171,883,882 |
Fictional village in J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth
|
[
"Middle-earth populated places"
] |
Bree is a fictional village in J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth, east of the Shire. Bree-land, which contains Bree and a few other villages, is the only place where Hobbits and Men lived side by side. It was inspired by the name of the Buckinghamshire village of Brill, meaning "hill-hill", which Tolkien visited regularly in his early years at the University of Oxford, and informed by his passion for linguistics.
In Bree is The Prancing Pony inn, where the wizard Gandalf meets the Dwarf Thorin Oakenshield, setting off the quest to Erebor described in The Hobbit, and where Frodo Baggins puts on the One Ring, attracting the attention of the Dark Lord Sauron's spies and an attack by the Black Riders.
Scholars have stated that Tolkien chose the placenames of Bree-land carefully, incorporating Celtic elements into the names to indicate that Bree was older than the Shire, whose placenames are English with Old English elements. Others have commented that Bree functions as a place of transition from the comfort and safety of home to the dangers of the journey that lies ahead.
## Fictional history
Bree was the starting point for the Fallohide brothers and leaders, Marcho and Blanco, when they travelled west in the year 1601 of the Third Age. They led their Hobbits across the river Baranduin and took the land there to found the Shire.
Two important events leading up to the War of the Ring took place at The Prancing Pony. The first was "a chance-meeting" of the Wizard Gandalf and the exiled Dwarf Thorin Oakenshield; this meeting led to the destruction of Smaug. The second occurred during the journey of Frodo Baggins to Rivendell, when he and his companions stayed at The Prancing Pony for a night. After singing The Man in the Moon Stayed Up Too Late, Frodo accidentally slipped the One Ring on his finger, and became invisible. The minor villain Bill Ferny and a squint-eyed "Southerner", a person from some land far to the south, saw him vanish, and informed the Black Riders, who attacked the inn. Aragorn saved him and led the party away, after the innkeeper Barliman Butterbur delivered a letter from Gandalf which he had forgotten to deliver months earlier.
## Fictional geography
### Settlement
Bree is an ancient settlement of men in Eriador, some 40 miles (64 km) east of the Shire. After the collapse of the kingdom of Arnor, Bree continued to thrive without any central authority for many centuries. As Bree lies at the meeting of two large roadways, the Great East Road and the long disused Greenway or Great North Road, it has for centuries been a centre of trade and a stopping place for travellers. When Arnor in the north waned, Bree's prosperity and size declined. Pipe-weed flourishes on the south-facing side of Bree-hill, and the Hobbits of Bree claim to have been the first to smoke it; travellers on the road including Dwarves, Rangers, and Wizards took up the habit when they visited the village on their journeys. Directly west of Bree are the Barrow-downs and the Old Forest. Bree is the chief village of Bree-land, and the only place in Middle-earth where men and hobbits live side by side. The hobbit community is older than that of the Shire, which was originally colonized from Bree. By the time of The Lord of the Rings, Bree is the westernmost settlement of men in Middle-earth, and there is no other settlement of men within a hundred leagues of the Shire. Tom Bombadil knows of Bree, saying in his metrical speech "four miles along the road / you'll come upon a village, / Bree under Bree-hill, / with doors looking westward."
Tolkien wrote of two different origins for the people of Bree. One was that Bree had been founded and populated by men of the Edain who did not reach Beleriand in the First Age, remaining east of the mountains in Eriador. The other was that they came from the same stock as the Dunlendings.
### The Prancing Pony inn
The Prancing Pony was Bree's inn. It served beer to locals, and provided accommodation and food to travellers. One of Eriador's major cross-roads was just outside the village: the meeting of the Great East Road and the Greenway. The inn was at a road junction in the centre of the village, at the base of the Bree-hill. The Prancing Pony was frequented by Men, Hobbits and Dwarves. Bucklanders from the Shire occasionally travelled to the inn. The art of smoking pipe-weed was said to have begun in Bree, and from The Prancing Pony it spread among the races of Middle-earth. The inn was noted for its fine beer, once sampled by Gandalf. The building is described in The Lord of the Rings:
> "Even from the outside the inn looked a pleasant house to familiar eyes. It had a front on the Road, and two wings running back on land partly cut out of the lower slopes of the hill, so that at the rear the second-floor windows were level with the ground. There was a wide arch leading to a courtyard between the two wings, and on the left under the arch there was a large doorway reached by a few broad steps. ... Above the arch there was a lamp, and beneath it swung a large signboard: a fat white pony reared up on its hind legs. Over the door was painted in white letters: THE PRANCING PONY by BARLIMAN BUTTERBUR."
The philologist J. Wust considers what script the writing over the door was in. He notes that the Hobbits had learnt to write from the Dunedain of the Northern kingdom, and could read the Prancing Pony inscription but that Pippin could not read the inscriptions on the houses in Minas Tirith, the city in the Southern land of Gondor. Wust suggests that in the North, a "full writing mode" was used for the Tengwar inscriptions, whereas in Gondor, the abbreviated tehta mode (with dots and marks above or below the consonants to indicate vowel sounds) was employed, presenting the text quite differently.
## Tolkien's choice of names
### Placenames
Tolkien stated that the name "Bree" means "hill"; he justified the name by arranging the village and the surrounding Bree-land around a large hill, named Bree-hill. The name of the village of Brill, in Buckinghamshire, which Tolkien visited when he was at the University of Oxford and which inspired him to create Bree, is constructed exactly the same way: Brill is a modern contraction of Breʒ-hyll. Both syllables are words for the same thing, "hill" – the first is Brythonic (Celtic) and the second Old English. The Tolkien scholar Tom Shippey writes that the name Brill's construction, "hill-hill", is "therefore in a way nonsense, exactly parallel with Chetwode (or 'wood-wood') in Berkshire close by." The first element "Chet" in "Chetwode" derives from the Brythonic ced, meaning "wood".
Shippey notes further that Tolkien stated that he had selected Bree-land placenames – Archet, Bree, Chetwood, and Combe – because they "contained non-English elements", which would make them "sound 'queer', to imitate 'a style that we should perhaps vaguely feel to be “Celtic”'." Shippey comments that this was part of Tolkien's "linguistic heresy", his theory that the sound of words conveyed both meaning and beauty. The philologist Christopher Robinson writes that Tolkien chose a name to "fit not only its designee, but also the phonological and morphological style of the nomenclature to which it belongs, as well as the linguistic scheme of his invented world." In Robinson's view, Tolkien intentionally selected "Celtic elements that have survived in the place names of England" – like bree and chet – to mark them as older than the Shire placenames which embody "a hint of the past" with their English and Old English elements. All of this indicates the "remarkable care and sophistication" with which Tolkien constructed the "feigned history and translation from Westron personal and placenames".
### Personal names
Men of Bree often used plant names as surnames, as with the character Bill Ferny. Barliman Butterbur's surname is the name of the herbaceous perennial Petasites hybridus. Tolkien described the butterbur as "a fleshy plant with a heavy flower-head on a thick stalk, and very large leaves." He evidently chose this name as appropriate to a fat man; he suggested that translators use the name of some plant with "butter" in the name if possible, but in any event "a fat thick plant". Forenames too could be suggestive. The Tolkien scholar Ralph C. Wood writes that the forename "Barliman" too is descriptive, hinting at "the hops that he brews" for his inn, barley being the grain used to make beer.
## A place of transition
The Tolkien scholar Thomas Honegger writes that Bree functions "as a point of transition between the hobbit-homeland and the wide expanse of Eriador", with its mixed population of hobbits and Men. It is clearly separate from the Shire, but its architecture retains "some degree of Shire homeliness and comfort." The inn is "mannish" but it welcomes Hobbits with rooms "built into the hill, thus imitating traditional hobbit-architecture." This made it one of Frodo's five Homely Houses. Bo Walther, in Tolkien Studies, writes that Bree, with The Prancing Pony inn, is "creepy but also familiar", a place where the Hobbits can begin to face their fear of the unknown, "cheered up by the recognizable bouquet of beer and the sight of jovial hobbit faces."
The scholar of humanities Brian Rosebury quotes at length from the Hobbits' approach to Bree and their arrival at The Prancing Pony, "to bring out the leisurely pace, and the patient attention to sensory impressions, typical of the narrative". He comments that there is much more detail than would be found in an allegory, and that it describes the "emotional experience of arriving at an unfamiliar place: the little-travelled and socially-deferential Sam (Frodo's servant) feels an anxiety from which the others are relatively free." He states that Tolkien sets "both comforting and terrifying events" in The Prancing Pony, insisting that "it remains resolutely unallegorical": it is "neither a symbol of comfort, nor the abode of giants which it half-appears to Sam". Rosebury adds that the use of proverbs specific to Bree, like Butterbur's "there's no accounting for East and West as we say in Bree, meaning the Rangers and the Shire-folk, begging your pardon", provides both a comic element and "fix[es] the geographical contact-but-distance between the two communities."
## In adaptations
Butterbur appears in both Ralph Bakshi's animated 1978 adaptation of The Lord of the Rings and Peter Jackson's epic live-action 2001 film The Fellowship of the Ring, but in both adaptations most of his scenes are cut. Alan Tilvern voiced Butterbur (credited as "Innkeeper") in the animated film, while David Weatherley played him in Jackson's epic. James Grout played Butterbur in BBC Radio's 1981 serialization of The Lord of the Rings. In the 1991 low-budget Russian adaptation of The Fellowship of the Ring, Khraniteli, he appears as "Lavr Narkiss", played by Nikolay Burov. In the 1993 television miniseries Hobitit by Finnish broadcaster Yle, Butterbur ("Viljami Voivalvatti" in Finnish, meaning "William Butter") was portrayed by Mikko Kivinen.
In Peter Jackson's 2001 The Fellowship of the Ring, far from being a friendly place as in the book, Bree is constantly unpleasant and threatening; and whereas in the book the Ring just makes Frodo disappear when he puts it on in The Prancing Pony, in the film there are special effects with a strong wind, blue light, and the Eye of Sauron. A character credited as "Butterbur, Sr" appears briefly during the prologue of Jackson's 2013 The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, portrayed by Richard Whiteside.
Bree and Bree-land are featured prominently in the PC game The Lord of the Rings Online, which allows the player to explore the town.
|
46,893,968 |
Kellen Dunham
| 1,164,463,365 |
American basketball player (1993–)
|
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"American men's basketball players",
"Basketball players from Indiana",
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"Iowa Energy players",
"Living people",
"Okapi Aalstar players",
"People from Pendleton, Indiana",
"Shooting guards",
"Small forwards",
"Sportspeople from the Indianapolis metropolitan area"
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Kellen Dunham (born June 18, 1993) is an American professional basketball player for the Indiana All-Americans of The Basketball League (TBL). He played college basketball for the Butler Bulldogs. At Pendleton Heights High School in Pendleton, Indiana, Dunham led the state of Indiana in scoring as a senior with 29.5 points per game and was named Herald Bulletin Player of the Year. Dunham committed to Butler on July 7, 2010 and was highly regarded by recruiting services. As a freshman, he was a 2012–13 Atlantic 10 All-Rookie Team selection. He scored 16.4 points per game as a sophomore and was named to the 2013–14 All-Big East Second-team. He was a 2014–15 All-Big East First-team selection as a junior.
## Early life
Dunham was born on June 18, 1993, the son of Christy and Jim Dunham. He has three younger brothers: Kenton, Cole, and Jamison. Both his parents are basketball fans and raised their sons in a Christian household. Young Kellen learned to shoot on a "Little Tikes" hoop in the Dunham living room. He improved his game through constant practice in elementary school and middle school, to the consternation of some of his friends. When he was in eight grade, he worked on his jump shot with shooting coach Mark Baker, where Dunham learned how to shoot over his head.
Dunham attended Pendleton Heights High School, where he measured 5 feet 10 inches (1.78 m) as a freshman. Pendleton Heights head coach Brian Hahn described him as "gangly, skinny, and slow." In practices, he would shoot for 45 minutes after his teammates were finished. He shot up to 6 feet 4 inches (1.93 m) as a sophomore and averaged 17.0 points per game. He improved those numbers to 23.5 points per game as a junior, leading Pendleton Heights to a 20–6 record. As a junior, he scored 41 points against Fort Wayne Northrop High School.
In his senior season, Dunham averaged 29.5 points per game and shot 92.1% from the free throw line, leading the state of Indiana in both categories. He scored 45 points against Alexandria High School. Dunham was named Madison County Player of the Year as a senior after leading Pendleton Heights to a 23–3 record. His season came to an end after a 46–43 overtime loss against Terre Haute North High School in the Indiana High School Athletic Association Class 4A Regional at Hinkle Fieldhouse. Dunham was twice named All-State. Dunham finished third in Indiana Mr. Basketball voting, behind Gary Harris and Yogi Ferrell. He was named Herald Bulletin Player of the Year as a senior. He holds the record for the all-time leading scorer at Pendleton Heights with 1,899 points and led the Arabians to back-to-back sectional titles.
He signed a letter of intent with Butler on July 7, 2010. Rivals.com ranked him the 21st best shooting guard and 93rd best overall player. ESPN included Butler's 2012 recruiting class among its top recruiting classes from teams in non-BCS conferences, noting Dunham was listed as an ESPN Top 100 recruit and is "a sniper to run off screens and create movement in the halfcourt sets for the next four years." In ESPN's scouting report, Dunham was listed as the 78th best overall player, due in large part to the fact that what he "does really well is shoot the basketball. How he goes about his business is akin to a master craftsman applying his trade. Dunham is in constant motion, working to get himself in position to score and he's typically shot-ready." Rivals listed him as the best shooter among all recruits of non-BCS teams. Butler head coach Brad Stevens said, "the thing he brings is an incredible ability to put the ball through the net."
## College career
### Freshman
Coming into his freshman year on the 2012–13 team, Dunham was named to the Preseason All-Atlantic 10 Rookie Team. Dunham began practicing basketball drills late at night thanks to senior Rotnei Clarke, and the two became fast friends. In his first college basketball game, a win against Elon, Dunham came off the bench to score 18 points. He was named Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Week on November 12, 2012. During the 2012 Maui Invitational Tournament in 2012, Dunham had one of his best games as a freshman as Butler routed the then \#9 team in the country, North Carolina, shooting 56% (5 of 9) from 3-point range and scoring 17 points. Dunham earned Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Week honors on December 10. On December 31, he again was named Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Week. In a game against \#8 Gonzaga on January 19, 2013 that was featured on ESPN's College GameDay, he was the second leading scorer, shooting 4 of 8 from three-point range, behind 20 points and a buzzer-beating floater from Roosevelt Jones. Dunham earned his fourth Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Week honors on January 28. Butler went 27–9 on the season and reached the NCAA Tournament as a six seed. He finished the season averaging 9.5 points per game, fifth best on the team. Following the season, Dunham was named to the Atlantic 10 All-Rookie Team.
### Sophomore
"Most guys are relaxed, but I look up and I see Kellen, and he's ... going 110 miles an hour," said 2013–14 Butler Bulldogs first year head coach Brandon Miller during an August overseas basketball tour. "Sprinting up and down the court. Shooting pull-ups. Going as hard and as fast as he possible can. He goes at a pace, whether its shootaround in Australia, 17 minutes into practice or two hours into practice, that never changes."
Dunham scored a career-high 32 points against Washington State in the Old Spice Classic, a tournament record. As a result, Dunham was named to the Old Spice Classic All-Tournament Team. Through the first nine games, Dunham averaged 18.7 points per game and shot 46 percent from 3-point range. He was named Big East Player of the Week on December 16 after contributing 25 points to lead Butler past the Purdue Boilermakers, 76–70 in the Crossroads Classic. Dunham had 30 points in a 99–94 double overtime loss to DePaul on January 9 and tied his career-best with six three-pointers, all of which came in the second half.
At the conclusion of the 2013–14 Big East season, Dunham was named to the All-Big East Second Team. Despite his improvements, Butler had a lackluster season, finishing with a 14–17 overall record and bowing out to Seton Hall in the Big East tournament. Dunham finished the season seventh in the Big East in scoring with a 16.4 points per game average to go along with 4 rebounds per game. Dunham shot 39 percent from the field and 35.5 from 3-point range. He hit a 3-pointer in 29 of the team's 31 games. After the season, he teamed up with several college players to participate in Athletes in Action's summer trip to the Philippines. Athletes in Action is a Christian group that helps athletes use sports for spiritual growth.
### Junior
Coming into his junior year on the 2014–15 team, Dunham was named to the Preseason All-Big East First Team. Dunham stopped drinking Mountain Dew prior to the season to improve his conditioning. Coach Brandon Miller took a medical leave of absence before the season and did not return; he was replaced by Chris Holtmann. Dunham was on the Battle 4 Atlantis All-tournament Team. Dunham scored a season-high 28 points on January 3, 2015 in a 73–69 win over St. John's. Dunham received Big East Player of the Week honors for the week of February 9, after scoring 21 points and pulling down seven rebounds in an 85–62 victory versus St. John's and recording 24 points in an 83–73 win over DePaul.
Dunham averaged 16.5 points per game, third best in the Big East, to go along with 2.6 rebounds per game. He led Butler to a 23–11 record and six seed in the NCAA tournament. In the Round of 64 of the NCAA Tournament, Dunham scored 20 points, including an important 3-pointer with 1:18 remaining, to propel Butler to a 56–48 victory over the Texas Longhorns. The Bulldogs fell to Notre Dame in the Round of 32, 67–64. At the conclusion of the season, Dunham was selected to the All-Big East First Team. Dunham was a 2014–15 Men's All-District V Team selection by the U.S. Basketball Writers Association. He was named to the Second Team All-District V by the National Association of Basketball Coaches.
### Senior
Coming into his senior year on the 2015–16 team at Butler, Dunham was named to the Preseason First Team All-Big East. He was listed on the Oscar Robertson Award preseason watchlist. Dunham earned Big East player of the week honors for the week of December 7, 2015 after contributing 24 points in a 78–76 road victory over Cincinnati and 19 points in an 85–71 win over Indiana State. He suffered a shooting slump in December, shooting 2-for-32 on three-point shots and missing 21 three-pointers in a row. His two point shooting fell from 58.7 percent in the first eight games of the season to 26.2 percent in the next five.
At the conclusion of the regular season, he was an Honorable Mention All-Big East selection. Dunham averaged 16.2 points per game as a senior.
## Professional career
After going undrafted in the 2016 NBA draft, Dunham joined the Memphis Grizzlies for the 2016 NBA Summer League. He signed with the Grizzlies on October 20, 2016, but was waived the following day. Eight days later, he was acquired by the Iowa Energy of the NBA Development League as an affiliate player of the Grizzlies.
### Okapi Aalstar
On July 28, 2017 Dunham signed with Okapi Aalstar of the Belgian Basketball League. In his first season he averaged 8.2 points and 4.7 rebounds per game.
### Capital City Go-Go
On October 21, 2018, Dunham was named to the training camp roster of the Capital City Go-Go of the NBA G League. Playing for the Go-Go, Dunham developed into one of the best three-point shooters in the G League, with the majority of his shots coming from behind the arc. On February 13, 2019, Dunham tallied 19 points, four rebounds, one assist and one steal in a win over the Westchester Knicks. During the 2018–19 season, Dunham averaged 7.7 points and 2.3 rebounds per game. In September 2019, Dunham signed an Exhibit 10 deal with the Washington Wizards, essentially to keep him on the Go-Go. He missed a game against the Fort Wayne Mad Ants on January 14, 2020 with an illness.
### The Basketball Tournament (TBT) (2017–present)
During the summer of 2017, Dunham played in The Basketball Tournament on ESPN for the Broad Street Brawlers. He competed for the \$2 million prize, and helped the Brawlers move on to the second round. The Brawlers lost to Team Colorado 111–95. Dunham joined Big X, a team composed primarily of former Big Ten players in The Basketball Tournament 2020.
### Hoosier Hardwood Basketball Association (2021)
Dunham signed up to play for the Pendleton Legends, part of the Hoosier Hardwood Basketball Association, a league headed by former Indiana University great Kent Benson for the 2021 season.
### The Basketball League (TBL) (2021–present)
Dunham signed up to play for the Indiana All-Americans, part of The Basketball League for the 2022 season. The team is ownership includes former Indiana University great Kent Benson
|
30,846,469 |
Ariel Pink
| 1,173,514,457 |
American musician, singer, and songwriter (born 1978)
|
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"20th-century American singers",
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"Living people",
"Lo-fi musicians",
"Mexican Summer artists",
"Outsider musicians",
"Protesters in or near the January 6 United States Capitol attack",
"Singer-songwriters from California"
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Ariel Marcus Rosenberg (/ˈɑːriɛl/ AR-ee-el; born June 24, 1978), professionally known as Ariel Pink, is an American musician, singer, and songwriter whose work draws heavily from the popular music of the 1960s–1980s. His lo-fi aesthetic and home-recorded albums proved influential to many indie musicians starting in the late 2000s. He is frequently cited as "godfather" of the hypnagogic pop and chillwave movements, and he is credited with galvanizing a larger trend involving the evocation of the media, sounds, and outmoded technologies of prior decades, as well as an equal appreciation between high and low art in independent music.
A native of Los Angeles, Pink began experimenting with recording songs on an eight-track Portastudio as a teenager. His early influences were artists such as Michael Jackson, the Cure, and R. Stevie Moore. The majority of his recorded output stems from a prolific eight-year period (1996–2003) in which he accumulated over 200 cassette tapes of material. Virtually all of his music released in the 2000s was written and recorded before 2004, the same year he debuted on Animal Collective's Paw Tracks label with The Doldrums (2000), House Arrest (2002) and Worn Copy (2003). The albums immediately attracted a cult following.
In the 2000s, Pink's unusual sound prompted a renewed critical discussion of hauntological phenomena, for which he was a central figure. Until 2014, his records were usually credited to Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti, a solo project sometimes conflated with his touring band. His fame and recognition escalated following his signing to 4AD and the success of his 2010 album Before Today, his first recorded in a professional studio. He then recorded three more albums – Mature Themes (2012), Pom Pom (2014), and Dedicated to Bobby Jameson (2017) – the last of which was recorded for Mexican Summer.
Throughout his career, Pink has been subject to several media controversies stemming from his occasional provocations onstage and in interviews. In 2021, he lost support from Mexican Summer following his attendance at a Donald Trump political rally. He then formed a new band, Ariel Pink's Dark Side, with whom he recorded two albums, The Key of Joy Is Disobedience (2022) and Never Made A Demo, Ever (2023).
## Background
Ariel Marcus Rosenberg was born in Los Angeles on June 24, 1978. He is the only son of Mario Z. Rosenberg and Linda Rosenberg-Kennett. Mario is a Harvard-educated gastroenterologist born to a Jewish family in Mexico City, while Linda is from New Orleans. They moved to Los Angeles after Mario completed his medical specialty work at Tulane University hospital in New Orleans. Ariel's first language was Spanish. Although his family is Jewish, with his mother having converted, he himself is not practicing. Mario and Linda divorced when Ariel was two years old.
Ariel's parents encouraged him to pursue a career in visual arts rather than music. He said that "with music I had no discernible skills", whereas with drawing, they reportedly thought he was "going to be the next Picasso, and I believed them and I got better." According to Linda, she wanted him to pursue a career in acting: "Acting coaches would come to me and say, 'He's the only kid in that age group who can speak to a girl." He characterized himself as "maladjusted" as a child. Linda commented that he was "a very difficult guy to understand, except for the fact that his heart is pure. [...] He'd rather be left alone. That's how he always was — even as a kid, he played much better by himself."
When he was young, Rosenberg was an avid record collector and reader of music magazines, he said, and "had a gross hunger for bootlegs and unofficial rare recordings by artists I worshiped; ate them all up and adopted certain criteria for what I longed for in music." He was first drawn to music through watching MTV. When his interest intensified, he was particularly fond of Michael Jackson, and after entering junior high school, expanded his tastes to metal, including bands like Def Leppard, Metallica, and Anthrax. He then developed a taste for "death rock" groups such as Bauhaus and the Cure, the latter being his favorite band of all time. Another artist he was particularly fond of was Lou Reed. He enjoyed the writings of rock critic Nick Kent and read Richie Unterberger's Unknown Legends of Rock 'n' Roll: Psychedelic Unknowns, Mad Geniuses, Punk Pioneers, Lo-Fi Mavericks & More (1998); later he recorded a cover version of one of the tracks included in a CD that came with the book ("Bright Lit Blue Skies").
Rosenberg was initially raised in Louisiana. He chose to live there with his mother following child custody proceedings. They lived in Pico-Robertson, and later, Bogalusa. Due to the bullying he received in junior high school, his parents sent him to live with his cousins in Mexico City for a year. There, he lost his virginity at age 13, to a prostitute named Sara, and discovered the Cure, a band he thought espoused "something unholy [...] something alive and dead at the same time." He then returned to live with his father in the Beverlywood area of Los Angeles, where he attended Beverly Hills High School, branded himself as a goth, sold off his collection of metal records, and stopped following new music. He cited Nirvana as the last group he enjoyed before this point. In his view, grunge and alternative rock bands marked the end of the forward progress of popular music. "After that, my listening was totally retro. My mind was closing itself off from the rest of the planet."
## 1996–2003: Early recordings
While in high school, Rosenberg began experimenting with songwriting and composing avant-garde pieces using a portable cassette recorder in his father's garage. His tools were limited to one bass guitar, an amp, and kitchen utensils. In 1996, he started what he later described as an eight-year-long "recording session" in which he "was very completely single-minded. I had tunnel vision. I was just completely [recording music] like if my life depended on it." By then, he "was very into" krautrock, and in his songs, he endeavored to obfuscate his personality while using photos that bore minimal resemblance to him as album covers. He credited his tapes to a variety of names (or "logos") including "Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti" and "Ariel Rosenberg's Thrash and Burn". He did not intend to release any of this music.
In 1997, Rosenberg entered the California Institute of the Arts studying fine art. He was dissatisfied that the school focused on "the art market" rather than "color theory or anything like that". He met John Maus at CalArts, and they subsequently became best friends and roommates. On one project, Rosenberg collaborated with fellow student and roommate Jeremy Albert Ringermacher, submitting a three-foot tall illustration, titled "The Last Art Piece", that realistically depicted the school's faculty, staff members, and students engaging in an orgy. The piece was allowed to be displayed, and in response, an administrative member unsuccessfully sued the university for sexual harassment.
His album The Doldrums (2000) was recorded during his final semester at the university. According to LA Weekly, he was then "in the throes of a drug binge". "I'm sure those were my words," he later said. "I don't know. It was fine. I had a typical art school experience, I suppose, if you consider getting drunk at openings, partying with your 'teachers,' and shrugging off scholastic duties as often as possible as something typical of college experience." He described the album as "the saddest record I could [have made]; it was negative not only emotionally but aesthetically." The guitar parts were played with only three strings. For final examinations, he submitted a kiosk where he sold CDs of The Doldrums as a criticism against the school's marketing-oriented curriculum.
Rosenberg became a devout fan of the lo-fi musician R. Stevie Moore after listening to the compilation Everything and subsequently began collaborating with him. He first contacted Moore in early 1999 and mailed him a CD-R of The Doldrums. As Moore remembered, "I often received demos from taper nerds, but the Haunteds were from a surreal plane. Ariel started sending me so much material that it eventually became a big blur; I couldn't even totally wrap my head around his dozens of masterpieces." Pink recalled: "Signing on and seeing that my first email was from him was the most exciting thing to have happened in my life up to that point."
After dropping out of CalArts, Rosenberg lived in a Hindu ashram in Crenshaw, Los Angeles, where he "brought in heroin, smoked so much pot, blasted music, lived in filth, brought all these fucking weirdos in, played and recorded music all night, and never had a problem with those people." He also attended a music school and worked as a clerk at a record store. During this period, he recorded Scared Famous (2001), Fast Forward (2001), House Arrest (2002), Lover Boy (2002), and portions of Worn Copy (2003). He envisioned working at a record store "for the rest of my life" before the Strokes "came out and all the sudden guitars came back [on the charts]. And then the White Stripes came out and I was like, 'Oh, shit.' I wasn't into any of that stuff, but I was like, 'Holy shit...Like in this lifetime...this is happening.'"
By the mid-2000s, Rosenberg had accumulated between 200 and 300 cassette tapes of material. In February 2004, his 16-year-old half-sister Elana suffered permanent brain damage and lost the use of her motor functions due to injuries sustained in a car accident. Asked in a 2012 interview how the experience affected him, he answered, "I have a hard time making music anymore. [...] I listen to what I made ten years ago and it's like hearing a different person. I have no access to those impulses anymore." He stopped writing and recording music for the next several years.
## 2003–2021: Label signings and touring
### Paw Tracks albums and Haunted Graffiti band
In the summer of 2003, Rosenberg gave a CD-R of Worn Copy to the band Animal Collective after being introduced at one of their shows by a mutual friend, Beachwood Sparks drummer Jimi Hey. Unbeknownst to Rosenberg, Animal Collective had recently started their own record label, Paw Tracks. The band says in the reissued album's liner notes that it "sat on the floor of the van for a week or so [...] One day, we noticed it and randomly threw it on and were immediately blown away. It was just like 'Woah, what is this!? We knew it could have only been made by this individual, and so made it our goal to officially release his records on our new label." Several weeks later they contacted him to sign him on Paw Tracks. Rather than Worn Copy, Rosenberg submitted what he believed to be his album with the least commercial potential, The Doldrums. The group initially rejected the album, but eventually warmed to it, and accepted it for release.
October 2004's Paw Tracks release of The Doldrums was the first non-Animal Collective record the label issued and the first time his limited-edition home recordings were widely distributed. Only a small circle of his friends and family had heard his music before this point. Afterward, Pink's profile increased substantially. He embarked on concert tours to promote the releases. His original live performances (which amounted to local gigs in Los Angeles) consisted of himself singing over prerecorded tracks karaoke-style. When he became the opening act for Animal Collective in 2004, he decided to form a band. His performances were not well-received ("People boo me everywhere. They don't even hide their contempt"). He attributed that to his "not being [a] very good" musician and to his recordings' not being meant to be performed live. "The dudes in my band don't get paid, so I can't really crack the whip and make them learn the songs. They just came along so they could travel." In 2005 and 2006, Paw Tracks reissued two of his previous recordings, Worn Copy and House Arrest, respectively. Altogether, the albums attracted a cult following for Pink.
Virtually all of Pink's music released in the 2000s was written and recorded before 2004. Instead of releasing new music, he spent the latter half of the decade touring and searching for another record label ("I didn't want to make any new music until I got paid for it"). Between 2006 and 2008, lesser-known labels issued four more albums, Underground (1999), Lover Boy, and the compilations Scared Famous (2007) and Oddities Sodomies Vol. 1 (2008).
In 2006, Pink embarked on a few supporting tours and assembled a group backed with Jimi Hey, John Maus, Gary War, and girlfriend Geneva Jacuzzi. Musician and collaborator Cole M. Greif-Neill characterized Pink's reputation "on the L.A. scene" around this time as "the lame drug guy". In 2007, Pink and Maus backed Animal Collective's Panda Bear (Noah Lennox) for his solo tour of Europe. In 2008, Pink established a more consistent touring band with keyboardist/guitarist/backing vocalist Kenny Gilmore, drummer/vocalist/guitarist Jimi Hey (later replaced by Aaron Sperske), and guitarist Cole M. Greif-Neill. Bassist Tim Koh found it "the most difficult music I've ever tried to play. Even something that sounds simple, like 'For Kate I Wait', took me months. I still don't have it exactly."
In later years, Rosenberg said the name "Ariel Pink" was not meant as a persona or pseudonym. The "common misconception," he said, started when promoters billed his early 2000s live shows as "Ariel Pink" fronting a band called the "Haunted Graffiti". He said: "There's no Ariel Pink [...] My name's Ariel Rosenberg and I have a solo project that I called Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti. [...] automatically people assumed that [the band] must be the 'Haunted Graffiti'." The original liner notes to these early albums, while credited to "Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti", also distinctly credit "Ariel Pink" with performing, recording, or writing the music. Pink was the only member of his band to appear on all four of his albums from the 2010s.
### Before Today, Mature Themes, and Pom Pom
After securing a deal with 4AD, Rosenberg and his band recorded Before Today, his first album created in a professional studio, with a producer, and with an engineer. At the time, he called it the first official album of his discography and the first "made with any kind of thought or consciousness that I have an audience." Some of its songs were written years earlier, such as "Beverly Kills", which originally appeared on Scared Famous. Its making was fraught with personal difficulties, with some band members briefly quitting, including Rosenberg himself. Koh called the album "a nightmare to record" and said sessions "got so bad, I quit, and Cole quit. So we ended up recording most of it again at my house just to fix all the shit that producer Sunny Levine did wrong."
Released in June 2010, the album reached number 163 on the Billboard 200 and received critical acclaim. Pitchfork highlighted the album as "Best New Music"; reviewer Mark Richardson wrote that many of the lo-fi idiosyncrasies that characterized his early recordings were eliminated and that careful attention was given to the arrangements: "It turns out that these details make a big difference, even while the album adheres to the hazy overriding aesthetic of Pink's earlier records." The album was soon featured on numerous "best of 2010" lists, and at the end of the year, Pitchfork crowned its lead single "Round and Round" the year's best track.
In 2011, Pink released a 16-minute standalone single, "Witchhunt Suite for WWIII", to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the September 11 attacks. It was a newly recorded version of a track, begun in 2001, that he had sold on CD-Rs during his 2007 tour. In April, he sabotaged his performance at the Coachella music festival by causing feedback with his microphone and refusing to sing; he then left the stage and apologized to the crowd. He later explained that the group had "set up in a new configuration" without consulting him first and that the "whole point of that action was not that I was unstable or anything ... I was hammering the point that I could embarrass the fuck out of them if they didn't listen to me and that this was not a democracy, this was a police state."
Pink struggled to keep his band together and later said that Koh and Gilmore threatened to leave if he did not dismiss drummer Aaron Sperske from the line-up. In 2012, Sperske sued Pink and the band for \$1 million after claiming to be "squeezed out" of an established "oral partnership". Pink responded with an announcement on Facebook that the Haunted Graffiti band was over. Afterward, he said, "I could dissolve the band in a second, and I'd do it before I'd let him do that to the [other members of the band.] I put that Facebook post up to see if it would resonate with Aaron." They reached a court settlement in 2013.
Mature Themes, the follow-up to Before Today, came in August 2012. Unlike Before Today, the material on the album was newly written especially for the LP. Some critics suggested that its more flamboyant and satirical tone was meant to alienate new fans. It nonetheless had a slightly higher chart peak than Before Today, at number 136. Pink referred to it as a "breakup album" in some interviews and denied that it was one in others. His ex-girlfriend Geneva Jacuzzi made a cameo appearance in the video for "Only in My Dreams", where she is shown evicting Pink from their apartment. During a magazine photoshoot, photographers asked him to dye his hair bright pink, something he reluctantly went along with "because I do music and I'm speaking to adolescents and I have to own that. I can't be just a grandpa and a sourpuss." He also disagreed with the manner in which 4AD marketed him and his band.
In November 2014, 4AD released Pom Pom, which rose to number 150 on the Billboard 200 amid generally positive reviews. It was Pink's first album to drop "Haunted Graffiti" from its credit, and his last issued through 4AD. Most of the tracks were written with collaborators like Kim Fowley, who dictated from his hospital bed (he died of cancer in January 2015). Other songs were reworked from his earlier self-released CD-R era. The press attention Pink received upon the album's release largely focused on recent comments he had made in various interviews. In one interview, he referred to the album as his "first real record" and said he removed the Haunted Graffiti credit "to give it the feeling of an event, a little bit different from the norm."
### Bobby Jameson and Mexican Summer remasters
After Pom Pom, Pink collaborated on a variety of projects by other musicians, including Weyes Blood, Dâm-Funk, Sky Ferreira, Charli XCX, Miley Cyrus, Theophilus London, the Avalanches, Puro Instinct, Lushlife, Mild High Club, Don Bolles, Water Tower, and MGMT. Pink and Weyes Blood jointly recorded the EP Myths 002. It was released in January 2017 on the Brooklyn-based label Mexican Summer.
Dedicated to Bobby Jameson, released in September 2017, marked Pink's first solo LP on Mexican Summer. In deliberate contrast to Pom Pom, it was recorded with a relatively small group of people at his home. The album was released to a number 193 chart peak amid generally favorable reviews. In promotional interviews, Pink indicated that his desire for attention and willingness to release albums has declined, and instead talked mostly about the musician Bobby Jameson. In November 2018, he performed among artists celebrating the tenth anniversary of Mexican Summer, where he announced on stage that he intended it to be his final show with his band.
In 2019, Mexican Summer announced that they would issue remastered and expanded editions of Pink's original Haunted Graffiti albums in addition to compilations of previously unreleased work recorded between 1999 and 2018. These remasters sought to correct various engineering mistakes from the Paw Tracks reissues, such as restoring stereo tracks that had been collapsed to mono.
The label stated that they would release the albums in quarterly installments as part of its "Ariel Archives" campaign, beginning with Odditties Sodomies Vol. 2 and remasters of Underground and Lover Boy in October 2019. The Doldrums, Worn Copy, and House Arrest followed the next April. The final cycle would be released in January 2021, which included reissues of Odditties Sodomies Vol. 1, the double album Scared Famous/FF\>\>, Odditties Sodomies Vol. 3, a compilation of post-hiatus tracks from the late 2000s Sit n' Spin, and a bonus compilation of unreleased material entitled Archevil.
## 2021–present: Ariel Pink's Dark Side
In a December 2020 interview, Pink intimated that he may never release another album due to contemporary social and political affairs, and wrote that he was "not thinking about making art at the moment." The next month, he traveled to Washington D.C. and attended the Donald Trump rally that preceded the storming of the Capitol. Many publications, including New York Magazine, Spin, Vice, & others incorrectly reported that he was part of the group who stormed the Capitol.
Pink stated that he had attended the rally to "peacefully show his support for President Trump", and that after watching the president speak, he immediately returned to his hotel. Two days later, Mexican Summer announced that they would "end our working relationship with Ariel Rosenberg AKA Ariel Pink moving forward." Pink subsequently appeared on the Fox News program Tucker Carlson Tonight, where he declared that the lack of label support, combined with his inability to continue touring, had left him "pretty much [...] destitute and on the street."
In August 2021, Pink announced through social media a new album, The Key of Joy is Disobedience, credited to "Ariel Pink's Dark Side" and recorded with producer/musician Nick Noto (Dark Side Family Jams), David Stagno, and Chloe Chaidez. The first single from the album, "Horse-Head Mother", was released digitally on February 4, 2022.
Originally scheduled for release that same month, the full album was released on vinyl in a limited edition on August 12. The second single from the album, "Chupacabra", featuring the fictional musical group Vampiros was released digitally on October 14.
In late October, Never Made A Demo, Ever was released digitally via the Ariel Pink Substack website, containing over an hour of newly recorded material produced by the band since the completion of The Key of Joy is Disobedience. In August 2023, the single "I Wanna Be A Girl" from the album was released digitally across all platforms, as well as Songs from Spider City via Substack, featuring additional content from the APDS album sessions.
## Style and impact
### Approach
Pink's music encompasses a diverse selection of styles, sometimes within the same song, and espouses a postmodern take on pop music. His initial recordings blended lo-fi psychedelic pop with elements drawn from 1980s soft rock and "classic pop" from California. He likened his early records to a compendium of what he believed to be "everything good about music". Writing for Louder Than War, Maren McGlashan said that Pink typically draws from "the fuzzy glow of 1970s radio, the unapologetic weirdness of Zappa, the cool enthusiasm of New Wave and Western popular culture. At the center are the lo-fi aesthetics that have become the Haunted Graffiti speciality." Pink opined that while his own music is heavily indebted to 1960s pop, it is not classifiable in any genre.
His early recordings were amateurishly recorded on an eight-track cassette Portastudio. Since he was not a proficient instrumentalist, he usually tracked music parts one at a time in short increments. The use of cassettes lent a conspicuously lo-fi sound, which later became a deliberate aesthetic choice; he experimented with recording in professional studios and with digital audio workstations, but was dissatisfied with the results. Lyrically, he said that he is "not a poet" and that he approaches his work as "musical pieces" rather than songs, with the words usually written as an afterthought.
At the time of his Paw Tracks reissues, Pink was perceived as both an outsider and as a novelty act, as there were virtually no other contemporary indie acts with a similar retro lo-fi sound. Music critic Simon Reynolds noted that before Pink, lo-fi acts were generally "vehemently opposed to the slick, big-budget AOR and '80s rock 'n' soul that he's so inspired by." In 2014, Pink described his artistic philosophy as remaining in an era "somewhere in the forgotten '90s and '80s [...] the stuff that nobody listens to [...] and see what happens when you try to pause time and not affect it." In 2017, he reiterated that the sum of his work was "a weird art experiment" aimed at investigating "what would happen if I decided to plant myself in Cure-land" and create "the same thing over and over again forever, forever?" Fans of Pink's music came to include John Maus, Kurt Vile, Bradford Cox of Deerhunter, Christopher Owens of Girls, Alan Palomo of Neon Indian, and Beck.
R. Stevie Moore remarked that while he shared many musical approaches with Pink, "he doesn't much sound like me." In interviews in the 2000s, Pink frequently praised Moore in an attempt to bring him more critical recognition. In turn, Moore said in 2008: "I think he has great ideas and great musical talents, but he shouldn't always have to sound like the Bee Gees on Mars. We've talked about it at length."
### Hauntology and lo-fi revival
During the late 2000s, Pink was referenced in early discussions of hauntology in music. The renewed discussion of hauntology, in itself, was prompted by his emergence. In an August 2009 piece for The Wire, journalist David Keenan coined "hypnagogic pop" to describe a developing trend of 2000s lo-fi and post-noise music in which artists began to engage with elements of cultural nostalgia, childhood memory, and outmoded recording technology. Pink was among his examples. Reynolds soon adopted the term and cited Pink, along with Spencer Clark and James Ferraro, as the "godparents of hypnagogic". He also singled out Pink as the central figure in what he called the "Altered Zones Generation", an umbrella term for lo-fi, retro-inspired indie artists who were commonly featured on Altered Zones, a sister site for Pitchfork.
Reynolds compared Pink's influence to My Bloody Valentine's impact on the shoegaze genre. He wrote, "the sound Pink invented—'70s radio-rock and '80s new wave as if heard through a defective transistor radio, glimmers of melody flickering in and out of the fog—was so striking it could only become a chronic influence." Such a sound was most prominently attributed to Pink following the success of 2010's Before Today and the convergence of chillwave, lo-fi, and the assistance of the Web in nostalgia-driven pop culture marketing. That year, Pitchfork writer Mark Richardson said of Pink's influence:
> His records didn't reach a lot of people, but many of those who heard them were inspired to start home recording projects of their own. So as different kinds of lo-fi music bubbled up from the indie underground in the last couple of years— from more placid chillwave to roughed-up garage rock to abstract instrumental music— and many of these bands were talking about his influence, all of a sudden Ariel Pink started looking way ahead of the game.
Uncut's Sam Richard profiled Pink as "a lo-fi legend" whose "ghostly pop sound" proved influential to chillwave acts such as Ducktails and Toro y Moi. Jeff Weiss of Pitchfork said The Doldrums "inspired chillwave and a lo-fi revival, as well as alter[ed] the perception of L.A. as an indie-rock backwater." Spin writer David Bevan credited Pink's "fascination with, and commitment to, recasting outdated, obsolescent media" with galvanizing what is "widely seen in the VHS-boosted, Polaroid-clad aesthetic embraced by a hundred blogs and apps." Sam Goldner of Vice posited that a direct link can be drawn between Pink's "recycling of cheesy older sounds" and vaporwave, adding that, in the early 2010s, Pink and fellow musician Grimes "together represented a massive shift in music that was about to happen" – namely "a new mindset within independent music, one that viewed 'high' and 'low' art as equal, complementary forces in a vast cultural expanse."
Pink said that he never claimed to be the "godfather" of "lo-fi", "hypnagogic pop", or "chillwave". He thought that "people are just having fun with ideas they get in their head. They find a way to frame artists in a certain way that makes them interesting." In a 2012 interview, he commented that although it was not his intention to evoke nostalgia, he was aware "that I was doing something that sounded like the trace of a memory you can't place [...] now, people take it for granted. They think this is the sound of today." He remarked in 2011, "I know I've left my mark already. I know when somebody's heard my music. I can hear it in their music."
Music writer Adam Harper contested that "the pop-art pastiche of hypnagogic pop" or the "mirror-shades-cool synth groove of chillwave" could be attributed to Pink's "largely rock-based" music. He argued that instead of "the progenitor or the AZ Generation, Pink can easily be understood as the youngest member of this mid-80s Cassette Culture Generation." Among predecessors, Harper lists R. Stevie Moore and the Cleaners from Venus' Martin Newell as the most notable. He referenced a 1990s observation by music critic Richie Unterberger that compared Moore to Newell's "lo-fi, murkily recorded affairs that couldn't hide the power of the melodies, or a wit that could be both tender and savage". Harper added: "The similarities [between Pink and Newell] don't end there – both in his dress and in his music, Martin Newell adopted the (even then) retro, androgynous, psychedelic image that would mark Ariel Pink out in the 00s".
## Personal life
### Public remarks
Many of Pink's remarks in interviews have incited controversy. Some of his provocations included "It's not illegal to be racist", "This gay marriage stuff pisses me off", and his expressed "love" for necrophiliacs, pedophiles, and the Westboro Baptist Church. His negative press reached a peak around the release of Pom Pom, when detractors variously labelled him a "troll", a "beta male", and a "misogynist". Fans argued that he is simply a glib speaker.
In October 2014, Pink told the online journal Faster Louder that Interscope Records had contacted him about working with Madonna. He said they needed "something edgy. [...] She can't just have her Avicii, her producers or whatever, come up with a new techno jam for her to gyrate to and pretend that she's 20 years old." The article embroiled him into a minor controversy, with musician Grimes calling his comments "delusional misogyny". He denied that he was a misogynist and said that he had only repeated what he was told by an Interscope agent. John Maus addressed Pink's remarks with a lengthy analysis published on Twitter. He concluded that Pink is not a misogynist, although he is "a nymphomaniac, a little girl, a dog, etc."
Pink admitted that one of his tactics with interviewers is to talk so much that the other person has no opportunity to ask a question. He resents interviews and fame, explaining "I'd like to get by without making a fool of myself, running my mouth all the time. It's not helping me." He also believes that some publications quote him out of context for clickbait, and that generally, "the media lies to us all the time." In a 2012 interview, when asked if he interacted with his Wikipedia page, Pink responded: "I tried to intervene very early on and my moderator [sic] said 'I think you should check your sources,' and I was like 'You're right. You're right. Who knows about Ariel Pink more than you do? You're right, you're absolutely right.'"
### Relationships and family
During his early 20s, Rosenberg was married to a woman named Alisa. They divorced around 2004. From 2006 to 2012, he was in a relationship with the artist Geneva Jacuzzi. He assumed responsibility for the relationship's disintegration, and according to an interviewer, explained with "a tirade about gender politics and how everybody under 27 considers themselves bi- or transsexual." In a 2010 interview, he said he pondered gender identity "on a daily basis" and identified as being neither male nor female. Pink was also involved in a relationship with singer-songwriter Soko, who commented in a 2015 interview, "We dated a few years ago, but I think we're better off now as collaborators. I mean, he's a fucking genius and working with him is great."
As of 2012, his father Mario Rosenberg was a multi-millionaire, a wealth that Ariel stood to inherit. In 2014, Mario was one of 19 people convicted in a \$154 million insurance-fraud scheme, described by authorities as "the largest medical-fraud prosecution" in US history. He pleaded no contest to the charge. According to his attorney, the plea was made due to his lack of funds to continue battling the case.
During an October 2017 performance in San Francisco, attendees were offended by Pink's on-stage physicality with then-bandmate and girlfriend Charlotte Ercoli Coe. The next day, she dismissed the resultant controversy as "the oppression olympics" and tweeted that the two were "just having fun". Following her comments, Pink wrote he was "not sensitive enough to the real plight of women these days. my behavior onstage was gross and I can't defend it." Coe later retracted her statement, alleging that she had defended Pink at his behest and that he had subjected her to physical and mental abuse throughout their relationship. Pink denied Coe's accusations and accused her of spreading claims that she knew were false or misleading, as well as attempting to blackmail him.
In 2020, Pink filed civil harassment restraining orders against Coe. The suit was dismissed, although the court did not rule on the truthfulness of Pink's or Coe's abuse allegations. A week after the courts rejected the suit, Pink stated that he was unable to afford legal representation, while his lawyer informed Pitchfork that they would soon file an appeal.
### Beliefs
In 2013, Pink appeared on the satirical Fox News program Red Eye with Greg Gutfield discussing space robots and marijuana use in the NFL. In 2015, he said he was grateful for the bullying he experienced as a child, as it taught him to be thick skinned, and commented that "[a]nyone who is crying about police brutality or victimization as an adult needs to stop it and realize the privileges we have in this country."
During a discussion of his religious views in 2012, Pink stated that he was always "reluctant to be religious, to fully embrace the tenets of Christianity or Judaism or whatever, but I also don't fully fall in with the science crew either". When asked if he celebrated Hanukkah, he explained that he did not, except when his parents invited him to do so. In a 2010 interview with Heeb Magazine, he remarked that people who boast of their Jewish pride are "fucking stupid". He explained: "I'm totally against all that. I think you're a man of the world. Worldly. We're all from the same DNA strand, you know. It's like potatoes are our brothers. So, so, so silly."
In a 2017 interview, Pink was asked to clarify his political leanings, to which he answered: "I would say I'm for America in whatever capacity that comes in ... If Hillary [Clinton] was going to win [the 2016 election] I would have been like, right on ... As long as we are a nation that comes together then that's all I care about." Asked if he was Republican or Democrat in an April 2020 interview, he responded that he did not "believe in party lines" and merely aligned with "whoever is in charge". Following the 2020 presidential election, Pink tweeted his support for Donald Trump.
In December 2020, during an appearance on the podcast Wrong Opinion, Pink stated that he believed the recent presidential election was tampered by the Democratic Party "in some sort of collaboration with China". He opined that Trump represented "an indictment on anything bullshit ... I'm so gay for Trump, I would let him fuck me in the butt." During his 2021 appearance on Tucker Carlson Tonight, Pink expressed support for president-elect Joe Biden, saying that Trump had "lost [the election] fairly".
## Influences
Pink's stated musical influences include:
- Anthrax
- Bauhaus
- Cabaret Voltaire
- Can
- Christian Death
- The Cure
- Deicide
- The Dukes of Stratosphear
- Entombed
- Fleetwood Mac
- Hall & Oates
- Michael Jackson
- Morbid Angel
- Def Leppard
- Metallica
- R. Stevie Moore
- Lou Reed
- Todd Rundgren
- Sepultura
- Steely Dan
- Suicide
- Throbbing Gristle
- Frank Zappa
## Selected discography
Studio albums
- Underground (1999) (officially issued in 2007)
- The Doldrums (2000) (officially issued in 2004)
- Scared Famous (2001) (officially issued in 2007)
- House Arrest (2002) (officially issued in 2006)
- Lover Boy (2002) (officially issued in 2006)
- Worn Copy (2003)
- Before Today (2010)
- Mature Themes (2012)
- Pom Pom (2014)
- Dedicated to Bobby Jameson (2017)
- The Key of Joy is Disobedience (2022)
- Never Made A Demo, Ever (2023)
Compilations
- Thrash and Burn (2006)
- Odditties Sodomies Vol. 1 (2008)
- Odditties Sodomies Vol. 2 (2019)
- Odditties Sodomies Vol. 3 (2021)
- Sit n' Spin (2021)
- Archevil (2021)
See also
- Stranded at Two Harbors (2006) [credited as "Holy Shit", a collaboration with Matt Fishbeck]
- Ariel Pink's Picks Vol. 1 (2011) [R. Stevie Moore compilation]
## Explanatory notes
|
44,192,367 |
Italian cruiser Coatit
| 1,168,684,632 |
Torpedo cruiser of the Italian Royal Navy
|
[
"1899 ships",
"Agordat-class cruisers",
"Cruisers of Italy",
"Ships built in Castellammare di Stabia"
] |
Coatit was a torpedo cruiser of the Italian Regia Marina (Royal Navy) built in the late 1890s. She was the second and final member of the Agordat class. The ship, which was armed with twelve 76 mm (3 in) guns and two 450 mm (17.7 in) torpedo tubes, was too slow and short-ranged to be able to scout effectively for the fleet, so her career was limited. She saw action during the Italo-Turkish War in 1911–1912, where she provided gunfire support to Italian troops in North Africa. She also caused a minor diplomatic incident from an attack on retreating Ottoman soldiers in Anatolia. Coatit was part of an international fleet sent to Constantinople when the city appeared to be at risk of falling to the Bulgarian Army during the First Balkan War. In 1919, she was converted into a minelayer and was sold for scrap in 1920.
## Design
Coatit was 91.6 meters (300 ft 6 in) long overall and had a beam of 9.32 m (30 ft 7 in) and a draft of 3.54 m (11 ft 7 in). She displaced up to 1,292 long tons (1,313 t) at full load. Her propulsion system consisted of a pair of horizontal triple-expansion steam engines each driving a single screw propeller, with steam supplied by eight Blechynden water-tube boilers. Her engines were rated at 8,215 indicated horsepower (6,126 kW) and produced a top speed of 23 knots (43 km/h; 26 mph). The ship had a cruising radius of about 300 nautical miles (560 km; 350 mi) at a speed of 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph). She had a crew of between 153 and 185 that varied over the course of her career.
Coatit was armed with a main battery of twelve 76 mm (3 in) L/40 guns mounted singly. She was also equipped with two 450 mm (17.7 in) torpedo tubes. The ship was only lightly armored, with a 20 mm (0.79 in) thick deck.
## Service history
The keel for Coatit was laid down at the Castellammare shipyard on 8 April 1897 and her completed hull was launched on 15 November 1899. After completing fitting-out work, the new cruiser was commissioned into the Italian fleet on 1 October 1900. She proved to be too slow and short-legged to be useful as a fleet scout, which limited her active duty career. She served in the main fleet in 1902–1904, during which time the fleet was kept in a state of readiness for seven months. For the remaining five months, the ships had reduced crews. In 1904, the ship was transferred to the Red Sea and stationed in Italy's colony in Eritrea along with the corvette Cristoforo Colombo, the gunboat Volturno, and the aviso Galileo Coatit was assigned to the hostile force that was tasked with simulating an attempt to land troops on Sicily during the 1908 fleet maneuvers.
### Italo-Turkish War and the Balkan Wars
At the outbreak of the Italo-Turkish War against the Ottoman Empire in September 1911, Coatit was stationed in the 4th Division of the 2nd Squadron, under Rear Admiral Paolo Thaon di Revel, the commander of the division. Coatit protected several battleships and armored cruisers while they bombarded the defenses of Tripoli on 3–4 October. Coatit, the armored cruiser Varese, and sixteen destroyers were tasked with patrolling the flanks of the bombardment force to prevent a surprise attack by the Ottoman Navy, which did not materialize.
On 15 October, Coatit and her sister joined the battleship Napoli, the armored cruisers Pisa, Amalfi, and San Marco, three destroyers, and several troop transports for an attack on the port of Derna. Negotiators were sent ashore to attempt to secure the surrender of the garrison, which was refused. Napoli and the armored cruisers bombarded the Ottoman positions throughout the day, and on 18 October the Ottomans withdrew, allowing the Italian troops to come ashore and take possession of the port. The fleet remained offshore and helped to repel Ottoman counterattacks over the following two weeks. On 3 October 1912, Coatit bombarded the port of Kalkan. She thereafter shelled an Ottoman infantry battalion in the area, which fled; she nevertheless continued to fire on the retreating troops, expending around 200 rounds during the attack. The French cruiser Bruix was nearby and witnessed the attack, which her commander protested as a breach of international law.
Coatit was among an international force that entered the Ottoman capital city, Constantinople, during the First Balkan War in November 1912, less than a month after the end of the Italo-Turkish War. She and the battleship Emanuele Filiberto entered the straits on 11 November, along with the French armored cruisers Victor Hugo and Léon Gambetta, where they joined a pair of British cruisers. Warships from Germany, including the battlecruiser Goeben, Russia—the battleship Rostislav—and Spain arrived thereafter. The ships put a force of about 3,000 men ashore to protect their nationals, though by the end of the month, the Bulgarian advance on the city had been halted. The international fleet nevertheless remained in the Sea of Marmara for a time until it was withdrawn to the island of Crete and subsequently dispersed.
### World War I and fate
By 1914, Coatit had been assigned to the Division for Special Purposes, part of the 2nd Squadron of the Italian fleet. The division consisted of the two Regina Margherita-class battleships and the two Ammiraglio di Saint Bon-class battleships, for which Coatit served as the scout vessel. Italy, a member of the Central Powers, declared neutrality at the start of World War I in August 1914, but by May 1915, the Triple Entente had convinced the Italians to enter the war against their former allies. Admiral Paolo Thaon di Revel, the Italian naval chief of staff, believed that Austro-Hungarian submarines could operate too effectively in the narrow waters of the Adriatic, which could also be easily seeded with minefields. The threat from these underwater weapons was too serious for him to use the fleet in an active way. Instead, Revel decided to implement blockade at the relatively safer southern end of the Adriatic with the main fleet, while smaller vessels, such as the MAS boats, conducted raids on Austro-Hungarian ships and installations.
After the war, Coatit was converted into a minelayer in 1919. Eight of the 76 mm guns and her torpedo tubes were removed and a pair of 120 mm (4.7 in) L/40 guns were installed. She served only briefly in this role and she was sold to ship breakers on 11 June 1920.
|
46,687,282 |
Inauguration of a Torah scroll
| 1,134,759,491 |
Jewish ceremony involving Torah scrolls
|
[
"Jewish law and rituals",
"Jewish ritual objects",
"Torah"
] |
Inauguration of a Torah scroll (Hebrew: הכנסת ספר תורה, Hachnasat Sefer Torah; Ashkenazi: Hachnosas Sefer Torah) is a ceremony in which one or more Torah scrolls are installed in a synagogue, or in the sanctuary or study hall of a yeshiva, rabbinical college, university campus, nursing home, military base, or other institution, for use during prayer services. The inauguration ceremony is held for new and restored scrolls alike, as well as for the transfer of Torah scrolls from one sanctuary to another.
If the Torah scroll is a new one, the ceremony begins with the writing of the last letters of the scroll in the home of the donor. All scrolls are then carried in an outdoor procession to the scroll's new home, characterized by singing, dancing, and musical accompaniment. Inside the sanctuary, there is more singing and dancing, a short prayer service, placement of the scroll in the Torah ark, and a seudat mitzvah (festive meal).
## Background
The mitzvah to write a Torah scroll is the last of the 613 commandments. One can fulfill this mitzvah by writing a scroll oneself, or by commissioning the writing of a scroll.
Torah scrolls are typically commissioned by individuals to memorialize or honor loved ones; alternatively, a group or community may sponsor the writing of a Torah scroll to memorialize one or more of its members, especially those who were killed for being Jewish. Torah scrolls may also be commissioned as a fundraising project for synagogues, yeshivas, and organizations; individuals "buy" letters, words, verses, and chapters to cover the cost of the scroll. The cost of writing a Torah scroll is estimated at USD\$30,000 to \$100,000.
The finished Torah scroll is used during prayer services in a synagogue or other sanctuary, such as that of a yeshiva, rabbinical college, university campus, nursing home, military base, or other institution. The Torah scroll is taken out and read from four times a week – on Shabbat morning, Shabbat afternoon, and Monday and Thursday mornings – as well on Yom Tov, Rosh Chodesh, and Jewish fast days.
## History
The escorting of a Torah scroll to its new home has its source in the procession of the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem, led by King David. As described in the Book of Samuel, this event was marked by dancing and the playing of musical instruments. Both the kohanim and David himself "danced before the Ark" or "danced before the Lord".
The inauguration ceremony is held for new and restored Torah scrolls alike. It is also held when a synagogue moves to a new location, or when scrolls are transferred from one institution to another. In 2008, for example, congregants of Temple Emanuel of North Jersey carried 15 Torah scrolls to their new sanctuary in Paterson in a gala procession.
## Ceremony description
### Writing the final letters
If the Torah scroll is a new one, the event begins with a ceremony called siyum haTorah (completion of the Torah) or kesivas haosiyos (writing of the letters), in which the final letters at the end of the scroll are inked in by honorees. This ceremony usually takes place in the home of the one who is donating the scroll. The basis for this practice is a Talmudic teaching that whoever corrects one letter in a Torah scroll earns the same merit as one who writes an entire Torah scroll. It is considered a great honor to be selected for the writing of one of the last letters. Since most people are not professional scribes, many scribes outline the final letters beforehand for the honorees to fill in.
In Ashkenazi communities, the Torah scroll is then dressed in its mantle and sash, and adorned with its crown and a yad (pointer); in Sephardi communities, the scroll is placed in an ornamental wooden or silver case. Following the responsive reading of several verses, the procession begins.
### Outdoor procession
The Torah scroll is carried to its new home in an outdoor procession attended by men, women, and children. The procession can take place by day or by night. This event can attract hundreds and even thousands of participants.
The scroll or scrolls are carried under a chuppah (marriage canopy) as "acceptance of the Torah is seen as being analogous to a marriage with God". The chuppah may be as simple as a tallit supported by four poles, or a velvet canopy supported by poles.
The donor of the scroll, family members, friends, and other honorees take turns carrying the Torah scroll during the procession. School-age children often lead the procession with flags, candles or torches. All the youngsters in attendance receive a goodie bag sponsored by the donor.
Singing, dancing, and the playing of musical instruments traditionally accompany the procession. In early modern Italy, special poems were written in honor of the occasion. A 20th-century creation, the Hachnasat Sefer Torah Truck – sporting flashing lights, a sound system, and an oversized Torah crown on its roof – may drive at the head of the procession.
If the procession is being held on city streets, organizers must obtain a parade permit. Police cars often block off the parade route and accompany the celebrants as they move through the streets. A procession can take an hour or more, depending on the route that is chosen.
### Inside the sanctuary
When the procession nears the synagogue, yeshiva, or other destination, the other Torah scrolls that are already housed in the ark of the sanctuary are removed and carried outside to "welcome" the new scroll; then all the scrolls are carried inside together.
Inside the sanctuary, public prayers are recited in the style of Simchat Torah, beginning with the prayer Atah hareisa (You have been shown). Then the men and boys in attendance dance seven hakafot (circuits) around the reader's table while holding all the Torah scrolls, similar to the synagogue celebrations on Simchat Torah. Following this, the Torah scrolls that already belong to the sanctuary are returned to the ark and the new Torah scroll is placed on the reader's table. The donor of the scroll says the blessing of Shehecheyanu, both on the new scroll and on the new clothing that he wears in honor of the occasion. A Torah reader reads the final chapter of the Book of Deuteronomy (Deuteronomy 34:1–12) from the new scroll. The scroll is then placed in the ark amid more singing and dancing. The cantor then recites Psalm 24 with the traditional tune sung on Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur, followed by the recital of additional verses, Aleinu, and the Mourner's Kaddish.
Everyone in attendance then sits down to a seudat mitzvah (festive meal) at which the Rav of the congregation and other Torah scholars discourse on subjects pertaining to the importance of the Torah, such as valuing Torah study, supporting Torah scholars and institutions, and living a Torah lifestyle.
|
47,140,704 |
1974 UCI Road World Championships – Men's road race
| 1,094,146,548 | null |
[
"1974 Super Prestige Pernod",
"1974 UCI Road World Championships",
"1974 in road cycling",
"UCI Road World Championships – Men's road race"
] |
The Men's Individual Road Race of the 1974 UCI Road World Championships cycling event took place on August 25 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The route consisted of twenty-one laps around a circuit that contained two climbs within it, totaling to a length of 262.5 km (163.1 mi). Belgian Eddy Merckx won the race, while French riders Raymond Poulidor and Mariano Martínez finished second and third, respectively. This was Merckx's third victory in the men's road race at the UCI Road World Championships, equaling the record. In addition, he also completed the Triple Crown of Cycling, which consists of winning two Grand Tour races and the men's road race at the UCI Road World Championships in a calendar year.
The day of racing was highlighted by two large solo efforts on the part of the French riders Francis Campaner and Bernard Thévenet. Campaner attacked during the race's second lap and rode solo until being joined in the tenth lap by Gerard Vianen. The two were caught in the twelfth circuit and shortly after their capture, Thévenet attacked on his own and rode on his own through most of the final lap. Merckx initiated a chase group during the seventeenth lap that managed to catch and pass Thévenet with seven kilometers remaining. The group then splintered into two groups of two, with Merckx and Poulidor riding into the finish together. Merckx took victory in the two-man sprint.
## Race route
The route for the race consisted of 21 laps that totaled for 262.5 km (163.1 mi) of racing, with each lap being 12.5 km (7.8 mi) in length. Each circuit featured two climbs within it, including a cross of Mount Royal. The route for the race navigated through the Université de Montréal campus. Several sports writers deemed the route to be difficult. The race began at 9 AM local time.
## Participants and race favorites
The race began with 70 riders from fifteen different countries, of which eighteen managed to finish the race. Reigning champion, Felice Gimondi, started the race despite sustaining injuries from a fall in the Bernocchi Cup the week beforehand. The Belgian team featured the riders Eddy Merckx, Herman Van Springel, Freddy Maertens, Patrick Sercu, and Roger De Vlaeminck, which cycling author William Fotheringham believed to be one of the best Belgian teams to race at the World Championships. Gianni Pignata of La Stampa believed that the race would likely be won by an Italian or a Belgian rider, but stated that Dutchman Gerrie Knetemann and Spaniard Luis Ocaña were dark-horse candidates for the victory. In particular, young Italian Francesco Moser was expected to provide race favorite Merckx with "stiff competition." De Telegraaf writer Charles Taylor believed that José Manuel Fuente would be the best Spanish candidate for victory since Ocaña had recently recovered from sickness and injuries from crashes in different races. Taylor stated that there was no serious Dutch contender that could challenge the favorite, Merckx.
## Race summary
The whole starting peloton stayed intact for the first lap which took only 18' 36" to complete. The first attack came from French rider Francis Campaner. He managed to earn a 37" advantage as he finished the second circuit and he increased that lead to 1' 19" at the conclusion of the third lap. Behind, the chasing group was led by Francesco Moser, Eddy Merckx, and Felice Gimondi. After the fourth lap, Campaner had gained thirty more seconds on the peloton. The gap between Campaner and the main field reached its maximum after the fifth lap — at 2' 21" — and was reduced to 1' 36" with the finishing of the sixth circuit.
The seventh lap saw a speed drop by the leading rider and the chasing peloton, allowing Campaner's advantage to increase back to 2' 21". The next two laps saw the gap fluctuate a little as the margin stayed around the two-minute mark. During the eleventh lap, Dutch rider Gerard Vianen attacked and managed to get within fifteen seconds of Campaner as the tenth lap ended, with the peloton 1' 27" behind. Vianen joined Campaner during the eleventh circuit as Merckx attacked from behind, along with Gerrie Knetemann. During the twelfth circuit, Vianen and Campaner were caught. Shortly after the re-absorption of the duo back into the peloton, Bernard Thévenet attacked and established a 40" advantage. Campaner retired from the race in the kilometers following being caught, while Vianen retired during the thirteenth lap.
Tino Conti and Freddy Maertens attacked on the thirteenth lap and managed to get a time gap of 25" on the peloton, but still trailed Thévenet by 1' 10" at the conclusion of the lap. Through the fifteenth lap, the duo was able to obtain over a minute lead on the peloton; however, Thévenet was still increasing his advantage over the race as a whole, with his lead reaching three minutes over the peloton. The field began to increase its tempo in the sixteenth lap and close the gap to the Conti-Maertens group, which prompted Maertens to wait up for the peloton, while Conti rode solo. On the seventeenth lap, a chase group with many race contenders – including Raymond Poulidor, Francesco Moser, Eddy Merckx, Maertens, and Herman Van Springel – formed and caught Conti. By the completion of the nineteenth lap, the chase group had shrunked to nine riders and Thévenet's lead had dropped to 2' 05". Gimondi dropped out of the race the same lap.
The penultimate circuit saw the chase group, led by Merckx, shrink to five members and Thévenet's lead dwindle to 35". The riders that remained in the chase group were Van Springel, Poulidor, Mariano Martínez, Merckx, and Giacinto Santambrogio. Van Springel was dropped by the Merckx group before Thévenet was caught and passed on the final climb of Mount Royal, with around 7 km (4.3 mi) remaining. The chase group led by Merckx broke into two groups of two, with Poulidor and Merckx riding together and Martinez and Santambrogio behind, together. The split was caused by a move made by Merckx with close to 5 km (3.1 mi) left. With two hundred meters remaining in the race, Merckx attacked and managed to open up a two-second gap between himself and Poulidor as he crossed the finish line to win the race.
## Result
## Aftermath
With his victory in the race, Eddy Merckx became the first rider to achieve the Triple Crown of Cycling, which consists of winning two Grand Tour races and the men's road race at the UCI Road World Championships in a calendar year. Merckx had already won the Giro d'Italia and the Tour de France, both of which are Grand Tours, before the World Championships and winning the men's road race allowed him to complete the Triple Crown. This feat has since been matched by only one rider, Stephen Roche, who managed to complete the Triple Crown in the 1987 season. This was also Merckx's third world title, which made him the third rider to ever be world champion three times, after Alfredo Binda and Rik Van Steenbergen. This was Merckx's final world championship victory and also the last season that he won a Grand Tour. On February 22, 1975, Merckx gave the bike that he used during the race to Pope Paul VI while visiting Vatican City.
Following the victory, Merckx told the press that he felt lucky that Bernard Thévenet was weakened from his efforts on the road. In regards to his sprint against Raymond Poulidor, Merckx stated that he feared only an external setback because "In the sprint [he] could not lose. Despite Thévenet missing out on a medal, Raymond Poulidor stated that the French were content with the results and worked great together. Reflecting on the race, De Telegraaf writer Charles Taylor stated he felt this race was "one of the finest and most sensational bicycle races in recent years." Taylor noted a poor showing by the Dutch riders, citing that only two managed to finish the race. Taylor believed that the Dutch participants competed in too many criteriums between the end of the Tour de France and the start of the World Championships, which led to them not having fresh enough legs for the race. De Telegraaf also reported that there were over a 100,000 spectators for the men's road race. Francesco Moser was found to have had a disappointing performance as he placed seventh on the day, in part because he was suffering from a leg cramp.
|
149,135 |
Mayaguez incident
| 1,173,877,236 |
The last battle of American involvement in Southeast Asia
|
[
"1975 in Cambodia",
"Battles and operations of the Vietnam War in 1975",
"Cambodia–United States relations",
"Combat incidents",
"Conflicts in 1975",
"History of the foreign relations of the United States",
"International maritime incidents",
"Maritime history of the United States",
"Maritime incidents in 1975",
"May 1975 events in Asia",
"Military operations of the Vietnam War",
"Naval battles of the Vietnam War involving the United States",
"United States Marine Corps in the Vietnam War",
"Vietnam War POW/MIA issues"
] |
The Mayaguez incident took place between Kampuchea (now Cambodia) and the United States from 12 to 15 May 1975, less than a month after the Khmer Rouge took control of the capital Phnom Penh ousting the U.S.-backed Khmer Republic. After the Khmer Rouge seized the U.S. merchant vessel SS Mayaguez in a disputed maritime area, the U.S. mounted a hastily-prepared rescue operation. U.S. Marines recaptured the ship and attacked the island of Koh Tang where it was believed that the crew were being held as hostages. Encountering stronger than expected defences on Koh Tang, three United States Air Force helicopters were destroyed during the initial assault and the Marines fought a desperate day-long battle with the Khmer Rouge before being evacuated. The Mayaguez's crew were released unharmed by the Khmer Rouge shortly after the attack on Koh Tang began. The names of the Americans killed, including three Marines left behind on Koh Tang after the battle and subsequently executed by the Khmer Rouge, are the last names on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.
## Background
In 1939 during the French colonial period an administrative line was drawn between Cambodia and French Cochinchina known as the Brevie Line, named after Jules Brévié then governor-general of French Indochina. While not intended to determine sovereignty, the Brevie Line became the de facto maritime border between Cambodia and Vietnam. In 1967 Prince Norodom Sihanouk then Prime Minister of Cambodia agreed with North Vietnam that the borders of Cambodia and Vietnam were those drawn by the French in order to prevent any further Vietnamese claims on Cambodian territory.
Following the Fall of Phnom Penh on 17 April 1975 the Khmer Rouge moved to take control of all of Cambodia from the residual Khmer Republic forces. With the Fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975 the Khmer Rouge demanded that all People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN) and Viet Cong forces leave their base areas in Cambodia, but the PAVN refused to leave certain areas which they claimed were Vietnamese territory. The PAVN also moved to take control of a number of islands formerly controlled by the now defunct South Vietnam and other territories and islands contested between Vietnam and Cambodia.
On 1 May 1975 Khmer Rouge forces landed on Phú Quốc which was claimed by Cambodia but controlled by South Vietnam. On 10 May the Khmer Rouge captured the Thổ Chu Islands, where they evacuated and later executed 500 Vietnamese civilians. The PAVN launched a counterattack evicting the Khmer Rouge from Phú Quốc and Thổ Chu and attacked Cambodia's Poulo Wai island.
As part of these island battles, the Khmer Navy actively patrolled Cambodian coastal waters both to stop Vietnamese incursions and also for fear that merchant ships could be used by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) to supply opponents of the new Khmer Rouge regime. On 2 May the Khmer Navy captured seven Thai fishing boats. On 4 May the Cambodians pursued a South Korean freighter after which the South Korean Transportation Ministry put out a warning to shipping in the area. On 7 May they held a Panamanian vessel near Poulo Wai and questioned its crew before releasing them and their ship after 36 hours. They fired on a Swedish vessel in the same area. On 12 May the Khmer Rouge sent a force to occupy Poulo Wai. Despite these actions no general warning was issued to U.S. merchant shipping.
Cambodia had claimed 12 nautical miles (22 km; 14 mi) of territorial waters since 1969 and had boarded ships on this basis. The U.S. did not recognize 12 nautical mile territorial waters claims in 1975, recognizing only 3 nautical miles (5.6 km; 3.5 mi), and categorized the waters near Poulo Wai as international sea lanes on the high seas.
## Khmer Rouge seize the Mayaguez
The crisis began on the afternoon of 12 May 1975, as the U.S. container ship SS Mayaguez, owned by Sea-Land Service Inc., passed nearby Poulo Wai en route from Hong Kong to Sattahip, Thailand. U.S. military reports state that the seizure took place 6 nautical miles (11 km; 6.9 mi) off the island, but crew members brought evidence in a later legal action that Mayaguez had sailed about 2 nautical miles (3.7 km; 2.3 mi) off Poulo Wai and was not flying a flag.
At 14:18, a Khmer Navy Swift Boat was sighted approaching the Mayaguez. The Khmer Rouge fired across the bow of Mayaguez and when Captain Charles T. Miller ordered the engine room to slow down to manoeuvring speed to avoid the machine-gun fire, the Khmer Rouge then fired a rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) across the bow of the ship. Miller ordered the transmission of an SOS and then stopped the ship. Seven Khmer Rouge soldiers boarded Mayaguez and their leader, Battalion Commander Sa Mean, pointed at a map indicating that the ship should proceed to the east of Poulo Wai.
One of the crew members broadcast a Mayday which was picked up by an Australian vessel. Mayaguez arrived off Poulo Wai at approximately 16:00 and a further 20 Khmer Rouge boarded the vessel. Sa Mean indicated that Mayaguez should proceed to Ream on the Cambodian mainland, but Captain Miller showed that the ship's radar was not working and mimed the ship hitting rocks and sinking. Sa Mean radioed his superiors and was apparently instructed to stay at Poulo Wai, dropping anchor at 16:55.
Mayaguez was carrying 107 containers of routine cargo, 77 containers of government and military cargo, and 90 empty containers, all insured for \$5 million (equivalent to \$ million in ). The Khmer Rouge never inspected the containers, and exact contents have not been disclosed, but Mayaguez had loaded containers from the U.S. Embassy in Saigon nine days before the fall of Saigon. The captain had a U.S. government letter only to be opened in certain emergency circumstances, which he destroyed.
## President Ford reacts
Mayaguez's SOS and Mayday signals were picked up by a number of listeners including an employee of Delta Exploration Company in Jakarta, Indonesia, who notified the U.S. Embassy in Jakarta. By 05:12 Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) the first news of the incident reached the National Military Command Center (NMCC) in Washington, D.C.
President Gerald Ford was informed of the seizure of Mayaguez at his morning briefing with his deputy assistant for national security affairs, Brent Scowcroft. At 12:05 EDT (21:05 Cambodia), a meeting of the National Security Council (NSC) was convened to discuss the situation. Meanwhile, the NMCC ordered Admiral Noel Gayler, Commander in Chief of the U.S. Pacific Command (CINCPAC), to launch reconnaissance aircraft to locate Mayaguez. The members of the NSC were determined to end the crisis decisively, believing that the fall of South Vietnam less than two weeks before, and the forced withdrawal of the United States from Cambodia (Operation Eagle Pull) and South Vietnam (Operation Frequent Wind) had severely damaged the U.S.'s reputation.
They also wished to avoid comparisons to the Pueblo incident of 1968, where the failure to promptly use military force to halt the capture of a U.S. intelligence ship by North Korea led to an eleven-month hostage situation. Vice President Nelson A. Rockefeller insisted that "this will be seen as a test case... judged in South Korea." saying further "I think a violent response is in order. The world should know that we will act and that we will act quickly." The Pueblo was not Secretary of State Henry Kissinger’s preferred historical analogy, however. Instead, he was thinking of the 1969 EC-121 shootdown incident. He thought the US reaction to the North Korean downing of the US Navy’s EC-121 in international airspace with the loss of all 31 crewmen was exactly what they should avoid. Kissinger later told the security council members, "We assembled forces like crazy. But in the end, we did not do anything."
It was determined that keeping Mayaguez and her crew away from the Cambodian mainland was essential. As the United States had no diplomatic contact with the Khmer Rouge regime in Cambodia, Ford instructed Kissinger to urge the People's Republic of China to persuade the Khmer Rouge to release Mayaguez and her crew.
Following the NSC meeting, the White House issued a press release stating that Ford considered the seizure an act of piracy, though this claim did not have a foundation in maritime law. Secretary of Defense James R. Schlesinger ordered the military to locate Mayaguez and prevent her movement to the Cambodian mainland, employing munitions (including tear gas and sea mines) if necessary.
Kissinger sent a message to the Chinese Liaison Office in Washington demanding the immediate release of Mayaguez and her crew, but the chief of the Liaison Office refused to accept the note. Kissinger then instructed George H. W. Bush, the head of the U.S. Liaison Office in Beijing, to deliver the note to the Chinese Foreign Ministry and to pass on an oral message that "The Government of the United States demands the immediate release of the vessel and of the full crew. If that release does not immediately take place, the authorities in Phnom Penh will be responsible for the consequences."
## U.S. rescue preparations
Following Schlesinger's instructions, P-3 Orion aircraft stationed at Naval Air Station (NAS) Cubi Point in the Philippines and at U-Tapao Royal Thai Navy Airfield in Thailand took off to locate Mayaguez. The aircraft carrier USS Coral Sea, then en route to Australia, was ordered into the area. The destroyer escort USS Harold E. Holt and the guided missile destroyer USS Henry B. Wilson were both ordered to proceed at high speed from the Philippine Sea towards Mayaguez's last known location.
An alert order was sent to 1st Battalion 4th Marines (1/4 Marines) at Subic Bay and to the 9th Marine Regiment on Okinawa. A reinforced company from 1/4 Marines was ordered to assemble at NAS Cubi Point for airlift to Thailand, while a 1,100-man Battalion Landing Team (BLT) assembled in Okinawa.
### Locating and stopping Mayaguez
On the early morning of 13 May, the P-3 Orions identified large radar returns near Poulo Wai and dropped flares on the suspected location of Mayaguez provoking Khmer Rouge gunfire. Low on fuel, the two Orions returned to base and were replaced with another Orion from Patrol Squadron 17. At 08:16 local time the Orion made a low pass over Poulo Wai positively identifying Mayaguez and again drawing Khmer Rouge gunfire.
Shortly afterwards the Khmer Rouge leader, Sa Mean, ordered Captain Miller to get Mayaguez underway. At 08:45 Mayaguez set off towards the northeast following one of the Swift Boats. The Orion continued to track Mayaguez as it left Poulo Wai. Once the location of Mayaguez was identified, Admiral Gayler ordered the commander of the Seventh Air Force, Lieutenant General John J. Burns, at Korat Royal Thai Air Force Base, to move combat aircraft to the area.
At 13:00 two unarmed United States Air Force (USAF) F-111 fighter-bombers diverted from a training mission began making low-level high-speed passes by Mayaguez. Once the F-111s had left, Sa Mean ordered Captain Miller to follow the Swift Boats around Koh Tang and drop anchor approximately 1.5 km north of the island. Two F-4 Phantoms soon arrived over Mayaguez and began firing their 20 mm cannon into the water in front of the ship. The F-4s were followed by A-7D Corsairs and more F-111s which continued to fire into the sea in front of and behind the ship indicating that no further movement should be attempted.
At 16:15, the Khmer Rouge ordered Mayaguez's crew onto two fishing boats which then took them closer to the shore of Koh Tang.
### U.S. forces assemble
U.S. Navy warships Coral Sea, Harold E. Holt and Henry B. Wilson were all scheduled to arrive on station by 15 May, but none of these ships carried any troops. USS Hancock carried a Marine contingent but could not arrive on station until 16 May, while USS Okinawa also carried Marines but could not arrive until 18 May.
III Marine Amphibious Force (III MAF) assigned Task Force 79.9 with recovering Mayaguez and designated D Company 1/4 Marines in the Philippines as the unit that would actually retake Mayaguez, but Burns wanted additional force and orders were sent to the 3rd Marine Division on Okinawa. 1st Battalion, 9th Marines (BLT 1/9) was then on alert as the primary "air contingency" reaction force, but most of BLT 1/9 were ending their tours of duty and were not subject to further extension of their tours except in the case of emergency. III MAF requested the extension of BLT 1/9's tour but this was refused.
The 2nd Battalion, 9th Marines (BLT 2/9) (commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Randall W. Austin) was then on a training exercise on Okinawa and it received orders on the night of 13 May to return to camp and prepare for departure by air at dawn on 14 May. On the morning of 14 May BLT 2/9 boarded USAF C-141s at Kadena Air Base to fly to Thailand. The 9th Marine Regiment had been the first U.S. ground combat force committed to the Vietnam War in 1965, but in May 1975 only a few of the officers and non-commissioned officers from BLT 2/9 had seen combat in Vietnam.
Nine USAF HH-53C Jolly Green helicopters of the 40th Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Squadron and 10 CH-53 Knives of the 21st Special Operations Squadron stationed at Nakhon Phanom Royal Thai Navy Base were available for the rescue operation. There were differences between the two types which would become relevant during the battle: the HH-53 was air-refuellable, had 450 US gallon (1,700 L; 370 imp gal) self-sealing fuel tip tanks, a tail minigun with armor plating, and two waist miniguns. The CH-53 was not air-refuellable, had 650 US gallon (2,500 L; 540 imp gal) non-self-sealing tip tanks and two waist miniguns. Thus, the HH-53's fuel tanks were less vulnerable to ground fire and, with their refueling capability, could remain in the area of operations indefinitely, so long as it had access to an aerial tanker.
On 13 May Burns and his Seventh Air Force staff developed a contingency plan to retake Mayaguez using an assault force composed of men of the USAF 56th Security Police Squadron. 75 volunteers from the 56th would be dropped onto the containers on the decks of Mayaguez on the morning of 14 May. In preparation for this assault five HH-53s and seven CH-53s were ordered to proceed to U-Tapao for staging. At approximately 21:15, one of the 21st SOS CH-53s (68-10933, call sign Knife 13) crashed en route to U Tapao, killing 18 security police and its five-man crew.
### Third NSC meeting
Just before 05:00 EDT on 14 May a message arrived in the Department of State from the US embassy in Tehran. The subject line was "Chinese Embassy Tehran Believes Mayaguez to be Freed Soon." The Pakistani first secretary had told an American diplomat that a senior Chinese embassy official in Tehran said China was "embarrassed" by the Cambodian seizure of the Mayaguez and expected it to be released soon. The message was passed on to Kissinger who claimed it was of dubious reliability and it was not circulated among the NSC.
Ford chaired an NSC meeting at 10:22 EDT (21:22 Cambodia), where the Air Force rescue plan was cancelled due to the loss of Knife 13 and the fact that the containers on Mayaguez could not bear the weight of the helicopters while rappelling men down would expose them to gunfire. It was decided that it was necessary to wait for the Navy ships to arrive off Koh Tang and for the Marines to assemble in Thailand before a rescue attempt would be mounted. Ford ordered the Air Force to sink any Cambodian boats moving between Koh Tang and the mainland. Following this meeting Kissinger told Ford "This is your first crisis. You should establish a reputation for being too tough to tackle. This is a replay of the EC-121."
### Boats interdicted
Early on the morning of 14 May, the Khmer Rouge loaded Mayaguez's crew onto one of the fishing boats and they left Koh Tang following two of the Swift Boats on a heading for Kampong Som. Two F-111s swept past the fishing boat, followed by a pair of F-4s and a pair of A-7s, which began firing in front of the Swift Boats and then directly at the Swift Boats, causing one of them to turn back to Koh Tang. The jets were then joined by an AC-130H Spectre gunship from the 388th Tactical Fighter Wing which proceeded to engage the second Swift Boat with its cannons.
An A-7D then sprayed the Swift Boat with its 20 mm cannon, sinking it. The fighters then came at the fishing boat dropping bombs and firing their cannon into the water in front of it, spraying the boat with shrapnel. The fighter crews reported back that 30 to 40 Caucasians had been seen on board the fishing boat. Despite Ford's order to sink all boats, the jets sought orders from higher command.
### Fourth NSC meeting
In Washington, Ford convened another NSC meeting at 22:30 EDT (09:30 14 May Cambodia). A communication link had been established between the White House, Seventh Air Force at Nakhon Phanom, CINCPAC in Hawaii and the aircraft circling above Koh Tang allowing for near real-time communications. The circling fighters reported that they could try to shoot the rudder off the fishing boat to stop its progress to Kampong Som, but the NSC decided that the risk of killing Mayaguez crew was too great. At 23:00 EDT (10:00 Cambodia) Ford ordered that only tear gas should be dropped on or near the fishing boat, while all patrol boats should be sunk.
The NSC meeting continued to consider the appropriate course to resolve the crisis. It was informed that the Chinese Foreign Ministry in Beijing had refused to pass on the American note intended for the Khmer Rouge, but George Bush reported that they had read the note and that it might have been relayed to the Khmer Rouge. With a diplomatic solution appearing unlikely, General David Jones, acting Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, presented the NSC with a range of military options. Rescue planning was complicated by the uncertainty surrounding the location of Mayaguez's crew. It was believed that some were still on the ship, some on Koh Tang and others were on the fishing boat bound for Kampong Som. The NSC decided to proceed with a simultaneous attack by Marines to retake Mayaguez and attack Koh Tang, together with attacking Cambodian shipping and bombing mainland targets. Kissinger emphasized they needed to "impress the Koreans and the Chinese" with the punitive strikes.
The NSC debated whether to assault Koh Tang on the 15th or 16th. The Pentagon's option paper that Jones had distributed explained why a 48-hour delay was advantageous. The primary risk of military operations on the 15th was the "serious disadvantage of slow insertion (270 men per wave at 4+ hour intervals)." Alternatively, with the arrival of the USS Hancock in the area, a "coordinated assault at first light on 16 May would "carry lower military risks" and "enhance the prospects of quick success and minimize the loss of life." However, the paper noted that the disadvantage of going on the 16th was less chance of surprise and more time for the Cambodians to "put forward preconditions for the return of the ship and/or crew."
When Ford asked for the Pentagon's recommendation, Schlesinger deferred to Jones who said "We recommend that we land [on the morning of the 15th] on the island and on the ship." He told the NSC members the island could be taken with "high assurance of success." He thought, "The 175 Marines can secure themselves, with gunships and tactical air... When the second group arrives, we can cut off the neck of the island and move out... With somewhat over 600 Marines by nightfall, we should have a good feel for what is there. We can perhaps withdraw the next day." Jones concluded his presentation by saying "that is the operation as we recommend it, as a joint recommendation from all the Joint Chiefs."
At 10:10, despite having been hit by tear gas, the fishing boat arrived at Kampong Som. The Khmer Rouge commander at Kampong Som, apparently fearing attack by the Americans, refused to accept responsibility for Mayaguez's crew and so the fishing boat moved further down the coast, dropping anchor off the island of Koh Rong Sanloem. The circling fighters lost track of the fishing boat once it entered the port at Kampong Som, and so this was the location transmitted up the chain of command. At 11:29, U.S. aircraft sank another patrol boat and damaged another four.
1/4 Marines had arrived at U-Tapao from the Philippines at 05:45 on 14 May and had been waiting on standby for a helicopter assault on Mayaguez, but as the news of the arrival of the fishing boat at Kampong Som came in the helicopter assault was cancelled. At 14:00, BLT 2/9 began arriving at U-Tapao.
### The rescue plan
On the afternoon of 14 May, Burns received the order to proceed with a simultaneous assault on Koh Tang and Mayaguez timed to begin just before sunrise (05:42) on 15 May. D Company, 1/4 Marines would retake Mayaguez while BLT 2/9 Marines would rescue the crew on Koh Tang. With minimal intelligence available regarding the geography of Koh Tang, the commander of BLT 2/9 and his staff took off in a U-21 to make an aerial reconnaissance of the island.
Arriving over Koh Tang at 16:00, they were prevented from closely approaching the island in order not to compromise the secrecy of the mission or draw ground fire, but they determined that the island was so covered in jungle that the only two viable landing zones available were beaches on the west and east shores of the northern portion of Koh Tang. The Defense Intelligence Agency had made an assessment, in part from RF-4C and U-2 reconnaissance flights, that between 150 and 200 Khmer Rouge backed by heavy weapons occupied Koh Tang. This report was conveyed to U-Tapao but was never briefed to the planners, probably due to security classification issues, who believed that only about 20 Cambodian irregulars armed with small arms were on the island.
At 21:00, the rescue plan was finalized. Six hundred Marines from BLT 2/9 — composed of E and G Companies — were assigned to conduct a combat assault in five CH-53 Knives and three HH-53 Jolly Greens to seize and hold Koh Tang. Two helicopters would make a diversionary assault on the West Beach (), while six helicopters would make the main assault on the wider East Beach (). The East Beach force would move to the nearby compound where Mayaguez's crew was believed to be held and then move across and link up with the West Beach force.
Two more waves of helicopters would be required to deploy all of BLT 2/9 to Koh Tang. The flight from U-Tapao to Koh Tang was a four-hour round trip. It was estimated that only 20–30 Khmer Rouge were on Koh Tang; the information regarding the heavy anti-aircraft fire coming from Koh Tang and the number of gunboats present was not passed on to the Marines. Preparatory airstrikes of the landing zones were ruled out for fear of hitting crew members who might be held nearby.
A unit of 57 Marines from D Company, 1/4 Marines together with volunteers from Military Sealift Command to get Mayaguez underway, an explosive ordnance disposal team and a Cambodian linguist would be transferred by three HH-53 Jolly Greens to the Holt which was scheduled to arrive on station at dawn for a ship-to-ship boarding of Mayaguez one hour after the assault on Koh Tang began. Two additional CH-53s (because of their superior firepower, all the HH-53s were used for troop lift) were tasked as combat search and rescue helicopters, supported by an EC-130 "King" airborne, command, control and communications (ABCCC) aircraft of the 56th Rescue Squadron.
USS Wilson was assigned to support the Koh Tang operation, and, after retaking Mayaguez, USS Holt would be deployed in a blocking position between Koh Tang and the Cambodian mainland with the mission of intercepting and engaging any Khmer reaction forces. U.S. Navy aircraft from Coral Sea were given the mission of striking targets on the Cambodian mainland to prevent interference with the rescue.
In the afternoon in New York City, the US ambassador to the UN, John A. Scali, delivered a request for assistance to UN Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim that noted the US reserved the right to act in self-defense in accordance with Article 51 of the UN Charter. Waldheim He called the Chinese representative to the UN to his office and contacted the Cambodians via a channel used previously to secure the release of foreign citizens from Phnom Penh.
At 15:52 EDT (02:52 15 May Cambodia), Ford convened the fourth and final NSC meeting regarding Mayaguez. Jones briefed the NSC on the assault plan and plans for strikes by Guam-based B-52s on the port facilities at Kampong Som and the Ream Naval Base. Concerned that the use of B-52s might be excessive, Ford limited the bombing to attacks by carrier-based aircraft commencing at 07:45 (Cambodia) and gave the go-ahead to the rescue plan. Given the reports that the crew had probably been moved to the mainland, the NSC discussed whether any Americans were actually on Koh Tang. Kissinger pointed out there was no way to know and that "taking the island if they are not there is easier to explain than failing to take it if they are." Schlesinger agreed that "we have an obligation to get the Americans or to see if they are there."
At 19:00 EDT (06:00 15 May Cambodia) the UN issued a statement that the secretary-general was communicating with the Cambodians and that he encouraged all parties to refrain from further use of force.
## The Khmer Rouge on Koh Tang
Unknown to the Americans then converging on Koh Tang, none of Mayaguez's crew were on the island, which was defended by over 100 Khmer Rouge. These defences were intended to counter the Vietnamese, not the Americans. The Khmer Rouge commander of Kampong Som District, Em Son, was also given responsibility for securing Koh Tang and on 1 May he took a force of 100 men to Koh Tang to defend the island against possible Vietnamese attack. Sa Mean was given responsibility for the defense of Poulo Wai.
On the East Beach, two heavy machine guns had been dug in at each end of the beach and fortified firing positions had been built every 20 metres behind a sand berm connected by a shallow zig-zag trench. Two M60 machine guns, B-40 RPGs and two DK-82 recoilless rifles were in the firing positions. On the West Beach, a heavy machine gun, an M60, B-40 RPGs and a 75 mm recoilless rifle were dug into connected firing positions. North of each beach was a 60 mm mortar and south of the beaches was an 81 mm mortar that could fire on either beach. Ammunition was stored in dug-in bunkers, one behind each beach, with a third ammunition dump located near Em Son's command post in the jungle south of the beaches.
## Mayaguez's crew on Koh Rong Sanloem
On their arrival at Koh Rong Sanloem Miller was taken to the senior Khmer Rouge commander where he was subject to a cursory interrogation before being asked if he could talk to the American planes from Mayaguez. The Khmer Rouge explained that they had already lost three boats and numerous men and were anxious to call off the American bombers. Miller explained that if they returned to the ship and restarted her engines they could then generate electricity to call their office in Bangkok which could then contact the U.S. military. The Khmer Rouge radioed instructions to their higher command and then gave approval for Miller and nine men to return to Mayaguez. As darkness was falling it was decided that they would return to Mayaguez the following morning, 15 May.
## Rescue operation
### Retaking Mayaguez
At 06:13 on 15 May, the first phase of the operation began with the transfer by three HH-53s of D/1/4 Marines to the Holt. As the Holt slowly came alongside, USAF A-7D aircraft saturated Mayaguez with tear gas munitions. Equipped with gas masks, the Marines at 07:25 hours then conducted one of the few hostile ship-to-ship boardings by the U.S. Navy since the American Civil War, securing the vessel after an hour-long search, finding her empty.
### The assault on Koh Tang
At 06:12, the eight helicopters (five CH-53 Knives and three HH-53 Jolly Greens) of the Koh Tang assault force approached the two Landing zones (LZs) on Koh Tang. At the West Beach, the first section of two CH-53 helicopters came in at 06:20. The first helicopter; Knife 21, landed safely, but while offloading its Marines came under heavy automatic weapons fire, destroying an engine. It managed to take off, protected by suppressive fire from the second CH-53, Knife 22, and ditched 1.6 km offshore. Knife 22 was damaged so severely that it turned back with its Marines (including the G Company commander) still aboard escorted by Jolly Green 11 and Jolly Green 12, and crash-landed in Trat Province on the Thai coast, where its passengers were picked up by Jolly Green 12 and returned to U-Tapao.
At 06:30, the CH-53s approaching the East Beach encountered intense automatic weapons and RPG fire from the entrenched Khmer Rouge. Knife 31 was hit by two RPGs, which ignited its left fuel tank and ripped away the nose of the helicopter. It crashed in a fireball fifty meters offshore. The copilot, five Marines, and two Navy corpsmen were killed in the crash, another Marine drowned swimming from the wreck and three Marines were killed by gunfire trying to reach the beach. A tenth Marine died of his wounds while clinging to the burning wreckage. The surviving ten Marines and three Air Force crewmen were forced to swim for two hours before being picked up by the gig of the arriving Henry B. Wilson.
Among the Marine survivors was the battalion's Forward Air Controller, who used an Air Force survival radio while swimming to direct A-7 air strikes against the island until the battery failed. The second CH-53, Knife 23, was hit by an RPG which blew off the tail section and crash-landed on the East Beach but it offloaded its 20 Marines and crew of five. They set up a defensive perimeter and the Knife 23 co-pilot used his survival radio to call in airstrikes but they were cut off from reinforcements and rescue for twelve hours.
Knife 32 was inbound to the East Beach when it was hit by an RPG and aborted its landing, instead heading out over the West Beach to the Knife 21 crash site where it dumped fuel and proceeded to rescue the three Knife 21 crewmen. Two other sections of the first wave, consisting of the remaining four helicopters, were diverted from the East Beach to the West Beach and eventually landed all of their Marines between 06:30 and 07:00, although the final insertion by Jolly Green 41 required support from an AC-130 gunship to penetrate the Khmer Rouge fire on its fifth attempt. Knife 32, Jolly Green 41 and Jolly Green 42 eventually landed 81 Marines on the West Beach under the command of the company Executive Officer, and Jolly Green 43 landed 29 Marines of the battalion command post and mortar platoon a kilometre to the southwest.
By 07:00 109 Marines and five Air Force crewmen were on Koh Tang but in three isolated beach areas and in close contact with Khmer Rouge troops. The Marines at the northern end of West Beach attempted to move down the beach to link up with Austin's command element to the south, but were beaten back by heavy Khmer Rouge fire which killed Lance corporal Ashton Loney.
While isolated, the Marines were able to use their 81 mm mortars for fire support and devised a makeshift communications network for controlling supporting air strikes by USAF A-7 and F-4 aircraft. It was decided that the platoon isolated on the East Beach should be extracted; following suppressive fire from an AC-130, Jolly Green 13 landed there at 08:15 amid a hail of machine-gun fire. It had landed some 100 m away from the Marines who were reluctant to risk running to the helicopter, the helicopter took off again with its fuel lines ruptured and made an emergency landing in Rayong, Thailand.
Of the eight helicopters assaulting Koh Tang, three had been destroyed (Knife 21, Knife 23 and Knife 31) and four others were damaged too severely to continue operations (Knife 22, Knife 32, Jolly Green 41 and Jolly Green 42). Of the helicopters used in the recapture of Mayaguez, Jolly Green 13 had been severely damaged in the East Beach rescue attempt. This left only three helicopters (all HH-53s – Jolly Greens 11, 12 and 43) of the original eleven available to bring in the follow-up forces of BLT 2/9, so the 2 CH-53s (Knife 51 and 52) whose mission had been search and rescue – the last available helicopters – were reassigned to carry troops.
The five helicopters picked up 127 Marines of the second wave at U-Tapao between 09:00 and 10:00. At 11:50 Knife 52, Knife 51 and Jolly Green 43 arrived over Koh Tang and prepared to land on the East Beach, as Knife 52 approached fire punctured its fuel tanks and the pilot aborted the landing and headed back to U-Tapao leaking fuel. Knife 51 and Jolly Green 43 also abandoned their landings and assumed a holding pattern.
### Release of Mayaguez's crew
At 06:07 the Khmer Rouge information and propaganda minister, Hu Nim, made a radio broadcast announcing that Mayaguez would be released. The section of his communique on the release was:
> Regarding the Mayaguez ship. We have no intention of detaining it permanently and we have no desire to stage provocations. We only wanted to know the reason for its coming and to warn it against violating our waters again. This is why our coast guard seized this ship. Their goal was to examine it, question it and make a report to higher authorities who would then report to the Royal Government so that the Royal Government could itself decide to order it to withdraw from Cambodia's territorial waters and warn it against conducting further espionage and protractive activities. This applies to this Mayaguez ship and to any other vessels like the ship flying Panama flags that we released on May 7, 1975.
The transmission was intercepted by the CIA station in Bangkok, translated and delivered to the White House by 07:15 (20:15 EDT). The White House was skeptical of the Khmer Rouge message and the lack of clarity regarding the crew and released a press statement at 08:15 (21:15 EDT) saying that U.S. military operations would continue until the crew of Mayaguez was released. At 07:44 the JCS ordered a delay to the first armed reconnaissance strike by planes from Coral Sea on the Kompong Som oil storage complex and Ream airfield. Confusion over orders meant that the planes dropped their ordinance at sea and returned to the Coral Sea, when at 07:48 the JCS reinstated the order for airstrikes.
At 06:30 on Koh Rong Sanloem, the crew of Mayaguez were informed that they would be allowed to return to their ship, after having first agreed to a statement that they had not been mistreated. At 07:15 Mayaguez's crew was loaded aboard the Thai fishing boat, Sinvari (which had been captured by the Khmer Rouge five months earlier) escorted by a second boat with Sa Mean and other Khmer Rouge. Once away from Koh Rong Sanloem the second boat picked up the Khmer Rouge guards from Sinvari and instructed the crew to return to Mayaguez and call off the American planes.
At 09:35 a circling P-3 Orion spotted Sinvari and Wilson was ordered to intercept it, originally thinking it was a Khmer Rouge gunboat. The P-3 then identified that Caucasians were aboard and at 09:49 Mayaguez's crew was brought aboard Wilson. Confirmation of the release of the crew was sent to the White House and at 11:27 (00:27 EDT) Ford went on U.S. national television announcing the recovery of Mayaguez and the rescue of its crew, but obscuring the fact that the crew had in fact been released by the Khmer Rouge.
Ford, at Kissinger's urging, declined to cancel the scheduled airstrikes on the Cambodian mainland until the Marines on Koh Tang had been withdrawn. At 08:45 A-6A Intruder and A-7E aircraft from VA-22, VA-94 and VA-95 escorted by F-4N fighters of VF-51 and VF-111 aboard Coral Sea began the second wave of airstrikes, bombing landing barges and oil storage facilities at Kompong Som and cargo planes and T-28 Trojan aircraft at Ream airfield. Despite receiving confirmation of the release of the crew, at 10:20 the third wave of airstrikes hit boats at Ream naval base. At 11:45 the fourth planned airstrike on the mainland was cancelled and the jets directed to support the Marines on Koh Tang.
### Extraction of U.S. Marine elements
The U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff decided that, with the ship recaptured and the crew released, further reinforcement of Koh Tang was unnecessary and at 11:55 they ordered the U.S. forces to "immediately cease all offensive operations against the Khmer Republic [and to] disengage and withdraw all forces from operating areas as soon as possible". Hearing this order, the circling EC-130 ABCCC recalled the second assault wave. The helicopters with the second wave reversed course until Austin, on the ground on Koh Tang, convinced Burns that the reinforcements were necessary to prevent his units from being overrun; the order was rescinded at 12:10.
The second wave carrying the Marines from Knife 22 and a platoon from Company E had originally taken off at staggered times between 09:00 and 10:00, but with the reversal of course its arrival on Koh Tang was seriously delayed. At 12:10 Knife 51, followed by Jolly Greens 43, 11 and 12 landed 100 additional Marines and evacuated nine wounded on the West Beach, making a total of 225 Marines – 205 on the West Beach and 20 Marines and five airmen on the East Beach. Around the same time Austin's isolated command unit planned a linkup of its small contingent with the bulk of Golf Company at the northern end of the West Beach. Using mortar fire and A-7 airstrikes to clear Khmer Rouge in the jungle between the two forces, it reached the G Company perimeter at 12:45.
By 14:00 firing on the West Beach had reduced substantially as Em Son had moved most of his men back from the beaches with only three-man patrols maintaining pressure on the two Marine enclaves. Austin asked the ABCCC if he should attempt to push across the island (a distance of approximately 1,100 feet (340 m)) to link up with the isolated unit on the East Beach, but was advised that another helicopter pickup would be attempted first. At 14:15 Jolly Greens 11 and 43 approached East Beach, but were repulsed by heavy fire. Jolly Green 43 had a fuel line damaged, but made an emergency landing aboard Coral Sea at 14:36, where it was repaired and returned to service by 17:00.
During the attempted landing by Jolly Green 43, fire was seen coming from a semi-submerged Swift Boat that had been shot up by an AC-130 the previous day, A-7 aircraft were called in to destroy the boat with their 20 mm cannon. At 16:20 hours, Nail 68, an Air Force OV-10 forward air control (FAC) aircraft, arrived and took over the direction of air support. At 16:23 Nail 68 called on Wilson to use its 5-inch gun to destroy the semi-submerged Swift Boat.
This change in controllers marked a turning point in the quality of airborne firepower available to the Marines because for the first time that day they had an airborne observer exclusively dedicated to providing accurate and timely close air support. At 17:00 Em Son gathered his forces and moved back up the island to secure an ammunition dump that lay between the West and East Beaches. He was surprised to find the dump intact and no Marines lying in ambush. Now supplied, his men would be able to increase the pressure on the Marines again.
At 18:00 as the sun began to set a third attempt to rescue the East Beach force was attempted, using Jolly Green 11 as the rescue ship and with gunfire support from Jolly Green 12, Knife 51 and the gig from Wilson mounting four M60s. Nail 68 first ordered gun runs by an AC-130 followed by F-4s and A-7s along the edge of the East Beach, as this was going on five C-130s arrived over Koh Tang carrying BLU-82 "daisy cutter" bombs — a 15,000-pound (6,800 kg) device and the largest conventional explosive weapon in the U.S. arsenal at the time. Not seeing any practical use for the BLU-82s, Nail 68 ordered them dropped well south of the Marines' positions.
At 18:15 Jolly Green 11 approached the East Beach, but did not actually set down because the hulk of Knife 23 was sitting on the beach. Instead, the pilot (First Lieutenant Donald Backlund) skilfully hovered the helicopter several feet off the ground just north of the original beach LZ. The extraction was difficult because the helicopter would see-saw up and down. Only a few Marines at a time could board the helicopter's rear ramp in this fashion by timing their jumps to coincide with the downward motion of the aircraft. Jolly Green 11 was hit numerous times, but managed to transport its cargo of 20 Marines and five Airmen to the Coral Sea.
Shortly after Jolly Green 11 evacuated the East Beach, the first BLU-82 was dropped causing a huge explosion and sending a shock wave across the West Beach. Austin quickly called the ABCCC with the instruction that no more of the bombs should be dropped. A report from Jolly Green 11 indicated that a Marine might be in the wreckage of Knife 31 and Jolly Green 12 went in to search for any survivors. Jolly Green 12 hovered above the wreck, while a crewman was lowered on a rescue hoist to survey the wreckage. No Marine was recovered and Jolly Green 12 suffered extensive damage in the rescue attempt and flew to Coral Sea.
As a moonless night fell over Koh Tang, the remaining two helicopters, Knife 51 and the hastily repaired Jolly Green 43, were joined by Jolly Green 44 which had been out of service at its Nakhon Phanom base but had been repaired and flown to the area. At 18:40 this force began to withdraw the remaining 205 Marines from the West Beach, protected by AC-130 fire and naval gunfire support from Henry B. Wilson and its gig. The first load of 41 Marines was lifted out at 18:40 by Knife 51 and flown to the Coral Sea, followed by 54 taken aboard Jolly Green 43.
As Jolly Green 44 picked up a load of 44 Marines, the remaining Marines in the shrinking West Beach perimeter came under intense attack and were in danger of being overrun. The round trip to Coral Sea took thirty minutes, so the pilot, First Lieutenant Bob Blough, decided to deliver his Marines to Harold E. Holt, the nearest ship to Koh Tang, in complete darkness while hovering the helicopter over the ship with only its front wheels touching down. Within five minutes Jolly Green 44 returned and picked up 34 more Marines, leaving 32 still on the island. Jolly Green 44 was suffering engine trouble and this time headed for Coral Sea.
At 20:00 Knife 51 landed and began loading Marines in the dark, and under fire. Captain Davis and Gunnery Sergeant McNemar were joined by Knife 51s Pararescueman Technical Sergeant Wayne Fisk outside of Knife 51. With the Marines aboard, Fisk followed Davis and McNemar in boarding Knife 51. Here, Fisk requests permission to deplane, and as he moved to do so, two marines stumbled aboard, out of the darkness. Fisk locates Davis and asked whether all his men were aboard, confirming they were. Fisk, for a final time requests, and receives permission to deplane Knife 51, with McNemar waiting by Knife 51 as Fisk hastily searched the beach. With illumination rounds from Cambodian mortars, Fisk returns to Knife 51 where McNemar jumps aboard, and Knife 51, some 10 minutes after landing, departs Koh Tang, for the Coral Sea
## U.S. Marines left behind and subsequent controversy
Due to the intense direct and indirect fire during the operation, the bodies of Marines and airmen who were killed in action were left where they fell including LCpl Ashton Loney, whose body was left behind in the darkness during the evacuation of the West Beach.
With each withdrawal, the Marines contracted their perimeter on the West Beach. Lance Corporal John S. Standfast, squad leader, 3rd Squad, 3rd Platoon, Company E and his squad covered Company G's withdrawal during the reduction of the perimeter, and he then singlehandedly directed the pullback of his own squad. Before withdrawing to the safety of the new perimeter, Standfast and his platoon guide Sergeant Andersen moved forward to the old perimeter to ensure that no member of the company inadvertently had been left behind, each time checking every foxhole. As the Company E commander Captain Mykle E. Stahl prepared to board Jolly Green 44 he informed Captain Davis that all of his men were inside the perimeter, not realising that three Marines of an M60 machine gun team had set up a firing position behind a rocky outcrop beyond the right flank of the perimeter.
Even as Knife 51 left the West Beach, there was confusion as to whether any Marines remained on Koh Tang. The pilot, First Lieutenant Brims, radioed the FAC that some Marines aboard claimed there were still fellow Marines on the ground, but this was soon contradicted by Davis who said that all Marines were off Koh Tang. Two hours after the evacuation was completed, with the Koh Tang Marines dispersed among three Navy ships, Company E commander Captain Stahl discovered that three of his Marines were missing.
The Marines checked all of the Navy ships but could not locate Lance Corporal Joseph N. Hargrove, Private First Class Gary L. Hall, and Private Danny G. Marshall, members of a three-man machine gun team which had been assigned to protect the right flank of the constantly shrinking perimeter during the final evacuation. Sergeant Andersen was the last member of the Marine force to see Hall, Hargrove and Marshall alive at about 20:00 when he ordered them to move back to a new position which was located to the left of the position occupied by Captain Davis.
Just after 20:20 USAF Staff Sergeant Robert Velie on the ABCCC aircraft received a radio transmission from an American asking when the next helicopter was coming to extract them. After Velie received the authentication code from the caller to confirm this was not a Khmer Rouge ploy, Velie's commander radioed the Holt to advise that Marines were still on the island. Holt radioed back that the Marines should swim out to sea for rescue, but when Velie passed this message back to the caller he was told this wasn't possible because only one of the three could swim. Velie advised the caller to take cover as air strikes were about to hit the area. The caller confirmed this and no further radio contact was received.
A rescue operation was proposed using Marine volunteers aboard the only three serviceable helicopters. On Coral Sea the Commander of Task Force 73, Rear Admiral Robert P. Coogan met with Austin. Davis, McNemar and Coulter, who had just arrived from Subic Bay with a 14-man U.S. Navy SEAL team to consider possible options. Coogan asked Coulter to take Wilson's gig ashore in daylight unarmed under a white flag with leaflets dropped and Wilson broadcasting the crew's intentions to recover the American bodies and determine the status of the missing men if possible, but Coulter was sceptical and instead proposed taking his team ashore for a night reconnaissance, but this was refused by Coogan.
Coogan had to weigh up the order from Seventh Fleet to cease hostile actions against the Khmer Rouge against the lack of evidence that any of the men were still alive, he decided that there would be no rescue mission unless there was some confirmation that the three Marines were still alive. The following morning Wilson cruised back and forth between the West and East Beaches for three hours broadcasting messages in English, French and Khmer saying that they had no hostile intent, but simply wished to retrieve any U.S. personnel dead or alive on the Koh Tang and would send an unarmed boat ashore if the Khmer Rouge signalled them.
Half of Wilson's crew was on deck scanning the beaches and jungle for any sign of the missing Marines, but no signal was received from the Khmer Rouge or the missing Marines. With no indication that the three Marines were still alive and the certainty that more lives would be lost in any forced rescue attempt, a return to Koh Tang was ruled out and Wilson departed the area. Hargrove, Hall and Marshall were declared Missing in Action and then on 21 July 1976 their status was changed to Killed in Action (Body Not Recovered).
In 1985, an eyewitness report indicated that a wounded American had been captured on Koh Tang after the assault and was subsequently executed. The NSA intercepted Cambodian messages which referred to 'the American that was captured' with orders not to talk about this. In 1999 Em Son approached the Joint Task Force-Full Accounting (JTF-FA) on learning that they were looking for further information regarding the events on Koh Tang. Em Son advised that on the morning on 16 May he ordered his men to search the West Beach for any remaining Americans.
About 100 m from the beach one of the Khmer Rouge was hit by M16 fire. The Khmer Rouge then fired mortars and encircled the firing position, capturing one American with a leg wound. Em Son's description of the American matched that of Joseph Hargrove. The Khmer Rouge continued their search and located an abandoned M60 machine gun, various equipment and the covered body of a black American soldier. Em Son ordered the dead American (presumably Ashton Loney) buried and the prisoner taken to his headquarters. When Em Son was advised that the Khmer Rouge hit by M16 fire had died, he ordered the American to be shot.
Approximately one week after the assault, Em Son's men noticed that their leftover food was being disturbed and on searching they found bootprints in the mud. They set up a night ambush and on the third night they captured two Americans matching the descriptions of Gary Hall and Danny Marshall. Em Son radioed Kampong Som and was ordered to deliver the Americans to the mainland. The following morning the two Americans were taken by boat to the mainland and then driven to the Ti Nean Pagoda above Sihanoukville where they were stripped to their underwear and shackled. After one week, on orders from Phnom Penh, each American was beaten to death with a B-40 rocket launcher. Hall's body was buried in a shallow grave near the beach. Marshall's was dumped on the beach cove.
Recovery efforts in 1999 by the JTF-FA later found bone fragments that might have belonged to Hall and Marshall, but DNA tests proved inconclusive due to the small size of the fragments. Hargrove, Hall and Marshall all received Purple Hearts from the U.S. Marine Corps. Hargrove's family did not receive the award until 1999, after investigative journalist and author Ralph Wetterhahn published several articles in popular magazines about his findings.
In 2007, Hargrove's cousin, Cary Turner, began a campaign to have Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC), the successor agency to JTF-FA, return to Koh Tang to search for Hargrove's remains. In October 2008 JPAC was reported to have found four sets of remains in an area indicated by Em Son as being where the American suspected to be Hargrove was buried. One of the sets of remains was said to be Caucasian in nature, but DNA analysis was needed before the identity could be confirmed.
In 2016 the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA), the successor to JPAC, announced that it had recovered Hall's ID card and other items from an empty grave on the island and later acknowledged having recovered a US radio and flak jacket from near where Knife 51 had taken off.
## Aftermath
### Casualties
U.S. estimates of Khmer Rouge casualties were 13–25 killed on Koh Tang with an unknown number killed on Swift Boats and on the Cambodian mainland.
U.S. casualties were 10 Marines, two Navy corpsmen, and an Air Force crewman killed in the crash of Knife 31; an Air Force crewman killed in the crash of Knife 21; one Marine killed in action on the West Beach; and three Marines missing in action and presumed dead. Fifty were wounded including thirty-five Marines and six airmen. In addition, eighteen USAF Security Police and five flight crew were killed in the CH-53 crash on the way to U-Tapao.
Between 1991 and 1999, U.S. and Cambodian investigators conducted seven joint investigations, led by the JTF-FA. On three occasions Cambodian authorities unilaterally turned over remains believed to be those of American servicemen. In October and November 1995, U.S. and Cambodian specialists conducted an underwater recovery of the Knife 31 crash site where they located numerous remains, personal effects and aircraft debris associated with the loss. USS Brunswick, a U.S. Navy salvage vessel, enabled the specialists to conduct their excavation offshore. In addition to the support provided by the Cambodian government, the Government of Vietnam also interviewed two Vietnamese informants in Ho Chi Minh City who turned over remains that were later positively identified. As a result of these investigations the remains of Second Lieutenant Richard Vandegeer, Lance Corporals Gregory S Copenhaver and Andres Garcia and Privates First Class Lynn Blessing, Walter Boyd, Antonio R Sandoval and Kelton R. Turner were identified. In 2012 the remains of PFC James Jacques, PFC Richard W Rivenburgh and PFC James Maxwell were identified. An US Department of Defense Factsheet of US MIAs in Cambodia dated April 27, 2021 reports: “Witnesses have assisted in identifying recovery sites on Koh Tang, the island associated with the Mayaguez incident. Thirteen of the 18 Americans missing from that incident have been recovered and identified".
### Awards
Four Airmen were awarded the Air Force Cross for their actions during the battle:
- Captain Rowland Purser, pilot of Jolly Green 43
- First Lieutenant Donald Backlund, pilot of Jolly Green 11
- First Lieutenant Richard C. Brims, pilot of Knife 51
- Staff Sergeant Jon Harston, flight mechanic of Knife 31
Second Lieutenant James V. McDaniel, platoon commander of Company G, 2/9 Marines was awarded the Navy Cross.
Two Airmen and four Marines were awarded the Silver Star:
- Technical Sergeant Wayne Fisk, a pararescueman on Knife 51.
- First Lieutenant Bob Blough, pilot of Jolly Green 44.
- Lieutenant Colonel Randall W. Austin, the commanding officer of 2/9 Marines.
- First Lieutenant Michael S. Eustis, USMC, the artillery liaison officer of 2/9 Marines.
- First Lieutenant James D. Keith, USMC, the executive officer of Company G, 2/9 Marines.
- First Lieutenant Terry L. Tonkin, USMC, the forward air controller of 2/9 Marines.
Although the Mayaguez incident did not occur in Vietnam, it is commonly referred to as the last battle of the Vietnam War. However, U.S. military personnel who participated in it are not eligible for the Vietnam Service Medal by virtue of participating in that battle alone. The Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal is authorized instead for military members who participated in the battle. A congressional bill was introduced in 2016 to award veterans of the Mayaguez battle the medal, but the bill was referred to committee, effectively ending it.
### Impact on Kampuchea
The U.S. air attacks destroyed a large part of the Khmer Navy and Air Force weakening them for the war with Vietnam over the disputed islands. In mid-June Vietnam attacked Poulo Wai and fought the Khmer Rouge before withdrawing in August and recognising it as Kampuchean territory. Relations between the two countries improved thereafter until early 1977 when the Kampuchean Revolutionary Army began attacking Vietnamese border provinces, killing hundreds of Vietnamese civilians which eventually resulted in the Cambodian–Vietnamese War starting in December 1978.
For the Khmer Rouge leadership the fact that the U.S. attacked them even after they had announced the release of the Mayaguez and its crew, combined with memories of Operation Freedom Deal (U.S. bombing of Cambodia) prior to August 1973 reinforced their beliefs that the U.S. "imperialists" were determined to undermine their revolution. The increasingly paranoid Khmer Rouge presumed that any foreigners captured in the country and purged Khmer Rouge (including Hu Nim), were CIA spies and would torture them at Tuol Sleng until they obtained confessions confirming their beliefs after which they would be executed.
### Impact on Thailand
In discussing the possible Thai response to the operation, Kissinger told the NSC that the Thai government would be upset, "but they will also be reassured" and "the Thai military will love it." As news of the operation reached Bangkok protests began outside the U.S. Embassy. U-Tapao air base had been used by U.S. rescue forces despite an explicit refusal of permission by the relatively new civilian Thai government of Kukrit Pramoj. After being refused by the Thai government, the US sought and obtained permission from the Thai military to proceed, resulting in considerable anger towards the United States. The Thai government called the act a violation of Thailand's sovereignty and called for the immediate withdrawal of all U.S. forces from U-Tapao. As a result, the USAF implemented Palace Lightning and all USAF bases were closed and the last USAF personnel left Thailand in June 1976.
### Impact on the United States
The reaction of the U.S. public was favorable with President Ford's overall approval rating rising 11 percentage points. However Ford's public approval ratings fell off quickly and precipitously as details of the incident and casualty figures became better known.
Some congressmen were dissatisfied with the level of consultation they received under the War Powers Resolution. Senator Mike Mansfield was the most critical, saying "we were informed, not consulted". In 1977 Senator Thomas Eagleton introduced an amendment to the War Powers Resolution that added the rescue of nationals to the list of situations not requiring prior approval by Congress, but also stipulating that only minimum force would be used in rescue. Eagleton's proposed amendment did not pass and similar amendments have been proposed since but also not progressed.
On 23 June 1975, the House of Representatives Subcommittee on International Political and Military Affairs asked the General Accounting Office to review all aspects of the incident. On the War Powers Resolution, the General Accounting Office report's assessment was "The available evidence suggests less than full compliance with Section 3 [of the War Powers Resolution]."
The paramount objective during the crisis, as Scowcroft later explained, "was to make it clear, to everyone, to our friends, to potential opponents, that notwithstanding the fact that we had just withdrawn from Southeast Asia under fairly ignominious circumstances, if you will, that the United States understood its interests and was prepared to protect them." Schlesinger later said the same thing, acknowledging the primary reason for the use of force was “to make quite clear to all parties that the United States was still an effective force." Although the general goal was to reinforce the US reputation for defending its interests, the main concern in that regard was the Korean Peninsula. As Scowcroft related in 1980, "To the extent that we were looking anywhere specifically, it was primarily probably not Southeast Asia at that time, but at Korea," where the renewal of the long-simmering conflict between the two Koreas was considered a real possibility.
In November 1975 Schlesinger was dismissed as Secretary of Defense due to his perceived insubordination during the crisis.
### Impact on U.S. military rescue planning
The U.S. military received much criticism for its handling of the incident. In addition to the failure of intelligence to determine the whereabouts of the crew of Mayaguez and the presence of a sizable hostile force on Koh Tang, the timing of the operation was questioned until it became clear that combat had been underway four hours before the crew was released. Within the services, the Marines in particular were critical of the ad hoc nature of the joint operation and the perceived pressure from the Administration for hasty action, although the success of Operation Frequent Wind had been the basis for many decisions made during the crisis.
Vice Admiral George P. Steele, the Seventh Fleet commander, later stated that: "The sad part of the Mayaguez is that we had sufficient force coming up with the Seventh Fleet, after it had been turned around from the evacuation of Vietnam stand down, to seize Southern Cambodia. I begged for another day or two, rather than commit forces piecemeal as we did .... The idea that we could use U.S. Air Force air police and Air Force helicopters as an assault force appears to me as ridiculous today as it did then."
When many of the coordination and communications problems arose again during Operation Eagle Claw, the hostage rescue mission in Iran in 1980, significant changes in joint and special operations were brought about.
### Legal action by crew
In April 1977 some Mayaguez crew members brought lawsuits in admiralty law at the San Francisco Superior Court against Sea-Land Service Inc relating to the incident. The crew members claimed that Captain Miller was derelict in his duty by "recklessly venturing into known dangerous and hostile waters of foreign sovereignty (Cambodia)" inviting the capture. Evidence was provided that Mayaguez was not flying a flag, and had sailed about two nautical miles off Poulo Wai. In June 1977, a settlement was reached. In February 1979 another settlement was reached by other crew members, making a total settlement of \$388,000 to the crew members taking legal action.
### Memorials
In 1996 the Mayaguez-Marine Corps Memorial was dedicated in the grounds of the U.S. embassy in Phnom Penh by then Ambassador Kenneth M. Quinn and Senator John McCain. The memorial lists the names of the 18 U.S. servicemembers killed and missing at Koh Tang, along with Marine Security Guard Sergeant Charles "Wayne" Turberville, who was killed in a Khmer Rouge grenade attack on 26 September 1971. The former Knife 22, number 68-10928, upgraded to MH-53M Pave Low is on display at Memorial Air Park, Hurlburt Field, Florida.
## See also
- Khmer National Navy
- List of hostage crises
|
34,149,742 |
2011 New Zealand Labour Party leadership election
| 1,147,062,474 |
None
|
[
"2011 elections in New Zealand",
"2011 political party leadership elections",
"Indirect elections",
"New Zealand Labour Party leadership elections"
] |
The 2011 New Zealand Labour Party leadership election was held on 13 December 2011 to choose the thirteenth Leader of the New Zealand Labour Party. A Deputy Leader and a senior and a junior whip were also elected. Following the Labour Party's loss in the 2011 general election, leader Phil Goff and deputy leader Annette King resigned, prompting the leadership election, which was conducted as a secret ballot of the Labour caucus.
David Cunliffe, David Shearer and David Parker stood for the leadership, and Nanaia Mahuta and Grant Robertson contested the deputy position. Cunliffe and Mahuta ran as a ticket. During the campaign Parker pulled out of the race and endorsed Shearer. Shearer and Robertson won the votes for their respective positions. Chris Hipkins and Darien Fenton were chosen as the senior and junior whips, respectively.
## Background
At the 2008 general election, the Fifth Labour Government, led by Helen Clark, was defeated by John Key's National Party. Following Clark's election-night resignation, Phil Goff was unanimously elected as the party's leader, with Annette King as deputy, and Darren Hughes and Steve Chadwick as the senior and junior whips, respectively. The party lost more support in the 26 November 2011 general election; its popular vote dipped to 27% – its worst-ever result under the mixed-member proportional representation system – and its number of MPs was reduced from forty-three to thirty-four. On 29 November 2011, Goff and King announced their resignations, effective 13 December. New whips also had to be chosen because Rick Barker (who replaced Hughes as the senior whip in April 2011, following Hughes leaving Parliament) and Chadwick were not re-elected to Parliament.
## Candidates
Former Cabinet ministers David Cunliffe (MP for New Lynn) and Nanaia Mahuta (Hauraki-Waikato) ran as a ticket for the leadership and deputy leadership, respectively. Former minister and list MP David Parker and 2009 Mount Albert by-election winner David Shearer were candidates for the party leadership, and Wellington Central representative Grant Robertson sought the deputy leadership. Shane Jones considered standing for the deputy leadership, but in the end did not run. Parker stated his preference for Robertson as deputy leader. Shearer did not indicate a preferred deputy.
Shearer was viewed as unlikely to win the election; Claire Trevett of The New Zealand Herald originally expected that only Cunliffe and Parker would run for the leader's role, and The Dominion Post's Vernon Small wrote that "Mr Shearer's bid is seen as a way to lift his profile". Political commentator Bryce Edwards said that Cunliffe was the more appealing candidate to the public, and described Parker and Robertson as "sort of Phil Goff clones".
## Campaign
Labour Party president Moira Coatsworth stated that the leadership contest would be a "robust contest of ideas", and suggested to the party's caucus that a series of meetings with party members be held around New Zealand. These were held from 6 to 11 December in six major cities—Hamilton, Palmerston North, Wellington, Christchurch, Dunedin and Auckland. The party membership was then encouraged to give feedback to the party caucus, who would vote in the election. On 30 November Cunliffe, Parker and Shearer were interviewed by Mark Sainsbury on the current affairs programme Close Up. The television show held a text message poll in which viewers voted for their preferred leader of the party. Over 7,500 people took part; Shearer received 50% of the support, Cunliffe 31% and Parker 19%. The following day, Parker pulled out of the leadership race and put his support behind Shearer. Shearer and Cunliffe were interviewed by Guyon Espiner on political talkshow Q+A on 4 December. During the interview, both candidates indicated their support for the introduction of a capital gains tax, which was a key part of Labour's tax policy during the 2011 general election campaign. Both also disagreed with the 2008 Employment Relations Amendment Act (90-day workplace trial), and wanted New Zealand to invest further in research and development; Shearer mentioned striving for a more green economy. On 9 December, Horizon Research released a demographically-weighted survey which found that 35.4% of adult New Zealanders supported Shearer's bid for the leadership, and 19.9% backed Cunliffe.
## Outcome and aftermath
The election took place on 13 December 2011 and comprised a secret ballot of the thirty-four Labour caucus members, meaning a candidate had to receive the support of eighteen MPs to win. Shearer was elected the party leader, Robertson the deputy leader, Chris Hipkins the senior whip and Darien Fenton the junior whip. Upon election, Shearer stated, "I am a fresh face for Labour and I represent a fresh start for New Zealand." Both One News' Espiner and 3 News reported that Shearer received about twenty-two of the thirty-four votes for the leadership position; however, Coatsworth stipulated that the election was secret and that she was the only person who had access to the ballot papers, which were destroyed. Robertson and Jacinda Ardern publicly supported Shearer, and Carmel Sepuloni backed Cunliffe.
On 19 December, Shearer announced a reshuffle of the Labour front bench—Parker replaced Cunliffe in the finance portfolio and number three ranking, Ardern took the number four spot as social development spokesperson, while Cunliffe moved down to number five and gained the economic development portfolio. Clayton Cosgrove (number six) became responsible for state owned enterprises and commerce, Jones (number seven) took regional development and fisheries and Mahuta (number eight) picked up education. Shearer himself took the science and innovation portfolio, while Robertson was made environment spokesperson.
|
20,672,258 |
The Twilight Saga: New Moon
| 1,170,878,388 |
2009 American romantic fantasy film
|
[
"2000s American films",
"2000s English-language films",
"2000s romantic fantasy films",
"2000s teen fantasy films",
"2000s teen romance films",
"2009 films",
"American romantic fantasy films",
"American sequel films",
"American teen romance films",
"American vampire films",
"American werewolf films",
"Films based on American novels",
"Films directed by Chris Weitz",
"Films produced by Karen Rosenfelt",
"Films produced by Wyck Godfrey",
"Films scored by Alexandre Desplat",
"Films set in Italy",
"Films set in Washington (state)",
"Films set in a movie theatre",
"Films shot in Tuscany",
"Films shot in Vancouver",
"Films with screenplays by Melissa Rosenberg",
"Human-werewolf romance in fiction",
"Summit Entertainment films",
"Temple Hill Entertainment films",
"The Twilight Saga (film series)"
] |
The Twilight Saga: New Moon (or simply New Moon) is a 2009 American romantic fantasy film directed by Chris Weitz from a screenplay by Melissa Rosenberg, based on the 2006 novel New Moon by Stephenie Meyer. The sequel to Twilight (2008), it is the second installment in The Twilight Saga film series. The film stars Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, and Taylor Lautner, reprising their roles as Bella Swan, Edward Cullen, and Jacob Black, respectively.
Summit Entertainment announced it had greenlit the film on November 22, 2008, following the early success of Twilight. Principal photography began on March 23, 2009, in Vancouver, Canada, and ended in Montepulciano, Italy on May 29.
The Twilight Saga: New Moon premiered in Los Angeles on November 16, 2009, and was theatrically released in the United States on November 20, by Summit Entertainment. The film received generally negative reviews from critics, criticizing its story, Weitz' direction, its more darker tone was criticized and praised, with Lautner's performance being criticized as well, but praised its visual effects, Pattinson's performance, pacing and Desplats musical score received critical acclaim. the film grossed \$709.8 million worldwide, becoming the seventh-highest-grossing film of 2009. It set domestic box office records as the biggest midnight opening in the United States and Canada, grossing \$26.3 million, which was superseded by its sequel, The Twilight Saga: Eclipse. This led to the highest single-day domestic gross on an opening day, with \$72.7 million, until it was beaten by Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 (2011). The film also became the widest independent release, playing in 4,024 theaters, until it was surpassed by The Twilight Saga: Eclipse. New Moon was released on DVD and Blu-ray Disc on March 20, 2010. As of July 2012, the film has grossed \$184.9 million in North American DVD sales, selling more than 8.8 million units, four million of which were sold within its first weekend, beating Twilight's 3.8 million units sold in its first two days.
The film received three sequels, The Twilight Saga: Eclipse, The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1, and The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2, in 2010, 2011, and 2012, respectively.
## Plot
On her eighteenth birthday, Bella Swan awakens from a dream where she is an old woman and Edward Cullen, her immortal vampire boyfriend, is forever young. Despite her lack of enthusiasm, Edward's family host a birthday reception for her at their residence. While unwrapping a gift, she receives a paper cut. Edward's foster brother, Jasper, is overwhelmed by the scent of Bella's blood and attempts to attack her but is restrained. Believing that he and his family are putting her life in danger, Edward ends their relationship, and the Cullens leave Forks.
Bella is left severely depressed and isolated for months. Her concerned father, Charlie, wants to send Bella to live with her mother in Jacksonville, Florida. She refuses, promising to spend more time with her other school friends. After she and Jessica see a movie, Bella approaches some rough-looking bikers outside the theater, much to Jessica's dismay. The dangerous encounter reminds Bella of a previous near-assault where Edward rescued her. She imagines seeing and hearing him and realizes that thrill-seeking activities evoke his image.
Bella's Quileute friend Jacob Black helps ease her pain by engaging her in various activities. He says that many of his friends follow and obey Sam, another Quileute. While attending a movie with Bella and Mike, Jacob abruptly leaves after becoming inexplicably upset and suffering a burning fever. Bella drives to his home after he avoids seeing her. Jacob has cut his long hair and now has the same Quileute tattoo on his upper right arm as Sam and other tribe members. He tells Bella to stay away.
When Bella hikes to the meadow that she and Edward often visited, she is confronted by Victoria's vampire companion Laurent. As he is about to kill her, a wolf pack appears and attacks him. Bella eventually discovers that Jacob and the other tribe members are giant werewolves. Their age-old enemies are vampires, though a treaty exists between the Cullens and the tribe. Jacob's pack members are currently on alert for Victoria, the vampire seeking to avenge her mate, James, whom Edward killed to protect Bella. With Jacob focused on adapting to his new shape-shifting powers, Bella again finds herself alone and returns to seeking thrill-inducing activities, deliberately oblivious to Victoria's presence.
Through a series of miscommunications, Edward believes that Bella has killed herself after Edward's sister Alice has a vision of Bella jumping off a seaside cliff. Distraught, Edward travels to Italy to ask the Volturi (a powerful coven that act as vampiric overlords) to end his life, as he is incapable of doing so himself. When they refuse his request, he plans to force their hand by exposing himself as a vampire to humans during a large festival. Alice returns to Forks, shocked to find Bella is still alive.
Alice and Bella travel to Italy to save Edward, arriving in time to prevent him from revealing himself as a vampire. Overjoyed that Bella is alive, he confesses that he left Forks out of concern for her and promises never to leave again. Edward defends Bella from Felix, one of the Volturi, as the Volturi do not allow humans to confide in vampire society, but Edward is easily overpowered. As the Volturi are about to kill him, Bella asks that they kill her instead.
Impressed by a human's willingness to sacrifice her life for a vampire, the Volturi determine that Bella, knowing that vampires exist, must either be killed or be transformed into a vampire. Alice shares her vision of Bella as a vampire with Aro, a Volturi elder able to read thoughts through touch. Aro decides to let them go after extracting a promise that Bella be turned eventually. After returning to Forks, Bella asks the Cullens to vote on her becoming a vampire. Much to Edward and Rosalie’s chagrin, everyone else votes yes.
Jacob reminds Edward that the years-old treaty with Quileute will be broken if any Cullen bites a human, but Bella tells Jacob it is her choice, not the Cullens'.
At the meadows, Edward admits that he will let Bella transform into a vampire only if she agrees to marry him. Initially Bella refuses, but contemplates doing so afterwards (serving as the plot for the next movie).
## Cast
- Kristen Stewart as Bella Swan, a teenage girl who falls into a deep depression after her true love, Edward Cullen, leaves her. Her friendship with Jacob Black is expanded as she realizes that he can mend the hole left open by Edward.
- Robert Pattinson as Edward Cullen, Bella's vampire boyfriend who abruptly leaves town to protect her.
- Taylor Lautner as Jacob Black, a cheerful companion who eases Bella's pain over losing Edward. He reveals to Bella that he is part of a pack of werewolves whose main goal is to protect her from the vampires Laurent and Victoria.
- Ashley Greene as Alice Cullen, a member of the Cullen family who can see "subjective" visions of the future and who develops a deep friendship with Bella
- Rachelle Lefevre as Victoria Sutherland, a ruthless vampire who wants to avenge her lover, James This would be her final appearance as the character before being replaced by Bryce Dallas Howard in the next installment a year later.
- Billy Burke as Charlie Swan, Bella's father and Forks' Chief of Police
- Peter Facinelli as Carlisle Cullen, leader and father figure of the Cullen family
- Nikki Reed as Rosalie Hale, a member of the Cullen family
- Kellan Lutz as Emmett Cullen, a member of the Cullen family
- Jackson Rathbone as Jasper Hale, a member of the Cullen family who thirsts for Bella's blood after she receives a paper cut. He has the ability to manipulate emotions.
- Anna Kendrick as Jessica Stanley, Bella's self-involved friend
- Michael Sheen as Aro, the leader of an ancient Italian vampire coven known as the Volturi
- Dakota Fanning as Jane, a guard of the Volturi who has the ability to torture people with illusions of pain
- Elizabeth Reaser as Esme Cullen, Carlisle's wife and the mother figure of the Cullen family
- Edi Gathegi as Laurent Da Revin, a vampire who wants to kill Bella, because he thirsts for her blood
- Noot Seear as Heidi, who leads the tourists into the Volturi's chamber and urges them to stay together while Demetri leads Bella, Alice and Edward in the opposite direction. Heidi's special ability is to make herself attractive to other people, regardless of species or gender.
- Michael Welch as Mike Newton, Bella's friend who has a crush on her. He joins her on a date with Jacob.
- Chaske Spencer as Sam Uley, Alpha of the Wolf Pack
- Tyson Houseman as Quil Ateara
- Kiowa Gordon as Embry Call
- Alex Meraz as Paul Lahote
- Bronson Pelletier as Jared Cameron
- Graham Greene as Harry Clearwater, a Quileute elder and Charlie's friend
- Gil Birmingham as Billy Black, a Quileute elder and Jacob's physically disabled father
- Christian Serratos as Angela Weber, Bella's shy but caring friend
- Justin Chon as Eric Yorkie, Bella's friend and Angela's boyfriend
- Tinsel Korey as Emily Young, Sam's imprinted fiancée whom he once hurt unintentionally
- Jamie Campbell Bower as Caius, a Volturi elder who is very strict about vampire laws
- Christopher Heyerdahl as Marcus, a Volturi elder who has the gift of seeing the relationship connections between people
- Justine Wachsberger as Gianna, Volturi's human secretary
- Cameron Bright as Alec, Jane's brother who has the ability to cut off senses
- Charlie Bewley as Demetri, a Volturi guard who is a gifted tracker
- Daniel Cudmore as Felix, a Volturi guard who has supreme strength
## Production
### Development
In early November 2008, Summit Entertainment obtained the film adaptation rights to the remaining novels in the Twilight book series, New Moon, Eclipse, and Breaking Dawn. On November 22, 2008, one day after the theatrical release of Twilight, Summit confirmed that they would begin working on New Moon. Author Stephenie Meyer said, "I don't think any other author has had a more positive experience with the makers of her movie adaptation than I have had with Summit Entertainment." In early December 2008, it was announced that Twilight director Catherine Hardwicke would not be returning to direct the sequel. Hardwicke cited time restrictions as the reason behind her leaving the project. On December 13, 2008, it was announced that Chris Weitz had been hired to direct New Moon. Weitz released a statement shortly after the announcement, assuring fans that he would "protect on their behalf the characters, [the] themes and story they love." He continued by saying, "This is not a task to be taken lightly, and I will put every effort into realizing a beautiful film to stand alongside a beautiful book."
Screenwriter Melissa Rosenberg had been working on adapting the novel prior to Twilight's release and handed in the draft for New Moon during Twilight's opening weekend in November 2008, adding, "I would sit down at ten o'clock in the morning and work on [the script]... until six o'clock in the evening." Rosenberg spent the months of June through October 2008 alternating between writing for the Showtime television series Dexter and writing New Moon on weekends. She and Meyer kept in touch during this five-month period.
### Casting
Due to major physical changes that occur in the character of Jacob Black between Twilight and New Moon, Weitz considered replacing Taylor Lautner in the sequel with an actor who could more accurately portray "the new, larger Jacob Black". In an attempt to keep the role, Lautner weight-trained extensively and gained approximately 30 pounds. In January 2009, Weitz and Summit Entertainment announced that Lautner would continue to play the role of Jacob in the sequel. In an interview, fellow cast member Kristen Stewart talked about Lautner's transformation saying, "He's an entirely different person physically."
In late March 2009, Summit Entertainment released a list of the actors who would be portraying the "wolf pack" alongside Lautner. The casting for the rest of the Quileute tribe was headed by casting director Rene Haynes, who has worked on films with large Native American casts, such as Dances with Wolves and Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee. A casting call was also held in Vancouver in February 2009, specifically asking for "any first nations/aboriginal actors and actresses between the ages of 15 and 25".
### Filming
Pre-production for New Moon began in December 2008. Principal photography was scheduled to begin on March 23, 2009 in Vancouver, but began a few days early. Weitz envisioned a warm color palette for the sequel, contrary to the first film in the series, whose blue tones were prevalent. His intention resulted in golden tones, a change that was inspired by Italian paintings, and ultimately served as the basis for the crew's collaborative work. The approach also included the use of specific colors at certain points in the movie. For example, although Jacob's house is red, the color does not dominate until the climax of the movie. The director noted that, "The square becomes a flood of red, that's how conscious we were of every visual aspect."
The use of film, rather than digital, cameras added to the "old-fashioned" nature of the production. Two main Panavision cameras, a high-speed Arri 435 camera capable of shooting at 150 frames per second, a Steadicam, and VistaVision cameras for visual effect shots were among the equipment used to bring the book to the big screen. As with the use of specific colors, the different cameras and shooting setups would help serve the story points. When Bella was with Edward, the camera was moved on a dolly, in a very rigid, straight line to reflect how their relationship was "perfect". When Bella is with Jacob, the Steadicam provided a fluid and organic style; and when she is with her schoolmates, a slangy visual language was reflected by a handheld.
Once the film went into production, the decision to shoot in Vancouver, rather than in Portland, came after debate on how to match the locations that were introduced in the first film. One member involved in the decision process pointed out that Vancouver had been scouted as a potential setting for Twilight, and it was only because the U.S. dollar had, at that time, dropped below the Canadian dollar that Oregon drew Twilight principal photography to Portland and its surrounding areas. Vancouver was chosen because it allowed a higher production value, while the surrounding areas contained beautiful forests and gray weather. With this decision, however, came the issue of reconstructing key sets that were used in the first film. For the exterior of Forks High School, crew members were able to find a parking lot, but the school's steps needed to be filmed with a greenscreen backing to match those that were originally presented in Twilight. David Thompson Secondary School would then be able to serve as the interior for the high school scenes.
The Cullen house was one of the major "match" assignments, mainly because of the Portland area location's unique design. The production team agreed upon finding a house in the Vancouver area with an interior that emulated the high ceilings, glass walls, and forest surroundings of the first location. One location was positively compared to the one in Portland, and therefore Weitz and the production team filmed portions of the film there. In order to keep with the design of the original house, portions of the story that took place in New Moon were moved to different sections of the house that were not seen before.
After scouting Vancouver for a place to film scenes that involved the Swan house, the decision was made to recreate the house on an empty lot with a tree line and approaching road. The production team was able to rearrange the exterior of the house to match that in the first movie. When faced with creating the interior, the team measured the house in Portland, and built various pieces of the house on the lot and on a stage in Vancouver. The second film also attempted to clarify the location of Bella's room, which, as seen in the first film, seemed to be located in the front of the house, when in reality it was on the right-hand side. Complications arose when the Portland house was repainted after Twilight's release, which took away the aging the house had come to depict in the film. When recreating the house, the production team referenced the first film on high-definition Blu-ray Disc.
As a director, Weitz had the pleasure of introducing and filming on new locations and sets. Of particular interest was the Quileute reservation and Jacob's house. Using the Quileute country in Washington as a basis, the production team decided to place Jacob's house on the edges of the territory, rather than in the community, because of Jacob's attachment to the wolves. To Weitz, Jacob's house was the stepping stone into the forest world, where the reality of the werewolves is hidden. The production designer was faced with a "real world" versus "book world" challenge when the barn they located, described in the book as a red barn, was green. Initially bordered by a green fence, the decision of painting the barn, aging it, and renovating the exterior proved to be a layout that fit well with Jacob's character.
After scouting more than twelve possible locations to film scenes that would take place in Volterra, Italy, the scouting team selected the town of Montepulciano, which they believe was the best representation of Meyer's description in the book. Principal photography concluded with the scenes that were filmed in this area from May 25 through the 29. For the face-off between the Volturi and Edward, the idea was to have a bigger "bang", rather than just the paralysis of Edward. Initially what was a huge battle with vampires being thrown everywhere turned into a one-on-one fight between Felix and Edward, after receiving a stamp of approval from Meyer. The idea quickly changed from the typical outlandish battle, to portraying Edward as an average guy caught in the middle of a bad situation; for Bella, conveying the feeling of being caught in the middle of a group of vampires fighting was important as well. This scene also required special effects, stunt work, and figuring out how to portray vampires fighting at very fast speeds.
### Visual effects
Overseeing the visual effects department for New Moon was Susan MacLeod, who had previously worked with Weitz during the production of The Golden Compass. MacLeod enlisted Tippett Studio to create the computer-generated wolves, while Prime Focus of Vancouver handled the effects of the vampires. To prepare for the aggressive task of making the wolves look real, Tippet artists studied wolf culture. They also were able to reflect leadership and human muscle size by adjusting certain features of the wolves, such as their fat and height. In February 2009, a group of artists were able to travel to Wolf Mountain Sanctuary, outside of Los Angeles, and see real wolves. The artists were able to observe the behavior of both the timber and arctic wolves, who ran in packs of three to five. The idea was to give everyone a deeper feeling of the creature that they were creating.
MacLeod explained that creating the shape-shifting werewolves was not an easy task. The wolf work included shooting "plates", or photographic imagery into which CG creations are integrated. Since the book described the wolves as being as big as horses, full-scale aluminum and board wolf cutouts were used as a visual reference for both actors and crew members. Once the actors had a reference, the cutouts would be removed allowing the cameras to capture the scene. In order for the CG wolves to be in sync with the live action cameras and actors' movements, the team used match movers, a land surveying tool that recorded the shooting location's topography with reference marks.
A raw 3D model of Jacob's wolf was the basis for creating the others. A muscle system, which gave the appearance of muscles firing and flexing, contributed to this model. From there, the initial fur layout went to painters who were responsible for its color and groom. They also added characteristics, such as wet hair clumping together, and applied it to the fur. They refined this look before passing it off to the lighting and technical directors.
One challenge for the production team was how to convey Bella's depression once Edward departs. In the novel, these pages were filled with the names of the passing months, and in the movie, would be represented as a visual effects shot with a camera circling around Kristen Stewart. The window that was used for the original film did not quite fit what Weitz was looking for, so the production team created a bay window when recreating the Swan house. The effect was one of the 300 visual effects helmed by Prime Focus led by visual effects supervisor Eric Pascarelli. It required matching two camera shots: one that shot the actress in a chair, and the other shooting the view outside the window as seen from the house built on location. Using a greenscreen, Prime Focus was able to enhance the changing of seasons with computer-generated leaves and falling snow.
### Music
The score for New Moon was composed by Alexandre Desplat while the rest of the soundtrack was chosen by music supervisor Alexandra Patsavas, who also produced the Twilight soundtrack. The Twilight Saga: New Moon: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack was released on October 16, 2009, by Patsavas's Chop Shop label, in conjunction with Atlantic Records. It debuted at number two on the Billboard 200 albums chart, and climbed to number one a week later after selling 153,000 copies in its first full week of release.
## Distribution
### Marketing
In February 2009 it was announced that the franchise would take the name The Twilight Saga with the book's title separated by a colon, though the title that appears on-screen is simply New Moon. The first promotional poster was released on May 19, 2009. On May 31, Robert Pattinson, Kristen Stewart, and Taylor Lautner revealed the film's first trailer at the MTV Movie Awards. Following the release of the trailer, two scenes from the film were presented at the 2009 San Diego Comic-Con. A 14-second preview of the second trailer was released online on August 12, 2009, and the full-length trailer was featured before theater showings of the film Bandslam. The film's third trailer was shown at the MTV Video Music Awards on September 13, 2009. Spike TV also aired a new trailer at the 2009 Scream Awards on October 27, 2009.
American Idol finalist Allison Iraheta hosted an 8-minute block prior to the showing of the film in over 1,200 theaters across the United States, where she talked about her upcoming album and played some tracks, including "Friday I'll Be Over U", "Pieces", and "Trouble Is". In addition, prior to the film's release, author Stephenie Meyer made an appearance on The Oprah Winfrey Show to promote the film.
### Release
Many theater showings sold out as early as two months prior to New Moon's release date. The film set records for advance ticket sales, causing some theaters to add additional showings. The film is also the biggest advance ticket seller on Fandango, surpassing Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith. New Moon accounted for 86 percent of Fandango's online ticket sales the weekend before the film was released, and its total morning ticket sales on November 20, 2009 are estimated to total \$13.9 million.
### Home media
Various midnight release parties were held to help promote the film's DVD and Blu-ray Disc release on March 20, 2010, in the United States and on March 22, 2010, in the United Kingdom.[^1] Special features include an audio commentary by director Chris Weitz and editor Peter Lambert, a behind-the-scenes documentary, and music videos. Unlike the DVD and Blu-ray Disc versions, the Ultimate Fan Edition DVD includes a 7-minute first look at the sequel, The Twilight Saga: Eclipse. Within its first weekend of release in the U.S., the film sold over 4 million units, beating Twilights 3.8 million units sold in its first two days. In North American DVD sales, the film has currently grossed \$185,166,822 and has sold more than 8,864,541 units.
## Reception
### Box office
New Moon set records as the biggest midnight opening in domestic (United States and Canada) box office history, grossing an estimated \$26.3 million in 3,514 theaters. The record was previously held by Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, which grossed \$22.2 million domestically during its midnight premiere. In 2010, the following sequel, The Twilight Saga: Eclipse, broke New Moon's record with \$30 million in over 4,000 theaters but surpassed by Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2, which made \$43.5 million in 2011. The film grossed \$72.7 million on its opening day domestically, becoming the biggest single-day opening in domestic history, beating The Dark Knight'''s \$67.2 million. This opening strongly contributed to another record—the first time that the Top 10 films at the domestic box office had a combined gross of over \$100 million in a single day. The record was later broken in 2011 by Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2, which made \$91.1 million.
New Moon's opening weekend is the ninth-highest opening weekend in domestic history with \$142,839,137 and also is the tenth-highest worldwide opening weekend with \$274.9 million total. At the time of its release, the film achieved the highest weekend debut in November, breaking Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fires record (\$102.7 million) until The Hunger Games: Catching Fire surpassed it with \$158.1 million. With an estimated budget of just under \$50 million, it is the least expensive movie to ever open to more than \$200 million worldwide. On Thanksgiving weekend, the film grossed \$42.5 million, and including Wednesday and Thursday ticket sales, grossed \$66 million. It has earned \$230.7 million in total since opening last week, 22% more than the previous film grossed in its entire theatrical run. Internationally, the film grossed roughly \$85 million over the weekend, adding up to a total worldwide gross of \$473.7 million in 10 days. In its third weekend New Moon grossed \$15.7 million in the domestic market and another \$40.7 million internationally for a worldwide gross of \$570.1 million. In its fourth weekend, the film dropped down to \#4 with an estimated \$10 million, bringing its domestic total to \$296,623,634.
### Critical response
New Moon received generally negative reviews from critics. Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reports that 29% of 231 critics gave the film a positive review, with a rating average of 4.8/10. The site's general consensus is that "The Twilight Saga's second installment may satisfy hardcore fans of the series, but outsiders are likely to be turned off by its slow pace, relentlessly downcast tone and excessive length." On Metacritic, which assigns a weighted mean rating out of 100 reviews from film critics, the film has a rating score of 44 based on 32 reviews. Audiences polled by Cinemascore gave the film an "A−" grade.
Robert Ignizio of the Cleveland Scene described the film as an "entertaining fantasy", and noted that it "has a stronger visual look [than Twilight] and does a better job with its action scenes while still keeping the focus on the central love triangle." Michael O'Sullivan of The Washington Post gave the film two-and-a-half stars out of four, praised Kristen Stewart's performance in the film and wrote, "Despite melodrama that, at times, is enough to induce diabetes, there's enough wolf whistle in this sexy, scary romp to please anyone." The Seattle Post-Intelligencer gave the film a "B" grading and said, "the movie looks tremendous, the dialogue works, there are numerous well placed jokes, the acting is on point."
Time Out New York gave the film 4 stars out of 5, calling it "acceptable escapism for those old enough to see it yet still young enough to shriek at undead dreamboats." Jordan Mintzer from Variety stated, "Stewart is the heart and soul of the film", and added that she "gives both weight and depth to dialogue...that would sound like typical chick-lit blather in the mouth of a less engaging actress, and she makes Bella's psychological wounds seem like the real deal."
British film critic Mark Kermode gave the film a positive review, saying, "After an initial 20-minute dip, when I thought, 'This is actually going to be two hours of mopey-mopey,' I thought it found its feet." He also excused the film's characterization of Taylor Lautner's character, saying, "The sight of the buff, young guys running through the forest with their tops off was slightly smirk-inducing. But it's fine. They know what their target-audience is."
Mick Lasalle from the San Francisco Chronicle responded with a more mixed review, stating, "[E]xpect this film to satisfy its fans. Everybody else, get ready for a bizarre soap opera/pageant, consisting of a succession of static scenes with characters loping into the frame to announce exactly what they're thinking." Digital Spy gave the film 2 stars out of 5, praising Kristen Stewart for "carrying the film on her shoulders and, once again, bringing plenty of soul to a character who might otherwise come across as self-indulgent", but was critical of its lack of action, ultimately calling it "a draining experience". Roger Ebert gave the film 1 star out of 4 and said that it "takes the tepid achievement of Twilight, guts it, and leaves it for undead." Richard Roeper graded New Moon with a C− and called it a "plodding, achingly slow, 130-minute chapter in the saga".
### Accolades
Since its release, New Moon has received several nominations and awards. In March 2010, the film received the ShoWest Fandango Fan Choice Award for 2009's Best Movie. At the 2010 Empire Awards, Pattinson was nominated for Best Actor and Anna Kendrick was nominated for Best Newcomer, the film won the award for Best Fantasy Film, while Pattinson won an award for Best Performance. At the 2010 Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards, the film was nominated for Best Movie, but lost to Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel, Lautner won an award for Favorite Movie Actor, and Jacob and Bella, who were also nominated alongside Edward and Bella, won an award for Best Couple. At the 2010 MTV Movie Awards, Pattinson, who was nominated alongside Stewart and Lautner, won the award for Global Superstar; the Best Male Performance award was also given to Pattinson, who was, again, nominated against Lautner. Stewart and Pattinson won the award for Best Kiss, while New Moon won the award for Best Movie. For the 2010 Teen Choice Awards, held on August 8, the film and its actors were given a combined total of ten nominations, eight of which the film won, and three separate awards going to The Twilight Saga: Eclipse. In addition, the film was nominated for Best Horror Film and Taylor Lautner was nominated for Best Performance by a Younger Actor at the 36th Saturn Awards, but lost to Drag Me to Hell and Saoirse Ronan, respectively. Lautner was also nominated for Best Performance in a Feature Film – Leading Actor at the 2010 Young Artist Awards. However, it was nominated for four Razzies: Worst Supporting Actor (Robert Pattinson), Worst Screen Couple (Kristen Stewart and either Taylor Lautner or Robert Pattinson), Worst Prequel, Remake, Rip-off or Sequel, and Worst Screenplay.
## Sequel
In February 2009, Summit Entertainment scheduled a film adaptation of Eclipse, the third novel in the Twilight series, for release on June 30, 2010. Weitz would not be able to direct the third film of The Twilight Saga as it would be filming while New Moon would be in post-production. David Slade was therefore confirmed as the director of The Twilight Saga: Eclipse on April 22, 2009.
## See also
- Vampire films
[^1]:
|
51,410,668 |
Pakistan at the 2016 Summer Paralympics
| 1,002,744,832 | null |
[
"2016 in Pakistani sport",
"Nations at the 2016 Summer Paralympics",
"Pakistan at the Paralympics"
] |
Pakistan competed at the 2016 Summer Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil from 7 to 18 September 2016. The country's participation in Rio marked its seventh appearance in the quadrennial event. The delegation consisted of the long jump competitor Haider Ali who qualified for the Games by meeting the required standards for the men's long jump T37 in a March 2016 event held in Dubai. On 13 September, he won Pakistan's second Paralympic medal with a mark of 6.28 metres in his event, placing him third.
## Background
Pakistan has taken part in every Summer Paralympic Games since the 1992 edition in Barcelona. Entering the 2016 competition, the highest number of para-athletes sent by Pakistan was nine to the 2004 Games in Athens and the country had medalled once in athletics. The nation participated in the Rio Summer Paralympics from 7 to 18 September 2016. The National Paralympic Committee of Pakistan qualified three athletes for Rio but financial difficulties in March 2016 meant they only fielded one competitor for the Games. These problems were resolved five months later when the committee appealed to sponsors via Facebook to enable their delegation to be sent to Rio and received funding from the Pakistan Sports Board (PSB). The sole athlete to represent the country was the long jump competitor Haider Ali. He travelled with his coach Akbar Ali Mughal along with his manager and the Deputy Director Sports of the National Paralympic Committee of Pakistan Amna. Pakistan was one of several countries to send just one athlete to the Rio Paralympic Games. Ali was selected as the flag bearer for the opening ceremony.
## Disability classifications
Every participant at the Paralympics has their disability grouped into one of five disability categories; amputation, the condition may be congenital or sustained through injury or illness; cerebral palsy; wheelchair athletes, there is often overlap between this and other categories; visual impairment, including blindness; Les autres, any physical disability that does not fall strictly under one of the other categories, for example dwarfism or multiple sclerosis. Each Paralympic sport then has its own classifications, dependent upon the specific physical demands of competition. Events are given a code, made of numbers and letters, describing the type of event and classification of the athletes competing. Some sports, such as athletics, divide athletes by both the category and severity of their disabilities, other sports, for example swimming, group competitors from different categories together, the only separation being based on the severity of the disability.
## Medallists
## Athletics
Haider Ali was 31 years old at the time of the Rio Summer Paralympics and it was his third appearance at the Games. He had previously contested the 2008 and the 2012 editions and won the silver medal in the men's long jump F37–38 at the 2008 Games. Ali qualified for the quadrennial event by meeting the required standards for the men's long jump at the Dubai Rio Paralympics Qualifiers in March 2016. He was classified as FT-37 because the muscles in his right leg are weak from being afflicted by cerebral palsy. In an interview with The News International five days before Ali's event, Imran Jamil Shami, the secretary of the National Paralympic Committee of Pakistan, expressed his confidence that the athlete would deliver the best performance of his career. On 13 September he competed in the final of the men's T37 long jump, setting a best mark of 6.28 metres, placing him third and earning the second Paralympic medal in Pakistani history. After the event, the director of the PSB Akhtar Ganjera stressed that Ali's achievement would help promote the Paralympics in Pakistan and inspire many others in the country to compete at the national and international levels.
### Men's Field
## See also
- Pakistan at the 2016 Summer Olympics
|
31,689,932 |
Kaycee Nicole
| 1,150,713,413 |
Fictitious cancer-suffering teenager portrayed on the internet by an American woman
|
[
"American Internet celebrities",
"Hoaxes in the United States",
"Impostors",
"Internet hoaxes",
"Nonexistent people used in hoaxes",
"People who faked their own death",
"People with factitious disorders"
] |
Kaycee Nicole, a.k.a. Kaycee Nicole Swenson, was a fictitious persona played by an American woman, Debbie Swenson (born Deborah Marie Dickman in 1960), in an early case of Münchausen by Internet. Between 1999 and when the hoax was discovered in 2001, Swenson, playing the role of Kaycee, represented herself on numerous websites as a teenager suffering from terminal leukemia. Kaycee was reported to have died on May 14, 2001, and her death was publicized on May 16; shortly thereafter, members of the online communities that had supported her unraveled the story and discovered that Kaycee had never actually existed. Debbie Swenson confessed on her blog to the hoax on May 20, 2001.
## Creation
In 1998, Debbie Swenson's real daughter, Kelli Burke (born Kelli Jo Swenson in 1985), who was in middle school at the time in Gracemont, Oklahoma, created the online persona of "Kaycee Nicole" with a group of her friends. The group created a webpage for the nonexistent girl and used photos of a high school basketball player from their town to represent her, but do not seem to have played the role of Kaycee beyond that or given her an active persona. That came when Debbie Swenson discovered what the girls had done, and, rather than forcibly discontinue the hoax, she adopted the persona and began playing the role of Kaycee. In August 1999, the Swenson family moved from Oklahoma to Kansas.
## Persona
After it came into Debbie Swenson's possession, the Kaycee Nicole persona appeared on CollegeClub.com in 1999, as a "sunny blonde" teenaged basketball star in Kansas who shared thoughts and photos with others on the website. She made friends easily with both users and staff at the site, even volunteering to help with administrative work and sending gifts to CollegeClub employees. "Kaycee" was interviewed by telephone by The New York Times in 2000, under the name "Kaycee Swenson". She described herself in the resultant article as a high school senior who was taking college courses and planned to start college full-time the next year.
## Blogging, illness, and death
In 2000, Kaycee revealed to an online friend of hers, Randall van der Woning, that she suffered from leukemia, which was then in remission. Shortly afterward, she told him that the cancer was back. Sympathetic, Van der Woning offered to set up and host a blog for her to chronicle her struggles; Kaycee accepted the offer and the two created "Living Colours" in August 2000.
Kaycee's blog recounted, in sometimes vivid detail, her struggles with the disease, including multiple hospitalizations. The near-daily entries were presented as having been written by Kaycee or, in cases where she was too weak or ill, by her "mother", Debbie. She maintained an upbeat writing style despite her apparent hardships – her first entry said, "I'm beginning a new exciting journey ... into my survival. I want to win! I'll fight to the finish!" and readers of her blog became devoted to the inspirational young girl. Readership of the blog became widespread, with millions of readers visiting the site in the two years it was active and many readers recommending the blog to their own social networks. Some sent cards, gifts, and well-wishes to Kaycee by mail; still others spoke to "Kaycee" on the phone, some, such as the administrator of her blog, many times.
In April 2001, it was revealed that Kaycee's liver was failing. Concerned about losing a "friend" without ever having met her, Van der Woning insisted that Kaycee allow him to visit her; Kaycee told him that he was welcome to visit, but not until after she returned from a trip she would be taking to see the ocean.
However, before Van der Woning could make his trip to see Kaycee, he received a call on May 15, 2001, from Kaycee's mother. Sobbing, Debbie informed him that Kaycee had died, unexpectedly, of an aneurysm the day before. News of Kaycee's death was immediately posted on her blog:
> Thank you for the love, the joy, the laughter and the tears. We shall love you always and forever. Kaycee Nicole passed away May 14, 2001, at the age of 19.
Readers of the blog mourned Kaycee's death, many posting obituaries short and long on their own blogs, and news of her loss became widespread and much-discussed throughout the internet.
## Unraveling of hoax
After Kaycee's 'death', mourners who requested an address to send condolence gifts, cards, or flowers to were told that, despite previous acceptance of gifts by Kaycee, there was no longer a post-office box mailing address for her in Newton, Kansas. Debbie Swenson also informed Van der Woning when she told him of her death that there had already been a memorial service and Kaycee had been cremated.
On May 17, blogger Saundra Mitchell posted an entry to her blog mocking people who faked illnesses on the internet. Though she did not initially name Kaycee Nicole, the next day she published another commentary which did explicitly name her and suggested that in fact, Kaycee Nicole had never existed. She cited the nearly impossible haste with which Kaycee had been interred, noting that even if Kaycee had not been autopsied – which was dependent upon the manner of her death and whether there was a doctor attending – the two days that Debbie claimed that gathering of mourners, memorial service, and cremation had been accomplished in was unlikely; Mitchell also noted a number of inconsistencies in the backstory about Kaycee's cancer. Mitchell, working off Kaycee's IP address, traced the girl's location to Peabody, Kansas. She called around the town, asking if anyone knew of someone of Kaycee's description who had died recently. No one did.
On May 18, a user on the weblog MetaFilter posted a thread entitled "Is it possible that Kaycee did not exist?", which posited, largely on the basis of Saundra Mitchell's writings, that Kaycee Nicole might have been a hoax. Commenters in the often-heated thread (even the creator of the thread stated that "I mean, I want it NOT to be true. I hate the thought that a bunch of people are grieving over somebody who did not existi! [sic]" ) made a number of observations about the story of Kaycee, among them that no one had ever met Kaycee in person – not even the internet denizens who had been closest to her – and that no obituary was available in a newspaper, anywhere, for a 19-year-old girl named Kaycee Nicole.
As the MetaFilter thread progressed, users discovered that Kaycee's CollegeClub account was tied to the CollegeClub account of Debbie Swenson's teenaged daughter and that records showed that someone had logged into Kaycee's account days after she was supposed to have died. A user investigated the photographs that Kaycee had shared on her blog, identified a school mascot pictured, and traced it back to a particular high school, then traced the jersey number that "Kaycee" was wearing to an actual player. Investigation of the player showed that the only connection she had to Kaycee Nicole was that her family had once been acquainted with the Swenson family; she was not ill, was not named Kaycee Nicole, and not aware that her photo was being used by someone else.
### Confession
On May 19, Debbie Swenson placed a call to her biggest supporter, Randall van der Woning. She told him that Kaycee had not actually been her own child, but rather a foster daughter. She requested that he keep Kaycee's identity secret. Van der Woning did as requested and kept the information to himself; however, this had the side effect of allowing the MetaFilter investigation to continue. As more and more evidence mounted that the story of Kaycee had been cobbled together using misdirection and borrowed facts, Swenson emailed the truth to him, and he, in turn, posted it to the In Living Colours blog on May 20: Kaycee Nicole had never existed. "I didn't know the reactions would be so strong," Swenson said. "I knew it was wrong and every day it ate at me and I couldn't take it." She now claimed that Kaycee was a composite of three people she had known with cancer, none of whom were her daughter.
## Aftermath
Internet anger at the hoax was swift, with Van der Woning and many other supporters disclaiming Kaycee and Debbie Swenson. The local police in Peabody, Kansas, were notified and soon handed off the case to the FBI as a possible fraud. The FBI declined to further investigate after its initial acceptance of the case, stating that it had not been able to find evidence that Debbie Swenson's accepting of gifts for "Kaycee" constituted a dollar amount above their threshold for financial crimes.
Swenson was apologetic for the hoax but said that she believed the Kaycee character had also done some good. "A lot of people have problems," she told The New York Times. "I know I helped a lot of people in a lot of different ways."
## See also
- Internet hoax
- Law & Order: Criminal Intent (season 1) (the story for "Faith," the next-to-last episode of the season, was drawn from the Kaycee Nicole case)
- Victim playing
|
17,396,222 |
Fuller Houses
| 1,091,249,747 |
Historic house in Rhode Island, United States
|
[
"Houses completed in 1896",
"Houses in Pawtucket, Rhode Island",
"Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Rhode Island",
"National Register of Historic Places in Pawtucket, Rhode Island",
"Queen Anne architecture in Rhode Island"
] |
The Fuller Houses are two historic homes at 339-341 and 343-345 Broadway in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. Constructed in 1896–1897, the two Queen Anne-styled homes were constructed as rental properties for the Fuller family and are believed to have originally been identical in construction. The 2+1⁄2-story houses are marked by an octagonal bay which contains the front staircase and a large two-story porch projecting almost completely from the house itself. For the National Register of Historic Places nomination only a single unit was examined, but the identical unit below is believed to have undergone minimal alterations. The other house, 343-345 Broadway, was not surveyed, but has been more seriously modified to allow for four apartment units. The Fuller Houses are architecturally significant as well-preserved and well-detailed Queen Anne-styled apartment flats. The Fuller Houses were added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1983.
## History
The Fuller Houses were constructed in 1896-1897 for Susan E. Fuller. Fuller's husband, Charles H. Fuller, operated a successful jewelry findings firm. The Fullers owned the houses until 1915, and intended to use them as rental properties. The only member of the Fuller family to reside in one of the houses, specifically 341 Broadway, was Alice G. Fuller beginning in either 1911 or 1912. The houses are positioned to be prominently viewed from their location on the east side of U.S Route 1 and from northbound traffic on Interstate 95. Though not originally placed in a location of such prominence, the construction through the heart of Pawtucket greatly increased the visibility of these "I-95 landmarks".
## Design
The Fuller Houses are originally believed to have been constructed as identical 2+1⁄2-story Queen Anne-styled homes with both having their gable-ends facing the street. The southern flank of the building is visually broken up by a two-story bay window with a gabled peak. A semi-octagonal bay on the northern corner of the houses indicates the position of the front staircase. A single-story porch with a shed-roof overhangs the front doorways. A striking feature of the Fuller Houses is the two-story circular porch on the southwest side. The porches are almost removed from the building and topped with a conical roof and ornamented with Queen Anne-style spindle. The exterior walls of the houses are clapboarded and the tops of the gables have simple metal finials.
For the National Register of Historic Places nomination, only the interior of one of the four units was surveyed, the second floor interior of 341 Broadway. This unit is accessed from a spiral staircase leading from the first floor to the attic. The second floor landing has a short foyer before opening to two parlors. The front parlor is said to have had a water fountain which was removed, but the plumbing is said to exist within the floor. The back parlor has a Queen Anne mantel and leads to the dining room with large floor-to-ceiling china closets. Located on the east side of the apartment is the kitchen, pantry and rear staircase. The north part of the apartment contains two bedrooms and a bath. The NRHP nomination states that the alterations to the unit were minimal and it is likely that the same would have been done for the first floor unit. The northern Fuller House, containing 343-345 Broadway, has been more seriously modified because it has been split into four units. In 2013, real estate information for 343 Broadway suggests the expanse of the modifications to the house by listing the property as having 20 rooms, with 8 bedrooms and 5 baths. According to Trulia the house was sold in 2010 for \$140,000 and still in the four unit configuration. A three-bay stuccoed garage dating from the 1920s or 1930 is used by 339-341 Broadway.
## Significance
The Fuller Houses are architecturally significant as a pair of two well-preserved and well-detailed two-family Queen Anne-style apartment "flat" houses. The Queen Anne-style spindle-work porches are descriptive in the NRHP nomination as the most impressive examples remaining in Pawtucket. The two houses represent an important step in the development of Pawtucket's architectural development and contribute to the city's visual character. The Fuller Houses were added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1983.
## See also
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Pawtucket, Rhode Island
|
29,937,443 |
Beefsteak (banquet)
| 1,133,543,769 |
Type of banquet in which sliced beef tenderloin is served to diners as all-you-can-eat finger food
|
[
"Cuisine of New Jersey",
"Cuisine of New York City",
"Working-class culture in New Jersey",
"Working-class culture in New York City",
"Working-class culture in Pennsylvania"
] |
A beefsteak is a type of banquet in which sliced beef tenderloin is served to diners as all-you-can-eat finger food. The dining style originated in 19th-century New York City as a type of working-class celebration but went into a decline in the mid-20th century. Resurrected by caterers in New Jersey, the beefsteak banquet style remained popular in that state's Bergen and Passaic counties, and is enjoying a revival in New York City, where the style originated, due to the reemergence of a biannual beefsteak in Brooklyn. Similar "beef and beer fundraisers" are common in the Philadelphia region, especially in white working class communities.
## Origins
Beefsteak banquets originated among the working class of New York City in the mid-1800s as celebratory meals or "testimonials". The meal would generally be set up by an organization wishing to laud or raise money for politicians, newly promoted friends, or celebrities. Tammany Hall regularly threw beefsteaks as political fundraisers, often enough that it was a large portion of beefsteak business in New York and "when Tammany Hall [got] a setback, beefsteaks [got] a setback". Sophie Tucker and Bill Robinson had beefsteaks thrown for them in the 1930s.
Early beefsteaks were held in a relaxed, men-only atmosphere, with diners sitting on crates and eating with their fingers off of rough, improvised tables in saloons, rental halls, or residential basements. Food and drink were the focus of the evening, and entertainment often consisted simply of those present telling stories and singing amongst themselves. Brass bands were sometimes hired.
### Early organization
Though the centerpiece of beefsteak culture was indisputably the frenzied consumption of beef and beer, with diners eating with their fingers and drinking with abandon, serving styles varied. 1930s-era beefsteaks could be grouped into two styles, referred to by Joseph Mitchell in a 1939 The New Yorker article as "East Side" and "West Side" and roughly corresponding to the geographic separation of New York City into the same-named areas. Each group claimed to Mitchell to have originated beefsteak banquets and to have the most authentic serving and eating styles.
"East Side" beefsteaks were largely patronized by the working-class and immigrants, and the center of the East Side beefsteak world was at First Avenue and Nineteenth Street in Manhattan. East Side beefsteaks were heavily meat-centered, with courses consisting of items like sliced beef short loin, beef kidneys, and ground beef trimmings (referred to as "hamburgers"). One East Side beefsteak was reported to have consisted of "3,000 pounds (1,400 kg) of steak, 1,500 pounds (680 kg) of lamb chops, 425 pounds (193 kg) of hamburger and 1,300 pounds (590 kg) of kidneys wrapped with bacon."
"West Side" beefsteaks, on the other hand, were often thrown at "gentlemen-only" establishments centered on Eleventh Avenue and 23rd Street. West Side beefsteaks tended more toward expansive menus, with courses including crab meat, lamb chops, and baked potatoes to go along with the beef loin. Diners at West Side beefsteaks were allowed to use disposable forks for some courses, but were expected to eat the beef course with their fingers.
### Dining style
Both schools of thought in New York agreed that eating with one's fingers and not being afraid to get messy were integral to the culture of the beefsteak. No matter which type of beefsteak a diner attended, the main course was beef loin dipped in butter-based sauce and served thinly sliced on rounds of bread (day-old bread, at East Side beefsteaks; fresh toast, at West Side). Napkins were considered unnecessary; diners generally wore aprons with which they could wipe the grease off their hands. Food was dispatched from the kitchen laid out on trays and waiters continued bringing out trays until diners could literally eat no more (In his New Yorker article, Joseph Mitchell quotes one man as saying, "I'm so full I'm about to pop. Push those kidneys a little nearer, if you don't mind."). Beer flowed freely during banquets in pre-prohibition years.
## Evolution
With the passing of the 18th and 19th amendments to the U.S. Constitution, in 1919 and 1920, respectively, the traditional men-only, beer-soaked format of the beefsteak began to change. Politicians began including newly enfranchised women voters in their beefsteak banquets after the passage of the Nineteenth Amendment, and with the attendance of women came corresponding social niceties. Cocktails, popularized by illicit drinkers during Prohibition, replaced pitchers of beer, and "fruit cups ... and fancy salads" were soon added to beefsteak menus. Orchestras were hired in place of old-fashioned brass bands and storytellers, and the long-forbidden knives and forks began to appear on beefsteak tables. By the 1930s, according to Joseph Mitchell, beefsteaks were no longer the manly, messy affairs they had once been; they were now closer to formal meals in which beef and bread happened to feature heavily. The cheerful gluttony of the past was tempered by female sensibilities; "women," Mitchell reported, "do not esteem a glutton, and at a contemporary beefsteak it is unusual for a man to do away with more than six pounds of meat and thirty glasses of beer."
In 1938, "Hap" Nightingale, a butcher in Clifton, New Jersey, began catering parties in his area according to the old-time beefsteak formula. He offered a set, all-you-can-eat menu of French fries and sliced beef tenderloin on bread. His business thrived locally, and the company has since been passed down through ensuing generations of Nightingales, all of whom continued to adhere to the tried-and-true formula.
## Current practice
The modern beefsteak banquet hews fairly closely to the early-1900s model, although the expansive selections found at an old-fashioned "West Side" beefsteak have been tapered down to beef, fried potatoes, and tossed salad. Butter is sometimes replaced by margarine, and a pasta course makes an occasional appearance, but attendees at beefsteaks still expect to be fed mostly abundant quantities of beef tenderloin. Modern beefsteak attendees often follow an unspoken protocol to leave their bread slices uneaten. Piling them up in front of one's plate instead of consuming them "saves valuable stomach capacity for more beef while simultaneously serving as an informal scorekeeping system".
## Modern distribution
Beefsteak banquets have largely vanished from New York City, where they originated, but remain widespread in Bergen and Passaic counties in New Jersey. The institution is now almost entirely limited to these areas, save for a popular biannual beefsteak held in Brooklyn; while residents of Bergen and Passaic counties consider them an ingrained part of regional culture and regularly stage beefsteak fundraisers (caterers interviewed in a New York Times article stated that they "put on about 1,000 of them in the region [in 2007]"), across the county line in Essex County, for example, they remain nearly unheard of.
Regis High School and Xavier High School (Jesuit schools on the Upper East Side and in Chelsea respectively) each host an annual traditional beefsteak for alumni.
Political fundraiser beefsteak banquets are no longer common in New Jersey; beefsteaks now usually raise money for fire departments, policemen's benevolent associations, and other charitable organizations. Nostalgia for beefsteaks among foodies continues, and gourmet beefsteaks are sometimes staged by New York-area restaurants.
Since 2009, two Wesleyan University graduates, Andrew Dermont and Derek Silverman, have thrown a biannual "beefsteak for beefsteak's sake" in Brooklyn, to revive the tradition of the beefsteak banquet in its place of origin, New York City.
Since 2011, Chef Neal Fraser, Cort Cass, Matt Selman and Eric Wareheim have hosted a beefsteak in Los Angeles to raise money for the LA Food Bank.
|
24,188,185 |
1980 Azores Islands earthquake
| 1,158,664,739 |
Earthquake on Azores Islands, Portugal
|
[
"1980 earthquakes",
"1980 in Portugal",
"Earthquakes in Portugal",
"January 1980 events in Europe",
"Strike-slip earthquakes"
] |
Striking the Autonomous Region of Azores on 1 January, the 1980 Azores Island earthquake killed 61 people and injured over 400, causing severe damage on the islands of Terceira and São Jorge. Measuring 6.9 on the moment magnitude scale, it also shook the islands of Pico and Faial, and resulted from a strike slip fracture, typical of other historical Azorean earthquakes.
In response to the earthquake, Portuguese president António Ramalho Eanes announced three days of national mourning, while relief efforts, initiated by agents of the local Air Force, were soon accompanied by government-supported agencies.
## Geology
### Background
In 1950, another strong earthquake had rocked the Azores Islands region, and this was the largest earthquake since.
### Description
Volcanic in origin, the Azores lie in a tectonically complex area on either side of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, between the European, American and African plate boundaries, forming their own microplate. The 1980 earthquake was the result of movement along the northwest to southeast trending strike-slip fault.
After aftershocks from the quake had concluded, examination took place, producing a focal solution to the small events. Movement of these shocks was similar to that of previous earthquakes around the Azores. For these earthquakes, scientists had determined that the conjugate nodal plane was responsible, seeing shearing on the right-lateral (dextral) side. All faulting in this area is strike-slip-oriented, and on a rather large scale. Because of this research, information now points towards Azores volcanism being controlled by earthquake movement.
## Damage and casualties
The earthquake that struck the Azorean islands was 6.9 . It caused considerable damage on three separate islands (Terceira, São Jorge Island, and Graciosa), destroying several buildings. According to local reports, roughly 70% of the houses on Terceira were completely demolished, including the historic quarter of the island capital, Angra do Heroísmo. In general, public buildings such as churches remained intact, while several buildings caved in on themselves. Public utilities such as electricity and water, were reported cut in several areas.
Initially, the number of fatalities was set at 52, but it was later revised to 61. Additionally, the injuries were set at 300, but this was also revised to more than 400. At least 20,000 people were left homeless. Minor damage was recorded at Pico and Faial islands.
No fatalities were recorded at the Lajes Field air base, nor any major damage.
## Relief efforts and response
United States Navy and Air Force personnel stationed at Lajes functioned as disaster relief workers, sheltering as many as 150 families. Portuguese Air Force members brought supplies to earthquake victims, while a Portuguese Navy João Coutinho-class corvette transported medical officials to the island. The Portuguese president, António Ramalho Eanes, flew in on a plane accompanied by medical personnel and supplies (such as bedding). Local officials including policemen and volunteer firemen cleared roads for relief supplies and transports. Responding to the situation, these officials were also involved in looking for survivors in the rubble. Soon after, tents were erected to replace the destroyed or unsafe homes for approximately 200 families of the islands. Portable homes were constructed by the People to People International project fund, resulting in 100 shelters.
Three days of national mourning were declared by Eanes. Following the relief efforts, 19 seismographic stations were installed to monitor seismic activities. Eleven of these were used to monitor earthquake activity, while the other eight also record information on the island's geothermal areas.
The earthquake forced hundreds of people to leave the country for the United States. It occurred during a period of several major natural disasters in which many residents of the island left; in 1975, 8,000 residents left. In 1981, however, just 2,500 people left the island.
## Analysis and current situation
Later studies of the events leading up to the tragedy found several factors contributing to the extent of the damage. A. Malheiro (2006) linked five major causes to damage from these earthquakes. The buildings most damaged by the earthquake were near fault lines on top of loosely packed soil. They tended to be of poor construction and did not conform to proper building code, nor had they been adequately examined.
The area around the Azores remains active. Threats from earthquakes and landslides remain.
## See also
- List of earthquakes in 1980
- List of earthquakes in Portugal
- List of earthquakes in the Azores
|
23,618,268 |
Darvin Moon
| 1,165,010,097 |
American poker player (1963–2020)
|
[
"1963 births",
"2020 deaths",
"Amateur poker players",
"American loggers",
"American poker players",
"People from Oakland, Maryland"
] |
Darvin Moon (October 1, 1963 – September 19, 2020) was an American self-employed logger and amateur poker player who was the runner-up of the 2009 World Series of Poker, (WSOP) US\$10,000 no-limit Texas hold'em Main Event. It was his first time playing in the World Series of Poker. Moon, who taught himself how to play poker, ran a small logging company in the Maryland Panhandle before earning a 2009 World Series seat by winning a \$130 satellite tournament.
Moon earned the chip lead early in the tournament, and eventually entered the final table as the chip leader, with about 30 percent of the chips in play. Although Moon briefly lost the lead, he eventually regained it after eliminating veteran players like Steve Begleiter and Phil Ivey. Moon ultimately lost heads up against Joe Cada, earning Moon US\$5.18 million for his second-place finish.
Although some criticized his playing style and lack of experience, Moon was also praised for his working stiff personality and self-deprecating manner. Moon participated in the 2010 National Heads-Up Poker Championship, but lost in the second round to poker professional Annie Duke. He also competed in the 2010 World Series of Poker Main Event, but was eliminated on Day 2.
## Early life
Moon lived in the western Maryland town of Oakland, at the foot of Backbone Mountain. Prior to entering the World Series of Poker, Moon lived in a 14 by 70 feet (4.3 by 21.3 m) trailer with his wife, Wendy. Moon owned and operated a small logging company with other family members. Most of his days were spent in pine forests scattered throughout the Maryland Panhandle. Moon taught himself how to play poker, and he first started playing with his grandfather at a young age. He started playing frequently around 2006 and studied the game by watching televised poker. Moon regularly played home games at such places as fire departments, Elks Lodges, and American Legion buildings.
In 1988, Moon's long time girlfriend, Cathy Ford went missing from Gormania, West Virginia (near Oakland, Maryland). Even though her body was never found, Grant County deputy sheriff Paul Ferrell was convicted of her abduction and murder based on a large body of other evidence. Critics of Ferrell's conviction explore two alternate theories: one where Cathy Ford was still alive and one where Moon was the culprit in her disappearance. The evidence against Ferrell included that the victim's blood was found in Ferrell's mobile home, her burnt out vehicle was found in his yard, he used his authority as deputy sheriff to prevent searchers from finding the vehicle and had engaged in predatory behavior toward other women.
## 2009 World Series of Poker
Moon earned his seat in the 2009 World Series of Poker no-limit Texas hold'em Main Event by winning a \$130 satellite tournament at the Wheeling Island Casino in Wheeling, West Virginia. He lost in two Wheeling Island tournaments before finishing in first place on his third attempt, winning a \$10,000 main event seat and \$6,000 for expenses. The event marked Moon's first time playing in the WSOP, as well as visiting Las Vegas, Nevada and riding in a commercial plane. Due to the econommic downturn's impact on the logging business, Moon considered keeping the \$10,000 instead of entering the tournament, but decided to play after visiting the Rio All Suite Hotel and Casino and watching World Series games there.
On the first day of the tournament, Moon was dealt pocket aces six times and got three-of-a-kind on the flop three times. He performed well on the first day and continued a successful streak throughout the tournament, although he himself proclaimed it was luck. He eliminated several professional poker players during the tournament, including David Benyamine. He eventually obtained the chip lead and kept it until the seventh day of play. At that time, he fell to tenth place, but won a few big hands to recover and ended the day back in the lead. He eliminated Billy Kopp in one of the biggest hands in the tournament when his led to a higher flush than Kopp's . Moon entered the final table as the chip leader, holding 58.6 million chips, or about 30 percent of the chips in play.
During the final table, Moon eliminated Steve Begleiter and seasoned pro Phil Ivey. In both cases, Moon was behind but caught cards to win; Ivey lost with A-K to Moon's A-Q when a queen came up on the flop, and Begleiter's pocket queens lost to Moon's A-Q when he caught an ace on the river. Moon lost the chip lead during the November Nine game, but his elimination of Begleiter brought him back into the chip lead with 63.9 million chips. He made it to the final two players and went heads up against Joe Cada, with Moon at 58.85 million and Cada at 135.95 million. Moon briefly recovered the chip lead from Cada, but lost it during the 79th heads-up hand, where Cada bet 3 million chips with his J-9 on a 10-5-9-10 turn after the flop was checked, Moon check-raised all in with 8–7. Cada called with his remaining 58 million chips, won the hand and regained the chip lead and the momentum for the duration of the match.
Commentators later criticized Moon for making such an expensive bluff for a small pot, and Moon seemed visibly disappointed after the game. Storms Reback, of All In Magazine, said the hand was a crucial moment for Moon, and that his fatigue from it may have resulted in a bad call in the final hand of the tournament. After 18 hours of play, Moon ended up finishing second against Cada when his succumbed to Cada's . He won \$5,182,601 for his second-place finish.
After the tournament ended, Moon was congratulated by professional poker player Phil Hellmuth, who said, "I'm proud of you, Darvin." Some were critical of both Moon and Cada. Mike Matusow, a professional poker player with a reputation for trash-talking, called the heads-up contest between the two "a new low for poker as a skilled game". Storms Reback, of All In Magazine, said Moon was "out of his league" at the tournament, and made a number of questionable calls and bets. As an example, Reback cited a hand in which Moon attempted to bluff by re-raising a bet by Begleiter for 15 million chips, then folding when Begleiter went all in for an additional 6 million, even though Moon was getting better than 7-to-1 odds on his money. Moon said he planned to spend some of his World Series winnings on putting relatives through college and charitable contributions to his home town, including a new youth ball field and recreation center. Moon said of his victory, "We ain't gonna change. The next time you see us, we'll be wearing jeans and everything else, like we always have."
## Post-WSOP poker career
Moon played few major poker games after the 2009 World Series of Poker, preferring instead to play local games among friends in the Oakland area. When asked how he had done in those games, Moon replied, "I've done all right. I've held my own." Moon joined 63 other players in the 2010 National Heads-Up Poker Championship at the Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. He paid the \$20,000 buy-in from his personal funds. Moon was paired against online qualifier William Huntress in the first round of the tournament on March 5. ESPN writer Gary Wise said Huntress stood "as good a chance of toppling an invited player as any qualifier ever has", and questioned why Moon participated in the tournament given Moon's past claims of disinterest in media exposure and sponsorship. However, PokerNews.com writer Mickey Doft predicted Moon would do well in the tournament due to his unpredictable play. Moon defeated Huntress when his held out against Huntress' . The flop was , giving Huntress the better draw, but Moon won with king-high when another club failed to come on the turn or river, advancing Moon to the second round. He lost in that round to Annie Duke, whose three kings bested Moon's two pair of queens and tens. Duke went on to win the tournament.
In August 2010, Moon joined Main Event champions Chris Moneymaker and Jonathan Duhamel in hosting the Mega Stack Series XVII, a live poker tournament at Foxwoods Resort Casino in Ledyard, Connecticut which drew 2,200 participants and had a total prize pool of more than \$1 million. The next month, Moon entered the 2010 World Series of Poker no-limit Texas hold-em Main Event. Early in the tournament, Moon doubled up with pocket kings against a player with pocket jacks. He was eliminated on day two, however, after moving all in with on a flop. His opponent had pocket aces, and Moon received no help with a turn and river. Leaving the poker room, he said to his wife, "At least the pressure's off, honey."
In 2011, Moon accepted a deal to become Tour Ambassador for Heartland Poker Tour, wearing the patch of the nationally televised tour and playing in several HPT events. HPT President Todd Anderson of Moon: "Darvin is our kind of guy. He's worked hard his entire life and now lives the dream that attracts so many to the game." Moon became a fan favorite among HPT's tour regulars when he declined an invitation for the November Nine taping in 2010 to play an HPT stop in Iowa. A last minute replacement for an ill Scotty Nguyen, Moon bonded with HPT's crew and players. Moon said, "I'm very comfortable with the HPT folks. They're like family."
Moon died on September 19, 2020, following complications from surgery. He was 56.
## Personality and style
Moon displayed what he described as a humble and self-deprecating manner during the World Series of Poker, acknowledging his lack of poker experience throughout the course of the tournament, and often attributing his success to luck and a high number of strong cards, rather than talent. Moon adopted a phrase, "If I win, I win. If I lose, I lose," which reflected his casual approach to the game. Moon also said one of his philosophies was, "Make the other guy pay to see the cards", a strategy attributed to many re-raises Moon made during the 2009 World Series of Poker despite weak hands. Moon had almost no experience in heads-up poker, which some commentators said factored into his loss against Cada in the final hours of the 2009 World Series. Many fans and commentators praised his working stiff style, with some dubbing him "Darvin Gump", a reference to the underdog protagonist of the 1994 drama film, Forrest Gump. Moon was also bestowed with the nickname the "Luddite Logger" because of his distaste for anything technological, including credit cards and online poker. Moon refused to sign a sponsorship deal with an Internet poker company during the 2009 tournament because he said he did not want to answer to anybody. Moon wore a New Orleans Saints hat throughout the tournament because, "I like cheering for the underdog." Moon was invited as a guest at the Saints games for their entire playoff run in 2010, and was on hand to watch them win Super Bowl XLIV against the Indianapolis Colts in Miami.
|
12,542,166 |
Alpine pika
| 1,171,076,896 |
Species of mammal
|
[
"Mammals described in 1773",
"Pikas",
"Taxonomy articles created by Polbot"
] |
The alpine pika (Ochotona alpina) is a species of small mammal in the pika family, Ochotonidae. The summer pelage of different subspecies varies drastically but, in general, it is dark or cinnamon brown, turning to grey with a yellowish tinge during the winter. The alpine pika is found in western Mongolia, eastern Kazakhstan, and Russia (Tuva, Irkutsk, Altai, and Krasnoyarsk), as well as in China (northern Xinjiang and Heilongjiang), in very cold, mountainous regions. It is a generalist herbivore, and mainly forages on mosses, tree branches, pine nuts, and plant stems. It can emit three series of different vocalizations: a long call, a short call, and an alarm call. It is rated as a species of least concern on the IUCN Red List of Endangered Species.
## Taxonomy
German zoologist and botanist Peter Simon Pallas originally described the alpine pika in 1773, in his work Reise durch verschiedene Provinzen des Russischen Reichs. It is a large species in the pika family, Ochotonidae, which consists of small mammals that have short ears, forelimbs very slightly longer than hindlimbs, and no external tail. There are four recognised subspecies: O. a. alpina (Pallas, 1773), O. a. cinereofusca (Schrenk, 1858), O. a. sushkini (Thomas, 1924), and O. a. changaica (Ognev, 1940).
The northern pika was included as a subspecies of the alpine pika by several authorities such as Vinogradov and Argyropulo in 1941; Argyropulo in 1948; Gureev in 1964; Corbet in 1978; Honacki, Kinman, and Koeppl in 1982; Weston in 1982; and Feng and Zheng in 1985. However, in 1973, Nikolai Vorontsov and Elena Ivanitskaya, pointed out the difference between their chromosome numbers. In 1980, Vladimir Sokolov and V. N. Orlov treated them as separate species, with their ranges overlapping in the Khenteii and Khangai Mountains in Mongolia. It is believed that after glaciation, the ancestors of the alpine pika were restricted to the borders of the Sayan and Altai glaciers, as well as the periglacial region of the major North Asiatic glaciation. The American pika and the collared pika were also included as subspecies of the alpine pika, by A.I. Argyropulo in 1948, A.A. Gureev in 1964, and G.B. Corbet in 1968. However, in 1981, M.L. Weston found out that they were morphologically different from the alpine pika. In 1986, Corbet and J.E. Hill treated them as separate species. O. a. sushkini was formerly considered a subspecies of the Pallas's pika, but is now a subspecies of the alpine pika. The Helan Shan pika and the Hoffmann's pika were formerly included as a subspecies of the alpine pika, but are now considered an independent species based on their chromosome number, morphology, and bioacoustic behaviour.
## Description
The alpine pika measures 152 to 235 mm (6.0 to 9.3 in) in length, has long rounded ears ranging from 17 to 26 mm (0.67 to 1.02 in) in length, and weighs 226 to 360 g (8.0 to 12.7 oz). The skull is narrow, measuring 41 to 54 mm (1.6 to 2.1 in) in length, and is less rounded and longer than the skull of the northern pika. In addition, the alpine pika has a longer snout, the back of the skull is bent more downward, and the bullae are deeper and much narrower, compared to those of the northern pika. The parietal bones (the two bones in the skull, which, when joined together at a fibrous joint, form the sides and roof of the skull) protrude at the front, forming a sloping angle with the interparietal bone (bone situated between the parietal bone and the supraoccipital bone located at the back and lower part of the skull), at the back. It has a large, thick cheek bone.
The summer pelage of different subspecies varies drastically but is generally dark or cinnamon brown. The back is dull, yellowish, ochre-grey in colour, with dark brown to black tips of the hairs. The latus (side of the body between the rib cage and the uppermost and largest part of the hip bone) is tinged with rust-red, and the underside is pale yellowish ochre. In winter, its pelage turns grey, with a yellowish tinge; the underside becomes greyish brown, and the anterior dorsum and head are tinged with yellow. The incisive foramen (funnel-shaped opening in the bony plate of the skull, located in the roof of the mouth, immediately behind the incisor teeth where blood vessels and nerves pass) are round, small, and are detached from the palatine foramen.
Despite geographic and seasonal variation, in sympatric zones, the adult alpine pika is larger than the adult northern pika by body measurements, and is usually more dull coloured.
## Distribution and habitat
The alpine pika inhabits mountainous areas in western Mongolia bordering the Gobi Desert, eastern Kazakhstan, southern Russia (Tuva, Irkutsk, Altai, and Krasnoyarsk) and China (northern Xinjiang and Heilongjiang). It is found on mountain ranges such as the Altai, Khangai, and Sayan, and is also distributed from the east and south of Lake Baikal eastward to the Amur River drainage. An isolated alpine pika population occurs at the northwest Ningxia-Hexi Zoulang-Gansu border, on the Helan Mountains. O. a. cinereofusca is found in Heilongjiang and Russia, while O. a. nitida is found in northern Xinjiang, Russia, Mongolia, and Kazakhstan.
The animal tends to be found in rocky habitats. It occupies talus piles (collection of broken rock pieces at the base of cliffs, volcanoes, or valley shoulders, accumulated due to periodic rockfall from adjacent cliff faces) with larger stones and rocky areas although it does not inhabit swampy montane tundra or talus lacking vegetation. It may also live in burrows under tree roots or in old moss-scree.
The alpine pika's habitat is separated from that of the northern pika by altitude or by microhabitat in their zone of sympatry, and it lives at both higher and lower altitudes than the northern pika. It is found at heights of 400 to 2,500 m (1,300 to 8,200 ft) above sea level in the Altai Mountains, and above 2,000 metres (6,600 ft) in China.
In the early 1970s, an unexplained decline in the alpine pika population occurred throughout the western Sayan Mountains. Although in 1977 Khlebnikov suggested it was due to an epidemic, it was difficult to ascertain if such a large territory had been affected all at once. By 1986 or 1987, a few localities that had high alpine pika population densities 16 to 17 years earlier became devoid of the species, due to its low reproductive rate and the insular nature of its habitat.
## Behaviour and ecology
The alpine pika is a generalist herbivore, mainly foraging for mosses, trees branches, pine nuts, and plant stems, which it gathers during the summer to create haypiles for use in winter. These haypiles were estimated by I.V. Travina in 1984 to be as much as 30 kg per hectare (12 kg per acre) when the population density is around 10 to 12 individuals per hectare. This store would sometimes be shared with other species such as reindeer. In 1978, Khlebnikova documented the influence exerted by the alpine pika on plant diversity and composition in the regions they inhabit. These include reduced seed content of the soil, decreased ratio of flowering plants, and slow succession of plants such as the Siberian pine due to the pika's foraging on young trees. The remnants of the haypiles, however, might facilitate plant growth and the accumulation of pellets that create spots of nitrophilic vegetation (vegetation rich in nitrogen).
The species lives in families, with population densities of 10 to 12 individuals per hectare. Family feeding territories do not overlap with each other, and mostly remain the same each year; however, the home territories of different family groups are larger and do overlap with each other. Both males and females have been observed to mark corners of stones mostly located near the center of their home territory, from April to December, by rubbing their neck glands against them.
The female's fecundity is low, as with other pikas inhabiting talus piles, and the size of litters decreases as the elevation increases. A.F. Potapkina observed a seasonal increase in the number of offspring per litter. On average, the female of the western Altai Mountains produces two litters, while in the northwestern Altai and the western Sayan Mountains she produces 2.7 litters—with 10% producing up to three litters in the latter case. In 1984, G.I. Makushin and G.I. Orlov determined the average annual mortality rate of the alpine pika to be 53% for populations living in forests and 41% for those living in the alpine zones—most of them aged between one and three years. The annual population density fluctuations of most populations were insignificant.
### Vocalizations
The alpine pika can emit three different vocalizations. The long call is heard during the mating season from only the subspecies O. a. alpina, O. a. changaica, and O. a. nitida. The short call is a harsh, sharp whistle that is easily distinguishable from the short high-pitched whistle of the northern pika. The alarm call is given out immediately any danger from predators or humans is perceived, and can travel greater distances than the calls of most other pika species.
### Parasites
Internal parasites of the alpine pika include many worm species, such as Schizorchis altaica, Cephaluris andrejevi, Heligmosomum dubinini, and Eugenuris schumakovitschi. Schizorchis altaica was found in individuals inhabiting the southern Altai mountains, and Heligmosomum dubinini in those inhabiting the Sayan and Altai mountains.
## Status and conservation
Since 1996, the alpine pika has been rated a species of least concern on the IUCN Red List of Endangered Species. This is because it is widespread, with no known population decline. Despite the lack of data relating to its current population state, it is thought to have a stable trend, with some isolated populations exhibiting some variation. It has been regionally red-listed in China and Mongolia as a species of least concern, and about 12% of its population in Mongolia is found in protected areas.
|
5,470,319 |
Leonardo III Tocco
| 1,152,525,060 | null |
[
"15th-century despots of Epirus",
"16th-century despots of Epirus",
"Counts palatine of Cephalonia and Zakynthos",
"History of Aetolia-Acarnania",
"Medieval child monarchs",
"Roman Catholic monarchs",
"Tocco family",
"Year of birth unknown"
] |
Leonardo III Tocco (after 1436 – before August 1503) was the last ruler of the Despotate of Epirus, ruling from the death of his father Carlo II Tocco in 1448 to the despotate's fall to the Ottoman Empire in 1479. Leonardo was one of the last independent Latin rulers in Greece and the last to hold territories on the Greek mainland. After the fall of his realm, Leonardo fled to Italy and became a landowner and diplomat. He continued to claim his titles in exile until his death.
Leonardo inherited numerous possessions on the western Greek mainland from his father. Most of these mainland territories, including the capital of Arta, were conquered by the Ottomans in 1449, the first year of Leonardo's reign. Leonardo had inherited the throne while still underage and his government was initially headed by a four-person regency council for several years. Upon becoming old enough to rule for himself, Leonardo had all of his former regents murdered. Leonardo engaged in several anti-Ottoman activities, such as working on the side of the Republic of Venice in the First Ottoman–Venetian War (1463–1479). Despite this, his realm was left in peace throughout most of his reign and became one of the most prosperous regions in Greece.
Although energetic and wise, Leonardo was not very successful. He engaged in several efforts to gain the support of the many Greeks who lived under his rule, such as restoring Greek Orthodox religious sees, allowing Greeks a certain degree of autonomous self-governance, and issuing Greek-language charters. These efforts do not appear to have had an effect on most of the populace. In 1477, Leonardo married a Neapolitan noblewoman in an attempt to gain support from the Kingdom of Naples. This move backfired catastrophically; the Republic of Venice, which acted as Leonardo's main protection against the Ottomans, opposed Neapolitan influence in Greece and ceased to support Leonardo. The end of Venetian protection paved the way for the 1479 Ottoman invasion that ended Leonardo's rule.
Viewing opposition to the Ottomans as futile, Leonardo escaped into exile. Although he spent the rest of his life pondering ways to regain his lands, Leonardo never returned to Greece. In Italy, he attempted to increase his status by acquiring various fiefs. This was an unsuccessful venture that resulted in Leonardo ending up in considerable debt and losing all the lands he had acquired. Leonardo died in Rome at some point in the pontificate of Pope Alexander VI (r. 1492–1503), crushed as his house collapsed on top of him. Leonardo's titular claims were inherited by his eldest son, Carlo III Tocco.
## Background
The Despotate of Epirus was one of the Byzantine successor states founded in 1204/1205 in the aftermath of the Fourth Crusade, which saw the collapse of the Byzantine Empire and the creation of the Latin Empire by the crusaders in its place. The despotate had originally been ruled by the Byzantine Komnenos Doukas family, a branch of the Angelos dynasty which had ruled Byzantium from 1185 to 1204, but fell into the hands of the Italian Orsini family in 1318 through inheritance and scheming, before the despotate was conquered and destroyed by the Serbian Empire in the 1340s.
Though various local rulers would claim the title of 'despot' thereafter, the despotate was not restored to something close to its original form until the early 15th century, when the Italian noble Carlo I Tocco worked to expand his holdings through conquest. Carlo I was the son of Leonardo I Tocco, who had been granted the title of Count Palatine of Cephalonia and Zakynthos by the Kingdom of Naples. Carlo I's uncle, Esau de' Buondelmonti, who ruled the town Ioannina as despot, died in 1411. The town was then held by his wife, Jevdokija Balšić, but on account of her unpopularity she was deposed by the locals, who appealed to Carlo I to become their ruler instead. Only two months after Esau's death, Carlo I made a triumphal entry into Ioannina. He almost immediately assumed the title of despot, though the locals insisted that Carlo seek recognition of that title from the Byzantine emperor. After having received Carlo I's brother Leonardo II Tocco as an emissary, Emperor Manuel II Palaiologos (r. 1391–1425) formally recognized Carlo I as a despot in 1415. Carlo I saw his title of despot as granting him a claim on the lands formerly ruled by the Komnenos Doukas and Orsini dynasties of the Despotate of Epirus. In 1416, he captured Arta, the old capital of the despotate.
Leonardo III Tocco was the eldest son and heir of Carlo II Tocco, the nephew and successor of Carlo I. Leonardo's mother was Raimondina Ventimiglia, a daughter of the Italian baron Giovanni Ventimiglia.
## Biography
### Accession and early reign
Leonardo was still underage when his father died on 30 September 1448. Without a strong leader, the four governors whom Carlo II had appointed to form the regency council for his son (Jacobus Rosso, Andreas de Guido de Strione, Gaeatius de Santa Columba and Marinus Miliares) looked across the Adriatic Sea for aid in defending the Tocco lands from the Ottomans. Some looked to the Republic of Venice for aid, one governor even offering to sell his island to the Venetians, whereas others looked to Alfonso V of Naples due to former connections between the Tocchi and the Neapolitan crown. Though Venice entered into negotiations to send aid, the Ottomans struck before an agreement could be concluded. The capital of the despotate, Arta, fell to the Ottomans on 24 March 1449, whereafter all of Leonardo's mainland possessions, save for the three settlements of Vonitza, Varnazza and Angelokastro, were annexed. These lands would thereafter be called Karli-Ili (Carlo's country) by the Ottomans, in reference to Leonardo's ancestor Carlo I Tocco.
Though the fall of the mainland made the threat of further Ottoman conquest clear, neither Venice nor Naples offered much aid. Alfonso seems to have regarded Leonardo as his vassal and Venice proved unwilling to help when it became clear that Leonardo and his regens were not willing to exchange Venice's aid for ceding them Zakynthos or other parts of Leonardo's domain, nor in exchange for Venice being allowed to govern the islands during his minority. Nevertheless, Leonardo eventually succeeded in securing protection by Venice, and in doing so became an honorary citizen of the republic. In times when Leonardo's realm was truly threatened, Venice did expend resources in ensuring his safety, such as in 1463, when numerous incidents with Ottoman ships near Leonardo's islands resulted in Venice sending ships to observe the situation, demonstrate power, and protect the local population. Venetian protection was however also often only nominal, with many of Leonardo's appeals for aid being rejected.
### Staving off Ottoman conquest
After the fall of Arta, Leonardo's domain enjoyed several years of peace, with even the scant possessions on the mainland being free from Ottoman incursions. Why the Ottomans left Leonardo alone is unknown. Contemporary records explained this through 'God's will', though it is more likely due to the Ottomans' preoccupation with the conquest of other Balkan realms during this period. Though not a powerful ruler by any means, Leonardo worked to resist the rise of the Ottoman Empire. In a move which historian William Miller described in 1908 as either excessively "patriotic" or "impolitic", Leonardo joined the Albanian lord Skanderbeg in throwing off Ottoman suzerainty in 1460. The results were catastrophic, as Leonardo lost two out of his three fortresses on the mainland, only retaining Vonitza, and, according to one account, resulting in his imprisonment in Corinth, from which he supposedly undertook a daring escape with the aid of a corsair. Despite having lost control of virtually the entire mainland, Leonardo still had the support of the Latin populace of his former lands, and actively sought to regain them. In 1463, he heard that Venice was preparing an expedition to conquer the Morea, which had been a Byzantine rump state until its fall to the Ottomans in 1460. Upon learning this, Leonardo appealed to Venice to aid him in retaking his mainland possessions, though that scheme eventually amounted to nothing.
By the time of the First Ottoman–Venetian War (1463–1479), Leonardo was one of the last independent Latin rulers in Greece. The drawn-out process of Ottoman conquest in Greece and the rest of the Balkans, as well as the ongoing fighting, had made Leonardo's island realm the refuge of thousands of Christian refugees, who were allowed to live in their own somewhat autonomous communities. Leonardo also participated in the ongoing war to an extent, acting as an intermediary between Venice and the Ottomans and sending occasional military aid to the Venetian forces. The enthusiastic reception of refugees and lack of attention from the Ottomans ensured that even while the mainland was devastated by war, Leonardo's islands flourished in peace. When the Byzantine historian George Sphrantzes visited the islands during this time he found them enjoying the period of peace, with Leonardo having become lord in his own right after having put his four regents to death. The 16th-century Spanish historian Jerónimo Zurita y Castro, who visited Leonardo's former islands some decades after the fall of the despotate, noted that the prosperity of the islands entitled Leonardo to rightfully be called a king, rather than a mere despot or count palatine. Zurita's account of Leonardo as an independent and prosperous ruler, which is corroborated in parts by some other contemporary records, led to many scholars characterizing Leonardo's entire reign as one of prosperity and peace, but this is far from a nuanced picture, given that other records testify to the period being a catastrophe that ended in Ottoman conquest. Though much of the surviving evidence does point to Leonardo being a wise and energetic ruler, his realm was plagued by exterior threats in the form of the Ottomans and Venice, as well as internal problems, and proved unable to avoid the Ottoman onslaught, a fate no Balkan ruler in the 15th century could escape.
During Leonardo's reign, the administration of his islands had been efficiently organized. He had several treasurers, as well as financial officers termed 'procurators'. Civil and judicial administration was headed by vice-regents, or captains, with one appointed for each island. Though Leonardo offered considerably support for the local Catholic church, established since the islands came under the rule of the Italian Orsini family more than a century earlier, he was also careful not to neglect the Orthodox church, as he inferred that if he mistreated the local Greeks, they could conspire with the Ottomans to depose him. In 1452, Leonardo revived the Orthodox Bishopric of Cephalonia, an ancient see that had been rendered vacant after the Orsini takeover, appointing a new Orthodox bishop with jurisdiction over the islands of Zakynthos and Ithaca. Leonardo also began employing a larger number of Greeks in his administration and began issuing charters in Greek. Though Leonardo thus gave several concessions to the Greeks, he was, despite his hopes, nevertheless seen as a tyrant by many of his Orthodox subjects. Leonardo suffered from some problems owing to internal dissent, notably an incident in 1468 when some people from Corfu plundered and raped around a town on Zakynthos, as well as problems caused by natural forces, such as a series of strong earthquakes in 1469, which caused collapsed houses and deaths on all of the islands under his control.
### Fall of the despotate
Leonardo's first wife, whom he had married on 1 May 1463, was Milica Branković, a granddaughter of Thomas Palaiologos, the brother of the final Byzantine emperor Constantine XI Palaiologos. After her death in 1464, Leonardo sought to remarry in order to seal a political alliance, in hopes of saving what remained of his realm. He thus married Francesca Marzano in 1477, a niece of Ferdinand I of Naples. The effect of Leonardo's marriage was the opposite of what he had wanted. Given that the Republic of Venice had no desire to see Neapolitan influence return to Leonardo's islands, the marriage alienated them further. Venetian revenge came in the form of Venice omitting Leonardo from their 1479 peace treaty with the Ottomans, effectively leaving him as the sole remaining belligerent against Sultan Mehmed II. The unfavorable peace deal Leonardo managed to secure with the Ottomans resulted in him having to not only pay 4,000 ducats annually in tribute but also in Leonardo agreeing to gift 500 ducats to any visiting Ottoman provincial governor.
Unfortunately for Leonardo, an Ottoman official visited him shortly after the peace deal was signed. Given that this official was still underage and had recently lost the dignity of pasha, Leonardo gifted him with a selection of fruit rather than 500 ducats. Angered by this lackluster gift, the young official reached out to the sultan, reminding Mehmed of Leonardo having been left out of the greater Venetian peace deal and Leonardo's pro-Venetian stance during the war. Eager for a pretext to invade Leonardo's domain, from which Mehmed eventually hoped to launch an invasion of Italy, the sultan sent a fleet of 29 ships commanded by Gedik Ahmed Pasha, a former grand vizier, to conquer the islands. Knowing that the Venetians were not going to help him, and that Naples would be unable to, as well as the fact that many of his own non-Latin subjects detested him, Leonardo concluded that fighting against the Ottomans was futile. Thus, the despot collected his valuables and fled from the island of Lefkada, where he had ruled from, to the fortress of St. George on the island of Cephalonia, the strongest of the fortresses under his control.
Leonardo began to mistrust the garrison of St. George. When the Ottomans arrived and spotted his treasure-ship, Leonardo decided to flee, hastily boarding a Venetian ship, alongside his wife, his son Carlo, and his brothers Giovanni and Antonio, headed to Taranto in southern Italy One-by-one, Leonardo's few remaining possessions quickly fell to the Ottomans in August and September 1479, with officials being killed, castles being burned and many people of the lower classes being carried off.
### Life in exile
Italy was the obvious choice for refuge, given that it was the nearest Christian land and the ancestral homeland of Leonardo's family. Leonardo was also well-connected to the Italian nobility and could thus expect a welcome reception. Not only was Leonard the nephew-in-law of the Neapolitan king, Leonardo's sister-in-law was also married to Pope Sixtus IV's nephew. Leonardo and his family were met with a friendly reception by Ferdinand of Naples upon their arrival. Leonardo's uncle-in-law granted him an annual pension of 500 florins, and also made him a landed noble, granting him the fiefs of Briatico and Calimera in Calabria. These lands were a small gesture, given that Leonardo had expected Ferdinand to lend him military aid to retake his lands in Greece.
On 29 February 1480, Leonardo and his family arrived in Rome, seeking money from Pope Sixtus. Papal emissaries met with Leonardo outside the Porta San Giovanni and escorted the dispossessed despot to a house he had leased between the Botteghe Oscure and the Via Pellicciaria. Sixtus IV gave Leonardo 1000 gold pieces, and promised a pension of 2000 gold pieces a year. Sixtus recorded his generosity to Leonardo in reliefs in the frescoes of the Ospedale di Santo Spirito in Sassia, which record how Sixtus "nourished [Leonardo] with his royal bounty". Leonardo's attempts at gaining money from the Papacy may be explained by the dispossessed despot almost immediately upon his faced large debts, owing to the fact that the lands granted to him by Ferdinand were not enough to sustain himself, his family, and his entourage. By October 1480, Leonardo owed Ferdinand 12,000 ducats, and owed his own wife 600 ducats. After having stayed in Rome for about a month, Leonardo left to reside in southern Italy again.
Leonardo and his family hoped to regain their territories in Greece. Leonardo's brother Antonio briefly succeeded, with the aid of some Catalan mercenaries, to recover the islands of Cephalonia and Zakynthos in 1481. Venice did not wish for the islands to fall under Neapolitan suzerainty again, so worked to dislodge Antonio. In 1482, the Venetian governor of Methoni successfully took control of Zakynthos and in 1483, Antonio was killed by his own garrison due to fears of an imminent Venetian attack. Although the Ottomans demanded the return of the islands and Leonardo petitioned Venice to be reinstated as ruler, Venice succeeded in retaining the islands until the fall of the republic in the late 18th century (though Cephalonia came under Ottoman control briefly in 1485–1500). Though Leonardo would spend the rest of his life pondering how he could regain his lands, no further attempts were ever made to take them back.
Leonardo served Ferdinand as a diplomat to Spain. The Spaniards are recorded as having treated Leonardo with royal honors, echoing Zurita's assessment of him as deserving of royal status. Leonardo also worked to enhance his wealth and power in southern Italy further, but it proved to be a mostly fruitless venture. In 1480, he purchased the town of Sinopoli for 20,000 ducats, but he was unable to govern it. By 1496, many of the fiefs Leonard had amassed are attested as being ruled by other people, meaning that he had lost them through some means. In 1495, Leonardo was granted the Apulian town of Monopoli by Charles VIII of France, who had invaded and taken control of Naples. Leonardo eventually returned to Rome, dying there in the pontificate of Pope Alexander VI (r. 1492–1503), when his house collapsed on top of him.
## Family
With Milica Branković, Leonardo only had a single child, his eldest son:
- Carlo III Tocco (1464–1518), who succeeded Leonardo as titular Despot of Epirus and Count Palatine of Cephalonia and Zakynthos. Noted for his military service under Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I (r. 1508–1519).
With Francesca Marzano, Leonardo had five more children; two sons and three daughters:
- Ferdinando or Ferrante Tocco (after 1480 – 23 December 1525), son who also served under Maximilian I, later becoming a soldier and diplomat in service to Spain, for instance being attested at the court of Henry VII of England in 1506.
- Raimondina, Raimonda or Ramusia Tocco (after 1480 – after 1519), daughter who lived in Venice and later Rome. Married Maria Pico, an Italian noble.
- Eleonora Tocco (after 1480 – ?), daughter who lived in Venice and became a nun.
- Pietro Tocco (after 1480 – ?), son who died in infancy.
- Ippolita Tocco (after 1480 – ?), daughter who lived in Venice and then Rome.
Leonardo also had at least one illegitimate son, whose name is not recorded, born c. 1458 and dead at some point after 1481.
|
465,209 |
SM UB-4
| 1,172,009,544 |
Type UB I submarine of the German Imperial Navy
|
[
"1915 ships",
"German Type UB I submarines",
"Maritime incidents in 1915",
"Ships built in Belgium",
"Ships built in Kiel",
"Submarines lost with all hands",
"U-boats commissioned in 1915",
"U-boats sunk by British warships",
"U-boats sunk in 1915",
"World War I shipwrecks in the North Sea",
"World War I submarines of Germany"
] |
Seiner Majestät UB-4 was a German Type UB I submarine (U-boat) in the German Imperial Navy (German: Kaiserliche Marine) during World War I. She was sunk by a British Q-ship disguised as a fishing smack in August 1915.
UB-4 was ordered in October 1914 and was laid down at the Germaniawerft shipyard in Kiel in November. UB-4 was a little more than 28 metres (92 ft) in length and displaced between 127 and 142 tonnes (125 and 140 long tons), depending on whether surfaced or submerged. She carried two torpedoes for her two bow torpedo tubes and was also armed with a deck-mounted machine gun. UB-4 was broken into sections and shipped by rail to Antwerp for reassembly. She was launched and commissioned as SM UB-4 in March 1915.
UB-4 conducted the first sortie of the Flanders Flotilla in April, during which she sank the Belgian Relief ship Harpalyce, the first ship credited to the flotilla. She sank three more ships from mid-April to mid-August. On 15 August, UB-4 surfaced near the British Q-ship Inverlyon and was sunk by gunfire from the sailing vessel. None of UB-4's 14 crewmen survived the attack.
## Design and construction
After the German Army's rapid advance along the North Sea coast in the earliest stages of World War I, the German Imperial Navy found itself without suitable submarines that could be operated in the narrow and shallow environment off Flanders. Project 34, a design effort begun in mid-August 1914, produced the Type UB I design: a small submarine that could be shipped by rail to a port of operations and quickly assembled. Constrained by railroad size limitations, the UB I design called for a boat about 28 metres (92 ft) long and displacing about 125 tonnes (123 long tons) with two torpedo tubes. UB-4 was part of the initial allotment of eight submarines—numbered UB-1 to UB-8—ordered on 15 October from Germaniawerft of Kiel, just shy of two months after planning for the class began.
UB-4 was laid down by Germaniawerft in Kiel on 3 November. As built, UB-4 was 28.10 metres (92 ft 2 in) long, 3.15 metres (10 ft 4 in) abeam, and had a draft of 3.03 metres (10 ft). She had a single 59-brake-horsepower (44 kW) Daimler 4-cylinder diesel engine for surface travel, and a single 119-shaft-horsepower (89 kW) Siemens-Schuckert electric motor for underwater travel, both attached to a single propeller shaft. Her top speeds were 6.47 knots (11.98 km/h; 7.45 mph), surfaced, and 5.51 knots (10.20 km/h; 6.34 mph), submerged. At more moderate speeds, she could sail up to 1,650 nautical miles (3,060 km; 1,900 mi) on the surface before refueling, and up to 45 nautical miles (83 km; 52 mi) submerged before recharging her batteries. Like all boats of the class, UB-4 was rated to a diving depth of 50 metres (160 ft), and could completely submerge in 33 seconds.
UB-4 was armed with two 45-centimeter (17.7 in) torpedoes in two bow torpedo tubes. She was also outfitted for a single 8-millimeter (0.31 in) machine gun on deck. UB-4's standard complement consisted of one officer and thirteen enlisted men.
After work on UB-4 was complete at the Germaniwerft yard, UB-4 was readied for rail shipment. The process of shipping a UB I boat involved breaking the submarine down into what was essentially a knock down kit. Each boat was broken into approximately fifteen pieces and loaded onto eight railway flatcars. In early 1915, the sections of UB-4 were shipped to Antwerp for assembly in what was typically a two- to three-week process. After UB-4 was assembled and launched sometime in March, she was loaded on a barge and taken through canals to Bruges where she underwent trials.
## Service career
The submarine was commissioned into the German Imperial Navy as SM UB-4 on 23 March under the command of Oberleutnant zur See Karl Gross, a 29-year-old first-time U-boat commander. UB-4 soon joined the other UB I boats then comprising the Flanders Flotilla (German: U-boote des Marinekorps U-Flotille Flandern), which had been organized on 29 March. When UB-4 joined the flotilla, Germany was in the midst of its first submarine offensive, begun in February. During this campaign, enemy vessels in the German-defined war zone (German: Kriegsgebiet), which encompassed all waters around the United Kingdom (including the English Channel), were to be sunk. Vessels of neutral countries were not to be attacked unless they definitively could be identified as enemy vessels operating under a false flag.
UB-4 kicked off operations for the new flotilla when she departed on her first patrol on 9 April. The following day, she sank the first ship credited to the Flanders Flotilla. The 5,940 GRT British-flagged Harpalyce, which had been chartered by the American Commission for Relief in Belgium, was headed for Norfolk, Virginia, United States, in ballast after delivering relief supplies to Rotterdam. UB-4 came upon the steamer between Harwich and the Hook of Holland and pulled to within about 100 yards (91 m). Despite the fact that the ship had a pass of safe-conduct from Germany, was marked with the words "Belgian Relief" on her side, and was flying a white flag with the same wording, Gross torpedoed the vessel without warning. Harpalyce sank in about five minutes, which allowed no time to launch any of the lifeboats. The Dutch steamers Elisabeth and Constance, and the American steamer Ruby picked up survivors. Herbert Hoover, head of the relief committee, reported that his organization's charter of the ship ended after delivery of the cargo in Rotterdam, but expressed disbelief that the ship could have been the victim of a torpedo attack, given the "distinct assurance" that ships engaged in the relief effort "would not be molested". Harpalyce's master and 14 others from the 44-man crew died in the attack. Harpalyce was the largest ship sunk by UB-4 during her career.
UB-4's followed up the sinking of Harpalyce by sinking the Greek ship Ellispontos, a steamer of 2,989 gross register tons (GRT). Ellispontos was en route to Montevideo from Amsterdam when sunk by Gross and UB-4 on 17 April. Although German U-boats sank over 100,000 tons of shipping in each of May and June, UB-4 did not contribute to those totals. She did add one ship to the 98,000-ton tally for July when she sank the Belgian ship Princesse Marie Jose and her load of coal on 29 July. The 1,954 GRT steamer had sailed from Dunston and was headed to Bordeaux when sunk 1.5 nautical miles (2.8 km; 1.7 mi) from the Shipwash Lightship off Harwich.
### Sinking
On 14 August, the 59 GRT British fishing smack Bona Fide was stopped by a U-boat, boarded, and sunk with explosives 35 nautical miles (65 km; 40 mi) east-northeast of Lowestoft. According to the website Uboat.net, this attack was likely by UB-4, because she was operating in the area on her fourteenth patrol. Regardless of the identity of Bona Fide's attacker, UB-4 did approach a group of smacks in the vicinity the next day, but unbeknownst to UB-4's commander, Gross, one of the fishing vessels was actually a British decoy ship.
The decoy or Q-ship was His Majesty's Armed Smack Inverlyon, a smack that had been outfitted with a concealed 3-pounder (47 mm) gun. Around 20:20, UB-4 drew within 30 yards (27 m) of Inverlyon and Gross, on the conning tower of UB-4, shouted out commands to Inverlyon's crew in German. After waiting until the right moment, Ernest Jehan, a Royal Navy gunner in command of Inverlyon, ordered the White Ensign raised and gave the command to open fire. A burst of three rounds from the 3-pounder scored hits on the conning tower, the second destroying part of the bridge and sending Gross into the water. UB-4, with no one at the helm, drifted behind Inverlyon, and when clear, the 3-pounder fired another six shots into the hull of UB-4 at point blank range. All the while small arms fire from Inverlyon's crew peppered the submarine. The U-boat began going down by the bow, becoming nearly vertical before disappearing below the surface. A member of Inverlyon's crew attempted the rescue of one crewman from UB-4, but was unable to reach him before he went under, meeting the same fate as the other thirteen crewmen.
As UB-4 went down, her hulk fouled the Inverlyon's nets—which had been deployed to keep up the appearance of a real fishing boat—essentially anchoring Inverlyon in place. The Q-ship's crew, not having a wireless set on board, sent word of the encounter with another smack, and followed up by releasing messenger pigeons the following morning, requesting instructions on what to do with UB-4. The thought of salvaging the snagged U-boat was rejected, so the nets were cut, freeing UB-4 to sink to the bottom. UB-4's wreck lies at position . Jehan was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for the sinking of UB-4, and the crewmen of Inverlyon split the submarine bounty paid by the Admiralty.
## Summary of raiding history
|
19,136,361 |
USS West Apaum
| 1,152,187,053 |
Cargo ship in the United States Navy
|
[
"1918 ships",
"Design 1013 ships",
"Design 1013 ships of the United States Navy",
"Ships built by Skinner & Eddy",
"World War I auxiliary ships of the United States",
"World War I cargo ships of the United States"
] |
USS West Apaum (ID-3221) was a cargo ship in the United States Navy during World War I. She had been built as SS West Apaum for the United States Shipping Board (USSB) as part of the West boats, a series of steel-hulled cargo ships built on the West Coast of the United States.
West Apaum sailed on three voyages for the US Navy, two after the Armistice, before she was decommissioned in July 1919. Though little is available regarding West Apaum's civilian career, it is known that she was sailing on a New York – Rotterdam route in early 1927. By early 1929, West Apaum had been laid up by the USSB, which abandoned her in 1933. The cargo ship was scrapped in the second quarter of that same year.
## Design and construction
The "West" ships were cargo ships of similar size and design built by several shipyards on the West Coast of the United States for the United States Shipping Board for emergency use during World War I. All were given names that began with the word "West", like West Apaum, one of some 24 "West" ships built by Skinner & Eddy of Seattle, Washington.
West Apaum (Skinner & Eddy No. 23, USSB No. 88) was laid down on 19 March 1918, launched on 23 May, and delivered to the Navy upon completion on 19 June. West Apaum was built in a total of 78 working days, 92 calendar days, and was tied with three other ships for tenth place on a list of the ten fastest constructed ocean-going vessels compiled in 1920. Skinner & Eddy received a \$25,000 bonus for completing the ship early.
The ship was 5,537 gross register tons (GRT), and was 409 feet 5 inches (124.79 m) long (between perpendiculars) and 54 feet (16.5 m) abeam. West Apaum had a steel hull and a mean draft of 22 feet 2.25 inches (6.7628 m). She displaced 12,226 t, and had a deadweight tonnage of . The ship had a single triple-expansion steam engine powered by three coal-fired boilers that drove her single screw propeller, and moved the ship at a 10.5-knot (19.4 km/h) pace.
## Military career
USS West Apaum (ID-3221) was commissioned into the Naval Overseas Transportation Service (NOTS) on 20 June 1918.
West Apaum departed Bremerton, Washington, on 27 June for Arica, Chile, to take on a cargo of nitrates for the United States. Sailing from there via the Panama Canal, West Apaum arrived at Savannah, Georgia, on 9 September. From there she sailed for Hampton Roads, Virginia, where she arrived on 10 October. Eight days later, loaded with rolling stock, steel rails, and other general cargo for the United States Army, the cargo ship sailed for France. Delayed at Halifax for repairs to her damaged propeller, West Apaum finally entered the harbor at La Pallice on 22 November, 11 days after the Armistice.
West Apaum unloaded her railroad goods, loaded 2,214 long tons (2,250 t) of Army cargo, and headed for the United States on 13 December. She arrived at Hampton Roads on 3 January 1919. West Apaum made two more voyages to France under Navy control. On her final voyage, she carried airplane materials to France and returned 5,000 long tons (5,100 t) of Army ordnance to New York on 11 July. On 25 July, West Apaum was decommissioned and returned to the USSB.
## Civilian career
Little is known about West Apaum's subsequent civilian career. In the first quarter of 1927, it is known that West Apaum was sailing on a New York – Rotterdam route. While in this service, The New York Times, in one of just a few mentions the ship received in contemporary news coverage, reported on the transfer of one of West Apaum's crew members to the United States Lines ocean liner Republic at sea. The crewman had fallen into an open hatchway and had fractured his skull. The two ships, located some 200 nautical miles (370 km; 230 mi) west of New York, came within 1⁄4 mile (0.40 km) of each other and the injured man was loaded onto a boat from Republic in the heavy seas. The crewman, though successfully transferred to Republic, died several hours later.
By early 1929, West Apaum had been laid up, and was under consideration by the USSB for the installation of pulverized coal-fired boilers for testing purposes, but lost out on the honor to West Alsek. No further information on West Apaum's career is available, but it is known that she was abandoned by the USSB in 1933, and scrapped in the second quarter of that year.
|
63,423,015 |
Estuaries of Texas
| 1,054,585,409 |
Estuaries on the Gulf coast of Texas
|
[
"Estuaries of Texas"
] |
The U.S. state of Texas has a series of estuaries along its coast on the Gulf of Mexico, most of them bounded by the Texas barrier islands. Estuaries are coastal bodies of water in which freshwater from rivers mixes with saltwater from the sea. Twenty-one drainage basins terminate along the Texas coastline, forming a chain of seven major and five minor estuaries: listed from southwest to northeast, these are the Rio Grande Estuary, Laguna Madre, the Nueces Estuary (Corpus Christi Bay), the Mission–Aransas Estuary (Aransas Bay), the Guadalupe Estuary (San Antonio Bay), the Colorado–Lavaca Estuary (Matagorda Bay), East Matagorda Bay, the San Bernard River and Cedar Lakes Estuary, the Brazos River Estuary, Christmas Bay, the Trinity–San Jacinto Estuary (Galveston Bay), and the Sabine–Neches Estuary (Sabine Lake). Each estuary is named for its one or two chief contributing rivers, excepting Laguna Madre, East Matagorda Bay, and Christmas Bay, which have no major river sources. The estuaries are also sometimes referred to by the names of their respective primary or central water bodies, though each also includes smaller secondary bays, inlets, or other marginal water bodies.
These water bodies include some of the largest and most ecologically productive coastal estuaries in the United States and contribute significantly to the ecological and economic resources of Texas. They are included in a number of national protected areas such as National Wildlife Refuges, a National Seashore, and a National Estuarine Research Reserve, as well as various state parks and other regional protected areas. The two most economically important (the Nueces and Trinity–San Jacinto Estuaries) have been designated by the United States Environmental Protection Agency as estuaries of national significance under the National Estuary Program. The Gulf Intracoastal Waterway runs through each of the major estuaries, linking Texas ports with others along the Gulf Coast of the United States.
## Overview
Twenty-one drainage basins terminate along the Gulf Coast of Texas, and the freshwater from these rivers and the adjacent coastal watersheds mixes with saltwater from the Gulf to form a series of estuaries. The seven major estuaries are all separated from the Gulf of Mexico by the Texas barrier islands and various peninsulas on the mainland, making them into sheltered bays, whereas several of the minor estuaries have no barrier islands or embayments but are riverine estuaries that empty directly into the Gulf. The Texas coastline has changed significantly over the past million years as a result of sea level fluctuations, caused mainly by the passing of glacial periods. The current chain of barrier islands and peninsulas formed between 8,000 and 5,000 years ago as the Gulf of Mexico stabilized around its current level after the end of the Last Glacial Period, shaping the estuary systems along the present coast. The Texas estuaries support productive and biodiverse aquatic and coastal ecosystems, and they contribute significant economic value to the state, both by directly supporting industries such as fishing and tourism, and by providing services such as runoff filtration and shoreline stabilization.
## Laguna Madre Estuary
The Laguna Madre Estuary is located along the southern coast of Texas in Nueces, Kenedy, Kleberg, Willacy, and Cameron Counties, extending almost to the border with Mexico. It is a long, shallow lagoon with no major river sources, separated from the Gulf of Mexico by Padre Island and Brazos Island and connecting with it through the Port Mansfield Channel and Brazos-Santiago Pass. Laguna Madre is the second largest of the Texas estuaries, approximately 130 miles (210 km) long and 4 to 6 miles (6 to 10 km) wide, with a surface area of 280,910 acres (113,680 ha) including Laguna Madre and its westward extensions in Baffin Bay and South Bay. The lagoon is split by a 20-mile (32 km) stretch of sand flats named the Saltillo Flats, which divide it into "upper" (northern) and "lower" (southern) sections. The natural portions have an average depth of around 4.5 feet (1.4 m), though deeper shipping channels have been dredged through. Its low rate of freshwater recharge and high evaporation rate make it hypersaline.
The shores of the lagoon are sparsely populated, with the small towns of Port Isabel and Port Mansfield on the mainland side and South Padre Island on the barrier island as the only significant settlements; all three are located on the Lower Laguna Madre. Tourism and commercial fishing (especially for penaeid shrimp) are major industries in the region, and much of the mainland shore is part of King Ranch. The lagoon's rich ecosystem is maintained by a number of protected areas, including the Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge and Padre Island National Seashore.
## Nueces Estuary
The Nueces Estuary is located on the Texas Coastal Bend in San Patricio and Nueces Counties, adjoining the city of Corpus Christi. It is fed by the Nueces River and Oso Creek and separated from the Gulf of Mexico by Mustang Island. The Nueces Estuary is the sixth largest of the Texas estuaries, with a surface area of 106,990 acres (43,300 ha) including Corpus Christi Bay and its western and southern extensions in Nueces Bay and Oso Bay. The natural portions have a depth of up to 13 feet (4 m). Smaller settlements around the bay include Portland, Ingleside, and Ingleside on the Bay, all located on the north shore.
Corpus Christi Bay is a deep-water natural harbor, and the shipping industry in the Port of Corpus Christi has been a major driver of human development in the region. Other significant industries include petroleum and natural gas extraction, tourism, commercial fishing, and military facilities such as Naval Air Station Corpus Christi. The United States Environmental Protection Agency has designated the Nueces Estuary system as an estuary of national significance under the National Estuary Program.
## Mission–Aransas Estuary
The Mission–Aransas Estuary is located on the Texas Coastal Bend in Aransas, Refugio, and San Patricio Counties. It is fed by the Mission and Aransas Rivers, separated from the Gulf of Mexico by San José Island and connecting with it through Aransas Pass and Cedar Bayou. The Mission–Aransas Estuary is the fifth largest of the Texas estuaries, with a surface area of 111,780 acres (45,240 ha) including Aransas Bay and its extensions in Redfish Bay to the southwest, Copano Bay to the northwest, and Saint Charles Bay to the north. The natural portions have an average depth of around 5.5 feet (1.7 m).
The shores of the estuary are sparsely populated, with the small towns of Aransas Pass, Port Aransas, Rockport, and Fulton as the only significant settlements. Historically Aransas Bay was a center for the meat packing industry, but today the region's economy centers around commercial fishing and tourism. The Mission–Aransas Estuary is the site of the Mission-Aransas National Estuarine Research Reserve, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's only National Estuarine Research Reserve in Texas. It serves as a wintering ground for the endangered whooping crane.
## Guadalupe Estuary
The Guadalupe Estuary is located near the middle of the Texas coast in Calhoun, Aransas, and Refugio Counties. It is fed by the Guadalupe River, separated from the Gulf of Mexico by Matagorda Island and connecting with it through Cedar Bayou. The Guadalupe Estuary is the fourth largest of the Texas estuaries, with a surface area of 143,000 acres (58,000 ha) including San Antonio Bay and its extensions to the southwest and northeast in Mesquite Bay and Espiritu Santo Bay. The natural portions have an average depth of around 2.5 feet (0.8 m).
The estuary is remote and difficult for shipping to access, and its shores are almost uninhabited, with the small towns of Seadrift and Austwell as the only significant settlements. The leading industries in the region are oyster farming, fish processing and the chemical industry. The southwestern shore and much of Matagorda Island are protected within the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge.
## Colorado–Lavaca Estuary
The Colorado–Lavaca Estuary is located on the upper-mid Texas coast in Matagorda, Jackson, Victoria, and Calhoun Counties. It is fed by the Colorado, Lavaca, and Tres Palacios Rivers, separated from the Gulf of Mexico by the Matagorda Peninsula and connecting with it through Matagorda Ship Channel and Pass Cavallo. The Colorado–Lavaca Estuary is the third largest of the Texas estuaries, with a surface area of 244,490 acres (98,940 ha) including Matagorda Bay and its extensions in Lavaca Bay and several smaller bays. The natural portions have depths ranging from 6 to 13 feet (2 to 4 m).
The shores of the estuary are sparsely populated, with the small towns of Port Lavaca, Palacios, Port O'Connor, and Point Comfort as the only significant settlements. Matagorda Bay is a major center for the commercial fishing and fish processing industries, with the Port of Port Lavaca driving much of the regional economy; tourism and manufacturing are also significant contributors. The bay was the site of La Salle's failed French colony, and the shipwreck of one of his ships, La Belle, was discovered and excavated in the 1990s and 2000s.
## Trinity–San Jacinto Estuary
The Trinity–San Jacinto Estuary is located on the northeastern Texas coast in Chambers, Harris, Galveston, and Brazoria Counties, adjoining the city of Houston. It is formed by the confluence of the Trinity and San Jacinto Rivers, separated from the Gulf of Mexico by Galveston Island and Bolivar Peninsula and connecting with it through Rollover Pass, Bolivar Roads, and San Luis Pass. The Trinity–San Jacinto Estuary is the largest of the Texas estuaries, with a surface area of 345,280 acres (139,730 ha) including Galveston Bay and its extensions in East Bay to the east, Trinity Bay to the northeast, West Bay to the southwest, and several smaller bays and inlets. The natural portions of the estuary have mean low-water depths ranging from 6 to 10 feet (2 to 3 m).
The Trinity–San Jacinto Estuary is almost surrounded by the Greater Houston urban area, and its shores are relatively urbanized and industrialized, especially to the west. Other significant settlements on the shores include Baytown, Texas City, and Galveston. The estuary is a major shipping center, the heart of the Houston Ship Channel, and the Port of Houston, Port of Texas City, and Port of Galveston drive much economic activity on the waterways. Petrochemical industries are concentrated along the western shore, and the estuary also supports Texas's largest commercial fishery. The United States Environmental Protection Agency has designated the Trinity–San Jacinto Estuary system as an estuary of national significance under the National Estuary Program. Portions of the northeastern shore are protected within the Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge. The museum ship USS Texas is moored in the mouth of the San Jacinto River at the northwest end of the estuary, next to the San Jacinto Monument.
## Sabine–Neches Estuary
The Sabine–Neches Estuary is located on the Louisiana border at the corner of Southeast Texas in Jefferson and Orange Counties, adjoining the city of Port Arthur. It is an almost totally enclosed lake, formed by the confluence of the Neches and Sabine Rivers and connecting to the Gulf of Mexico through Sabine Pass. The Sabine–Neches Estuary is the smallest of the seven major estuaries, with a surface area of 45,320 acres (18,340 ha) including Sabine Lake and a number of adjoining bayous, and its small size and high rate of freshwater inflow make it the least saline of the seven. The natural portions of the estuary have a mean low-water depth of at most around 10 feet (3 m).
The channelization of the Sabine–Neches Estuary has made it an important industrial waterway, the heart of the Sabine–Neches Waterway. The three ports it links to the Gulf of Mexico (Port Arthur, Beaumont, and Orange) form a major nexus for the shipping and petrochemical industries, the so-called Golden Triangle of Texas. The largest industries around the estuary are petroleum and natural gas extraction, petrochemical processing, shipping, and shipbuilding. Agriculture also forms a significant component of the regional economy, principally rice and soybean cultivation, livestock ranching, and commercial fishing (mainly for shellfish).
## Minor estuaries
Texas has five minor estuaries interspersed among its seven major estuary systems. These are smaller, less complicated estuaries with less significance to the state's hydrology, ecology, and economy. Several of these are simply the lower tidal reaches of particular rivers, without barrier islands or embayments to separate them from the Gulf of Mexico.
### Rio Grande Estuary
The Rio Grande Estuary is located on the Texas–Mexico border in Cameron County, south of Laguna Madre at the southern extremity of the Texas coast. It is a riverine estuary system consisting only of the lower reaches of the Rio Grande, with no associated bay.
### East Matagorda Bay Estuary
East Matagorda Bay is a minor estuary located on the upper-mid Texas coast in Matagorda County immediately northeast of the Colorado–Lavaca Estuary (Matagorda Bay). It has no significant river sources and is separated from the Gulf of Mexico by Matagorda Peninsula, only intermittently connecting with it through Brown Cedar Cut. The estuary has a surface area of 37,810 acres (15,300 ha), and its natural portions have an average depth of around 3.4 feet (1.0 m)
### San Bernard River and Cedar Lakes Estuary
The San Bernard River and Cedar Lakes Estuary is one of three minor estuaries located on the upper-mid Texas coast in Brazoria County between Matagorda Bay and Galveston Bay. It includes Cedar Lakes, Cowtrap Lake, and the lower reaches of the San Bernard River, covering a surface area of 3,760 acres (1,520 ha) with an average depth of 2.1 feet (0.6 m).
### Brazos River Estuary
The Brazos River Estuary is the second of three minor estuaries located on the upper-mid Texas coast in Brazoria County between Matagorda Bay and Galveston Bay. It is a riverine estuary system consisting only of the lower reaches of the Brazos River, with no associated bay.
### Christmas Bay Estuary
Christmas Bay is a minor estuary located on the upper-mid Texas coast in Brazoria County immediately southwest of the Trinity–San Jacinto Estuary (Galveston Bay). It is fed by Bastrop Bayou, separated from the Gulf of Mexico by Follet's Island and connecting with it through San Luis Pass and Cold Pass. Its minor extensions are Bastrop Bay to the north and Drum Bay to the southwest. The estuary has a surface area of 4,173 acres (1,689 ha). Much of its shoreline is protected within the Brazoria National Wildlife Refuge.
|
5,422,780 |
Ski jumping at the 1928 Winter Olympics
| 1,117,434,545 | null |
[
"1928 Winter Olympics events",
"1928 in ski jumping",
"Ski jumping at the 1928 Winter Olympics",
"Ski jumping at the Winter Olympics",
"Ski jumping competitions in Switzerland"
] |
The men's ski jumping at the 1928 Winter Olympics took place at the 70-meter (230 ft) Olympiaschanze in St. Moritz, Switzerland, on 18 February. Thirty-eight competitors from thirteen nations competed, with the event being won by Norway's Alf Andersen ahead of countryman Sigmund Ruud and Czechoslovakia's Rudolf Burkert.
Norway sent a strong contingent with four jumpers able to win the event, including reigning Olympic and world champion Jacob Tullin Thams. Andersen had won all eight Norwegian qualification events. World record holder Nels Nelsen from Canada was not permitted to participate due to financial problems. Japan participated in an international ski jumping competition for the first time, also becoming the first Asian country to do so. After the first jump, three Norwegians were in the lead. A 40-minute discussion erupted regarding the speed, with Central European jumpers wanting it increased. This was complied with by the jury, resulting in falls by several favorites, including the most vocal speed increase proponents, Gérard Vuilleumier and Bruno Trojani. Andersen and Ruud won by reducing their speed on the in-run.
## Venue
The event took place at Olympiaschanze, located in the neighborhood of St. Moritz Bad. The town's first ski jumping hill, Julierschanze, opened in 1895. However, it was not large enough for the Olympic tournaments, forcing the town to build a larger venue. Construction started in 1926 and the venue in inaugurated on 20 January 1927. Olympiaschanze had a size of 70 meters (230 ft) and a crowd of 8,000 people attended the event. The venue had also hosted the Nordic combined event and would later be used for the 1948 Winter Olympics.
## Background
Norway sent a strong delegation with four participants able to win the event. Jacob Tullin Thams had won the 1924 Winter Olympics event and has also won the 1926 World Championships, making him reigning Olympic and world champion. The rest of the delegation consisted Alf Andersen, Sigmund Ruud—the oldest of the Ruud brothers—and Hans Kleppen. Andersen had won all eight Norwegian qualifications for the Olympics. Other favorites were Rudolf Burkert, who had won and the ski jumping part of the Nordic combined event, and the host nation's Gérard Vuilleumier. Asia participated for the first time in an international tournament, represented by Japan's Motohiko Ban.
Canada had originally planned to send two ski jumpers, Nels Nelsen and Melbourne McKenzie. Nelsen held world record for the longest ski jump. However, lack of funding meant that they planned for work for their fare on a freighter. These plans were stopped by officials from the British delegation, who organized the Canadian team and who felt working for their fare was inappropriate and not fitting for the team, and Nelsen never competed in any Winter Olympics.
## Race
The jury consisted of Østgaard of Norway, Jilek of Czechoslovakia and Straumann of Switzerland. Because of ice on the in-run, a reduced speed was used during the first round. Andersen jumped 60.0 meters, by far the longest jump. Lengthwise, Ruud and Vuilleumier were in joint second place with 57.5 meters, while Burket was in fourth with 57.0 meters. Thams, Kleppen and Poland's Bronisław Czech all jumped 56.5 meters, but both Kleppen and Czech fell. In terms of points, the three Norwegians Andersen, Ruud and Thams were in the lead, ahead of Burket and Vuilleumier.
In the break, a number of Central Europeans, including Vuilleumier and Bruno Trojani, asked for top speed. This was protested by the Scandinavian and United States jumpers, and a 40-minute discussion broke out. At one point, one of the facilitators at the in-run received a telephone call confirming top speed. The facilitator was skeptical, and chose to call back to the judges, who could confirm that they had not given such a go-ahead. In the end, the judges chose to allow higher speeds, with a compromise of 5.0 meters more distance. However, the facilitator only moved the rope 4.5 meters. This made the Swiss furious, and they used their knives to cut the rope. They then accused the participants who were opposed to full speed of being cowards.
Andersen and Ruud skied down the in-run in a standing position to reduce their speed, and had the two longest standing jumps. The event is regarded as the international break-through for Ruud. Thams gave full speed and landed at 73.0 meters, but fell and ended on a 28th place. Had he stood, it would have been a new world record. The wounds were serious enough that he had to be taken to hospital. Afterwards he stated: "I at least showed those guys that we are not cowards". Also Vuillemiuer and Trojani became subject to the higher speeds, both falling and ending with a 30th and 32nd place, respectively. Ban had the shortest jump in both rounds, fell in the first round, and ended last.
## Results
The following is a list of all participants, noting their rank, country, the length in the first and second round, and the judge score for each of the three judges, as well as the final score. (F) denotes a fall.
## Participating nations
A total of 38 ski jumpers from 13 nations competed in the event:
- Austria (1)
- Canada (1)
- Czechoslovakia (4)
- Finland (2)
- France (3)
- Germany (4)
- Italy (3)
- Japan (1)
- Norway (4)
- Poland (4)
- Sweden (4)
- Switzerland (4)
- United States (3)
|
21,083,029 |
Schwingt freudig euch empor, BWV 36
| 1,105,173,884 |
Church cantata by Johann Sebastian Bach
|
[
"1731 compositions",
"Advent music",
"Church cantatas by Johann Sebastian Bach"
] |
Johann Sebastian Bach composed the church cantata Schwingt freudig euch empor (Soar joyfully upwards), BWV 36, in Leipzig in 1731 for the first Sunday in Advent. He drew on material from previous congratulatory cantatas, beginning with Schwingt freudig euch empor, BWV 36c (1725). The Gospel for the Sunday was the Entry into Jerusalem, thus the mood of the secular work matched "the people's jubilant shouts of Hosanna". In a unique structure in Bach's cantatas, he interpolated four movements derived from the former works with four stanzas from two important Advent hymns, to add liturgical focus, three from Luther's "Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland" and one from Nicolai's "Wie schön leuchtet der Morgenstern". He first performed the cantata in its final form of two parts, eight movements, on 2 December 1731.
## History and words
Bach composed the cantata in 1731 in Leipzig, for the First Sunday of Advent, the beginning of the Lutheran church year. In Leipzig this was the only Sunday in Advent when a cantata was performed, whereas tempus clausum (quiet time) was observed on the other three Sundays. The prescribed readings for the Sunday were from the Epistle to the Romans, "night is advanced, day will come" (), and from the Gospel of Matthew, the Entry into Jerusalem ().
Bach based parts of the music on a homage cantata of the same name, Schwingt freudig euch empor, BWV 36c, which he had composed for the birthday of a Leipzig University teacher and first performed in spring 1725. The text was probably written by Picander, who modified it to a congratulatory cantata for Countess Charlotte Friederike Wilhelmine of Anhalt-Köthen, Steigt freudig in die Luft, BWV 36a, first performed on 30 November 1726. Another version was a congratulatory cantata for a member of the Rivinius family from Leipzig, Die Freude reget sich, BWV 36b, probably in 1735.
Bach transformed the secular music to a cantata for the first Sunday in Advent, first by combining four movements and simply adding a chorale, the final stanza of "Wie schön leuchtet der Morgenstern". The librettist of this adaptation, who stayed close to the secular cantata without reference to the readings, is unknown. Klaus Hofmann notes that the jubilant opening matches the Gospel of the entry into Jerusalem "with the people's jubilant shouts of Hosanna". The date of the adaptation is not certain, because the version is extant only in a copy by Bach's student Christoph Nichelmann.
Finally in 1731, Bach reworked the cantata considerably and wrote a new score. He interpolated the arias not with recitatives, but with three stanzas from Luther's hymn for Advent, "Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland". This main hymn for the first Sunday in Advent had already opened his cantata for the same occasion in 1714, Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland, BWV 61, and he had used it as the base for his chorale cantata Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland, BWV 62, in 1724. The hymn stanzas "serve to anchor the cantata to some extent in the Advent story, and to give it liturgical purpose and a clear focus". John Eliot Gardiner terms it "structurally unusual". Bach divided the cantata in two parts to be performed before and after the sermon, closing part I with a stanza from Nicolai's hymn. For context, he replaced stanza 7, which had closed the whole cantata, by stanza 6, and closed part II by the final stanza of Luther's hymn.
Bach first performed the cantata on 2 December 1731, one week after Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme, BWV 140.
## Scoring and structure
The cantata is scored for four soloists—soprano, alto, tenor and bass—a four-part choir, and a Baroque instrumental ensemble of two oboes d'amore, two violins, viola and basso continuo. It is structured in two parts of four movements each. Its interpolation of chorus and arias with chorales is unique in Bach's cantatas.
## Music
The cantata is unique in Bach's church cantatas in its structure of arias combined with chorale instead of recitatives. Performed one week after Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme, BWV 140, it shows Bach's emphasis on the chorale even beyond his second cycle of chorale cantatas, begun in 1724.
The opening chorus is opened by a ritornello, dominated by two contrasting motifs: the strings play a short rising figure in triplets, the oboes d'amore play an expansive melody. As in the secular model, the movement is in two similar parts, each consisting of two contrasting sections, "Schwingt freudig euch empor zu den erhabnen Sternen" (Soar joyfully upwards to the exalted stars) and "Doch haltet ein!" (Yet stop!). The bass voice, the lowest register, enters first, followed by the tenors, altos, and sopranos. This ascending sequence also reflects the text: "soaring aloft", literally "swinging upward".
Gardiner, who conducted the three cantatas for the first Sunday in Advent during the Bach Cantata Pilgrimage with the Monteverdi Choir in 2000, described the movement as a "spiritual madrigal – capricious, light-textured and deeply satisfying once all its virtuosic technical demands have been met: those tricky runs, divisions and chromatic intervals in all voices, and the chains of triplet figuration in the unison oboes d'amore and first violins". He compares the figures on "haltet ein!" (stop) in the middle section to "Wohin?" (where) in the aria "Eilt, eilt" in Bach's St John Passion.
All three settings of the stanzas from Luther's chorale are different, beginning with a duet for soprano and alto for the first stanza. The voices are doubled by the oboes d'amore and render the text in sections of different length, with sixteen measures for the final "Gott solch Geburt ihm bestellt" (that God had ordained such a birth for Him). Alfred Dürr notes the expressiveness of the music, especially in leaps of sixths on the urgent request "nun komm" (now come), syncopated rhythm on "des sich wundert alle Welt" (over whom the whole world marvels), and daring chromatic on the final line. The tenor aria reflects "Die Liebe zieht mit sanften Schritten" (Love approaches with gentle steps) with oboe d'amore as obbligato instrument, "the traditional musical symbol of love", alluding to the concept of Jesus as the bride-groom and the Soul as the bride, which is also the base for Nicolai's hymn that closes part I in a "rousing four-part harmonisation".
The bass aria beginning part II, "Willkommen, werter Schatz!" (Welcome, worthy treasure!) shows "echoes of the first movement" and avoids a regular da capo structure. The bass voice is the vox Christi, addressing the bride. The welcoming gesture from the secular cantata seems appropriate for the expressed sentiment. The next hymn stanza, "Der du bist dem Vater gleich" (You who are like the Father), the sixth stanza from Luther's hymn "dealing with the sins of the flesh and Christ's mission to redeem humankind", is marked "molt' allegro". The tenor sings the chorale melody unadorned as a cantus firmus, but the oboes d'amore play with "the urgent surging of semi-quaver activity". Dürr sees the expression of "Kampf und Sieg des Gottessohnes" (fight and victory of the Son of God) over "das krank Fleisch" (weak/sick flesh) of man. Gardiner compares it to a trio sonata movement. He terms the last aria "a berceuse of pure enchantment" and compares it to the "echo aria" from part IV of Bach's Christmas Oratorio. The text "Auch mit gedämpften, schwachen Stimmen" (Also with muted, weak voices) is illustrated by a muted (con sordino) solo violin. The closing choral, the final stanza of Luther's hymn, "Lob sei Gott dem Vater ton" (Praise be to God, the Father) is a four-part setting.
## Recordings
A list of recordings is provided by the Bach Cantatas Website. Choir with one voice per part (OVPP) and ensembles playing period instruments in historically informed performance are marked by green background.
## Cited sources
Scores
Books
Online sources
Several databases provide additional information on each cantata, such as history, scoring, sources for text and music, translations to various languages, discography, and musical analysis.
The complete recordings of Bach's cantatas are accompanied by liner notes from musicians and musicologists, John Eliot Gardiner commented his Bach Cantata Pilgrimage, Klaus Hofmann wrote for Masaaki Suzuki, Christoph Wolff for Ton Koopman.
|
54,113,497 |
Jon Anabo
| 1,168,041,263 |
American gridiron football player (born 1939)
|
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"1939 births",
"American football quarterbacks",
"Canadian football quarterbacks",
"Cleveland Browns players",
"Edmonton Elks players",
"Fresno State Bulldogs football coaches",
"Fresno State Bulldogs football players",
"High school football coaches in California",
"Living people",
"Players of American football from Solano County, California",
"Players of Canadian football from California",
"Sports coaches from Los Angeles",
"Sportspeople from Fairfield, California"
] |
Johanes "Jon" S. Anabo (born August 24, 1939) is a former professional gridiron football quarterback who played for the Edmonton Eskimos of the Canadian Football League (CFL). From 1964 to 1965, he played in 11 regular season games, passing for 803 yards, five touchdowns, and eight interceptions. Prior to playing for the Eskimos, Anabo played for the Fresno State Bulldogs and spent time on the practice squad of the Cleveland Browns from the National Football League (NFL).
While in college, Anabo was one of the top passing quarterbacks among West Coast programs. He played in tandem with fellow quarterback Beau Carter in 1961 and 1962 as he helped lead the Bulldogs to an undefeated season. Anabo was twice named to the All-West Coast team released by United Press International. Anabo was selected in the 19th round of the 1962 NFL Draft by the Cleveland Browns and the 23rd round of the 1963 AFL Draft by the Oakland Raiders.
## Early career
Anabo attended Armijo High School before going on to play college football at Vallejo Junior College (later renamed Solano Community College) from 1958 to 1960. While at Vallejo, Anabo also played baseball. In 2004, Anabo was inducted into the Solano Community College Hall of Fame.
In 1961, Anabo transferred to Fresno State University to play for the Fresno State Bulldogs. The Bulldogs played two different units of offensive players, and Anabo split playing time with fellow quarterback Beau Carter. He was credited for leading the Bulldogs to an upset victory of the University of the Pacific in the game's final seconds. The Bulldogs had a perfect season in 1961 as Anabo passed for 454 yards and eight touchdowns. Fresno State defeated the Bowling Green Falcons 36–6 in the Mercy Bowl, and Anabo was named to the United Press International West Coast Small College All-Star team the following week.
In 1962, Anabo and Carter were described as the "best 1-2 quarterback punch on the West Coast". The duo ranked sixth in the nation in total passing yardage through the third week of November. Anabo set new records for Fresno State in passing and was again named to the All-Coast team. Anabo was selected for the All-American Bowl representing the Small Schools All-Star team, and the Small Schools won the annual game for the first time after Anabo scored a touchdown on a quarterback run in the fourth quarter. He ended his college career with 96 completions on 178 attempted passes for 1,334 yards and 17 touchdowns.
Anabo also participated in the high jump event for the track and field team at Fresno State.
## Professional career
### Cleveland Browns
In 1962, the Cleveland Browns selected Anabo in the nineteenth round of the 1962 NFL Draft with the 263rd overall pick. The Oakland Raiders of the American Football League selected Anabo the following year in the twenty-third round of the 1963 AFL Draft with the 177th overall pick. Anabo chose to sign with the Browns in January 1963. After attending training camp with the Browns, Anabo was placed on the practice squad for the entirety of the 1963 season.
Anabo attempted to make the Browns' regular season roster in 1964. In his first drive with the Browns during a preseason game, Anabo threw a 74-yard touchdown pass to flanker Walter Roberts. In September, the Browns released Anabo as part of their final roster cuts before the regular season.
### Edmonton Eskimos
After being released by the Browns, Anabo signed with the Edmonton Eskimos of the Canadian Football League. He played six regular season games for the Eskimos in 1964, passing for 621 yards with four touchdowns and seven interceptions. By the end of the season, Anabo was starting for the Eskimos. He played in five regular season games in 1965 but averaged only 3.9 yards per attempt. In August, Anabo suffered a minor injury which he played through later in the month. After starting the season with a 0–5 record, the Eskimos cut Anabo in late August.
## Later life
After retiring from professional football, Anabo coached high school football at Hoover High School. After serving as a quarterback and receivers coach at Fresno State, Anabo started a career in broadcasting as a football color commentator.
|
35,439,175 |
Extreme Rules (2012)
| 1,160,502,239 |
WWE pay-per-view event
|
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"2010s in Chicago",
"2012 WWE pay-per-view events",
"2012 in Illinois",
"April 2012 events in the United States",
"Events in Rosemont, Illinois",
"Professional wrestling in the Chicago metropolitan area",
"WWE Extreme Rules"
] |
The 2012 Extreme Rules was the fourth annual Extreme Rules professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by WWE. It took place on April 29, 2012, at the Allstate Arena in the Chicago suburb of Rosemont, Illinois. It included Brock Lesnar's first WWE in-ring match since WrestleMania XX in 2004. The concept of Extreme Rules is that the event features various hardcore-based matches.
Eight professional wrestling matches were scheduled on the event's card and one pre-show match was livestreamed on YouTube. Only four of the main card's matches were contested under a hardcore stipulation. In the main event, John Cena defeated Brock Lesnar in an Extreme Rules match. Elsewhere on the card, CM Punk defeated Chris Jericho in a Chicago Street Fight to retain the WWE Championship, and Sheamus defeated Daniel Bryan in a two out of three falls match to retain the World Heavyweight Championship.
The pay-per-view received universally positive reviews, with the main event and two world championship matches drawing high praise from critics and fans. The event received 263,000 buys, up 25.8% from the 209,000 buys for the previous year's event, whereas the next year's event received 231,000 buys, a drop of 12.1%. This was the only WWE pay-per-view event to receive a rating of TV-14 since WWE's transition to TV-PG in July 2008 and has been ranked as one of WWE's best events ever.
## Production
### Background
Extreme Rules is an annual gimmick pay-per-view (PPV) produced by WWE since 2009. The concept of the show is that the event features various matches that are contested under hardcore rules and generally features one Extreme Rules match. The defunct Extreme Championship Wrestling promotion, which WWE acquired in 2003, originally used the "extreme rules" term to describe the regulations for all of its matches; WWE adopted the term and has since used it in place of "hardcore match" or "hardcore rules". The 2012 Extreme Rules event was the fourth Extreme Rules and the first since the end of the first brand split in August 2011. It took place on April 29, 2012, at the Allstate Arena in the Chicago suburb of Rosemont, Illinois.
### Storylines
The professional wrestling matches at Extreme Rules comprised professional wrestlers performing as characters in scripted events pre-determined by the hosting promotion, WWE. Storylines between the characters played out on WWE's primary television programs, Monday Night Raw and SmackDown.
On the April 2 Raw, John Cena spoke about his loss to The Rock the previous night at WrestleMania XXVIII, which was dubbed a once-in-a-lifetime match and the most important battle of Cena's career. Cena asked for the Rock to come out so that Cena could offer his congratulations. Instead, Brock Lesnar came into the ring, making his first WWE appearance since 2004. Lesnar offered to shake hands with Cena but instead executed the F-5, dropping Cena onto the mat. The next week, General Manager John Laurinaitis revealed that he signed Lesnar to bring "legitimacy" and for Lesnar to become the "new face of the WWE"; Laurinaitis also scheduled Lesnar to face Cena at Extreme Rules. On April 16, the match was made into an Extreme Rules match.
On the January 2 Raw, Chris Jericho returned to WWE. He made it clear that he wanted to reclaim his title as the "best wrestler in the world," which CM Punk had claimed to be since 2011. Punk defeated Jericho at WrestleMania XXVIII. In the weeks following the event, Jericho attacked Punk several times, once pouring a bottle of Jack Daniel's over him — a pointed insult to the straight edge Punk, and vowed to lead Punk "down the path to alcoholism just like his father." On the April 16 Raw, Jericho challenged Punk to a Chicago Street Fight at Extreme Rules for the WWE Championship.
At WWE's Royal Rumble pay-per-view event on January 29, Sheamus won the Royal Rumble match to earn the opportunity to face either WWE Champion CM Punk or World Heavyweight Champion Daniel Bryan for their respective titles at WrestleMania XXVIII. Sheamus elected to wrestle Bryan and defeated him in 18 seconds to win the championship. On the April 10 SmackDown, Bryan invoked his rematch clause for Extreme Rules. Bryan chose a 2-out-of-3 Falls format to prevent Sheamus from scoring another quick victory.
Another rivalry heading into Extreme Rules was between Randy Orton and Kane. In July 2011, Kane lost in a Street Fight to Orton, and the two shook hands after the match as a sign of respect. In 2012, a newly re-masked Kane viewed the handshake as a sign of weakness, hence Kane started a feud with Orton and defeated him at WrestleMania XXVIII. Yet, on the April 6 episode of SmackDown, Orton defeated Kane in a No Disqualification match. On the April 10 episode of SmackDown, Kane attacked Orton and his father "Cowboy" Bob Orton. On the April 20 episode of SmackDown, a Falls Count Anywhere match between Kane and Orton was scheduled for Extreme Rules.
On April 23, a rematch for the WWE Intercontinental Championship was scheduled between defending champion Big Show and Cody Rhodes. Big Show had won the title from Rhodes at WrestleMania XXVIII.
Later that same day, a title defense by United States Champion Santino Marella against The Miz was scheduled for the pre-show.
Also that same day, Nikki Bella defeated the Beth Phoenix to capture the Divas Championship. Phoenix was slated to receive a rematch for the title at Extreme Rules, but was not medically cleared to compete due to a (storyline) sprained left ankle, and was replaced by Layla. This was Layla's first WWE appearance since the May 13, 2011, SmackDown. Layla had injured her knee at the previous year's event and had subsequently been attacked by Kharma.
## Event
### Pre-show
On the pre-show, The Miz challenged Santino Marella in a singles match for the United States Championship. Before the match, Miz complained about being in the pre-show after he was in the main event at last years' event. The title match ended with Marella pinning Miz after performing the Cobra on Miz. After the match, the stipulation for the Intercontinental Championship match between champion Big Show and Cody Rhodes was determined by a wheel spin which was revealed as a tables match.
### Preliminary matches
The actual pay-per-view opened with Randy Orton facing Kane in a Falls Count Anywhere match. The match started with Kane and Orton brawling into the crowd and then backstage, where Zack Ryder made an appearance to attack Kane and allow Orton to deliver an inverted headlock backbreaker for a two count. Orton and Kane eventually headed back into the ring, where Orton was unable to beat Kane despite multiple pin attempts after repeated chair shots, an elevated DDT off a broadcast table onto the arena floor and a superplex. In the end, Orton performed an RKO on Kane on a steel chair to win the match.
Next, Brodus Clay (accompanied by Hornswoggle and his background dancers, Cameron and Naomi) faced Dolph Ziggler (accompanied by Jack Swagger and Vickie Guerrero). Interference from Ziggler's tag team partner, Swagger, at ringside led to Ziggler seizing an early advantage with a leg drop bulldog and a sleeper hold. Clay then mounted a comeback; his headbutt floored an onrushing Ziggler, and Clay delivered a running splash to win the match.
After that, Big Show defended the Intercontinental Championship against Cody Rhodes in a tables match. Big Show had the upper hand early on, but Rhodes managed to escape being thrown into a table propped up in the ring corner by running up and pushing off it to deliver the Beautiful Disaster. Big Show then re-established the advantage with superior size and strength, but Rhodes later dropkicked his leg as he attempted to re-enter the ring from the outside. To regain his balance, Big Show stepped on and broke a table at ringside, thus Rhodes was declared the winner and regained the title as Big Show had gone through a table with his foot. An irate Big Show attacked Rhodes after the match.
In the fourth match, a 2-out-of-3 falls match for the World Heavyweight Championship was contested in which Sheamus defended his title against Daniel Bryan. Sheamus held the early advantage, putting Bryan in a Texas Cloverleaf and countering Bryan's flying knee off the apron by catching and tackling Bryan back-first into the barricade. Bryan then began to target Sheamus' left arm and shoulder with a hammerlock, and he repeatedly went for the "Yes" Lock, but Sheamus was able to shake him off. Bryan then sent Sheamus shoulder-first into the corner ring post, and continued to ram Sheamus into the ring post shoulder-first while outside the ring. Back in the ring, Bryan repeatedly kicked Sheamus' left arm while it was in the ropes and refused to stop at the referee's five count. The referee disqualified Bryan and awarded the first fall to Sheamus. Bryan, who intentionally disqualified himself to hurt Sheamus, immediately rushed to put the "Yes!" Lock on Sheamus, targeting the injured arm as soon the match was restarted. Sheamus soon passed out due to the "Yes!" Lock and the referee awarded the second fall to Bryan. WWE officials then tended to a dazed Sheamus, who insisted that he could continue the match, as Bryan started shouting "Yes!", prompting his fans to chant with him and his detractors in the crowd to yell "No!". When the match restarted, Bryan rushed Sheamus in the corner, but Sheamus responded with a Brogue Kick. Sheamus was slow to cover Bryan, and Bryan kicked out at two. Bryan then peppered Sheamus with kicks, and a kick to Sheamus' head got a two count. However, Bryan missed a diving headbutt and a corner dropkick, allowing Sheamus to make a comeback with double axe handles and an Irish Curse backbreaker. Sheamus finished Bryan off with a Brogue Kick to score a pinfall and win 2 falls to 1. With this victory, Sheamus retained his World Heavyweight Championship.
The fifth match featured Ryback (the former Skip Sheffield from WWE NXT who recently debuted with this gimmick earlier in the month) against Aaron Relic and Jay Hatton, two local competitors, in a 2-on-1 Handicap match. Ryback performed a powerslam on Hatton, then a clothesline and a stunner on Relic. Ryback then delivered his finisher on Hatton and pinned both opponents at the same time for the dominant victory.
Next, the Chicago Street Fight for the WWE Championship was contested in which CM Punk defended his title against Chris Jericho. After weathering an initial flurry of offense from Punk, Jericho gained the edge and taunted Punk and his family. This earned Jericho a slap from Punk's sister at ringside. An aggravated Jericho went after Punk's sister, causing Punk to go into a frenzy, slamming Jericho through the top piece of the broadcast table, which had been removed and propped up against the under-structure of the table. When Jericho managed to re-establish an advantage, he taunted the straight edge Punk by pouring beer all over him. Then, Punk made a comeback and performed the Randy Savage diving elbow drop, but Jericho kicked out at two. Yet Jericho managed to block Punk's attempts at executing his finisher, the Go To Sleep, and managed to deliver a Codebreaker to Punk. Jericho then locked Punk in his finishing submission, the Walls of Jericho. Punk made it to the ropes while in the hold, but there were no rope breaks in the Street Fight format. Punk then reached under the ring, grabbed a fire extinguisher and sprayed it in Jericho's face to blind him and break the hold. Punk then executed a diving elbow drop from the top rope onto Jericho through the Spanish broadcast table, and Punk locked Jericho in the anaconda vise. Jericho broke it by striking Punk with a kendo stick. Punk then grabbed a chair and prepared to attack Jericho, but Jericho executed a Codebreaker into the chair on Punk for a nearfall. Aiming to humiliate Punk, Jericho attempted Punk's own finishing move, the Go to Sleep, however, Punk countered and catapulted Jericho into an exposed turnbuckle that Jericho himself had exposed earlier in the match. Punk finished by delivering the Go to Sleep to Jericho to retain the title. Following the match, Punk then celebrated with his WWE Championship with his hometown crowd.
Then, a backstage segment occurred where Beth Phoenix was declared not medically fit to wrestle. As a result, Divas Champion Nikki Bella would have to make her first defense of her title against a mystery opponent. The mystery opponent was revealed as Layla, who managed to counter Bella's Twin Magic switcheroo to a neckbreaker to win the title.
### Main event match
The main event for the night saw the 2008 Royal Rumble Match winner, John Cena face the 2003 Royal Rumble Match winner, Brock Lesnar in an Extreme Rules match; this was Lesnar's first match in WWE since 2004. The match, refereed by Charles Robinson, started with Lesnar causing Cena to bleed with a vicious elbow to his head after a double leg takedown. Lesnar continued to dominate the match, delivering punches, clotheslines and knee strikes to Cena; the match had to be paused twice while a medic attended to Cena to clean up the blood. After the match restarted for the second time, Lesnar continued to brutalize Cena, hanging him from the turnbuckles and throwing him into the steel steps and the guardrail. Cena desperately went for his finishing move, the Attitude Adjustment, but Lesnar countered into his own finishing move, the F-5. While throwing Cena to the mat, however, Lesnar inadvertently caused Cena to hit and knock out the referee. By the time another referee got to the ring to make the count, Cena was able to kick out at two and Lesnar attacked the referee. Lesnar then brought the metal ring steps into the ring and put a kimura lock on Cena while on the steps causing John Cena’s left arm to be damaged. This marked the debut of Lesnar’s Kimura Lock in WWE. Cena lifted and slammed Lesnar onto the metal steps to break the hold. After Lesnar avoided a Cena diving leg drop bulldog, Lesnar charged and leapt off the ring steps and over the top rope onto Cena, sending both men to the floor. When Lesnar tried the same move again, Cena countered by hitting Lesnar in the head with a metal chain, bloodying Lesnar. A re-energized Cena then delivered an Attitude Adjustment to Lesnar onto the steel steps and pinned him. Following his victory, a bloodied Cena, selling an arm injury, said that he would go home for a vacation.
## Reception
The event sold out the Allstate Arena with 14,817 people in attendance. The official buy total for the 2012 Extreme Rules event was 263,000, up from 209,000 for the 2011 event and 182,000 for the 2010 event, whereas the next Extreme Rules event in 2013 received 231,000 buys, a drop of 12.1%.
Extreme Rules received universally positive reviews from critics and fans. The professional wrestling section of Canoe.ca described the event as "outstanding" and "a show where all the big matches delivered in spades", rating the entire event a 9 out of 10, while also rating each of the three main events 9 out of 10.
Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter awarded out of 5 stars, 4.5 for the Cena-Lesnar match, 4 for the Bryan-Sheamus match and 3.5 stars for the Punk-Jericho match.
Benjamin Tucker of Pro Wrestling Torch rated the event 8.5 out of 10, stating that "with a solid under-card and three four-star-plus [out of five stars] matches, the show was a lot of fun to watch and had a lot of emotional highs." Tucker described the Punk-Jericho match as a "hellacious brawl that built really well and had a great emotional aspect to it". James Caldwell, also of Pro Wrestling Torch, praised the event's strong matches and performances and the "nice pace with downs to follow the big ups". Caldwell described the Cena-Lesnar main-event as "super-intense", saying that Lesnar offered "physicality not seen in years". Caldwell described the World Heavyweight Championship match as an "excellent, excellent bout" with Bryan "phenomenal in defeat" and Sheamus "looking strong headed into the next chapter of his title run". As 2012 drew to a close, Pro Wrestling Torch rated Extreme Rules as the best pay-per-view of all the WWE and TNA pay-per-views produced in that year with an average staff rating of 8.3 compared to the second best WWE PPV, WrestleMania XXVIII's 7.6 and TNA's best pay-per-view, Destination X's 7.0. The average rating across all of WWE's pay-per-views in 2012 was 6.1.
The Baltimore Sun summarized the "terrific" event being engineered by "a 'perfect storm' of a stellar Chicago crowd, excellent matches with several clever finishes, refreshing commentary and WWE rarities including violence, blood and referee assault". The Baltimore Sun also felt that "all four rematches on this card from WrestleMania exceeded their matches one month ago", while reserving special praise for Daniel Bryan and Dolph Ziggler, saying that although "Bryan doesn't hold the World Heavyweight title, he proved that he is a champion in terms of someone who can be counted on to always be one half of a fantastic match in big-stage situations", while Ziggler "made Brodus look like a million dollars in his offense".
Patrick Lennon of the Daily Star described the main-event as "compelling" while perceiving a "discrepancy" between WWE's TV-PG approach and "Lesnar elbowing Cena repeatedly in the face until he bleeds profusely".
The International Business Times rated Extreme Rules as the best pay-per-view of the year and listed both the Cena-Lesnar and Bryan-Sheamus matches in the top five WWE matches in 2012. Cena-Lesnar was described as "as brutal as anyone could have hoped for" while Bryan-Sheamus "stole the show". Bryan was also spotlighted as the "greatest in-ring performer that WWE has at the moment".
Fans also praised to the event's match quality, but raised concerns about Cena's win over Lesnar in Lesnar's first return match.
In 2013, WWE released a list of their "15 best pay-per-views ever", with 2012's Extreme Rules being ranked at \#11.
Extreme Rules was released on DVD by WWE Home Video on 29 May 2012, including a DVD extra of Matt Striker interviewing CM Punk. About.com's Eric Cohen rated the DVD 5 stars out of 5, stating that for "a three-hour pay-per-view event, it doesn't get much better than this". DVD Talk gave a "Recommended" rating to the DVD, stating that the release was "right on target with other recent WWE DVDs (for better or worse), from the decent technical presentation to the lack of bonus features".
## Aftermath
Extreme Rules saw the culmination of most of its feuds, some of which started before the previous pay-per-view, WrestleMania XXVIII. The Cena-Lesnar, Punk-Jericho, Sheamus-Bryan and Orton-Kane feuds ended at Extreme Rules; the only feud to continue on after the event was the Rhodes-Big Show feud, which ended before the next pay-per-view, Over the Limit.
Immediately after Extreme Rules on the April 30 Raw, WWE's Chief Operating Officer Triple H refused to give in to Brock Lesnar's unreasonable contract demands, starting a feud between the duo and resulting in Lesnar attacking Triple H and (in storyline) breaking Triple H's arm. This led to Lesnar defeating Triple H via submission at SummerSlam. At WrestleMania 29, with Triple H's career on the line, Triple H defeated Lesnar in a No Holds Barred match. The feud ended in the main event of 2013's Extreme Rules, where Lesnar (with his manager Paul Heyman's interference) defeated Triple H in a steel cage match.
Also on the April 30 Raw, General Manager John Laurinaitis, unhappy that his hand-picked star Lesnar lost to Cena at Extreme Rules, revealed himself to be Cena's next opponent for Over the Limit. In the storyline, WWE's board of directors declared that as a condition of the match, if Laurinaitis lost, he would be fired, and any wrestler who interfered would be fired. At Over the Limit, Laurinaitis defeated Cena after Big Show interfered on Laurinaitis' behalf. Big Show was free to interfere in the match because he had already been fired the week before Over the Limit by Laurinaitis after he mocked Laurinaitis' speech mannerisms.
To determine the \#1 contendership for CM Punk's WWE Championship, a Beat-the-Clock challenge was held on the April 30 Raw. A series of five singles matches took place where the victor with the lowest match-time was deemed the overall winner; Daniel Bryan set the fastest time by defeating Jerry Lawler in under three minutes. Notably, during the Beat-the-Clock challenge, The Miz avenged his loss to Santino Marella by defeating Marella in a non-title match. Marella eventually lost the United States Championship in August to Antonio Cesaro at SummerSlam.
At Over the Limit, Punk retained his title in controversial fashion when Bryan rolled back onto his shoulders as he applied the "Yes!" Lock on Punk, Punk tapped out immediately after the referee counted a pinfall win for Punk. Punk would continue to hold the WWE Championship until January 2013 when he was defeated by The Rock at the Royal Rumble, a title reign of 434 days.
Before Extreme Rules, Alberto Del Rio defeated World Heavyweight Champion Sheamus via disqualification on the April 6 SmackDown to earn a future title shot. After Extreme Rules on the May 7 Raw, Sheamus and Randy Orton faced Del Rio and Chris Jericho, with Sheamus accidentally delivering a Brogue Kick to Orton followed by Jericho hitting the Codebreaker on Sheamus and pinning him. Orton then gave Sheamus an RKO after the match. Due to this, the World Heavyweight Championship match at Over the Limit was made a fatal-four way match. Sheamus pinned Jericho at Over the Limit to retain his title. Sheamus remained as World Heavyweight Champion until October 2012, where he lost his title to Big Show at Hell in a Cell.
Cody Rhodes' feud with Big Show continued after Extreme Rules, ending on the May 7 Raw when Show defeated Rhodes in a title match via count-out, but this meant Rhodes retained the title. At Over the Limit, Christian made his surprise return after a month's absence from injury and won a battle royal to earn an Intercontinental Championship opportunity later that night; Rhodes lost the match and the title to Christian.
After Nikki Bella lost the Divas Championship to Layla at Extreme Rules, both Bella Twins received a title shot in a triple threat match on the April 30 Raw. Layla won the match quickly and the Bella Twins were "fired" from WWE (in actuality, the twins' contracts expired). Layla moved on to feud with Beth Phoenix, whom she beat at Over the Limit to retain her title. Layla remained Divas Champion until September 2012, where she lost her title to Eve at Night of Champions.
After Extreme Rules, both Brodus Clay and Ryback's winning streaks continued through Raw and SmackDown into Over the Limit as Clay defeated the Miz while Ryback defeated Camacho. Clay's streak ended at 24 wins on the June 25 Raw with a loss to Big Show. Ryback's streak ended at 38 wins in October 2012 at Hell in a Cell with a loss to CM Punk. Meanwhile, Dolph Ziggler and Jack Swagger moved on to feud with Tag Team Champions Kofi Kingston and R-Truth but would fail to win their title.
## Results
|
12,189,373 |
Trauma Center: New Blood
| 1,169,111,433 |
2007 surgical simulation video game
|
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"2007 video games",
"Atlus games",
"Cooperative video games",
"Fiction set in 2028",
"Media.Vision games",
"Multiplayer and single-player video games",
"Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection games",
"Trauma Center (video game series)",
"Video games developed in Japan",
"Video games set in Alaska",
"Video games set in Asia",
"Video games set in Los Angeles",
"Video games set in South America",
"Video games set in the 2020s",
"Wii Wi-Fi games",
"Wii games",
"Wii-only games"
] |
Trauma Center: New Blood is a simulation video game developed by Atlus for the Wii. The third entry in the Trauma Center series, the game was published in North America in 2007 by Atlus, and in other regions in 2008 by Atlus (Japan) and Nintendo (Europe and Australia). The story follows doctors Markus Vaughn and Valerie Blaylock, each holding a supernatural ability called the Healing Touch, as they face a man-made parasitic virus called Stigma. Gameplay combines surgical simulation with a story told as a visual novel, with operations controlled exclusively using the Wii Remote and Nunchuk.
Development of New Blood began following the completion of Trauma Center: Second Opinion. The North American setting and overall narrative was influenced by the staff of Atlus USA, based on the series' overseas success. Development was supported by Media.Vision. While using many of the systems created for Second Opinion, the staff focused on adding full voice acting and multiplayer. The game met with generally positive reviews; praise was given to its gameplay and cooperative function, but reactions to the story were mixed, and several faulted its high difficulty. It was also described as a commercial success, selling 300,000 copies in North America.
## Gameplay
Trauma Center: New Blood is a video game that combines surgical simulation gameplay missions, ranging from story-based to optional challenge missions, with storytelling employing non-interactive visual novel segments using static scenes and voiced dialogue. Players take on the roles of protagonists Markus Vaughn and Valerie Blaylock, surgeons with a mystical ability called the Healing Touch. Each operation tasks players with curing the patient of their ailment within a time limit. Missions can be played on different difficulty settings.
Operations range from treating surface wounds and extraction operations to organ transplants and repairing broken bones, in addition to procedures new to the Trauma Center series such as skin grafts and fixing electronic devices. Several operations pit the protagonists against an artificial disease known as Stigma, with several strains being highly mobile and requiring multiple tools to defeat. Actions during surgery are guided using the Wii Remote and Nunchuk. The Wii Remote is used for many actions including stitching up wounds and using the scalpel. Operating tools are selected from a radial options menu using the Nunchuk's control stick. Multiple surgical tools are required for different operations and injuries; players may need to drain blood pools obstructing the operating area, use a surgical laser to treat small tumors or boils, forceps to close wounds and remove foreign objects, and sutures to sew up both wounds and incisions. The player must frequently apply antibiotic gel to treat minor injuries and prevent infection. Patients going into cardiac arrest must be either revived with the defibrillator, or receive heart massages.
The Healing Touch can be activated by drawing a star on the screen with the Wii Remote. The Healing Touch ability of each doctor is different; Markus can stop time for a limited period which can allow the boosting of vitals and the performance of medical procedures without risking a patient's health depleting, and Valerie can stabilise patients and prevent their health from depleting for a limited time while being unable to boost it. In addition to single-player, a local two-person multiplayer option is available, allowing two people to work together during operations with separate pairs of Wii controllers. Each action by the player is graded based upon speed and accuracy, along with the doctor selected and whether co-op was used. An overall ranking is delivered at the end of each mission based on both these factors and hidden modifiers specific to each operation. Players can post their scores on online leaderboards through the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection.
## Synopsis
Set a decade after the events of Trauma Center: Second Opinion, New Blood follows doctors Markus Vaughn and Valerie Blaylock. Initially stationed in Alaska, where Vaughn lives in a self-imposed exile at the local hospital, a visit for surgery by nurse Elena Salazar prompts Markus and Valerie to be recalled to the Concordia Medical Institute in Los Angeles. Markus's mentor Professor Wilkins has been infected with a new parasitic disease he dubs Stigma, and due to their Healing Touch abilities Markus and Valerie are the best candidates for removing it. While the operation is successful, Concordia is attacked by an unknown group and Wilkins kidnapped during the chaos. In the wake of this and further cases of Stigma being diagnosed, Markus and Valerie are drafted into a dedicated unit at the USA branch of Caduceus, a semi-covert group dedicated to curing intractable diseases. During their initial stay and work, Stigma is kept a secret from the public, but are forced to reveal it following an incident on a live surgery TV show. Further research into Stigma reveals that it needs a metal called Culurium to survive; the metal is used extensively in medical equipment and pharmaceutical products manufactured by Columba & Cornix, meaning its use has been unwittingly spreading the disease.
Shortly after this, Markus, Valerie and Elena are kidnapped by a criminal group called Parnassus, who have been promoting the spread of Stigma for their own ends. One of the group leaders is recognized by Markus as Wilkins. During their captivity, Markus confesses to Valerie and Elena that he accidentally created Stigma during cancer experiments with laboratory mice, and fled to Alaska after Wilkins resisted destroying Stigma to gain fame through its discovery and research. The three escape, and are eventually sent on a mission to the country of Culuruma—the source of Culurium—to combat a Stigma outbreak. Culuruma is rocked by a guerrilla uprising and the Stigma outbreak, which are revealed to be members associated with the Parnassus group. The current leader is killed as the guerrillas are suppressed, and it is revealed that Stigma is both occurring around the world and evolving past the point where it needs Culurium. Back in the US, Caduceus and the FBI collaborate on the investigation, though Caduceus's efforts are impeded by the disappearance of a key staff member Cynthia Kasakov.
The groups locate a Parnassus base, and there discover Wilkins, who has been manipulated by the members of the group using an electronic device implanted in his brain. Once the device is deactivated, Wilkins returns to normal, remembering nothing since his initial Stigma operation (though believing his captivity to be a nightmare), and expressing his regret at continuing to research Stigma against Markus's wishes, insisting the project must be terminated. Information at the base reveals the leader of Parnassus is Master Vakhushti, who was known under another name (Ray Kerensky) and to Valerie as Cynthia's boyfriend. Locating Cynthia at another Parnassus base in Central Asia, Markus and Valerie learn that she is being held hostage by Vakhushti using a medical implant on her heart when she tried talking him out of using Stigma. After the device is removed, Cynthia leads them to Vakhushti's main base, where they are forced to remove the final and most powerful Stigma strain from his body. A repentant Vakhushti reveals that Stigma altered his mind when he used it to combat his malign diencephalic syndrome. Following Vakhushti's death, Caduceus procures his Stigma research for analysis, and Parnassus's operations wane, while Markus, Valerie and Elena continue their work.
## Development
New Blood was primarily developed by the team at Atlus responsible for the previous Trauma Center games, referred to internally as "CaduceTeam" and known for their love for gameplay-focused experiences. Additional work was done by Media.Vision, who designed the settings and background artwork. Nearly all the original staff from Second Opinion returned to develop New Blood, including scenario writer Shogo Isogai, director Daisuke Kanada, artist Masayuki Doi, and programmer Takaaki Ikeda. Taku Aoyagi, Akira Odagaki and Takashi Kato acted as lead designers.
Development of New Blood began shortly after the completion of Second Opinion. The team used player feedback from Second Opinion to inform the new game's design. While New Blood was designed as the continuation of the Trauma Center series, it was also aimed at series newcomers as it had a story separate from Under the Knife and new gameplay functions. The goal of mimicking and improving upon the original gameplay of Trauma Center was carried over into New Blood. As with Second Opinion, Kanada wanted to give the game a similar feel to classic titles like Space Harrier and Gradius. Isogai began collaborating on the scenario with Kanada from an early stage.
With an international release planned from the outset, the team consulted Atlus USA, who had two main suggestions. The first was that there should be both a male and female protagonist, and that the female—in addition to other female characters—should not be in inferior positions of power to their male counterparts. The second was that one of the protagonists should be dark-skinned, and again in an equal position of authority to the other protagonist. Atlus agreed to both of these points, resulting in the protagonists being equal working colleagues and Doi's designs for them reflecting their equality. The characters' names were provided by Atlus USA, with the Japanese staff finding them difficult to transliterate into Japanese. The story and gameplay themes were the battle to save lives and the precious nature of life. Multiplayer was included at the suggestion of Ikeda, based on feedback from Second Opinion and the decision to have two main characters. Ikeda created a working prototype over a few days, with full implementation happening after Kanada's approval. Another new addition was supporting widescreen 16:9 displays, as Second Opinion had only supported 4:3 ratio.
### Audio
The music for New Blood was composed by Kenichi Tsuchiya and Atsushi Kitajoh. Tsuchiya, whose previous work included the Persona and Growlanser series, had worked on the Trauma Center series since the first game. Kitajoh was a newcomer to Trauma Center, whose previous notable work had been contributions to the soundtrack of Persona 3 FES. Several tracks were scored to reflect the personalities of certain characters. There were also tracks that used remixes of themes used in earlier Trauma Center games. During the music writing process, Kitajoh did several arrangements without consulting Tsuchiya, something he was used to with the general Atlus Sound Team. Tsuchiya remembered the music writing process as stressful but rewarding. The soundtrack was recorded at a studio on Yoyogi.
One of Kanada's wishes for New Blood was to include full voice acting in the game's story, something they could not do for Second Opinion or the original Trauma Center. Casting voice actors began before the character designs had been finalized, and in some cases an actor's performance influenced the design of their character portrait in story scenes. A few voice actors needed to take on multiple roles during a single recording session. A returning voice actor from Second Opinion was Takayuki Kondō, who had provided the voice for Derek Stiles. The Atlus team used their experience from voice recording for Second Opinion when handling recording sessions for New Blood.
## Release
New Blood was announced at the 2007 Electronic Entertainment Expo as one of Atlus's upcoming titles for that year. The game was localised into English by Atlus USA. While initially planned for simultaneous release in North America and Japan, the game was released first in North America on November 20, 2007. The English dub was handled by PCP Productions, who had worked with Atlus on the other Trauma Center titles. In Japan, the game was released on January 17, 2008 by Atlus. The game was supplemented in the region by a guidebook in January 2008, and a soundtrack album published by Tye Entertainment in February of the same year. In Europe, the game was published by Nintendo on November 7. It was published in Australia on January 22, 2009.
## Reception
Between its North American release and February 2008, New Blood sold over 250,000 units in the region. During its debut week in Japan, the game reached third place in sales charts. Despite this, it did not appear in Japanese gaming magazine Famitsu's top 500 best-selling titles for 2008, indicating sales of less than 19,000 units. By June 2009, the game had sold over 300,000 copies in North America. In an interview in early 2008, Atlus USA staff said that the game had met sales expectations. While it met with lower sales than Second Opinion, this was attributed to a crowded market, the game not being a console launch title, and its release close to Super Mario Galaxy.
The game was met with positive reviews from critics, earning a score of 77 out of 100 based on 43 reviews on aggregate website Metacritic. Two different IGN reviews, from Mark Bozon of the main website and James Cottee for the Australian website, praised it as an improvement over Second Opinion and a good continuation of the Trauma Center series. Martin Kitts, writing for Nintendo Gamer, said it was an ideal sequel for series fans. Jonathan Metts of Nintendo World Report praised it as a game accessible to both series veterans and newcomers, with his main complaints being the superficial leaderboard addition and North American cover art design. GameSpy's Bryan Stratton generally liked the technical improvements and cooperative play, but found its high single-player difficulty and lack of innovations off-putting.
The story met with a mixed response, with some finding it overly silly or lacking in originality. Game Informer's Matthew Kato called it "fun if you don't take it too seriously", while Heather Campbell, writing for Play Magazine, cited its fully-voiced narrative as the main draw for players. The graphics saw praise for their improvement over Second Opinion, though a few found the more realistic graphics lacking or uncomfortable to look at. Eurogamer's Keza MacDonald noted the toned-down graphic design as contributing to a more realistic tone, but felt the character design was "a bit uncanny".
The gameplay was generally praised as entertaining. The reviewers for Famitsu enjoyed the gameplay despite noting its similarity to Second Opinion, while Joe Dodson of GameSpot praised the gameplay and additions compared to earlier entries, but found other elements lacking or needing further improvement. PALGN's Adam Ghiggino, while noting some control issues activating the Healing Touch ability, enjoyed his time with it and felt it was worth buying for veterans and newcomers. Several reviews noted a lack of innovation from earlier entries. A few critics also cited it as being overly difficult. Official Nintendo Magazine's Tom East was less impressed than other reviewers, citing its high difficulty and controls as factors in this. Andrew Fitch of 1Up.com was fairly negative, finding the game too challenging to be enjoyable and called it unfair on casual players. The cooperative mode was met with general praise.
|
2,853,608 |
Monster Truck Madness
| 1,171,428,799 |
1996 racing video game
|
[
"1996 video games",
"Microsoft franchises",
"Microsoft games",
"Monster truck video games",
"Multiplayer and single-player video games",
"Off-road racing video games",
"Terminal Reality games",
"Video games developed in the United States",
"Windows games",
"Windows-only games"
] |
Monster Truck Madness is a racing video game developed by Terminal Reality and published by Microsoft. It was released in North America on September 9, 1996. The game has twelve monster trucks and tasks the player with beating computer opponents. Checkpoints, multiple hidden shortcuts, and interactable objects commonly appear in the tracks. In the garage, the player modifies the truck to account for terrain surfaces. Online multiplayer is accessed with a modem, a local area network (LAN), or TCP/IP.
Terminal Reality designed Monster Truck Madness to accurately simulate monster truck events and replicate the titular off-road vehicles. The developer hired announcer Armey Armstrong to perform sports commentary. Monster Truck Madness received a massive following, and video game publications generally praised its gameplay, graphics, and physics. It is the first entry in Microsoft's Madness series of racing titles, which included Motocross Madness and Midtown Madness. Monster Truck Madness was followed by a sequel, Monster Truck Madness 2. Terminal Reality developed another off-road truck racing game, 4x4 Evo.
## Gameplay
Monster Truck Madness offers twelve monster trucks, including Bigfoot, Grave Digger and Snake Bite, and tasks the player with beating computer opponents in four single-player modes: Drag, Circuit, Rally, and Tournament. Drag focuses on traditional monster truck events set in arena and stadium venues like BC Place and Tacoma Dome; the player qualifies to participate in knockout races that involve jumping over rows of cars. Circuit has five short race tracks, and Rally has long exotic tracks themed after Arizona, the highlands, and the Yucatán. In Tournament, the player participates in a custom series of events with computer opponents. Checkpoints, multiple hidden shortcuts (like a broken bridge), and objects (such as cacti, road signs, and fences) commonly appear in the tracks. The finder directs the truck towards the checkpoint and can call the helicopter to put the truck back on the road.
In the garage, the player modifies the truck's tires, suspension, and acceleration-to-speed ratio to account for terrain surfaces such as mud and grass. The player can compete in multiplayer using DirectPlay and with a modem, LAN, or TCP/IP. The game includes multiple camera angles like blimp and cockpit, as well as the ability to watch and save replays of the events.
## Development and release
American video game studio Terminal Reality, Inc. (TRI) developed a 1995 alien-themed combat flight simulation game named Terminal Velocity. It was published by game distributor 3D Realms for MS-DOS as three episodes, with the first of them being offered as shareware. The studio subsequently started to make games for software publisher Microsoft, the first two being Fury3 and Hellbender. Both products received mixed reviews for their similarities to Terminal Velocity and Wing Commander III: Heart of the Tiger. Terminal Reality created an unreleased 1995 MS-DOS product titled Heavy Metal Truck (codenamed Metal Crush), but in 1996 they renamed it to Monster Truck Madness and developed it for Windows 95.
They designed it to accurately simulate monster truck events such as drag tracks and enclosed circuit races, and replicate the titular off-road vehicles on land, when jumping, and during collisions. The trucks' sound effects were recorded and digitized from such races. The game's twelve monster trucks were used under license from companies like Bigfoot 4×4, Inc., the owner of Bigfoot and Snake Bite. The developer hired announcer Armey Armstrong to perform sports commentary, resulting in lines such as "Bigfoot is doing it in the air!" and "when it's going your way, it's going your way".
On May 16, the game was displayed at the 1996 Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3), and Microsoft announced its autumn release date. It was released in North America during the August 31-September 9 period. Monster Truck Madness was one of the first titles to provide force feedback and Direct3D support and required a video card for smooth, quickly processed graphics. It even included an online manual and full motion videos (FMVs) of monster truck events. TRI distributed through its website a freely downloadable program titled Track Editor Version 1.0 for users to create custom races for the game, but they were surprised by popular demand for a truck editor, so they included that in Monster Truck & Track Editor Version 1.1. They also released a "POD management program" named Podman.
## Reception
### Sales
Monster Truck Madness was a commercial success, accumulating a worldwide following. The game peaked at number 10 on PC Data's PC games sales charts during October, subsequently dropping to number 18 for November. It debuted at number 73 at NPD Group's Top Entertainment Titles chart in September, reaching number 13 in October. The game sold 144,000 copies in the U.S in the first six months.
### Critical reviews
Monster Truck Madness received mainly positive reviews in printed and online video game publications. Jeff Lundrigan, a review editor for Next Generation, praised the game being able to manipulate the capabilities of Windows 95, since it can achieve high frame rates without 3D graphics accelerator cards. He was entertained by the game's physics model but saw it as unrealistic, citing an example of a monster truck jumping almost 100 feet above a hill. While GameSpot's Rebecca Anderson perceived monster truck racing as immature, she enjoyed playing the game and praised Armstrong's commentary. However, she spotted visual glitches appearing near static objects. The game's official website quoted a review from Bernard Dy of the website Game Briefs who called it one of the greatest Windows 95 games, viewing its graphics as similar to Papyrus Design's NASCAR Racing and adding the physics were "designed for fun". Although he cautioned that players expecting realism would be disappointed at the lack of a printed manual and an absent damage model, he felt its sound design and online manual benefited the game. The three reviewers considered the significant number of customizable performance variables to befit all "skill level[s]". PC Zone likened the game to a hybrid of Stunt Car Racer and NASCAR Racing.
Writing for Computer Gaming World, M. Clarkson commented that the game emphasizes simplicity over detail, and added that players would be amused by the trucks jumping in the air and traversing the mud. Jason C. Carnevale of Game Revolution was surprised at the game's graphical quality, saying driving through the circuits is visually pleasant with billboards, stands, automobiles, barbeque pits, and Winnebagos. He viewed the controls as comfortable and appreciated the game's multiple shortcuts. Carnevale recommended Monster Truck Madness for players desiring a short, exciting game. Reviewing the game for PC Gamer, Colin Williamson was enthused over the design of the trucks and enjoyed its gameplay, but criticized Armstrong's work and felt more tracks would be a good idea. He said the tracks are sizeable and diverse and favored the Rally races for their openness. Williamson felt that Microsoft had minimized the realism to lessen the game's difficulty. Rob Smith of PC Games commented on the trucks' slowness and noticed that their big tires allow them to bounce when "stray[ing] from the beaten track". According to Smith, auto-shift and auto-braking "on corners" assist players well. He was impressed that up to eight players can participate in the game's online multiplayer mode. Smith's summary noted the game lacked originality but provided a solid arcade-style racing experience. Monster Truck Madness was nominated for Computer Games Strategy Plus' 1996 Racing Simulation of the Year award, but lost to NASCAR Racing 2.
## Legacy
Monster Truck Madness is the first entry in the Madness series of racing titles distributed by Microsoft. Terminal Reality developed the game's 1998 sequel, Monster Truck Madness 2; it features more trucks and tracks and uses the Photex2 game engine for improved graphics and physics. Microsoft subsequently published the motorcross-centered Motocross Madness in 1998, and the open world Chicago-themed Midtown Madness in 1999, both of which also received sequels. In collaboration with Microsoft, THQ and Tantalus Media created a 2003 Game Boy Advance game dubbed Monster Truck Madness, sporting 2.5D graphics, powerups, and time trial mode. GameSpot named it the best Game Boy Advance game of August 2003.
Terminal Reality made a 1997 game titled CART Precision Racing, which features gameplay simulating Indy car racing. They subsequently developed another off-road truck racing game, 4x4 Evo. In its Career Mode, the player participates in races to earn money for purchasing trucks. Its sequel 4x4 Evo 2 introduced Adventure Mission mode, where the player performs treasure hunts and rescue operations to obtain additional money.
|
2,604,677 |
Tabqa Dam
| 1,164,878,573 | null |
[
"1973 establishments in Syria",
"Buildings and structures in Raqqa Governorate",
"Crossings of the Euphrates",
"Dams completed in 1973",
"Dams in Syria",
"Dams on the Euphrates River",
"Earth-filled dams",
"Energy infrastructure completed in 1977",
"Hydroelectric power stations in Syria",
"Iraq–Syria relations",
"Soviet Union–Syria relations",
"Soviet foreign aid"
] |
The Tabqa Dam (Arabic: سَدُّ الطَّبْقَةِ, romanized: Sadd aṭ-Ṭabqah, Kurdish: Bendava Tebqa; Classical Syriac: ܣܟܪܐ ܕܛܒܩܗ, romanized: Sekro d'Tabqa), or al-Thawra Dam as it is also named (Arabic: سَدُّ الثَّوْرَةِ, romanized: Sadd aṯ-Ṯawrah, Kurdish: Bendava Tewra; Classical Syriac: ܣܟܪܐ ܕܬܘܪܗ, romanized: Sekro d'Ṯawra, literally "Dam of the Revolution"), most commonly known as Euphrates Dam (Arabic: سَدُّ الْفُرَاتِ, romanized: Sadd al-Furāt; Kurdish: Bendava Firatê; Classical Syriac: ܣܟܪܐ ܕܦܪܬ, romanized: Sekro d'Frot), is an earthen dam on the Euphrates, located 40 kilometres (25 mi) upstream from the city of Raqqa in Raqqa Governorate, Syria. The city of Al-Thawrah is located immediately south of the dam. The dam is 60 metres (200 ft) high and 4.5 kilometres (2.8 mi) long and is the largest dam in Syria. Its construction led to the creation of Lake Assad, Syria's largest water reservoir. The dam was constructed between 1968 and 1973 with help from the Soviet Union. At the same time, an international effort was made to excavate and document as many archaeological remains as possible in the area of the future lake before they would be flooded by the rising water. When the flow of the Euphrates was reduced in 1974 to fill the lake behind the dam, a dispute broke out between Syria and Iraq (which is downstream) that was settled by intervention from Saudi Arabia and the Soviet Union. The dam was originally built to generate hydroelectric power, as well as irrigate lands on both sides of the Euphrates. The dam has not reached its full potential in either of these objectives.
## Project history
In 1927, when Syria was a French mandate, it was proposed to build a dam in the Euphrates near the Syria–Turkey border. After Syria became independent in 1946, the feasibility of this proposal was re-investigated, but the plan was not carried out. In 1957, the Syrian government reached an agreement with the Soviet Union for technical and financial aid for the construction of a dam in the Euphrates. Syria, as part of the United Arab Republic (UAR), signed an agreement with West Germany in 1960 for a loan to finance the construction of the dam. After Syria left the UAR in 1961, a new agreement about the financing of the dam was reached with the Soviet Union in 1965. A special government department was created in 1961 to oversee the construction of the dam. In the early 1960s Swedish geomorphologist Åke Sundborg worked as an advisor on the dam project with the task of estimating the amount and fate of sediments that would enter into the dam. Sundborg developed for this purpose a mathematical model on the projected growth of a river delta in the dam.
Originally, the Tabqa Dam was conceived as a dual-purpose dam. The dam would include a hydroelectric power station with eight turbines capable of producing 880 MW in total, and would irrigate an area of 640,000 hectares (2,500 sq mi) on both sides of the Euphrates. Construction of the dam lasted between 1968 and 1973, while the accompanying power station was finished on 8 March 1978. The dam was constructed during the agricultural reform policies of Hafez al-Assad, who had re-routed the Euphrates river for the dam in 1974. The total cost of the dam was US\$340 million of which US\$100 million was in the form of a loan by the Soviet Union. The Soviet Union also provided technical expertise. During construction, up to 12,000 Syrians and 900 Russian technicians worked on the dam. They were housed in the greatly expanded town near the construction site, which was subsequently renamed Al-Thawrah. To facilitate the project, as well as the construction of irrigation works on the Khabur River, the national railway system (Chemins de Fer Syriens) was extended from Aleppo to the dam, Raqqa, Deir ez-Zor, and eventually Qamishli. Around 4,000 Arab families who had been living in the flooded part of the Euphrates Valley were resettled in other parts of northern Syria, part of a partially implemented plan to establish an "Arab belt" along the borders with Turkey and Iraq in order to separate Kurds in Syria from Turkish and Iraqi Kurdistan.
### Dispute with Iraq
In 1974, the authorities started to fill the lake behind the dam by reducing the flow of the Euphrates. Slightly earlier, the Turkish government had started filling the reservoir of the newly constructed Keban Dam, and at the same time the area was hit by significant drought. As a result, Iraq received significantly less water from the Euphrates than normal, and complained that annual Euphrates flow had dropped from 15.3 cubic kilometres (3.7 cu mi) in 1973 to 9.4 cubic kilometres (2.3 cu mi) in 1975. Iraq asked the Arab League to intervene but Syria argued that it received less water from Turkey as well. As a result, tensions rose; both governments sent troops to the Syria-Iraq border, and the Iraqi government threatened to bomb the Tabqa Dam. Before the dispute could escalate any further, an agreement was reached in 1975 after mediation by Saudi Arabia and the Soviet Union, whereby Syria immediately increased the flow from the dam and agreed to let 60 percent of the Euphrates water that came over the Syria-Turkey border flow into Iraq. In 1987, Turkey, Syria and Iraq signed an agreement by which Turkey was committed to maintain an average Euphrates flow of 500 cubic metres (18,000 cu ft) per second into Syria, which translates into 16 cubic kilometres (3.8 cu mi) of water per year.
### Rescue excavations in the Lake Assad region
The upper part of the Syrian Euphrates valley has been intensively occupied at least since the Late Natufian period (10,800–9500 BC). Nineteenth- and early twentieth-century European travellers had already noted the presence of numerous archaeological sites in the area that would be flooded by the new reservoir. In order to preserve or at least document as many of these remains as possible, an extensive archaeological rescue programme was initiated during which more than 25 sites were excavated.
Between 1963 and 1965, archaeological sites and remains were located with the help of aerial photographs, and a ground survey was carried out as well to determine the periods that were present at each site. Between 1965 and 1970, foreign archaeological missions carried out systematic excavations at the sites of Mureybet (United States), Tell Qannas (Habuba Kabira) (Belgium), Mumbaqa (Germany), Selenkahiye (Netherlands), and Emar (France). With help from UNESCO, two minarets at Mureybet and Meskene were photogrammetrically measured, and a protective glacis was built around the castle Qal'at Ja'bar. The castle was located on a hilltop that would not be flooded, but the lake would turn it in an island. The castle is now connected to the shore by a causeway.
In 1971, with support from UNESCO, Syria appealed to the international community to participate in the efforts to salvage as many archaeological remains as possible before the area would disappear under the rising water of Lake Assad. To stimulate foreign participation, the Syrian antiquities law was modified so that foreign missions had the right to claim a part of the artefacts that were found during excavation. As a result, between 1971 and 1977, numerous excavations were carried out in the Lake Assad area by Syrian as well as foreign missions. Syrian archaeologists worked at the sites of Tell al-'Abd, 'Anab al-Safinah, Tell Sheikh Hassan, Qal'at Ja'bar, Dibsi Faraj and Tell Fray. There were missions from the United States on Tell Hadidi (Azu), Dibsi Faraj, Tell Fray and Shams ed-Din-Tannira; from France on Mureybet and Emar; from Italy on Tell Fray; from the Netherlands on Tell Ta'as, Jebel 'Aruda and Selenkahiye; from Switzerland on Tell al-Hajj; from Great Britain on Abu Hureyra and Tell es-Sweyhat; and from Japan on Tell Roumeila. In addition, the minarets of Mureybet and Meskene were moved to higher locations, and Qal'at Ja'bar was further reinforced and restored. Many finds from the excavations are now on display in the National Museum of Aleppo, where a special permanent exhibition is devoted to the finds from the Lake Assad region.
### Other dams in the Syrian Euphrates valley
After the completion of the Tabqa Dam, Syria built two more dams in the Euphrates, both of which were functionally related to the Tabqa Dam. The Baath Dam, located 18 kilometres (11 mi) downstream from the Tabqa Dam, was completed in 1986 and functions as a floodwater control to manage the irregular output of the Tabqa Dam and as a hydroelectric power station. The Tishrin Dam, which functions primarily as a hydroelectric power station, has been constructed 80 kilometres (50 mi) south from the Syria–Turkey border and filling of the reservoir started in 1999. Its construction was partly motivated by the disappointing performance of the Tabqa Dam. The implementation of a fourth dam between Raqqa and Deir ez-Zor – the Halabiye Dam – was planned in 2009 and an appeal to archaeologists was released to excavate sites that will be flooded by the new reservoir.
### Recent history
On 11 February 2013 the dam was captured by the Syrian opposition in their fight against the government, according to The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. In 2013, four of the dam's eight turbines were operational and the original staff continued to manage it. Dam workers still received pay from the Syrian Government, and fighting in the area temporarily ceased if repairs were needed. The dam was then captured by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant in 2014. SDF efforts to retake parts of the Al-Raqqa and Deir ez-Zor Governorates, including the area immediately surrounding the dam, began in November 2016. Interruptions in power output from the dam due to combat are estimated to have affected up to 40,000 people.
In January 2017 the Euphrates rose 10 meters due to heavy precipitation and flow mismanagement, disrupting transportation and flooding farmland downstream. A nearby raid against ISIL by combined SDF and US special forces also impacted the dam's entrance.
In March 2017, ISIL warned of the dam's imminent collapse after the towers attached to the dam were bombed by an American B-52 bomber during a joint US/SDF operation to capture it on March 26, 2017. The dam had been on a U.S. no-strike list but was struck by three bombs anyway. The bombing caused critical equipment to fail and the dam to stop functioning. One of the bombs, a bunker buster, failed to detonate. An emergency ceasefire between the Islamic State, US forces, and the Syrian government, otherwise sworn enemies, enabled engineers to make emergency repairs to the dam to prevent it from failing while the Turkish authorities coordinated to close the gates of dams upstream in order to prevent overtopping. A US drone strike killed three of the civilian emergency dam workers shortly thereafter. On March 29 a floodgate was opened by emergency workers, causing flooding downstream which displaced approximately 3,000 people. A second floodgate was opened on April 5, mitigating risk of collapse. If the dam had failed major flooding would have extended past Deir ez-Zor, more than 100 miles downstream. SDF forces announced they captured the dam on 10 May 2017.
## Characteristics of the dam and the reservoir
The Tabqa dam is located on a spot where rocky outcrops on each side of the Euphrates Valley are less than 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) apart. The dam is an earth-fill dam that is 4.5 kilometres (2.8 mi) long, 60 metres (200 ft) high from the riverbed (307 metres (1,007 ft) above sea-level), 512 metres (1,680 ft) wide at its base and 19 metres (62 ft) at the top. The hydroelectric power station is located on the southern end of the dam and contains eight Kaplan turbines. The turbines' rotation speed is 125 RPM, and they can potentially generate 103 MW each. Lake Assad is 80 kilometres (50 mi) long and on average 8 kilometres (5.0 mi) wide. The reservoir can potentially hold 11.7 cubic kilometres (2.8 cu mi) of water, at which size its surface area would be 610 square kilometres (240 sq mi). Annual evaporation is 1.3 cubic kilometres (0.31 cu mi) due to the high average summer temperature in northern Syria. This is high compared to reservoirs upstream from Lake Assad. For example, the evaporation at Keban Dam Lake is 0.48 cubic kilometres (0.12 cu mi) per year at roughly the same surface area.
Neither the Tabqa Dam nor Lake Assad is currently used to its full economic potential. Although the lake can potentially hold 11.7 cubic kilometres (2.8 cu mi), actual capacity is 9.6 cubic kilometres (2.3 cu mi), with a surface area of 447 square kilometres (173 sq mi). The proposed irrigation scheme suffered from a number of problems, including the high gypsum content in the reclaimed soils around Lake Assad, soil salinization, the collapse of canals that distributed the water from Lake Assad, and the unwillingness of farmers to resettle in the reclaimed areas. As a result, only 60,000 hectares (230 sq mi) were irrigated from Lake Assad in 1984. In 2000, the irrigated surface had risen to 124,000 hectares (480 sq mi), which is 19 percent of the projected 640,000 hectares (2,500 sq mi). Due to lower than expected water flow from Turkey, as well as lack of maintenance, the dam generates only 150 MW instead of 800 MW. Lake Assad is the most important source of drinking water to Aleppo, providing the city through a pipeline with 0.08 cubic kilometres (0.019 cu mi) of drinking water per year. The lake also supports a fishing industry.
### Environmental effects
Research indicates that the salinity of the Euphrates water in Iraq has increased considerably since the nearly simultaneous construction of the Keban Dam in Turkey and the Tabqa Dam in Syria. This increase can, among other things, be related to the lower discharge of the Euphrates as a result of the construction of the Keban Dam and the dams of the Southeastern Anatolia Project (GAP) in Turkey, and to a lesser degree of the Tabqa Dam in Syria. High-salinity water is less useful for domestic and irrigation purposes.
The shore of the lake has developed into an important marshland area. On the southeastern shore, some areas have been reforested with evergreen trees including the Aleppo pine and the Euphrates poplar. Lake Assad is an important wintering location for migratory birds and the government has undertaken measures to protect small areas along the shores of Lake Assad from hunters by downgrading access roads. The island of Jazirat al-Thawra has been designated a nature reserve.
## See also
- Water resources management in Syria
- Baath Dam
|
7,143,043 |
Epikleros
| 1,159,554,183 |
Term for an Ancient Greek heiress
|
[
"Ancient Athens",
"Ancient Greek law",
"Society of ancient Greece"
] |
An epikleros (ἐπίκληρος; plural epikleroi) was an heiress in ancient Athens and other ancient Greek city states, specifically a daughter of a man who had no sons. In Sparta, they were called patrouchoi (πατροῦχοι), as they were in Gortyn. Athenian women were not allowed to hold property in their own name; in order to keep her father's property in the family, an epikleros was required to marry her father's nearest male relative. Even if a woman was already married, evidence suggests that she was required to divorce her spouse to marry that relative. Spartan women were allowed to hold property in their own right, and so Spartan heiresses were subject to less restrictive rules. Evidence from other city-states is more fragmentary, mainly coming from the city-states of Gortyn and Rhegium.
Plato wrote about epikleroi in his Laws, offering idealized laws to govern their marriages. In mythology and history, a number of Greek women appear to have been epikleroi, including Agariste of Sicyon and Agiatis, the widow of the Spartan king Agis IV. The status of epikleroi has often been used to explain the numbers of sons-in-law who inherited from their fathers-in-law in Greek mythology. The Third Sacred War originated in a dispute over epikleroi.
## Etymology
The term epikleros (a feminine adjective acting as noun; from the proverb ὲπί, epí, "on, upon", and the noun κλῆρος, klēros, "lot, estate") was used in Ancient Greece to describe the daughter of a man who had died leaving no male heir. It translates to "attached to the family property", or "upon, with the estate". In most ancient Greek city states, women could not own property, and so a system was devised to keep ownership within the male-defined family line. Epikleroi''' were required to marry the nearest relative on their father's side of the family, a system of inheritance known as the epiklerate. Although epikleros is often mistranslated as "heiress", strictly speaking the terms are not equivalent, as the woman never owned the property and so was unable to dispose of it. Raphael Sealey argues that another translation could be "female orphan". The term was used interchangeably, both of the woman herself, and of the property that was the inherited estate. The entire system of the epiklerate was unique to Ancient Greece, and mainly an Athenian institution.
## Athens
Athens is the city-state that is best documented, both in terms of epikleroi and in all aspects of legal history. Athenian law on epikleroi was attributed to Solon; women with no brothers had to marry their nearest male relative on their paternal side of the family, starting with their father's brother and moving from there to the next nearest male relative on the paternal side. The historian John Gould notes that the order of relatives that were required to marry the epikleros coincided with the relatives required to avenge a murder. This set of relatives was known as the anchisteia (ἀγχιστεία) in Athens. The anchisteia was also the group of relatives who would inherit property in the absence of legal heirs. If there was more than one possible spouse in a set of relatives, the right to marry the epikleros went to the eldest one. The property that was inherited could also be in debt, which would not affect the epikleros' status.
### Definition of the term in Athens
Although epikleros was most often used in the case of a daughter who had no living brothers when her father died, the term was also used for other cases. The Suda, a 10th-century CE lexicon and encyclopedia, gives other definitions, including an heiress who was married at the time of her father's death and an unmarried daughter without brothers still living with her father. The Suda also stated that the term could be used of a daughter who had living sisters. Although the Suda indicates that in normal usage, the mother of the heiress was also dead, this is incorrect: whether or not the mother was alive had no bearing on the status of the epikleros. Occasionally the term is also used as a feminine form of the Greek term orphanos, or "orphan". Although a scholiast of Aeschines, or a later writer amending the text, stated that the term could also be used of a daughter who was given to a man in marriage on her father's deathbed, there is no extant use of the term in that sense in literature, and the scholiast has probably misunderstood a scenario from the comic playwright Aristophanes.
The term in Athens seems to have always been somewhat loosely used in legal proceedings. Apollodorus, an Athenian politician and litigant from the 4th century BCE, in one of his speeches attempted to use an Athenian law about betrothal to make his mother an epikleros. He claimed that the law defined an epikleros as a female without father, a brother who shared a father with her, or a paternal grandfather. His opponent, however, seems to have disputed this interpretation of the law. A speech by Isaeus, a 4th-century BCE speechwriter, rests on the claim that the speaker's mother only became an epikleros after her young brother died following their father's death. Whether the legal authorities recognized the speaker's claim as valid is unknown. It appears, at least according to some plays, that a woman with a brother who died after their father was considered the epikleros of her brother, not her father.
### Development of the practice
It is unclear if there were laws dealing with epikleroi prior to Solon's legislative activity around 594 BCE. According to the 1st century CE writer Plutarch, Solon authored legislation covering the epikleros. Solon's laws attempted to prevent the combination of estates by the marriage of heiresses. Modern historians have seen this as part of an effort by Solon to maintain a stable number of households. According to Plutarch, Solon also legislated that the husband of an epikleros must have sexual intercourse with her at least three times a month in order to provide her with children to inherit her father's property, but by the time of Pericles (d. 429 BCE) this law is definitely attested. It is unclear whether or not the nearest relative had the power to dissolve an epikleros' previous marriage in order to marry her himself in all cases. The historian Sarah Pomeroy states that most scholars lean towards the opinion that the nearest relative could only dissolve the previous marriage if the heiress had not yet given birth to a son, but Pomeroy also states that this opinion has not yet been definitely proven. Roger Just disagrees and has argued that even if the epikleros had a son she could still be forced to marry her nearest relative. Athenian law also required that if the next of kin did not marry the heiress, he had to provide her with a dowry. It may have been Solon who legislated that if the new spouse was unable to fulfill his thrice monthly duties to his wife, she was entitled to have sex with his next of kin so that she could produce an heir to her father's property. Alternatively, she might have been required to divorce and marry the next nearest relative.
### Legal procedures
When a man died leaving an epikleros, the heiress was felt to be epidikos, or as it literally translates, "adjudicable". This made her available for the specialized procedure for the betrothal of an epikleros, a type of court judgement called epidikasia. The proceedings took place in the archon's court, for citizen epikleroi. For the epikleroi of resident aliens in Athens, the metics, the polemarch was in charge of their affairs. It was also the case that if a man made a will, but did not give any of his daughters their legal rights as epikleroi in the will, then that will was held to be invalid. A young Athenian male, prior to coming of age and serving his time as an ephebe, or military trainee, was allowed to claim epikleroi, the only legal right an ephebe was permitted in Aristotle's day, besides that of taking office as a priest in an hereditary priesthood. It is also unclear if a man who was eligible to marry an epikleros but was already married could keep his previous wife while also claiming the epikleros. While all evidence points to the ancient Athenians being monogamous, there are two speeches by Demosthenes implying that men did indeed have both a wife acquired through the normal betrothal procedure and another who was adjudicated to them through the epidikasia (ἐπιδικασία) procedure. The archon was also responsible for overseeing the treatment of epikleroi, along with widows, orphans, widows who claimed to be pregnant and households that were empty.
When sons of an epikleros came of age, they gained the ownership of the inheritance. In Athens, this age was given in an extant law, and was two years past the age of puberty of the son. In Solon's laws, it appears that the eldest son of the epikleros was considered the heir of his maternal grandfather, with any further sons being considered part of their father's household. The son's inheritance of his maternal grandfather's property happened whether or not his father and mother were alive, unlike most other inheritances. And the son of an epikleros did not inherit anything from his father, and was named after his grandfather. The heir could further consolidate his position by being posthumously adopted by his maternal grandfather, but this was not required. By the 4th century BCE, legal practices had changed, and the son could also inherit from his father, as well as from his maternal grandfather. And if there was more than one son, they divided the estate passed by the epikleros between themselves. After the heir secured possession of his inheritance, the law specified that he was to support his mother. It is likely that the debts of the grandfather were also inherited along with any property.
Although the law did not rule on who exactly owned the property before the son took possession, it appears from other sources that it was not actually owned by the husband of the epikleros, in contrast to the usual procedure in Athens where the husband owned any property of the wife and could do with it as he willed. A number of speeches imply that the property was considered to be owned by the epikleros herself, although she had little ability to dispose of it. The husband probably had day to day control of the property and administered it, but was responsible for the management to the epikleros' heirs when they came of age. The position of the husband of an epikleros was closest to that of an epitropos, or the guardian of an orphan's property, who was likewise responsible to the orphan for his care of the property when the orphan came of age. Another parallel with the orphan was that an epikleros' property was exempt from liturgies (leitourgia), or the practice of requiring citizens to perform public tasks without compensation, as was the orphan's.
It may have been possible for the husband of an epikleros to allow the posthumous adoption of the son of an epikleros as the son of the epikleros' father. This would prevent the inheritance of the newly adopted son of any property from his natural father, but it had the advantage of preserving the adoptee's oikos, commonly translated as "household" but incorporating ideas of kinship and property also. Although the preservation of the paternal oikos is usually felt to be the reason behind the whole practice of the epiklerate, the historian David Schaps argues that in fact, this was not really the point of the practice. Instead, he argues, that it was the practice of adoption that allowed the preservation of an oikos. Schaps feels that the reason the epiklerate evolved was to ensure that orphaned daughters were married. Other historians, including Sarah Pomeroy, feel that the children of an epikleros were considered to transmit the paternal grandfather's oikos. The historian Cynthia Patterson agrees, arguing that adoption may have seemed unnecessary, especially if the epikleros and her husband gave their son the name of the maternal grandfather. She argues that too much attention has been paid to the patrilineal aspects of the oikos, and that there was probably less emphasis on this in actual Athenian practice and more on keeping a household together as a productive unit.
The historian Roger Just states the main principle of the epiklerate was that no man could become the guardian of the property without also becoming the husband of the epikleros. Just uses this principle to claim that any man adopted by the father of an epikleros was required to marry the epikleros. Just states that the forcible divorce and remarriage of an epikleros was based on this principle, arguing that if the father of the epikleros had not adopted the first husband, the husband was not really the heir. Just sees the development of the epiklerate as flowing from Solon's desire to keep the number of Athenian households constant. According to Just, before Solon's legislation, the epikleros was just treated as part of the property, but that Solon's reforms transformed the epikleros into a transmitter of the property and her son the automatic heir to her father's estate.
Taking as a wife an epikleros who had little estate was considered a praiseworthy action, and was generally stressed in public speeches. Such an heiress was called an epikleros thessa. If the nearest male relative did not wish to marry an epikleros who belonged to the lowest income class in Athens, he was required to find her a husband and provide her with a dowry on a graduated scale according to his own income class. This dowry was in addition to her own property and the requirement was designed to ensure that even poor heiresses found husbands. The law also did not stipulate what was to happen if the epikleros was still an infant or too young for consummation of the marriage when she was claimed.
### Sequence of the anchisteia
The first set of relatives that had claim to an epikleros were the paternal uncles and any heirs of the uncles. Next in line were any sons of the sisters of the father and any of their heirs. Third in line were the grandsons of the father's paternal uncles, and following them the grandsons of the paternal aunts of the father. After these paternal relatives were exhausted, then the half-brothers of the father by the same mother were in line, then sons of the maternal half-sisters of the father. Seventh in line were the grandsons of maternal uncles of the father and then grandsons of maternal aunts of the father. It appears that if there were two or more relatives that were related in the same degree, the eldest of the similarly-related relatives had priority in claiming the epikleros.
### Chances of becoming an epikleros
Modern estimates of the odds of an Athenian woman becoming an epikleros say that roughly one out of seven fathers died without biological sons. However, Athenian law allowed for a man to adopt another male as a son in his will, so not all daughters without brothers would have become epikleroi. Most modern historians estimate that 20% of families would have had only daughters, and another 20% would have been childless. The modern historian Cynthia Patterson said of the epikleros that although "she was distinctive, she was not rare".
### Already married epikleroi
Whether an epikleros who was married at the time of her father's death was required to divorce her current spouse and marry the anchisteia is unclear. Most modern historians have come to the conclusion that this was only required if the epikleros had not yet had a son that could inherit the grandfather's estate. The clearest evidence is from the Roman playwright Terence, in his play Adelphoe, which includes a plot element involving a claim that a girl is actually an epikleros. Although the play was written in the 2nd century BCE, Terence adapted most of his plays from earlier Athenian comedies, which makes it slightly more reliable as a source. And common sense argues that if a son had already been born to an epikleros, there was no need to parcel out the epikleros to a relative in order to provide a male heir to the grandfather's estate. Although the anchisteia had the right to marry the epikleros, he was not required to do so, and could refuse the match or find another spouse for the heiress. It was also possible for the husband of an epikleros, who was not her anchisteia, to buy off the anchisteia in order to remain married to his wife. Such cases were alleged by the speaker of Isaeus' speech Isaeus 10 as well as a character in Menander's play Aspis.
## Other city-states
Evidence for other ancient city states is more scattered and fragmentary.
### Sparta
In ancient Sparta, women had extensive rights, including the right to inherit property and to manage their own and their spouse's property. The comparable term to epikleros in Sparta was patrouchoi, occasionally rendered as patrouchos. In Sparta the law of epikleros only applied to unmarried girls, and the Spartan kings were responsible for finding spouses for epikleroi who had not been betrothed before their father's death. Herodotus, in his list of Spartan royal prerogatives, said: "The kings are the sole judges of these cases only: concerning an unmarried heiress, to whom it pertains to have [her], if her father has not bethrothed her", but the exact meaning of this statement is debated. Some historians have interpreted this to mean that the kings had the right to give the heiress to anyone they chose, but others have suggested that the kings merely had the right to bestow the heiress on the nearest male relative, or to arbitrate between competing claims. Another suggestion is that the king's choice was restricted to citizens who had no land. The name given to these heiresses in Sparta was patroiouchoi, which literally translates as "holders of the patrimony." They inherited the land themselves, and retained the right to dispose of their inherited property. There were no restrictions on who they might marry.
By the 4th century BCE Aristotle records that there were no restrictions on whom an heiress might marry. If she was not married during her father's lifetime or by directions in her father's will, her nearest next-of-kin was allowed to marry her wherever he chose.
### Gortyn
In Gortyn, epikleroi were also called patroiokos, and they were more generously treated than in Athens. The term patroiokos can be literally translated as "having the father's property", and was a description of the condition of the heiress. She was considered a patroiouchoi if she had no father or brother by her father living. The relative who had the right to marry her was called an epiballon, and the list of who were eligible for that status was also limited to just her paternal uncles and the sons of those uncles. If there were no candidates fitting those conditions, the patroiouchoi was free to marry as she chose. If she wished, a patroiouchos could free herself from the obligation to marry her nearest relative by paying him part of her inheritance. If her nearest relative did not wish to marry her, she was free to find a spouse in her tribe, or if none was willing, then she could marry whomever she wished. Gortyn may owe the liberality of its heiress laws to the fact that it was one of the few city-states known to have allowed daughters to inherit even if they had brothers; daughters in Gortyn received half the share of a son. To prevent the abuse of the system, there was a time limit on the right of the closest epiballon to marry her, and if the limit expired, the right passed to the next nearest epiballon until the patroiouchoi was either married or ran out of possible epiballontes. There was a limit, however, that a man could only marry one heiress. Unlike in Athens, the heiress owned her inheritance and her son did not inherit until she died. Her son was also eligible to inherit from his father.
### Others
Rhegium owed its laws on epikleroi to Androdamas of Rhegium, a law-giver whose views on this subject were especially esteemed, according to Aristotle. In the city-state of Charondas' laws, an epikleros had to be given a dowry if her nearest kin did not wish to marry her. During the time of Alexander the Great, Tegean law deals with the inheritance of returning exiles, limiting them to inheriting only their paternal estate or an estate of their mother if she had become an epikleros while in exile. The city-states of Naupactus and Thermus allowed women to inherit property, but whether or not the daughters were considered epikleroi is unknown from the surviving fragments of the laws from those cities.
## Plato
Plato, in his Laws, set forth rules that governed not the ideal state, which he described in The Republic, but what he felt might be obtainable in the real world. Included amongst them were some dealing with inheritance and heiresses. In general outline, they conformed to Athenian practice, with the daughter of a man who died without male heirs becoming an epikleros. Plato gave rules governing who the husband of the epikleros might be, and said that the inherited plot might not be divided or added to another plot. The main departure from Athenian law came if there was no direct heir, and the inheritance go to collateral relations. In that case, Plato assigned the inheritance not to one person, but to a pair, one male and one female, and ordered that they must marry and provide an heir to the estate, much like the epikleros.
## Later history
In 318 BCE, Cassander appointed Demetrius Phalereus to govern the city-state of Athens. Demetrius issued a set of laws that are known from later literary works. Although knowledge of these laws is fragmentary, it does not appear that Demetrius legislated anything on the subject of epikleroi. This is in striking contrast to Solon's legislation, which was concerned with the internal affairs of the family and its external manifestations in public life. By the 4th century BCE, the practice of the epiklerate was falling into disuse, and it disappeared during the Hellenistic Period, although it continued to appear in New Comedy and scattered inscriptions from the 3rd century BCE, if dated correctly, refer to occasional epikleroi. One method that developed to avoid the epiklerate was through the adoption of a son by the father of a possible epikleros.
## Noted epikleroi
### In mythology
In the tales of heroic Greece, royal succession often passed from father-in-law to son-in-law, and some historians have seen in this an early example of the epikleros pattern. Some examples include Pelops, Bellerophon, Melampus, Peleus, Telamon, and Diomedes. Not all such heroic era royal successions followed the epikleros pattern however, as in the case of Menelaus, who married Helen of Troy and succeeded Helen's father Tyndareus, even though Tyndareus had living sons, Kastor and Polydeukes. Another example is Arete of Phaeacia in the Odyssey, who was an heiress married to her father's brother Alcinous.
### Historical examples
Aristotle related that the revolt of Mytilene against Athens in 428 BCE originated in a dispute over epikleroi. The Sacred War of 356–346, between Thebes and Phocis, was also started by a disagreement over epikleroi. It is likely that Agariste, the daughter of Cleisthenes of Sicyon who married Megacles of Athens, was an epikleros. Likewise, the widow of the Spartan king Agis IV, Agiatis, was forced to marry Cleomenes, the son of the man who had executed Agis, King Leonidas II. Plutarch stated that the reason Leonidas married Agiatis to Kleomenes was that Agiatis was a patrouchos from her father, Gylippos. Another Spartan example may have been Gorgo, the only daughter of King Cleomenes I, who was married to Cleomenes' brother Leonidas I.
Kallisto, the granddaughter of the Athenian orator Lykourgos was an epikleros after the deaths of her grandfather, paternal uncles Habron and Lykourgos, and father Lykophron. She was married and had a son, whom her father adopted and renamed Lykophron. After her father's adoption of her son, Kallisto's husband, son and father all died, leaving her father's household in danger of extinction. Her second marriage, however, produced a son who continued the household. Demosthenes' mother Cleoboule was the epikleros of Gylon.
Other possible epikleroi include the daughters of Polyeuctus, who managed to remain married to their spouses even after becoming epikleroi. Meidylides' daughter was an heiress, and her father tried to marry her to her anchisteia, but the prospective husband refused the match and the daughter was married to a non-relative instead.
### Literary examples
In literature, Antigone, the daughter of Oedipus, would be considered an epikleros, and her uncle Creon would have been responsible for her marriage as well as that of her sister Ismene. The marriage of an epikleros also is part of the plot for Menander's play Aspis. In Euripides' play Ion, Erechtheus's daughter Creusa is an epikleros whose status allows her son Ion to become a citizen of Athens. Alexis, Antiphanes, Diodorus, Diphilus, Euetes, and Heniokhos all wrote comedies titled Epikleros, although none are extant. Three more comedies were titled Epidikazmenos, or "the man to whom an estate is adjudged" - these were by Diphilus, Philemon and Apollodorus of Carystus. Two Latin comedies survive which were based on Greek plays dealing with heiresses: the Phormio, which is based on Apollodorus' Epidikazmenos; and the Adelphoe, which is based on Menander's play Adelphoi.
A speech of Andocides indirectly concerns epikleroi, as the orator claimed that the real origin of the dispute between himself and his cousin Leagros was over which of them would claim an heiress that both were related to. Demosthenes' speech Against Macartatus includes a description of Sositheos' claiming of the epikleros'' Phulomakhe.
## See also
- Endogamy
- Exogamy
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Preston Leslie
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Governor of Kentucky (1819–1907)
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"Governors of Kentucky",
"Governors of Montana Territory",
"Kentucky Democrats",
"Kentucky Whigs",
"Kentucky state senators",
"Members of the Kentucky House of Representatives",
"Montana Democrats",
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Preston Hopkins Leslie (March 8, 1819 – February 7, 1907) was the 26th Governor of Kentucky from 1871 to 1875, and territorial governor of Montana from 1887 to 1889. He ascended to the office of governor by three different means. First, he succeeded Kentucky governor John W. Stevenson upon the latter's resignation to accept a seat in the United States Senate in 1871. Later that year, he was elected to a full term as governor, defeating John Marshall Harlan in the general election. Finally, he was appointed territorial governor by President Grover Cleveland.
Leslie was a Confederate sympathizer during the Civil War, but began to adopt a more progressive position during his gubernatorial campaign against Harlan. Though he opposed ratification of the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments, he used his influence as governor to effect passage of laws admitting the testimony of blacks in court and providing for an educational system for recently freed slaves. He also helped quell violence perpetrated by the Ku Klux Klan in many areas of the state.
As territorial governor of Montana, Leslie quickly drew the ire of the press for his pro-temperance position. The territory's political machinery also turned against him, and he was removed from office by President Benjamin Harrison. When Grover Cleveland succeeded Harrison for a second term in office, he appointed Leslie district attorney for Montana. Leslie continued to practice law well into his eighties, and was being considered for a district court judgeship in Montana when he fell ill with pneumonia and died on February 7, 1907, at the age of 87.
## Early life
Preston Leslie was born in Clinton County, Kentucky (then a part of Wayne County), on March 8, 1819. He was the second son of Vachel H. and Sarah Hopkins Leslie. He was educated in the public schools, then studied law under Judge Rice Maxey. He worked with his father on the family farm until 1835, and supported himself by doing odd jobs including driving a stagecoach, running a ferry, and being store clerk. Leslie was admitted to the bar on October 10, 1840, and served as the deputy clerk of the Clinton County courts. In 1841, he relocated to Tompkinsville, Kentucky, where he worked as a farmer. He became county attorney of Monroe County in 1842.
On November 11, 1841, Leslie married Louisa Black; they had seven children. Louisa died on August 9, 1858. Leslie married the widowed Mary Maupin Kuykendall on November 17, 1859, fathering three more children. Mary Leslie died September 3, 1900.
## Political career
Leslie began his political career by being elected as a Whig to the Kentucky House of Representatives in 1844. He was defeated for a seat in the state Senate in 1846 by a single vote. He continued serving in the House until 1850, when he won election to the Senate representing Monroe and Barren counties. He then served in the Senate until 1855. In the 1850s, the Whig Party gradually faded in Kentucky, and Leslie became a Democrat. He declined nominations for a seats in the United States Congress and on the Kentucky Court of Appeals, preferring instead to work on his farm. In 1859, he moved to Glasgow, Kentucky, in Barren County.
By 1861, Leslie had built up a prosperous estate and added a plot of land in Texas to his holdings in Kentucky. In December of that year, he and his eldest son traveled to the property with 26 slaves and a large part of the family's possessions. After establishing his household, Leslie returned to Kentucky and left the Texas estate in the care of his son.
Leslie's feelings were mixed on the issues central to the Civil War. Known as a "strong Union man" prior to the war, his sympathies switched to the southern cause once the war began. Nevertheless, he believed the South should solve its differences with the North through diplomatic means, and did not favor the idea of secession. He kept a low political profile and refused military service for either side. He returned to the state Senate from 1867 to 1871, serving as president of that body from 1869 to 1871.
### Governor of Kentucky
On February 13, 1871, Governor John W. Stevenson resigned his post to accept a seat in the U.S. Senate. Stevenson had ascended to the governorship on the death of John L. Helm, and had no lieutenant governor. As president of the Senate, Leslie was the ex-officio lieutenant governor, and next in line to succeed Stevenson. A gubernatorial election was already scheduled later in 1871, and Leslie was among several nominees put forward by the Democrats. Because of Leslie's opposition to the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments, his candidacy was opposed by Henry Watterson, founder of the powerful Louisville Courier-Journal. Despite this, Leslie emerged from a field of Democratic candidates that included future governors John Y. Brown and J. Proctor Knott and former Confederate governor Richard Hawes. John G. Carlisle was chosen as Leslie's running mate, and was declared by one commentator to be "by odds, the ablest man on the ticket". Leslie's opposition to the Southern Railroad bill while serving in the state senate proved a liability with some voters in his own party. Because of his southern sympathies, he was also opposed by the more progressive "New Departure" wing of his party. Nevertheless, he enjoyed support from the Bourbon Democrats in the state, as well as the state's tobacco interests and the Louisville and Nashville Railroad.
During the campaign, Leslie's opponent Republican John Marshall Harlan was blasted as a "political weathercock" for having changed his stance on many issues. In one joint debate, Leslie quoted an antebellum speech wherein Harlan had called the Republican platform "revolutionary, and if carried out, would result in the destruction of our free government." Harlan admitted his inconsistent stands, declaring that he would rather be right than consistent. Meanwhile, Leslie began moving closer to the "New Departure" wing of his party during the course of the campaign. Ultimately, Leslie's supporters deemed him "sober, conservative, and safe", and this perception enabled him to defeat Harlan by a considerable margin in the first election in which blacks were allowed to vote.
Leslie laid out an aggressive legislative agenda in his inaugural address to the General Assembly on September 5, 1871, but legislators were more concerned with passing the Southern Railroad bill that would create a connection between the railroads of Cincinnati, Ohio, and those of the Southern United States. The line would pass through central Kentucky, opening up trade to the region. It would be funded primarily by capital from Ohio, and would provide competition to the Louisville and Nashville Railroad's monopoly in the state. Though Leslie wasn't particularly supportive of the bill, he refused to veto it because of the potential economic benefits to the state. Leslie was also faced with the issue of post-war violence by the Ku Klux Klan. The legislature had refused to pass a law against mob violence in 1871. In his address to the legislature on December 6, 1871, Leslie endorsed legislation that made it illegal to write or post threatening notices and to band together and wear disguises. This proposal enjoyed favorable public opinion, and was passed during the legislature's next session. With the railroad and violence issues resolved, Governor Leslie urged the legislature to improve the status of blacks in the state, including the creation of an educational system for blacks and the approval of the testimony of blacks in the state's courts. He commissioned a new geological survey, appointing native Kentuckian Nathaniel Southgate Shaler to head the work. An advocate of the temperance movement, he secured additional regulations on the sale of liquor. Also during Leslie's tenure, the penal system was improved.
Devout Baptists and teetotalers, Governor and Mrs. Leslie did not serve alcohol in the governor's mansion and were given a silver service set at the expiration of his term by the Good Templars of Kentucky for their charity to the needy. Following his term in office, Leslie was elected to serve on the Glasgow circuit court, a position he held for six years, beginning in 1881. He failed in a re-election bid in 1886 by four votes.
### Governor of Montana
In 1887, President Grover Cleveland appointed Leslie to be the Territorial Governor of Montana. Cleveland made the appointment on the recommendation of John Marshall Harlan, Leslie's opponent in the Kentucky gubernatorial election of 1871, who was now serving as an Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court. Leslie soon ran afoul of the local press, who labeled him the "Coldwater Governor" for his stands in favor of temperance. The press's opinion of him further dimmed when he pardoned a prostitute convicted of grand larceny because the penitentiary was not equipped to accommodate women. He urged the territorial legislature to enact fiscal reforms and improve facilities for the insane and the incarcerated, but he was no match for the political machinery in Montana Territory. His 1889 pocket veto of an appointment bill supported by the legislature was the final straw; under pressure from Republicans, President Benjamin Harrison replaced Leslie as territorial governor.
Meanwhile, in Kentucky, the state treasurer, "Honest Dick" Tate, had absconded with nearly \$250,000 of the state's money in 1888. During the investigation that followed, it was discovered that Leslie, along with several other state officials, had procured personal loans from the state treasury through Tate.
## Later life and death
Following his removal from office, Leslie opened a legal practice in Helena, Montana, partnering with A. J. Craven. President Cleveland in his second term appointed Leslie U.S. district attorney of Montana. He served from 1894 to 1898.
During his final years practicing law in Helena, Leslie gained widespread acclaim and served as president of the Montana State Bar Association. On a return visit to Kentucky in 1906, he addressed the legislature, noting how he had helped the state adjust to the "new order" following the Civil War. Montana governor Joseph Toole was circulating a petition to have Leslie named a district court judge when Leslie fell ill with pneumonia. He died February 7, 1907, and was buried at Forestvale Cemetery in Helena.
## Memorials
Leslie County, Kentucky, was formed in 1878 and was named in his honor.
|
485,031 |
Connecticut-class battleship
| 1,157,546,727 |
Pre-dreadnought battleship class of the United States Navy
|
[
"Battleship classes",
"Connecticut-class battleships",
"World War I battleships of the United States"
] |
The Connecticut class of pre-dreadnought battleships were the penultimate class of the type built for the United States Navy. The class comprised six ships: Connecticut, Louisiana, Vermont, Kansas, Minnesota, and New Hampshire, which were built between 1903 and 1908. The ships were armed with a mixed offensive battery of 12-inch (305 mm), 8-inch (203 mm), and 7-inch (178 mm) guns. This arrangement was rendered obsolete by the advent of all-big-gun battleships like the British HMS Dreadnought, which was completed before most of the Connecticuts entered service.
Nevertheless, the ships had active careers. The first five ships took part in the cruise of the Great White Fleet in 1907–1909—New Hampshire had not entered service. From 1909 onward, they served as the workhorses of the US Atlantic Fleet, conducting training exercises and showing the flag in Europe and Central America. As unrest broke out in several Central American countries in the 1910s, the ships became involved in police actions in the region. The most significant was the American intervention in the Mexican Revolution during the occupation of Veracruz in April 1914.
During the American participation in World War I, the Connecticut-class ships were used to train sailors for an expanding wartime fleet. In late 1918, they began to escort convoys to Europe, and in September that year, Minnesota was badly damaged by a mine laid by the German U-boat SM U-117. After the war, they were used to bring American soldiers back from France and later as training ships. The 1922 Washington Naval Treaty, which mandated major reductions in naval weapons, cut the ships' careers short. Within two years, all six ships had been sold for scrap.
## Design
The United States' victory in the Spanish–American War in 1898 had a dramatic impact on battleship design, as the question of the role of the fleet—namely, whether it should be focused on coastal defense or high seas operations—had been solved. The fleet's ability to conduct offensive operations overseas showed the necessity of a powerful fleet of battleships. As a result, the US Congress was willing to authorize much larger ships. Design work on what would become the Connecticut class began in 1901. The Secretary of the Navy submitted a request for a new battleship design on 6 March to the Board on Construction. Among the issues considered was the composition and placement of the secondary battery. The preceding design, the Virginia class, placed some of its secondary guns in fixed turrets atop the main battery turrets as a way to save weight. The Board disliked the arrangement, as some members argued that guns in casemates could be fired faster. Additionally, the Virginias had mounted a mixed secondary battery of 6-inch (152 mm) and 8-inch (203 mm) guns; the Bureau of Ordnance (BuOrd) had recently introduced a quick-firing 7-inch (178 mm) gun, which was more powerful than the 6-inch and fired faster than the 8-inch.
The initial version of the Connecticut design, proposed by BuOrd, featured a secondary battery of twenty-four 7-inch guns with the same number of 3-inch (76 mm) guns for defense against torpedo boats. The armor layout was more comprehensive but thinner, and displacement rose to 15,560 long tons (15,810 t). BuOrd determined that a longer and finer hull shape, coupled with a small increase in engine power, would maintain the standard speed of 19 knots (35 km/h; 22 mph). The Bureau of Construction and Repair (C&R) proposed a ship more closely based on the Virginias, with the same two-story turrets and mixed 6- and 8-inch secondary battery, on a displacement of 15,860 long tons (16,110 t). This design featured only eight 3-inch guns, which was deemed wholly insufficient to defend the ship from small craft.
In November, the Board agreed to a compromise design that incorporated a secondary battery of eight 8-inch guns in four twin turrets amidships and twelve 7-inch guns in casemates. The decision to retain the 8 in guns was made in large part due to American experiences in the Spanish–American War three years before. US Navy officers had been impressed with the performance of the gun at the Battle of Santiago de Cuba; despite scoring only 13 hits out of 309 shells fired, the gun had a flat trajectory and good range for its size. Armor protection was improved over the BuOrd design, with a thicker armored belt and casemate protection, albeit at the expense of thinner armor covering the barbettes that supported the gun turrets. The designers reasoned that since the barbettes were behind the belt and a transverse bulkhead, weight could be saved by reducing the level of direct protection.
The last four ships, starting with Vermont, received slightly improved armor protection, with the last vessel—New Hampshire—having further improvements. As a result, they are sometimes referred to as the Vermont class. The six Connecticut-class ships were the most powerful pre-dreadnought type battleship built by the US Navy, and they compared well with contemporary foreign designs. They were nevertheless rendered obsolescent almost immediately due to the advent of the "all-big-gun" battleship epitomized by the British HMS Dreadnought. Two follow-on ships, the Mississippi class, were built at the same time to a design based on the Connecticuts but significantly reduced in size.
### General characteristics and machinery
The Connecticut-class ships were 450 feet (140 m) long at the waterline and 456 ft 4 in (139.09 m) long overall. They had a beam of 76 ft 10 in (23.42 m) and a draft of 24 ft 6 in (7.47 m). Freeboard forward was 20 ft 6 in (6.25 m). They displaced 16,000 long tons (16,000 t) as designed and up to 17,666 long tons (17,949 t) at full load. The ships had a flush deck, and they were better sea boats than preceding designs, many of which had poor stability. The Connecticut class had a metacentric height of 4.62 feet (1.41 m). As built, the ships were fitted with two heavy military masts, but these were quickly replaced by lattice masts in 1909. They had a crew of 42 officers and 785 men.
The ships were powered by two-shaft triple-expansion steam engines, with steam provided by twelve coal-fired Babcock & Wilcox boilers. The engines were rated at 16,500 indicated horsepower (12,300 kW) and generated a top speed of 18 knots (33 km/h; 21 mph). The boilers were trunked into three closely spaced funnels amidships. The first five ships were equipped with eight 100-kilowatt (130 hp) electricity generators, while New Hampshire had four of these generators and two 200 kW (270 hp) units. All of the ships had a combined output of 800 kW (1,100 hp); this was the highest output in any American warship then built. Steering was controlled with a single rudder. The ships' turning radius was 620 yards (570 m) at a speed of 12 knots (22 km/h; 14 mph).
On trials, the ships exceeded their design speed slightly, with Minnesota being the fastest, at 18.85 knots (34.91 km/h; 21.69 mph). The ships carried 900 long tons (910 t) of coal normally, but additional spaces could be used for coal bunkers, with storage capacity ranging between 2,249 to 2,405 long tons (2,285 to 2,444 t) for each ship. At a cruising speed of 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph), the ships could steam for 6,620 nautical miles (12,260 km; 7,620 mi), though New Hampshire's engines were more efficient, allowing her to steam for 7,590 nautical miles (14,060 km; 8,730 mi) at the same speed.
### Armament
The ship was armed with a main battery of four 12-inch (305 mm)/45 caliber Mark 5 guns in two twin gun turrets on the centerline, one forward and aft, as was typical for battleships of the period. The guns fired a 870-pound (390 kg) shell at a muzzle velocity of 2,700 feet per second (820 m/s). The turrets were Mark VI mounts, which allowed for reloading at all angles of elevation. These mounts could elevate to 20 degrees and depress to -5 degrees. Each gun was supplied with sixty shells. New Hampshire's magazines were rearranged compared to her sisters, which allowed for her to carry 20 percent more 12- and 7-inch shells, though under normal conditions she carried the same load.
The secondary battery consisted of eight 8-inch (203 mm)/45 caliber guns and twelve 7-inch (178 mm)/45 caliber guns; this mixed battery proved to be problematic, as shell splashes from the two types could not be distinguished. The 8-inch guns were mounted in four twin Mark XII turrets amidships and the 7-inch guns were placed in casemates in the hull. The 8-inch guns were the Mark VI type, and they fired 260 lb (120 kg) shells at a muzzle velocity of 2,750 ft/s (840 m/s). The 7-inch Mark I guns fired a 165 lb (75 kg) shell at 2,700 ft/s. These guns were later removed during World War I and converted for use on tracked gun carriages in France. The outfit per gun was 100 shells for both types.
For close-range defense against torpedo boats, they carried twenty 3-inch (76 mm)/50 caliber guns mounted in casemates along the side of the hull and twelve 47 mm (1.9 in) 3-pounder guns. They also carried four 37 mm (1.5 in) 1-pounder guns. As was standard for capital ships of the period, the Connecticut class carried four 21-inch (533 mm) torpedo tubes, submerged in their hulls on the broadside. Each ship carried a total of 16 torpedoes. They were initially equipped with the Mark I Bliss-Leavitt design, but these were quickly replaced with Mark II, designed in 1905. The Mark II carried a 207-pound (94 kg) warhead and had a range of 3,500 yards (3,200 m) at a speed of 26 knots (48 km/h; 30 mph).
### Armor
The first two ships' main armored belt was 11 in (279 mm) thick over the machinery spaces and reduced to 9 in (229 mm) abreast of the main battery turrets. This portion of the belt was 200 ft (61 m) long and 9 feet 3 inches (3 m) wide. On either end of the ship, the belt then thinned, first to 7 in (178 mm), then to 5 in (127 mm) and finally to 4 in (102 mm) at the bow and stern. The last four ships' belts were reduced to a uniform 9 in between the main battery, with no change to the ends. The armored deck was 1.5 in (38 mm) thick amidships, where it was partially protected by the belt and casemate armor. It had 3 in thick sloped sides, which connected to the bottom edge of the belt. The deck was increased to 3 in forward and aft, where it was directly exposed to shellfire, also with 3 in thick sloped sides. New Hampshire's belt was slightly shortened to permit a thicker deck over the magazines. Each ship's conning tower had 9 in thick sides and a 2 in (51 mm) thick roof.
The main battery gun turrets had 11 in thick faces, with 9 in thick sides and 2.5 in (64 mm) thick roofs. The supporting barbettes had the 10 in (254 mm) of armor plating, reduced to 6 in (152 mm). The secondary turrets had 6.5 in (165 mm) of frontal armor, with 6 in on the sides and 2 in on the roofs. Their barbettes were given 6 in of armor plating on the outboard sides and 4 in inboard. The casemates for the 7-inch guns were 7 in thick and below the gun ports, the casemates reduced slightly to 6 in. For the last four ships, the savings in weight gained by reducing the thickness of the belt were used to increase the lower casement armor to 7 in. Those for the 3-inch guns were 2 in thick. The 7-inch guns were divided by splinter bulkheads that were 1.5 to 2.5 inches (38 to 64 mm) thick to prevent one shell hit from disabling multiple guns.
## Ships
## Service history
All six ships of the class served with the Atlantic Fleet for the duration of their careers. The first five ships took part in the cruise of the Great White Fleet in 1907–1909. The fleet left Hampton Roads on 16 December 1907 and steamed south, around South America and back north to the US west coast. The ships then crossed the Pacific and stopped in Australia, the Philippines, and Japan before continuing on through the Indian Ocean. They transited the Suez Canal and toured the Mediterranean before crossing the Atlantic, arriving bank in Hampton Roads on 22 February 1909. New Hampshire, which had not been completed in time to take part in the journey, met the fleet there during a naval review with President Theodore Roosevelt.
The ships then began a peacetime training routine off the east coast of the United States and the Caribbean, including gunnery training off the Virginia Capes, training cruises in the Atlantic, and winter exercises in Cuban waters. In late 1909, all six ships crossed the Atlantic to visit British and French ports. Louisiana and Kansas made another trip to Europe in early 1911. As political unrest began to erupt in several Central American countries in the 1910s, the ships became increasingly active in the region. All six ships became involved in the Mexican Revolution, including the occupation of Veracruz in April 1914; Vermont and New Hampshire were among the ships that contributed landing parties to the initial occupation of the city. Several men from the two ships were awarded the Medal of Honor during the action.
In July 1914, World War I broke out in Europe; the United States remained neutral for the first three years of the war. Tensions with Germany came to a head in early 1917 following the German unrestricted submarine warfare campaign, which sank several American merchant ships in European waters. On 6 April 1917, the United States declared war on Germany. The Connecticut-class ships initially were used for training gunners and engine room personnel that would be necessary for the rapidly expanding wartime fleet. In June 1918, New Hampshire and Louisiana were involved in a serious gunnery accident, where gunners aboard the former accidentally hit the latter, killing one and injuring several other men. The following month, Louisiana was used to test Arthur Pollen's Argo Clock, the first fire control system to use an analog computer to calculate firing solutions.
From late 1918, the ships were used to escort convoys part-way across the Atlantic. In late September, Minnesota struck a naval mine laid by the German U-boat U-117, causing serious damage that kept her out of service for five months. Convoy duty was cut short by the German surrender in November; thereafter, the Connecticuts were used to ferry American soldiers back from the battlefields of France. This work was completed by mid-1919. The ships briefly operated as training ships in the early 1920s, though under the terms of the Washington Naval Treaty, they were all sold for scrap by 1924 and broken up.
|
13,212,985 |
French battleship Mirabeau
| 1,136,534,514 |
One of six Danton-class semi-dreadnought battleships for the French Navy
|
[
"1909 ships",
"Danton-class battleships",
"Maritime incidents in 1919",
"Ships built in France",
"Shipwrecks in the Black Sea"
] |
Mirabeau was one of the six Danton-class semi-dreadnought battleships built for the Marine Nationale (French Navy) in the first decade of the twentieth century. Completed in 1911, the ship often served as a flagship before the beginning of World War I three years later. Mirabeau spent the war in the Mediterranean Sea and spent most of her time blockading the Straits of Otranto and the Dardanelles to prevent German, Austro-Hungarian and Ottoman warships from breaking out into the Mediterranean. She also participated in the attempt to ensure Greek acquiescence to Allied operations in Macedonia in late 1916. Mirabeau briefly participated in the occupation of Constantinople after the end of the war in late 1918 and was deployed in the Black Sea in early 1919 during the Allied intervention in the Russian Civil War. She ran aground in February 1919 off the coast of the Crimea and could not be refloated until some of her guns, armor and boilers were removed. After returning to France later that year, the ship was stricken from the Navy List. Mirabeau was given to a salvage company as payment for salvaging another battleship and broken up in 1922.
## Design and description
Although the Danton-class battleships were a significant improvement from the preceding Liberté class, they were outclassed by the advent of the dreadnought well before they were completed. Mirabeau was 146.6 meters (481 ft) long overall and had a beam of 25.8 meters (84 ft 8 in) and a deep-load draft of 8.44 meters (27 ft 8 in). She displaced 18,754 metric tons (18,458 long tons) at normal load and had a crew of 25 officers and 831 enlisted men. While serving as a flagship, her crew numbered 31 officers and 886 enlisted men. The ship was powered by four Parsons steam turbines, each driving one propeller shaft using steam generated by twenty-six Belleville boilers. The turbines were rated at 22,500 shaft horsepower (16,800 kW) and were designed to provide a top speed of 19.25 knots (35.65 km/h; 22.15 mph). Mirabeau slightly exceeded this figure when she reached a top speed of 19.7 knots (36.5 km/h; 22.7 mph) on her sea trials. The ship carried enough coal to give her a range of 3,500 nautical miles (6,500 km; 4,000 mi) at a speed of 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph).
The main battery of the Dantons consisted of four Canon de 305 mm (12 in) modèle 1906 mounted in two twin gun turrets, one forward and one aft of the superstructure. Their secondary armament consisted of a dozen Canon de 240 mm (9.4 in) modèle 1902 guns in twin turrets, three on each side of the ship. A number of smaller guns were carried for defense against torpedo boats. These included sixteen Canon de 75 mm (3 in) modèle 1908 guns in casemates in the sides of the hull and eight 47-millimeter (1.9 in) Hotchkiss guns mounted on the superstructure. She was also armed with two submerged 450-millimeter (17.7 in) torpedo tubes, one on each broadside. The ship's waterline armor belt ranged in thickness from 180 to 250 millimeters (7.1 to 9.8 in) and the main gun turrets were protected by armor 260–340 millimeters (10.2–13.4 in) thick. The sides of the conning tower consisted of 266-millimeter (10.5 in) armor plates.
### Wartime modifications
The four aft 75-millimeter gun positions were very prone to flooding in anything other than calm weather and were removed from the Dantons in 1915–1917; their embrasures were plated over to stop the flooding. The four 47-millimeter guns on the aft superstructure were transferred to other ships at some point during the war. Those on the forward superstructure received high-angle mounts and were repositioned to better serve as anti-aircraft guns.
## Construction and career
Ordered as part of the second tranche of the 1900 naval law that authorized a total of 19 battleships by 1919, Mirabeau was named after Honoré Riqueti, comte de Mirabeau, an early leader of the French Revolution. Construction of the ship began on 8 May 1906 at the Arsenal de Lorient and she was laid down on 4 May 1908. Mirabeau was launched on 28 October 1909 and was completed (armement définitif) on 1 August 1911. Upon reaching Toulon on 15 August, the ship became the flagship of Rear Admiral (Contre amiral) Dominique-Marie Gauchet, commander of the Mediterranean Squadron (Escadre de la Méditerranée's) Second Division (2<sup>e</sup> Division de cuirasée) of the First Battle Squadron (1<sup>re</sup> Escadre de ligne). Together with four of her sisters, she participated in a large naval review by the President of France, Armand Fallières, off Cap Brun on 4 September and then the visit by the Navy Minister, Théophile Delcassé on the 8th.
In mid-April 1912, the First Battle Squadron hosted three British armored cruisers at Golfe-Juan as their commander, Rear-Admiral Edward Gamble unveiled monuments to King Edward VII and his mother, Queen Victoria, at Cannes. Mirabeau participated in the July maneuvers in the Western Mediterranean and the exercise simulating a blockade of Ajaccio, Corsica, in November. On 3 March 1913 the First Battle Squadron conducted gunnery training off the Îles d'Hyères with the First Lord of the Admiralty, Winston Churchill, observing. The ship participated in combined fleet maneuvers between Provence and French Tunisia in May–June and the subsequent naval review conducted by the President of the Council, Raymond Poincaré, on 7 June. Rear Admiral Marie-Jean-Lucien Lacaze relieved Gauchet on 16 August and Mirabeau joined her squadron in its tour of the Eastern Mediterranean in October–December, making port visits in Egypt, Syria, and Greece.
Lacaze shifted his flag to her sister Voltaire on 12 March 1914 and the ship had to briefly withdraw from the grand fleet exercises on 13 May due to engine troubles. As tensions rose during the July Crisis, Mirabeau and the other ships of the First Battle Squadron downloaded their practice ammunition and exchanged suspect lots of propellant for new ones beginning on 27 July. They recoaled four days later and the Marine Nationale mobilized on 2 August.
### World War I
Before the French declared war on the German Empire on the morning of 4 August, Vice Admiral (Vice-amiral) Augustin Boué de Lapeyrère, commander of the 1st Naval Army (1<sup>re</sup> Armée Navale), as the Mediterranean Squadron had been renamed in 1913, ordered most of his ships to concentrate off the Algerian coast to escort troop convoys to Metropolitan France and to blockade German shipping in the Mediterranean. Despite this deployment the German battlecruiser SMS Goeben and light cruiser SMS Breslau were able to bombard Bône and Philippeville on 4 August. Despite Mirabeau's machinery problems which limited the 1st Battle Squadron to a speed of 15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph), the squadron probably would have intercepted the German ships later that morning if its commander, Vice Admiral Paul Chocheprat, had not ordered a turn to the west. Mirabeau spent the rest of the month under repair. Aside from several uneventful sorties into the Adriatic, the French capital ships spent most of their time cruising between the neutral Greek and Italian coasts to prevent the Austro-Hungarian fleet from attempting to break out of the Adriatic. The torpedoing of the dreadnought battleship Jean Bart on 21 December by the Austro-Hungarian submarine U-12 showed that the battleships were vulnerable to this threat, and they were withdrawn to spend the rest of the month further south at an anchorage in Navarino Bay.
On 11 January 1915, the French were alerted that the Austro-Hungarian fleet was going to sortie from its base at Pola, so the Naval Army sailed north to the Albanian coast. It proved to be a false alarm, and they were back at their moorings three days later. In the meantime, the ships patrolled the Ionian Sea. The declaration of war on Austria-Hungary by Italy on 23 May, and the Italian decision to assume responsibility for naval operations in the Adriatic, allowed the French Navy to withdraw to either Malta or Bizerte, Tunisia, to cover the Otranto Barrage. Mirabeau was in Malta on 30 June when a torpedo exploded in a nearby warehouse. The ship was only lightly damaged, but two men of her crew were killed and eleven wounded.
In November 1916, she transported landing parties from the other ships of her division to Athens. On 1 December, those landing parties participated in the Allied attempt to ensure Greek acquiescence to Allied operations in Macedonia. Greek resistance to the Allied action ended after Mirabeau fired four rounds from her main armament into the city, one of which landed near the Royal Palace. Afterwards, she spent 1917 based at Corfu or at Mudros to prevent Goeben, by this time transferred to the Ottoman Empire and renamed Yavuz Sultan Selim, from breaking out into the Mediterranean. In August the ship tested a tethered balloon, but it was destroyed by a lightning strike on 31 October. In April 1918, Mirabeau accompanied her sisters Diderot and Vergniaud to Mudros, where they remained for the rest of the war. The 1st Naval Army was reorganized on 1 July and most of the Danton-class ships were assigned to the Second Squadron (2<sup>e</sup> Escadre) with Mirabeau part of the First Division of the squadron.
### Postwar
After the Armistice of Mudros was signed on 30 October between the Allies and the Ottoman Empire, the ship participated in the early stage of the occupation of Constantinople beginning on 12 November. By 8 December Mirabeau was already deployed to the Black Sea to support White Russian forces in Sevastopol and deter Soviet forces who were advancing on the city during the Russian Civil War. Mirabeau ran aground during a snowstorm on 18 February 1919 off the Crimean coast. She could not be refloated until 6,000 metric tons (5,900 long tons) of weight were removed. To this end, her guns, turret armour, most of her boilers, coal, ammunition and the upper strake of belt armor was disembarked. After several weeks of effort, the ship was refloated on 6 April and she was towed by the Russian cruiser Kagul and the tugboat Thernomore to a drydock in Sevastopol to repair any damage and to have her equipment reinstalled. This process began on 12 April, but Mirabeau was refloated three days later as news was received of the Red Army's advance on the city. Only her guns, ammunition and part of her armor had been replaced by the time the city was evacuated by the Allies on 5 May. She was towed to Constantinople by the battleship Justice and five tugs where she remained from 7–15 May. Justice then resumed the tow and they reached Toulon on the 24th. After an inspection of the ship in a drydock, Mirabeau was stricken on 22 August and turned over as compensation to the company that salvaged the pre-dreadnought battleship Liberté. Her hulk was towed to Savona, Italy, to be scrapped on 28 April 1922.
|
52,926,150 |
Divided (American game show)
| 1,173,648,101 | null |
[
"2010s American game shows",
"2017 American television series debuts",
"2018 American television series endings",
"American television series based on British television series",
"English-language television shows",
"Game Show Network original programming"
] |
Divided is an American television game show broadcast by Game Show Network (GSN) based on the British series of the same name. Each episode consists of four contestants playing as one team who must agree on answers to questions they are given. The longer it takes the team to come to an agreement, the less money the team earns for each question. The series, hosted by Mike Richards, premiered January 19, 2017, and concluded May 8, 2018.
Some critics believed that the show's name and timing were appropriate given the tumultuous preceding presidential election and its premiere date coming the day before the inauguration of Donald Trump.
## Gameplay
Each episode consists of three rounds. A team of four contestants starts the game; one player is eliminated after two rounds of play. For each question, the team has 60 seconds to unanimously agree on an answer (excluding the final round), the available money decreases the longer it takes. Each contestant must enter the same response on their respective panel and then everyone must simultaneously lock in an answer and stop the clock. If the team answers the question correctly, they bank whatever money is left on the clock, if they are wrong, or if time runs out, their bank is reduced by half.
The first round consists of three questions. Each question has one correct answer, and the opening value is \$5,000. After the first question has been played, the team is afforded two "takeovers" to use in the rest of the game. To use a takeover, one contestant presses a smaller red button (yellow in season one) in front of them, their answer is then considered to be the team's answer — which still need(s) to meet the requirements of the question.
In the second round, there are again three questions. Each question starts with a value of \$10,000 and has two correct answers, the team must select both correct answers in order to get credit. After the second round, the contestants secretly vote on which of them will be eliminated from further play. In order to eliminate a contestant, the other three must agree unanimously. If there is no unanimous agreement, then the contestants are given a 15-second grace period (10 seconds in season one) before their bank begins to drain. In the second season, instead of just changing their votes, the votes were wiped clean, allowing everyone to re-vote. Once there is a unanimous agreement, the chosen contestant is eliminated from the show with no winnings.
On rare occasions in which the team has earned no money by the elimination vote, the same 15-second grace period applies for three members of the team to agree on who to eliminate. However, since there is no money to lose thereafter, if the team cannot agree on who to eliminate after 15 seconds, the studio audience votes to eliminate one of the team members instead.
The third round consists of two questions. In season 1, the first required the team to rank three answers in a stated order and started with a value of \$15,000. The second had an opening value of \$25,000 and 1, 2, or all 3 of the answers could have been correct; the contestants had select all correct answers, and only the correct answers in order to get credit. Starting in season 2, the \$15,000 question has two or all three answers being correct, and the team must select all of the correct answers, and only the correct answers, the \$25,000 question requires the team to rank the three answers in the correct order.
### Final round
The money is divided into three unequal shares. The "A" share is 60% of the team's bank, the "B" share is 30%, and the "C" share is 10%. The team has 100 seconds (1:40) to agree on who should receive which share. Once the clock starts, the money begins to drain away. Each contestant must claim a different share, and the team must lock it in to stop the clock and claim the remaining money. If after 50 seconds, no agreement is made, the clock stops briefly, and each contestant, in turn, is given 10 seconds to explain which share they feel they deserve and why. Once each player has pleaded their case, the clock restarts and the money continues to drain. If no agreement is reached, all three contestants leave the show with no money. If all questions are answered correctly, the top prize is worth up to \$51,000 (60% of the maximum total bank of \$85,000).
## Production
A sneak preview of the series aired on November 26, 2016. Mike Richards, executive producer of The Price Is Right and Let's Make a Deal and former host of GSN's The Pyramid, was chosen to host the show, and the series officially premiered January 19, 2017, an hour before the season four premiere of GSN's Idiotest. When asked about choosing the premiere date for the show, GSN's Executive Vice President of Programming, Amy Introcaso-Davis, said "Divided is informed by the fractured social landscape, which in turn, reflects the political divide in this country....launching Divided so close to the inauguration, much like a question in the show, was hotly debated! Ultimately we agreed it was a good time to show that although people have many disagreements, it is to everyone’s benefit to unite." On March 14, 2017, GSN renewed Divided for a second season, with a two-episode premiere on August 15, 2017. On March 30, 2017, a special edition of the show aired with three contestants instead of the usual four, resembling the format on the original British series. During this episode, no mid-game elimination was held. Instead, another \$15,000 question was added in the third round.
It used to air reruns at 3:30 AM EST, but as of November 2022, Divided is no longer on.
## Reception
Nellie Andreeva of Deadline Hollywood argued that the series was appropriate for its time, noting how the series premiere "arrive[d] as the nation ha[d] been left deeply divided by a bruising Presidential campaign and election. That was not lost on GSN executives as they worked on the series." The New York Times's Neil Genzlinger agreed, contending, "It’s tempting to see the show, which seems to bring out the obstinance and belligerence of its contestants, as being born of the fractious period the United States has just been through... it certainly fits perfectly in the current landscape."
The November preview episode received 275,000 viewers and a 0.07 18–49 rating. The actual series premiere saw a sizeable rise in the ratings, with the 9:00 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. EST episodes performing relatively well by GSN's standards, earning 421,000 and 451,000 viewers respectively. On February 23, 2017, the show hit a series high with 500,000 viewers and a 0.13 18–49 rating.
|
67,506,321 |
Happier Than Ever (song)
| 1,171,418,707 |
2021 single by Billie Eilish
|
[
"2020s ballads",
"2021 singles",
"2021 songs",
"American pop punk songs",
"American soul songs",
"Billie Eilish songs",
"Emo songs",
"Interscope Records singles",
"Pop ballads",
"Rock ballads",
"Song recordings produced by Finneas O'Connell",
"Songs about heartache",
"Songs written by Billie Eilish",
"Songs written by Finneas O'Connell",
"Soul ballads"
] |
"Happier Than Ever" is a song by American singer-songwriter Billie Eilish from her 2021 second studio album of the same name. It was released as the album's sixth single on July 30, 2021, through Darkroom and Interscope Records. An emo and pop-punk song with elements of jazz, it is about Eilish's anger towards a former partner due to a toxic relationship. It opens with soft vocals backed by classical and bass guitars, and transitions into a distorted pop-punk and rock production with electric guitars and snare drums midway. She wrote the song with its producer, Finneas O'Connell, after completing the American leg of her When We All Fall Asleep Tour (2019).
Upon release, many music journalists lauded "Happier Than Ever" as an album highlight. Critics praised Eilish's vocal performance, which they perceived as cathartic and louder than her previous work, as well as its rock-infused production. Multiple publications such as Billboard, Pitchfork, and Rolling Stone listed it as one of her best songs to date. At the 64th Annual Grammy Awards, it received four nominations, including Record of the Year and Song of the Year. It won the latter category at the 2022 MTV Video Music Awards. "Happier Than Ever" peaked at number 11 and number 6 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and Global 200 charts, respectively.
The music video for "Happier Than Ever" premiered the same day as the single's release. In it, Eilish performs the song through a telephone conversation, after which she climbs a rooftop and dances in the rain. She performed the song live on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon and Jimmy Kimmel Live! in 2021, and at the 2022 Coachella and Glastonbury festivals. Eilish included performances of it in a concert film and a world tour in support of the album.
## Background and development
Billie Eilish won five awards at the 62nd annual ceremony of the Grammy Awards for her debut studio album When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? (2019) and its single "Bad Guy". An avant-pop album with a horror-like atmosphere and whispery vocals, it debuted atop record charts in various countries and brought Eilish to mainstream fame. Her soft singing style became recognized as her signature sound.
In a January 2020 interview, Eilish stated she would begin working on her second studio album during the year. Her brother Finneas O'Connell confirmed this during a March 2020 interview, stating that it would be "pretty pure in its intention" and something that they would appreciate making and performing live. Eilish released the singles "My Future" and "Therefore I Am" in 2020. Eilish confirmed in February 2021 that she had worked on 16 tracks for the project, and she cited self-reflection and life during the COVID-19 pandemic as her biggest inspirations. During a cover story for Rolling Stone, she prefaced that "almost none of the songs on this album are joyful".
"Happier Than Ever" was the first song Eilish and Finneas wrote for her second studio album of the same name, initially titled "Away from Me". In the summer of 2019, after completing the American leg of her When We All Fall Asleep Tour, Eilish flew to Middelfart with Finneas. They wrote the melody for the song's first chorus on a cheap \$80 guitar, and a lyric about a situation Eilish was going through: "When I'm away from you, I'm happier than ever." The two picked the song back up eight months later upon beginning work for the album, and completed it in May or June 2020. Finneas wanted the style to be dynamic and propel Eilish's emotionality instead of overshadowing it. He used plugins to add texture to the acoustic intro of "Happier Than Ever", and Eilish digitally edited her own vocal takes for its vocal programming.
The song was first used in the 2021 documentary film Billie Eilish: The World's a Little Blurry, where its lyrics "when I'm away from you, I'm happier than ever, wish I could explain it better. Wish it wasn't true" were revealed. During an interview with NPR, Eilish commented that it was one of the most important songs she had written. She explained that the recording process felt like finding the best way to tell a person something she wished to tell them for a while: "You don't really know what you want to say or how to say it — and then maybe you have a conversation with somebody else, or you think a little bit about it, and you figure out what it is..."
## Composition and lyrics
"Happier Than Ever" is a sentimental power ballad. Music journalists classified it as emo, pop-punk, and "almost blue-eyed soul". Others wrote that the song incorporates arena rock, alternative rock, and grunge elements. Billboard writer Glenn Rowley described its musical style as "genre-shifting".
With a duration of 4 minutes and 58 seconds, "Happier Than Ever" is the longest song in Eilish's discography. The song opens with sparse acoustic instrumentation, as Eilish sings softly over a classical guitar. The bass in its second verse evokes annoyance according to MTV News's Athena Serrano. Around its third verse, "Happier Than Ever" transitions into a distorted pop-punk and rock production. During the stylistic change, crashing snare drums and electric guitars can be heard in the background. In an act of catharsis, Eilish continues the song by yelling some of its lyrics to express her pain, with a multitracking technique applied to her voice.
Multiple critics noted that Eilish's screams and Finneas's rock-infused production marked a significant departure from both of their previous musical styles. Lindsay Zoladz of The New York Times wrote that "Happier Than Ever" showcases Eilish at her loudest yet. Eilish described the song: "[It was] probably the most therapeutic song I've ever written or recorded, like ever, ever, ever, 'cause I just screamed my lungs out and could barely talk afterwards, which was very satisfying to me somehow. I had wanted to get those screams out for a very long time and it was very nice to."
According to a comment Eilish made on The World's a Little Blurry, "Happier Than Ever" is about "nothing even specific that they did, you’re just not happy being with them. You can't even explain it". Like other tracks in the album, the song's themes include growing up and healing as time passes. The lyrics to "Happier Than Ever" recount Eilish's experiences with an unhealthy, failed romantic relationship. The track is a "kiss-off" directed at her former partner, whom she condemns for committing several misdeeds—gaslighting her, showing up late to meetings with her, and driving home while drunk. The song begins with the gently-delivered lines "When I'm away from you / I'm happier than ever", and it culminates with Eilish shouting "just fucking leave me alone".
## Release
Eilish teased an upcoming release in April 2021, posting "things are comingggg" on her Instagram account. One week later, on April 26, she released a 15-second long snippet of "Happier Than Ever" on her Instagram account, featuring visuals of her sitting in a chair with her back to the camera. DIY described the clip as "stripped-back", speculating that it is "welcoming Billie's brand new era". The song was released alongside the album on July 30, 2021, as its sixth single. An edit comprising only its second part was released for digital download and streaming on September 4, 2021, and a different radio edit was solicited to contemporary hit radio in Italy six days later.
## Reception
Many music reviewers lauded "Happier Than Ever" as the album's standout song. Critics who dubbed the song a highlight included Consequence's Mary Siroky, Pitchfork's Quinn Moreland, and Complex's Jessica McKinney. Jason Lipshutz, a staff editor for Billboard, thought that it "best captures the essence of the album" due to demonstrating Eilish's songwriting and vocal talents, which he believed was a defiance of traditional expectations from pop music. In an article for NME, El Hunt argued that Eilish's performance in the song offered powerful emotional impact and proved that her voice had improved throughout the years. Evaluating the album for Stereogum, Tom Breihan opined that "Happier Than Ever" provided it with the "only real moment of greatness, and he lamented that the rest of its tracks were not as vocally loud and cathartic. Insider's Callie Ahlgrim, who dubbed "Happier Than Ever" as the best song in Eilish's discography to date, shared a similar opinion: "Eilish fully casts aside her cool-girl exterior and just f---ing goes for it. I only wish she'd done that more."
The Line of Best Fit's Matthew Kent viewed the transition of "Happier Than Ever" as "the album's biggest surprise", and noted its second part as "not only a highlight of the album but a highlight of Eilish's entire discography thus far", which proved Eilish could achieve pop radio hits if she pleased. Tim Sentz of Beats Per Minute called the song an "'S-tier' level Eilish track", and opined that, while Eilish sounds like she needs an exorcism, it perfectly captures her appeal and personality. Zoladz thought the song is the album's "most exhilarating moment" and a "disarmingly earnest torrent of bottled-up grievances", a full display of Eilish's versatility. Writing for The Guardian, Alexis Petridis deemed "Happier Than Ever" a "discomfiting and alienating" track, which gets nearest amongst the album tracks to replicating the "sonic firework display" of "Bury a Friend" (2019).
In 2022, Rolling Stone and NME ranked "Happier Than Ever" as Eilish's best song ever. The former magazine's Brittany Spanos stated that the song is "pure angst and a departure [from her] usually cool-headed" demeanor, and likened its beginning to a lamb and its outro to "a whole pack of lions". Thomas Smith of NME named it "the quintessential Billie Eilish song" and a "crowning glory of a song", which listeners would feel like singing "at the top of [their] lungs", but never quite be able to. For MTV Australia, Jackson Langford honed "Happier Than Ever" as her second-best song and a "volcanic outpour of anger and emotion", noting it replaced any previous release that may have contended as "the song that would define Billie Eilish's artistry and career". Uproxx's Rachel Brodsky placed the song 11th in Eilish's discography.
### Rankings
## Accolades
"Happier Than Ever" received several awards and nominations. The song was nominated for the MTV Video Music Award for Song of Summer in 2021, and Best Pop, Best Direction, Best Visual Effects, and Song of the Year at the 2022 ceremony, winning the latter. It additionally earned nominations for Best Music Video at the NME Awards 2022, and Record of the Year, Song of the Year, Best Music Video, and Best Pop Solo Performance at the 64th Annual Grammy Awards.
## Commercial performance
"Happier Than Ever" debuted at its peak position of number 11 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart issue for August 14, 2021, spending 26 weeks on the chart. It topped the US Hot Rock & Alternative Songs chart, becoming her second number-one there after "My Future". This made Eilish the second woman to have multiple number-one songs on the chart, with Taylor Swift as the first. The song charted at number six on the Canadian Hot 100, Eilish's seventh to reach the top 10. It peaked at number four on the UK Singles Chart in the United Kingdom, and earned a Platinum certification from the British Phonographic Industry in March 2022. In Australia, "Happier Than Ever" reached number three on the ARIA Singles Chart, becoming Eilish's 13th song to make the top 10. The Australian Recording Industry Association certified it 4× Platinum in 2023. The song charted at number four on the New Zealand Singles Chart, giving Eilish her 12th top-10 in New Zealand. "Happier Than Ever" received a 2× Platinum certification from Recorded Music NZ in September 2022.
Elsewhere, the song peaked within the top 10 of national record charts: number 2 in Malaysia; number 3 in Ireland; number 4 in Greece; number 5 in Norway, and Singapore; number 6 in Portugal; number 8 in both Lithuania and South Africa; and number 10 in both Hungary and Slovakia; It earned a 3× Platinum certification in Portugal, Platinum in Denmark, France, Greece, and Italy, and Gold in Belgium and Spain. Worldwide, "Happier Than Ever" entered at number 6 and number 8 on the Global 200 and the Global Excl. US, respectively—its peak positions in those charts. During its opening week, it earned 36.6 million streams from outside the US.
## Music video
Eilish directed the music video for "Happier Than Ever", which accompanied its release. She announced it on Instagram: "This is my favorite ... video ever." The video comprises two parts. In the former, Eilish walks back and forth in a glitzy room and performs the song over a vintage landline telephone, to a former partner. In the second part, she opens the door and water rushes in. It ends with Eilish dancing on the roof mid-downpour and being completely submerged into the water. Vulture's Justin Curto described it as "a flood of emotion to match that glorious guitar breakdown". Ellie Robinson of NME praised the video as a "poignant film clip", and Billboard's Hannah Dailey opined its transition encapsulates breaking in the "facade of serenity" and that "instead of cowering there, she embraces the wrath of the storm".
## Live performances
The first live performance of "Happier Than Ever" occurred at The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on August 10, 2021. Eilish sang in front of clouds and flashing lights that gave the impression of a storm, joined by a drummer and Finneas on the guitar. She and Finneas reprised "Happier Than Ever" for Jimmy Kimmel Live! on top of The Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel on October 14, and at Saturday Night Live on December 11, where they performed it alongside "Male Fantasy" (2021). Eilish was accompanied by the fictional character Count von Count during a numbers-themed rendition of the song for Sesame Street, which premiered on November 9, 2021. The following month, she visited the World Cafe radio program to sing "Happier Than Ever" alongside three other tracks from the album: "Billie Bossa Nova", "Goldwing", and "Halley's Comet".
Eilish included a performance of the song in her concert film Happier Than Ever: A Love Letter to Los Angeles, released to Disney+ on September 3, 2021. She added it on the set list of a 2022–2023 world tour in support of the album, and sang the song as a closing number on April 16 for that year's Coachella festival, amid gusts of wind from a dust storm. The next week at Coachella, she paired up with Hayley Williams, the vocalist of the band Paramore. Finneas accompanied the two as they performed Paramore's "Misery Business" (2007), followed by "Happier Than Ever". On June 24, 2022, Eilish headlined the year's Glastonbury Festival in the UK, becoming the youngest artist to do so. She concluded her appearance with a live rendition of "Happier Than Ever", accompanied by pyrotechnics.
At the 64th Annual Grammy Awards, Eilish performed the song live with Finneas. She began by singing inside an upside-down model of a house, donning a shirt which paid tribute to Taylor Hawkins, who had died earlier in the week. Eilish climbed atop the roof and banged her head while Finneas played the guitar; the performance concluded with thunder and lightning striking as rain poured down the stage. USA Today's Marco della Cava listed it among the night's most memorable moments, and the staff of The New York Times complimented Eilish's vocals and described the performance as "too raw to feel petty", noting that it "injected some much-needed feeling into the first half of the show". On July 30, 2022, in celebration of the album's one-year anniversary, Eilish and Finneas headed for the Amoeba Music record store in Hollywood to perform "Happier Than Ever", along with three other songs.
Kelly Clarkson performed a live cover of "Happier Than Ever" on The Kelly Clarkson Show on September 30, 2021. Its studio version, released on May 25, 2022, was later used as the lead single from her seventh extended play Kellyoke (2022). Canadian singer Shawn Mendes and Japanese-British singer-songwriter Rina Sawayama covered the song for BBC Radio 1 Live Lounge in 2021 and 2022, respectively. Mendes sang its first half with mellow vocals while playing an acoustic guitar, and the rest on an electric guitar with fervid vocal runs and high notes, while Sawayama performed an alt-rock version she described as "a little darker ... [and] moodier" than Eilish's original version. Black Country, New Road did a cover of "Happier Than Ever" at a concert on September 5, 2022.
## Credits and personnel
- Billie Eilish O'Connell – vocals, songwriting, vocal engineering
- Finneas O'Connell – songwriting, production, bass, drum programming, electric guitar, engineering, nylon-string guitar, percussion, programming, synthesizer, vocal arrangement
- Dave Kutch – mastering
- Rob Kinelski – mixing
- Casey Cuayo – mixing assistant
- Eli Heisler – mixing assistant
## Charts
### Weekly charts
### Year-end charts
## Certifications
## Release history
|
40,826,146 |
Tonga at the 2014 Winter Olympics
| 1,056,349,898 |
Tongan delegation to the 2014 Winter Olympics
|
[
"2014 in Tongan sport",
"Nations at the 2014 Winter Olympics",
"Tonga at the Winter Olympics by year"
] |
Tonga sent a delegation to compete at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia from 7–23 February 2014. This was the Pacific island nation's debut at the Winter Olympic Games. The Tongan delegation consisted of one luge athlete, Bruno Banani, who had changed his name in a marketing gimmick to match that of German brand Bruno Banani. In his event, the men's singles, he came in 32nd place out of 39 competitors.
## Background
The Tonga Sports Association and National Olympic Committee was recognized by the International Olympic Committee on 1 January 1984. The Kingdom made its Olympic debut at the 1984 Summer Olympics, and has appeared at every Summer Olympic Games since then. These Sochi Olympics were the Kingdom's debut at the Winter Olympic Games. The 2014 Winter Olympics were held from 7–23 February 2014; a total of 2,780 athletes representing 88 National Olympic Committees took part. Bruno Banani, a luger, was the only athlete Tonga sent to Sochi. Banani was selected as the flag bearer for both the opening ceremony and closing ceremony.
## Luge
Tonga qualified for a place in the men's singles when Bruno Banani finished in the top 38 (with a maximum of three per nation qualifying) during an event in the 2013–14 Luge World Cup. He took up luge in 2009 having previously trained in rugby, and had failed to qualify for the 2010 Winter Olympics by being a single point short after crashing in the final qualifying race. Banani, whose birth name is Fuahea Semi, had attracted media attention by changing his name to that of a German lingerie company, as part of a marketing ploy. His name change was criticised by International Olympic Committee Vice President Thomas Bach, who described it as being "in bad taste".
Banani was 26 years old at the time of the Sochi Olympics. The men's singles competition was held on 8–9 February, with two runs being contested each day; the final mark of each athlete was the sum of all four of their runs. On the first day, Banani's run times were 53.656 seconds and 53.637 seconds. Overnight, he was in 33rd place out of 39 competitors, and three seconds behind the leader. On the second day, he posted run times of 53.162 seconds and 53.221 seconds for his fourth and final run. Banani finished 32nd out of 39 competitors, with a combined time of 3 minutes and 33.676 seconds. Felix Loch of Germany won the gold medal with a total time of 3 minutes and 27.526 seconds, the silver medal was taken by Albert Demchenko of Russia, and the bronze medal was earned by Armin Zöggeler of Italy.
## See also
- Tropical nations at the Winter Olympics
- Tonga at the 2014 Commonwealth Games
- Tonga at the 2014 Summer Youth Olympics
|
27,991,063 |
Old Baltimore Pike
| 1,165,253,834 |
Highway in Delaware
|
[
"Roads in Delaware",
"Transportation in New Castle County, Delaware",
"Turnpikes in Delaware"
] |
Old Baltimore Pike is a road in the U.S. state of Delaware. The road, known as New Castle County Road 26, runs from Maryland Route 281 (MD 281) at the Maryland state line south of Newark, Delaware, and continues east to Christiana, ending near Delaware Route 1 (DE 1). The road is paralleled by Interstate 95 (I-95, Delaware Turnpike) to the north and U.S. Route 40 (US 40, Pulaski Highway) to the south. The Old Baltimore Pike was built before 1720 and connected Elkton, Maryland, to Christiana. It was a turnpike called the Elk and Christiana Turnpike between 1817 and 1838. In the past it served as a major connection between Philadelphia and Baltimore.
## Route description
Old Baltimore Pike begins at the Delaware–Maryland state line near the city of Newark, Delaware, where the highway continues west into Maryland as MD 281. The road heads northeast from the state line through wooded residential areas as a two-lane undivided road, intersecting Otts Chapel Road/Pleasant Valley Road before crossing Muddy Run and passing south of Iron Hill Park. Old Baltimore Pike crosses DE 896 and enters rural areas. Here, the roadway heads across the Christina River and passes Cooch's Bridge, a historic battle site of the American Revolutionary War. It then crosses Norfolk Southern's Delmarva Secondary railroad line at-grade and meets DE 72 at a junction.
After this junction, Old Baltimore Pike continues past suburban neighborhoods, gaining a center left-turn lane and intersecting Salem Church Road. Farther east, the highway reaches a junction with DE 273 in a wooded area. At this point, the road narrows to two lanes again and heads into the community of Christiana. Here, the highway intersects DE 7, where it turns north and follows that route through residential areas. DE 7 turns east to reach an interchange with DE 1 to the west of the Christiana Mall, where DE 7 continues north along with DE 1 and Old Baltimore Pike reaches a dead end.
The entire length of Old Baltimore Pike is part of the Washington–Rochambeau Revolutionary Route, a National Historic Trail. Old Baltimore Pike has an annual average daily traffic count ranging from a high of 21,327 vehicles at the Walther Road intersection to a low of 770 vehicles at the eastern terminus.
## History
The Old Baltimore Pike was built before 1720. The road was known as the Great Road and ran between Head of Elk (now Elkton, Maryland) and Christiana Bridge. It was later known as the Christiana-Elkton Turnpike before becoming Old Baltimore Pike. This path served as a major connection between Philadelphia and Baltimore in addition to providing access between the shipping area of Christiana Bridge and agricultural areas in northern Delaware, northern Maryland, and southeastern Pennsylvania. In 1723, Welsh Tract settlers pushed for the road to be improved. This road was part of the Washington–Rochambeau Revolutionary Route that was used by the French army during their march from Newport, Rhode Island, to Yorktown, Virginia, during the Revolutionary War, passing through the area in September 1781.
The road, also known as Old Post Road, was incorporated in 1813 as the Elk and Christiana Turnpike in order to get more money for repairs. The turnpike was completed in April 1817. As a turnpike, tolls were collected to pay for the maintenance of the road. The construction of the New Castle and Frenchtown Railroad lowered the revenues of the turnpike and it became a public road again in 1838. The road historically went through agricultural areas; however, the surroundings have become more developed over the years. Much of the Old Baltimore Pike remains two lanes.
## Major intersections
## See also
|
23,304,704 |
Tropical Storm Hazel (1965)
| 1,150,382,049 |
Pacific tropical storm in 1965
|
[
"1965 Pacific hurricane season",
"Eastern Pacific tropical storms",
"Pacific hurricanes in Mexico",
"Retired Pacific hurricanes"
] |
Tropical Storm Hazel was a weak East Pacific tropical cyclone that caused heavy damage in Mexico. The costliest storm of the 1965 Pacific hurricane season, it formed from a northward-moving disturbance that originated southeast of Socorro Island. After reaching tropical storm strength on the Saffir–Simpson Hurricane Scale, the cyclone turned to the east-northeast. The storm made landfall near Mazatlán on September 26 and quickly transitioned an extratropical cyclone. Although fairly weak, the system was responsible for causing heavy damage to the Mexican economy. Flooding in Mazatlán washed out many houses and submerged others in muddy water. At least six people died with damages totaling \$10 million (1965 USD) and possibly higher. The name Hazel was retired following this storm, likely due to the Atlantic storm of the same name.
## Meteorological history
On September 22, a weak tropical disturbance was first observed southeast of Socorro Island. The disturbance moved northward uneventfully until late on September 23, when the disturbance became a tropical depression at a distance of 100 mi (160 km). The next day, the depression intensified into a tropical storm while moving north at 8 mph (13 km/h). Later on September 24, satellite imagery suggested winds of up to 50 mph (80 km/h) near the center. Around that time, Tropical Storm Hazel reached its peak pressure of 986 mbar (29.1 inHg). On September 26, a ship reported peak winds of 60 mph (97 km/h). The storm then moved towards the east-northeast and made landfall just south of Mazatlán on September 26 and transitioned into an extratropical cyclone shortly thereafter.
## Preparations and impact
Since meteorologists were expecting Hazel to remain away from land, many residents were unprepared for the storm. However, 10,000 people fled the low-lying areas of Mazatlán. Substantial damage was recorded in the city Many rivers overflowed its banks, and roughly 5,000 people were without shelter. The entire city of Mazatlán was without power and the city water system was damaged. At least 50 boats were damaged or sunk by the storm. The damage from the storm was estimated to be at least \$10 million (1965 USD), making Hazel the costliest tropical cyclone of the season. Three people were reported killed in Mazatlán, two fishermen died when attempted to ride out the storm, and a boy who was electrocuted by a downed power line. Three additional deaths from electrocutions were reported in a rural section of Nayarit. Due to a communications breakdown, no word was received about six vacationers in Mazatlán. The city was only reachable by boat. In addition, several shacks made of wood, tin, and cardboard were either washed away or inundated by up to 6 ft (1.8 m) of muddy water while flooding from the storm had washed out bridges and roads throughout the state and some merges were cancelled. The cyclone also had a major impact on the coastal economy since Mazatlán's shrimp fleet, which makes up the base of the city's economy. In southern Sinaloa, 55,000 acres (220 km<sup>2</sup>) of cotton, corn, and sorghum were lost. There were also reports of heavy losses to livestock. On account of the storm, 1,000 people sought shelter in schools; in the farm areas of Barron and El Wailamo, people were taking refuge on top of trees and homes. Army units and relief agencies rushed to provide aid to coastal cities.
As a result of the damage caused, the name Hazel was retired, and will never again be used for a Pacific hurricane. It was replaced with Heather in 1969.
## See also
- List of Pacific hurricanes
- Other tropical cyclones named Hazel
|
396,633 |
Mr. Hooper
| 1,172,051,854 |
Sesame Street character
|
[
"Fictional American Jews",
"Fictional shopkeepers",
"Sesame Street human characters",
"Television characters introduced in 1969"
] |
Mr. Harold Hooper (played by Will Lee) was one of the first four human characters to appear on the television series Sesame Street. Created by producer and writer Jon Stone, Mr. Hooper is the original proprietor of Hooper's Store, the neighborhood variety store and combination diner/corner store that serves as a place for Muppets and humans to meet and interact. Lee, a character actor and instructor was "perfectly cast" as Mr. Hooper. Mr. Hooper ranked first of all human characters of the show in recognition by young viewers. Mr. Hooper, who has been described as "slightly cranky but good-hearted" and "curmudgeonly", bridges the gap between the older generation and its young audience. Hooper's Store, "an idealized social institution", is an extension of his personality. He had a close relationship with the Muppet Big Bird.
After Lee's death on December 7, 1982, instead of recasting the role, or explaining his departure by saying he had moved, quit or retired, the writers and producers of Sesame Street decided to have the character of Mr. Hooper die. Then, they created a TV episode to teach their young audience about the difficult topic of death. Research was conducted to ascertain the messages they wanted to convey about the topic, as well as the effect the episode would have on the young children who watched it. They were advised by experts in the fields of child psychology, child development, and religion. Studies conducted after the episode was produced showed that most children understood its messages about death, and that they experienced no long-term ill effects.
The episode, written by head writer Norman Stiles, aired on Thanksgiving Day 1983. The cast and crew reported that filming it was an emotional and touching experience, with Bob McGrath listing it as one of his two favorites. Setting the standard for dealing with difficult topics on children's television, the show was called heartbreaking yet affirming, and remains one of the proudest moments in the show's history.
## Development and description
Mr. Hooper, played by Will Lee from the premiere of Sesame Street in 1969 until his death in 1982, was one of the first four human characters that appeared on the show. Created by producer and writer Jon Stone, the role of Mr. Hooper was the first to be cast. Lee came to Stone's attention through writers Bruce Hart and Carole Hart. Mr. Hooper was inspired by the Bob Keeshan character Captain Kangaroo; Stone previously worked on the Captain Kangaroo program, which greatly influenced him as he developed Sesame Street. Mr. Hooper is the original proprietor of Hooper's Store, the neighborhood variety store and combination diner/corner store that serves as a place for Muppets and humans to meet and interact. Stone's original conception of Mr. Hooper was that he would be, like most owners of such establishments at the time, older, male, and Jewish.
Lee was a character actor and acting instructor with a range of roles in the theater. Lee had been blacklisted from many mainstream acting roles for about five years during the McCarthy era, for refusing to cooperate with the House Un-American Activities Committee's investigation of Communist influence in show business. According to writer Michael Davis, Lee played Mr. Hooper, known for his bowtie and horn-rimmed glasses, "with such certainty and naturalness he made adults suspend their sense of disbelief". Writer Louise A. Gikow stated that Lee was "perfectly cast" as Mr. Hooper. According to fellow cast member Bob McGrath, who also appeared in Sesame Street's first episode with Lee, "Will had a broader dimension to his character than perhaps the rest of us did ... He convinced me that no matter how simple the scene was with a child, you had to bring a tremendous integrity and an honesty and credibility to it". Joan Ganz Cooney, Sesame Street co-creator and president of the Children's Television Workshop (CTW), said, "He gave millions of children the message that the old and the young have a lot to say to each other". The New York Times reported that Mr. Hooper ranked first of all human characters of the show in recognition by young viewers.
Davis described Mr. Hooper as "slightly cranky but good-hearted". Gikow called Mr. Hooper "curmudgeonly". Davis stated that since Mr. Hooper's appearance in the first episode of Sesame Street, he had become many things to many young children, "... the guy in the apron at the far side of the generation gap, his half-lens glasses slipping down his nose". Davis also stated that Hooper's Store, which he called "an idealized social institution", is an extension of Mr. Hooper's personality. Mr. Hooper has a special relationship with the Muppet character Big Bird, who would often come into Hooper's Store for a birdseed milkshake and a chat. A running gag in the show was that Big Bird would often mispronounce Mr. Hooper's name, although most attempts ended in "ooper", such as "Looper" or "Cooper". Mr. Hooper's first name, Harold, was not revealed until the character earned a GED during night school.
Mr. Hooper's last appearances on Sesame Street aired in 1983, but Lee's last segments for the show were taped in November 1982. Lee participated in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade with other Sesame Street characters a few days before he died of a heart attack on December 7, 1982.
## Death of Mr. Hooper
When Will Lee died on December 7, 1982, instead of recasting the role for the character (replacing Will Lee with a new actor so Mr. Hooper could still be in the show), explaining Mr. Hooper's departure (by saying that he had retired and/or moved away), or simply dropping him from the show without explanation, the producers of Sesame Street decided to have the character die and use the episode to teach their young audience about the difficult topic of death. According to CTW researcher Rosemarie Truglio and her colleagues, the episode was one of the many social issues relevant to preschoolers the show has dealt with throughout its history. Executive producer Dulcy Singer reported that they followed their instincts to be "honest and straightforward" and to "deal with it head-on".
### Synopsis
The Sesame Street episode (#1839) in which the death of Mr. Hooper was discussed, was structured as all episodes were structured at the time, with individual segments that took place on the main brownstone set interrupted by inserts, or puppet skits, short films, and animations. The episode begins with a scene between Gordon (Roscoe Orman) and the Muppet Forgetful Jones (Richard Hunt). Gordon helps Forgetful remember something that had made him happy; as Davis states, "Later, Big Bird forgets something that makes him sad". After several inserts, Big Bird walks backward with his head between his legs; when Gordon asks him why, he answers, "Just because". Later, Big Bird listens to the adults talking about a new baby who is due to visit Sesame Street with his mother.
Two segments later, Big Bird interrupts the adults—Maria (Sonia Manzano), David (Northern Calloway), Bob (Bob McGrath), Susan (Loretta Long), Gordon, Luis (Emilio Delgado), and Olivia (Alaina Reed Hall)—discussing politics by giving them pictures he had drawn of each of them. He gets to Mr. Hooper's picture, saying that he will give it to him when he returns. The human characters explain the irreversibility of death to Big Bird, who reacts by getting upset, expressing his confusion and sadness. The adults reassure him that they love him and will take care of him. David reveals that he will take over the store, Mr. Hooper having left it to him in his will, and that he is going to serve milkshakes to Big Bird, like Mr. Hooper used to do. Big Bird asks, "Why does it have to be this way? Give me one good reason!" and after a long silence Gordon answers, "Big Bird, it has to be this way... because." Looking at Mr. Hooper's picture, Big Bird says, mispronouncing his name as he had done many times in the past, "I'm going to miss you, Mr. Looper." Maria tearfully corrects Big Bird and everyone gathers around him, hugging him in support.
The episode ends with Big Bird hanging Mr. Hooper's picture near his nest. Luis knocks on his door to introduce the new baby, followed by the entire grown-up cast. Big Bird says, "You know what the nice thing is about new babies? One day they're not here, and the next day, here they are!" The cast collectively show affection to the baby as the show closes.
### Research
Similar to what they had done with other social issues and in developing their curriculum, the CTW researched the topic of death and how preschoolers understand it. The first step in their research process was to assemble a team of experts, led by CTW research director Lewis Bernstein, in the fields of child psychology, child development, and religion. The team advised the show's writers and producers how to handle the topic, in what they called "a curriculum bath"; Bernstein described it in this way: "We bring in the experts to allow the writer to soak in expertise. We in Research bring in people to provide the information, and then the artistry of the writer takes over, as they integrate what they've heard". The experts advised the producers to provide their viewers with a sense of closure about Mr. Hooper's death. They decided not to focus on how Mr. Hooper died, since explaining that he was old and ill might increase children's fears about death. They chose to deal with his death in a single episode, and convey simple messages like: "Mr. Hooper is dead; Mr. Hooper will not be coming back; and Mr. Hooper will be missed by all". Gikow stated that the episode they created was an example of the writers and producers' skills as educators as well as entertainers.
Before the episode aired, the CTW conducted a series of studies to guide the writers and producers in creating the episode. Their goal was to answer four key questions: (1) Will children understand the messages they wanted to convey about death? (2) How attentive will they be to the storyline? (3) How will parents respond to the treatment of such a sensitive topic? and (4) Will children be disturbed by the messages, and if so, for how long? The researchers broke up children into three groups: children who only watched the scenes in which the storyline was played out and who were interviewed afterwards; children who watched the entire episode and whose attention was recorded while they viewed it; and children who watched the episode without the inserts, with their parents, who were interviewed 9 or 10 days later.
The researchers found that 73% of 4- and 5-year-olds in their study understood that Mr. Hooper was dead and that 88% of this group understood that he was not coming back, although only about one-fourth of the 3-year-old viewers responded correctly. Most of the 4- and 5-year-olds understood that Big Bird and the adults were sad. Most children (80%) were attentive during the episode. The parents interviewed had "overwhelmingly positive" reactions to the show, and that half reported that they had discussed death with their children after viewing it. None of the parents reported negative reactions from their children, either immediately after watching the episode or at a later time.
### Development and legacy
Sesame Street head writer Norman Stiles was chosen to write the segments about Mr. Hooper's death. The episode focused on the life cycle of birth and death by also mentioning the birth of a baby, and by remembering Mr. Hooper. Stiles said, "We decided to say that while Mr. Hooper was not here anymore, we will always have that part of him that lives within the heart, that we have our love and that it will always stay". Stiles wanted to convey that expressing grief for someone who had died was difficult for both adults and children. Instead of providing an explanation, the adults of Sesame Street tell Big Bird, when he asked why Mr. Hooper had died, that there was no real reason, that it happened, as Gordon tells Big Bird, "Just because". The show's outside experts advised Stiles and the producers to remove the line because they were concerned that an open-ended explanation would not be enough for children, but Stiles kept the line because it was an acknowledgement, as Gikow stated, that there is "never a good explanation" about why people die.
The episode aired on Thanksgiving Day 1983, a year after Lee's final appearance as Mr. Hooper at the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade. The producers chose to air it the first week of the new season in order to explain Mr. Hooper's absence as soon as possible, for maximum exposure, and to ensure that parents were at home with their children in order to discuss it. The illustrations used for the episode were drawn by Caroll Spinney, who performed Big Bird. Mr. Hooper's picture remained on the set from then on, as a continuing memorial to Lee and Mr. Hooper. Spinney, speaking of the scene in which the pictures were passed out, reported, "When we finished that scene there wasn't one of us whose face wasn't streaked with tears", even Spinney underneath his costume. Jon Stone, who directed the episode, wanted to do another take, although Spinney later said, "There was nothing wrong with that take. It was perfect." Cameraman Frankie Biondo was touched by the performance.
A book, entitled I'll Miss You, Mr. Hooper and based upon the script for the episode, was published in 1984. The book was also written by Stiles. According to Renée Cherow-O'Leary, Stiles and the editorial staff of the CTW's book division worked with the show's research staff and used the same educational content information and research the show's producers used to create the episode.
## See also
- History of Sesame Street
- Educational goals of Sesame Street
- Sesame Street research
- Format of Sesame Street
|
73,371,448 |
17-animal inheritance puzzle
| 1,164,291,022 |
Mathematical puzzle
|
[
"Fair item allocation",
"Mathematical puzzles"
] |
The 17-animal inheritance puzzle is a mathematical puzzle involving unequal but fair allocation of indivisible goods, usually stated in terms of inheritance of a number of large animals (17 camels, 17 horses, 17 elephants, etc.) which must be divided in some stated proportion among a number of beneficiaries.
Despite often being framed as a puzzle, it is more an anecdote about a curious calculation than a problem with a clear mathematical solution. Beyond recreational mathematics and mathematics education, the story has been repeated as a parable with varied metaphorical meanings.
Although an ancient origin for the puzzle has often been claimed, it has not been documented. Instead, a version of the puzzle can be traced back to the works of Mulla Muhammad Mahdi Naraqi, an 18th-century Iranian philosopher. It entered the western recreational mathematics literature in the late 19th century. Several mathematicians have formulated different generalizations of the puzzle to numbers other than 17.
## Statement
According to the statement of the puzzle, a man dies leaving 17 camels (or other animals) to his three sons, to be divided in the following proportions: the eldest son should inherit 1⁄2 of the man's property, the middle son should inherit 1⁄3, and the youngest son should inherit 1⁄9. How should they divide the camels, noting that only a whole live camel has value?
## Solution
As usually stated, to solve the puzzle, the three sons ask for the help of another man, often a priest, judge, or other local official. This man solves the puzzle in the following way: he lends the three sons his own camel, so that there are now 18 camels to be divided. That leaves nine camels for the eldest son, six camels for the middle son, and two camels for the youngest son, in the proportions demanded for the inheritance. These 17 camels leave one camel left over, which the judge takes back as his own.
Some sources point out an additional feature of this solution: each son is satisfied, because he receives more camels than his originally-stated inheritance. The eldest son was originally promised only 8+1⁄2 camels, but receives nine; the middle son was promised 5+2⁄3, but receives six; and the youngest was promised 1+8⁄9, but receives two.
## History
Similar problems of unequal division go back to ancient times, but without the twist of the loan and return of the extra camel. For instance, the Rhind Mathematical Papyrus features a problem in which many loaves of bread are to be divided in four different specified proportions. The 17 animals puzzle can be seen as an example of a "completion to unity" problem, of a type found in other examples on this papyrus, in which a set of fractions adding to less than one should be completed, by adding more fractions, to make their total come out to exactly one. Another similar case, involving fractional inheritance in the Roman empire, appears in the writings of Publius Juventius Celsus, attributed to a case decided by Salvius Julianus. The problems of fairly subdividing indivisible elements into specified proportions, seen in these inheritance problems, also arise when allocating seats in electoral systems based on proportional representation.
Many similar problems of division into fractions are known from mathematics in the medieval Islamic world, but "it does not seem that the story of the 17 camels is part of classical Arab-Islamic mathematics". Supposed origins of the problem in the works of al-Khwarizmi, Fibonacci or Tartaglia can also not be verified. It has also been attributed to 16th-century Mughal Empire minister Birbal, but only as a "legendary tale". The earliest documented appearance of the puzzle found by Pierre Ageron, using 17 camels, appears in the work of 18th-century Shiite Iranian philosopher Mulla Muhammad Mahdi Naraqi. By 1850 it had already entered circulation in America, through a travelogue of Mesopotamia published by James Phillips Fletcher. It appeared in The Mathematical Monthly in 1859, and a version with 17 elephants and a claimed Chinese origin was included in Hanky Panky: A Book of Conjuring Tricks (London, 1872), edited by William Henry Cremer but often attributed to Wiljalba Frikell [de] or Henry Llewellyn Williams. The same puzzle subsequently appeared in the late 19th and early 20th centuries in the works of Henry Dudeney, Sam Loyd, Édouard Lucas, Professor Hoffmann, and Émile Fourrey, among others. A version with 17 horses circulated as folklore in mid-20th-century America.
A variant of the story has been told with 11 camels, to be divided into 1⁄2, 1⁄4, and 1⁄6. Another variant of the puzzle appears in the book The Man Who Counted, a mathematical puzzle book originally published in Portuguese by Júlio César de Mello e Souza in 1938. This version starts with 35 camels, to be divided in the same proportions as in the 17-camel version. After the hero of the story lends a camel, and the 36 camels are divided among the three brothers, two are left over: one to be returned to the hero, and another given to him as a reward for his cleverness. The endnotes to the English translation of the book cite the 17-camel version of the problem to the works of Fourrey and Gaston Boucheny (1939).
Beyond recreational mathematics, the story has been used as the basis for school mathematics lessons, as a parable with varied morals in religion, law, economics, and politics, and even as a lay-explanation for catalysis in chemistry.
## Generalizations
Paul Stockmeyer, a computer scientist, defines a class of similar puzzles for any number $n$ of animals, with the property that $n$ can be written as a sum of distinct divisors $d_1, d_2, \dots$ of $n+1$. In this case, one obtains a puzzle in which the fractions into which the $n$ animals should be divided are $\frac{d_1}{n+1}, \frac{d_2}{n+1}, \dots .$ Because the numbers $d_i$ have been chosen to divide $n+1$, all of these fractions simplify to unit fractions. When combined with the judge's share of the animals, $1/(n+1)$, they produce an Egyptian fraction representation of the number one.
The numbers of camels that can be used as the basis for such a puzzle (that is, numbers $n$ that can be represented as sums of distinct divisors of $n+1$) form the integer sequence
S. Naranan, an Indian physicist, seeks a more restricted class of generalized puzzles, with only three terms, and with $n+1$ equal to the least common multiple of the denominators of the three unit fractions, finding only seven possible triples of fractions that meet these conditions.
Brazilian researchers Márcio Luís Ferreira Nascimento and Luiz Barco generalize the problem further, as in the variation with 35 camels, to instances in which more than one camel may be lent and the number returned may be larger than the number lent.
## See also
- The monkey and the coconuts, a more complicated fair-division puzzle
- Mathematics of apportionment, general methods for rounding fractional subdivisions into integer numbers of items
|
238,967 |
The Joshua Tree
| 1,171,265,541 | null |
[
"1987 albums",
"Albums produced by Brian Eno",
"Albums produced by Daniel Lanois",
"Albums produced by Steve Lillywhite",
"Grammy Award for Album of the Year",
"Grammy Award for Best Rock Album",
"Grammy Hall of Fame Award recipients",
"Island Records albums",
"U2 albums",
"United States National Recording Registry albums"
] |
The Joshua Tree is the fifth studio album by Irish rock band U2. It was produced by Daniel Lanois and Brian Eno, and was released on 9 March 1987 on Island Records. In contrast to the ambient experimentation of their 1984 release, The Unforgettable Fire, the band aimed for a harder-hitting sound within the limitation of conventional song structures on The Joshua Tree. The album is influenced by American and Irish roots music, and through sociopolitically conscious lyrics embellished with spiritual imagery, it contrasts the group's antipathy for the "real America" with their fascination with the "mythical America".
Inspired by American experiences, literature, and politics, U2 chose America as a theme for the album. Recording began in January 1986 in Ireland, and to foster a relaxed, creative atmosphere, the group primarily recorded in two houses. Several events during the sessions helped shape the conscious tone of the album, including the band's participation in the Conspiracy of Hope benefit concerts for Amnesty International, the death of roadie Greg Carroll, and lead vocalist Bono's travels to Central America. Recording was completed in November 1986; additional production continued into January 1987. Throughout the sessions, U2 sought a "cinematic" quality for the record, one that would evoke a sense of location, in particular, the open spaces of the United States. They represented this in the sleeve photography depicting them in American desert landscapes.
The Joshua Tree received critical acclaim, topped the charts in over 20 countries, and became the fastest-selling album in British history. According to Rolling Stone, the album increased the band's stature "from heroes to superstars". It produced the hit singles "With or Without You", "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For", and "Where the Streets Have No Name", the first two of which became the group's only number-one singles in the US. The album won Grammy Awards for Album of the Year and Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal in 1988. The group supported the record with the Joshua Tree Tour throughout 1987, during which they began to perform in stadiums for the first time in their career.
Frequently listed among the greatest albums of all time, The Joshua Tree is one of the world's best-selling albums, with over 25 million copies sold. U2 commemorated the record's 20th anniversary with a remastered re-release, and its 30th anniversary with concert tours and a reissue. In 2014, The Joshua Tree was inducted in the Grammy Hall of Fame, and was selected for preservation in the US National Recording Registry for being deemed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" by the Library of Congress.
## Background
Prior to The Joshua Tree, U2 had released four studio albums and were an internationally successful band, particularly as a live act having toured every year in the 1980s. The group's stature and the public's anticipation for a new album grew following their 1984 record The Unforgettable Fire, their subsequent tour, and their participation in Live Aid in 1985. U2 began writing new material in mid-1985 following the Unforgettable Fire Tour.
U2's manager Paul McGuinness recounted that The Joshua Tree originated from the band's "great romance" with the United States, as the group had toured the country for up to five months per year in the first half of the 1980s. Leading up to the album sessions, lead vocalist Bono read the works of American writers such as Norman Mailer, Flannery O'Connor, and Raymond Carver so as to understand, in the words of Hot Press editor Niall Stokes, "those on the fringes of the promised land, cut off from the American dream". Following a September–October 1985 humanitarian visit to Egypt and Ethiopia with his wife Ali, Bono said: "Spending time in Africa and seeing people in the pits of poverty, I still saw a very strong spirit in the people, a richness of spirit I didn't see when I came home... I saw the spoiled child of the Western world. I started thinking, 'They may have a physical desert, but we've got other kinds of deserts.' And that's what attracted me to the desert as a symbol of some sort."
After recording vocals for Steven Van Zandt's anti-apartheid project Sun City in August 1985, Bono made an additional contribution to the album in October that was inspired by his burgeoning interest in roots music. While in New York, he spent time with musicians Keith Richards and Mick Jagger, who played him blues and country music. Bono was embarrassed by his lack of familiarity with the genres, as most of U2's musical knowledge began with punk rock in their youth in the mid-1970s. He realised that U2 "had no tradition" and felt as if they "were from outer space". This inspired him to write the blues-influenced song "Silver and Gold", which he recorded with Richards and Ronnie Wood and convinced Van Zandt to add to Sun City. Until that time, U2 had been apathetic towards roots music, but after spending time with the Waterboys and fellow Irish band Hothouse Flowers, they felt a sense of indigenous Irish music blending with American folk music. Nascent friendships with Bob Dylan, Van Morrison, and Richards encouraged Bono to look back to rock's roots and to focus on building his skills as a songwriter and lyricist. He explained: "I used to think that writing words was old-fashioned, so I sketched. I wrote words on the microphone. For The Joshua Tree, I felt the time had come to write words that meant something, out of my experience." Dylan told Bono about his own debt to Irish music, while Bono further demonstrated his interest in music traditions in his duet with Irish Celtic and folk group Clannad on the track "In a Lifetime".
U2 wanted to build on the textures of The Unforgettable Fire, but in contrast to that record's often out-of-focus experimentation, they sought a harder-hitting sound within the limitations of conventional song structures. The group referred to this approach as working within the "primary colours" of rock music—guitar, bass, and drums. Guitarist the Edge was more interested in the European atmospherics of The Unforgettable Fire and was initially reluctant to follow Bono's lead to seek a more American sound. The Edge was eventually convinced otherwise after discovering blues and country artists such as Howlin' Wolf, Robert Johnson, Hank Williams, and Lefty Frizzell on American public radio stations during the Unforgettable Fire Tour. Despite lacking a consensus on their musical direction, the group members agreed that they felt disconnected from the dominant synthpop and new wave music of the time, and they wanted to continue making music that contrasted with these genres.
In November 1985, U2 moved into drummer Larry Mullen Jr.'s newly purchased home to work on material written during the Unforgettable Fire Tour. This included demos that would evolve into "With or Without You", "Red Hill Mining Town", and "Trip Through Your Wires", as well as a song called "Womanfish". The Edge recalled it as a difficult period with a sense of "going nowhere", although Bono was set on America as a theme for the album. Supplementary recording sessions at STS Studios in Dublin with producer Paul Barrett saw the development of "With or Without You" and the genesis of "Bullet the Blue Sky".
## Recording and production
Based on their success with producers Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois on The Unforgettable Fire, U2 wanted the duo to produce their new album. Mullen was excited about working with them again, as he felt the pair, Lanois in particular, were the band's first producers who "really [took] an interest in the rhythm section". Mark "Flood" Ellis was selected to be the recording engineer for the sessions, marking the first time he worked with U2. The band were impressed by his work with Nick Cave, and Bono's friend Gavin Friday recommended Flood based on their work experiences together when Friday was a member of the Virgin Prunes. U2 asked Flood for a sound that was "very open... ambient... with a real sense of space of the environment you were in", which he thought was a very unusual request at that time.
Intending to release an album in late 1986, U2 set up a studio in January of that year in Danesmoate House, a Georgian house in Rathfarnham, Ireland, in the foothills of the Wicklow Mountains. The Edge had viewed the residence months prior while househunting with his wife and convinced the owner to rent it to the band. Their plan was to find inspiration from the converted recording space and use it to musically create atmosphere, much like they did with Slane Castle for The Unforgettable Fire sessions in 1984.
A makeshift control room with tape machines, a mixing console, and other outboard equipment was set up in Danesmoate's dining room, with the adjacent drawing room used for recording and performing. The large doors separating the rooms were replaced with a glass screen, and to maintain a relaxed "non-studio" atmosphere for the sessions, the control room was dubbed the "lyric room" and the recording space was called the "band room". Lanois' strategy was to encourage the band members to have their parts worked out in advance and to capture as much of the essence of a live band take as possible, without having the possibility of subsequent overdubbing on which to fall back. This was a change for U2, who previously recorded each instrument separately and then layered them into the mix. To support his approach of having all the band members recording in a room together, Lanois eschewed having them wear headphones in favour of using monitor speakers due to their power; Mullen and bassist Adam Clayton used two each. To aid in sound isolation, gobos were built in the drawing room, although the production staff still faced issues with audio spill from the monitor speakers. Lanois said that due to the setup, "you have to make a commitment to what you put down and either use it or throw it all away." This recording setup was duplicated at subsequent locations during the album sessions.
U2's initial time at Danesmoate was spent recording and refining "extensive demos" that the Edge anticipated could turn into final backing tracks. They began with their usual songwriting methods of sorting through tapes from soundcheck jams, working through Bono's lyric book, and recording jam sessions. The sessions saw the group's songwriting beginning to evolve; not all material was being worked out as a band, but rather Bono and the Edge often brought basic song ideas to Mullen and Clayton. The group were first joined at Danesmoate by Eno, with Flood and fellow engineer Dave Meegan recording their jams. Meegan said of Eno's involvement: "Usually he was in first every morning and he'd start some dodgy sequence on his DX-7 [synthesiser]—it would be just like a cello line with no intentions of ever staying forever, just something to inspire people when they walked into the room." One of the first songs worked on was "Heartland", which originated during The Unforgettable Fire sessions and was later released on the band's 1988 album, Rattle and Hum. The arrangements for "With or Without You" and "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" were completed early in the Danesmoate sessions, giving the band the confidence to experiment. Eno and Lanois intentionally worked with the band at alternate times—one producer for a week or two, followed by the other. The producers encouraged an interest in older songs, especially American roots music. More contemporary references included the textural guitar work of the Smiths and My Bloody Valentine. The band's musical vocabulary had improved after their previous album, facilitating communication and collaboration with the production team.
The band found Danesmoate to have a very creative atmosphere, but according to the Edge, they "just couldn't settle in". The large drawing room, with a tall ceiling and wooden floors, created an "ear-splitting" drum sound that caused issues for the group. Lanois had a higher opinion of the house, saying: "It was loud, but it was really good loud, real dense, very musical. In my opinion it was the most rock and roll room of the lot." According to him, "the Danesmoate sessions were the backbone of the tonality of the record—we got a lot of the drums done in there." He thought that the house sounded better than Slane Castle, and he was particularly impressed with the drawing room's "low mid-range ... where the music lives", a property that he believes was a major factor in the success of The Joshua Tree.
Over the course of recording The Joshua Tree, the band twice paused to participate in benefit concerts. On 17 May 1986, U2 performed at Self Aid in Dublin. Intended to help alleviate Ireland's unemployment crisis by raising funds and job pledges, the event was harshly criticised in the media for taking pressure off the Irish government to resist Margaret Thatcher's economic policies. The band in particular were labelled hypocrites for their participation. Their appearance included a cover of Bob Dylan's "Maggie's Farm", reinterpreted as a criticism of Thatcher. Hot Press' Niall Stokes called their performance "the blackest and most ferocious set of their entire career". In June 1986, U2 embarked on the six-show Conspiracy of Hope tour for Amnesty International, halting the album's recording sessions for about two months. Rather than distract the band, the tour invigourated their new music and provided extra focus on what they wanted to say. For Clayton, the tour validated the "rawness of content" and their attempts to capture the "bleakness and greed of America under Ronald Reagan". The band used soundchecks on the tour to test out various guitar compositions they had. Meegan believed that U2's time with the other artists on the tour affected their own sound: "Their musical heroes were bleeding into the music and they weren't embarrassed by it, which gave them a lot of space to work in."
On 3 July, the band experienced a tragedy when Greg Carroll, their roadie and Bono's personal assistant, was killed in a motorcycle accident in Dublin. The 26-year-old's death overwhelmed the U2 organisation, and the band travelled to his native New Zealand to attend his traditional Māori funeral; the experience inspired the lyrics to "One Tree Hill". After the funeral, Bono and his wife visited Nicaragua and El Salvador, where they saw firsthand the distress of peasants affected by political conflicts and US military intervention, experiences which formed the basis of the lyrics for "Bullet the Blue Sky" and "Mothers of the Disappeared".
On 1 August 1986, U2 regrouped in Dublin to resume work on the album and begin the recording stage proper. During this more intense phase of the sessions, the group began to work at the Edge's newly purchased house, Melbeach, in seaside Monkstown. Lanois said of Melbeach, "That was less of a rock 'n' roll room but we made it work. I think there were a lot of headaches, isolating people and having to build baffles around the place." The Edge called the house "more sombre" but said it had a "solid unpretentious quality that seemed to hold the energy in". "Mothers of the Disappeared" and "Bullet the Blue Sky" were among the songs that evolved at Melbeach. Lanois said that most of the record was done there, and that it was the preferred location for mixing. Writing and recording alternated between the two houses and Windmill Lane Studios. In late August during Hurricane Charley, U2 were visited at Danesmoate by Robbie Robertson, the former guitarist of the Band. Robertson was in Ireland to complete his self-titled debut solo album that he had begun with Lanois. Together, U2 and Robertson recorded the tracks "Sweet Fire of Love" and "Testimony", both of which appear on Robertson's album.
As the sessions progressed, U2 attempted to record a suitable take of the song "Where the Streets Have No Name", which began as a demo that the Edge had composed by himself. However, the group struggled with the chord and time signature shifts, forcing significant "screwdriver work" to fix a recorded version of the song. Eno estimated approximately 40% of the time spent on The Joshua Tree was dedicated to that song alone. During takes, Lanois used a pointer and a chalkboard to help walk the band through the song's changes. In an attempt to force the group to start anew, Eno intended to "stage an accident" whereby the song's tapes would be erased. According to Flood, engineer Pat McCarthy had to restrain Eno to prevent this from happening. Ultimately, the erasure never occurred. Another aspect of the album that required re-work was Bono's lyrics. The vocalist had another set of lyrics for most of the record, but the other group members were dissatisfied with them, forcing rewrites. Lanois said the production team extensively screened Bono's lyrics and offered suggestions, as many lines did not sound as good when sang against a backing track as they did when written down. Bono's revised lyrics were described as "absolutely stunning" by Meegan, who believed that the insecurity the singer felt from having his work critiqued further motivated him.
After a creative spurt in October resulted in new song ideas, Bono proposed that the group release a double album. The Edge said: "There would have been two records, depending on which songs we decided to finish. There was this one album, the 'blues' album that Bono was talking about, and another, much more 'European', which is kind of the way I was led." Eno cautioned the group about pursuing the material, telling the Edge: "I know that any one of these new ideas is good enough to make the record, but we have to draw the line somewhere. If we even consider any of them we'll still be here in three months time." U2 relented, shelving the new songs to avoid missing their deadline to complete the album. Recording for The Joshua Tree wrapped up in November 1986. Rough mixes had been created throughout the sessions after each song was recorded to, in Lanois' words, take "snapshots along the way ... because sometimes you go too far". The Edge explained that the arrangement and production of each song was approached individually and that while there was a strong uniform direction, they were prepared to "sacrifice some continuity to get the rewards of following each song to a conclusion".
The final weeks were a frantic rush to finish, with the band and production crew all suffering from exhaustion. Eno and Flood had minimal involvement with the final mixes, as they had other commitments. Facing understaffing, in late December, U2 hired Steve Lillywhite, producer of their first three albums, to remix the potential singles and make them more appealing to commercial radio. His eleventh-hour presence and changes caused discontent among the production crew, including Eno and Lanois. Of the approximately 30 songs that were created during the album's sessions, 11 were selected for the final track listing. Lillywhite mixed four songs with engineer Mark Wallis on an SSL desk at Windmill Lane Studios. At the same time, Lanois, McCarthy, and Meegan mixed seven songs at Melbeach on a 24-track AMEK 2500 mixing desk; all three were required to operate the console due to the lack of mix automation.
On the night before the 15 January 1987 deadline set by Island Records to complete the record, the band and the crew completed mixing. As they worked at Melbeach, Lillywhite's wife, singer Kirsty MacColl, volunteered to set the running order for the album. The band told her to put "Where the Streets Have No Name" first and "Mothers of the Disappeared" last, with the rest sequenced according to her preference. Bono said of MacColl's contribution, "Your hope for your album is that it will always be greater than the sum of its parts. It wasn't happening for The Joshua Tree and she came in and she organized it and it worked as an old-fashioned album: a beginning, middle and end." Around 2 am, just seven hours before the album was due to Island for mastering, the Edge tried to convince Lillywhite to allow him to add backing vocals to "Where the Streets Have No Name", but he was denied. In the morning, Meegan and Lillywhite flew with the album's tapes to Island's offices in Hammersmith, London.
Following the completion of the album proper, U2 returned to the studio with Meegan and McCarthy to complete the new material they had shelved in October. These tracks, which included "Walk to the Water", "Luminous Times (Hold on to Love)", and "Spanish Eyes", were completed as B-sides for the planned singles. The Edge said that with no producers around and "without the sense of significance that imbued the album sessions", the group worked quickly and productively, preventing the songs from, in his opinion, sounding overworked. The song "Sweetest Thing" was left off the album and released as a B-side, as the band felt it was incomplete and did not fit with the other songs. They later expressed regret that it had not been completed for The Joshua Tree. The track was re-recorded as a single for the group's 1998 compilation The Best of 1980–1990. U2 agreed that one track, "Birdland", was too strong for a B-side and they withheld it for a future album release. In 2007, a re-recorded version of the song, retitled "Wave of Sorrow (Birdland)", was included with the 20th anniversary edition of the album.
After completing The Joshua Tree, Bono said that he was "as pleased with the record as I can ever be pleased with a record", calling The Joshua Tree their most complete album since their debut. Clayton bought Danesmoate House in 1987 and made it his home.
## Composition
### Music
U2 is credited with composing all of The Joshua Tree's music. The album's sound draws from American and Irish roots music more than the group's previous albums, following the counsel and influence of Bob Dylan, Van Morrison, and Keith Richards. "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" has strong gospel influences, with Bono singing of spiritual doubt in an upper register and Eno, Lanois, and the Edge providing choir-like backing vocals. The slow piano-based ballad "Running to Stand Still" exhibits traits of folk music and acoustic blues in the track's slide acoustic guitar and harmonica. "Trip Through Your Wires", another song on which Bono plays harmonica, was described by Niall Stokes as a "bluesy romp". Summarising the stylistic direction, Chicago Tribune journalist Joshua Klein writes that the album "showed how U2's obsession with American roots flavored its art-rock".
The Edge's guitar playing on The Joshua Tree is characteristic of what came to be his trademark sound. His minimalist style sharply contrasted with the emphasis placed on virtuosity and speed by heavy metal in the 1980s. The Edge views musical notes as "expensive", preferring to play as few of them as possible and to instead focus on simpler parts that serve the moods of the songs. Much of this was achieved with a delay effect, contributing to a chiming, echo-laden sound. For example, the riff in the introduction of the opening track "Where the Streets Have No Name" is a repeated six-note arpeggio, with delay used to repeat notes. The riffs to "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" and "With or Without You" also prominently use delay, with Bono likening the guitar hook from the former track to "chrome bells".
The Edge continued to employ the ambient techniques of guitar playing that he used on The Unforgettable Fire; for "With or Without You", he used a prototype of the Infinite Guitar to add layers of sustained notes, an approach he first took on his 1986 solo album, the Captive soundtrack. On other songs, his guitar playing is more aggressive; "Exit" was described by Colin Hogg as a "decidedly scary... guitar-driven barrage", while Andrew Mueller said the guitar sounds from "Bullet the Blue Sky" evoke images of fighter planes. The Edge developed the harsh, feedback-charged guitar part for the latter song at Bono's instruction to "put El Salvador through an amplifier", after Bono returned angry from a visit to the war-torn country. Bono also contributed to songwriting on guitar; the Spanish guitar melody in "Mothers of the Disappeared" originated from a song that he wrote in Ethiopia to teach children about basic hygiene.
Much like on past records, Bono exhibits an expressive, open-throated vocal delivery, which many critics described as "passionate". Spin found that the group's exploration of roots music resulted in Bono's style expanding, saying that he "commands the full whisper-to-shout range of blues mannerisms". Bono attributes this maturation to "loosening up", "discover[ing] other voices", and employing more restraint in his singing. His vocals became, in the words of Thom Duffy, more "dynamic" than they had been on previous records. On "Where the Streets Have No Name", his voice varies greatly in its timbre (as writer Mark Butler describes, "he sighs; he moans; he grunts; he exhales audibly; he allows his voice to crack") and its timing by his usage of rubato to slightly offset the sung notes from the beat. For author Susan Fast, "With or Without You" marks the first track on which he "extended his vocal range downward in an appreciable way".
### Lyrics
Bono is credited as the album's sole lyricist. Thematically, the album juxtaposes antipathy towards the United States against the band's deep fascination with the country, its open spaces, freedoms, and ideals. Anger is directed particularly at the perceived greed of the Ronald Reagan administration and its foreign policy in Central America. Bono said, "I started to see two Americas, the mythic America and the real America", hence the album's working title, The Two Americas. Having toured the US extensively in the past, the group were inspired by the country's geography. As such, the desert, rain, dust, and water appear as lyrical motifs throughout the record. In many cases, the desert is used as a metaphor for "spiritual drought". One track that chiefly represents these themes is "In God's Country", which critic Barbara Jaeger interpreted as addressing America's role as the "promised land". Clayton explained the impact of the desert imagery: "The desert was immensely inspirational to us as a mental image for this record. Most people would take the desert on face value and think it's some kind of barren place, which of course is true. But in the right frame of mind, it's also a very positive image, because you can actually do something with blank canvas, which is effectively what the desert is."
Political and social concerns were the basis for several tracks. Bono wrote the lyrics for "Bullet the Blue Sky" after visiting El Salvador during the Salvadoran Civil War and witnessing how the conflict between rebels and the US-backed government affected local civilians. During the mid-song spoken passage, he talks of a man with a "face red like a rose on a thorn bush", a reference to Reagan. Bono's trip also inspired "Mothers of the Disappeared", after he met members of COMADRES—the Mothers of the Disappeared—a group of women whose children were killed or "disappeared" during the civil war at the hands of the local government. The 1984 UK mining strike inspired the lyrics for "Red Hill Mining Town", which Bono wrote from the perspective of a couple affected by the strike. The story of a heroin-addicted couple was the basis for "Running to Stand Still", which Bono set in the Ballymun Flats residential towers in Dublin near which he was raised. The buildings are referenced in the lyric "I see seven towers / But I only see one way out". For "Where the Streets Have No Name", he wrote the lyrics in response to the idea that, in Belfast, a person's religion and income can be deduced based on the street they live on. "Exit" portrays the thoughts of a psychotic killer, although Clayton suggested that the line "He saw the hands that build could also pull down" is also a jab at the US government's conflicting roles in international relations.
Bono described 1986 as "an incredibly bad year" for him, which was reflected in the lyrics. His marriage was under strain, in part due to the album's long gestation period, the band were criticised by the Irish media for their involvement in Self Aid, and his personal assistant Greg Carroll was killed in a motorcycle accident. Bono said, "That's why the desert attracted me as an image. That year was really a desert for us." "With or Without You" was written while he was struggling to reconcile his wanderlust as a musician with his domestic responsibilities. "One Tree Hill", named after a volcanic peak in Carroll's native New Zealand, describes how Bono felt at Carroll's funeral. The album is dedicated to his memory.
The group's religious faith was a source of inspiration for many lyrics. On "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For", Bono affirms this faith but sings of spiritual doubt ("I believe in Kingdom Come"... "But I still haven't found what I'm looking for"). Some critics surmised that the place Bono is referring to on "Where the Streets Have No Name" is Heaven. These two songs were singled out by some critics as demonstrating that the band was on a "spiritual quest". Hot Press editor Niall Stokes and Richard Harrington of The Washington Post interpreted "With or Without You" in both romantic and spiritual manners. Biblical references are made on other songs like "Bullet the Blue Sky" ("Jacob wrestled the angel", images of fire and brimstone) and "In God's Country" ("I stand with the sons of Cain"). Thom Duffy interpreted the album as an exploration of the "uncertainty and pain of a spiritual pilgrimage through a bleak and harsh world".
## Packaging and title
Designed by Steve Averill, the album sleeve was based on U2's request to depict the record's "imagery, and cinematic location" in the desert. Since the album's provisional titles were The Desert Songs and The Two Americas, the initial concept for the sleeve was to represent where the desert met civilisation. The group decided early in the creative process to photograph in the US, contrasting with all of their previous albums, which had been shot in Ireland. They asked their photographer Anton Corbijn to search for locations in the US that would capture their ideas. A week prior to the photo shoot, he travelled to the US to compile a list of locations.
Over several days in December 1986, U2 travelled with Corbijn and Averill on a bus around the Mojave Desert for a photo shoot. The group stayed in small hotels and shot in the desert landscape, beginning at Reno, Nevada, before moving to locations in California such as the ghost town of Bodie, the Harmony Motel in Twentynine Palms, Zabriskie Point, Death Valley Junction, and other sites in Death Valley. Corbijn rented a panoramic camera to capture more of the desert landscapes, but having no prior experience with the camera, he was unfamiliar with how to focus it. This led to him focusing on the background and leaving the band slightly out of focus. Corbijn said, "Fortunately there was a lot of light." Averill filmed portions of the trip with an 8 mm film camera. The photo shoots took place in the mornings and evenings, with mid-days spent travelling and on preparation. Corbijn later recounted that the main idea of the shoot was to juxtapose "man and environment, the Irish in America". Averill said of their photographic approach, "What I was trying to do with the way we shot the pictures and framed the cover was to suggest the landscape vision and cinematic approach that was taken to the recording."
On the evening after the first day's shooting, Corbijn told the band about Joshua trees (Yucca brevifolia), hardy and twisted plants in the deserts of the American Southwest, and he suggested their use on the sleeve. Bono was pleased to discover the religious significance of the plant's etymology; according to Mormon legend, early settlers named the plant after the Old Testament prophet Joshua, as the tree's stretching branches reminded them of Joshua raising his hands in prayer. The following day, Bono declared that the album should be titled The Joshua Tree. That morning, while driving on Route 190 near Darwin, they spotted a lone-standing tree in the desert. Corbijn had been hoping to find a single tree, as he thought it would result in better photographs than if he shot the band amongst a group of trees. They stopped the bus and photographed with the lone plant for about 20 minutes, something the Edge called "fairly spontaneous". Despite shooting in the desert, the group dealt with cold weather during parts of the trip. Bono explained, "it was freezing and we had to take our coats off so it would at least look like a desert. That's one of the reasons we look so grim." Regarding the serious tone of the images, Corbijn said, "I guess people felt they took themselves too seriously. It was definitely the most serious, I think, that you can photograph a band. You couldn't go any further down that line unless you start photographing graves."
For the vinyl record release, Corbijn originally wanted to have a shot of the Joshua tree on the front of the sleeve, with U2 in a continuation of the photograph on the back. Averill tried out a concept with just the landscape on the front that he said resembled a "jazz ECM record". Ultimately, separate photographs were used for each side of the sleeve; an image of the group at Zabriskie Point was placed on the front, while an image of them with the tree appears on the back cover. For the front cover, Averill said that the framing of the band in the left half of the photo was meant to evoke the cinematography of film directors John Ford and Sergio Leone. The centre gatefold showed an image of U2 with the Joshua tree in the middle; a mirror used by them to check their appearance was mistakenly left in frame. Since the compact disc was a relatively new format at the time, the creative team decided to experiment with the album cover, selecting different cover images for each format on which the album was released; the original compact disc release used a blurry, distorted photo of the band, while the cassette used a clear, but alternate photo. Later CD reissues used the LP photo. Rolling Stone said that the album's title and the images of the tree befit a record concerned with "resilience in the face of utter social and political desolation, a record steeped in religious imagery". In 1991, the magazine ranked The Joshua Tree at number 97 on its list of the "100 Greatest Album Covers of All Time".
The tree photographed for the sleeve fell around 2000, yet the site remains a popular tourist attraction for U2 fans. One person inserted a plaque into the ground reading, "Have you found what you're looking for?", in reference to the album's track "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For". It is a common misconception that the site is within Joshua Tree National Park, when in fact it is over 200 miles (320 km) away from the park.
## Release
Just prior to the release of The Joshua Tree, Bono was stricken with a sudden panic about the quality of the completed album. He said that he contemplated calling the production plants to order a halt of the record's pressing, but he ultimately held off. Island Records spent over \$100,000 on store displays advertising the album; president Lou Maglia called it "the most complete merchandising effort ever assembled". The Joshua Tree was released on 9 March 1987, with an initial shipment of 300,000 copies in the US. It was the first new release to be made available on the compact disc, vinyl record, and cassette tape formats on the same date. Record stores in Britain and Ireland opened at midnight to accommodate the large number of fans who had queued outside to buy the album.
"With or Without You" was released as the lead single on 21 March 1987, with the B-sides "Luminous Times (Hold on to Love)" and "Walk to the Water". The single quickly topped the Billboard Hot 100, becoming the band's first number-one hit in America. The song topped the singles chart in Canada, while reaching number four in the UK and number two in the Netherlands. The group originally planned to use "Red Hill Mining Town" as the second single. However, the group were unhappy with the music video filmed by Neil Jordan, and Bono had difficulty singing the song. Ultimately, the group canceled the single. Instead, "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" was chosen as the second single, and it was released in May 1987 with the tracks "Spanish Eyes" and "Deep in the Heart" as B-sides. Like its predecessor, it topped the Hot 100, giving U2 consecutive number-one singles in the US. The single peaked at number six in the UK, Canada, and the Netherlands.
"Where the Streets Have No Name" was released in August 1987 as the third single, with "Sweetest Thing", "Silver and Gold", and "Race Against Time" as B-sides. The single reached number seven in the Netherlands, number four on the UK Singles Chart, and number 13 in the US. The album's first three singles all topped the Irish Singles Charts, while charting within the top 20 of the singles charts in the UK, the US, Canada, New Zealand, and the Netherlands. "In God's Country" was released as a fourth single exclusively in North America in November 1987, peaking at number 44 on the Hot 100 and number 48 as an import single in the UK. "One Tree Hill" was released as a fourth single in Australia and New Zealand in March 1988, and having been written for the New Zealand-native Carroll, it reached number one in his home country.
In 1996, Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab remastered the album and released it as a special gold CD. This edition rectified the incorrect track splitting between "One Tree Hill" and "Exit" that affected some CD releases; the quiet coda that concludes "One Tree Hill" had previously been included in the same track as "Exit".
Following its 30th anniversary reissue, The Joshua Tree re-entered the Billboard 200 chart the week of 8 June 2017, climbing to number 16—its highest position on the chart since 13 February 1988. That week, it shifted 27,000 album-equivalent units, 23,000 of which were sales, making it the album's highest-selling week in the US since 3 January 1993.
## Critical reception
The Joshua Tree received critical acclaim, and the best reviews of U2's career to that point. Steve Pond of Rolling Stone wrote, "For a band that's always specialized in inspirational, larger-than-life gestures—a band utterly determined to be Important—The Joshua Tree could be the big one, and that's precisely what it sounds like." The review described the album's sound as "wed[ding] the diverse textures of The Unforgettable Fire to fully formed songs, many of them as aggressive as the hits on War". Steve Morse of The Boston Globe echoed these sentiments in his review, stating, "It's another spiritual progress report, enwrapped in music that strikes a healthy balance between the lushness of their last album, 1984's The Unforgettable Fire, and the more volcanic rock of their early years." Morse called it "their most challenging work to date" and the "most rewarding rock record of the new year". John McCready of NME praised the album as "a better and braver record than anything else that's likely to appear in 1987... It's the sound of people still trying, still looking..." Thom Duffy of the Orlando Sentinel said the songs have "exultant power" that, "like the Joshua Tree's branches, stretch upward in stark contrast to their barren musical surroundings on rock radio". He praised the musicianship of the group members, calling Bono's vocals "wrenching", the rhythm section of Mullen and Clayton "razor-sharp", and the Edge's guitar playing "never... better". Colin Hogg of The New Zealand Herald called The Joshua Tree "the most compelling collection of music yet from a band that has cut its career with passionate, exciting slashes". It judged that the record's "power lies in its restraint" and that there is an "urgency underlying virtually all of the 11 songs". Robin Denselow of The Guardian called the album "epic", saying "what U2 have achieved is an exhilarating and varied blend of controlled power and subtelty". The review praised U2 for maturing and expanding their musical range, yet "retain[ing] their sense of power" and the "brave passion and emotion" of Bono's vocals.
Q's Paul Du Noyer said that the source of The Joshua Tree's "potency lies in a kind of spiritual frustration – a sense of hunger and tension which roams its every track in search of some climactic moment of release, of fulfilment, that never arrives." He concluded his review by writing that the music "has the one thing vital to worthwhile rock, a thing so often absent: the urge to exist". Spin hailed the record as U2's "first wholly successful album because it finally breaks free from the seductive but limiting chant-and-drone approach of earlier material". The review stated, "There isn't a bad song on the record" and that "every one has a hook". The magazine praised U2 for eschewing ambient experimentation in favour of uncomplicated but layered arrangements. Robert Hilburn of the Los Angeles Times said the album "confirms on record what this band has been slowly asserting for three years now on stage: U2 is what the Rolling Stones ceased being years ago—the greatest rock and roll band in the world". Hilburn noted that the band showed "sometimes breathtaking signs of growth" and played more "tailored and assured" music. Hot Press editor and longtime U2 supporter Bill Graham said that "The Joshua Tree rescues rock from its decay, bravely and unashamedly basing itself in the mainstream before very cleverly lifting off into several higher dimensions," and that U2 "must be taken very seriously indeed after this revaluation of rock". John Rockwell of The New York Times was complimentary of the band for expanding its musical range but said Bono's vocals were "marred throughout by sobbing affectation" and sounded too much like other singers, resulting in a "curious loss of individuality". The Houston Chronicle's Marty Racine felt it has "music that both soothes and inspires, music that is anthemic, music with style". Racine, however, believed the group took itself too seriously, resulting in a record that is "not a whole lot of fun, bordering on the pretentious", which caused him to lose interest by the second side. Robert Christgau from The Village Voice found the lyrics tasteful and the music "mournful and passionate, stately and involved", but lamented what he felt was pompous singing by Bono, calling it "one of the worst cases of significance ever to afflict a deserving candidate for superstardom".
In a retrospective review, Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic said "their focus has never been clearer, nor has their music been catchier". His review concluded, "Never before have U2's big messages sounded so direct and personal." Entertainment Weekly's Bill Wyman wrote that the album combined "easy-to-grasp themes – alienation and an outsider’s ambivalent view of America – with an extremely focused musical attack". A 2008 retrospective by Q said "their reinvention of stadium rock sounds as impassioned as ever" and that the album strikes "a finely balanced mix of intimacy and power". Anthony DeCurtis of Rolling Stone compared the album to Bruce Springsteen's Born in the U.S.A., stating that both records "lifted a populist artist to mega-stardom", and that the musicians' uplifting live shows and the "sheer aural pleasure" of the two records obscured their foreboding nature. DeCurtis summarized The Joshua Tree's examination of America both lyrically and musically as such:
> "The wild beauty, cultural richness, spiritual vacancy and ferocious violence of America are explored to compelling effect in virtually every aspect of The Joshua Tree—in the title and the cover art, the blues and country borrowings evident in the music ... Indeed, Bono says that 'dismantling the mythology of America' is an important part of The Joshua Tree's artistic objective."
### Accolades
In voting for Rolling Stone's 1987 end-of-year readers' polls, U2 won in the categories "Best Album", "Artist of the Year", "Best Band", "Best Single ("With or Without You)", and "Best Male Singer" (Bono). The album placed fourth on the "Best Albums" list from The Village Voice's 1987 Pazz & Jop critics' poll, and sixth on NME's list. In 1988, U2 received four Grammy Award nominations for the album and its songs, winning honours for Album of the Year (to beat artists such as Michael Jackson, Prince, and Whitney Houston) and Best Rock Performance By a Duo or Group With Vocal for The Joshua Tree. "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" was nominated for Song of the Year and Record of the Year, but lost in both categories. U2 were the only act that year to be nominated in each of the "Big Three" categories (Record of the Year, Song of the Year, and Album of the Year).
## Commercial performance
The Joshua Tree debuted on the UK Albums Chart on 21 March 1987 at number one with 235,000 copies sold in its opening week, making it the fastest-selling album in UK history to that point. It received a platinum certification in the UK within 48 hours of being released. The album spent two weeks atop the UK Albums Chart and spent its first 28 weeks within the top ten. In total, it charted in the UK for 201 weeks, ranking it among the longest-charting albums in the nation's history. On the US Billboard Top Pop Albums chart, the album debuted on 4 April 1987 at number seven, the highest debut for a studio album in the US in almost seven years. Three weeks later, it reached number one, becoming the group's first album to top the charts in the US. It remained at that position for nine consecutive weeks, the band's longest number-one reign on the chart and the second-longest reign in the US that year. The album spent a total of 120 weeks on the Billboard Top Pop Albums, 35 of them in the top ten. On 13 May 1987, the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) certified the album double-platinum. All of the group's previous albums re-entered the Billboard Top Pop Albums chart in 1987.
In Canada, the album debuted at number 51 on the RPM Top 100 Albums chart on 21 March 1987, and climbed to number one just two weeks later. Within 14 days of release, it sold 300,000 units in Canada and was certified triple-platinum. The Joshua Tree also topped the charts in Austria, Switzerland, New Zealand, and Sweden. In total, the album reached number one in over 20 countries.
By May 1987, sales of the album surpassed 7 million copies worldwide. Rolling Stone said that the album increased the band's stature "from heroes to superstars". It was the first album by any artist to sell one million copies on CD in the US. U2 were featured on the cover of the 27 April 1987 issue of Time, which declared them "Rock's Hottest Ticket"; they were just the fourth rock band to appear on the magazine's cover, following the Beatles, the Band, and the Who. By the end of 1988, The Joshua Tree had sold more than 14 million copies worldwide. It was the ninth-best-selling album in the UK during the 1980s.
The Joshua Tree is the band's highest-selling album, and with 25 million copies sold worldwide, it is among the highest-selling albums of all time. It ranks as one of the best-selling albums in the US; in 1995, the RIAA certified it 10× platinum for shipping 10 million units. Similarly, the Canadian Recording Industry Association certified the album diamond in Canada. In the UK, The Joshua Tree ranked among the 40 highest-selling records as of October 2018 with 2.88 million copies sold, and in 2023 it was certified 10× platinum by the British Phonographic Industry. In the Pacific, it is certified 5× platinum and 14× platinum in Australia and New Zealand, respectively.
## The Joshua Tree Tour
Following the album's release, U2 embarked on a worldwide concert tour, the Joshua Tree Tour. Lasting from April to December 1987, it comprised 109 shows over three legs. The first and third legs visited the US, while the second leg toured Europe. The Joshua Tree elevated the group to a new level of popularity; the tour sold-out arenas and stadiums around the world—the first time they consistently performed at venues of that size. Songs from the album became staples of the tour's set lists, as the group regularly performed eight of the record's eleven tracks, and the only song not to be played was "Red Hill Mining Town".
Like their previous tours, the Joshua Tree Tour was a minimalistic, austere production, and U2 used this outlet for addressing political and social concerns. One such issue was Arizona Governor Evan Mecham's canceling the state's observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Throughout the tour, the group continued to explore American roots music: they collaborated with folk artist Bob Dylan, blues musician B. B. King, and Harlem's New Voices of Freedom gospel choir; U2 also visited Graceland and Sun Studio in Memphis, where they recorded new material. These new songs and the band's experiences on tour were documented for the 1988 Rattle and Hum album and Phil Joanou-directed motion picture.
The tour grossed \$40 million and drew 3 million attendees, but despite its commercial success and positive reviews, U2 were dissatisfied creatively, and Bono believed they were musically unprepared for their success. Mullen said, "We were the biggest, but we weren't the best", and for Bono the tour was "one of the worst times of [their] musical life". On the road, the group dealt with death threats, along with injuries that Bono sustained from performing. The band hinted that the stresses of touring led them to enjoy the "rock and roll lifestyle" they previously avoided.
## Legacy
The Joshua Tree has been acclaimed by writers and music critics as one of the greatest albums of all time; according to Acclaimed Music, it is the 40th most acclaimed record based on critics' lists. In 1997, The Guardian collated worldwide data from a range of renowned critics, artists, and radio DJs, who placed the record at number 57 on the list of the "100 Best Albums Ever". It was ranked 25th in Colin Larkin's 2000 book All Time Top 1000 Albums. In a poll of VH1 viewers the following year, The Joshua Tree was voted the greatest pop album of all time, based on responses from over 250,000 people. Rolling Stone ranked the album at number 26 on their 2003 list of "The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time". Subsequent updates to the list re-ranked the album; the 2012 version ranked it 27th, writing that the album "turn[ed] spiritual quests and political struggles into uplifting stadium singalongs", and the 2020 version of the list ranked it 135th. In 2006, Time named The Joshua Tree one of the magazine's 100 best albums, while Hot Press ranked it 11th on a similar list. Q named it the best record of the 1980s, while Entertainment Weekly included the album on its list of the 100 best records released between 1983 and 2008.
In 2010, the album appeared at number 62 on Spin's list of the 125 most influential albums in the 25 years since the magazine launched. The publication said, "The band's fifth album spit out hits like crazy, and they were unusually searching hits, each with a pointed political edge." The same year, Consequence of Sound ranked The Joshua Tree 34th on its list of "The 100 Greatest Albums of All Time", calling it "Arguably the biggest album of the 1980s" and "proof that lightning can be captured in a bottle". In 2012, Slant Magazine ranked it 24th on its list of the "Best Albums of the 1980s", saying that The Joshua Tree's opening trio of songs helped "the band became lords and emperors of anthemic '80s rock" and that "U2 no longer belonged to Dublin, but the world." In 2018, Pitchfork ranked the record 47th on its list of "The 200 Best Albums of the 1980s", writing that the album's "brilliant tension" and continued resonance was the result of Eno and Lanois "steer[ing] U2 toward a moody impressionism where slide guitars and three chord progressions sound cavernous, even ominous". The Buffalo News said the record "made [U2] the first mainstream band since the Beatles to capture the spirit of the age in a manner that was both populist and artistically, politically and socially incisive", while humanities scholar Henry Vyverberg considered it among the minority of attempts at "serious art" during a decade in which the rock genre largely "remained musical junk-food". From Josh Tyrangiel's perspective, The Joshua Tree began a "towering period" of U2's history lasting through 1993's Zooropa when they "made stadium-size art rock with huge melodies that allowed Bono to throw his arms around the world while bending its ear about social justice". WYMS journalist Mitchell Kreitzman credited it with exposing "alternative music to the masses", and Kevin J. H. Dettmar cited it as the most commercially and critically successful album "yet to emerge from alternative or college rock". In 2014, The Joshua Tree was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame for becoming "part of our musical, social, and cultural history". That same year, the album was selected for preservation in the National Recording Registry by the US Library of Congress for being deemed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant". It is the only Irish work to be so honoured.
The band's penchant for addressing political and social issues, as well as their staid depiction in Corbijn's black-and-white sleeve photographs, contributed to the group's earnest and serious image as "stone-faced pilgrim[s]". This image became a target for derision after the band's critically maligned Rattle and Hum project in 1988. Various critics called them "po-faced", "pompous bores", and "humourless". The group's continued exploration of American music for the project was labelled "pretentious" and "misguided and bombastic". After Bono told fans on the 1989 Lovetown Tour that U2 would "dream it all up again", the band reinvented themselves in the 1990s. They incorporated alternative rock, electronic dance music, and industrial music into their sound, and adopted a more ironic, flippant image by which they embraced the "rock star" identity they struggled with in the 1980s. Bono referred to their 1991 album Achtung Baby as "the sound of four men chopping down the Joshua Tree". Author Bill Flanagan summarised the impact of The Joshua Tree on the group's career in his liner notes for the album's 20th anniversary release: "The Joshua Tree made U2 into international rock stars and established both a standard they would always have to live up to and an image they would forever try to live down."
## 20th anniversary remastered edition
On 20 November 2007, a 20th anniversary edition of The Joshua Tree was released. The album was remastered from the original analogue recordings under the direction of the Edge, with the original vinyl album artwork restored. The release was made available in four formats: a single CD; a two-disc deluxe edition with a bonus audio CD of B-sides, rarities, and demos; a three-disc box set with the bonus audio CD and DVD, photograph prints, and hardcover book; and a double vinyl edition. All editions included liner notes by author Bill Flanagan and previously unseen photographs by Anton Corbijn. Manager Paul McGuinness explained, "There has been continuous demand from U2 fans to have The Joshua Tree properly re-mastered. As always, the band had to make sure it was right, and now it is." Some formats include expanded liner notes from the band members, the production team, and Anton Corbijn. In an otherwise favourable review of the remastered album, Andrew Mueller of Uncut said that "any casual listener who can perceive a meaningful difference between this and the original has i) ears like a bat and/or ii) needs to get out more".
The bonus audio CD contains 14 additional tracks, including the B-sides "Luminous Times (Hold on to Love)", "Walk to the Water", "Spanish Eyes", "Deep in the Heart", "Silver and Gold", "Sweetest Thing", and "Race Against Time". Two versions of "Silver and Gold" are included—U2's version, and the original recording from the Sun City album by Bono, Keith Richards, and others. The edited single version of "Where the Streets Have No Name" appears on the bonus CD. "Beautiful Ghost/Introduction to Songs of Experience" contains lyrics from the introduction of William Blake's Songs of Experience, while "Drunk Chicken/America" contains an excerpt of Allen Ginsberg's recitation of his poem, "America". "Wave of Sorrow (Birdland)", "Desert of Our Love", "Rise Up", and "Drunk Chicken/America" are all previously unreleased recordings from The Joshua Tree sessions.
The bonus DVD includes live concert footage, a documentary, and two music videos. The disc includes Live from Paris, an 85-minute concert from 4 July 1987 that was originally broadcast on British television in celebration of the 25th anniversary of Island Records. The documentary, titled Outside It's America, was a 1987 MTV production about The Joshua Tree Tour. The two music videos are an alternate version "With or Without You" and the previously unreleased video for "Red Hill Mining Town". Footage of U2's alter ego country band, the Dalton Brothers, is included on the disc as an Easter egg.
## 30th anniversary tour and reissue
For the 30th anniversary of The Joshua Tree, U2 staged a 2017 concert tour in North America, Europe, and Latin America, on which they played the album in its entirety at each show. It was the first time the group toured in promotion of an album from their back catalogue, rather than a new release. As part of the tour, U2 headlined the Bonnaroo Music Festival in Manchester, Tennessee, in June. In rationalising the tour, the Edge cited the 2016 US presidential election and other world events for what he judged to be renewed resonance of The Joshua Tree's subject matter: "That record was written in the mid-Eighties, during the Reagan–Thatcher era of British and U.S. politics. It was a period when there was a lot of unrest. Thatcher was in the throes of trying to put down the miners' strike; there was all kinds of shenanigans going on in Central America. It feels like we're right back there in a way... It just felt like, 'Wow, these songs have a new meaning and a new resonance today that they didn't have three years ago, four years ago.'" The 2017 tour grossed more than \$316 million from over 2.7 million tickets sold, making it the highest-grossing tour of the year. Additional tour dates were added for Oceania and Asia in 2019, which included the band's first ever performances in South Korea, Singapore, India, and the Philippines. The 2019 shows grossed \$73.8 million and sold 567,000 tickets, bringing the cumulative totals for the group's Joshua Tree anniversary tours to \$390.8 million grossed and 3.3 million tickets sold.
On 2 June 2017, the album was reissued in several formats in commemoration of its 30th anniversary. Standard editions of the album were released on CD, vinyl record, and via digital download. Deluxe editions, available on CD and digitally, include a concert recording of a 1987 show at Madison Square Garden from the Joshua Tree Tour. In addition to the concert, the super deluxe editions, available on CD, vinyl record, and digitally, include: B-sides and rarities; and remixes of the album's songs made in 2017 by Daniel Lanois, St Francis Hotel, Jacknife Lee, Steve Lillywhite, and Flood. The physical copies of the super deluxe edition include eight folio prints and an 84-page book of photography shot by the Edge during the album cover's 1986 photoshoot in the Mojave Desert. The 2017 remix of "Red Hill Mining Town" was released as a single on vinyl picture disc for Record Store Day in April 2017.
## Track listing
- Track 4, "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For", includes a snippet of "Exodus" by Bob Marley and the Wailers at the end of the song. The snippet is not included on the CD and vinyl track list but is listed on some streaming services.
## Personnel
U2
- Bono – lead vocals, harmonica, guitars
- The Edge – guitars, backing vocals, piano
- Adam Clayton – bass guitar
- Larry Mullen Jr. – drums, percussion
Additional performers
- Brian Eno – keyboards, DX7 programming, backing vocals
- Daniel Lanois – tambourine, Omnichord, additional rhythm guitar ("I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For", "Running to Stand Still"), backing vocals
- The Armin Family – strings ("One Tree Hill")
- The Arklow Silver Band – brass ("Red Hill Mining Town")
- Paul Barrett – brass arrangement and conducting
Technical
- Daniel Lanois – production
- Brian Eno – production
- Flood – recording
- Dave Meegan – additional engineering
- Pat McCarthy – additional engineering
- Steve Lillywhite – mixing ("Where the Streets Have No Name", "With or Without You", "Bullet the Blue Sky", "Red Hill Mining Town")
- Mark Wallis – mix engineering
- Mary Kettle – assistant mix engineering
- Bob Doidge – string recording
- Joe O'Herlihy – studio crew
- Des Broadberry – studio crew
- Tom Mullally – studio crew
- Tim Buckley – studio crew
- Marc Coleman – studio crew
- Mary Gough – studio crew
- Marion Smyth – studio crew
- Kirsty MacColl – album track sequencing
## Charts
### Weekly charts
### Year-end charts
### Decade-end charts
## Certifications and sales
}
## See also
- List of best-selling albums in New Zealand
|
49,474,390 |
Battle of Constantinople (922)
| 1,153,510,210 |
Battle between Byzantine and Bulgarian happened in 922
|
[
"10th century in Bulgaria",
"920s conflicts",
"920s in the Byzantine Empire",
"922",
"Battles involving the First Bulgarian Empire",
"Battles of the Byzantine–Bulgarian Wars in Thrace"
] |
The Battle of Constantinople was fought in June 922 at the outskirts of the capital of the Byzantine Empire, Constantinople, between the forces of the First Bulgarian Empire and the Byzantines during the Byzantine–Bulgarian war of 913–927. In the summer the Byzantine Emperor Romanos I Lekapenos sent troops under the commander Saktikios to repel another Bulgarian raid at the outskirts of the Byzantine capital. The Byzantines stormed the Bulgarian camp but were defeated when they confronted the main Bulgarian forces. During his flight from the battlefield Saktikios was mortally wounded and died the following night.
The Bulgarians, who by 922 were in control of most of the Balkans, continued to ravage the Byzantine countryside virtually unopposed. However, they lacked the maritime power to conduct a successful siege of Constantinople. The subsequent attempts to negotiate a Bulgarian–Arab alliance for a joint assault of Constantinople were discovered by the Byzantines and successfully countered. The strategic situation in the Balkans remained unchanged until both sides signed a peace treaty in 927, which recognized the imperial title of the Bulgarian monarchs and the complete independence of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church as an autocephalous Patriarchate.
The primary sources for the battle are the continuation of George Hamartolos' Chronicle and John Skylitzes' Synopsis of Histories.
## Background
During his short reign the Byzantine emperor Alexander (r. 912–913) provoked a conflict with the Bulgarian monarch Simeon I (r. 893–927). Simeon I, who had long harboured ambitions to claim an imperial title for himself, took the opportunity to wage war. With the Byzantine Empire in disarray following Alexander's death in June 913, the Bulgarians reached Constantinople unopposed and forced the regency of the infant Constantine VII (r. 913–959) to recognize Simeon I as emperor (in Bulgarian, Tsar). Following a palace coup in 914, the new Byzantine regency revoked the concessions to the Bulgarians and summoned the whole army, including the troops in Asia Minor, to deal with the Bulgarian threat once and all. In the decisive battle of Achelous in 917 the Byzantine forces were completely annihilated, leaving the Bulgarians in charge of the Balkans. Their annual campaigns reached the walls of Constantinople and the Isthmus of Corinth. All subsequent attempts to confront the Bulgarian army at Katasyrtai, Aquae Calidae and Pegae ended in defeat.
Despite his military supremacy over land, Simeon I was aware that he needed naval assistance in order to seize Constantinople. In 922 he clandestinely sent envoys to the Fatimid caliph Ubayd Allah al-Mahdi Billah in Mahdia to negotiate the assistance of the powerful Arab navy. Simeon I proposed to divide equally all spoils; the Bulgarians were to keep Constantinople and the Fatimids would gain the Byzantine territories in Sicily and Southern Italy.
## The battle
To distract the Byzantine attention from the secret negotiations with the Arabs, in the summer of 922 the Bulgarians launched a campaign in Eastern Thrace. They captured and garrisoned a number of fortified towns in the region, including Bizye. In June they reached the outskirts of Constantinople and burned the Palace of Theodora, situated on the shores of the Golden Horn.
In response, emperor Romanos I Lekapenos (r. 920–944) summoned the commanders of the tagmata on a feast and urged them to confront the Bulgarians. The following day one of them, Saktikios, led the assault against the Bulgarians. While most of the Bulgarian soldiers were dispersed to loot the countryside, the Byzantines attacked the Bulgarian camp and slaughtered the few defenders left there. When the main Bulgarian forces were informed about the attack, they headed back to the camp to engage the opponents. In the ensuing heavy struggle the Bulgarians prevailed and forced the Byzantines to flee despite the personal courage of Saktikios, who the Byzantine chroniclers claim to have "killed many". During the flight, the horse of Saktikios got stuck in the mud of a river and the Byzantine commander was wounded in the seat and the thigh. His soldiers managed to free the horse from the mud and to bring him to the Blachernae alive. Saktikios was laid in the Church of St. Mary of Blachernae, where he died the following night.
## Aftermath
After the victory Simeon I sent letters to the Ecumenical Patriarch Nicholas Mystikos and Romanos' co-emperor Constantine VII to propose peace negotiations. However, his intention was to prolong the negotiations until the return of his envoys to the Fatimids. While Simeon I and Nicholas Mystikos exchanged letters the military actions continued. In a few weeks the Bulgarian army captured Adrianople, the most important city in Byzantine Thrace. The fall of Adrianople raised fears in Constantinople that a Bulgarian assault of the city was imminent. The Byzantines tried to intimidate Simeon I by threatening to incite the Magyars, the Pechenegs and Kievan Rus' to attack Bulgaria from the north-east, as they had done in the war of 894–896. Simeon I knew that these were empty words because the Byzantine Empire was in no position to carry out these threats.
In the meantime, the Bulgarian envoys received a warm welcome by al-Mahdi. The Fatimid caliph accepted the Bulgarian terms and sent his own emissaries to Simeon I. However, on the way back their ship was captured by the Byzantines, who managed to outbid the Bulgarians and distract a Fatimid attack. The Bulgarians remained in control of most of the Balkans, annexing Byzantium's ally Serbia in 924, but without naval support were unable to launch a decisive attack on Constantinople. The war continued until the death of Simeon I in 927, when his son Peter I (r. 927–969) concluded a peace treaty with the Byzantines, who recognized the imperial title of the Bulgarian monarchs and the complete independence of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church as an autocephalous Patriarchate in return for most of Simeon I's conquests in Thrace after 917.
## See also
|
56,615,420 |
Sarah Polk Fall
| 1,163,096,976 |
Socialite and philanthropist
|
[
"1847 births",
"1924 deaths",
"19th-century American people",
"19th-century American women",
"20th-century American people",
"20th-century American women",
"American adoptees",
"American socialites",
"Burials at Mount Olivet Cemetery (Nashville)",
"People from Nashville, Tennessee",
"People from Rutherford County, Tennessee",
"Philanthropists from Tennessee",
"Polk family"
] |
Sarah "Sallie" Polk Jetton Fall (April 1, 1847 – July 22, 1924) was a wealthy Nashville socialite and philanthropist. She was the great-niece and unofficially adopted daughter of former First Lady Sarah Childress Polk. Sallie's mother died when she was only a few months old. Sallie lived with her great-grandmother, who gave Sallie to her daughter Sarah after the death of Sarah's husband President James K. Polk.
Sallie was raised at the Polks' private residence Polk Place. She married George Fall in 1865, and they had a daughter Saidee. Sallie inherited the Polk estate upon Sarah's death in 1891, including several artifacts and papers from the late president which she later sold and donated to the Library of Congress. Sarah also willed some of the president's items to Saidee. Shortly before Sallie died in 1924, she and her daughter co-founded the James K. Polk Memorial Association. In 1929 Saidee worked with the state of Tennessee to acquire the president's home in Columbia which was then opened to the public as a museum.
## Biography
Sallie Jetton was born in Rutherford County, Tennessee in 1847 to Mary Childress and Robert Jetton, a farmer and land owner. Mary Childress was the daughter of Anderson Childress, the older brother of First Lady Sarah Childress Polk.
Sallie's mother died a few months after her birth from childbirth complications. Her father was unable to raise her alone, so she was taken in by her great-grandmother Elizabeth Childress. She stayed with her great-grandmother for a short period until the death of President James K. Polk in 1849. The president's wife Sarah mourned her husband's death deeply and became a recluse, rarely leaving her home Polk Place. Elizabeth, who was in her 70s, brought Sallie to Polk Place and suggested Sarah should care for her. Sarah agreed and assumed guardianship of Sallie after 1850.
Many who knew Sarah seemed skeptical of her bringing a child into her home. Judge John Catron would make the comment, "You are not the one Madam, to have charge of a little child; you, who have always been absorbed in the political and social affairs..." But nonetheless Sarah still assumed guardianship, and brought in a nurse and maid to watch the young girl. Sarah would often refer to Sallie as her daughter, and newspapers referred to Sallie as her adopted daughter. Sarah would take great pride in raising Sallie. Sallie stayed with Sarah for the rest of the former First Lady's life. In 1865, Sarah hosted Sallie's marriage to George Fall in the main Parlor of Polk Place. The newlyweds moved in with Sarah until after the birth of their child Saidee in 1868. Sarah greatly adored the little girl.
After Sarah's death in 1891 Sallie became the sole heir to the Polk estate as Sarah willed the Polk belongings, the contents of Polk Place along with the presidential papers to Sallie. Sarah bequeathed some of the personal items of the President to Sallie's daughter Saidee, including the president's watch and glasses. Sallie sold and donated the presidential papers to the Library of Congress in the early 1900s. She also donated one of Sarah's inaugural gowns and a fan to the Smithsonian. In 1905 Sallie opened her own home in Nashville for social gatherings to exhibit the items she had inherited from Sarah and to tell the legacy of her great-uncle president Polk. During these gatherings and other social events she would introduce herself as the daughter to the president. Sallie continued living in Nashville after Sarah's death throughout her later life.
## Death and legacy
Sallie fell ill in 1924 and died July 22, at the age of 77. Newspapers throughout the country published "The Adopted daughter of President Polk Dies." The vast majority of the items she did not donate to the Library of Congress or the Smithsonian were left to her daughter, Saidee. Shortly before her death she helped her daughter Saidee found the James K. Polk Memorial Association along with other Nashville women, with the main intent of preserving the president's legacy.
In 1929 Sallie's daughter Saidee worked together with the state of Tennessee to purchase the only surviving private residence which the president lived in. The home, located in Columbia, Tennessee, was constructed by the president's father Samuel in 1816, and was the president's home for six years before his marriage to Sarah Childress in 1824. On acquisition of the home in 1929 The James K. Polk Memorial Association founded the James K. Polk Home, the presidential museum of James K. Polk. The contents of Polk Place that Sallie inherited and later left to her daughter Saidee would be brought to the museum. Later the fountain, the garden urns, and a gate from the exterior of Polk Place were moved to the property.
|
2,241,944 |
Beautiful Stranger
| 1,165,925,883 |
1999 single by Madonna
|
[
"1999 singles",
"1999 songs",
"Grammy Award for Best Song Written for Visual Media",
"Madonna songs",
"Maverick Records singles",
"Number-one singles in Finland",
"Number-one singles in Iceland",
"Number-one singles in Italy",
"Psychedelic pop songs",
"RPM Top Singles number-one singles",
"Song recordings produced by Madonna",
"Song recordings produced by William Orbit",
"Songs written by Madonna",
"Songs written by William Orbit",
"Songs written for films",
"Warner Records singles"
] |
"Beautiful Stranger" is a song by American singer and songwriter Madonna. It was released on May 19, 1999, by Maverick and Warner Bros. Records as a single from the soundtrack of the film, Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me. Madonna co-wrote and co-produced the song with William Orbit. The soundtrack for Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me was a much expected release and Madonna's song was chosen by the album's executive producers to promote it. "Beautiful Stranger" has appeared on two separate Madonna greatest hits collections: GHV2 (2001) and Celebration (2009). Musically, "Beautiful Stranger" is a psychedelic pop and disco song that features heavily reverberated guitars and bouncy drum loops. Its lyrics tell the tale of a romantic infatuation.
The song received positive feedback from music critics who praised the production and Madonna's progress with her music, following her critically acclaimed album Ray of Light (1998). It was a commercial success reaching the top of the charts in Canada, Finland, Iceland and Italy, number two in the United Kingdom and top-ten in many markets. Although the song was not commercially released in the United States, it reached number 19 on the Billboard Hot 100 due to airplay. It reached number one on the US dance charts. "Beautiful Stranger" also earned Madonna her fifth Grammy Award, winning the trophy for Best Song Written for Visual Media.
The song's music video, directed by Brett Ratner, prominently features Madonna singing in a club, visited by Mike Myers as his character Austin Powers. At the end of the video Madonna seduces Myers and goes off in his car. It won the MTV Video Music Award for Best Video from a Film in 1999. Madonna performed the song on her 2001 Drowned World Tour, and it has been covered by some artists, including a critically acclaimed version by Australian rock band DMA's.
## Background and release
Madonna and Canadian actor Mike Myers had previously collaborated for an episode of Saturday Night Live in 1991, when the singer hosted the show and invited Myers' character, Wayne Campbell to play a game of truth or dare, while pitching her documentary Madonna: Truth or Dare. According to Gwen Ihnat from The A.V. Club, the "creative partnership [between them] works because Madonna, though serious, always seems game, and Myers, though frequently goofy, is also creatively inventive". In 1999, the singer was chosen to contribute a single on the soundtrack for Myers' second film about the spy character Austin Powers, titled Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me. Madonna's former boyfriend, British screenwriter Andy Bird, was reportedly the inspiration for "Beautiful Stranger."
The soundtrack to The Spy Who Shagged Me led to the teaming up of two music executives, Warner Bros. Records senior vice president Danny Bramson and Madonna's Maverick Records' co-owner Guy Oseary; both of them served as executive producer on the soundtrack. By May 1999, expectations were already high for the release, so the producers decided to include Madonna's track along with a song from a number of other high-profile artists like R.E.M., Lenny Kravitz and Mel B from the Spice Girls.
As recalled by Oseary, there was intense competition among artists to have their songs placed in the soundtrack, with one manager connected to the project describing the fight for the first potential single release as "a blood bath". The main intention of the producers was to have the artists contribute music which would abide by the predominant 1960s mood of the film. Ultimately, it was decided that "Beautiful Stranger" was suitable for this, and it was chosen as the first single from the soundtrack. However, Madonna's recording company Warner Bros. decided not to release any CD single or remix singles to accompany the release in the United States, only promo 12-inch discs were sent to the dance club DJs. The song was only released to the CHR top 40 radio for airplay on May 19, 1999. In the United Kingdom, the single was released on June 7, 1999, as a CD single, 12-inch single, and cassette single, while in Canada, a CD was issued on July 20, 1999. "Beautiful Stranger" has appeared on two separate Madonna greatest hits collections: GHV2 (2001) and Celebration (2009). On May 21, 2021, Madonna released the "Beautiful Stranger" remix EP to all digital and streaming outlets.
## Recording and composition
Recording for "Beautiful Stranger" took place in February 1999 at the Guerilla Beach Studios in Los Angeles, California, as well as the Enterprise Studio in Burbank, California. Along with writing and producing the song with Madonna, Orbit also played the keyboards and the guitar on the track. Damian LeGassick did the programming and additional keyboard while Emma Fowler played the flute. The engineering team included Pat McCarthy, Mark Endert and Dave Chelsea, with McCarthy also mixing the track. Jeff Gregmay and Wassim Zartek were the assistant recording engineers. According to the sheet music published by Musicnotes.com, "Beautiful Stranger" is set in common time and is composed in a key of F major with a mid dance tempo of 128 beats per minute. The song begins with a basic sequence of E–B–F–A–C before moving to the main chord progression of C<sub>sus4</sub>–C<sub>7</sub>.
"Beautiful Stranger" is a psychedelic pop and disco song and begins with a musical instrumentation reminiscent of "Light My Fire" (1967) by The Doors and "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" (1967) by The Beatles. The song's main structure is backed by guitar, while drums come in during the choruses. Around the 1:06 mark, there is a hint of mellotron and flute being played like The Beatles' 1967 songs "Strawberry Fields Forever" or "The Fool on the Hill". The song has similar composition to Madonna's endeavors with her previous album Ray of Light, mixed with psychedelic music. USA Today's Ken Barnes has suggested that the chorus, riff, instrumentation and structure of "Beautiful Stranger" were based on American rock band Love's 1966 single "She Comes in Colors". The band's record company—Rhino Records—executive Gary Stewart stated that "Certainly, the riff and instrumentation [of 'Beautiful Stranger'] are reminiscent of 'She Comes in Colors,'" and that the "da da da da da" chorus on the track seems to be based upon "an instrumental flourish that's an integral part of the [Love] record. It may be a conscious or an unconscious homage." Madonna denied any such influence, claiming that she had never heard of Love.
According to Michael Paoletta from Billboard, "no fierce-ruling club DJ in 1999 would [have] dared play the original jangly rock-etched version of the song". Hence the song was remixed by Victor Calderone, who kept the basic structure of the song, while mixing it with tribal infused beats. Unlike many of his then releases—where he removed the bulk of the song's lyrics for remixing—with "Beautiful Stranger" he kept them. Paoletta described the remixes as "if Calderone fully understands the importance of a song and understands how best to unite deft beats and a dazzling vocal performance." The remixes include a rock-leaning version as well as Calderone's Club and Radio mixes.
## Critical reception
"Beautiful Stranger" received generally positive reviews. Chuck Taylor from Billboard denoted the song as a "new shift in the wind for [Madonna]", calling it another creative high for her. He also complimented the production saying that "this latest partnership with [Orbit] taps into a walloping romp of guitars and enough cascading organs to prompt an urge to listen to your Monkees collection." Taylor ended the review with positive feedback for Madonna's vocals, likening them to those for the Evita album, along with commending the chorus. In a different article for Billboard talking about the song's remixes, Paoletta described the track as "effervescent blast of psychedelic electronica". Writing for the Philippine Daily Inquirer, Gino DeLa Paz found it "cute but forgettable". Gwen Ihnat, from the entertainment website The A.V. Club, labeled it as "Madonna's best song that never appeared on one of her regular albums [...] a psychedelic pop confection that offered a few of her most indelible hooks". Ihnat also wrote that "although less ethereal than 1998's Ray of Light, ['Beautiful Stranger'] is just as dance-floor ready [...] dance flute has never sounded so enticing, and Madonna's voice so sweetly seductive". AllMusic's Jose F. Promis listed the track "as one of the singer's more memorable moments, coupling 1960s go-go rock with 1990s electronica, resulting in nothing less than a true slice of old fashioned rock & roll"; Promis also praised the two Calderone mixes.
Slant Magazine's Sal Cinquemani gave the song a rating of B- and wrote: "Like any good throwaway track, 'Beautiful Stranger' doesn't pretend to be much more than it is. Whiny guitars and flutes abound, Madonna and Orbit concocted a perfect theme song for friend Mike Myers's cooky Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me. Playful, wispy and ultimately forgettable". In August 2018, Paul Schrodt from the same magazine, placed it at number 53 on his ranking of the singer's singles, calling it "the antithesis of Ray of Light. The hooky, psychedelic track is more accessible than Madonna’s previous work with Orbit. The innocuous lyrics could’ve been ghostwritten for anyone, but the song endears due to Madge’s playful delivery and Orbit’s sonic details". Ken Tucker from Entertainment Weekly, declared it as the "song of the summer", and praised it for being "a piece of psychedelic pop at once so 60s and so 90s that to sully it with a 'shagalicious' joke would be an insult... The way [Madonna] has of making her voice merge into indistinguishability with the surging instrumentation in the chorus, the way she sings the title phrase with an ache in her voice, that's at once urgent and playful." Matthew Jacobs from The Huffington Post ranked the song 22 on their list of "The Definitive Ranking Of Madonna Singles". Medium's Richard LaBeau called it a "bold, clever and interesting bridge between the Ray of Light and Music eras". In March 2023, Billboard ranked the song as Madonna's 88th greatest ever, with Andrew Unterberger writing: "Madonna's still in too reflective a mindset to go full incense and peppermints with it, but she's game enough to meet Orbit's woozy reverb-soaked groove..."
Louis Virtel, from TheBacklot.com, placed "Beautiful Stranger" at number 36 of his list "The 100 Greatest Madonna Songs"; he felt that "Orbit's psychedelic styling suit Madonna's groovy wistfulness perfectly". Author Phil Dellio wrote in his book Interrupting My Train of Thought that although "Beautiful Stranger" had similarities to Madonna's own "Ray of Light" (1998), it had "better melody, better vocal, better light show. It's about the trippiest, most propulsive above-ground dance music since the first two minutes of Led Zeppelin's 'How Many More Times'." J. Randy Taraborrelli wrote in Madonna: An Intimate Biography that Madonna's 2000 song "Amazing", from her eight studio album Music sounded like a cousin to "Beautiful Stranger" with its inspired composition. While ranking Madonna's singles, in honor of her 60th birthday, The Guardian's Jude Rogers placed "Beautiful Stranger" at number 34, calling it a "gorgeously slinky, impish love song". In a list of the "99 Best Songs of 1999", Rolling Stone writer Rob Sheffield placed the track at number 27 and praised it for being "the most shagadelic disco hit by a megastar shimmying into the big 4-0", adding that "Madonna has never sounded so loose, so lithe, so funny". The song received a Grammy award at the 42nd ceremony, in the category of Best Song Written for Visual Media. It was also nominated in the category of Best Female Pop Vocal Performance. It was also nominated for a Golden Globe award for Best Original Song, but lost to Phil Collins's "You'll Be in My Heart". At the 2000 ASCAP Pop Awards it was awarded the Most Performed Song. It also won the Ivor Novello Award for Most Performed Work, while also being nominated for Best Contemporary Song. The 1999 MTV Europe Music Awards also nominated the track in the category of Best Song. "Beautiful Stranger" was nominated as Favorite Song From a Movie at the 1999 Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards.
## Chart performance
In the United States, "Beautiful Stranger" debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 at number 78 on June 12, 1999. It was Madonna's first soundtrack single to chart on the Hot 100 since her rendition of "Don't Cry for Me Argentina" reached number eight in March 1997. "Beautiful Stranger" also debuted at number 28 on the Mainstream Top 40 chart. It gradually climbed up the Hot 100 and peaked at number 19 on July 13, 1999, on the strength of radio airplay only. Promis said that the relative low placement was due to the CD singles not being released. "Beautiful Stranger" was successful on the Billboard dance charts, reaching number one on the Dance Club Songs chart. It placed at number 31 on the year-end ranking for Dance Club Songs in 1999. In Canada, "Beautiful Stranger" was able to top both the RPM Top Singles and Adult Contemporary charts, while also reaching a peak of number four on the Dance/Urban charts. While the song was commercially released in Canada, it was ineligible to chart on the Canadian Singles Chart as Warner did not submit the necessary barcode information to Nielsen SoundScan.
In Australia, "Beautiful Stranger" debuted at number eight on the ARIA Charts, and reached its peak of number five the next week, staying there for two weeks in total. It gradually descended down the charts, present within the top 50 for a total of 16 weeks. It was certified gold by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) for shipment of 35,000 copies of the single. At the year end tabulation, the song ranked at number 34 on the Singles chart. In New Zealand, "Beautiful Stranger" debuted at its peak position of number five. The single gradually descended down the charts, and was present for a total of 14 weeks.
In the United Kingdom the song debuted at its peak of number two on the UK Singles Chart with first-week sales of over 135,000 copies. The song spent 16 weeks on the singles chart, with seven of those being within the top 20. "Beautiful Stranger" also became one of the most played songs on UK radio, receiving over 2,462 plays per week, breaking the previous record held by Cher with her single "Believe". According to the Official Charts Company, the song has sold 535,000 copies in the United Kingdom as of August 2016 and was certified gold by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI). Across Europe, "Beautiful Stranger" reached the top twenty of the charts in Austria, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Ireland, Netherlands, Norway, Scotland, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland, while reaching the top of the charts in Finland and Italy. It received a silver certification in France for shipment of 125,000 copies. The song reached a peak of number two on the European Hot 100 Singles chart, also ranking number two in the 1999 year-end tabulation behind Britney Spears' "...Baby One More Time".
## Music video
The song's accompanying music video was directed by Brett Ratner and filmed at Universal Studios in Los Angeles in May 1999. Madonna had previously shown interest in working with Ratner after seeing his video for D'Angelo's "Brown Sugar" (1995). Her make-up was done by Kevyn Aucoin, with whom she had previously worked on her music video for "The Power of Good-Bye". According to Ratner, it was a rather jovial shooting:
> Mike was in character the entire time. He and Madonna really had a great chemistry together. This video shows her absolutely hysterical sense of humour, and it's great for everyone to see that side of her. This was by far the most fun I've ever had making a video.
The video begins with Myers as Austin Powers, receiving a call from his boss Basil Exposition (Michael York), who warns him against a dangerous spy describing her as a "master of disguise". The screen of his car depicts five images of Madonna wearing different looks, and Exposition clarifies that she has been "seducing our top agents". He also warns Powers "whatever you do don't fall in love. We've already lost 007 and 008". As the video continues, Powers finds Madonna at a club performing in front of a crowd, which includes Verne Troyer in character as Mini-Me. As he watches her perform, Powers finds himself fantasizing about the two of them dancing in front of a white background with psychedelic fluorescent whirls. He also imagines her in the passenger seat of his car, where she dances suggestively for him and playfully teases him whilst he is driving through London at night.
According to Ratner, Myers was not comfortable with these scenes, as he felt it was too sexual and inappropriate; he even asked him to cut that particular shot. Madonna on the other hand, thought it was fun and convinced the director to keep it. The video ends with Powers' car fantasy, with Powers telling Madonna “You’re going the right way for a smacked bottom”, to which Madonna replies “I hope so”. Author Georges Claude Guilbert wrote in his book, Madonna as Postmodern Myth, that "Beautiful Stranger" denoted one of the series of looks reinvented by Madonna around that time, and was a "radical" change from the geisha look of her previous video for "Nothing Really Matters", released the same year. Matthew Rettenmund wrote in his Encyclopedia Madonnica that "Madonna probably gave very little thought [behind the video]" but he felt that it was better than being a "couple of steps above a clips compilation".
At the 1999 MTV Video Music Awards, the video was nominated in the categories of Best Female Video and Best Cinematography, and won for Best Video from a Film. It also received a nomination for Best Pop Clip of the Year at the 1999 Billboard Music Video Awards. The clip won Best Cinematography and Best Make-Up at the 2000 MVPA Awards; it was also nominated for Soundtrack Video of the Year. At the 1999 VH1 Fashion Awards, the video received a nomination in the category of Most Stylish Video. The video can be found on the Madonna compilations, The Video Collection 93:99 (1999) and Celebration: The Video Collection (2009).
## Live performances and covers
Madonna performed "Beautiful Stranger" on her 2001 Drowned World Tour, where it was the fourth song on the setlist. It began with an introduction by Myers as Austin Powers on the video screens, the singer then asked the crowd "Do I make you horny?" (one of Powers' catchphrases) before performing the song. She was joined by backup singers Niki Haris and Donna DeLory, who also contributed with background vocals on the track. Costumes for the performance included spiked dog collars, Swarovski crystal-encrusted bracelets and tattered tops; Madonna herself wore a sleeveless black top, crossover top with one net sleeve, jeans with zips and bondage straps and a tartan kilt. The backdrop during the performance displayed scenes from the movie and psychedelic fluorescent whirls. It also featured a lost technician at the end and elements of "Soul Bossa Nova (Dim's Space-A-Nova)", another song from the film's soundtrack. On September 15, 2001, the tour's final date, Madonna's then husband Guy Ritchie joined her onstage as the lost technician. Michael Hubbard from MusicOMH noted that "things quickly hotted up with [...] 'Beautiful Stranger'". The performance on August 26, 2001, at The Palace of Auburn Hills, outside of Madonna's hometown of Detroit was recorded and released in the live video album, Drowned World Tour 2001.
On October 26, 2008, Madonna performed a snippet of "Beautiful Stranger" as the request song during the Chicago stop of her Sticky & Sweet Tour. An a cappella version of the song was also performed during the Nashville stop of her Rebel Heart Tour in January 2016. In December 2016, Madonna performed "Beautiful Stranger" during her Tears of a Clown show as part of a benefit dinner for her charity, Raising Malawi, at Miami, Florida.
Jon Auer, co-founder of the American power pop band The Posies, recorded a cover of the song on his 2001 solo EP 6 1⁄2. Website Stereogum listed the cover at number five on their list of The 20 Best Indie Rock Madonna Covers. A 2007 folk music tribute compilation to Madonna, entitled Through the Wilderness, features a cover of the song by Golden Animals. Australian rock band DMA's covered the song during their BBC Radio 1 sessions with Annie Mac on March 8, 2016. Michelle Geslani from Consequence of Sound website praised the cover saying that it would "undoubtedly be hailed as yet another successful entry in DMA's young career" and described the cover as "easily tweaking the swirling, retro number into a psychedelic, arena-ready anthem". Michael Carr from Music Feeds magazine also praised the cover saying "Lending itself surprisingly well to the boys’ shoegazey brit pop treatment, the lads absolutely nail it... To be honest though, they kind of won on song choice alone".
Most recently, American punk band Skating Polly released a cover of the song on the 2020 re-release of their album, The Make It All Show, as one of the bonus tracks. The band had previously covered the song on their 2016 tour.
## Track listing and formats
- US 12-inch promo vinyl 1
1. "Beautiful Stranger" (Calderone Club Mix) – 10:12
2. "Beautiful Stranger" (Calderone Radio Mix) – 4:00
3. "Beautiful Stranger" (New Club Edit) – 5:12
4. "Beautiful Stranger" (LP Version) – 4:22
- US 12-inch promo vinyl 2
1. "Beautiful Stranger" (Calderone Club Mix) – 10:13
2. "Beautiful Stranger" (Album Version) – 4:21
3. "Beautiful Stranger" (Calderone Radio Mix) – 4:04
4. "Beautiful Stranger" (Calderone Dub Mix) – 6:22
- US and UK promo CD
1. "Beautiful Stranger" (William Orbit Radio Edit) – 3:58
2. "Beautiful Stranger" (LP Version) – 4:22
- UK 7-inch and cassette single, European 2-track CD
1. "Beautiful Stranger" (LP Version) – 4:22
2. "Beautiful Stranger" (Calderone Radio Mix) – 4:00
- European, UK, Japanese, and Australian CD single
1. "Beautiful Stranger" (LP Version) – 4:22
2. "Beautiful Stranger" (Calderone Club Mix) – 10:12
3. "Beautiful Stranger" (Calderone Radio Mix) – 4:00
- Digital single (2021)
1. "Beautiful Stranger" (Calderone Club Mix) – 10:12
2. "Beautiful Stranger" (Calderone Dub Mix) – 6:21
3. "Beautiful Stranger" (Calderone Radio Mix) – 4:03
4. "Beautiful Stranger" (New Club Edit) – 5:13
5. "Beautiful Stranger" (William Orbit Radio Edit) – 3:56
## Credits and personnel
Credits and personnel are adapted from Beautiful Stranger promo single liner notes.
- Madonna – vocals, songwriter, producer
- William Orbit – songwriter, producer, guitar, keyboards
- Victor Calderone – additional producer, remixer
- Emma Fowler – flute
- Damian LeGassick – keyboards, programming
- Pat McCarthy – engineering
- Mark Endert – engineering
- Dave Chelsea – engineering
- Jeff Gregmay – assistant engineering
- Wassim Zartek – assistant engineering
## Charts
### Weekly charts
### Year-end charts
## Certifications and sales
## Release history
## See also
- List of number-one singles of 1999 (Canada)
- List of number-one singles of 1999 (Finland)
- List of number-one hits of 1999 (Italy)
- List of number-one dance singles of 1999 (U.S.)
|
787,003 |
Marvel Super Heroes vs. Street Fighter
| 1,170,448,516 |
1997 video game
|
[
"1997 video games",
"2D fighting games",
"Arcade video games",
"CP System II games",
"Crossover fighting games",
"Fighting games",
"Marvel vs. Capcom",
"PlayStation (console) games",
"Sega Saturn games",
"Street Fighter games",
"Tag team videogames",
"Video game sequels",
"Video games based on Marvel Comics",
"Video games developed in Japan",
"Video games set in New York City",
"Video games set in Paris",
"Video games set in San Francisco",
"Video games set in the United States",
"Virgin Interactive games"
] |
is a crossover fighting video game developed and published by Capcom. It is the sequel to X-Men vs. Street Fighter and the second installment in the Marvel vs. Capcom series. The game was first released as an arcade game in 1997. It then received ports to the Sega Saturn in 1998 and the PlayStation in 1999.
The gameplay and aesthetics of Marvel Super Heroes vs. Street Fighter remain similar to X-Men vs. Street Fighter. Each player selects two characters to compete in a one-on-one tag team fight, attempting to defeat the opposing team. The game replaces most of the X-Men cast from the previous installment with characters from other Marvel properties. In addition, it introduces a new gameplay mechanic known as the "Variable Assist", which would be used in future Marvel vs. Capcom titles.
Much like its predecessor, the game received generally positive reviews for its gameplay, sprite animations, and character roster. The Sega Saturn version, utilizing the 4 MB RAM expansion cartridge, was praised for being an arcade-perfect conversion. Due to the memory limitations of the PlayStation, tag team battles were, once again, removed from its port, resulting in more mixed critical reception. A sequel, Marvel vs. Capcom: Clash of Super Heroes, was released in 1998.
## Gameplay
Marvel Super Heroes vs. Street Fighter is the second installment in the Marvel vs. Capcom series of 2D fighting games. It utilizes the same one-on-one tag team format previously employed in X-Men vs. Street Fighter. The player chooses a team of two fighters, each sporting their own life gauge; at the start of the match, the first selected character is controlled by the player, while the second character remains off-screen and acts as support. Using a combination of joystick movements and button presses, the player must execute various moves to deplete the opposing team's life gauges. The first player to completely drain the opponent's health is declared the winner. If the timer reaches zero, the player that possesses the most health wins.
The most notable gameplay change in Marvel Super Heroes vs. Street Fighter is the addition of the "Variable Assist". With the Variable Assist, the player can summon their off-screen character to perform a special move without changing their currently-controlled character, opening new possibilities for combos during battle and greatly expanding the role of the secondary character. The ability to use assists would later become a signature gameplay element used in several future installments of the Marvel vs. Capcom series.
### Modes
The arcade, Sega Saturn, and PlayStation versions of Marvel Super Heroes vs. Street Fighter share Arcade Mode and Versus Mode. In Arcade Mode, the player fights waves of artificial intelligence-controlled teams, culminating in a penultimate battle against the boss character, Apocalypse, who previously appeared in X-Men vs. Street Fighter. Upon defeating Apocalypse, the player must win against the final boss character, Cyber-Akuma. The PlayStation version includes three exclusive game modes: Training, Hero Battle, and Cross Over. Hero Battle is an endurance mode which pits the player against the characters that they did not select. In Cross Over, the player and the computer opponent fight with the same team of characters; if the player is victorious, then the computer swaps one character from both teams. The PlayStation port also features a Gallery Mode containing promotional and character artwork, which are unlocked by completing various goals.
### Playable characters
Marvel Super Heroes vs. Street Fighter features a roster of 17 playable fighters, with nine characters from the Street Fighter universe and eight heroes from the Marvel Universe. All of the X-Men characters featured in X-Men vs. Street Fighter, with the exception of Cyclops and Wolverine, are replaced with characters from other Marvel Comics properties, such as Captain America, Spider-Man, and the Hulk. Most of the Street Fighter characters from the previous game return, with the exception of Cammy and Charlie (although Charlie is actually still in the game as a palette swapped secret character named "Shadow"), who are replaced by Dan and Sakura. The Japanese arcade and console versions of Marvel Super Heroes vs. Street Fighter include an exclusive character named Norimaro (). Norimaro is an original character created and owned by Japanese comedian Noritake Kinashi, who represents neither Marvel nor Capcom. Due to licensing issues involving the character, Norimaro is not available in international releases of the game. In addition to the 17 immediately playable characters, the roster also contains six secret characters. The secret characters are palette swaps of existing fighters with different moveset properties, such as "Dark Sakura" and "Mecha Zangief"; Captain America's and Blackheart's palette swaps are renamed "U.S. Agent" and "Mephisto", respectively.
#### Marvel characters
#### Street Fighter characters
## Development and release
As with X-Men vs. Street Fighter, Marvel Super Heroes vs. Street Fighter was initially developed for the CP System II arcade system board. The game debuted in Japanese and North American arcades in 1997. The game received a port to the Sega Saturn, exclusive to Japan, on October 22, 1998. The Sega Saturn port supported the 4MB RAM expansion peripheral, allowing the developers to create a conversion which retained the original frame rates and tag team system. The game was then ported to the PlayStation in February 1999. Due to the console's limited RAM capacity, the tag team format was switched to the more traditional round format used in other fighting game series, such as Street Fighter. To compensate for the removal of tag team gameplay, several new game modes, such as Hero Battle and Cross Over, were implemented.
According to former Capcom USA community manager and fighting game advisor Seth Killian, one of the primary goals for Marvel Super Heroes vs. Street Fighter was to "tone down the insanity" that occurred onscreen when compared to X-Men vs. Street Fighter. The developers also sought to achieve balance within the character roster; the previous title had gained a reputation for being "broken", with characters having access to one or more infinite combos. These changes, however, were met with negative reception from fans, who criticized the game for offering less freedom. This ultimately led to Capcom recognizing the theme of insanity as the hallmark of the series and using it as a focus for future Marvel vs. Capcom installments.
In June 2020, Marvel Super Heroes vs. Street Fighter was included in a home arcade cabinet from Arcade1Up alongside other games like X-Men vs. Street Fighter and Marvel vs. Capcom: Clash of Super Heroes.
## Reception
In Japan, Game Machine listed Marvel Super Heroes vs. Street Fighter on their September 1, 1997 issue as being the third most-successful arcade game of the month.
The Sega Saturn version of Marvel Super Heroes vs. Street Fighter received "favorable" reviews, while the PlayStation version received "average" reviews, according to the review aggregation website GameRankings. Jeff Gerstmann of GameSpot praised the Sega Saturn port for its gameplay, character roster, graphics, sprite animations, and additional RAM support, labeling it an "arcade-perfect conversion". However, Gerstmann faulted the game for being a "near-carbon copy" of X-Men vs. Street Fighter. While the PlayStation port also received praise for its gameplay and character roster, it attracted numerous criticisms, many of which stemmed from issues related to the console's memory restrictions. GameSpot, IGN, and Game Revolution all reprimanded the game for removing the original version's tag team-based gameplay. Randy Nelson of IGN stated that the lack of tag team fights negated one of the major elements that made Capcom's Vs. series stand apart, resulting in a game that was "nothing truly special or different". Ryan MacDonald of GameSpot expressed disappointment over the port's lower graphical quality and cut animation frames. Game Informer also complained about experiencing instances of slowdown. However, despite the criticisms, reviewers claimed the game as an improvement over the critically panned PlayStation port of X-Men vs. Street Fighter.
## Sequel
A sequel to Marvel Super Heroes vs. Street Fighter, titled Marvel vs. Capcom: Clash of Super Heroes, was released for arcades in Japan and North America in 1998. The game expands its character roster beyond the Street Fighter series to include other Capcom video game franchises, such as Darkstalkers and Mega Man. While its gameplay remains similar, Clash of Super Heroes removes the "Variable Assist" feature in favor of a new system. It was ported to the Dreamcast and PlayStation in 1999 and 2000 respectively. A high-definition version of the game was also released in 2012 for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 as part of the Marvel vs. Capcom Origins compilation.
|
33,144,503 |
Lotto (The Office)
| 1,134,324,003 | null |
[
"2011 American television episodes",
"The Office (American season 8) episodes"
] |
"Lotto" is the third episode of the eighth season of the American comedy television series The Office, and the show's 155th episode overall. It was written by Charlie Grandy and directed by cast member John Krasinski. The episode originally aired on NBC in the United States on October 6, 2011. The episode guest stars Mark Proksch as Nate and Hugh Dane as Hank the security guard.
The series—presented as if it were a real documentary—depicts the everyday lives of office employees in the Scranton, Pennsylvania, branch of the fictional Dunder Mifflin Paper Company. In the episode, the entire warehouse staff quits after winning the lottery, leaving Andy Bernard (Ed Helms) and Darryl Philbin (Craig Robinson) to scramble for replacements while Jim Halpert (John Krasinski), Erin Hannon (Ellie Kemper), Dwight Schrute (Rainn Wilson), and Kevin Malone (Brian Baumgartner) temporarily get a taste of the warehouse life.
"Lotto" received mixed reviews from television critics, with many enjoying Andy and Darryl's interaction. According to Nielsen Media Research, the episode was viewed by 5.82 million viewers and received a 3.2 rating/8 percent share among adults between the ages of 18 and 49, marking a slight drop in the ratings from the previous episode, "The Incentive".
## Synopsis
The six warehouse workers win \$950,000 in a lottery pool, and quit in a celebratory fashion of running through the office, making a mess and mooning the staff. Darryl Philbin (Craig Robinson), who was originally part of the pool but stopped when he was promoted, falls into a depression, unable to find any motivation to work and is further dismayed when his ex-wife's response to him not winning is to ask for the phone number of his pool-winner friend Glenn. Everyone else speculates how they would spend a hypothetical lottery score, with Jim Halpert (John Krasinski) and Pam Halpert (Jenna Fischer) ultimately deciding to fuse their two main ideas into one for a lovely brownstone located in the great outdoors.
Andy Bernard (Ed Helms) orders Darryl to hire replacements for the warehouse staff, but Darryl is wallowing in his depression and neglects to even look at the applications. With an order due out for one of Phyllis Vance's (Phyllis Smith) most important clients, Andy asks for volunteers to step in for the day and make sure that the order is shipped out. Jim, Erin Hannon (Ellie Kemper), Dwight Schrute (Rainn Wilson), and Kevin Malone (Brian Baumgartner) take over the process, (however, in a talking-head interview, Kevin states that he will deliberately do a poor job because he did not volunteer and was merely suggested for the job because of his large size), but do not know how to use the heavy-lifting equipment and balk at the notion of carrying all the heavy boxes by hand. Upon Kevin's suggestion, they create an oil luge to slide the boxes across the floor, resulting in a lot of damaged inventory. They retool Kevin's idea throughout the day, resulting in still more damaged inventory, and Phyllis ultimately loses the client.
A melancholic Darryl finally assembles a conference room meeting with several potential new hires, but utters several discouraging remarks about the job and exits, leaving Andy alone to take charge of the process. Andy does not know what he is doing and all of the applicants walk out. Darryl blames himself for the failure and demands that Andy fire him, leaving Andy baffled and with no choice but to handle the hiring of new warehouse staff himself.
Andy assembles three applicants: a bodybuilder from Oscar Martinez's (Oscar Nunez) gym, Dwight's building handyman Nate (Mark Proksch), and a PhD candidate who can only work two days a week. Darryl demands anew to be fired, then switches gears: he tells Andy to give him the manager job, saying he deserves it and wants that or a pink slip. Andy then steps up and bluntly tells Darryl he not only is not going to do that, but Darryl was not even the runner-up to Andy in the selection process. As he brings up Darryl's short temper, his hiring of the unqualified Glenn as the warehouse foreman, and his loss of interest in taking business education courses, Darryl finally snaps out of his funk and listens to him. Andy tells Darryl that Jo Bennett loved him and saw something in him, and he simply stopped striving after that. He convinces Darryl to stay on board, and Darryl says he will assemble a new warehouse staff using a combination of his picks and one or two of Andy's applicants.
## Production
"Lotto" was written by co-executive producer and series writer Charlie Grandy. The episode was directed by cast member John Krasinski, who portrays Jim Halpert. This was the second episode directed by Krasinski for the series, after sixth season episode "Sabre". The episode guest stars Mark Proksch as Nate. Proksch initially appeared in "Sex Ed", and was hired by Dwight to be a handyman around the office.
The Season Eight DVD contains a number of deleted scenes from this episode. Notable cut scenes include Jim and the others trying to get the truck into the warehouse door but getting the truck stuck instead, Dwight trying to use Kevin as a bumper on the oil track, and Phyllis, Toby, and Ryan revealing what they would do if they won the lottery.
## Cultural references
Pam tells Jim that in his lottery fantasy "we're Stephen King characters", due to his desire to live in Maine. During one sequence, the scene begins in medias res when Jim and Dwight are having a conversation about the films Message in a Bottle and The Postman, both of which involve Kevin Costner. Toby Flenderson (Paul Lieberstein) mentions that, if he won the lottery, he would spend most of his money on launching his true crime podcast, called The Flenderson Files. During one part, Andy is sad when no one in the office appears to be a fan of Newhart.
## Reception
### Ratings
In its original American broadcast on NBC, "Lotto" was viewed by 5.82 million viewers and received a 3.2 rating/8 percent share among adults between the ages of 18 and 49. This means that it was seen by 3.2 percent all 18- to 49-year-olds, and 8 percent of all 18- to 49-year-olds watching television at the time of the broadcast. This marked an 11 percent drop from the previous episode, "The Incentive" which made it one of the lowest-rated episodes of the series, slightly higher than the first season episode, "Health Care".
### Reviews
"Lotto" received mixed reviews from television critics. HitFix reviewer Alan Sepinwall wrote highly of the serious dialogue in the episode, noting that "if there's been a consistent element to Paul Lieberstein's work on this show ... it's that he understands what makes the main characters tick, and is able to use that for real emotional resonance ... When the show wants to give Jim, or Pam, or Dwight, or now Andy a quiet, emotional moment, it's usually still able to do so very well, and that includes most of Andy and Darryl's interaction here in 'Lotto'". He was, however, more critical of the episode's humor, noting that many of the gags had been done before. The A.V. Club reviewer Myles McNutt called the episode superior to the previous episode commenting that "While perhaps not monumentally better than last week's outing and damaged by a weak B-story, 'Lotto' had a greater sense of purpose that holds greater value to the season as it moves forward". He also complimented the writers for not focusing too much on Andy. He ultimately gave the episode a "B".
Cindy White of IGN awarded the episode a seven out of ten, denoting a "good" episode. She wrote that the entry "felt like a mid-season episode, passably amusing, but nothing all that special or memorable". White did, however, call Pam and Jim's discussion about their lottery fantasy "the weakest part of the episode". Dan Forcella of TV Fanatic awarded the episode three out of five stars. He called the premise "an interesting buddy story" with "a tremendously inspiring speech from Andy to Darryl". Despite the lackluster rating, Forcella wrote that the episode had its fair share "of hilarious moments". Screencrave reviewer Jeffrey Hyatt awarded the episode a six out of ten and wrote that the episode was not an "A-plus episode [but] the show still delivered some kick-ass dialogue that had me laughing out loud."
Critical reception to Jim, Dwight, Kevin, and Erin in the warehouse was more mixed. Sepinwall criticized the warehouse subplot for "selling them [the characters] out for the sake of a joke". Forcella, who gave the majority of the episode a positive review, was more critical of the installments subplot. Andrew Daglas of ChicagoNow, on the other hand, was more positive towards the subplot, calling it "generally amusing". He called "Ellie Kemper with a smudge of dirt" on her face "totes [sic] adorbs."
|
65,857,974 |
Joseph Gelders
| 1,151,705,620 |
American physicist and activist
|
[
"1898 births",
"1950 deaths",
"20th-century American physicists",
"Activists from Birmingham, Alabama",
"American Jewish anti-racism activists",
"American anti-poll tax activists",
"American civil rights activists",
"American communists",
"American people of German-Jewish descent",
"American workers' rights activists",
"Burials at Golden Gate National Cemetery",
"Jewish American activists",
"Jewish American military personnel",
"Jewish American physicists",
"Jewish communists",
"Jewish-American lynching victims",
"Kidnapped American people",
"Ku Klux Klan crimes in Alabama",
"Lynching survivors in the United States",
"Military personnel from Birmingham, Alabama",
"Murdered American Jews",
"Scientists from Alabama",
"United States Army personnel of World War I",
"United States Army personnel of World War II",
"United States Army soldiers",
"University of Alabama alumni",
"University of Alabama faculty"
] |
Joseph Sidney Gelders (November 20, 1898 – March 1, 1950) was an American physicist who later became an antiracist, civil rights activist, labor organizer, and communist. In the mid-1930s, he served as the secretary and southern-U.S. representative of the National Committee for the Defense of Political Prisoners. In September 1936, Gelders was kidnapped, beaten, and nearly killed by members of the Ku Klux Klan for his civil rights and labor organizing activities. After his recovery, Gelders continued his activism and cofounded the Southern Conference for Human Welfare and the National Committee to Abolish the Poll Tax. He collaborated closely with other activists including Lucy Randolph Mason and Virginia Foster Durr. Internal injuries sustained during his kidnapping and assault led to Gelders' death on March 1, 1950.
## Early life and education
Gelders was born November 20, 1898, in Birmingham, Alabama, to a family of German-Jewish descent. He was the son of Blanche Loeb, of Mississippi, and Louis Gelders, a restaurateur and real estate businessperson. His elder sister was author Emma Gelders Sterne, and his brother, Louis Gelders Jr., was a New York architect. Gelders attended the University of Alabama for a year and a half before attending the Massachusetts Institute of Technology for a year. Gelders went back to Birmingham and joined the American Legion. He worked at several jobs including "third helper in an open-hearth furnace of the Tennessee Coal, Iron and Railroad Company." Gelders tried to operate an automobile dealership without success. In 1929, he returned to the University of Alabama and completed a bachelor's and master's degree. After graduating in 1930, Gelders worked at the university as an assistant professor of physics for five years and was also head of the physics laboratory.
## Activism
While working at the University of Alabama, Gelders became more aware of oppressive anti-labor actions. Interested in labor organizing, he joined the Communist Party during the Great Depression. The catalyst for his civil rights activism and labor organizing efforts was a 1934 ore-miner strike which led to the death of several black miners. Gelders and his wife Esther started hosting a weekly discussion group for students. In 1935, he assisted students in drafting a petition against a state anti-sedition bill. In May 1935, Gelders attended a southern conference on civil liberties hosted by left-wing groups in Monteagle, Tennessee. He was moved by the stories of communists, including Blaine Owen, about beatings and illegal raids. In August 1935, he joined the National Committee for the Defense of Political Prisoners (NCDPP). In fall 1935, Gelders resigned from the University of Alabama to pursue civil liberties advocacy fulltime. He moved to New York City to serve as secretary of the NCDPP. He established an Alabama committee to work on the Scottsboro Boys case. Gelders also investigated civil liberties denial at the RCA Corporation in New Jersey. In the summer of 1936, Gelders worked for the release of Communist Party organizer Jack Barton, who had been sentenced to 180 days in jail for being in possession of "communistic literature." In August 1936, he became the southern representative for the CDPP.
### Kidnapping and assault
At 11:30 pm on September 23, 1936, Gelders was on his way home from an International Labor Defense (ILD) meeting when he was kidnapped on a Birmingham street and flogged with a leather strap. The abductors read and mocked Gelders's Scottsboro Boys–related documents, calling him a "dammed red" and "nigger lover." After a national outcry, Alabama Governor Bibb Graves, who had connections with the Ku Klux Klan, ordered a state police investigation and authorized a \$200 reward (). Police found four suspects, three of whom Gelders positively identified. One was an employee of the Tennessee Coal, Iron and Railroad Company. Some accounts state that they were members of the Ku Klux Klan. Despite an additional investigation by the La Follette Committee, no indictments were filed. In a private letter to the governor, the chief detective, G. C. Giles, remarked that the economic considerations would prevent convictions.
### Continued activism
In the spring of 1938, Gelders went to Hyde Park, New York, to discuss his idea for the Southern Conference for Human Welfare (SCHW) with U.S. First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt and U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt. With their support, the conference was open to people of all races and covered topics including social justice, electoral reforms, and improving race relations. Lobbyist Lucy Randolph Mason cofounded the SCHW and played a large role in its development. Gelders also obtained the support of William Mitch, the President of District 20 of the United Mine Workers, and the Alabama Director of the Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO). Eleanor Roosevelt attended the first SCHW on November 20, 1938. A continuing organization was established as an outcome of this conference, and Gelders was designated executive secretary of the Civil Rights Committee. In this role, he targeted poll taxes in the United States.
Gelders and civil rights activist Virginia Foster Durr were prominent figures in the women's poll tax repeal movement, which brought widespread attention to the voter suppression caused by poll taxes. In 1941, Gelders and Durr led the creation of the National Committee to Abolish the Poll Tax (NCAPT). Durr and Gelders's diverse backgrounds proved effective. Gelders's experience in union organizing in the steel industry complemented Durr's network. She was a model of southern femininity and a member of a prominent family. Durr, Gelders, and their circle of southerners who supported New Deal liberalism believed that abolition of the poll tax was a necessary step in reshaping the Democratic Party in the South and defeating the conservative oligarchy of large planters and industrialists that kept most southern citizens disenfranchised and impoverished.
## Military career
On July 2, 1918, Gelders enlisted in the U.S. Army during World War I at Fort Oglethorpe, Georgia. He served in Coast Artillery Corps, First Company, in Mobile, Alabama, until transferring on October 1, 1918, to Fort Monroe for school. Gelders was promoted to corporal in September 1918. He was honorably discharged on November 25, 1918. Gelders never saw action, as the war had ended. During World War II, Gelders reenlisted on March 30, 1942, as a technical sergeant in the Western Signal Corps, at Camp Kohler. He was honorably discharged on July 24, 1944.
## Personal life
Gelders married Esther Josephine Frank on November 19, 1919, at the Standard Club in Montgomery, Alabama. She worked as an official for the National Youth Administration. They had two daughters. Their older daughter, Marge Frantz, was an activist, feminist, and among the first generation of academics who taught women's studies courses in the United States. Gelders's younger daughter, Blanche Hartman, was a Sōtō teacher. The internal injuries that Gelders sustained from his kidnapping and beating in 1936 eventually led to his death on March 1, 1950, in San Francisco. He was interred on March 7, 1950, at the Golden Gate National Cemetery.
|
32,040,837 |
United States National Bank Building
| 1,106,417,439 |
Historic building in Portland, Oregon, U.S.
|
[
"1917 establishments in Oregon",
"A. E. Doyle buildings",
"Bank buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in Oregon",
"Buildings and structures in Portland, Oregon",
"Commercial buildings completed in 1917",
"National Register of Historic Places in Portland, Oregon",
"Portland Historic Landmarks",
"Renaissance Revival architecture in Oregon",
"Sculptures by Avard Fairbanks",
"Southwest Portland, Oregon",
"U.S. Bank buildings"
] |
The United States National Bank Building in downtown Portland, Oregon was designed by A. E. Doyle in a Roman classical style, and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The four-story building's first section, facing Sixth Avenue, was completed and opened in 1917. The building features a four-story Corinthian colonnade at its eastern end (originally the principal façade) and makes extensive use of glazed terracotta. The interior is also decorated extensively with highly textured materials.
The building was constructed for the United States National Bank of Portland (USNB), which ultimately became part of U.S. Bancorp, whose retail banking division operates as U.S. Bank. An extension westward to Broadway was added in 1925, approximately doubling the building's size such that it now occupies half a city block. It continues to serve as the bank's main branch in the city.
## History
The United States National Bank of Portland, the predecessor of present-day U.S. Bancorp, was established in Portland in 1890, opening for business in February 1891. During the following three decades, the bank experienced significant growth. It weathered the Panic of 1893 better than many of its competitors, and later acquired some of the competing Portland banks, including the Ainsworth National Bank (in 1902), the Wells Fargo Bank (in 1905), and the Lumbermen's National Bank (in 1917). With the 1902 acquisition, U.S. National Bank moved its headquarters into a larger space formerly occupied by Ainsworth National, in the Ainsworth Building, then located at S.W. Third and Stark streets in downtown Portland. By the 1910s, the bank had outgrown its space. The firm purchased a quarter-block of land at the northwest corner of Sixth and Stark streets in early 1916 and hired Portland architect A. E. Doyle to design a new, dedicated headquarters building.
Construction began in 1916 and was completed in 1917; the building opened to the public on July 30, 1917. Although the building now extends a full block along Stark Street, with entrances on both 6th Avenue and Broadway, it originally faced only 6th Street (now 6th Avenue) and extended only about halfway to Broadway.
In 1922 (another source says 1920), the bank purchased the building that had occupied the quarter-block immediately to the west from the Elks organization which would allow the 1917 bank building to be expanded west to Broadway. (The Elks were preparing to move to a new building elsewhere in downtown.) Originally, a new 24-story building was planned for the site, but the bank ultimately decided to expand its existing building, keeping the same design and height for the new section. Shortly after demolition of the old Elks Building in early 1924, construction of the bank building's expansion began. The new section opened in 1925, doubling the building's size and adding an entrance on Broadway. Doyle was hired again to oversee the expansion, which helped to ensure that the new section would replicate the style of the original section as much as possible, making the expanded building look as though it were built as a single structure, rather than in two stages separated by eight years. In the same year, U.S. National Bank of Portland acquired the Ladd & Tilton Bank, which had been established in 1859, and was the first financial institution in the Pacific Northwest. This acquisition made USNB "the largest financial institution north of San Francisco and west of Minneapolis".
In 1946, U.S. National purchased the Wells Fargo Building (since 1922 known as the Porter Building), a multistory office building located directly adjacent, immediately to the north, to expand its downtown Portland headquarters. United States National Bank of Portland changed its name to United States National Bank of Oregon in 1964. By 1970, the bank was operating 119 branches. At that time, it announced plans for another major expansion of its headquarters on property it had acquired diagonally across from the Wells Fargo Building. The entire oversize block, bounded by 5th and 6th Avenues, and Oak and Burnside Streets, had been acquired, its existing buildings to be razed and replaced by new U.S. National Bank buildings. The first of these was a seven-story building (the U.S. Bank Plaza, at 5th & Oak), completed in 1974. But the headline structure was the U.S. Bancorp Tower, a 42-story building that opened in 1983 (having already been part of the bank's long-term site plans in 1970, but ultimately delayed until the 1980s). Notwithstanding this major expansion, the firm continued to own and use its landmark 1917 building, which company president LeRoy Staver, in a 1970 Oregonian article, called "a jewel of a banking property and one that will never be duplicated".
In a 1979 article, The Oregonian wrote that, "The 1917-vintage U.S. National Bank, 321 S.W. Sixth Avenue, retains nearly all its original features, inside and out, a rare trait among Portland landmarks." The U.S. National Bank of Oregon was honored by the Portland Historical Landmarks Commission in that year for its longstanding commitment to maintaining the building in nearly original condition.
The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1986, and was still serving as the bank's main branch. Since the end of 1968, United States National Bank of Oregon has been owned by the then-newly formed holding company U.S. Bancorp, which provides consumer banking under the U.S. Bank name. One hundred years after its opening, the 1917-built, 1925-expanded original United States National Bank Building continues to serve as the main branch of U.S. Bank in Portland in 2017.
## Description
### Exterior
The building is five stories tall including a mezzanine level and, after its 1925 expansion, occupies a 100-by-200-foot (30 m × 61 m) area, along the north side of SW Stark Street from Sixth Avenue to Broadway. The eastern façade, facing Sixth Avenue, features six freestanding Corinthian columns, each 54 ft (16 m) in height. These support a portico that is topped by a large and richly decorated Roman frieze, a cornice and balustrade. Decorations on the cornice include lion heads and palmettes. At the back of the portico, and behind the columns, are two Corinthian pilasters, at the far left and right ends of the façade. Between these are "five vertical bays separated by piers made of coursed, rusticated terra cotta. Window openings are set in cast-bronze frames." The five windows at the second-floor level are topped by cast-bronze segmental pediments. There are three entrance doorways in the three central bays, although originally there was only one. The central entrance features a pair of large bronze doors with highly decorated bas relief panels, surrounded by detailed terracotta, including replicas of early Greek, Roman and U.S. coins in the decoration framing the door, and a heraldic eagle in a pedimented cornice above the doorway. The bronze relief panels were cast in 1931, replacing the 1917 door panels. Designed by Avard Fairbanks, they "depict noble concepts of American life, such as 'Knowledge and Service', 'Domestic Welfare', 'Progress through Direction', and so on." Fairbanks also designed bronze relief panels for the building's western façade, built in 1925.
The overall exterior design was modeled closely on a 1904 bank building, the headquarters of the Knickerbocker Trust Company, in New York City.
The southern façade, along Stark Street, is 200 ft (61 m) long and features a line of 14 Corinthian pilasters. The 12 window bays on this side have frames made of cast iron. Above the pilasters and fourth-floor windows are a cornice and balustrade with a design similar to that used at the eastern end. The Stark Street side includes one entrance, which was present from 1917, located at what was then the far back corner of the building, but its position became approximately midway along the Stark Street side following the 1925 expansion.
At the building's west end, constructed eight years later and facing Broadway, the façade is similar to the eastern one, but the main body of the building extends to the corners of the lot, and instead of a full-width portico there is a recessed portico with only two columns in the center. Six pilasters line the eastern façade, three to each side of the columns, all topped by Corinthian capitals, the same as on the building's other two exposed sides. Another difference from the eastern façade is that, on the western façade, "United States National Bank" is inscribed in the central section of the frieze, in place of the rinceau decoration there at the building's opposite end. Ornamental bronze lanterns flank the central entrance, which features bas relief panels cast in bronze in 1926–27 and designed by Avard Fairbanks. The panels at the western entrance "depict pivotal events in the historical development of the Columbia Basin".
### Interior
The ground floor holds the main banking room (the Portland branch of U.S. Bank), and a grand room measuring 100 by 40 feet (30 m × 12 m) with 30-foot (9 m) ceilings. The interior is extensively decorated with highly textured materials. Square columns of polished marble topped by Corinthian capitals that incorporate an eagle motif line all four sides of the main public space. The coffered ceiling is intricately detailed. The marble floor is patterned, and the teller windows are divided by Hauteville-marble pillars detailed with bas reliefs. A recessed mezzanine floor runs along the north and south sides, behind the columns. The bank vaults are in the basement, where the public space also has a marble floor.
The third and fourth floors are office space, centered around a courtyard. A remodeling of the fourth-floor offices in 1948, based on designs by Pietro Belluschi, incorporated Oregon myrtle in the paneling and custom furnishings. The bank's board room, located on the third floor, includes a marble fireplace and stained glass windows by the noted Portland company, Povey Brothers Studio. The room is located in the southwest quadrant of the floor, in the 1925-built section, and is 55 ft × 30 ft (16.8 m × 9.1 m) in size. Its walls are covered in dark walnut. Ornamental lighting fixtures with brass wall mountings adorn the east and west ends of the room, and a bronze ring chandelier hangs above the center.
## Immediate surroundings
At its east end, the United States National Bank Building stands directly across 6th Avenue from another A. E. Doyle-designed bank building, the Bank of California Building, of 1925. The aforementioned building's Italianate style contrasts sharply with the U.S. National Bank Building's classical design. The northbound Portland Transit Mall passes in front of the building's east end, and during the mall's construction in 1976–77 the plain concrete sidewalk there was resurfaced in brick, and street trees were added. MAX light rail trains have passed in front of the building's east end on 6th Avenue since 2009, following a 2007–08 rebuilding of the transit mall.
## See also
- Architecture of Portland, Oregon
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Southwest Portland, Oregon
|
3,010,318 |
Deutschland-class cruiser
| 1,171,314,331 |
1929 cruiser class of the German Navy
|
[
"Cruiser classes",
"Deutschland-class cruisers"
] |
The Deutschland class was a series of three Panzerschiffe (armored ships), a form of heavily armed cruiser, built by the Reichsmarine officially in accordance with restrictions imposed by the Treaty of Versailles. The ships of the class, Deutschland, Admiral Scheer, and Admiral Graf Spee, were all stated to displace 10,000 long tons (10,160 t) in accordance with the Treaty, though they actually displaced 10,600 to 12,340 long tons (10,770 to 12,540 t) at standard displacement. The design for the ships incorporated several radical innovations, including the first major use of welding in a warship and all-diesel propulsion. Due to their heavy armament of six 28 cm (11 in) guns and lighter weight, the British began referring to the vessels as "pocket battleships". The Deutschland-class ships were initially classified as Panzerschiffe, but the Kriegsmarine reclassified them as heavy cruisers in February 1940.
The three ships were built between 1929 and 1936 by the Deutsche Werke in Kiel and the Reichsmarinewerft in Wilhelmshaven, seeing much service with the German Navy. All three vessels served on non-intervention patrols during the Spanish Civil War. While on patrol, Deutschland was attacked by Republican bombers, and in response, Admiral Scheer bombarded the port of Almería. In 1937, Admiral Graf Spee represented Germany at the Coronation Review for Britain's King George VI. For the rest of their peacetime careers, the ships conducted a series of fleet maneuvers in the Atlantic and visited numerous foreign ports in goodwill tours.
Before the outbreak of World War II, Deutschland and Admiral Graf Spee were deployed to the Atlantic to put them in position to attack Allied merchant traffic once war was declared. Admiral Scheer remained in port for periodic maintenance. Deutschland was not particularly successful on her raiding sortie, during which she sank or captured three ships. She then returned to Germany, where she was renamed Lützow. Admiral Graf Spee sank nine vessels in the South Atlantic before she was confronted by three British cruisers at the Battle of the River Plate. Although she damaged the British ships, she was herself damaged and her engines were in poor condition. Coupled with deceptive false British reports of reinforcements, the state of the ship convinced Hans Langsdorff, her commander, to scuttle the ship outside Montevideo, Uruguay.
Lützow and Admiral Scheer were deployed to Norway in 1942 to join the attacks on Allied convoys to the Soviet Union. Admiral Scheer conducted Operation Wunderland in August 1942, a sortie into the Kara Sea to attack Soviet merchant shipping, though it ended without significant success. Lützow took part in the Battle of the Barents Sea in December 1942, a failed attempt to destroy a convoy. Both ships were damaged in the course of their deployment to Norway and eventually returned to Germany for repairs. They ended their careers bombarding advancing Soviet forces on the Eastern Front; both ships were destroyed by British bombers in the final weeks of the war. Lützow was raised and sunk as a target by the Soviet Navy, and Admiral Scheer was partially broken up in situ, with the remainder of the hulk buried beneath rubble.
## Development
Following Germany's defeat in World War I, the size of the German Navy, renamed the Reichsmarine, was limited by the Treaty of Versailles. The Navy was permitted a force of six pre-dreadnought battleships and six light cruisers; the ships could not be replaced until they were twenty years old. To replace the battleships, new vessels were to displace at most 10,000 long tons (10,000 t); Germany's potential rivals were at this time limited to building vessels of 35,000 long tons (36,000 t) by the Washington Naval Treaty and subsequent agreements. The gun caliber of any new ship was not regulated by the Treaty itself, though the Naval Inter-Allied Commission of Control (NIACC) created by the Treaty did have authority to regulate the armament of all new warships. The Allies assumed that with these limitations, only coastal defense ships similar to those operated by the Scandinavian navies could be built.
The Reichsmarine's oldest battleship, Preussen, was laid down in 1902 and could therefore be replaced legally in 1922. Design studies were considered starting in 1920, with two basic options: the Navy could build a heavily armored, slow, and small warship similar to a monitor, or a large, fast, and lightly armored vessel similar to a cruiser. Actual design work on the new type of armored ship began in 1923, but the German economy collapsed in 1924, forcing a temporary halt to the work. Admiral Hans Zenker, the commander in chief of the Reichsmarine, pushed hard for the navy to resume design work, and in 1925 three new proposals were drafted. In addition to two sketches prepared in 1923, this totaled five different designs. Of the first two designs, "I/10" was a 32-knot (59 km/h; 37 mph) cruiser armed with eight 20.5 cm (8.1 in) guns while "II/10" was a 22-knot (41 km/h; 25 mph), heavily armored ship armed with four 38 cm (15 in) guns. The three designs prepared in 1925—"II/30", "IV/30", and "V/30"—were armed with six 30 cm (12 in) guns with varying levels of armor protection. The Reichsmarine eventually opted for 28 cm (11 in) guns to avoid provoking the Allies and to ease pressures on the design staff.
The Reichsmarine held a conference to evaluate the designs in May 1925, though the results were inconclusive. Of particular importance was the continued French occupation of the Ruhr industrial area, which prevented Germany from quickly building large-caliber artillery. Nevertheless, the design staff prepared another set of designs, "I/35", a heavily armored ship with a single triple turret forward, and "VIII/30", a more lightly-armored ship with a pair of twin turrets. The Reichsmarine initially intended to lay down the first armored ship in 1926, but the design had not yet been finalized. The 1926 maneuvers informed the design staff that greater speed was desirable, and that year, a further two designs were submitted to Zenker. The initial design for Deutschland, ordered as "Panzerschiff A", was prepared in 1926 and finalized by 1928. Zenker announced on 11 June 1927 that the Navy had settled on one of several proposals for the new warships. The Reichsmarine had decided that the new ships would be armed with two triple turrets mounting 28 cm guns.
Political opposition to the new ships was significant. The Reichsmarine therefore decided to delay ordering the ship until after the Reichstag elections in 1928. The question over whether to build the new ships was a major issue in elections, particularly with the Social Democrats, who strongly opposed the new ships and campaigned with the slogan "Food not Panzerkreuzer." In May 1928, the elections were concluded and enough of a majority in favor of the new ships was elected; this included twelve seats won by Adolf Hitler's Nazi Party. An October 1928 attempt by the Communist Party of Germany to initiate a referendum against the construction failed. The first of the new ships was authorized in November 1928.
When the particulars of the design became known by the Allies, they attempted to prevent Germany from building them. The Reichsmarine offered to halt construction on the first ship in exchange for admittance to the Washington Treaty with a ratio of 125,000 long tons (127,000 t) to Britain's allotment of 525,000 long tons (533,000 t) of capital ship tonnage. In doing so, this would effectively abrogate the clauses in the Treaty of Versailles that limited Germany's naval power. Britain and the United States favored making concessions to Germany, but France refused to allow any revisions to the Treaty of Versailles. Since the ships did not violate the terms of the Treaty, the Allies could not prevent Germany from building them after a negotiated settlement proved unattainable.
## Design
### General characteristics
The three Deutschland-class ships varied slightly in dimensions. All three ships were 181.70 meters (596.1 ft) long at the waterline, and as built, 186 m (610 ft 3 in) long overall. Deutschland and Admiral Scheer had clipper bows installed in 1940–1941; their overall length was increased to 187.90 m (616 ft 6 in). Deutschland had a beam of 20.69 m (67 ft 11 in), Admiral Scheer's beam was 21.34 m (70 ft 0 in), while Admiral Graf Spee's was 21.65 m (71 ft 0 in). Deutschland and Admiral Scheer had a standard draft of 5.78 m (19 ft 0 in) and a full-load draft of 7.25 m (23 ft 9 in). Admiral Graf Spee's draft was 5.80 m (19 ft 0 in) and 7.34 m (24 ft 1 in), respectively. The displacement of the three ships increased over the class. Standard displacement grew from 10,600 long tons (10,800 t) for Deutschland to 11,550 long tons (11,740 t) for Admiral Scheer and 12,340 long tons (12,540 t) for Admiral Graf Spee. The ships' full load displacements were significantly higher, at 14,290 long tons (14,520 t) for Deutschland, 13,660 long tons (13,880 t) for Admiral Scheer, and 16,020 long tons (16,280 t) for Admiral Graf Spee. The ships were officially stated to be within the 10,000 long tons (10,000 t) limit of the Treaty of Versailles, however.
The ships' hulls were constructed with transverse steel frames; over 90 percent of the hulls used welding instead of the then standard riveting, which saved 15 percent of their total hull weight. These savings allowed the armament and armor to be increased. The hulls contained twelve watertight compartments and were fitted with a double bottom that extended for 92 percent of the length of the keel. As designed, the ship's complement comprised 33 officers and 586 enlisted men. After 1935, the crew was dramatically increased, to 30 officers and 921–1,040 sailors. While serving as a squadron flagship, an additional 17 officers and 85 enlisted men augmented the crew. The second flagship had an additional 13 officers and 59 sailors. The ships carried a number of smaller boats, including two picket boats, two barges, one launch, one pinnace, and two dinghies.
The Kriegsmarine considered the ships to be good sea boats, with a slight roll. As built, they were wet in a head sea, though this was significantly improved by the installation of a clipper bow in 1940–1941. The ships were highly maneuverable, particularly when the maneuvering setting for the diesel engines was used, in which half of the engines for each shaft were run in reverse. The ships heeled over up to 13 degrees with the rudder hard over. The low stern was wet in a stern sea, and equipment stored there was frequently lost overboard.
### Machinery
The Deutschland-class ships were equipped with two sets of four 9-cylinder, double-acting, two-stroke diesel engines built by MAN. The adoption of an all-diesel propulsion system was a radical innovation at the time and contributed to significant savings in weight. Each set was controlled by transmissions built by AG Vulcan. The engines were paired on two propeller shafts, which were attached to three-bladed screws that were 4.40 m (14 ft 5 in) in diameter. Deutschland was initially fitted with 3.70 m (12 ft 2 in) diameter screws, before they were replaced with the larger screws. The engines were rated at 54,000 metric horsepower (53,261.3 shp; 39,716.9 kW) and a top speed of 26 knots (48 km/h; 30 mph). They did not meet the expected shaft-horsepower on trials, though they did exceed their design speeds. Deutschland's engines reached 48,390 PS (47,730 shp; 35,590 kW) and 28 knots (52 km/h; 32 mph), and Admiral Scheer's engines reached 52,050 PS (51,340 shp; 38,280 kW) and 28.3 knots (52.4 km/h; 32.6 mph). Horsepower figures for Admiral Graf Spee are not recorded, though her top speed on trials was 29.5 knots (54.6 km/h; 33.9 mph).
Deutschland could carry up to 2,750 t (2,710 long tons) of fuel oil, which provided a maximum range of 17,400 nautical miles (32,200 km; 20,000 mi) at a speed of 13 knots (24 km/h; 15 mph). An increase in speed by one knot reduced the range slightly to 16,600 nmi (30,700 km; 19,100 mi). At a higher speed of 20 knots (37 km/h; 23 mph), the range fell to 10,000 nmi (19,000 km; 12,000 mi). Admiral Scheer carried 2,410 t (2,370 long tons) and had a correspondingly shorter range of 9,100 nmi (16,900 km; 10,500 mi) at 20 kn. Admiral Graf Spee stored 2,500 t (2,500 long tons) of fuel, which enabled a range of 8,900 nmi (16,500 km; 10,200 mi). Electricity was supplied by four electric generators powered by two diesel engines. Their total output was 2,160 kW for Deutschland, 2,800 kW for Admiral Scheer, and 3,360 kW for Admiral Graf Spee, all at 220 volts. Steering was controlled by a single rudder.
### Armament
The three Deutschland-class ships were armed with a main battery of six 28 cm SK C/28 guns mounted in two triple turrets, one on either end of the superstructure. The turrets were the Drh LC/28 type and allowed elevation to 40 degrees, and depression to −8 degrees. This provided the guns with a maximum range of 36,475 m (39,890 yd). They fired a 300 kg (660 lb) projectile at a muzzle velocity of 910 meters per second (3,000 ft/s). The guns were initially supplied with a total 630 rounds of ammunition, and this was later increased to 720 shells.
The secondary battery comprised eight 15 cm SK C/28 guns, each in single MPLC/28 mountings arranged amidships. These mountings allowed elevation to 35 degrees and depression to −10 degrees, for a range of 25,700 m (28,100 yd). They were supplied with a total of 800 rounds of ammunition, though later in their careers this was increased to 1,200 rounds. These shells weighed 45.3 kg (100 lb) and had a muzzle velocity of 875 m/s (2,870 ft/s). The ships were also equipped with eight 53.3 cm (21.0 in) torpedo tubes placed in two quadruple launchers mounted on their stern.
As built, the ships' anti-aircraft battery consisted of three 8.8 cm SK L/45 anti-aircraft guns in single mounts. These were replaced in 1935 with six 8.8 cm SK C/31 guns in twin mounts. Admiral Graf Spee and Deutschland were rearmed in 1938 and 1940, respectively, with six 10.5 cm L/65 guns, four 3.7 cm SK C/30 guns and initially ten 2 cm Flak guns—the number of 2 cm guns on Deutschland was eventually increased to 28. Admiral Scheer had been rearmed by 1945 with six 4 cm (1.6 in) guns, eight 3.7 cm guns, and thirty-three 2 cm guns.
### Armor
The ships' main armored belt was 80 mm (3.1 in) thick amidships and reduced to 60 mm (2.4 in) on either end of the central citadel. The bow and stern were unarmored at the waterline. This belt was inclined to increase its protective qualities and supplemented by a 20 mm (0.79 in) longitudinal splinter bulkhead. The upper edge of the belt on Deutschland and Admiral Scheer was at the level of the armored deck. On Admiral Graf Spee, it was extended one deck higher. Deutschland's underwater protection consisted of a 45 mm (1.8 in) thick torpedo bulkhead; Admiral Scheer's and Admiral Graf Spee's bulkheads were reduced to 40 mm (1.6 in). Deutschland had a 18 mm (0.71 in) thick upper deck and a main armored deck that ranged in thickness from 18–40 mm. Admiral Scheer and Admiral Graf Spee had 17 mm (0.67 in) main decks and armored decks that ranged in thickness from 17–45 mm. The armored deck in Deutschland and Admiral Scheer did not extend over the entire width of the ship due to weight; this matter was rectified in Admiral Graf Spee. Likewise, the torpedo bulkheads for Deutschland and Admiral Scheer stopped at the inside of the double-bottom but in Admiral Graf Spee extended to the outer hull. The ships' forward conning tower had 150 mm (5.9 in) thick sides with a 50 mm (2.0 in) thick roof, while the aft conning tower was less well protected, with 50 mm thick sides and a 20 mm (0.79 in) thick roof. The main battery turrets had 140 mm (5.5 in) thick faces and 85 mm (3.3 in) thick sides. Their roofs ranged in thickness from 85 to 105 mm (3.3 to 4.1 in). The 15 cm guns were armored with 10 mm (0.39 in) gun shields for splinter protection.
Admiral Scheer and Admiral Graf Spee had some improvements in armor thickness. The barbettes, 100 mm thick in Deutschland, became 125 mm for the two sisters. Admiral Scheer had the belt somewhat improved, and Admiral Graf Spee had a much more improved 100 mm belt, instead of 50–80 mm. The armored deck was improved as well, and some places had up to 70 mm thickness.[^1]
## Classification
The Kriegsmarine initially classified the ships as "Panzerschiffe" (armored ships), but in February 1940 it reclassified the two survivors of the class as heavy cruisers. Due to their heavy armament of six 28 cm (11 in) guns, high speed and long cruising range, the class was more capable of high seas operation than the old pre-dreadnought battleships they replaced; for this reason, they were referred to as "pocket battleships", particularly in the British press. In 1938 Jane's Fighting Ships'' stated the Deutschland-class "[a]re officially rated as 'Armoured Ships' (Panzerschiffe) and popularly referred to as 'Pocket Battleships'. Actually, they are equivalent to armoured cruisers of an exceptionally powerful type."
## Construction
Deutschland was laid down at the Deutsche Werke shipyard in Kiel on 5 February 1929, under the contract name "Panzerschiff A", as a replacement for the old battleship Preussen. Work began under construction number 219. The ship was launched on 19 May 1931; at her launching, she was christened by German Chancellor Heinrich Brüning. The ship accidentally started sliding down the slipway while Brüning was giving his christening speech. After the completion of fitting out work, initial sea trials began in November 1932. The ship was commissioned into the Reichsmarine on 1 April 1933.
Serious political opposition to the ships continued after the authorization for Deutschland, and a political crisis over the second ship, Admiral Scheer, was averted only after the Social Democrats abstained from voting. As a result of the opposition, "Panzerschiff B" was not authorized until 1931. A replacement for the old battleship Lothringen, her keel was laid on 25 June 1931 at the Reichsmarinewerft shipyard in Wilhelmshaven, under construction number 123. The ship was launched on 1 April 1933; at her launching, she was christened by Marianne Besserer, the daughter of Admiral Reinhard Scheer, after whom the ship was named. She was completed slightly over a year and a half later on 12 November 1934, the day she was commissioned into the German fleet.
Admiral Graf Spee, the third and final member of the class, was also ordered by the Reichsmarine from the Reichsmarinewerft shipyard in Wilhelmshaven. She was ordered under the contract name "Panzerschiff C" to replace the battleship Braunschweig. Her keel was laid on 1 October 1932, under construction number 125. The ship was launched on 30 June 1934; at her launching, she was christened by the daughter of Admiral Maximilian von Spee, after whom the ship was named. She was completed slightly over a year and a half later on 6 January 1936, the day she was commissioned into the German fleet.
## Possible conversion
After Hitler had given the order in late January 1943 for the two remaining ships to be scrapped, the possibility of instead converting them into aircraft carriers was discussed. The hulls would have been lengthened by approximately 20 meters (66 ft), which would have used 2,000 tons of steel and employed 400 workmen. Conversion time was estimated at two years. Their flight deck would have been only 10 meters (33 ft) shorter than that of the Admiral Hipper-class heavy cruiser Seydlitz, which had been prepared for conversion in 1942, and they would still have attained 28 knots. This plan was not pursued.
## Ships in class
### Deutschland
Deutschland saw significant action with the Kriegsmarine, including several non-intervention patrols, during which she was attacked by Republican bombers. At the outbreak of World War II, she was cruising the North Atlantic, prepared to attack Allied merchant traffic. Bad weather hampered her efforts, and she sank or captured only three vessels before returning to Germany, after which she was renamed Lützow. She then participated in Operation Weserübung, the invasion of Norway. Damaged at the Battle of Drøbak Sound, she was recalled to Germany for repairs. While en route, she was torpedoed by a British submarine and seriously damaged.
Repairs were completed by March 1941, and in June Lützow steamed to Norway. While en route, she was torpedoed by a British bomber, necessitating significant repairs that lasted until May 1942. She returned to Norway to join the forces arrayed against Allied shipping to the Soviet Union. She ran aground during a planned attack on convoy PQ 17, which necessitated another return to Germany for repairs. She next saw action at the Battle of the Barents Sea with the heavy cruiser Admiral Hipper, which ended with a failure to destroy the convoy JW 51B. Engine problems forced a series of repairs culminating in a complete overhaul at the end of 1943, after which the ship remained in the Baltic. Sunk in the Kaiserfahrt in April 1945 by Royal Air Force (RAF) bombers, Lützow was used as a gun battery to support German troops fighting the Soviet Army until 4 May 1945, when she was disabled by her crew. Raised by the Soviet Navy in 1947, she was reportedly broken up for scrap over the next two years, according to Western works that did not have access to Soviet documents at the time. The historian Hans Georg Prager examined the former Soviet archives in the early 2000s, and discovered that Lützow actually had been sunk in weapons tests in July 1947.
### Admiral Scheer
Admiral Scheer saw heavy service with the German Navy, including several deployments to Spain during the Spanish Civil War, to participate in non-intervention patrols. While off Spain, she bombarded the port of Almería following the Republican attack on her sister Deutschland. At the outbreak of World War II, she remained in port for a periodic refit. Her first operation during World War II was a commerce raiding operation into the southern Atlantic Ocean that started in late October 1940. While on the operation, she also made a brief foray into the Indian Ocean. During the raiding mission, she sank 113,223 gross register tons (GRT) of shipping, making her the most successful capital ship surface raider of the war.
Following her return to Germany, she was deployed to northern Norway to interdict shipping to the Soviet Union. She was part of the abortive attack on Convoy PQ 17 with the battleship Tirpitz; the operation was broken off after surprise was lost. She also conducted Operation Wunderland, a sortie into the Kara Sea. After returning to Germany at the end of 1942, the ship served as a training ship until the end of 1944, when she was used to support ground operations against the Soviet Army. She was sunk by British bombers on 9 April 1945 and partially scrapped; the remainder of the wreck lies buried beneath a quay.
### Admiral Graf Spee
Admiral Graf Spee conducted extensive training in the Baltic and Atlantic before participating in five non-intervention patrols during the Spanish Civil War in 1936–1938. She also represented Germany during the Coronation Review for King George VI in May 1937. Admiral Graf Spee was deployed to the South Atlantic in the weeks before the outbreak of World War II, to be positioned in merchant sea lanes once war was declared. Between September and December 1939, the ship sank nine ships totaling 50,089 GRT; in response, the British and French navies formed several hunter-killer groups to track her down. These forces included four aircraft carriers, two battleships, and one battlecruiser.
Admiral Graf Spee operated in concert with the supply ship Altmark. Admiral Graf Spee was eventually confronted by three British cruisers off Uruguay at the Battle of the River Plate on 13 December 1939. She inflicted heavy damage on the British ships, but suffered damage as well, and was forced to put into port at Montevideo. Convinced by false reports of superior British naval forces approaching his ship and the poor state of his own engines, Hans Langsdorff, the commander of the ship, ordered the vessel to be scuttled. Langsdorff committed suicide three days after the scuttling. The ship was partially broken up in situ, though part of the ship remains visible above the surface of the water.
[^1]: Whitley, M.J. German Capital Ships of World War Two, Arm and armour press, London 1989
|
29,666,989 |
Luke McLuke
| 1,149,215,297 |
20th-century American Thoroughbred racehorse
|
[
"1911 racehorse births",
"Belmont Stakes winners",
"Racehorses bred in Kentucky",
"Racehorses trained in the United States",
"Thoroughbred family 2-h"
] |
Luke McLuke (1911 – c. 1929) was a bay Thoroughbred stallion born in the United States. He won the 1914 Belmont Stakes, the Carlton Stakes, Kentucky Handicap, and Grainger Memorial Handicap among his four wins from six starts. After his racing career was over, he became a breeding stallion, siring 11 stakes winners. Two of his daughters were named as year-end Champions in the United States.
## Breeding and background
Luke McLuke's sire was Ultimus, and his dam was an imported mare named Midge, a daughter of the English Thoroughbred Trenton. Midge's dam was another imported mare named Sandfly by the English stallion Isonomy. Ultimus was inbred to Commando, as both his sire and dam were sired by Domino. Ultimus never raced, however.
Luke McLuke was bred by James R. Keene at Castleton Stud, but was sold, along with the entire stock of the 1911 foal crop, in 1912 as yearlings. He was originally bought as part of a group lot of all 16 of the colts, bought by William A. Prime for \$25,000 (), who promptly turned around sold the horses to Edward R. Bradley. Bradley then auctioned them off for a total of \$57,650 () shortly after purchasing them. John W. Schorr of Memphis, Tennessee, bought Luke McLuke for \$1,700 (). Although unraced as a two-year-old, Luke McLuke raced as a three-year-old for Schorr. In Schorr's ownership, the stallion won the Belmont Stakes.
Luke McLuke was expected to be a sprinter, as his breeding, especially on his sire's side, was mostly raced at shorter distances.
## Racing career
Luke McLuke won the Belmont on June 20, 1914, carrying 126 lb (57 kg) and with Merritt Buxton as his jockey. He earned a total of \$3025 () for the win. The time for the 1+3⁄8 mi (2.2 km) race was 2 minutes and 20 seconds, beating Gainer and Charlestonian. On June 30, 1914, he ran in the Carleton Stakes, which was a 1-mile (1.6 km)-long race for three-year-olds. He earned \$5,125 () for the win, which was made in 1 minute 38 and 4⁄5 seconds. Luke McLuke carried 126 lb (57 kg) in the race and his jockey was Merritt Buxton. He beat Charlestonian again, as well as Stromboli and Figinny. He also won the Kentucky Handicap and Grainger Memorial Handicap that year. The Grainger was a race for three-year-olds and up, at a distance of 1+1⁄4 mi (2.0 km) and was run at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. Luke McLuke carried 100 lb (45 kg) in the race, and was ridden by Andy Neylon for the win. Second place was Rudolfo and third went to Solar Star. The win earned him \$11,500 (), and the winning time was 2 minutes and 2 and 4⁄5 seconds.
Luke McLuke was trained by Schorr's son, John F. Schorr. Luke McLuke's race wins in 1914 helped make the elder Schorr the leading owner for 1914, the second time he had earned that title. The younger Schorr was the leading trainer in 1914, the first time he topped that list. The stallion's overall racing record was four wins in six starts with one second and one third. His total earnings on the racetrack were \$22,050 ().
## Breeding career and legacy
In 1925, Luke McLuke was owned by J. Oliver Keene and stood at stud at Keeneland Stud in Lexington, Kentucky. He sired 11 stakes winners, including Nellie Morse, Anita Peabody, and Mr. Sponge. Nellie Morse won the 1924 Preakness Stakes and was named the 1924 Champion Three-Year-Old-Filly. Anita Peabody won the Futurity Stakes and the Debutante Stakes and was named 1927 Champion Two-Year-Old Filly. In all, Luke McLuke sired 85 foals in 13 foal crops; 55 of his foals started races, with 40 of those starters winning races for a total of \$449,783. His daughter Nellie Morse was the dam of Nellie Flag, the 1934 Champion Two-Year-Old Filly. After her racing career was over, Nellie Flag went on to become one of the foundation broodmares at Calumet Farm in Kentucky. A grandson was Three Bars, out of a Luke McLuke daughter named Myrtle Dee. Three Bars went on to become an influential sire of Quarter Horses, and was named to the American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame in 1989. Another daughter, Nursemaid, produced the 1966 Kentucky Broodmare of the Year, Juliet's Nurse. Luke McLuke's granddaughter Nellie Flag was in turn the dam of Mar-Kell, the 1943 Champion Handicap Mare.
The Chicago Tribune reported the death of Luke McLuke in February 1929, but noted the horse had died suddenly in his exercise paddock at the farm of John Hertz many weeks before the press release. He was recorded as dead in the 1932 edition of the American Racing Manual.
## Pedigree
|
2,190,010 |
Petarded
| 1,148,598,134 | null |
[
"2005 American television episodes",
"Family Guy (season 4) episodes"
] |
"Petarded" is the sixth episode of the fourth season of the American animated television series Family Guy. It originally aired on Fox in the United States on June 19, 2005. It was written by Alec Sulkin and Wellesley Wild and directed by Seth Kearsley. In the episode Peter takes the MacArthur Fellows Program test to see if he is a genius. However, he performs so poorly that he is declared technically mentally retarded. Attempting to take advantage of the situation, he accidentally hospitalizes Lois while attempting to steal from a restaurant and loses custody of Meg, Chris, and Stewie.
The episode's title is a double entendre, being both portmanteau between "Peter" and "Retarded" and also a reference to the Shakespeare-coined phrase "hoist with his own petard". This title practice would later be used on a few more episodes, namely "Peterotica" and "Petergeist".
"Timer", a character from 1970s Saturday morning public service announcements, made an appearance in the episode. Series producers tried to get Lennie Weinrib, the actor who had voiced him in the original cartoon segments, to make a guest appearance in the episode. However, Weinrib declined reprising the role as he could not accurately recall the character. "Petarded" gained a Nielsen rating of 4.4, making it the week's 42nd most-watched program. Critics and news sources responded with high praise and many regard this episode as Family Guy's best. Various scenes in the episode were removed by broadcast censors, including one musical number ("Peter is Slow"). It features the guest performances of LeVar Burton, Gary Cole, Barclay DeVeau, Indigo, Phil LaMarr, Cloris Leachman, Len Maxwell, Natasha Melnick, Nicole Sullivan, and Lisa Wilhoit, as well as several recurring voice actors for the series.
## Plot
The Griffins invite their neighbors over for game night. While playing Trivial Pursuit, Lois uses questions from the preschool edition for Peter in order to let him win. When Peter wins, he brags to everyone, believing himself to be smarter than everyone else. Irritated at Peter's arrogance, Brian challenges Peter to take the MacArthur Fellows Program test to prove he is a genius. The results of the test show that Peter is not a genius; in fact, the results show that, technically speaking, Peter is "mentally retarded". Peter sinks into depression after being publicly labeled as retarded. While driving home with Lois, Peter accidentally knocks down Tom Tucker. Tucker, recognizing Peter as "the retarded fellow", does not press charges, and Peter realizes his condition means he can get away with anything.
While testing the limits of what he can get away with, such as interrupting church attendants by having a Bible fight, kicking open the stall doors in a girls' bathroom, and saying "testicles" through a microphone at a fast food restaurant, Peter goes behind the counter and sees a "Fryolator" and wants to take it home. However, he accidentally drenches Lois with hot grease, scalding her. While she is recovering, Child Protection Services take away Peter's custody of Meg, Chris, and Stewie on the grounds that Peter is mentally unfit to look after them. The three are placed in the care of Cleveland. When Brian tells Peter that he just has to show that he is a good parent, Peter thinks that the best way to do that is to show what a bad parent Cleveland is, so he brings seven prostitutes into Cleveland's house. This does not work as Agent Jessup sees through the plot and Cleveland orders Peter and five of the prostitutes out. In a last attempt, he appeals to the court for custody of his kids, but he is denied and avoids imprisonment only because the judge forgets that prisons exist.
After returning home and accepting that the Griffins may never be together again, Lois walks in, revealing she has completely recovered and reobtained custody of the kids. Peter is overjoyed that everything is back to normal, as well as the fact that Lois will smell like French fries for the next six months.
## Production
"Petarded" was written by Alec Sulkin and Wellesley Wild and directed by former The Goode Family director Seth Kearsley before the conclusion of the fourth production season. Despite Sulkin and Wild writing the episode, the idea for "Petarded" came from series creator and executive producer Seth MacFarlane. The episode featured an appearance by "Timer", a character from 1970s Time for Timer Saturday morning cartoon public service announcements. Seth MacFarlane attempted to hire Lennie Weinrib, the actor who provided his voice for the character to appear in "Petarded" but, as MacFarlane describes in the DVD commentary, "he was a little old ... and he didn't remember doing it". Weinrib died one year after the debut of "Petarded".
In the original draft of the episode, Peter being asked easy questions during Trivial Pursuit was meant to be by chance, but executive producer David A. Goodman proposed the storyline of easy questions being given to Peter by Lois. Prior to the episode broadcast, several sequences were shown after Peter discovers he can get away with anything on the basis that he is mentally challenged including a "how loud can I yell" experiment, as well as tackling down an opponent going for a touchdown while attending a New England Patriots game, but they were not deemed funny enough and scrapped.
Various scenes in the episode were changed or removed because of broadcast censors. Originally, just after Peter hands Brian his test results from the MacArthur Program, Peter was to ask "Would a retarded person have peed in their pants?", then urinate in his trousers. However, because broadcasting standards prohibited this, it was changed to "Well, would a mentally retarded guy have hired a bulldozer with a drunk driver to level half of his house in celebration of his fantastic test results?". Brian stating to Peter "In your fucking face, Fuckwad" after Peter performs poorly on the test was censored from television broadcasting and on the censored track on the DVD, but can be heard uncensored on the uncensored audio track. This marks the first time that the word "fuck" has been heard uncensored in a Family Guy episode. The Family Guy orchestra sung and recorded a song for a sequence which showed several Quahog citizens learning and talking about Peter being declared as retarded. However, this was removed from the episode because broadcasting standards believed it used the word "retarded" too many times. After Peter loses custody of the kids, Chris was originally to stay with Mort Goldman, Stewie with Cleveland and Meg with Quagmire. During this original sequence, Mort was to tell Chris that he has two anuses, causing Quagmire to force Meg to lock him in a safe room as he could not trust himself around Meg's friends, but the series was prohibited from broadcasting it by an unknown authority, presumably broadcasting standards.
In the episode's DVD commentary, MacFarlane addressed what viewers perceived to be a rather abrupt ending to the episode. As Peter has lost all hope in getting custody of his kids back, Lois walks through the front door, returning from the hospital, and has brought the kids home with her. MacFarlane stated, "Some of the fans actually noticed, commented on the fact that this was a very abrupt resolution, but, to that I would say, you're not watching CSI ... wouldn't you rather we throw in more jokes and fill up the time, and then hustle to the finish line at the last minute?".
In addition to the regular cast, actor LeVar Burton, voice actor Gary Cole, actress Barclay DeVeau, actress Indigo, voice actor Phil LaMarr, actress Cloris Leachman, actor Len Maxwell, actress Natasha Melnick, voice actress Nicole Sullivan, and actress Lisa Wilhoit guest starred in the episode. Recurring guest voice actors Johnny Brennan, Ralph Garman, writer Mike Henry, writer Danny Smith, writer Alec Sulkin, and writer John Viener made minor appearances. Recurring guest cast member Patrick Warburton reprised his role of Joe Swanson in the episode.
## Cultural references
- The episode is based on the 1985 movie Mask, a film about Roy L. Dennis who suffered from a rare bone disorder. This is acknowledged by a cutaway in the episode itself where Diana Adams actually touches Rocky's face and, despite Rocky claiming it wouldn't matter, finds herself utterly shocked and increasingly repulsed at the feeling of his face.
- Lois is seen having developed a tumor due to constantly repressing negative thoughts about having married a mentally retarded man. The tumor sings an altered version of the 1985 Falco song "Rock Me Amadeus".
- Peter is shown taking the MacArthur Fellows Program (also known as the "MacArthur Genius Grant") in his attempt to prove to Brian that he is a genius. When Peter takes the test, he uses a See 'n' Say instead of a calculator.
- The Time for Timer character shown singing and dancing is a reference to public service announcements broadcast in the 1970s on ABC on Saturday mornings (referencing in particular the well-known "I Hanker for a Hunk of Cheese" episode). When Peter thought what he would do with all his money from the MacArthur Genius Grant, he thought of legally buying Cloris Leachman, forcing her to juggle. Also on the Season 4 DVD commentary, Seth MacFarlane explained he wanted to hire Lennie Weinrib to reprise Timer for the gag, but Weinrib was suffering from failing health when "Petarded" was being produced and as MacFarlane explained, he "didn't remember doing it"; he would ultimately redub the voice himself. Weinrib would die just over a year after "Petarded" first aired, on June 28, 2006.
- A deleted scene showing Quahog residents singing about Peter being retarded was a reference to music from Bye Bye Birdie.
- When Peter is talking about how it was more out of place than when Stewie was in an iPod commercial, the song performed is "The Warrior" by Scandal.
- While stalling in answering a Trivial Pursuit question, Peter arbitrarily mumbles the name of the superhero group The Fantastic Four.
- Peter watches an episode of Jake and the Fatman where "Fatman" McCabe's fatness and laziness is exaggerated.
- Vern, Peter's state-appointed inspiration counselor parodies a character of the same name in the movie Rain Man. His reference to Peter as his "main man" mirrors the movie in which Vern refers to Dustin Hoffman's autistic character in the same way.
- When Quagmire complains after being shot by Peter, Peter replies "Relax, you're doing better than Peter Weller in the opening scene from RoboCop". This a reference to a scene in the film RoboCop where Peter Weller is on his knees, wearing a police uniform, and is shot repeatedly.
- When Cleveland sees the seven prostitutes in his house, Peter says, "Seven. Seven prostitutes", referencing The Count from Sesame Street.
- In the scene where it is shown that Peter is in fact mentally retarded. The doctor uses a graph denoting intelligence groups in reference to a similar scene in Forrest Gump with the family guy chart showing “Average” intelligence followed below by “Retarded” where we see Peter's name yet below that still of lower intelligence than retards is a section labelled "Creationists".
## Reception
On June 19, 2005, the episode was first broadcast on Fox. It gained a Nielsen rating of 4.4, making it the 42nd most-watched show of the week of June 13 to June 19.
In 2014, to celebrate the show's 15th anniversary, IGN published a list of the 15 best Family Guy episodes, with "Petarded" ranked the best, saying: "The show is at its comedic best with this episode, with musical numbers and family drama to back up the offensive humor." In his review of Family Guy, volume 3, Francis Rizzo III of DVD Talk wrote "... I will say there are some very good episodes in this set, starting with 'Petarded', which sees Peter declared mentally retarded. The ways he takes advantage of this status is classic Family Guy material, while the musical montage here, involving phone calls all over town, is actually quite funny. Plus, the appearance of the Naked, Greased-Up Deaf Guy gave hope that the creators still had that sense of the bizarre in them."
John Nigro of The Pitt News considered "Petarded" one of volume 3's best episodes along with "Breaking Out Is Hard to Do" and "Perfect Castaway". The Sydney Morning Herald critic Marc McEvoy commented "Petarded" to be "a real thigh-slapper". Kim Voynar of TV Squad gave the episode a mixed review, saying "... it just seemed to wrap up a little too quickly for me, like they ran out of time and were like, 'Oops, let's wrap this up now'. Other than that quibble, though, it was a fairly funny episode." Tom Eames of entertainment website Digital Spy placed the episode at number five on his listing of the best Family Guy episodes in order of "yukyukyuks" and described the episode as "one of the best episodes ever" for fans of offensive humor. He also noted that the episode did not "go down all that well at the time with censors and charity groups".
|
22,036,741 |
Ghana at the 2010 Winter Olympics
| 1,033,109,630 | null |
[
"2010 in Ghanaian sport",
"Ghana at the Winter Olympics by year",
"Nations at the 2010 Winter Olympics"
] |
Ghana competed in the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The country's participation at the Games marked its Winter Olympics debut, although it had competed at the Summer Olympics since 1952. The delegation for the 2010 Winter Games consisted of a single alpine skier, Kwame Nkrumah-Acheampong, also known as the "Snow leopard". He was also the nation's flag bearer in the Parade of Nations. Nkrumah-Acheampong did not win any medals, finishing behind his fellow African, Samir Azzimani of Morocco.
## Background
Ghana first participated in a Summer Olympic Games as the Gold Coast at the 1952 Games in Helsinki, Finland. They participated on 12 occasions prior to 2010, winning four medals along the way; three in boxing and a bronze medal in 1992 for the football team. In 2010, the nation made their Winter Olympics debut in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. They sent a single alpine skier Kwame Nkrumah-Acheampong, who was also selected to be the flag bearer in the Parade of Nations during the opening ceremony.
## Alpine skiing
The sole Ghanaian athlete at the Games, Kwame Nkrumah-Acheampong, competed in the men's slalom. Known as the "Snow leopard", Nkrumah-Acheampong was born in Glasgow, Scotland and raised in Accra, Ghana. He moved to England in 2000, and learnt to ski at the ski slope in Milton Keynes after being hired as a receptionist there. He joined the international skiing circuit in 2005, becoming the first black African to do so.
In 2009, he qualified for the 2010 Winter Olympics, scoring 137.5 International Ski Federation points, within the required range of 120–140 points. He previously attempted to qualify for the 2006 Winter Olympics. Nkrumah-Acheampong was one of three African skiers at the 2010 Winter Games, alongside Samir Azzimani of Morocco, and Leyti Seck of Senegal.
Nkrumah-Acheampong only received partial funding from the Ghana Olympic Committee, allowing him to travel to Vancouver, but not covering the travel costs of his support team. When bookmaker Paddy Power discovered the situation, they paid for his manager, coach and physiotherapist to travel to Canada to help his preparation for the Olympics. Nkrumah-Acheampong also sought individual sponsorship for the spots on his leopard spotted ski race suit.
He said "Some people were sceptical, others just did not believe that it was possible to train in such a short period of time and try and qualify, but I think now I can stand up and say it's possible." He was listed by Time as one of the 25 Winter Olympians to watch during the games, and he was placed as a 500–1 shot for the gold medal. In the slalom, Nkrumah-Acheampong registered times of 1:09:08 and 1:13:52 in his two runs, resulting in a final position of 47th overall. This was one place behind Azzimani of Morocco.
|
32,430,732 |
Ewelina Hańska
| 1,163,241,433 |
Polish noblewoman, Honoré de Balzac's wife (c. 1805–1882)
|
[
"1801 births",
"1882 deaths",
"19th-century French novelists",
"19th-century French women",
"19th-century Polish nobility",
"19th-century Polish women",
"Burials at Père Lachaise Cemetery",
"Honoré de Balzac",
"People from Berdichevsky Uyezd",
"People from Pohrebyshche",
"People from the Russian Empire of Polish descent",
"Rzewuski family"
] |
Eveline Hańska (; 6 January – 11 April 1882) was a Polish noblewoman best known for her marriage to French novelist Honoré de Balzac. Born at the Wierzchownia estate in Volhynia (now Ukraine), Hańska married landowner Wacław Hański when she was a teenager. Hański, who was about 20 years her senior, suffered from depression. They had five children, but only a daughter, Anna, survived.
In the late 1820s, Hańska began reading Balzac's novels, and in 1832, she sent him an anonymous letter. This began a decades-long correspondence in which Hańska and Balzac expressed a deep mutual affection. In 1833, they met for the first time, in Switzerland. Soon afterward he began writing the novel Séraphîta, which includes a character based on Hańska.
After her husband died in 1841, a series of complications obstructed Hańska's marriage to Balzac. Chief of these was the estate and her daughter Anna's inheritance, both of which might be threatened if she married him. Anna married a Polish count, easing some of the pressure. About the same time, Hańska gave Balzac the idea for his 1844 novel Modeste Mignon. In 1850 they finally married, and moved to Paris, but he died six months later. Though she never remarried, she took several lovers, and died in 1882.
## Biography
### Family and early life
Hańska was the fourth of seven children born to Adam Wawrzyniec Rzewuski and his wife, Justyna Rzewuska (née Rdułtowska). Their family was established as Polish nobility, known for wealth and military prowess. One ancestor had imprisoned his own mother in a tower to extract his part of an inheritance. Hańska's great-grandfather, Wacław Rzewuski, was a famous writer and Grand Crown Hetman. When the Russian Empire gained control of lands owned by the family through the Partitions of Poland at the end of the 18th century, Rzewuski swore his allegiance to Catherine II. He was rewarded with a comfortable position in the ranks of the empire. Moving between assignments in Kiev, St. Petersburg, and elsewhere, he chose as his primary residence the village of Pohrebyszcze in the region of Vinnytsia.
She was born in the Pohrebyszcze castle, in the Kiev Governorate of Russian partition of Poland. Although scholars agree that Hańska was born on 6 January, the year is disputed. Her biographers and those of Balzac offer conflicting evidence of her age, taken from correspondence, family records, and testimonies from descendants. Most estimates range between 1801 and 1806. Balzac's biographer Graham Robb writes: "Balzac chose 1806 as her date of birth and he was probably right." Roger Pierrot's 1999 biography of Hańska, however, contends that she was born in 1804. Polish Biographical Dictionary gives 24 December 1805 (Julian) which converts to 5 January 1806 (Gregorian).
Like her brothers and sisters, Hańska was educated by her parents about family lineage and religion. Her mother was a devout Catholic, but her father also taught the children about Voltairian rationality. The family was secluded in Pohrebyszcze, with only occasional trips away. Once a year, the family visited Kiev for a market gathering, during which Rzewuski sold grain and her mother purchased clothing and supplies for the estate.
Ewelina had three brothers: Adam, Ernest and Henryk, and three sisters: Alina, Karolina (better known as Karolina Sobańska) and Paulina. Hańska was closest to her brother Henryk, who later became famous for his work in the genre of Polish folk literature known as gawęda. They shared a passion for philosophical discussions, especially related to love and religion. Hańska's other brothers, Adam and Ernest, both pursued military careers. Hańska's eldest sister, Karolina, was admired as a child for her beauty, intellect, and musical talent. She later married a man 34 years her senior, a landowner from Podole named Hieronim Sobański. They separated after two years, and she began a series of passionate affairs with some of her many suitors. These included the Russian general Ivan Ossipovitch Witt, the Polish poet Adam Mickiewicz, and the Russian writer Alexander Pushkin. The Tsar considered her behavior scandalous and declared her dangerously disloyal. As a result, Hańska and the other Rzewuski women were watched carefully by police when they visited the Russian capital of St Petersburg. Hańska's younger sisters, Alina and Paulina, married early into comfortable upper-class families. Alina married a wealthy landowner from Smilavičy, whose father had gained his fortune by managing property for the Ogiński family. Her nephew Stanisław Moniuszko became a renowned composer. Paulina married a banker from Odessa named Jan Riznič.
### Marriage to Hański
In 1819 Eveline married Wacław Hański, a noble who lived nearby at Verhivnya (Wierzchownia). Their marriage was a union of wealthy families, not of passion. His estate covered 21,000 acres (85 km<sup>2</sup>) and owned over 3,000 serfs, including 300 domestic servants. The manor had been designed by a French architect, and its owner filled it with luxuries from around the world: paintings from galleries in Milan and London, dinnerware from China, and a library of 25,000 books in a variety of languages. Hański boasted that none of the furniture was Russian.
Hański was more than twenty years older than Ewelina, who was a teenager at the time of their wedding, and his personality clashed with her youthful vigor. He spent most of the day supervising the grounds, by some accounts with an iron fist. After dinner he was usually too fatigued to spend time with his wife, and retired early. He was generally dour, and lived with a depressed condition that Hańska referred to as "blue devils". Although she was surrounded by opulence, Hańska found herself dissatisfied with her new life and with her husband's emotional distance in particular. As one biographer put it: "He loved Eve but he was not deeply in love with her."
In the first five years of their marriage, Hańska gave birth to five children, four of whom died as infants. The surviving daughter, Anna, was a welcome joy to Hańska, and she trusted her care to a young governess named Henriette Borel who had moved to Wierzchownia from the Swiss town of Neuchâtel.
The estate at Wierzchownia was isolated. Hańska was bored by visits to the court at St. Petersburg, and even more bored by noble guests in her own home. She found nothing in common with the ladies of high society, and longed for the stimulating discussions she had enjoyed with her brother Henryk. She spent her time reading the books her husband imported from faraway lands.
### Becoming "The Stranger"
One of the writers who most enchanted Hańska was the French novelist Honoré de Balzac. After laboring in pseudonymous obscurity for ten years, Balzac published Les Chouans (The Chouans) in 1829. A tale of star-crossed love amidst a royalist uprising in Brittany, it was the first work to which he signed his own name. Hańska was intrigued by the glowing portrayal of the female protagonist, driven by true love to protect the object of her desire. She also enjoyed Balzac's Physiologie du mariage (The Physiology of Marriage), also published in 1829, which heaps satirical scorn on husbands and celebrates the virtue of married women.
When she read his 1831 novel La Peau de chagrin (The Magic Skin), however, Hańska was appalled by the coarse depiction of Foedora, the so-called "femme sans cœur" ("woman without a heart"). She felt that Balzac had lost the reverence shown in his earlier works, and worried that he had based Foedora on a real woman from his life. Motivated partly by concern, partly by boredom, and partly by a desire to influence the life of a great writer (as her sister Karolina had done), she wrote to Balzac.
On 28 February 1832 Hańska posted a letter from Odessa with no return address. In it, she praised Balzac for his work, but scolded him for the negative portrayal of women in La Peau de chagrin. She urged a return to the glowing representations in his earlier novels, and signed enigmatically: "L'Étrangère" ("The Stranger" or "The Foreigner"). Balzac was intrigued by the letter; he took out a personal advertisement in the Gazette de France indicating his receipt of an anonymous letter and expressing regret for being unable to reply. She probably never saw this notice.
Hańska wrote to Balzac several times during 1832. On 7 November she posted a seven-page letter filled with praise and flattery:
> Your soul embraces centuries, Monsieur; its philosophical concepts appear to be the fruit of long study matured by time; yet I am told that you are still young. I would like to know you, but feel that I have no need to do so. I know you through my own spiritual instinct; I picture you in my own way and feel that were I to set eyes upon you I should exclaim, 'That is he!' Your outward semblance probably does not reveal your brilliant imagination; you have to be moved, the sacred fire of genius has to be lit, if you are to show yourself as you really are, and you are what I feel you to be—a man superior in his knowledge of the human heart.
She insisted, however, that they could never meet, and indeed that he should never know her name: ("For you I am The Stranger, and shall remain so all my life.") Still, she wished for him to write back, so she advised him to place a notice in La Quotidienne to "L'É" from "H.B.". He purchased a notice similar to the earlier one in the Gazette, and signed it according to her instructions.
In her next letter Hańska made arrangements for a trusted courier to collect letters from Balzac, and thereby allow for a direct correspondence. Before long she sent him the news that she and her husband would be traveling Europe, and visiting Vienna, Hanski's childhood home. They would also travel to the Swiss village of Neuchâtel, to visit the family of her daughter's governess. Contradicting her vow of eternal anonymity, she suggested a meeting. Balzac agreed immediately, and began to make preparations for the journey. Also, sometime in 1833, Balzac wrote his first confession of love to her, despite being at that time in another relationship.
### Meeting Balzac
In September 1833, after traveling to the French city of Besançon to find cheap paper for a publishing enterprise, Balzac crossed into Switzerland and registered at the Hôtel du Faucon under the name Marquis d'Entragues. He sent word to Hańska that he would visit the garden of the Maison Andrié, where she and her family were staying. He looked up and saw her face at the window, then – as he described it later – he "lost all bodily sensation". They met later that day (25 September) at a spot overlooking Lake Neuchâtel; according to legend, he noticed a woman reading one of his books. He was overwhelmed with her beauty, and she wrote soon afterwards to her brother, describing Balzac as "cheerful and lovable just like you".
Hańska and Balzac met several times over the next five days, and her husband became enchanted with Balzac as well, inviting him to meals with the family. During a trip to Lake Biel, Hański went to arrange lunch, leaving his wife and Balzac alone. In the shade of a large oak tree, they kissed and exchanged vows of patience and fidelity. She told him of the family's plan to visit Geneva for Christmas; Balzac agreed to visit before the end of the year. Before he left Nauchâtel, she sent a passionate letter to his hotel: "Villain! Did you not see in my eyes all that I longed for? But have no fear, I felt all the desire that a woman in love seeks to provoke".
Arriving in Geneva on 26 December, the Christmas Eve, Balzac stayed at the Auberge de l'Arc, near the Maison Mirabaud where the Hański family had settled for the season. She left a ring for him at the hotel, with a note asking for a new promise of love. He gave it, and described how he began wearing the ring on his left hand, "with which I hold my paper, so that the thought of you clasps me tight." At this time he began working on a philosophical novel, Séraphîta, about a hermaphroditic angel united by the love of a mortal man for a compassionate and sensual woman. Balzac explained that she was his model for the latter. It was clear to all that Hański was in ill health, and Hańska began to think about her future with the French author. In the meantime, she asked Balzac to begin collecting for her autographs of the famous people he spent time with in Paris and elsewhere.
After leaving Geneva on 8 February, the Hański family spent several months visiting the major cities of Italy. In Florence the sculptor Lorenzo Bartolini started work on a bust of Hańska. In the summer of 1834 they returned to Vienna, where they would stay for another year. During this time Balzac continued writing to Hańska, and by accident two especially amorous letters fell into the hands of her husband. He wrote to the French author, furious, and demanded an explanation. Balzac wrote to Hański claiming that it was nothing more than a game: "One evening, in jest, she said to me that she would like to know what a love-letter was. This was said wholly without meaning.... I wrote those two unfortunate letters to Vienna, supposing that she remembered our joke...." Hański apparently accepted the explanation, and invited Balzac to visit them in Vienna, which he did in May 1835.
Balzac's biographers agree that, despite his vows of loyalty to Hańska, he conducted affairs with several women during the 1830s, and may have fathered children with two of them. One was an Englishwoman named Sarah who had married the Count Emilio Guidoboni-Visconti. Hańska wrote to Balzac about these rumors in 1836, and he flatly denied them. Her suspicion was raised again, however, when he later dedicated his novel Béatrix to "Sarah". Balzac also corresponded with Hański; while most of their family disapproved of Balzac, Hański respected him, and the two exchanged letters on literature and agronomy. Meanwhile, Hańska was experiencing a renewal of religious interest, partly because her daughter's governess, Henriette Borel, left to join a nunnery in Paris. Hańska taught her daughter Anna from the works of Christian scholars including Jean Baptiste Massillon and St. François de Sales. Her religious interest was more towards mysticism than mainstream religions; she corresponded with Baroness Barbara von Krüdener, and read on Rosicrucianism, Martinism and Swedenborgianism. Balzac treated this attack of devotion with the sharpest disapproval. When Balzac sent her works in progress, her only replies were moral queries, rather than the stylistic criticism for which he hoped.
### Hański's death
Hański died in November 1841. She sent Balzac a letter, sealed in black, with the news. He instantly wrote back: "je n'en aurais peut-être pas voulu recevoir d'autre de vous, malgré ce que vous me dites de triste sur vous et votre santé" ("I could not perhaps wish to have received any other [news] from you, in spite of the sad things you tell me about yourself and your health"). He made plans to visit Dresden in May, and obtain a visa to visit her in Russia.
The future, however, was not as simple as Balzac wanted to believe. Hańska's family did not approve of the French author; her Aunt Rozalia was especially disdainful. To make matters worse, her late husband's uncle protested the Hański's will in which she had inherited Hański's estate. Horrified that her daughter would be robbed of everything, Hańska insisted that she must end her relationship with Balzac. "You are free", she wrote to him. As she made plans to protest the uncle's interference in St. Petersburg, Balzac wrote back to offer his help. He suggested that he could become a Russian citizen and "go to the Czar myself and ask him to sanction our marriage". She asked for his patience, which he offered anew.
Soon after she arrived in the Russian capital of St. Petersburg, in order to resolve some of the litigation issues surrounding her inheritance, she took Anna to a recital by the Hungarian composer and pianist Franz Liszt. Although she did not succumb to Lisztomania, she was impressed by his musical talent and his good looks. "He is an extraordinary mixture", she wrote in her diary, "and I enjoy studying him." They saw one another on several occasions, but she ultimately rejected his advances. One biographer says that their last meeting "gives striking evidence of her loyalty to Balzac".
In late July 1843 Balzac visited her in St. Petersburg, the first time they had seen one another in eight years. He was struck by Hańska's resilient beauty, but his condition had deteriorated over the years. Biographers agree that she was much less physically attracted to him at this time. Still they renewed their vows of love and planned to marry as soon as she won her lawsuit. In early October he returned to Paris. Soon afterwards, she wrote a story based on her own experience writing to Balzac for the first time. Unhappy with it, she threw it into the fire, but the French author begged her to rewrite it so he could adapt it. He assured her that she would "know something of the joys of authorship when you see how much of your elegant and delightful writing I have preserved". Her story became Modeste Mignon, Balzac's 1844 novel about a young woman who writes to her favorite poet.
Also in 1844 Hańska won her lawsuit. The wealth of her late husband's estate would go to Anna, who had become engaged to a Polish Count, Jerzy Mniszech. They planned to marry in 1846, after which time Hańska would bestow the inheritance. Thus Hańska's marriage to Balzac would have to wait. In the meantime, two urgent problems began to complicate their plans. One was his health, which had been deteriorating for years. In October 1843 he wrote to her about "horrible suffering which has its seat nowhere; which cannot be described; which attacks both heart and brain". Balzac's other problem was financial: despite his illness, he could not afford to relax his work schedule, since he owed more than 200,000 francs to various creditors.
### Second marriage and widowhood
Hańska and Balzac were determined, however, and in 1845 she visited him in Paris with Anna and Jerzy. In April of the following year they visited Italy; Balzac joined them for a tour of Rome, and they proceeded to Geneva. Soon after he returned to Paris, she wrote with the news that she was pregnant. Balzac was overjoyed, certain that they would have a boy, and insisting on the name Victor-Honoré. The thought of having a son, he wrote, "stirs my heart and makes me write page upon page". To avoid scandal, he would have to marry Hańska in secret, to hide the fact that their child was conceived out of wedlock. In the meantime, Anna married Jerzy Mniszech on 13 October in Wiesbaden. Balzac served as a witness and wrote an announcement for the Paris newspapers, which offended Hańska's sister Alina.
Hańska, living for a time in Dresden, was not soothed, either, by Balzac's disregard for financial stability. For years he had planned to buy a house for them to share, but in August 1846 she sent him a stern admonition. Until his debts were paid, she wrote, "we must postpone buying any property". One month later he purchased a house on the Rue Fortunée for 50,000 francs. Having collected finery from his many travels, he searched across Europe for items to properly complete the furnishings: carpets from Smyrna, embroidered pillowcases from Germany, and a handle for the lavatory chain crafted from Bohemian glass.
In November, Hańska suffered a miscarriage; she wrote to Balzac with the tragic news. He wanted to visit her, but Anna wrote asking him to remain in Paris. The emotion involved, she wrote, "would be fatal". Hańska made plans to return to Wierzchownia, but Balzac begged her to visit him, which she did in the spring of 1847. As soon as she was back in Ukraine, however, a new wrinkle unfolded. Hańska had long been unhappy with the presence of Balzac's housekeeper, Louise Breugniot, and he promised to break with her before marrying. He wrote with alarm to Hańska explaining that Breugninot had stolen her letters to him and blackmailed the author for 30,000 francs. Biographers disagree about truth of this story; Robb suggests it was "a convincing hysterical performance put on for the benefit of his jealous fiancée".
Still, Balzac believed that keeping her letters was dangerous and, in a moment of characteristic impulse, threw them into the fire. He described it to her as "the saddest and most frightful day of my life ... I am looking at the ashes as I write to you, and I tremble seeing how little space fifteen years takes up." On 5 September 1847 he left Paris to join her for the first time in Wierzchownia. They spent several happy months together, but financial obligations required his presence in France. The Revolution of 1848 began one week after his return. Back in Wierzchownia, Hańska lost 80,000 francs due to a granary fire, and her time was consumed with three lawsuits. These complications, and Balzac's constant debt, meant that their finances were unstable, and she hesitated anew at the idea of marriage. In any case, a wedding would be impossible without approval from the Tsar, which he did not grant until spring of 1850. On 2 July 1849 Russian authorities responding to Balzac's request in December 1847 to marry Hańska stated that he could do so, but that Hańska could not keep her land.
Balzac returned to Wierzchownia in October, and immediately fell ill with heart issues. His condition deteriorated throughout 1849, and doubts persisted in her mind about their union. Biographers generally agree that Hańska was convinced by Balzac's frail state and endless devotion. One wrote: "It was charity, as much as love or fame, which finally turned the scale." Robb indicates that the wedding was "surely an act of compassion on her part". To avoid rumors and suspicion from the Tsar, Hańska transferred ownership of the estate to her daughter. On 14 March 1850 they traveled to Berdychiv and, accompanied by Anna and Jerzy, were married in a small ceremony at the parish church of St. Barbara.
Both Hańska and Balzac took ill after the wedding; she suffered from a severe attack of gout, for which her doctor prescribed an unusual treatment: "Every other day she has to thrust her feet into the body of a sucking-pig which has only just been slit open, because it is necessary that the entrails should be quivering." She recovered, but he did not. They returned to Paris in late May, and his health improved slightly at the start of summer. By July, however, he was confined to his bed. Hańska nursed him constantly, as a stream of visitors – including the writers Victor Hugo and Henri Murger – came to pay their respects. When Balzac's vision started to give out, she began to act as his secretary, helping him with his writing.
In mid-August Balzac succumbed to gangrene and began having fits of delirium. At one point he called out for Horace Bianchon, the fictional doctor he had included in many novels. But he also expressed great worry for Hańska, once telling Hugo: "My wife is more intelligent than I, but who will support her in her solitude? I have accustomed her to so much love." He died on 18 August 1850.
As most of Balzac's biographers point out, Hańska was not in the room when he died. Robb says she "must have retired for a moment", while André Maurois notes that she had been by his side for weeks with no way of knowing how long it would continue, and "there was nothing to be done". Vincent Cronin attributes her absence to the nature of their relationship: "From the first day by the lakeside at Neuchâtel theirs had been a Romantic love and Eve wanted to guard it to the end against that terrible taint of corruption."
### Later years and death
Hańska lived with Balzac's mother for a time after his death, in the house he had spent so much time and expense furnishing. The elder Mme. Balzac moved in with a friend after several months, and Hańska approached the remains of her late husband's writing. Several works had been left incomplete, and publishers inquired about releasing a final edition of his grand collection La Comédie humaine. Hańska sponsored new editions of his works and was involved in editing some of them, even adding occasional content. Balzac's debt, meanwhile, still exceeded 200,000 francs, which Hańska paid while also providing for his mother's living expenses. One of her letters at the time gives voice to her frustrations: "In nursing my husband's incurable malady I ruined my health, just as I have ruined my private fortune in accepting the inheritance of debts and embarrassments which he left me." Anna and Jerzy moved into a nearby house in Paris.
Despite her obligations, Hańska was a beautiful unmarried woman of means living in Paris. The writer Jules Amédée Barbey d'Aurevilly described her this way: "Her beauty was imposing and noble, somewhat massive, a little fleshy, but even in stoutness she retained a very lively charm which was spiced with a delightful foreign accent and a striking hint of sensuality." As she began sorting through Balzac's papers, she called on his friend, Champfleury, for assistance. As they worked one evening, he complained of a headache. "I'll make it go away," she said, and began massaging his forehead. As he wrote later: "There are certain magnetic effluvia, in such situations, of which the effect is that the matter does not stop there." Her affair with the man twenty years her junior was brief, but it provided a tremendous release to Hańska, who had spent decades with older men in various states of ill health. She began partaking of the social life around her. "The night before last I laughed as I have never done before," she wrote in 1851. "Oh, how wonderful it is not to know anyone or have to worry about anyone, to have one's independence, liberty on the mountain-tops, and to be in Paris!"
Champfleury was intimidated by her vitality and jealousy, and removed himself from her life. On his recommendation, she turned creative control of Balzac's unfinished novels Le Député d'Arcis and Les Petits Bourgeois to another writer, Charles Rabou. Rabou added extensively to them and published both books in 1854. To soothe the publisher, Hańska falsely claimed that Balzac had chosen Rabou as his literary successor.
Hańska met the painter Jean Gigoux when she hired him in 1851 to paint Anna's portrait. They began a relationship that lasted many years, but never married. Over the next thirty years, Hańska and particularly her spend-thrift daughter spent the remainder of their fortune on fine clothing and jewelry. Jerzy, meanwhile, succumbed to mental disorders and died in 1881, leaving behind a trail of debts. Hańska was forced to sell the house, but was allowed to continue living there. She died on 11 April 1882 and was buried in Balzac's grave at Père Lachaise Cemetery.
## Influence on Balzac's works
Eveline was an inspiration for many of Balzac's characters. She can be seen as the model for La Fosseue, Mme Claes, Modesta Mignon, Ursule Mirouet, Adelina Houlot, and especially Eugenie Grandet and Mme de Mortsauf. There is less agreement among scholars on whether she was also the inspiration for more negative characters such as Fedora and lady Dudley, as Balzac seems to have used her mostly as a model for more positive personas. His works also mention numerous characters named Eve or Eveline, and have several dedications to her.
In addition to Eveline, her daughter Anna, sister Alina, aunt Rozalia, first love (Tadeusz Wyleżyński), and several other figures that she introduced Balzac to or told him about, were also incorporated into his works. After they met, Poland, Polish topics, Polish names, and Polish (Slavic) mysticism began to appear much more frequently in his works, as exemplified by such characters as Hoene Wroński, Grabianka and General Chodkiewicz.
## Defenders and detractors
Hańska became a controversial figure among the biographers and researchers of Balzac. As Zygmunt Czerny notes, the "mysterious Pole" was criticized by some (Henry Bordeaux, Octave Mirbeau (La Mort de Balzac), Adolf Nowaczyński, Józef Ignacy Kraszewski, Charles Léger and Pierre Descaves), and praised by others (Philippe Bertault, Marcel Bouteron, Barbey d'Aurevilly, Sophie de Korwin-Piotrowska, Tadeusz Boy-Żeleński, Tadeusz Grabowski, Juanita Helm Floyd and André Billy). Czerny notes that one of the "greatest experts on Balzac", Spoelberch de Lovenjoul, referred to her as "one of the best women of the epoch", and that while there are those who deride her influence on Balzac, and question her feelings and motivations, few deny she had a crucial impact on him, and, for most, the "Great Balzac" emerged only after meeting her in early 1830s. Czerny concludes by saying: "However one could analyze her and their relationship, the impact of her love on Balzac was persistent, all-enveloping and decisive".
|
47,011,058 |
Amiibo Tap: Nintendo's Greatest Bits
| 1,170,472,762 |
2015 video game
|
[
"2015 video games",
"Free-to-play video games",
"Nintendo games",
"Video games developed in Japan",
"Video games that use Amiibo figurines",
"Wii U eShop games",
"Wii U games",
"Wii U-only games"
] |
Amiibo Tap: Nintendo's Greatest Bits (stylized as amiibo Tap: Nintendo's Greatest Bits), known as Amiibo Touch & Play: Nintendo Classics Highlights in the PAL regions, was an application developed and published by Nintendo for the Wii U's Nintendo eShop in 2015. The application was used to play demos of 30 popular Nintendo Entertainment System and Super Nintendo Entertainment System video games by scanning, Amiibo figurines, Nintendo's toys-to-life series of products.
The player could play demos of the games under a three minute timer, and would start in various parts of each game. Each Amiibo scan would unlock one title randomly from the collection. The application was teased by Nintendo president Satoru Iwata in February 2015, who later announced the application via Nintendo Direct the following month. It released April 23, 2015 in Japan and April 30 worldwide. Amiibo Tap: Nintendo's Greatest Bits received negative reception, and was criticized for its pricing and structure, especially amidst a supply shortage of Amiibo products. It was discontinued upon the Wii U's eShop closure on March 27, 2023.
## Overview
Amiibo Tap allowed the player to scan an Amiibo figure from any physical series of figures on the Wii U GamePad to unlock demos of 30 video games by Nintendo that were originally released for the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) and Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES). Every unique Amiibo scanned unlocked one game randomly selected from the 30 available. Every time the Amiibo was scanned it would start the player at random points throughout the game, which each unlock having seven to nine of these "scenes". The player then plays however much of the game they can within three minutes. Also on the screen was a link to a how-to-play screen that explained the controls, and a link to purchase the game's Virtual Console version from the Nintendo eShop.
The list of NES games to unlock are as follows:
The list of SNES games to unlock are as follows:
## Announcement and release
The concept of Amiibo Tap was teased by Nintendo president Satoru Iwata on February 17, 2015 during a financial results breifing. It was officially announced via Nintendo Direct on April 1 the following month, also presented by Iwata. He detailed the time limit and how games are unlocked randomly, comparing the gameplay to "a box of chocolates" in reference to the 1994 film Forrest Gump; it was also slated for a release in spring of that year. The application released in Japan on April 23, 2015, and worldwide on April 30, 2015. It was discontinued when the Wii U Nintendo eShop closed on March 27, 2023.
## Reception
Prior to release, Hardcore Gamer reviewer Dermot Creggon referred to the tile as "the most ingenious implementation of amiibo yet", especially for its utilization of retro Nintendo games. Nintendo Life's Thomas Whitehead also believed the application's concept would be "a clever blend of promoting amiibo, usage of the GamePad and to introduce Wii U owners to classic games". Upon release, however, reception was generally negative. Whitehead was critical what little content that can be unlocked with an individual Amiibo, finding it interesting only to those with many Amiibos, therefore alienating those who only have a few. He also believed it failed to make retro video games appealing to those unfamiliar with them due to limited context and lacking content. In a time where Amiibos were rare to find and expensive due to their scaracity, PCMag reviewer Will Greenwald considered the game not to be worth the hassle of purchasing Amiibo to play. Beyond this, he considered the formula to be an entertaining way to enjoy demos of retro Nintendo games, but buying Amiibo to do so was not worth the price to pay for the content. Critics derided the application for not associating games to their respective Amiibo and instead assigning them randomly. Daan Koopman of Nintendo World Report enjoyed the package for offering a wide variety of experiences, and enjoyed pushing the time restrictions to their limits by speedrunning and trying to get the highest score. Greenwald recommended purchasing the games in full instead of Amiibos via the Virtual Console, while Whitehead recommended the NES Remix series of NES and SNES collections.
|
62,194,703 |
HMS Intrepid (1747)
| 1,168,670,781 |
Royal Navy ship
|
[
"1740 ships",
"Captured ships",
"Ships of the line of the French Navy",
"Ships of the line of the Royal Navy"
] |
HMS Intrepid was a 64-gun third rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, originally built in Toulon for the French Navy. She was launched in 1740, as Sérieux and fought at the Battle of Toulon before her capture by the British at the First Battle of Cape Finisterre in 1747. After being renamed and refitted by the Royal Navy, she entered British service in late 1747. Between 1748 and 1752 she was assigned as a guard ship off the coast of Kent in south-east England.
In 1756 she joined the Mediterranean fleet and was heavily damaged at the Battle of Minorca, one of the first naval battles of the Seven Years' War, where she suffered 45 casualties. After undergoing repairs and a further refit, during which she was reduced to a 60-gun fourth rate ship of the line, Intrepid rejoined the Seven Years' War, taking part in the Battle of Lagos and the Battle of Quiberon Bay in 1759. She crossed the Atlantic in 1761, and fought in the West Indies Campaign of the War, featuring in the Siege of Havana the following year. She was broken up at Chatham in 1765.
## Design and description
During the first 25 years of Louis XV of France's reign, beginning in 1715, France built relatively few ships. A sustained period of peace led to low funding for the French Navy, and those ships that were built were designed to be cost effective; maximising their manoeuvrability and armament in order to be able to stand up to the British Royal Navy, which had more ships. As a result, most French third rate ships of the line were built from a formulaic design with 60 or 64 guns dating back to the 1660s. The design was updated slightly in the 1730s to allow an extra pair of guns on each gun deck, but otherwise remained constant. It was to this standard that René Boyer based his design for Sérieux in the late 1730s, though Boyer died before the ship could be completed, and it was finished under the supervision of Pierre-Blaise Coulomb.
Sérieux measured 47.10 metres (154 ft 6 in) long at the gun deck and 42.23 metres (138 ft 7 in) long at the keel. She had a beam of 12.99 metres (42 ft 7 in), a draught of 6.50 / 6.74 m (21 ft 4 in / 22 ft 1 in), and a depth of hold of 6.28 metres (20 ft 7 in), and a tonnage of 1,286 bm as designed. She was initially carried a crew of 400 men during wartime and 340 at peace, commanded by six officers, but the complement later rose to 460 and 410 during war and peacetime, respectively. Sérieux was armed with 64 guns, consisting of twenty-six 24-pounders on the lower gun deck, twenty-eight 12-pounders on the upper gun deck, six 6-pounders on the quarterdeck and four 12-pounders on the forecastle.
## Service
### French Navy
Sérieux was ordered on 6 February 1738, laid down in Toulon on 4 October 1738, and launched just over two years later, on 26 October 1740. She was completed in May 1741. On 19 February 1744, under the command of Alexandre de Cheylus [fr], she sailed out of Toulon as part of a French fleet which was tasked with escorting trapped Spanish ships past the British blockade of Toulon, leading to the Battle of Toulon. The British and French were not at war, so the French fleet was under orders not to attack the British, but to retaliate if attacked. The Franco-Spanish fleet established a line of battle, with three distinct sections: forward, centre and vanguard. Sérieux formed part of the central group, which combined both French and Spanish ships. When the British attacked, HMS Berwick should have engaged Sérieux, but was too far back, and became embroiled with the Spanish ships behind instead, while Sérieux was able to fire upon her lee side bow. Sérieux also exchanged fire with Princess Caroline and one of the British flagships, Barfleur. Although the battle was indecisive, the Franco-Spanish fleet was able to escape and deliver troops to Italy to shift the balance of the war.
In early May 1747, a pair of French convoys left Rochefort; one intended for India, and the other for North America. A French naval fleet under the command of Jacques-Pierre de Taffanel de la Jonquière, on board Sérieux as his flagship and Jacques-François Grout de Saint-Georges [fr] on Invincible provided an escort. A British fleet led by Admiral George Anson sailed to intercept the convoy, and after patrolling the Bay of Biscay, encountered the French fleet on 14 May, 25 miles (40 km) north-west of Cape Finisterre in Spain. De la Jonquière ordered his fleet into a line of battle, but they were significantly outnumbered by the British, and after three hours, the entire French naval fleet, including Sérieux, was captured.
### Royal Navy
After her capture on 14 May 1747, Sérieux was sailed to Portsmouth where she was surveyed just over two weeks later, and subsequently purchased by the Board of Admiralty on 19 August for £8 5s per ton. Two days later, she was renamed HMS Intrepid. She underwent refit between from August until the following March at a cost of over £10,000, and was commissioned in November 1747 under the command of Captain William Parry. A year later, she was placed on guard duties, doing so in Kent, at Chatham from 1749 to 1751, and Sheerness in 1752, before being decommissioned in November that year. After a survey in July 1753 required no repairs, she was eventually recommissioned in September 1755, commanded by Captain James Young.
In April 1756, during the prelude to what later became known as the Seven Years' War, the Intrepid left Britain as part of a fleet sailing to the Mediterranean under the command of Admiral John Byng. The French had been menacing British-held Minorca for some time, and on 18 April a large French fleet had established itself off the north-west of the island. They bombarded the island, until Byng's fleet arrived on 19 May. The two fleets were relatively equally matched; the British had 842 guns to the French fleet's 800, and each had around a dozen ships of the line. The next day, at the Battle of Minorca, the fleets met in a wedge; rather than match-up side by side, the British fleet intercepted the French at an angle of around 30 to 40 degrees, meaning that while the ships at the front were engaged, those at the rear were too far from the French to fight. Intrepid, the sixth British ship from the front, was immobilised early in the fighting when her fore-topmast was hit by enemy fire and destroyed. This caused her to fall back out of the line of battle. Byng instructed the 44-gun frigate HMS Chesterfield to lay by Intrepid while the rest of the fleet continued. Ultimately, Byng and his council of war called off the attack, and Minorca fell to the French soon after. During the battle, along with the damage suffered, Intrepid suffered 45 casualties; 9 killed and 36 wounded.
Four months of refits and repairs during 1757 cost £8,842, during which she was reduced to a 60-gun fourth rate ship. Under the command of Captain Edward Pratten, she was recommissioned in June 1757, and sailed with Hawke's fleet until switching to Anson's the following summer. She was involved with the blockade of Brest in April 1758, where Pratten had command of a small squadron. The crew of the Intrepid spotted a French ship, Raisonnable, and Pratten sent two of his ships to chase her. The British ships successfully captured Raisonnable, which was subsequently commissioned into the Royal Navy. The following year, she was involved in the Battle of Lagos; a British victory over the a French fleet attempting to escape the Mediterranean. Intrepid was one of fifteen British ships of the line which helped Admiral Edward Boscawen capture three enemy vessels and destroy two others. Towards the end of the battle, Boscawen's main aim was to secure the French commander, and so he ordered Intrepid, along with America to seize the enemy flagship, Océan. As Intrepid had already anchored, she was unable to carry out the orders, which America completed alone, destroying the French flagship and capturing its surviving crew. Intrepid lost six men during the battle, while a further ten were wounded. She returned to England with Boscawen's fleet.
Two years later, Captain Jervis Maplesden [fr] commanded her at the Battle of Quiberon Bay, a decisive naval victory over the French, after which she blockaded the Basque Roads. She crossed the Atlantic to North America in August 1761, and took part in the Havana operations, under the command of Captain John Hale, from June to August 1762, before being decommissioned in 1763. After surveys in May 1764 and June 1765, she was broken up at Chatham from June until August 1765 for £644 10s 2d.
|
19,246,828 |
MyPods and Boomsticks
| 1,170,563,377 | null |
[
"2008 American television episodes",
"Cultural depictions of Steve Jobs",
"Television episodes about Islam",
"The Simpsons (season 20) episodes"
] |
"MyPods and Boomsticks" is the seventh episode of the twentieth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It first aired on the Fox network in the United States on November 30, 2008.
In the episode, Homer becomes suspicious of Bart's new Muslim friend, Bashir, and decides to invite his family for dinner. When Homer offends them, he goes to their home to apologize but discovers what he believes to be a terrorist plot to blow up the Springfield Mall. In the episode's subplot, Lisa gets a MyPod (a parody of iPod) and racks up a large bill.
The episode was written by Marc Wilmore and directed by Steven Dean Moore with Shohreh Aghdashloo of 24 guest-starring as Bashir's mother, Mina.
It is the first episode of The Simpsons to have Islam portrayed in a large role. It was the most watched show on Fox on its original airing, and received fairly positive reviews from television critics. Its commentary on Islamophobia in the United States proved to be controversial, however.
The episode's theme was praised by the Council on American–Islamic Relations and the Muslim Public Affairs Council, and Aghdashloo was given an award by the latter organization for her role.
## Plot
At the Mapple Store, Bart interrupts a video message from company founder Steve Mobbs and insults the company's user base. Fleeing from the Mapple customers, he runs into a Muslim boy from Jordan named Bashir and befriends him. Homer is impressed by Bashir's manners, but Lenny, Carl and Moe convince him that all Muslims are terrorists. He invites Bashir's family over to dinner in an attempt to expose them, but openly offends them, causing them to leave.
Later that evening, while going to their home to apologize, Homer catches a glimpse of Bashir's father working with TNT in his garage. He goes home and has a nightmare featuring the Genie of Aladdin, who transforms the "decadent, Western society" into a stereotypical Islamic republic. Shaken by the dream, Homer eavesdrops on Bashir's father speaking about his work in building demolition, but misinterprets it and believes he is a suicide bomber. As soon as Bashir's father departs for work, Homer convinces the mother to invite him so he can apologize. He hacks into the family's laptop and discovers a diagram of demolition plans for the Springfield Mall.
Homer rushes to the mall to warn the shoppers and sees Bart standing near a detonator with Bashir and his father; he attempts to save the day by throwing the dynamite in the river. It actually turns out that the old mall was slated for destruction. Realizing his mistake, Homer apologizes, and the Simpson family throws a "Pardon My Intolerance" party for Bashir's family.
In a subplot, Lisa obtains a MyPod from Krusty the Clown at the Mapple Store. She becomes obsessed with the device and racks up a US\$1,200 bill. She goes to Mapple's undersea headquarters and begs Steve Mobbs to consider a reduced payment plan. Mobbs offers Lisa a job at Mapple to help with her bill. Much to her chagrin, the job is standing on a street corner dressed as a MyPod, handing out Mapple pamphlets and telling people to "Think Differently".
## Cultural references
The episode features numerous parodies of Apple Inc. and its products. Apple is portrayed as Mapple, with the MyPod, MyPhone, MyTunes, MyCube, Mapple Store and Brainiac Bar referring respectively to the iPod, iPhone, iTunes, Power Mac G4 Cube, Apple Store and Genius Bar. Later episodes of the show also feature a MyPad, a reference to the iPad. The CEO of Mapple is Steve Mobbs, a parody of Apple Inc.'s then-CEO Steve Jobs. The scene where Comic Book Guy throws a sledgehammer at the computer screen is a reference to the "1984" Apple commercial.
The episode also features numerous references to films and pop culture. The scene where Homer is on a flying carpet is a parody of the film Aladdin; the Genie also makes an appearance, in which The Simpsons regular cast member Dan Castellaneta reprises his role from the Aladdin television series, The Return of Jafar, and the Kingdom Hearts video game series. Steve Mobbs operating a series of holographic screens with his hands is a reference to the 2002 film Minority Report.
The music in the episode features Minnie Riperton's song "Lovin' You" and Miles Davis' "Moon Dreams", while the episode's Itchy & Scratchy cartoon features Ludwig van Beethoven's "Symphony No. 5" and the Alicia Bridges song "I Love the Nightlife".
The title itself is a pun on the 1971 Disney musical fantasy film Bedknobs and Broomsticks, directed by Robert Stevenson.
## Reception
"MyPods and Boomsticks" was the most viewed show on Fox the night it was first broadcast, with roughly 7.8 million viewers and a 4.4 Nielsen rating.
### Television critics
The episode was generally praised by critics.
Robert Canning of IGN praised the episode; as a whole, he called the episode funny and strong and "gave the now familiar 'suspected terrorist' plot a Simpsons twist", but called the remainder of the Mapple storyline less impressive. Canning ends his review by saying that minus Lisa's involvement after act one, it was a decently funny episode of The Simpsons. He gave the episode a rating of 7.6/10.
Critics praised the episode for its jokes, but claimed that the episode should have been released earlier in the decade, especially when the September 11 attacks and introduction of Apple products were more relevant.
Daniel Aughey of TV Guide also praised the episode for its consistent story and funny jokes. Aughey explained certain jokes in the episode that he enjoyed and explained how the "A-Z" plots play well with the jokes.
Both Heisler and Aughey commented that the episode should have been done earlier, Heisler thinking the theme was dated and Aughey calling it "one step behind", both feeling the Islamophobia theme would have been more current closer to the beginning of the 21st century.
Writing for The A.V. Club, Steve Heisler gave the episode a C−. He was perplexed why all names relating to the Apple company were slightly changed, but references to other brands such as Old Navy were not.
In addition, the episode was featured on Entertainment Weekly's Five Best TV quotes of the week with Bart's line of "Wow, all these years I've been patting lambs when I should have been shoving them in my mouth." being picked.
### Reception of theme
The Simpsons is noted for its religious themes, primarily the Protestant faith of most characters, but has also featured episodes based around Judaism, Catholicism, Hinduism and Buddhism. However, this was the first to have a plot involving Islam. In 2000, Religion writer Mark I. Pinsky contacted the show's staff while writing The Gospel According to The Simpsons to inquire why there was not an episode involving Islam. He was told that this was because they did not know enough about the faith, but were intending to make an episode.
In a June 2015 article for CNN after several controversies regarding depictions of Muhammad, Pinsky noted "MyPods and Boomsticks" as a satire of Islam that is "wise, and well within the show's tradition of portraying an unfamiliar faith in a knowing way, with a relatively light hand, while at the same time defanging a widespread religious prejudice".
David Feltmate, a writer on religious topics, mentioned the episode in his book Drawn to the Gods: Religion in The Simpsons, South Park and Family Guy, alongside the South Park episode "The Snuke" and the Family Guy episode "Turban Cowboy". He wrote that all three of those animated sitcoms treat Islam in the same way as they do new religious movements, interpreting them through widely held stereotypes, in this case terrorism. However, in his opinion, "MyPods and Boomsticks" is the one example in which Islam is hated at the start of the episode but not at the end.
The Council on American–Islamic Relations praised the episode and sent a commending letter to Matt Groening. The Council's Executive Director Nihad Awad wrote that "Because of its acceptance in popular culture, comedy is often one of the best vehicles for challenging stereotypes and intolerance. Fox and Matt Groening are to be congratulated for tackling the disturbing phenomenon of Islamophobia."
In April 2009, The Muslim Public Affairs Council gave an award to Shohreh Aghdashloo, the voice performer of Mina. The organization said that "The episode sends a powerful message through humor about the danger of ignorance and prejudice rooted in false assumptions". Wilmore's writing of the episode was nominated for Outstanding Writing in a Comedy Series at the 40th NAACP Image Awards. The award went to Erica D. Montolfo for the "White Coats and White Lies" episode of The Game.
|
39,229,223 |
1940 Nova Scotia hurricane
| 1,170,503,981 |
Category 2 Atlantic hurricane in 1940
|
[
"1940 Atlantic hurricane season",
"1940 disasters in Canada",
"1940 in Canada",
"1940 in Nova Scotia",
"Category 2 Atlantic hurricanes",
"Hurricanes in Canada",
"Tropical cyclones in 1940"
] |
The 1940 Nova Scotia hurricane swept through areas of Atlantic Canada in mid-September 1940. The fifth tropical cyclone and fourth hurricane of the year, it formed as a tropical depression east of the Lesser Antilles on September 7, though at the time weather observations in the area were sparse, so its formation was inferred. The disturbance gradually intensified throughout much of its early formative stages, attaining tropical storm strength on September 10; further strengthening into a hurricane north of Puerto Rico occurred two days later. Shortly thereafter, the hurricane recurved northward, and reached peak intensity the following day as a Category 2 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 100 mph (160 km/h) and a minimum barometric pressure of at least 988 mbar (hPa; 29.18 inHg). The cyclone steadily weakened thereafter before making landfall on Nova Scotia on September 17 with winds of 85 mph (135 km/h). Moving into the Gulf of Saint Lawrence later that day, the storm transitioned into an extratropical cyclone. The remnant system curved eastward and passed over Newfoundland before dissipating over the Atlantic on September 19.
While off the United States East Coast, the hurricane caused numerous shipping incidents, most notably the stranding of the Swedish freighter Laponia off Cape Hatteras, North Carolina on September 16. Two other boat incidents resulted in two deaths. The hurricane also brought strong winds of tropical storm-force and snow over areas of New England. In Atlantic Canada, a strong storm surge peaking at 4 ft (1.3 m) above average sunk or damaged several ships and inundated cities. In New Brunswick, the waves hurt the lobster fishing industry. In Nova Scotia, strong winds disrupted telecommunication and power services. The winds also severely damaged crops. Roughly half of apple production in Annapolis Valley was lost during the storm, resulting in around \$1.49 million in economic losses. Strong winds in New Brunswick caused moderate to severe infrastructural damage, and additional damages to crops occurred there. Overall, the hurricane caused three fatalities, with two off the United States and one in New Brunswick.
## Meteorological history
The origins of the system can be traced to a tropical depression roughly midway between the Lesser Antilles and the west coast of Africa at 1800 UTC on September 7. Though initially believed to have developed on September 11, the disturbance was found to have formed earlier in post-season reanalysis, based on data from the International Comprehensive Ocean-Atmosphere Data Set. In its early developmental stages, the disturbance remained a tropical depression with little change in intensity. At 0600 UTC on September 10, it intensified into a tropical storm while still east of the Lesser Antilles. Closer to the islands, ships reported a quickly intensifying tropical cyclone with low barometric pressures, strong winds and heavy thunderstorms, although most of the activity occurred to the east of its center.
At 1800 UTC on September 12, the storm intensified into the equivalent of a modern-day Category 1 hurricane to the north of Puerto Rico. The following day, the hurricane began to recurve northward, attaining Category 2 intensity at 1200 UTC. Numerous vessels in its vicinity reported hurricane-force winds; the S.S. Borinquen observed a minimum peripheral pressure of 988 mbar (hPa; 29.18 inHg), the lowest observed pressure associated with the hurricane. At the time, the storm had maximum sustained winds of 100 mph (160 km/h), which it maintained throughout its duration as a Category 2 system. Progressing rapidly into more northerly latitudes, the storm weakened to a Category 1 hurricane by 1800 UTC on September 15. By the next day, two warm fronts began extending eastward from the cyclone as the wind field expanded in size, indicating the start of an extratropical transition. At 0200 UTC, the hurricane made landfall near Lockeport, Nova Scotia, with winds of 85 mph (135 km/h). The storm fully transitioned into an extratropical cyclone over the Gulf of Saint Lawrence by 1200 UTC on September 17. In the gulf, the system turned eastward, causing it to move ashore Newfoundland just north of Cape Race during the evening of September 18. After passing over the island, the extratropical storm reentered the Atlantic Ocean, where it gradually weakened before dissipating on September 19.
## Preparations and impact
### Offshore United States
Though initially perceived to be a potential threat to The Bahamas and Florida due to its westward motion, the hurricane curved northward on September 13, mitigating any evacuation procedures. Despite the storm's change in track, the United States Weather Bureau cautioned shipping interests in the outlying islands of the Bahamas. Pan American World Airways was forced to postpone two transatlantic flights from New York City to Portugal due to the storm. After the hurricane recurved, the Weather Bureau advised caution to areas of the New England coast, particularly in Nantucket and Cape Cod, Massachusetts, where strong winds and waves were anticipated. Storm warnings were posted for coastal areas from Hatteras, North Carolina to Eastport, Maine on September 16. The warnings were discontinued after the hurricane passed the warned areas.
On September 16, strong waves produced by the hurricane disabled the Swedish freighter Laponia, which at the time was located 300 mi (480 km) east of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina. The ship was initially en route for Rio de Janeiro carrying cargo for the Bethlehem Steel Company. As a result of the stranded ship, the SS President Roosevelt was forced to divert its course in order to render aid. The United States Coast Guard cutters USCGC Sebago (WHEC-42) and USCGC Carrabasset (WAT-55) were sent from the Virginia Capes in order to provide assistance. In addition, a coast guard plane was dispatched from Elizabeth City, North Carolina. The ships remained on standby to monitor the Laponia for three hours before conditions were considered safe to tow the stricken ship back to shore. Two fishing vessels capsized off Barnegat, New Jersey and Edgemere, New York, with both incidents resulting in a fatality. A cabin cruiser was sent to rescue occupants of the capsized boat off Edgemere, though it was also disrupted by rough seas. The ship was later able to rescue the other surviving crew members. Numerous other small craft off Long Island signaled distress calls to the US Coast Guard due to strong waves offshore. Eventually passing east of New England, the storm's large size resulted in heavy rainfall near Nantucket Island, Massachusetts. A weather station on the island reported maximum sustained winds of 45 mph (70 km/h). In Eastport, Maine, a weather station recorded a minimum barometric pressure of 993 mbar (hPa; 29.33 inHg) and wind speeds of 33 mph (53 km/h). In Maine, power lines were downed, damaging communications. In Bar Harbor, strong winds caused five fires, which were later extinguished. The schooner George Dresser ran aground on the port's coast. The hurricane also produced slight snowfalls in northern areas of the state.
### Nova Scotia
Most of the hurricane's damage occurred in Nova Scotia, where the storm made landfall early on September 17. As was the case off the United States East Coast, rough seas generated by the hurricane caused various ship incidents. Tides were 4 ft (1.3 m) above average. The abnormally high sea level inundated areas of Lockeport, isolating it from the rest of Nova Scotia and creating a temporary island in the process. One home in the city was flooded by the waves. Off Shelburne, a breakwater was destroyed by rough seas. In Halifax, two yachts were damaged. Another boat in East Ferry was destroyed. The strong waves grounded a schooner in Bridgewater, damaging a wharf. In Jordan Bay, two boat houses and a barn were toppled, while a wharf was washed away. Further north near Anticosti Island, the British steamer Incemore became stranded. Though not directly a result of the storm surge, ten boats in Lake Milo near Yarmouth were severely damaged.
Strong winds were also felt throughout Nova Scotia. Winds peaked at 70 mph (115 km/h) in Lockeport, the strongest winds observed in the Canadian province. In Yarmouth, the storm's gusts were clocked at 60 mph (100 km/h) in Yarmouth. Trees were uprooted as a result of the strong winds. One tree fell into a home in Melville Cove, damaging the home's roof. Cabins were damaged in Summerville, and the garage of a lodge in Digby was blown out. A barn and associated equipment were destroyed in Pembroke. The strong winds also blew down numerous communication lines, disrupting telecommunication services across Nova Scotia. Downed wires in Halifax caused a fire which scorched five buildings. Traffic in the city was also disrupted by the winds. In addition to infrastructure, crops were also heavily damaged. In Digby County, grain and corn plantations were damaged. Grain crops in Cumberland County also saw heavy losses. In Annapolis Valley, an important agricultural region in western Nova Scotia, 600,000 barrels of apples were lost, resulting in CA\$1.5 million in damages. The lost apple production accounted for roughly half of the entire apple yield for the agricultural region. Despite the hurricane's rapid movement through the Canadian Maritimes, the storm still produced heavy rainfall. In Halifax, 3 in (75 mm) of rain was reported over the duration of the hurricane. However, 3.5 in (90 mm) of rain fell in Yarmouth in a 24-hour period.
### New Brunswick
Damage from the hurricane was comparatively less in New Brunswick than in Nova Scotia, but was still considerable. The rough seas impacted ships offshore the province, disrupting the lobster industry. Two groups of lobster fishermen went missing in the Northumberland Strait; they were later found. Thousands of lobster traps and several wharves were either damaged or destroyed in the strait. Hundreds of boats were set adrift or sunk in the strait as well. Several boats in Rothesay and Westfield were also lost. A man in Dixon Point lost CA\$1,000 of live lobsters due to the storm. A wharf in Shediac was washed away. Fifty boats were sunk off Cap-Pelé, while in Greville, four scows were destroyed. The rising seawater inundated a bridge crossing the Millstream River under 3 ft (0.9 m) of water. A bridge crossing the Little River and another bridge in Cocagne were also damaged. Dykes in the Baie Verte area were damaged, resulting in thousands of dollars in damages. Further inland, winds caused infrastructural and agricultural damage. Winds peaked at 85 mph (135 km/h) at Lakeburn Airport. The strong winds disrupted power and telecommunication services in Moncton. Streets were blocked by trees blown down by strong winds. Offshore, three yachts were destroyed. A tree fell onto the Gagetown United Church as a result of the winds, causing considerable damage. Grain and apple crops were also destroyed in Gagetown. In Saint John, chimneys were toppled. Flying debris injured several people, and power outages also greatly affected the city. High waves in conjunction with strong gusts scattered boats in the nearby Saint John River. Tents in the Sussex Military Camp were destroyed. The hurricane's effects resulted in a car accident which injured eight people. Though no fatalities were confirmed in New Brunswick, a person went missing in Bathurst, who was later presumed dead.
## See also
- List of Canada hurricanes
- Hurricane Daisy (1962)
- Hurricane Kyle (2008)
|
26,990,501 |
Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds
| 1,168,817,638 |
Crossover fighting video game
|
[
"2.5D fighting games",
"2011 video games",
"Crossover fighting games",
"Eighting games",
"Fighting games used at the Evolution Championship Series tournament",
"Marvel vs. Capcom",
"Multiplayer and single-player video games",
"PlayStation 3 games",
"Tag team videogames",
"Video game sequels",
"Video games about parallel universes",
"Video games developed in Japan",
"Video games scored by Hideyuki Fukasawa",
"Video games set in Japan",
"Video games set in New York City",
"Video games set in Washington, D.C.",
"Video games set in the United States",
"Video games with cel-shaded animation",
"Xbox 360 games"
] |
is a crossover fighting video game developed by Capcom in collaboration with Eighting. The game features characters from both Capcom's video game franchises and comic book series published by Marvel Comics. It was released for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 consoles in February 2011. It is the sequel to 2000's Marvel vs. Capcom 2: New Age of Heroes, the fifth installment of the Marvel vs. Capcom franchise, and the first to use three-dimensional character models instead of two-dimensional sprites.
In Marvel vs. Capcom 3, players select a team of three characters to engage in combat and attempt to knock out their opponents. It features similar tag team game mechanics to earlier games in the series, along with new methods of play designed to make the game more accessible to new players. The game was produced by Ryota Niitsuma, who had previously worked on Tatsunoko vs. Capcom: Ultimate All-Stars, which utilizes the same simplified three-button attack system.
The game received generally positive reviews from critics, who praised its gameplay and character roster, while criticizing its online component and lack of features and game modes. More than 2 million units were shipped worldwide a month after its debut, rendering it a commercial success. Less than a year after its release, Capcom announced an updated version of the game, titled Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3. The standalone update was released in November 2011, and featured additional characters, stages, and gameplay tweaks. Combined sales of both versions exceed 4 million copies. A proper sequel, titled Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite, was released in September 2017.
## Gameplay
Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds is a fighting game in which players compete in battle using characters with different fighting styles and special attacks. The game features tag team-based gameplay similar to previous installments of the series. Players select teams of three characters to engage in one-on-one combat, and can choose to switch between them at any point during the match. During combat, players can call in one of their off-screen characters to perform a single special move, known as an "assist". As characters deal or receive damage, their team's "Hyper Combo Gauge" will gradually fill with energy, which can be expended by players to execute certain techniques, such as hyper combos, which are stronger versions of special moves; "snapbacks", which force the current opponent off the screen and replaces them with one of their other teammates; and "crossover combinations", which summon the player's entire team to use their hyper combos all at once. Players must use the various attacks in their arsenal to exhaust their opponent's life gauge and defeat the entire enemy team, or have the most cumulative health when time runs out. Marvel vs. Capcom 3 is the first entry in the franchise to feature three-dimensional character models as opposed to two-dimensional sprites. However, gameplay remains restricted to two dimensions, resulting in a 2.5D graphical design.
Unlike Marvel vs. Capcom 2: New Age of Heroes, which featured four attack buttons separated as two pairs of low and high-strength punches and kicks, Marvel vs. Capcom 3 uses a simplified, three-button control scheme of undefined light, medium, and heavy attacks modeled after Tatsunoko vs. Capcom: Ultimate All-Stars, which aims to "knock down the wall of complicated controls and open up the field of strategic fighting to all comers". The game includes a new "exchange button", which is used to launch opponents into the air, swap characters while performing combos, and slam the opponent into the ground. Players can use each button to string together attacks and form combos, as well as perform special moves using a combination of button presses and joystick movements. Marvel vs. Capcom 3 also features an alternate control scheme designed for players unfamiliar to fighting games called "Simple Mode". Simple Mode allows players to perform special moves and hyper combos with single button presses at the expense of limiting a character's available moveset.
Marvel vs. Capcom 3 introduces a new game mechanic known as "X-Factor", which offers increased damage, speed, and health regeneration for a short period of time. It can be activated by players once per match, and can also be used to extend combos. The duration and intensity of X-Factor is dependent on the number of active characters in the player's team; as a player loses fighters, X-Factor lasts longer and grants higher damage boosts.
### Modes
Marvel vs. Capcom 3 features various offline game modes, such as Arcade Mode, where the player fights against AI-controlled opponents to reach the final boss character, Galactus, a supervillain from Marvel Comics' Fantastic Four series. Each character has their own unique ending sequence, which is earned upon completion of Arcade Mode. Other offline modes include Versus Mode, where two players can fight against each other locally; Training Mode, which features several customization options for training purposes, such as the ability to adjust the Hyper Combo gauge, set AI difficulty, record and playback moves, and even simulate input lag; and Mission Mode, which features character-specific challenges designed to test players on their ability to execute complex combos.
Marvel vs. Capcom 3 includes online play using Microsoft's Xbox Live and Sony's PlayStation Network services. Online multiplayer includes ranked matches, where players battle to increase their rank and ascend the game's leaderboards; player matches, which do not bestow rank and offer options for quick rematches; and player lobbies, which allow up to eight players in a single room to compete in a king of the hill-style format. When an online match begins, both players can view their opponent's License Card. License Cards keep track of players' tendencies based on fighting style, record player points and total number of wins and losses, and allow players to see the positive and negative points of their play styles. Included among the online features is Shadow Battle, a series of downloadable content packs that allow the player to fight against a team of AI-controlled opponents programmed after the techniques and preferences of Capcom's development staff and famous players from the fighting game community.
### Playable characters
Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds contains a base roster of 36 characters, featuring both new and returning characters to the Marvel vs. Capcom franchise. Two additional characters, Jill Valentine and Shuma-Gorath, are also available as downloadable content. According to producer Niitsuma, character selection was a collaborative process between Capcom and Marvel Comics. Marvel gave Niitsuma and his team precise directions regarding the Marvel characters' designs, but was willing to leave game balancing to Capcom. In regards to characters who did not originate from fighting games, such as Deadpool and Arthur, Niitsuma's team tried to "preserve their essence" from their source material and see how they could siphon it into an interesting fighting game character.
Marvel worked closely with Capcom to include dialogue quips and mid-match events between the companies' characters. Comic book writer Frank Tieri was assigned to write the character dialogue and endings for the game. Marvel also gave Tieri full use of their library of characters for storyline purposes. As a result, several unplayable characters from the Marvel and Capcom universes, such as the Fantastic Four, Ghost Rider, Daredevil, MegaMan Volnutt, Nemesis, and Phoenix Wright, make cameo appearances in the campaign stages and Arcade Mode endings.
Characters new to the franchise are bolded.
#### Marvel characters
#### Capcom characters
## Development
Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds is the fifth installment in the Marvel vs. Capcom series. The game was first publicly announced at Capcom's Captivate press show in Hawaii on April 20, 2010. It was revealed to have been in development since 2008, when Capcom reacquired the Marvel license after a period of legal issues placed the series on hiatus for nearly a decade. Ryota Niitsuma, who had previously headed production on Tatsunoko vs. Capcom: Ultimate All-Stars, signed on as the producer for the new project, which was green-lit after "years and years of unrelenting fan demand". Niitsuma stated that the game was built using the same MT Framework game engine seen in Resident Evil 5 and Lost Planet 2.
Capcom's design philosophy for Marvel vs. Capcom 3 was to maximize gameplay depth and minimize complexity. According to Niitsuma, the development team sought to create a game that would reach out to longtime fans of the series, while simultaneously expanding their user base to those familiar with the characters, but perhaps not with fighting games in general. The urge to reach out to new players also stemmed from Marvel's recent success in the Hollywood film industry. Capcom's global head of production, Keiji Inafune, expressed interest in appealing to a worldwide audience. These ideas drove the decision to retool the fighting system, which was criticized in past iterations for being too complicated for casual players. These changes include the implementation of the three-button attack system from Tatsunoko vs. Capcom and the addition of Simple Mode. Unlike previous titles in the series, Capcom had no plans for an arcade release, and focused only on console versions for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. When asked if Capcom was planning to release the game on other consoles, Niitsuma did not dismiss the possibility for a Nintendo Wii version; however, this ultimately did not come to fruition.
Employees from Marvel Comics worked closely with Capcom's art design team to ensure that each character from their company was properly represented. As a result, several Marvel characters were modeled after their more recent comic book appearances. For example, Iron Man sports his Extremis Armor, while Wolverine wears his costume from Astonishing X-Men. The development team originally planned to have English and Japanese voice actors for all characters. Niitsuma eventually decided against it, stating that having the Marvel roster speaking Japanese did not mesh well with the characters' image.
## Release
Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds was released on February 15, 2011, in North America, February 17 in Japan, and February 18 in Europe for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. A special edition of the game included a steelbook case, a twelve-page prologue comic written by Frank Tieri, a one-month subscription to Marvel Digital Comics, and codes redeemable for free downloads of the Jill Valentine and Shuma-Gorath downloadable content.
DLC costumes for characters were later announced by Capcom and Marvel, which were released on the PlayStation Network and Xbox Live Marketplace on March 1, 2011. The costume pack contained new outfits for Ryu, Thor, Dante, Iron Man, Chris Redfield, and Captain America. The release of the pack coincided with the release of the Shadow Battle DLC.
Following the game's launch, a Marvel vs. Capcom merchandise program was launched in April 2011. Apparel wholesalers Mad Engine and Philcos sold T-shirts and sweatshirts bearing Marvel vs. Capcom 3 promotional artwork. Diamond Select Toys created a line of Minimates based on various characters from the game. Hollywood Collectibles debuted collectible statue sets featuring Akuma, Dante, Deadpool, Doctor Doom, Ryu, and Wolverine. In 2012, after the release of Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3, UDON Entertainment unveiled a 200-page artbook, titled Marvel vs. Capcom: Official Complete Works, containing compilations of existing Marvel vs. Capcom imagery alongside new commissioned pieces by comic book artists.
## Reception
Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds received positive reviews from critics, garnering aggregate scores of 85/100 and 84/100 from Metacritic for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions, respectively.
Reviewers praised Marvel vs. Capcom 3 for its simplified, yet deep gameplay and diverse cast of characters. According to GameSpot's Maxwell McGee, the game's simplified core combat mechanics worked harmoniously to drive the action forward. McGee also praised the addition of Simple Mode, saying that its simplicity was ideal for series newcomers. Richard George of IGN stated that the alterations to the control scheme helped to mature the franchise by removing needless complexities. Neidel Crisan of 1UP.com complimented the uniqueness of the characters' play styles, stating that he enjoyed exploring the roster and possible team combinations. Brian Leahy of G4 also praised the variety and balance of characters, claiming that, unlike Marvel vs. Capcom 2, in which a large majority of the cast was "severely underpowered" compared to its top fighters, almost every character in Marvel vs. Capcom 3 seemed to be a viable option.
In contrast to its character roster, the game was criticized for its lack of diversity in game modes and online features. George expressed his disappointment that the development team did not supplement Marvel vs. Capcom 3'''s core experience with extras to add variety to the total package and extend its lifespan. GameTrailers criticized the Arcade Mode, stating that its "underwhelming PowerPoint-style" endings left much to be desired, especially in comparison to the intro, outro, and rival battle sequences seen in Street Fighter IV. Tim Turi of Game Informer stated that fans expecting to see extensive online functionality similar to Street Fighter IV should "regulate their excitement". Eurogamer's Simon Parkin pointed specifically to the absence of a spectator mode, noting that the exclusion of viewable matches also presented a serious shortcoming.
At the Electronic Entertainment Expo 2010, Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds received the award for "Best Fighting Game" from the Game Critics Awards. It also earned "Best Fighting Game of E3" awards from IGN, 1UP.com, and X-Play/G4.
Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds was nominated for Best Fighting Game at 2011 Spike Video Game Awards, but lost to Mortal Kombat.
Prior to its release, Capcom expected to sell 2 million units of Marvel vs. Capcom 3 worldwide across both platforms. The game reached number 2 in the United Kingdom PlayStation 3 sales chart, behind Call of Duty: Black Ops. On March 30, 2011, the company announced that it had shipped more than 2 million copies of the game a month and a half after its debut. In response to reaching the milestone, Capcom dubbed Marvel vs. Capcom 3 a commercial success. As of June 2020, Fate of Two Worlds has sold 2.20 million units, with Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 selling 1.2 million units, bringing combined sales of both versions to 3.4 million copies.
## Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3
Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 is a standalone updated version of Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds, released in November 2011 for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. The game was later ported to the PlayStation Vita with PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC versions announced in December 2016. While the update features largely identical gameplay mechanics to the original, changes were made to both the aerial combat and X-Factor systems. It features the entire roster from Fate of Two Worlds, including the two DLC characters, and introduces 12 new playable fighters. Among the added fighters, only one is a returning character from previous games in the Marvel vs. Capcom series: Strider Hiryu. The other eleven characters, all new to the franchise, are Doctor Strange, Ghost Rider, Hawkeye, Iron Fist, Nova, Rocket Raccoon, Firebrand, Frank West, Nemesis T-Type, Phoenix Wright, and Vergil.
## Sequel
Following the release of Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 for the PlayStation Vita in 2012, Marvel's new parent company, The Walt Disney Company, which acquired Marvel in 2009, chose not to renew Capcom's license with the Marvel characters, instead opting to put them in its own self-published Disney Infinity series. As a result, Capcom had to pull both Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 and Marvel vs. Capcom 2: New Age of Heroes off Xbox Live Arcade and the PlayStation Network in 2013. However, in 2016, Disney decided to cancel its Disney Infinity series, discontinue self-publishing efforts, and switch to a licensing-only model, allowing them to license their characters to third-party game developers, including Capcom. On December 3, 2016, Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite'' was officially unveiled during Sony's PlayStation Experience event. The game was released on September 19, 2017, for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Microsoft Windows.
|
31,519,850 |
Azimzhan Askarov
| 1,167,149,015 |
Kyrgyz activist and journalist (1951–2020)
|
[
"1951 births",
"2020 deaths",
"Amnesty International prisoners of conscience held by Kyrgyzstan",
"Deaths from pneumonia in Kyrgyzstan",
"Human rights abuses in Kyrgyzstan",
"Journalists who died while in prison",
"Kyrgyzstani human rights activists",
"Kyrgyzstani journalists",
"Kyrgyzstani people of Uzbek descent",
"Kyrgyzstani people who died in prison custody"
] |
Azimzhan Askarov (Uzbek: Azimjon Asqarov, Азимжон Асқаров; 17 May 1951 – 25 July 2020) was a Kyrgyzstani political activist who founded the group Vozduh in 2002 to investigate police brutality. Of ethnic Uzbek descent, during the 2010 South Kyrgyzstan ethnic clashes, which primarily targeted people of the Uzbek nationality, Askarov worked to document the violence.
He was subsequently arrested and prosecuted on charges of creating mass disturbances, incitement of ethnic hatred, and complicity in murder. Following a trial protested by several international human rights groups for irregularities—including alleged torture and the courtroom intimidation of witnesses by police—Askarov was given a life sentence, which he was serving. In November 2010, Askarov's health was reported to be rapidly deteriorating as a result of his confinement. Numerous groups advocated on his behalf, including Human Rights Watch, Reporters Without Borders, People In Need, the Committee to Protect Journalists, and Amnesty International, the latter of which designated him a prisoner of conscience.
In 2015, the U.S. conferred the 2014 Human Rights Defender Award on Askarov. The Kyrgyz government protested this decision and formally terminated a 1993 agreement on cooperation between the U.S. and Kyrgyzstan. On 12 July 2016, the Supreme Court of Kyrgyzstan revoked the life sentence against Askarov and sent his case to the Chui Oblast Court for review. He was resentenced for life on 24 January 2017. Following amendments to Kyrgyzstan's Criminal Code in 2017, which came into force in 2019, Askarov's lawyers applied for a review of his sentence. However, on 30 July 2019, the Chui regional court upheld the life sentence of Askarov. He died in prison in 2020.
## Personal life
Askarov was born on 17 May 1951, in the village Bazar-Korgon, Kyrgyzstan. He attended an arts college in Tashkent. After getting his degree, Askarov worked as a painter and decorator for 15 years. In the early 1990s, he began writing about human rights issues in a local newspaper. He was married to Hadicha Askarova and they had three sons.
## Human rights work
Askarov worked as a human rights activist since the mid-1990s. In 2002, he founded the group Vozduh ("Air") to monitor the conditions of Kyrgyz prisons. Working primarily in the area of Bazar-Korgon, Askarov directed this group until the time of his arrest and was able to initiate new investigations of several cases of police brutality and torture. Several police officers were dismissed from their posts as a result of Askarov's investigations. Askarov has stated that in 2006, a prosecutor's investigator sued Askarov following an article he wrote publicizing torture allegations; the six-month court case ended with a verdict in Askarov's favor. As a result, Askarov claimed, "Enemies in the law enforcement community were constantly looking for an opportunity to shut me down."
## Arrest and trial
In July 2010, Kyrgyzstan saw an outbreak of ethnic violence in which as many as 400 people, both Kyrgyz and Uzbek, were killed, and hundreds of thousands of Uzbeks displaced. Following the violence, dozens of Uzbek community and religious leaders were arrested by the Kyrgyzstani government and accused of inciting ethnic violence, among them Azimzhan Askarov, who had been filming killings and arson attacks during the riots. Askarov then distributed the video to international media and accused the Kyrgyz military of complicity in the killings.
He was arrested on 15 June 2010 in Bazar-Korgon. Kyrgyzstan's human rights ombudsman, Tursunbek Akun, protested the arrest shortly after.
Askarov was tried along with other human rights activists before a court in the Nooken District of the Jalal-Abad Province. An observer from Human Rights Watch stated that both the defendants and the witnesses evidenced fresh bruises and appeared to have been tortured. The observer also stated that members of the trial's audience openly threatened and assaulted Askarov, other defendants, and their lawyers inside the courtroom, and that local law enforcement refused to intervene. Askarov's lawyer, Nurbek Toktagunov, stated that he was also approached by the relatives of a police officer and threatened with violence if he continued to defend Askarov, leading Amnesty International to issue an appeal for the safety of both Toktagunov and Askarov.
Askarov himself testified that he had been beaten and tortured while in police custody, and his lawyer reported that Askarov had further bruises on his back. On 4 November 2010, however, the prosecutor's office held a press conference to deny any beatings had taken place.
## Imprisonment and health
On 10 November 2010, Askarov's sentence was upheld by an appellate court. Two days later, Amnesty International reported that Askarov's health was failing rapidly; he was soon moved from his prison hospital to a hospital in Bishkek. Members of his family expressed concern that he was receiving inadequate care from prison authorities.
On 8 February 2011, the Kyrgyzstani Supreme Court agreed to hear new evidence in Askarov's case; however, his hearing was suspended. On 11 April 2011, his appeal hearing was postponed for the second time. On 20 December 2011, the Kyrgyzstani Supreme Court upheld Askarov's sentence.
Askarov's lawyer then said he would protest the Supreme Court's decision in the UN Human Rights Council; however, Askarov himself was against this, fearing not being able to survive until the day of decision. Askarov insisted on the review of his case in the Kyrgyz legislature.
On 24 January 2017, a Kyrgyz court found Askarov guilty and sentenced him to life in prison. Following amendments to Kyrgyzstan's Criminal Code in 2017, which came into force in 2019, Askarov's lawyers applied for a review of his sentence. However, on 30 July 2019, the Chui regional court upheld the life sentence of Askarov.
## International attention
Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, the Committee to Protect Journalists, Front Line, International Partnership for Human Rights (IPHR), and the International Federation for Human Rights have all denounced the charges against Askarov. The Committee to Protect Journalists called for him and fellow detainee Ulugbek Abdusalomov to be released, and for the officers who arrested them to be investigated for "abuse of office". His cause has also been championed by American actor Martin Sheen. The US Embassy in Bishkek also put pressure on the Kyrgyz government to hold "impartial hearings" on Askarov's appeal. Reporters Without Borders has called for his immediate release.
On 8 March 2011, People In Need awarded him the Homo Homini Award "in recognition of a dedication to the promotion of human rights, democracy and non-violent solutions to political conflicts." In an acceptance speech written from prison, Askarov responded, "I cried like a baby. There are no words to express my heartfelt joy. After much suffering, torture and humiliation, I realized once again the high social value of fighting for human rights and justice!"
In May 2011, an exhibition of Askarov's paintings opened in Bishkek, organized by his wife and various Kyrgyz human rights organizations. The paintings focus on "the inhabitants of the Fergana valley and scenes from their everyday lives."
In 2012, Askarov won the International Press Freedom Award of the Committee to Protect Journalists. The award recognizes journalists who show courage in defending press freedom despite facing attacks, threats, or imprisonment.
## Death
Askarov died on 25 July 2020, one day after being hospitalized with pneumonia. He was 69, and suffered from a heart condition and other chronic illnesses in the time leading up to his death. He was buried in Tashkent Region, Uzbekistan, on 31 July. Prior to his death Askarov had requested to be buried in Uzbekistan. Moreover, his relatives feared that in Kyrgyzstan his grave would be a target for vandalism by Kyrgyz nationalists.
In 2022, Human Rights Watch raised concerns that an investigation into his death had not yet been concluded, stating that his death "remains a dark stain on Kyrgyzstan’s human rights record, further marred by new deaths in custody in the Kyrgyz prison system."
|
52,877,762 |
Loveless (film)
| 1,170,192,276 |
2017 film by Andrey Zvyagintsev
|
[
"2010s French films",
"2010s German films",
"2010s Russian-language films",
"2017 drama films",
"2017 films",
"Belgian drama films",
"Best Film, London Film Festival winners",
"Best Foreign Film César Award winners",
"Films about child abuse",
"Films about children",
"Films about divorce",
"Films about missing people",
"Films directed by Andrey Zvyagintsev",
"Films set in 2012",
"Films set in Moscow",
"Films shot in Moscow",
"Films shot in Moscow Oblast",
"French drama films",
"German drama films",
"Les Films du Fleuve films",
"Russian drama films"
] |
Loveless (Russian: Нелюбовь, romanized: Nelyubov) is a 2017 drama film directed by Andrey Zvyagintsev, who co-wrote it with Oleg Negin. The story concerns two separated parents, played by Maryana Spivak and Aleksey Rozin, whose loveless relationship has decayed into a state of bitterness and hostility. They are temporarily drawn back together after their only child goes missing and they attempt to find him.
The story was inspired by the search-and-rescue group Liza Alert and Zvyagintsev's desire to make a film about a family. He was originally interested in making a Russian reworking of the 1973 Swedish miniseries Scenes from a Marriage but could not obtain the rights. Loveless was produced with international support after the Russian government disapproved of Zvyagintsev's 2014 anti-corruption film Leviathan. As a result, Loveless is a co-production of Russia, France, Belgium and Germany. Cinematographer Mikhail Krichman used a realistic style during filming in Moscow in 2016. Although Zvyagintsev said he had no interest in politics, he incorporated a skeptical view of the police into the film. Themes include parental neglect, the state of lovelessness or nelyubov, and bleak environments.
Loveless opened to critical acclaim and won the Jury Prize at the 2017 Cannes Film Festival. Critics viewed it as a gripping story of a family crisis and a statement on life in Russia. It won two European Film Awards, including Best Cinematographer for Krichman, as well as the César Award for Best Foreign Film, and was nominated for Best Foreign Language Film at the 90th Academy Awards.
## Plot
October 2012, Moscow. Children are leaving school. A twelve-year-old boy named Alyosha walks along a path through a wooded area on the outskirts of town. He throws a strip of tape onto a tree. His parents, Zhenya and Boris, are divorcing and are trying to sell their apartment. Both parents have new relationships: Boris with Masha, a young woman who is pregnant with his child; and Zhenya with Anton, an older and wealthier man with an adult daughter. Alyosha overhears a fight between his parents, neither of whom claim to want him and are considering placing him in an orphanage.
One day after spending most of the night with Anton, Zhenya realizes Alyosha has not been seen since the day before. The police believe Alyosha has run away and will return home within a day or two. When Alyosha does not return, a volunteer group specializing in the rescue of missing persons takes over the case and begins searching for the boy. The only relative Alyosha could have sought refuge with is Zhenya's estranged mother, who lives several hours away. Boris and Zhenya visit Zhenya's mother; their trip is punctuated by arguments and they do not find any clues as to Alyosha's whereabouts. On the return journey home, Zhenya and Boris argue again; Zhenya says her marriage to Boris while pregnant was a mistake and she should have had an abortion; she also says she feels pity for Masha. Enraged, Boris stops the car and forces her out on a rural roadway.
The police again become involved with the search for Alyosha, which covers an increasingly wide area of the town and its surrounding area. After a fruitless search of an abandoned building that Alyosha's friend, Kuznetsov, identified as their hideout, Zhenya and Boris go to a morgue to view the remains of an unidentified child whose description matches Alyosha's. Both parents deny the disfigured child's body is their son's, though the experience proves traumatic and they break down in tears.
Some time passes; Boris and Zhenya's apartment has been sold, and workers dismantle wall hangings and appliances in Alyosha's old room. On the streets, missing-person posters of Alyosha are looking old and faded. In 2015, Boris now lives with Masha and their infant son, whom he treats coldly, while Zhenya has moved in with Anton. Three years after his disappearance, on the wooded path along which Alyosha used to walk home from school, the strip of tape he threw onto the tree remains as a surviving remnant of his existence.
## Cast
The cast includes:
## Themes and interpretations
Critic Adam Nayman argued the theme of Loveless is "neglect" and that Alyosha represents "the lost innocence of a society deep in the throes of self-absorption". The Financial Times's Raphael Abraham stated that while Zhenya and Boris are humanized, they are "at best distracted, at worst criminally neglectful". Alyosha may be exemplary of "the unwanted or unacknowledged child" frequently seen in Zvyagintsev's filmography, according to reviewer Anthony Lane. Eric Hynes summarized Boris's and Zhenya's flaws as being "vacuity", "self-regard" and "selfhatred". Film Journal writer Simi Horwitz also said Zhenya is a narcissist "guiding prospective apartment buyers through it as if [Alyosha] were not there". The story is told with "intense domestic detail" compared to the work of Ingmar Bergman and August Strindberg.
In his review, Mark Kermode judged the police as "uncaring and ineffectual", saying this reflects a theme common throughout Zvyagintsev's work, but added the search-and-rescue team offered a contrast; "The volunteers are decent and driven, their stoical mission at odds with the dehumanising cycle of suburban life". Kermode added that Zhenya and Boris only become more resentful after Alyosha goes missing, escalating their "lovelessness", "the state ... in which (we are told) one simply cannot live". Hynes argued Boris and Zhenya do not develop as characters after Alyosha goes missing but are made aware of the "abyss" within themselves. Critic Leslie Felperin said the source of Zhenya's bitterness is revealed in her background when she visits her mother. Zhenya's mother may also live in a state of nelyubov ("lovelessness" in the English translation) according to critic Robert Koehler; the Russian word refers to a state of "anti-love" rather than the absence of love.
The settings and weather also feature in the themes, which according to Horwitz are "rooted in a peculiarly Russian landscape, existential and literal", exemplified by the "bleak, snowy day" that forms the backdrop of the prologue. The wintry forest featured in the prologue conveys the "eerie air of a gothic fairy tale" in Abraham's opinion; the use of the cinematography in the initial scenes may also give the camera "an independence of movement"; Hynes observed it "zooming into the split of a tree, panning skyward from the foot of it". Later in the story, snowfall threatens the search. Horwitz also found the interiors of the residences "oppressive and unwelcoming". Felperin viewed the abandoned building as symbolic, featuring broken glass and an empty pool that "starts to look like a mass grave, but one that could never hold all the runaways of the nation".
The Economist considered religious and political themes to be less important in Loveless than in Zvyagintsev's 2014 film Leviathan; while Boris' employer is devoutly Russian Orthodox, this is not a predominant theme and "the state is more absent than corrupt". Boris is "terrified" his employer will punish him for the divorce on religious grounds. Koehler equated the ineffectiveness of the police to the Russian state. Robbie Collin argued Loveless has "vast significance", noting that the story opens with Russians fearing the end of the world during the 2012 phenomenon and closes with Zhenya wearing an outfit displaying the word "Russia" prominently while running on a treadmill. Collin interpreted Zhenya as "a real 21st century Mother Russia, going nowhere yet locked unswervingly on course". Zvyagintsev said "Russia" outfits were popular during the 2014 Winter Olympics and was not meant to equate Zhenya with Mother Russia. Koehler instead viewed Zhenya's mother as representative of Mother Russia.
According to Peter Rainer, Loveless is "perhaps [Zvyagintsev's] most encompassing indictment of Russian society", considering the fears of the end of the world lead into the missing person case. Rainer wrote, "Alyosha, with his pugnacious, beseeching face, is not only a lost boy: In the movie's terms, he also represents the loss of something spiritually significant in modern Russia". Koehler interpreted the damaged family as the product of a declining large society. According to Wenlei Ma, "It’s hard not to see Loveless as standing in for Russia’s wider problem—of the promises of Perestroika and Glasnost and the progress reforms brought, progress that has since been diluted by divisions, apathy and a state with no soul". According to Koehler, the film negatively depicts modern Russia in a restaurant scene in which young men and women exchange telephone numbers and take group selfies.
## Production
### Development
Producer Alexander Rodnyansky said Loveless was envisioned as a reflection of "Russian life, Russian society and Russian anguish", but was also intended to be relatable to other countries. Rodnyansky also said a desire to look at a family was a starting point in the story's conception, and that the director and screenwriter Andrey Zvyagintsev started writing the story while visiting the United States in 2015. Zvyagintsev said the film began as an attempt to remake Scenes from a Marriage, the 1973 miniseries by Ingmar Bergman. Zvyagintsev claimed to have met Bergman at Fårö in 2003, where they discussed a remake of the miniseries. An unsuccessful attempt to buy the rights to the miniseries led writers Oleg Negin and Zvyagintsev to redraw the plot, deciding to base it on news stories about the search and rescue team Liza Alert. Negin submitted the title Nelyubov to Zvyagintsev, which the director said is a Russian word referring to both a lack of love and a dire spiritual condition. Despite the flawed nature of the lead characters, Zvyagintsev said:
> I never perceived them as monsters ... They're just people, like all of us, it’s our reflection, and in some traits of their characters, I even saw myself. These stories come from personal experience and the stories of Oleg Negin, my co-author, and other people.
While Zvyagintsev claimed to be uninterested in politics, his story reflects his belief that "The modern-day police don't care about people". He later said Loveless was "over-politicized". He chose to start the story in October 2012, which he said was a point when the Russian people were optimistic about beneficial political reform, ending in disappointment in 2015. The film also includes references to the war in Donbass. While the conflict is referenced through Russian propaganda, Zvyagintsev said his films are anti-government and that the scenes were intended to show the lives of his characters:
> All this propaganda that you hear on the radio in the film is just the real background which we Russians lived in from 2012 to 2015 because the main action takes place during six days in the October of 2012. And, then we see the characters after several years in 2015 when, already, all these tragic events between Russia and Ukraine have happened. They’re just the real background that we experienced in those days.
Zvyagintsev's earlier film Leviathan, about corruption in Russia, received 35% of its budget from Russia's Ministry of Culture. However, Loveless was made without financial support from the national government because the Ministry of Culture disapproved of Leviathan when it was finished. The producers neither requested nor received any offers of state support for Loveless, Zvyagintsev said. Rodnyansky instead appealed for funding from wealthy Russian Gleb Fetisov and foreign companies, including Why Not Productions in France and Les Films du Fleuve in Belgium.
### Casting
Zvyagintsev said it was natural to cast Aleksey Rozin as Boris because he and Rozin had previously worked together twice. The crew spent four months casting the character Zhenya, for which Maryana Spivak was an early candidate, and she was eventually cast in the role. Spivak said she took the opportunity for a starring role in a film and the chance to work with Zvyagintsev. Spivak questioned whether her character truly did not love her son; she interpreted the role with ambiguity, considering the complexity of Zhenya's emotions. Zvyagintsev's desire to cast unknown actors led to the casting of Sergey Badichkin as Boris' co-worker.
The filmmakers auditioned 250 children for the role of Alyosha and shortlisted around six. They asked the candidates to portray Alyosha weeping as his parents are arguing; Matvey Novikov was cast as Alyosha and the second-best candidate, Artyom Zhigulin, was given the role of Kuznetsov.
### Filming
Principal photography began in Summer 2016. Filming was done in Moscow, on location, in apartments and at an unused building that was used to portray the search. The unused building was an abandoned "cultural palace" found by a location scout. Skhodnya River was also used as a location.
Zvyagintsev and his cinematographer Mikhail Krichman used harsh lighting and a color scheme with desaturated grays and browns. Zvyagintsev described his direction:
> The direction is towards the particular, the accuracy of the recreation of details: that is what allows anyone who watches to appreciate the sense of the work, though the sincerity, the honesty of its approach to human nature. If you try and tackle abstract problems, problems of society or the world as a whole, you’ll never get anything done. You won’t create anything.
Krichman said he aimed for realism in his filming, for which he used an Arri Alexa digital camera that was kept more stationary than its subjects. On average, the filmmakers filmed twelve takes for each scene, and Krichman said some scenes needed up to twenty-eight takes. The scene in which Matvey Novikov runs down a hallway was filmed using by camera dolly; it took over four hours to film because of difficulties with lighting.
During production, members of Russian search-and-rescue group Liza Alert advised the filmmakers and lent their equipment for use on screen. The dead child in the morgue was artificial. The filmmakers used the nude photography of Annie Leibovitz as an influence for the sex scenes. For the opening scene at the school, Zvyagintsev instructed the crew to film the empty yard for one minute before the crew let the child actors leave, instructing them not to look into the camera. For Matvey Novikov's weeping scene, Novikov was not given this part of the screenplay and did not know what his character was overhearing, but Zvyagintsev instructed him; "Imagine you're badly craving something, a toy, a bicycle, and then imagine that you're not gonna get it", filming the scene in eight takes.
### Post-production
The film score was composed by Evgueni and Sacha Galperine, who wrote the music after hearing a synopsis of the story but without seeing the film or reading the screenplay. Evgueni Galperine said the piece "11 Cycles of E" was written as an interpretation of a parent's narrowly-focused thoughts about finding a missing child.
The film was still incomplete when it was selected on 13 April 2017 for screening at the Cannes Film Festival the next May, The crew decided to film a final scene for Loveless. Over the next month, editing of the finished version was completed; Zvyagintsev described the lateness of the process as "extreme circumstances".
## Release
Loveless competed for the Palme d'Or in the main competition section at the Cannes Film Festival in May 2017. The filmmakers and distributors could not find words for the title, Nelyubov, in English or French, and chose Loveless and Faute d'amour, respectively. Beijing WeYing Technology acquired the Chinese distribution rights, and Altitude Film Distribution purchased the rights to release it in the United Kingdom. It was subsequently selected for screening at the 2017 New Zealand International Film Festival in July and the Sarajevo Film Festival in August. In September, it was screened at the 2017 Toronto International Film Festival.
The film was released In Russia on 1 June 2017, with distributors relying on Cannes to build up interest in the film while seeking theatrical showings before online piracy became widespread. Its French release followed on 20 September 2017. It was released in the UK on 24 January 2018. Sony Pictures Classics acquired the North American distribution rights, releasing it in New York and Los Angeles in February 2018. On 21 February 2018, it was re-released in Russian theaters.
On 23 January 2018, Pyramide Vidéo released Loveless on DVD in Region 2 as part of a boxset of Zvyagintsev's films. On 12 June 2018, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment released the film in Region 1 on DVD and Blu-ray.
## Reception
### Box office
In its first two weeks of screenings in Russia, Loveless grossed 100 million rubles. In France, the film opened on 20 September 2017 and attracted 10,000 admissions. According to Sony, on its first week of release in North America Loveless grossed \$30,950, an average of \$10,317 per location. In its second and third weeks of its U.S. release, Loveless grossed \$65,457, an average of \$5,455 per location; and \$60,583, an average of \$2,423 per location.
In Russia, the film made \$2 million by February 2018, with 350,000 admissions. It grossed \$4,885,296 worldwide.
### Critical response
As of 20 September 2020, Loveless has an approval rating of 95% on review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, based on 186 reviews, and an average rating of 8.30/10. The website's critical consensus states, "Loveless uses its riveting portrait of a family in crisis to offer thought-provoking commentary on modern life in Russia—and the world beyond its borders". It also has a score of 86 out of 100 on Metacritic, based on 33 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".
At Cannes, The Toronto Star'''s Peter Howell praised Loveless as "masterfully bleak" and endorsed it for the Palme d'Or; he said it was also leading in the critics' polls. On RogerEbert.com, Ben Kenigsberg predicted it would win the Palme d'Or, calling it "austere and beautiful, leisurely yet compelling". For Variety, Owen Gleiberman called the film "compelling and forbidding" and "an ominous, reverberating look" at "the crisis of empathy at the culture’s core" in contemporary Russian society. Peter Bradshaw gave it five stars in The Guardian, praising it as a "stark, mysterious and terrifying story". For Izvestia, Kirill Razlogov commented on the realistic depiction of common life and on Spivak's and Rozin's portrayal of hatred for each other. The Hollywood Reporter's Leslie Felperin praised its intensity, avoidance of a heavy-handed approach to many issues—including in its examination of lack of social bonds within a technological society—and the ways damaging relationships are passed down through family histories. In The Daily Telegraph, Robbie Collin awarded it five stars, hailing it as "pristine and merciless", and compared its opening with the ominous prologue to the 1973 film Don't Look Now. Eric Kohn gave it a B in IndieWire and said it falls short of Leviathan. On Vulture.com, Emily Yoshida called it a "dour" film with unlikable characters and a lack of focus to make a coherent point, and said the positive was that it inspired gratitude in viewers who did not live under Russian President Vladimir Putin's regime.
Following Cannes, Russian critic Andrei Plakhov wrote that the film effectively conveys poetry and grief. In France, Jacques Mandelbaum of Le Monde said Zvyagintsev established a dark tone in which the characters fail due to their selfishness and negativity. Le Parisien's Pierre Vavasseur commended the look of the film. For Les Inrockuptibles, Vincent Ostria called Loveless one of Zvyagintsev's best films, commenting on the pathos of the title. In Belgium, Le Soir's Fabienne Bradfer hailed Zvyagintsev as a master and Loveless as lucid and intimate. In the German newspaper Der Spiegel, Carolin Weidner focused on the selfish nature of the parent characters and their lack of awareness of their son's disappearance, and interpreted it as a parable of Russia wrapped up in the 2012 phenomenon. In Der Tagesspiegel, Andreas Busche said the dialogue regarding the 2012 apocalyptic fears leads into a colder period for Russia and regarded Loveless as nihilist.
Some critics compared the Loveless to its inspiration, Bergman's Scenes from a Marriage. Los Angeles Times critic Justin Chang called the film "a withering snapshot of contemporary Russian malaise". For The New York Times, Jeannette Catsoulis commented on the atmosphere and suspenseful cinematography. Mike D'Angelo wrote in The A.V. Club that with news stories about alleged Russian government's hacking following the 2016 U.S. presidential election, Loveless showed civilians in Russia are also unhappy under its government. Anthony Lane, in a positive review for The New Yorker, noted the bleakness of the film's story line but found it "so much more gripping than grim". Critic David Ehrlich named Evgueni and Sacha Galperine's score as the ninth-best cinematic soundtrack of 2017, particularly praising "11 Cycles of E" as "striking".
### Accolades
The jury at Cannes awarded Loveless the Jury Prize. Producer Alexander Rodnyansky said that when the Russian Oscar Committee was selecting a submission for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, Loveless's political critics campaigned against it but it remained a frontrunner due to the Jury Prize and the positive reception in North America. Critic Anton Dolin argued Loveless's Sony distribution and Zvyagintsev's previous nomination for Leviathan'' also gave it an edge over other Russian films considered. In September, it was selected as the Russian entry for Best Foreign Language Film at the 90th Academy Awards; the Academy shortlisted it for a nomination in December.
## See also
- List of submissions to the 90th Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language Film
- List of Russian submissions for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film
|
30,830,431 |
Snakehead (Fringe)
| 1,166,997,830 | null |
[
"2009 American television episodes",
"Fringe (season 2) episodes"
] |
"Snakehead" is the ninth episode of the second season of the American science fiction drama television series Fringe. The episode followed the Fringe team's investigation into horrible deaths caused by large parasitic worms erupting from their victims' mouths. The case soon leads them to a Chinese gang and a black market of immunodeficiency medicinal drugs.
Co-executive producer David Wilcox wrote the episode, while Paul Holahan served as its director. Andrew Orloff, the episode's visual effects supervisor, strived to makes the parasitic worms look as real as possible with the help of the actors and camera angles. It featured one-time guest stars Tzi Ma, Colby Paul, Ingrid Torrance and Jack Yang.
"Snakehead" first aired on December 3, 2009, to an estimated 6.94 million viewers in the United States. Reviews of the episode were generally negative, as multiple critics expressed their dissatisfaction that little was learned about the series' overall mythology.
## Plot
In Dorchester, a damaged cargo ship from China washes ashore; all of the crew members seem to be infected with squid-like creatures which soon erupt from their mouths, effectively killing their hosts. Other survivors flock to a contact house in Boston's Chinatown, only to suffer the same fate in the presence of a man (Tzi Ma). While investigating the crime scene shore, the Fringe team discover a healthy young Chinese woman, who tells them all of the passengers but her were given pills for their perceived seasickness, and that another ship is expected in two days. In the lab, Walter (John Noble) posits the creatures are gigantic parasitic worms, a modified version of Ancylostoma duodenale, that needs hosts for their gestation period, hence the distribution of parasitic pills. One of the still-living worms bites Walter, boosting his white blood cell count and making him suddenly feel better.
The Fringe team discovers a Triad gang member and ties to several shell companies the gang has set up in the US. They interview Elizabeth Jarvis (Ingrid Torrance), one of the companies' large investors, but she seems unaware of her investment's criminal background. While at her house, Peter (Joshua Jackson) observes signs of obsessive compulsive and germaphobe characteristics such as large quantities of hand sanitizer. Walter informs him the worm has a medicinal purpose, not a narcotic one as they previously believed. These two discoveries lead Peter and Olivia (Anna Torv) back to Jarvis' house, and they learn that her son (Colby Paul) has an immunodeficiency disorder. To allow him to be able to go outside, his mother and doctor have been giving him an injection to his spleen once a month, though he is unaware of the medicine's origins.
Meanwhile, an invigorated Walter ventures out to Chinatown to find a herbalist for his research; unaware of the clerk's connection to the case, Walter casually mentions the giant worms. Walter manages to lose Astrid (Jasika Nicole), who was sent to follow him out of worry for his ability to travel alone. She goes back to the lab, but is attacked by Triad gang members intent on getting back the remaining worms. Unaware of this, a distraught Walter becomes lost and wastes all his bus money on wrong phone numbers, causing Peter to have to pick him up. Olivia talks to Jarvis, who finally admits to being aware of the medicine. She tells Olivia the whereabouts of the incoming ship, but they find it already empty. Peter and Walter return to the herbalist shop and discover the remaining passengers. The FBI storms in and the survivors are sent to the hospital for care. Feeling remorseful about the trouble he caused, Walter injects himself with a tracking implant and gives Peter the transponder.
## Production
"Snakehead" was written by co-executive producer David Wilcox, who had also written the season's third episode, "Fracture". The episode gave television director Paul Holahan his first directional credit for the series. The episode featured one-time guest appearances by actors Tzi Ma as Ming Che, Colby Paul as Matt Jarvis, Ingrid Torrance as Elizabeth Jarvis, and Jack Yang as Tao Chen.
The episode's visual effects supervisor, Andrew Orloff of Zoic Studios tried to make the parasitic worms look as real as possible. He explained, "...we just don't have any shots that seemed staged for the camera or any hint of being a visual effect. One of the big effects, like the parasite that crawls out of the guy's mouth, are interacting with actor's performances and they're shot with a very loose camera style and we have to have the tentacles of this creature coming out of the guy's mouth and all the deformations that are in his stomach and in his throat and in his chest." Orloff continued, "And we had to create a proprietary workflow here of what we're calling performance transfer of tracking 2D points, and putting those 2D tracked points onto the formation of 3D inter-geometry. So we're transferring not just the camera motion but also the performance of the actors on set onto 3D pieces of geometry so we can deform them and warp them and have our effects interact with them because the mandate is all about making it look as natural as possible, so that means a lot of optical tricks and atmosphere put in as seamlessly as possible."
## Reception
### Ratings
"Snakehead" first aired on December 3, 2009, in the United States. It was watched by an estimated 6.94 million viewers, earning a 4.2/7 household ratings share and a 2.5/7 ratings share for the 18–49 demographic. Fringe aired against repeats of Grey's Anatomy and CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, helping the series earn a 25 percent ratings increase since the season premiere.
### Reviews
Critical reception for the episode was generally negative. MTV writer Josh Wigler noted the week's Fringe case for "delivering an absolutely grotesque mystery of the week — even if the actual plot surrounding the worms was thin and unimportant in the long run". He believed the best part of the episode was John Noble's performance, as "he kills you with laughter just as easily as he kills you with tears," but disliked the focus on Astrid, believing the focus would have been better spent on Olivia. Ken Tucker from Entertainment Weekly called the case "pretty X-Files-ish" and Walter's storyline "the true heart of the hour." Other critics also spotlighted Noble's acting. AOL TV's Jane Boursaw believed the worms were "seriously freaky" and the opening scene "cringe"-worthy. Writing for the magazine New York, critic Tim Grierson called the focus on Walter the episode's best moments, but wrote that after the audience "adjusted to the ew factor, the plot wasn't all that interesting. The story line about rich, ailing Americans paying Chinese gangsters for miracle cures appeared to be a ripped-from-the-headlines commentary on hot-button issues like human trafficking and illegal immigration, but the execution just seemed silly."
Conversely, Noel Murray of The Onion's The A.V. Club graded "Snakehead" with a B+, explaining the focus on Walter was a "smart choice by the Fringe team thematically". Murray continued, "Ordinarily I'd be griping that this episode was yet another mythology-free time-waster, with a plot that—two-foot-long parasites aside—could be passed along to any other procedural show currently on the air. But I really enjoyed 'Snakehead,' both because of the way the story reflected who Walter is and because of all the little touches of character development and scene-setting.
Though not appearing as depicted, the species is a real-world hookworm that infects a large number of Earth's population, which as said in the episode, has been used by some as an alternative treatment for asthma and other allergies. Popular Mechanics published an article assessing the episode's science; they concluded that the worms depicted in "Snakehead" -- "hybrid parasites, a new species bio-engineered from an intestinal hookworm"—cannot grow as quickly nor as large in real life, though it is possible for hosts to die from "parasitic asphyxiation". A George Washington University Medical School doctor noted that some scientists are researching the healing potential of parasitic worms.
|
715,847 |
Kaimanawa horse
| 1,167,869,287 |
Breed of horse
|
[
"Feral horses",
"Horse breeds",
"Horse breeds originating in New Zealand",
"Invasive animal species in New Zealand"
] |
Kaimanawa horses are a population of feral horses in New Zealand that are descended from domestic horses released in the 19th and 20th centuries. They are known for their hardiness and quiet temperament. The New Zealand government strictly controls the population to protect the habitat in which they live, which includes several endangered species of plants. The varying heritage gives the breed a wide range of heights, body patterns and colours. They are usually well-muscled, sure-footed and tough.
Horses were first reported in the Kaimanawa Range in 1876, although the first horses had been brought to New Zealand in 1814. The herds grew as horses escaped or were released from sheep stations and cavalry bases. Some of the horses were recaptured by the locals to be riding horses, as well as for their meat, hair, and hides. The number of horses declined as large-scale farms and forestry operations were built on the ranges, and there was only around 174 horses by 1979. The New Zealand government started protecting the Kaimanawa horses in 1981, and there were 1,576 horses by 1994. Roundups have been carried out annually since 1993 to manage the size of the herd, removing around 2,800 horses altogether. All suitable horses are available for rehoming after the roundups. The Kaimanawa horse population is listed as a herd of special genetic value by the United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organization, and several studies have been conducted on the herd dynamics and habits of the breed.
There is also a small unmanaged population of feral horses on the Aupōuri Peninsula at the northern tip of the North Island.
The majority of Kaimanawa horses are small but tough and sure-footed, and they are widely popular as Pony Club mounts and showjumpers. They are also popular as stock horses for high country stations.
## History
The first horses were introduced to New Zealand by Anglican missionary Reverend Samuel Marsden in December 1814, and wild horses were first reported in the Kaimanawa Range in 1876. The Kaimanawa breed descended from domestic horses that were released into the ranges in the late 19th century and early 20th century. Between 1858 and 1875, Major George Gwavas Carlyon imported Exmoor ponies to Hawkes Bay (not likely purebred Exmoors). They were later crossed with local horses to produce the Carlyon Pony. The Carlyon Ponies were later crossed with two Welsh Pony stallions, Kinarth Caesar and Comet, who were imported by Sir Donald McLean, and a breed known as the Comet Horse resulted. In the 1870s, McLean released a Comet stallion and several mares onto the Kaingaroa Plains and the bloodline mixed into the wild Kaimanawa Horse population. Other breeds were added to the Kaimanawa herds when riding horses escaped or were released from local sheep stations, and the cavalry units at Waiouru released horses when they were threatened with a strangles epidemic. It is also thought that in the 1960s, Nicholas Koreneff released an Arabian stallion into the Argo Valley region and the Arabian breed mixed into the Kaimanawa herds.
Throughout the 19th and 20th centuries, horses were captured from the Kaimanawa herds and used as riding and stock horses, as well as being used for their meat, hair, and hides. Originally there were many herds that roamed the land owned by the British Crown and the native Māori, but many disappeared when large scale farms and forestry operations were built on the ranges, and also farm machinery decreased the need for stock horses. The Kaimanawa horses today have the most genetic similarity with Thoroughbred horses and Thoroughbred cross breeds.
Land development and an increasing human population reduced the number of the Kaimanawa horses and the space they had to roam, and in 1979 only around 174 horses remained. In 1981, the Kaimanawa horse population, the size of the ranges, and the herd movements began to be officially measured. A protected area was formed in the Waiouru Army Camp for the Kaimanawa herds to live. Legislative protection of the Kaimanawa horses was similar to the kiwi bird and other native species. There was a rapid increase in the herd size following the protection of the breed, and 1,576 horses were living in the area by 1994.
There is also a small population of feral horses living on the Aupōuri Peninsula at the northern tip of the North Island. These horses live on the land owned by local Māori and are mostly unmanaged by the New Zealand government.
The Wilson Sisters from Whangarei, New Zealand made the Kaimanawa horses a household name in New Zealand so that after the 2016 muster there were enough homes for all the suitable horses to be rehomed. Kelly Wilson has published seven bestselling books about the Kaimanawa Horses. For the Love of Horses is about their childhood and becoming New Zealand's best showjumping riders and the first time they tamed wild Kaimanawas, Stallion Challenges is about the year they tamed wild two Kaimanawa stallions each to compete in the Stallion Challenge competition, Mustang Ride is about the sisters taming wild Mustangs in America to compete in the Mustang Makeover, Saving the Snowy Brumbies is about the sisters taming wild Brumby Horses from Australia, Ranger the Kaimanawa Stallion is told by a Kaimanawa stallion called Ranger who was tamed by the sisters, and the Showtym Adventures series is a junior fiction series about the sisters' favorite ponies from their childhood.
Several other books have been published about the wild Kaimanawa horses. In 2008, Dianne Haworth published a novel called Kaimanawa Princess that was inspired by 13-year-old Rochelle Purcell and her pony Kaimanawa Princess who campaigned to save the wild Kaimanawa horses in 1996. In the book, a girl rehomes a wild Kaimanawa horse and her foal and tames them while fighting to stop the government culling the wild Kaimanawa horses. In 2018, Marion Day published a novel called Blue Cloud about the life of a wild horse and a girl who dreams of having her own horse and how they come together.
## Breed characteristics
Many characteristics of the Comet Horses are shown in the Kaimanawa horses today, although the varied gene input has produced a wide range of sizes, colours, and body types among the wild horses. The Kaimanawa breed varies widely in general appearance, with heights ranging between high. Any coat colour or pattern is acceptable. Their feral way of life has given them the ability to adapt quickly and live on very little, and they are usually sure-footed and tough. They have a medium-sized head in good proportion to their body, with wide variation in shape due to the different conformation of their ancestors. Kaimanawa horses have a short deep neck with a thick throat area, straight shoulders, a deep girth, and a short to medium back. The hindquarters vary from sloping to well-rounded. The legs are long and well-muscled, with strong hooves, and hind hooves that are generally smaller than the front hooves. All horses in the Southern Hemisphere, including Kaimanawa horses, are considered to age a year on the first of August, regardless of their actual foaling date.
## Population control and study
Owing to the increase in population after protective legislation was put into place, the Department of Conservation developed a management plan for the Kaimanawa herd in 1989 and 1990. A draft plan was made available to the public for comment in 1991, and the public made it clear that it objected to herd reduction through shooting from helicopters, and instead favoured the horses remaining alive after being removed from the herd. However, core animal welfare groups felt that shooting was the most humane option. Trial musters were conducted in 1993, 1994 and 1995, and were successful, although costly and with a limited demand for the captured horses.
In 1994, a working party was established to look at the management of the Kaimanawa herd. They aimed to decide which organization was in charge of long term management, to ensure that the treatment of horses is humane, to preserve and control the best attributes of the herds, and to eliminate the impacts of the herds on other conservation priorities. Goals included ensuring the welfare of the horses, protecting natural ecosystems and features that the Kaimanawa herd may impact and keeping the herd at a sustainable level. Ecological objectives included ensuring that Kaimanawa horse does not adversely affect endangered, rare and biogeographically significant plants; ensuring that the herd does not further degrade the ecosystems in which it lives; and preventing the herd from spreading into the Kaimanawa Forest Park and the Tongariro National Park. Herd objectives included ensuring that the public was safe from roaming horses, while still allowing and improving public access to the herd and ensuring humane treatment of the horses; reducing conflict between the herd and other ecological values and land uses; and ensuring that the herd is contained to a population that is tolerated by the ecosystems in which they live while still maintaining a minimum effective population that is in general free ranging.
The Department of Conservation has since 1993 carried out annual culls and muster of Kaimanawas to keep the herd population around a target level of 500 horses. The target was reduced to 300 horses starting in 2009. These horses are either taken directly to slaughter or are placed at holding farms for later slaughter or adoption by private homes. A main reason for the strict population control is to protect the habitat in which they live. This habitat includes 16 plant species listed as endangered, which the Kaimanawa may endanger further through trampling and overgrazing. These plants include herbs, grasses, sedges, flowers and mistletoes; among these are Deschampsia caespitosa (a very rare tussock grass), Peraxilla tetrapetala (a vulnerable mistletoe) and Libertia peregrinans (a possibly locally extinct sand iris). The 2009 culling of the population removed 230 horses from the herd, the largest culling since the beginning of the program, with homes found for 85% of the horses removed. Conservation of these horses is an important matter to the public, and between 1990 and 2003 the New Zealand Minister for Conservation received more public comments on the Kaimanawa horse than on any other subject. In this period, more than 1,400 requests for information and letters were received, with public interest peaking in 1996 and 1997. This was due to a program of population reduction by shooting scheduled to begin implementation in 1996; due to public opposition the shooting was cancelled and a large scale muster and adoption program began in 1997. In 1997, around 1,069 horses were removed from the range and adopted, reducing the main herd to around 500, and reducing their range to around 25,000 ha from around 70,000. Since 1993, a total of around 2,800 horses have been removed from the range. Only one injury resulting in the death of a horse is known to have occurred.
The United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organization lists the Kaimanawa horses as a herd of special genetic value that can be compared with other groups of feral horses such as New Forest ponies, Assateague ponies, wild Mustangs, and with free-living zebras. Kaimanawas are of special value because of their low rate of interaction with humans. This lack of interaction may result in a herd with more wild and fewer domestic characteristics, which is of special interest to researchers. Between 1994 and 1997, students from Massey University studied a population of around 400 Kaimanawa horses to learn their habits and herd dynamics. A 2000 study found that although sometimes there are more than two stallions in Kaimanawa horse herds, only the two stallions highest in the herd hierarchy mate with the herd females. This differs from other feral horse herds, some of which have only one stallion that mates with mares, while others have several stallions that sire foals.
## See also
- Brumby
- Mustang
- Vicki, Kelly and Amanda Wilson
|
33,502,802 |
Myrtle Bachelder
| 1,163,067,485 |
American chemist and Women's Army Corps officer
|
[
"1908 births",
"1997 deaths",
"20th-century American chemists",
"20th-century American educators",
"20th-century American women scientists",
"AARP people",
"American women academics",
"American women chemists",
"Boston University School of Education alumni",
"Manhattan Project people",
"Middlebury College alumni",
"Military personnel from Illinois",
"Military personnel from Massachusetts",
"Nuclear weapons scientists and engineers",
"People from Orange, Massachusetts",
"Rare earth scientists",
"Scientists from Chicago",
"United States Army officers",
"United States Army personnel of World War II",
"University of Chicago faculty",
"Women on the Manhattan Project",
"Women's Army Corps soldiers"
] |
Myrtle Claire Bachelder (March 13, 1908 – May 22, 1997) was an American chemist and Women's Army Corps officer, who is noted for her secret work on the Manhattan Project atomic bomb program, and for the development of techniques in the chemistry of metals.
## Early life and career
Myrtle Claire Bachelder was born on March 13, 1908, in Worcester, Massachusetts. She earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Middlebury College in 1930, and became a high school science teacher and athletics coach in South Hadley Falls, Massachusetts. She received her master of education degree from Boston University.
## World War II: the atomic bomb
During World War II, Bachelder enlisted in the Women's Army Corps (WAC) in November 1942, at the Springfield, Massachusetts, headquarters. After spending time in training at military bases in several U.S. states, she received orders assigning her to the Company 'D' WAC Detachment of the Manhattan District, United States Army Corps of Engineers. Her secret assignment was to lead a group of 15 to 20 women from the WAC, stationed in Des Moines, Iowa, to Fort Sill, Oklahoma, and from there to Santa Fe, New Mexico. She and the women under her command arrived at Los Alamos, New Mexico, on October 21, 1943. Bachelder however reported to one more woman named Helen E. Mulvihill. Bachelder and the other women lived in a dorm.
"Manhattan" was the code name for the special military division dedicated to developing an atomic weapon. In the clandestine laboratory at the remote Los Alamos desert site, Bachelder was responsible for the analysis of the spectroscopy of uranium isotopes and discovering techniques for x-radiation. Since the uranium-235 isotope is fissile, whereas the uranium-238 isotope is not, her role in the project was a crucial task: to ensure the purity of the sub-critical material, and therefore the nuclear explosion, of the world's first atomic bombs.
These methods were used during the preparation of plutonium-239, the fissile material used in the construction of the atomic bomb for the Trinity nuclear test, on July 16, 1945. Analogous methods were used for the uranium weapon, code-named "Little Boy", which destroyed Hiroshima, Japan on August 6, 1945, and for the plutonium bomb which destroyed Nagasaki, Japan, on August 9, 1945, leading to the Japanese surrender. The secret program was under the general direction of J. Robert Oppenheimer, whom Bachelder described as:
> A "pencil and paper man", immersed in physics theory, who was more than a little amazed by the Los Alamos lab machinery. Bachelder recalled Oppenheimer standing in front of her lab's most important and expensive instrument punching buttons at random ... He asked "What does this do?" Then he'd punch another button ... He might have wrecked the machine if he hadn't finally been persuaded to leave it alone.
## Contribution to post-war developments in nuclear energy
The conclusion of the Second World War was also the dawning of a new "Atomic Age", in which the peacetime potential of nuclear energy began to be explored. Bachelder was among the scientists who opposed the May-Johnson Bill of October 1945, a Congressional bill proposed by the Interim Committee, which would have maintained military control over nuclear research. The bill was defeated in Congress and superseded by the McMahon Atomic Energy Act. In January 1947, the newly formed Atomic Energy Commission approved the declassification of 270 previously secret documents. These included discoveries related to X-radiation and purification of uranium ores, which had been made by Bachelder during the course of the war effort. At this time, the rarity and importance of Bachelder's achievements as a woman in science were also acknowledged.
## Scientific research and later career
After leaving the Army, Bachelder became a research chemist at the University of Chicago, where the first self-sustaining nuclear reaction had been achieved in 1942. Nobel Laureate James Franck had been director of the Chemistry Division of the Metallurgical Laboratory during the earlier phases of the Manhattan Project. Bachelder joined the University's Institute for the Study of Metals (renamed as the James Franck Institute in 1967), and she conducted further research in metallochemistry.
Among other achievements, Bachelder developed methods for the purification of the rare elements tellurium and indium. Other aspects of her broad scientific expertise found application in the field of marine archaeology, when she determined the chemical composition of brass cannons found in the Aegean Sea on sunken ships. She also made contributions to astrochemistry, when NASA asked her to analyze the chemistry of Moon rocks which had been collected from the Moon's surface during the Apollo missions from 1969 to 1972.
Bachelder retired from the Franck Institute in 1973, and was subsequently active as an official of the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP). She died in Chicago on May 22, 1997.
## Reflections
Bachelder believed that her role in the development of the atomic bomb, and the subsequent use of atomic weapons against Japan, had been justified in order to end the Second World War and to avoid greater loss of life that would have been entailed in a U.S. land invasion and extended conflict with Japan. Later, during the period of the Strategic Arms Limitation Talks, Bachelder stated that, although she supported nuclear arms control:
> Opponents of nuclear weapons should resist the urge to take the 1940s bomb-building effort out of its proper historical context — "One cannot pull that activity out of that time, set it down in the 1980s, and pass judgement."
Bachelder's always made time for her voracious reading habits. "She made the most of each day. She, too, knew the importance of working hard, ignoring the clock, and always challenging herself."
|
28,520,554 |
William Egbert
| 1,144,842,954 |
Canadian politician
|
[
"1857 births",
"1936 deaths",
"Canadian King's Counsel",
"Lieutenant Governors of Alberta",
"People from Welland"
] |
William Egbert KC (February 25, 1857 – October 15, 1936) was a Canadian physician and politician. He served as the third lieutenant governor of Alberta, from 1925 to 1931.
Egbert was born in 1857 to a farming family in what is today the province of Ontario. He attended Ottawa Normal School, then taught and served as a principal at Ontario schools. After receiving his medical degrees, he began to practice in Milverton, Ontario. In 1904, he moved to Calgary, and involved himself in politics and community affairs as Alberta entered Confederation.
Egbert was an unsuccessful legislative candidate for the Liberal Party of Alberta in the 1905 general election. In 1925, the Liberal prime minister, William Lyon Mackenzie King, arranged for Egbert's appointment as lieutenant governor. Egbert served six years in that post, and participated in a variety of activities, from welcoming the Prince of Wales to hosting students at the University of Alberta. In 1931, he left his position as lieutenant governor and returned to the practice of medicine. He died in 1936 after a long illness.
## Early life and education
William Egbert was born on February 25, 1857, in Welland County, Canada West (now Ontario) to Maria Catherine (née Silverthorn) and Joseph Morgan Egbert. His father owned a farm near Dunnville.
Egbert attended the Dunnville Public High School, and graduated from Ottawa Normal School in 1881, with a teaching certificate. He taught at Moote School in Canborough, and served as a principal at the Dunnville Public School. In 1885, he studied medicine at Victoria University. He received his Bachelor of Medicine, Doctor of Medicine and Master of Surgery degrees in 1889. He then attended post-graduate education the next year in Edinburgh and London.
## Early career
When returning to Ontario in 1891, Egbert established a medical practice in Milverton. He was described as "one of the best known physicians and surgeons in the Eastern provinces, his surgical training winning fame for him." In the early 1890s, Egbert played a key role in establishing a rural telephone service in his area. He also held many community positions, such as the choir leader at a local Methodist church, and as a member of the local school board. After more than a decade of practice, Egbert spent one year in New York City, doing more post-graduate courses.
After being impressed with the Canadian West on a trip there, Egbert and his family moved to Calgary, where he established a medical practice in 1904. He registered as a medical practitioner in the North-West Territories in the same year and again in 1906 after the province of Alberta entered Confederation. In addition to his medical practices, he was an active community member, serving as a member of the Calgary Board of Health, Tubercular Hospital Site Committee, Calgary Board of Trade and the Alberta Medical Association, where he served as president in 1921. He also established the Columbia Hospital, and served as its director.
## Politics
Egbert was the unsuccessful Liberal candidate for the legislative district of Calgary for the Legislative Assembly of Alberta in the 1909 general election. In the same year, he was elected to the Calgary City Council, on which he served two terms (1909–1911). He served as the acting Mayor of Calgary for a month in 1911 in the absence of Mayor John William Mitchell, and was a candidate for the position in December, but was unsuccessful. He also served as president from 1917 to 1925 of the Alberta Federal Liberal Association.
### Lieutenant Governor of Alberta
Egbert was appointed the Lieutenant Governor of Alberta on October 20, 1925, by Governor General Julian Byng, 1st Viscount Byng of Vimy on advice of William Lyon Mackenzie King. He was sworn in on October 29 of the same year, in a simple ceremony in Calgary, the only swearing-in ceremony of a Lieutenant Governor that has not taken place in the capital city, Edmonton. During his tenure as lieutenant governor, Egbert and his family resided at Government House, and visited many areas of the province, remarking that Alberta "was one of the greatest places to live."
As Lieutenant Governor, Egbert attended many functions, such as the Annual Convention of the Union of Alberta Municipalities and the welcoming ceremony of the new Anglican Bishop of the Diocese of Calgary. He also gave speeches at events, such as the 100th anniversary of Father Albert Lacombe's birth and a speech at the Alberta Legislature Building as a member of National Committee for the Celebration of the Diamond Jubilee of Confederation that commemorated the importance and the achievements of the Fathers of Confederation.
Egbert and his family participated in events held to celebrate the 1927 visit of Edward, Prince of Wales, and Prince George, Duke of Kent to Alberta. The following year, Egbert helped open the Canadian National Railway station in Edmonton. The same year saw the completion of the all-Canadian telephone service, which had connections between Edmonton, Calgary, Vancouver and Victoria. Among events held to celebrate this completion, Egbert participated in a telephone conversation with Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia Robert Randolph Bruce from Edmonton to Victoria. Despite a hectic schedule, Egbert took an interest in the University of Alberta, often entertaining groups of students (among whom he was popular), attending university events and hosting debate sessions. His term as lieutenant governor was extended in October 1930, and he served until his successor, William L. Walsh was sworn in on May 5, 1931.
## Personal life
Egbert married Eva Catherine Miller on December 27, 1882. The couple had 3 children: Ethel Camilla (born 1884), William Gordon (born 1891), and Alice Leah (born 1895). Ethel graduated from the University of Toronto in 1908, and went on to become a librarian at the Calgary Law Society, and the Judges' Library at the Calgary Court House. William was a lawyer and became a judge of the Supreme Court of Alberta. He was also appointed King's Counsel. Their youngest daughter, Alice Leah, died at the age of one.
Egbert enjoyed many sporting activities, namely lacrosse and football in his younger years, and golf in his later years. His wife, Eva was described as "a lover of her home, her books, and a congenial circle of friends."
## Later activities, death and legacy
Following the end of his term as lieutenant governor, Egbert returned to Calgary to resume his medical practice. He received an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from the University of Alberta in 1927. In 1935, he became the chairman of the Economic Safety League, an establishment of representatives from various members of boards of trade and chambers of commerce throughout the province.
Egbert died on October 15, 1936, in Calgary, following a long illness. His funeral service on October 17, held at the Park Memorial Chapel in Calgary, was attended by more than 400 people. He is buried in Union Cemetery in Calgary, alongside his wife, who predeceased him by eight months.
As a physician, he was described as "humane, never withholding his services from the poorest and humblest, and his unremitting and unrewarded efforts in behalf of the suffering [would] give him rank in a profession eminently benevolent." Former Premier of Alberta Alexander Cameron Rutherford said that "[Egbert] fulfilled his duties as governor splendidly and as a private citizen he took an equally creditable and useful past in Alberta life." Future Lieutenant Governor John J. Bowlen stated "Dr. Egbert was one of the most popular lieutenant governors this province has ever had. He was kind and considerate to men of all points of view."
|
359,614 |
Crash Holly
| 1,169,241,111 |
American professional wrestler (1971–2003)
|
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"2003 deaths",
"2003 suicides",
"20th-century professional wrestlers",
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"People from San Francisco",
"Professional wrestlers from California",
"UWA World Junior Heavyweight Champions",
"WWF European Champions",
"WWF Light Heavyweight Champions",
"WWF/WWE Hardcore Champions",
"World Tag Team Champions (WWE)"
] |
Michael John Lockwood (August 25, 1971 – November 6, 2003) was an American professional wrestler. He was best known for his appearances with the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) / World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) from 1999 to 2003 under the ring names Crash Holly or simply Crash.
Lockwood debuted in 1989 and spent a decade wrestling on the independent circuit before signing with the World Wrestling Federation in 1998, debuting the following year as Crash Holly. He formed a tag team with his kayfabe cousin Hardcore Holly, with whom he won the WWF World Tag Team Championship. The Holly Cousins was expanded into a stable with the addition of Molly Holly in 2000. During his WWF/WWE career, Holly established himself in the hardcore division by winning the WWF Hardcore Championship on 22 occasions, with many of his reigns coming during a period when the title was defended "24/7". After being released from WWE in June 2003, Lockwood joined NWA Total Nonstop Action as Mad Mikey, where he remained until his death later that year.
Holly was also a one-time WWF European Champion and a one-time WWF Light Heavyweight Champion. In total, Holly had over 25 championship reigns in the WWF.
## Early life
Lockwood was born on August 25, 1971, in San Francisco, California. He was raised in Pacifica, California, where he graduated from Terra Nova High School. He became interested in professional wrestling in the eighth grade, inspired by Brady Boone. While training as a wrestler and working on the independent circuit, he worked a second job at Safeway.
## Professional wrestling career
### Early career (1989–1998)
Lockwood debuted in 1989, as "Johnny Pearson" in Bay Area Wrestling, where he wrestled until 1994. He dislocated his shoulder about five times and took 18 months off to recover. He then wrestled on the independent circuit as "'Irish' Erin O'Grady". In 1995, he appeared in Mexico with Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre as "Super Diablo". In 1996, he joined All Pro Wrestling (APW), where he became known as "'The Leprechaun' Erin O'Grady" and had several matches with Vic Grimes.
Lockwood joined the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania-based Extreme Championship Wrestling promotion in November 1997 after ECW wrestler Taz viewed a tape of a match between O'Grady and Michael Modest and referred him to ECW owner Paul Heyman. Erin O'Grady lost four untelevised matches in ECW, including a dark match at November to Remember. Following his stint in ECW, Lockwood returned to APW where he performed until October 1998.
### World Wrestling Federation / World Wrestling Entertainment (1998–2003)
#### Developmental territories (1998–1999)
O'Grady wrestled Grimes in a try-out match for the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) on January 20, 1998, and both were signed to contracts. In November 1998, Lockwood was sent to Power Pro Wrestling, the WWF's developmental promotion, to train. Here, he won the Power Pro Wrestling Young Guns Championship and the PPW Tag Team Championship. WWF Talent Coordinator Bruce Prichard sent Lockwood to Mexico, to prepare him for the style of the WWF's lucha libre show, WWF Super Astros. He wrestled in Monterrey for three months, under a mask, as "The Green Ghost" (a play on the word "gringo").
#### Holly Cousins (1999–2000)
Lockwood debuted on WWF television as "Crash Holly", the storyline cousin of Bob "Hardcore" Holly, on the August 16, 1999, episode of Raw is War They became known as the Holly Cousins. Their relationship was a strained one, and Hardcore frequently threatened Crash. When they took the gimmick of claiming to be "super heavyweights", over 400 lb each, Crash would carry a scale to ringside to "weigh in" before matches.
Crash made his pay-per-view debut at SummerSlam in August, where the Holly Cousins wrestled in a Tag Team Turmoil match, won by the Acolytes Protection Agency. At Rebellion, the Holly Cousins competed against APA and Edge and Christian in a triangle match, which Edge and Christian won. On October 17, at No Mercy, the Holly Cousins defeated The New Age Outlaws by disqualification. The next night on Raw is War, they defeated the Rock 'n' Sock Connection for the WWF Tag Team Championship. They held the title until the November 4 SmackDown!, when they lost it to Mankind and his new partner, Al Snow.
At Survivor Series on November 14, the Holly Cousins teamed with Too Cool to defeat Edge and Christian and the Hardy Boyz in a survivor series match. Later that month, the Holly Cousins began a short feud with Too Cool and Rikishi Phatu. At Armageddon on December 12, 1999, they defeated Phatu and Viscera. The feud continued into February 2000. At the Royal Rumble on January 23, 2000, both Hollys took part in the titular Royal Rumble match, with Crash Holly being eliminated by The Rock.
#### Championship reigns (2000–2001)
In February 2000, Crash Holly joined the hardcore division. On the February 24 episode of SmackDown!, he defeated Test to begin his first of 22 Hardcore Championship reigns. He decreed that he must defend the championship twenty four hours a day, seven days a week, which later became known as the "24/7 Rule". This meant that the title was permanently contested, not just in sanctioned matches, and could change hands anywhere, anytime anyone pinned the champion, so long as a WWF referee counted the fall. Holly was frequently attacked by other wrestlers in unlikely locations, including an airport, a funhouse, a circus, and his hotel room. Although he was often pinned, he usually immediately regained the title. His most common tactic was to sneak a pin, often after the champion had been beaten down by someone else, and quickly run backstage, away from possible challengers. This turned him into a crowd favorite and earned him the nickname "The Houdini of Hardcore". He frequently defended the championship against non-wrestlers, including referees and road agents, like Gerald Brisco and Pat Patterson. He had a long feud with The Mean Street Posse (Pete Gas, Rodney and Joey Abs) over the title. He even lost, and quickly regained, the title against one of the Godfather's hos.
At Rebellion, Crash defeated William Regal to win the European Championship. He lost the title to Regal two days later. In late 2000, another of Crash's storyline cousins, Molly Holly, was introduced. In 2001, The Holly Cousins feuded with The Dudley Boyz. In the course of this feud, Molly began a romantic relationship with Spike Dudley, leading to internal disputes within each family, as well as a Romeo and Juliet-style angle between the six of them. On the March 18, 2001, episode of Heat, Crash defeated Dean Malenko to win the Light Heavyweight Championship. He defended it on two episodes of Heat, against Funaki and Grandmaster Sexay, before dropping it to the debuting Jerry Lynn on the April 29 episode. In May 2001, Holly and Hardcore briefly reunited as a lower card team until December of that year.
In July 2001, Holly appeared with the International Wrestling Association in Puerto Rico, briefly holding the IWA Hardcore Championship and IWA World Junior Heavyweight Championship. Throughout late 2001, he wrestled primarily on house shows and on Jakked and Sunday Night Heat. At Survivor Series on November 18, 2001, Holly took part in a battle royal that would guarantee the winner immunity from being fired that was won by Test. Throughout the remainder of 2001 and early 2002, Holly continued to wrestle primarily on house shows and the WWF's secondary television shows.
#### Mattitude Follower (2002–2003)
When the WWF was renamed World Wrestling Entertainment and divided into two Raw and SmackDown! brands, Holly was assigned to the Raw roster, where he had little success. He jumped ship to SmackDown! on the September 2, 2002, episode of Raw during a match with Jeff Hardy. Earlier, Raw General Manager Eric Bischoff was informed that a Raw wrestler would leave to reunite with a relative on SmackDown!, and ordered a beatdown by 3-Minute Warning on Hardy, who he wrongly suspected of planning to join his brother, Matt Hardy, until Crash revealed that he was the one who was leaving, planning to join his cousin Hardcore Holly on SmackDown!. In his first SmackDown! match, on September 5, he defeated The Hurricane. He then feuded with Cruiserweight Champion Jamie Noble. On the October 3 SmackDown!, Noble defeated Holly to retain the title.
On the December 19 SmackDown!, Holly teamed with Bill DeMott to defeat Noble and Nunzio. After the match, DeMott turned on Holly and attacked him. This led to a match on the next SmackDown!, which DeMott won. After being sidelined for three months, Holly returned on the April 24, 2003, episode of SmackDown!. He soon joined Matt Hardy and Shannon Moore in the Mattitude Followers (abbreviated "MF'er") stable. As Crash was Moore's alleged apprentice, Hardy also referred to him as a "Moore-on". His last several matches with the company were tag matches with Moore, as well as house show matches against newcomer Orlando Jordan. On June 30, 2003, Lockwood was released from WWE.
### NWA Total Nonstop Action; independent circuit (2003)
Lockwood signed a contract with NWA Total Nonstop Action in July 2003 and debuted as "Mad Mikey" on July 23, accepting an open challenge from Elix Skipper and losing the match. Mad Mikey was angry at many things, on which he elaborated in promos. He wrestled on nine NWA-TNA weekly PPVs, lastly on October 1. He briefly wrestled for Pro Wrestling Iron in Hayward, California. On November 1, 2003, Mad Mikey and Rory Fox defeated Quiten Lee and The Human Time Bomb with Ricky Steamboat as the special guest referee for the Heartland Wrestling Association in what turned out to be Lockwood's final match.
## Personal life
Lockwood met his wife, Christeena Wheeler, when she escorted Mark Henry to the ring at Unforgiven 1999, in Charlotte, North Carolina. They married on New Year's Eve, 1999. The couple had one child together, a daughter. In 2002, he opened "Crash Holly's School of Professional Wrestling" in Salisbury, North Carolina, where Wheeler grew up.
## Death
Lockwood died on November 6, 2003, at his friend and fellow wrestler Stevie Richards' house in Florida. He was 32 years old. He was found partially clothed with a pool of vomit around his face. Empty bottles of the prescription drug carisoprodol and a partially consumed bottle of alcohol were found nearby. He had recently received divorce papers from his wife. His death, caused by choking on his own vomit, was officially ruled a suicide. He was buried in China Grove in Rowan County, North Carolina.
In August 2005, Nora Greenwald, who performed alongside Lockwood as Molly Holly, released an autobiographical DVD titled "Nora Greenwald: Shootin' the Shi Crap", and a portion of the profits from the sale of the DVD went to Lockwood's daughter's education fund. In March 2005, the New Breed Wrestling Association held the "Mike Lockwood Memorial Tournament", which was won by Michael Modest. At ECW One Night Stand in 2005, Lockwood was one of the deceased former ECW wrestlers honored in a video package.
## Championships and accomplishments
- All Pro Wrestling
- APW Junior Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
- International Wrestling Association
- IWA Hardcore Championship (1 time)
- IWA World Junior Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
- UWA World Junior Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
- Mid-Eastern Wrestling Federation
- MEWF Cruiserweight Championship (1 time)
- Power Pro Wrestling
- PPW Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Vic Grimes
- PPW Young Guns Championship (1 time)
- Pro Wrestling Illustrated
- Ranked No. 36 of the top 500 singles wrestlers in the PWI 500 in 2000
- Supreme Pro Wrestling
- SPW Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Hook Bomberry
- World Wrestling Federation / World Wrestling Entertainment
- WWF/E Hardcore Championship (22 times)
- WWF European Championship (1 time)
- WWF Light Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
- WWF Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Hardcore Holly
## See also
- List of premature professional wrestling deaths
|
36,888,771 |
Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII
| 1,172,933,590 |
2013 video game
|
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"Android (operating system) games",
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"Final Fantasy XIII",
"Final Fantasy video games",
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"Martyrdom in fiction",
"Open-world video games",
"PlayStation 3 games",
"Post-apocalyptic video games",
"Role-playing video games",
"Single-player video games",
"Square Enix games",
"Video game sequels",
"Video games about religion",
"Video games about time loops",
"Video games developed in Japan",
"Video games featuring female protagonists",
"Video games scored by Masashi Hamauzu",
"Video games scored by Naoshi Mizuta",
"Video games set on fictional planets",
"Windows games",
"Xbox 360 games"
] |
is an action role-playing game developed and published by Square Enix. It is a sequel to Final Fantasy XIII-2, concludes the storyline of Final Fantasy XIII, and forms part of the Fabula Nova Crystallis subseries. It was released in 2013 in Japan and 2014 in North America and PAL regions, and was ported to Windows in 2015 and Android and iOS through cloud gaming in 2016 in Japan. Lightning Returns employs a highly revamped version of the gameplay system from the previous two games, with an action-oriented battle system, the ability to customize the player character's outfits, and a time limit the player must extend by completing story missions and side quests.
The game's story takes place five hundred years after the previous game's ending. Lightning, the main protagonist of the first game and a key character in the second, awakes from a self-imposed hibernation 13 days before the world's end, and is chosen by the deity Bhunivelze to save the people of the dying world, including former friends and allies who have developed heavy emotional burdens. As she travels, she learns the full truth behind both the world's fate and Bhunivelze's true agenda.
Development of the game started in May 2012, shortly after the release of XIII-2's final piece of DLC, and was unveiled at a special 25th Anniversary Event for the Final Fantasy series in September that year. Most of the previous games' key creative minds and developers returned, and it was developed by Square Enix's First Production Department, with developer tri-Ace helping with the graphics. The development team wanted the game to bring a conclusive end to the story of both Lightning and the XIII universe, and to address criticisms leveled against the last two games. During its first week on sale in Japan, it sold 277,000 units, and by the end of 2013 became the 17th best-selling game of the year selling over 400,000 copies. It has sold 800,000 copies as of May 2014. It has received mixed reviews: while the main praise went to the game's battle system, opinions were more mixed for the graphics, time limit, and other aspects of gameplay, while the story and characters were criticized for being weak or poorly developed.
## Gameplay
The player directly controls the character Lightning through a third-person perspective to interact with people, objects, and enemies throughout the game. The player can also turn the camera around the character, allowing a 360° view of the surroundings. The world of Lightning Returns, as with Final Fantasy XIII and its sequel XIII-2, is rendered to scale with the character, who navigates the world on foot. In one of the areas, the player can use chocobos, a recurring animal in the Final Fantasy series. The player is able to freely navigate the game's open world layout, explore towns and country areas, and accept quests from various non-playable characters (NPCs). Lightning is also able to sprint for limited periods, climb up ladders and jump freely. The game features three difficulty levels: Easy, Normal and Hard, the latter of which is unlocked after first completing the game. There is also a New Game+ option, whereby players can start a new game while carrying over their equipment and stats from a previous playthrough. The in-game clock runs continuously during normal navigation, with one in-game day equating to two to three hours in real time on Easy mode and one hour on Normal and Hard modes. The timer starts out at seven in-game days, but can be extended to a maximum of thirteen days. The timer stops during cutscenes, conversations and battles. Lightning can also pause time using an ability called Chronostasis.
Quests are directly linked to Lightning's growth: as she completes quests, her stats are boosted, with the main story quests yielding the biggest boosts. Many side quests can only be obtained at certain times, since the real-time build of the world means NPCs are in constant movement, and only appear in certain places at a given time. Lightning can also accept quests from the Canvas of Prayers, a post board found in all the main locations. Upon completing NPC quests, Lightning is rewarded with a portion of Eradia, spiritual energy retrieved when a person's burden is lifted. Every day at 6 AM game-time, Lightning is drawn back into the Ark, a location where the in-game clock does not progress. Once there, Lightning gives her gathered Eradia to a tree called Yggdrasil: if she has gathered enough, the in-game clock is extended by a day. She can also restock on supplies and collect new equipment. Another feature in the game was Outerworld Services where the players could take photos and share them, along with their personal stats and battle scores, on Facebook and Twitter. The Facebook features were disabled in April 2015. All Outerworld services were terminated in April the following year.
### Battle system
The battle system, called the Style-Change Active Time Battle system, uses elements from the Active Time Battle (ATB)-based Paradigm system from the first and second XIII games and bears similarities to the dressphere system featured in Final Fantasy X-2. Lightning has access to several customizable outfits (garb) with different power sets (plural: Schemata; singular: Schema). Each garb has its own separate ATB gauge, and actions for them are mapped onto the controller's face buttons, meaning that the usual menu-style ATB battle system is no longer needed: this enables Lightning to be moved around the battle field to a limited degree. The majority of the garbs and their accessories are either purchasable in the in-game shops or received upon completing quests. Stronger garbs, items, shields and weapons are unlocked in Hard Mode, along with access to more challenging areas and boss battles. Lightning can equip three Schemata directly, while having additional slots for backup costumes which can be equipped outside battle. She can be equipped with a close-combat weapon (sword, spear, etc.), a shield and a cosmetic accessory. The color scheme of each garb can be customized using both pre-set and custom color: there are options to alter both specific portions and all portions of the costume.
As with the previous game, enemies appear in the open field and can be avoided or engaged. The number of enemies increases during night-time, and their strength and ability to deal damage increases the more days pass in-game. By killing all the standard versions of an enemy, a final version appears as a boss. Defeating it will yield a high reward and make the enemy type extinct in an area of the game. When Lightning attacks an enemy, or they attack her, the battle starts. If Lightning strikes a monster, they lose a small portion of health, while if the enemy strikes Lightning first, she will lose health. As Lightning performs attacks, her ATB meter is drained and she must switch to another assigned garb: the depleted garb's meter recharges while not being used. Lightning utilizes her many swords for short-range melee attacks and magic for long-range attacks. She can block enemy attacks using her shield and has the option to evade an attack, which can be assigned to any garb. Each enemy has a stagger meter, represented by a line behind their health bar. As Lightning lands certain kinds of magical or physical blows on the enemy, their meter oscillates more. Eventually, the enemy is staggered, rendering them vulnerable to damaging attacks. Lightning can also spend Energy Points to perform special moves or activate abilities, such as Overclock (which slows time for Lightning's opponents and enables her to land more hits); and Army of One, Lightning's signature move. By winning battles, Lightning earns gil, the in-game currency, and replenishes a portion of her Energy Point gauge. In Normal and Hard modes, if Lightning flees from or dies in battle, one in-game hour is lost. Unlike the last two games, the player character does not automatically recover HP after battles, instead needing to use remedies bought from merchants and shops, and there is no auto-battle mode, with Lightning needing to be controlled manually at all times. In Easy Mode, Lightning regenerates health if she stands idle.
## Synopsis
### Setting
Lightning Returns is set after the events of Final Fantasy XIII and Final Fantasy XIII-2. In XIII, Lightning is one of six people who are turned by a fal'Cie—one of a race created by the gods—into l'Cie, servants of the fal'Cie gifted with magical powers and a 'Focus'—an assigned task to be completed within a time limit; those that succeed in their Focus go into crystal stasis, while those that fail turn into monsters called Cie'th. The six were intended to cause the large, floating sphere named Cocoon to fall onto the world of Gran Pulse below, killing all the humans of Cocoon. At the finale of the game, two of the l'Cie transformed into a crystal pillar to support Cocoon, preventing the catastrophe. The remaining l'Cie were made human again by the Goddess Etro, the deity responsible for maintaining the balance between the mortal world and the Unseen Realm. In XIII-2, it is revealed that Etro's interference allowed Chaos, an energy trapped in the Unseen Realm, to escape and distort the timeline as written after the fall of Cocoon. Lightning was drawn to Valhalla, Etro's citadel, and decided to stay and act as her protector. Three years after Cocoon's fall, Lightning's sister Serah sets out to correct the timeline distortions and reunite with Lightning, while the people of Gran Pulse construct a new Cocoon, since the old one is destined to collapse. The protagonists unwittingly end up instigating the death of Etro, which allows Chaos to spill into the mortal world and bring an end to time itself. Serah also dies, causing Lightning to nearly lose hope. Reassured by her sister's spirit, Lightning chooses to enter crystal stasis to preserve her sister's memory and keep hope alive.
Lightning Returns is set five hundred years after the ending of XIII-2, during the final thirteen days of the world's existence. Because of the unleashing of Chaos, the world of Gran Pulse has been consumed, leaving only a set of islands called Nova Chrysalia. The new Cocoon, called "Bhunivelze" after the key deity of the XIII universe, acts as the world's moon. The Chaos has halted human aging and no new children are born due to Etro's death, causing the human population to stagnate and shrink. Over the intervening centuries, two opposing religions have formed and dominate the life of Nova Chrysalia's people: the Order of Salvation, that worships Bhunivelze, and the Children of Etro, a rebel cult who worship the Goddess. The world itself is divided into four regions, each dominated by a specific mood and environment. The city of Luxerion is a capital of worship whose people are loyal to the Order. The pleasure capital of Yusnaan is a city of revelry where people live in a constant state of celebration. The Dead Dunes is a desert area dominated by ruins. The Wildlands is an untamed area where the human city of Academia used to stand; it also houses the remains of Valhalla, the capital of Etro. Within the New Cocoon is the Ark, a zone where time is frozen.
### Characters
Lightning, a central character from both XIII and XIII-2, is the game's main protagonist, sole playable character, and narrator. The other main characters from the previous games also make appearances: Hope Estheim aids Lightning using a wireless communicator; Snow Villiers, devastated by the death of Serah Farron—his fiancée and Lightning's sister—becomes the leader of Yusnaan and the world's last l'Cie; Oerba Dia Vanille and Oerba Yun Fang, released from crystal stasis, go separate ways, with Fang becoming the leader of Monoculus, a bandit gang in the Dead Dunes, and Vanille gaining the power to hear the voices of the dead, thus being deemed a saint and falling under the constant protection of the Order in Luxerion. Noel Kreiss, feeling guilty over his role in the deaths of Etro and Serah and the world's current state, becomes a vigilante in Luxerion. Sazh Katzroy and his son Dajh, who fell into a comatose state, reside in the Wildlands. The region also becomes the home of Mog, the former moogle companion of Noel and Serah from XIII-2; Caius Ballad, Lightning's old adversary and the one responsible for the unleashing of Chaos into the mortal world; and Paddra Nsu-Yeul, a former seeress and pivotal character in the previous game whose cycle of early death and reincarnation was the motivation behind Caius's actions. The game also introduces Lumina, a mysterious near-doppelganger of Serah who both aids and taunts Lightning during her quest; and Bhunivelze, the main deity of the Final Fantasy XIII universe who chooses Lightning as the Savior.
### Plot
Lightning is awoken from crystal stasis by the god Bhunivelze. As the world is set to end in thirteen days, Bhunivelze makes Lightning the Savior, a figure who will free the souls of humanity from emotional burdens and guide them to a new world that Bhunivelze will create. Lightning agrees to commit this task, on the condition that Bhunivelze ensure the rebirth of Serah's spirit. Hope acts as her guide from the Ark, which houses the rescued souls of humanity, having been reverted to his younger self to act as Bhunivelze's servant. As she journeys and performs her task, she encounters her former allies and adversaries, many of whom carry heavy emotional burdens. She is also followed about by Lumina, who both gives her advice and taunts her at regular intervals.
In Luxerion, Lightning investigates serial killings of women matching the description of the Savior; the culprits are the Children of Etro. During her journey, she is followed by Noel, who has become obsessed with a prophecy that he must kill Lightning to reunite with Yeul. The two briefly ally to rout the Children of Etro, then later do battle. Lightning uses Noel's rage to make him realize and accept his mistakes, lifting his burden. Lightning also meets Vanille in the Order's cathedral. Vanille shows Lightning a place within the cathedral where the souls of the dead have gathered. Vanille is being prepared for a ritual to take place on the final day that will apparently purify the souls, hoping to atone for past actions by doing so. In the Dead Dunes, Lightning encounters Fang and goes with her on a journey through the region's dungeons in search of a relic called the Holy Clavis. When they find it, Fang reveals that it is key to the ritual in Luxerion as it has the power to draw in the souls of the dead, and that the ritual will kill Vanille. Fang attempts to destroy the Holy Clavis, but the Order arrive and take it. On the eleventh day, the souls of the dead speak to Lightning through the visage of Cid Raines, a man Lightning encountered during XIII. He tells her that the Order has deceived Vanille into destroy the dead, so the living will forget their existence before their rebirth in the new world. Lightning decides to stop the ritual, though Cid warns her that she will be defying Bhunivelze's will.
In the Wildlands, Lightning rescues a wounded white chocobo called the "Angel of Valhalla" and nurses it back to health. The chocobo is revealed to be Odin, an Eidolon who acted as her ally. She encounters Sazh, whose son Dajh has fallen into a coma and become unwilling to wake because of his father's current state. Lightning retrieves the fragments of Dajh's soul, lifting Sazh's emotional burden and waking his son. Traveling to the ruins of Valhalla, Lightning encounters Caius and multiple versions of Yeul. After fighting with Caius, Lightning learns that he is bound to life by the Yeuls and cannot be saved. She also learns that it was Yeul's perpetual rebirth that caused the Chaos to seep into the mortal world, triggering the events of XIII-2. Encountering Mog as the leader of a moogle village, she helps him fend off attacking monsters. In Yusnaan, Lightning infiltrates Snow's palace and finds him preparing to enter a concentration of Chaos contained inside the palace. He plans to absorb the Chaos, transform into a Cie'th, and have Lightning kill him. Though he performs the act and they fight, Lightning manages to renew his hope of seeing Serah again, reverse his transformation and lift his burden. On Nova Chrysalia's final day, Hope reveals to Lightning that Bhunivelze used him to watch Lightning and that the deity will dispose of him now that his task is completed.
After Hope disappears, Lightning is transported to Luxerion and enters the cathedral, where Noel, Snow and Fang help her fight the Order to save Vanille. Lightning manages to convince her to free the souls of the dead. This act allows Lightning to find Serah's soul, kept safe inside Lumina, but Bhunivelze arrives using Hope as his host and captures everyone but Lightning. Transported to an otherworldly realm, Lightning meets Bhunivelze in person, and learns that he has been conditioning Lightning to replace Etro. After wounding the god in battle, she frees Hope and prepares to become the new Goddess and protect the new world by trapping herself and Bhunivelze in the Unseen Realm. An illusion of Serah then confronts Lightning, revealing Lumina as the physical manifestation of Lightning's suppressed vulnerabilities. Accepting Lumina as a part of herself, Lightning calls for aid. Hope, Snow, Noel, Vanille, Fang and the Eidolons answer her call, severing Bhunivelze's hold on the souls of humanity, including Sazh, Dajh, Mog, and Serah. The souls then unite and defeat Bhunivelze. In the aftermath, Caius and the multiple versions of Yeul remain in the Unseen Realm to protect the balance between worlds in Etro's stead. The final incarnation of Yeul, who wishes to live with Noel, is allowed to accompany Lightning and her friends. After the Eidolons and Mog depart for the Unseen Realm, Lightning, her allies, and the souls of humanity travel to a new world. In a post-credits scene, Lightning is seen going to reunite with one of her friends.
## Development
The concept of Lightning Returns originated during development of XIII-2, while the development team was brainstorming ideas for possible continuations of the story and universe of the games, though there was no solid decision to make a second sequel to XIII at the time. Development of Lightning Returns started in May 2012, soon after the release of Requiem of the Goddess, the final story-based DLC episode for XIII-2. According to Motomu Toriyama, he had wanted to tell more stories about Lightning, and the DLC had not provided a satisfactory ending for her. The game was designed in a shorter time than the other games in the series; Yoshinori Kitase explained that this was because the team did not want players to forget the story of the previous games, and the team needed to work especially hard as a result. Another reason was that the team wished to bring the XIII series to a close before the release of the next generation of gaming hardware. The title was also chosen to be the last original Final Fantasy game on seventh generation consoles, and next-gen versions of the game were not considered. Developer tri-Ace, who had previously worked with the team on XIII-2, returned to help with the graphics.
One of the key story concepts behind the game was the "rebirth" of Lightning as a character: this was cited as the main reason why the game was called Lightning Returns and not XIII-3, alongside the team's desire to attract new players to the series. Lightning was also made into a darker and more vulnerable character, partly because Kitase felt that her previous stoic depictions might have alienated earlier players. The main scenario and script was written by Daisuke Watanabe, the main writer for the previous XIII games. During the concept process, Watanabe, Toriyama and other members of staff brainstormed ideas for important scenes and events leading up to them. The process of writing the script was slow, causing difficulties for the rest of the team. In response to this, Watanabe worked extra hard to create an appropriate finale for the characters and story. He also wrote the script as more hard-edged than those for the previous XIII games.
The game was designed as the final entry in the XIII storyline (generally dubbed the "Lightning Saga" by the production team), but was also intended to stand independent of the Final Fantasy series as a whole. One example of the breakaway from series norms is the game's logo, which was not designed by regular series logo artist Yoshitaka Amano, and which was one of several created during the early stages of development. The concept of the story's progression was termed as "world-driven", a concept whereby the world the player interacted with moved independently of their actions: i.e. NPCs would appear in different locations depending on the time of day. That concept partially gave rise to the game's time limit, which was suggested by game design director Yuji Abe after having read of the Doomsday Clock. Another inspiration behind the story pacing and time limit was the 2011 film In Time. The open world aspect of the game was heavily influenced by The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, and some of the hard-edged gameplay ideas were borrowed from Dark Souls. The majority of the hardcore-gaming elements were eventually trimmed out in order to make the game accessible to newcomers.
In terms of assets, the team reused very little from the previous two games, choosing to build a large proportion of the game from the ground up, especially when it came to the overworld design and NPC behaviors. The Crystal Tools engine, used in the last two XIII games, required a major overhaul as it was not designed for open-world games. In contrast to the previous games, a lot of the game's cutscenes were created while the game was still in development, meaning many placeholder objects and models had to be used until the final assets could be put in place. The team also had to thoroughly check Lightning's various outfits and weapons, to ensure that there were no mistakes in cutscenes with the weapons going through the scenery, and that the character's underwear remained concealed during active battles even for her more revealing outfits. Because the team was mostly using new assets to create the game, the various continents took longer to create than the environments in XIII-2, and story scenes sometimes needed to be redone as the game's overall plot had yet to be finalized when development began. The voice actors, in contrast to the normal procedure doing their performances first and those being used to create the game characters' facial expressions, recorded their lines for the characters well after the various cutscenes had been created.
The concept of Lightning Returns' battle system originated while ideas were being discussed for the battle system in Final Fantasy XIII, but technical limitations and problems implementing it in a party-based battle system prevented it from being used in that game. It reemerged when some of the development team wanted Lightning to change her appearance during battle, and reducing to one playable character opened up the memory space necessary for such a system to be implemented. In making the system revolving around one character, the developers ended up removing any opportunity for story scenes between party members, which was cited by Abe as its main weakness. The time limit sprang from the story concept of a world with a set time to live. When the feature was first announced, there were some who felt it was too new for the game, as a time limit was seen as a taboo in role-playing video games. The mechanic originally received negative feedback from test players who were unable to complete the game in time. In response to this, the team made adjustments so that players were given a more comfortable amount of time. Along with sharing design elements with the previous two XIII games, the system also bears similarities to the battle system of Final Fantasy XV, although the developers said that they were not directly inspired by it.
Lightning's multiple outfits were designed by Isamu Kamikokuryo, the game's art director, Toshitaka Matsuda, the lead art designer, and Toshiyuki Itahana, a designer who had worked on Final Fantasy IX and the Crystal Chronicles series. The three drew inspiration from character designs done by Amano and the atmospheres of game locations. Matsuda and Itahana also respectively did the character designs for Bhunivelze and Lumina. Tetsuya Nomura returned to design Lightning and Snow's new looks. Kamikokuryo used the game's theme of a dying world to create Nova Chrysalia, as well as incorporating cultural and architectural influences from the Middle East, Asia, and London during the Industrial Revolution. Nova Chrysalia was originally conceived as a single island, but as the game's development advanced, the world grew into its final, four-island configuration. The world's open design was inspired by MMORPGs such as Final Fantasy XI, described by Abe as a "tourist guide style". Each island was designed to have a definite feel and theme, while their construction was handled by separate small teams, with the content for each area held and quality-controlled by each team. The art team used multiple real world locations as inspiration: Luxerion and Yusnaan were inspired by Paris and Las Vegas, while the Dead Dunes and Wildlands were influenced by Cairo and Costa Rica. The scenery for the final FMV was based on southern Europe.
### Music
The music of Lightning Returns was composed by Masashi Hamauzu, who composed the music for XIII, Naoshi Mizuta and Mitsuto Suzuki, who co-composed the music for XIII-2 with Hamauzu. Others involved in recording the soundtrack were Japanese band Language and the Video Game Orchestra, founded by Shota Nakama. Multiple tracks used "Blinded by Light", a recurring theme in the XIII games, as a leitmotif. Unlike the previous XIII games, a theme song was not created, with the composers instead creating a purely orchestral piece for the finale. The main soundtrack album, Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII Original Soundtrack, was released on four compact discs on November 21, 2013. A bonus album, Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII Soundtrack Plus, featuring unreleased tracks and rearrangements of classic themes used in the game, was released on March 26, 2014. A promotional album, Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII Pre Soundtrack, was released in July 2013. The game featured multiple musical Easter eggs, including tunes from previous entries in the franchise. The commercial albums respectively reached \#29 and \#211 on the Oricon charts.
## Marketing
Rumors about a second sequel's existence started even before XIII-2's release, when a domain name was registered in the name of Final Fantasy XIII-3, but it turned out that the domain was registered by the company's western branch without the main company's knowledge. After XIII-2's cliffhanger ending became common knowledge, the game's creators released a statement saying that the ending was meant to prepare fans for coming DLC packets that would expand upon the game's story. However, after the release of the last piece of DLC, company officials stated that they would be releasing future content related to XIII. By August 2012, during the run-up to a special 25th Anniversary commemoration event for the Final Fantasy series, a teaser site titled "A Storm Gathers" was released, promising new developments for the XIII series and its main protagonist. The game itself was finally unveiled at the event, with Toriyama, Kamikokuryo, Abe and Kitase detailing the core concepts of the game. Because character dialogue varied due to the time of day in-game, the western release of the game was delayed by over two months after the local release, as there was far more translation, dubbing work and lip-synching than in previous titles. For the promotion and marketing of the game, the development team rethought their strategy. They worked closely with Yohei Murakami, the publicity and marketing agent for many Square Enix games. Lightning Returns was heavily promoted at gaming events throughout 2013. As part of the promotion campaign, Lightning and monsters from the XIII series featured in a series of player events in Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn.
### Downloadable content
While the previous game had a large amount of downloadable content in the form of character costumes, extra story episodes and battles in the game's fighting arena, the reaction to these was mixed. The costumes were liked by fans, despite some complaints of them being purely cosmetic, but the presence of story DLC caused many to criticize the original game as incomplete. In reaction to this, the developers decided to package the game's entire story with the retail edition, but they did create pre-order DLC for the game in the form of outfits Lightning could use in battle. One of these featured the clothing, weapon and equipment of Cloud Strife from Final Fantasy VII, available with the game's limited edition Pre-Order Bonus Pack, while another featured a collection of Samurai-inspired outfits. In addition to this, as part of a cross-game promotional campaign, Square Enix of Japan also made Yuna's costume from Final Fantasy X a playable garb for those who had purchased the Japanese HD Remaster of the game on either PS3 or Vita. The garb was later made available as a pre-order exclusive from Amazon.com. After the game's release, an additional set of DLC costumes was released, among them a moogle outfit. In the Western release of the game scheduled for February 2014, a free DLC pack was released that enabled players to play the localized version of the game with Japanese voice acting and lip-synching. The DLC was free for the first two weeks, and then became paid DLC.
### Versions and merchandise
Lightning Returns was released on November 21, 2013 in Japan and in February 2014 for other markets. Alongside the standard release, a special box set titled "Lightning Ultimate box" was released. It included Final Fantasy XIII, XIII-2 and Lightning Returns, a figurine of Lightning, selected music from the games, a special stand from the game and a book of artwork. A limited edition of the PlayStation 3 version containing a specially-themed DualShock 3 controller was also released in Asia. A Collector's Edition exclusive to North America was released through Square Enix's online store. It contained a copy of the game, an artwork book, a pocket watch embossed with the game's logo and codes for costume DLC. The game was also ported to Windows platforms via Steam for release in December 2015. It features all DLC outfits apart from the Aerith-themed one, and removes the ability to name chocobos, map markers or schemata. A release on iOS and Android devices followed on February 17, 2016 in Japan.
As part of the game's promotion in Japan, Square Enix teamed up with Japanese confectionery company Ezaki Glico to market a range of Pocky snacks in packaging promoting the game. A Play Arts Kai figurine of Lightning as she appears in the game was also created by Square Enix. After the game's release, an Ultimania guide to the game was also released, containing concept and character artwork, interviews with staff members, and guides to the game's enemies, continent layouts and times for events. A book set between XIII-2 and Lightning Returns, Chronicle of Chaotic Era, was originally scheduled to be released alongside the game in Japan, but was eventually cancelled due to the author falling ill. After the game's release, a three-part novella set after Lightning Returns' ending was released through Famitsu Weekly magazine, titled Final Fantasy XIII Reminiscence: tracer of memories. Written by Watanabe based on and incorporating the material written for Chronicle of Chaotic Era, the book takes the form of a series of interviews with the main characters of the XIII series.
The game was added to Xbox One backward compatibility along with its predecessors in November 2018. It is also Xbox One X Enhanced, allowing it to display in 4K Ultra HD.
## Reception
### Sales
In Japan, the PS3 version of Lightning Returns reached the top of the Top 20 in software sales in its first week, selling just over 277,000 units and beating Nintendo's Super Mario 3D World. In the same period, the Xbox 360 version sold 4,000 units, under half of the initial sales of XIII-2 for that platform. By the end of 2013, the PS3 version was 17th among the 100 best-selling titles of the year, selling over 400,000 copies. In the United Kingdom, Lightning Returns debuted at third place in the top ten debut video games. The game was 8th in the top ten best-selling video games of February. By May 2014, the game had sold approximately 800,000 copies worldwide. According to Steam Spy, a further 376,000 copies of the Windows PC version were sold by April 2018. As of September 2014, Final Fantasy XIII series was widely successful and has shipped over 11 million copies worldwide. Final Fantasy series brand manager Shinji Hashimoto revealed in October 2016 that Lightning Returns met sales expectations and that Square Enix is satisfied with it.
### Reviews
Lightning Returns has received mixed to positive reviews from critics. The game scored 37/40 in Famitsu magazine, with the reviewers giving scores of 10, 10, 9 and 8 out of 10 for each console version of the game. Famitsu later gave the game an "Excellence" award during the 2013 Famitsu Awards. Review aggregator website Metacritic gave the Xbox 360 version 69/100 based on 21 reviews, and the PlayStation 3 version 66/100 based on 62 reviews.
The battle system gained the highest amount of praise. Matt Elliot of Official PlayStation Magazine said the battle system was fun and "[felt] like Final Fantasy: an energetic, modern approximation of combat that was previously turn-based". IGN's Marty Sliva greatly enjoyed the battle system, saying that "Lightning Returns did a great job of empowering me to create a [trio of Schema] that felt unique and personal". Joe Juba of Game Informer was also pleased with the system which he considered to be an improvement over the previous two XIII games, noting that the switching of Schema created "a fast-paced, high-tension system that makes fights exciting". Eurogamer's Simon Parkin called it "perhaps the best and certainly most flexible version yet" when compared to the other XIII games, while GameSpot's Kevin VanOrd stated that if it were not for a few flaws such as the blocking, "it may have even found a place among Final Fantasy's better battle systems". Famitsu generally cited the battle system as "excellent", noting it as fast-paced and fun, but also noting that some enemies were tricky even on Easy mode. It also praised the level of "uniqueness" available in garb customization.
The quest gameplay was less-well received, with Sliva saying it made him "feel like [he] was stuck in the opening hours of an MMO", while Juba called the tasks "dull". Parkin said that the quests "can seem trivial under the eye of the apocalyptic clock". VanOrd commented that while many quests were "absorbing on their own", he admired their ability to get the player out into the world. Destructoid's Dale North felt that the time limit made the quests "a waste of the precious time left". The time limit itself received mixed reviews. Sliva said the time limit gave the game "a sense of urgency ... that I really enjoy", while VanOrd said the limit worked against the player and "collides with almost every other aspect of the game". Juba enjoyed planning out his days, but on the other felt that the time limit prevented exploration, and that it severely limited player's ability to fully dive into some of the systems. Elliot said the limit overly pressured him, and became unpleasant when coupled with the time penalty for fleeing battle. The Famitsu reviewers said that the time limit was not an overly stressful factor.
The graphics received mixed reviews. Sliva referred to the locations as "visually interesting and varied", while VanOrd said the player "can't help but gawk at the beautiful spectacle before [them]". Juba liked the overall look and design of the main cast and environment, but critiqued the environment textures and NPCs. Elliot praised the CG cutscenes, but said that "the tired, boxy side streets feel unfinished". However, he further said that the expansive nature of environments balanced this issue out. The environments were praised by Famitsu, who wrote that due to the expansive nature of the environments and the lack of hints concerning quests, new players might take a bit of time getting used to it. It also generally called the game "quite nice".
The game's story received mixed reviews. Sliva said the narrative was "drenched in uninteresting pathos that failed to give me a reason to care about these characters that I've spent well over 100 hours with". Juba called the story "a joke", saying that there was little development for Lightning as a character, and that the narrative "killed whatever lingering investment [he] had in the universe". VanOrd found the large amount of character dialogue a distracting and jarring feature, while Parkin said that the game's narrative could not fix the issues present in the previous two XIII games, although the side-quests and dialogue helped lighten Lightning's character. Elliot spoke of it as one of the reasons to play the game, terming it a "typically bonkers narrative".
### Awards
The Final Fantasy XIII series won a Sound Division: Award of Excellence at the CEDEC AWARDS 2014 for the sound development team.
Lightning Returns won a Famitsu Excellence Award in April 2014.
### Official response
Both Toriyama and Kitase have responded to the mixed review scores the game received. Speaking to Siliconera about the Japanese reviews, Toriyama said that most of the negativity stemmed from the time limit, and that "opinions on the game become more positive after some time since Lightning Returns' initial release after players get used to the nuances". Speaking with Joystiq, Kitase said that he "wasn't really shocked. There are negative reviews and positive reviews, it's a real mixture. When I started making this game I took on very new challenges, so in a way I had anticipated that there would be mixed opinions, so this is more or less what we had anticipated". Shinji Hashimoto revealed in October 2016 that Lightning Returns met sales expectations and that Square Enix is satisfied with it.
|
3,575,119 |
Hurricane Lili (1984)
| 1,171,666,030 |
Category 1 Atlantic hurricane in 1984
|
[
"1984 Atlantic hurricane season",
"1984 meteorology",
"Category 1 Atlantic hurricanes",
"Off-season Atlantic tropical cyclones",
"Tropical cyclones in 1984"
] |
Hurricane Lili was the third of only four Atlantic tropical cyclones on record to reach hurricane status in the month of December with the others being an unnamed hurricane in 1887, December 1954's Alice, and 2005's Epsilon. The final of thirteen tropical storms in the 1984 Atlantic hurricane season, Lili developed as a subtropical cyclone which originated from a frontal trough to the south of Bermuda on December 12. It tracked southeastward, then northward, slowly attaining tropical characteristics and becoming a hurricane on December 20. Lili turned to the south and southwest, briefly threatening the northern Caribbean islands before weakening and dissipating near the coast of the Dominican Republic. The storm produced light rainfall but no damage.
## Meteorological history
In the second week of December, a frontal trough stalled south of Bermuda. An upper level disturbance moved over the area on December 9, and produced widespread convection along the frontal wave. The system moved to the northeast, and based on a developing circulation within the convection, the National Hurricane Center classified the system as a subtropical storm on December 12 while located 275 miles (443 km) northeast of Bermuda.
With winds of 60 mph (97 km/h) and strengthening, the subtropical storm initially drifted northeastward. On December 13, a ridge of high pressure to its north forced the storm southeastward, and the following day the storm turned to the south after an upper-level cold-core low developed over the system. A break in the ridge resulted in the storm turning to the northeast, with its forward motion accelerating to nearly 40 mph (64 km/h). After turning to the northwest on December 17, the high pressure system again halted its northward movement, leaving the storm drifting south-southeastward. Conditions favored further strengthening, and the subtropical storm reached 70 mph (110 km/h) winds on December 18. Satellite imagery estimated the storm attained hurricane status on December 19, and a day later ship near the center reported winds of 75 mph (121 km/h). Based on the wind report, as well as a minimum central pressure of 980 mbar and a well-defined eye, the storm was classified as Hurricane Lili while located 730 miles (1,170 km) east of Bermuda.
Lili continued generally southward, reaching its peak intensity of 80 mph (130 km/h). Higher pressures developed to its northeast, resulting in the hurricane to accelerate to the southwest. On December 22, Lili finished executing its large cyclonic loop by passing over the same location it passed one week prior. The combination of its increased forward speed, as well as increased levels of vertical wind shear, created an unfavorable environment which caused steady weakening. On December 23, Lili weakened to a tropical storm while located 430 miles (690 km) northeast of Antigua. It rapidly lost organization as it approached the Leeward Islands, and dissipated just off the coast of the Dominican Republic on December 24.
## Impact and records
When Lili reached hurricane status on December 20, it became one of only four Atlantic tropical cyclones to reach hurricane strength in the month of December. The other three were an unnamed hurricane in 1887, Alice in 1954 Atlantic hurricane season, and Epsilon in 2005. In addition, Nicole lasted as a hurricane from late November to early December 1998.
Because of its rapid movement, a hurricane watch was issued for Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands on December 22. As the storm weakened, the watches were discontinued. In response to the threat of the hurricane, officials posted a small craft advisory along the coastline of northern Puerto Rico. There, the weakening tropical cyclone produced light rainfall, though there was no reported damage. Lili moved through Hispaniola as an area of squally weather, but damage, if any, is unknown.
## Accounts
Sailor Brian Hancock encountered Hurricane Lili during the Route of Discovery yacht race from Benalmádena, Spain to Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic.
> Tropical Storm Lili was traveling at around 18 knots along the same path as the race fleet and was starting to pick off the slower boats. Astern of us we were getting reports of gale force winds, ripped sails and some damage all the while Lili gained in strength. By our calculation we would get to the Bahamas before the storm did, but the problem was that the Bahamas were not our final destination. We had to round San Salvador and then sail just under 500 miles back toward the east, well southeast to be exact. We rounded San Salvador and sailed slap bang into the teeth of a ferocious storm. Hurricane Lili was packing around 70 to 80 knots of wind and we have to ride it out. I remember feeling exhilarated by it all. It helps to be a little naive and dumb but that’s how you are when you are in your 20’s.
## See also
- Other storms of the same name
- List of off-season Atlantic hurricanes
- List of Category 1 Atlantic hurricanes
|
63,521,622 |
If You're Too Shy (Let Me Know)
| 1,170,608,229 | null |
[
"2020 singles",
"2020 songs",
"Black-and-white music videos",
"Music videos directed by Adam Powell",
"Songs by Matty Healy",
"The 1975 songs"
] |
"If You're Too Shy (Let Me Know)" is a song by English band the 1975 from their fourth studio album, Notes on a Conditional Form (2020). The song was released on 23 April 2020 through Dirty Hit and Polydor Records as the sixth single from the album. It was written by band members Matty Healy, George Daniel, Adam Hann and Ross MacDonald. Production of the song was handled by Daniel and Healy alongside Jonathan Gilmore. FKA Twigs provides operatic background vocals on the song's ambient new-age introduction, Rashawn Ross performs the trumpet and flugelhorn in the choruses, and Bob Reynolds performs the tenor and alto saxophone solo in the bridge. Videos of the band performing the song were widely circulated on social media several months prior to its official release, quickly becoming a fan-favourite, and resulting in a high degree of anticipation among their fanbase.
"If You're Too Shy (Let Me Know)" is a pop and synth-pop song composed in a retro style that draws heavily from the music of the 1980s. Its instrumentation consists of high-octave alternative guitars, drumbeat kicks, brass horns, sparkling 1980s-style synths, and digital samples. The song's maximalist production combines elements of funk, techno, indie pop, dance music and pop rock in its composition. Lyrically, the song details Healy's growing obsession and sexual encounters with a woman he meets on the internet. In its exploration of online relationships, the song deals with themes of technology, cybersex, dependency and despondency. The song drew comparisons to the soundtracks of John Hughes' coming-of-age films, the works of Tears for Fears, Duran Duran and Bruce Springsteen, and the 1975's own pop-oriented tracks.
Upon release, "If You're Too Shy (Let Me Know)" was acclaimed by contemporary music critics, many of whom deemed it a standout from Notes on a Conditional Form. Specific praise was given to the production, retro 1980s style, and embodiment of The 1975's signature sound. The song later appeared on numerous year-end lists. It attained international chart success, peaking within the top five on the US Billboard Hot Rock & Alternative Songs and New Zealand Hot Singles charts, the top 20 in Scotland and Ireland, as well as number 50 in Belgium and number 85 in Australia. Domestically, the song reached number 14 on the UK Singles Chart, becoming the band's highest-charting single to date in the United Kingdom. A music video for the song was released on 23 April 2020. Directed by Adam Powell, the video features black and white visuals of The 1975 performing in front of a brick wall. It was well received by critics, who praised the simplicity and references to The 1975's early music videos.
## Background and release
In an interview with John Kennedy of Radio X, Healy called "If You're Too Shy (Let Me Know)" a "Frankenstein" song. Explaining further, the singer noted that more demos and different versions were created for "If You're Too Shy (Let Me Know)" than any of the band's previous tracks. The final version was created using four separate pieces and underwent one of the most exhaustive recording processes for Notes on a Conditional Form. The intro began as an ambient song in the vein of the Durruti Column, using a sample of an opera singer. The chorus of "If You're Too Shy (Let Me Know)" had already been written for a different song, and Healy was attempting to use the chords of its chorus to write a verse. Feeling frustrated with writer's block, Healy re-listened to the ambient piece and decided to combine it with "If You're Too Shy (Let Me Know)", giving the track an additional verse. The singer told Daniel: "We should make that fucking stomping, like Tears for Fears", and the two created the final version. Once the pair had completed it, they invited FKA Twigs to record the operatic vocals, to which she agreed. Speaking to Ryan Dombal of Pitchfork, Healy compared "If You're Too Shy (Let Me Know)" to a jigsaw puzzle that took time to put together, which he said "happens once [an album]".
Prior to its official release, the 1975 debuted "If You're Too Shy (Let Me Know)" in Nottingham, England, on 15 February 2020, the opening night of their Music for Cars Tour in the United Kingdom. The band performed the song again at the O2 Arena in London on 21 February 2020, backed by box-style television screens. In his review of the performance, Andrew Trendell of NME called it the most promising song on Notes on a Conditional Form "by far", noting the track would likely be released as a future single. Videos of the 1975 performing "If You're Too Shy (Let Me Know)" began circulating on social media platforms, quickly becoming a fan-favourite and earning it a cult following among fans of the band. For nearly two months, fans of the 1975 used social media in an effort to have the band officially release the song, replying to their content with messages such as ""Drop 'Too Shy"". Healy himself recognized the anticipation, telling Brendan Wetmore of Paper he believed the band had an "inherent quality in our music that's really chimed in with people", which he attributed to the song's uplifting and self-reflective qualities. On 21 April 2020, the band announced on Twitter that "If You're Too Shy (Let Me Know)" would be released as the sixth single from Notes on a Conditional Form on 23 April 2020. The full-length version was officially released on 23 April 2020 alongside a shortened radio edit. Following its release, Healy jokingly revealed that they only released the song cause [their fans] wouldn't shut the fuck up about [it]".
## Music and lyrics
"If You're Too Shy (Let Me Know)" runs for a length of five minutes and nineteen seconds (5:19). Musically, it is a pop and synth-pop song composed in a retro style that draws heavily from the music of the 1980s. The track also incorporates elements from techno-funk, indie pop, dance music, power pop, pop rock, and pop-punk. According to sheet music published at Musicnotes.com by Sony/ATV Music Publishing, "If You're Too Shy (Let Me Know)" is set in the time signature of common time with a tempo of 120 beats per minute. The track is composed in the key of D major, with Healy's vocals ranging between the notes of A3 to B4. It follows a chord progression of D–A–D/F#–G in the verses, Em–D/F#–A in the pre-choruses, and Bm–Em–D/F#–G in the choruses. The song's maximalist production consists of buoyant, high-octave guitar licks, alternative guitars, drumbeat kicks, saxophone melodies, digitised samples, 1980s-style synths, deep grooves and impassioned horns. Lyrically, "If You're Too Shy (Let Me Know)" details Healy's online romance with a woman and documents a series of sexual encounters conducted over video chat. It explores themes of technology, cybersex, online relationships, dependency and despondency.
"If You're Too Shy (Let Me Know)" opens with a minute-long "ghostly" new-age ambient instrumental, backed by ominous drones, celestial arpeggios, heavy reverb, and elements of glitch music. FKA Twigs provides the backing vocals in an ethereal, choral, wordless operatic style. A piercing guitar riff signals the beginning of the song, with Healy singing: "I see her online all the time". The verses experiment with tension, with Stephen Ackroyd of Dork calling the anticipation "almost palpable". As the song progresses, the singer becomes increasingly obsessed with the woman, attempting to reach his locked hotel room at 7 AM to video call her ("I need to get back, I've gotta see the girl on the screen"). According to Mitch Mosk of Atwood Magazine, "If You're Too Shy (Let Me Know)" reaches its peak of "musical and emotional ecstasy" in the pre-chorus, before releasing the tension in a climatic "euphoric blast" in the chorus as Healy sings the hook: "She said / 'Maybe I would like you better if you took off your clothes / I wanna see and stop thinking / If you're too shy then let me know'". The bridge utilizes a tenor and alto saxophone solo performed by Bob Reynolds, which Ali Shutler of NME described as "uproarious" and "perhaps the greatest endorphin release you'll find this side of lockdown."
Patricia Kolbe of Barricade Magazine compared "If You're Too Shy (Let Me Know)" to the soundtracks of coming-of-age movies directed by John Hughes, and noted similarities to "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" (1985) by Tears for Fears. She found the song's saxophone stylings comparable to the 1975's own "She's American" (2016), the drum pattern to "Heart Out" (2013), and the use of "magnetic" synth-pop to "It's Not Living (If It's Not with You)" (2018). Ben Kaye of Consequence of Sound called the song bright and "bubbly". Shutler interpreted a deeper meaning in the song. He observed relatable and vulnerable qualities ("There's something 'bout her stare that makes you nervous / And you say things that you don't mean"), along with the desire to escape the real world and use alcohol as courage ("Sometimes it's better if you think about it / This time, I think I'm gonna drink through it"). Brittany Spanos of Rolling Stone remarked that "If You're Too Shy (Let Me Know)" continued the thematic exploration of online relationships present on A Brief Inquiry into Online Relationships, while deeming it sonically reminiscent of Duran Duran. Jessie Atkinson of Gigwise called the song vulnerable and euphoric, comparing the guitar riffs to Bryan Adams, the saxophone solo to Bruce Springsteen and the overall melody to "Give It Up" (1982) by KC and the Sunshine Band. Lindsay Zoladz of The New York Times said the track mined a "bright, brassy sound of late-80s pop" to tell a story that would have sounded like science-fiction in that era: "a series of sexual encounters conducted over video chat".
## Critical reception
"If You're Too Shy (Let Me Know)" was acclaimed by contemporary music critics upon its release and appeared on numerous year-end lists. Reviewers praised its 1980s-style production and embodiment of the 1975's signature sound, favourably comparing the song to the music of Tears for Fears, Duran Duran, and the Cure. In her review of Notes on a Conditional Form, Samantha Small of Consequence of Sound deemed "If You're Too Shy (Let Me Know)" an "Essential Track". In her review of the parent album for The New York Times, Zoladz called the song "irresistible". Lizzie Mano of Paste deemed "If You're Too Shy (Let Me Know)" the best song on Notes on a Conditional Form, calling the track "effortlessly catchy" and saying listeners "could play it endlessly without it tiring". In his review of "If You're Too Shy (Let Me Know)" for Dork, Ackroyd called it a "swaggering, hip shaking monster" and metaphorically compared the song to a musical lightning rod, "pulling down raw, crackling energy from the heavens".
Claire Biddles of The Line of Best Fit declared "If You're Too Shy (Let Me Know)" the best song on its parent album, saying "it shows that The 1975 haven't lost the ability to make a piercingly resonant song in whatever genre or form they wish to". She opined that the song is emblematic of the band's signature sound, exemplified by a "hooky melody", an "effortless"-sounding multi-layered production, "a convincing pastiche of a micro-genre" and "deftly contemporary lyrics" that discuss the complexities of online and offline relationships. Ross Horton of musicOMH said the song was evocative of the band's "classic" sound. Sam Sodomsky of Pitchfork praised it as an album highlight, calling the song "the record's closest thing to a typical 1975 song—a glittery '80s arrangement, a ridiculous saxophone solo, a charmingly sleazy hook". Paul Schrodt of Slant Magazine wrote it is: "A quintessential 1975 song [...] a bit of everything—a maximalism that the 1975 pulls off like almost no one else". In another favourable review, Matt Collar of AllMusic wrote that "If You're Too Shy (Let Me Know)" is the only track on Notes on a Conditional Form reminiscent of the 1975's eponymous debut studio album (2013), commending the 1980s nostalgia and saxophone solo. Lauren Mullineaux of Beats Per Minute called it a "thrilling" example of the band's signature sound, commenting that the song places the listener in the leading role of a Hughes film.
In her weekly Rolling Stone special "Song You Need To Know" column, Spanos commented that "If You're Too Shy (Let Me Know)" and its message of communicating through video calls was especially relevant during the COVID-19 pandemic. She humorously remarked that the song: "quickly joins an elite pantheon of catchy songs about virtual sex, like 'NSync's 'Digital Get Down' [(2000)] and Soulja Boy's 'Kiss Me thru the Phone' [(2008)]". Conrad Duncan of Under the Radar gave the song a positive review, comparing it to Duran Duran and the Blue Nile and writing it "[combines] self-deprecating humor with sharp radio-friendly hooks". Joe Rivers of No Ripcord called the track "the best song Simple Minds never wrote". Chris Willman of Variety compared the song to "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" and the duo Hall & Oates, praising the "essential corniness of an '80s MTV pastiche" and favourably calling it a "slightly weird" pop song. The staff of Spin highlighted the song's successful implementation of 1980s music and ability to "document the sadness, hilarity, awkwardness and — just maybe — euphoria of the erotic Zoom call". The editorial team at DIY extolled the use of 1980s synths, saxophones and "saucy" lyrics, declaring it a "gem" and "quite the insatiable jam". Roisin O'Connor of The Independent observed similarities to the work of Tears for Fears and commended the song's "propulsive shuffle rhythm" and "twinkling synths". In his review of the single for NME, Shutler called the track "shamelessly huge" and an instant classic. He wrote that it represents the band at their "glorious, gargantuan best", drawing similarities to the dark, melodic emo of Tears for Fears, the Cure and the music of John Hughes films.
### Year-end lists
## Music video
A music video for "If You're Too Shy (Let Me Know)" was released on 23 April 2020. The video was directed by Adam Powell, while Jack Meredith served as assistant director. The role of production manager was handled by Ias Balaskas. Andrew Rawson and Harrison Imogen served as producer and executive producer, respectively. Anthony Neale was responsible for the video's art direction, with Kim Rance and Elaine Lynskey providing hair and makeup. Cinematically, Carlos Catalan served as director of photography, while Marco Alonso and Apostolos Katsamagkas acted as focus puller and second assistant camera, respectively. John Holloway edited the video, and the production company Editegg was brought in to handle post-production. Visually simplistic, it features the 1975 performing "If You're Too Shy (Let Me Know)" against a brick wall. The video is shot in high contrast black and white, interspersing expansive wide shots with close-up profiles of the individual band members. Brock Thiessen of Exclaim! called it "a simple yet effective approach". In her review of the song for Barricade Magazine, Kolbe interpreted the clip as an ode to the band's earlier visuals.
## Commercial performance
"If You're Too Shy (Let Me Know)" attained domestic and international chart success. In the 1975's native country of the UK, the song debuted and peaked at number 14 on the UK Singles Chart, becoming the band's highest-charting single to date in the country. In Scotland, "If You're Too Shy (Let Me Know)" reached number 18 on the Scottish Singles chart. Elsewhere in Europe, the song peaked at number 13 in Ireland and number 50 in Belgium. In Oceania, "If You're Too Shy (Let Me Know)" debuted and peaked at number 85 in Australia and number 4 on the New Zealand Hot Singles chart. In the United States, the song peaked at number five on the US Hot Rock & Alternative Songs chart and was ranked at number 89 on its year-end chart.
## Credits and personnel
Credits adapted from Notes on a Conditional Form album liner notes.
- Matthew Healy – composer, producer, guitar, vocals
- George Daniel – composer, producer, drums, keyboards, synthesizer
- Adam Hann – composer, guitar
- Ross MacDonald – composer, bass
- Jonathan Gilmore – producer, recording engineer
- Tahliah Debrett Barnett – background vocals
- Lemar Guillary – trombone
- Bob Reynolds – alto saxophone, tenor saxophone
- Rashawn Ross – flugelhorn, trumpet
- Jamie Squire – guitar
- John Waugh – saxophone
- Mike Crossey – mixer
- Robin Schmidt – mastering engineer
## Charts
### Weekly charts
### Year-end charts
## Certifications
## See also
- The 1975 discography
- List of songs by Matty Healy
|
56,934,599 |
Dharma Bum Temple
| 1,146,012,372 |
Buddhist temple in the United States
|
[
"Buddhism in California",
"Buddhism in North America",
"Buddhism in the United States",
"Buddhist monasteries in the United States",
"Organizations based in San Diego"
] |
Dharma Bum Temple is an American Buddhist temple in San Diego, California. The temple focuses on being an introductory center for beginners to learn Buddhism and aims to provide a space for Americans to practice Buddhism in the comfort of their own culture. It has its roots in Taiwanese Buddhism and the Fo Guang Shan order, but identifies with ecumenical Buddhism, or interdenominational Buddhism.
Dharma Bum Temple was founded on New Year's Eve in 2006 by a group of three people. It was originally located in Downtown San Diego, where it became popular among locals and college students from the nearby San Diego State University (SDSU). The temple was involved in the founding of the first Buddhist college fraternity in the United States, Delta Beta Tau. Dharma Bum Temple made headlines in local newspapers in 2017 with its campaign to buy the 1927-built Swedenborgian Church in University Heights, San Diego, which the temple relocated to later that year.
Dharma Bum Temple holds free meditation and Buddhism classes for the general public and organizes community service events in the area. The temple is known for directing its members to other Buddhist temples in the area based on the forms of Buddhism that interest the person. The temple routinely hosts guest speakers from various traditions of Buddhism and organizes field trips to other Buddhist temples in the area.
## History
### Founding
Dharma Bum Temple was founded by a group who met at a local Buddhist temple in San Diego in 2003. One of the members of the group, Jeffrey Zlotnik, eventually became president of the English-language chapter of the local temple. In 2005, the group went to the Fo Guang Shan monastery in Taiwan to study Buddhism and was invited to open a temple in San Diego under the International Bodhisattva Sangha in 2006. However, due to logistical problems and a lack of funding, the group abandoned the project shortly after opening the temple. Later that year, the group opened its own temple in Downtown San Diego under the name "Dharma Bum Center", after the 1958 Jack Kerouac book The Dharma Bums. In September 2008, the temple officially changed its name to Dharma Bum Temple.
### In Downtown San Diego
Dharma Bum Temple was located in and operated from Downtown San Diego from the end of 2006 to April 2017. When the temple reached maximum capacity in 2008, it attempted to move to a larger location in Downtown San Diego, but returned to the original building when the new location was found to not be suitable. In 2009, the temple acquired a Buddhist gift shop near San Diego State University (SDSU) called Buddha for You at the request of the previous owner, who was elderly and wanted somebody to entrust the store to. Although the gift shop rarely generated profit for Dharma Bum Temple, it played a significant role in the expansion of the temple's community. Due to its proximity to SDSU, Dharma Bum Temple and its services at Buddha for You became popular among college students and the temple eventually started holding regular events on the campus. This included the organization of an SDSU meditation club called the "Aztec Dharma Bums" and the founding of the first Buddhist college fraternity in the United States, Delta Beta Tau (ΔΒΤ).
Before the temple relocated, its services were divided between its main building in Downtown and the gift shop Buddha for You. The latter hosted two meditation classes a week, attended by about forty participants each. The temple spent five years looking for a place to expand to but was unable to find a suitable location until 2016.
### Campaign to buy the Swedenborgian Church
In October 2016, Dharma Bum Temple started a campaign to purchase the Swedenborgian Church in University Heights, San Diego. According to Dharma Bum Temple co-founder Jeffrey Zlotnik, the church was the ideal place to expand to because it was centrally located near several major neighborhoods and districts in San Diego, was free from Downtown San Diego's parking and traffic problems, and was large enough to accommodate the growing congregation.
A developer offered \$1.4 million for the church, which Dharma Bum Temple offered to match. However, preference was given to Dharma Bum Temple because the prior owner wanted the church to continue to be used for a spiritual purpose. Although Dharma Bum Temple only had \$7,000 at the time, the temple agreed and entered escrow, having to raise \$490,000 for the down payment within 108 days. To raise the money, Zlotnik launched a fundraising campaign on Facebook to ask for donations.
The campaign did very well, raising \$103,800 from 321 donors in its first two weeks. It caught the attention of several local news outlets in San Diego because the temple and its congregation were able to raise the funds so rapidly. Due to the news coverage, several consultants and organizations contacted Zlotnik to ask for fundraising advice. Dharma Bum Temple received the last string of donations needed to make the down payment on February 14, 2017, the final day of the fundraiser. By the end of the campaign, the temple had raised \$497,000 from 1,123 donors in 108 days (about \$4,600 per day).
### Relocation to University Heights
After closing escrow, Dharma Bum Temple officially moved to its new location in University Heights on April 15, 2017. Since relocating, the temple consolidated Dharma Bum Temple and its separate gift shop, Buddha for You, as well as all of the services that were held there into the new larger location. The new temple is expected to have three meditation areas and be able hold up to 300 people at one time.
## Services
Dharma Bum Temple focuses on being an introductory center for westerners to learn Buddhism in a culturally approachable way. The temple avoids pressuring its members into cultural Buddhist practices that may make westerners feel uncomfortable, such as chanting and bowing. Members of the temple refer to themselves as "Dharma Bums". The temple has a policy of welcoming all groups, including other religions. Although it does not identify with any specific school of Buddhism, the temple emphasizes principles of Mahayana Buddhism such as the teachings of the Heart Sutra. Its teachings include overcoming problems and eliminating suffering through meditation and the development of Buddhist principles. Like many temples influenced by Mahayana Buddhism, Dharma Bum Temple stresses the benefit of pursuing the Bodhisattva Path through the cultivation of the Six Mahayana Paramitas.
The temple is known for directing members to other Buddhist temples in the San Diego area after they start showing deeper interest in a particular form of the religion after attending Dharma Bum Temple. It regularly hosts guest speakers from various traditions of Buddhism and holds field trips in the summer to other Buddhist temples in San Diego to introduce attendees to their traditions. The temple also offers introductory classes on Buddhism in Spanish.
Dharma Bum Temple has a strict "no charge" policy and its teachers are instructed to never ask for donations or give a sermon on Dāna, or giving. According to temple co-founder Jeffrey Zlotnik, this policy is in place to avoid pressuring attendees into giving unwillingly, which he says reduces the value of the practice of generosity. As a result, Dharma Bum Temple services are always free of charge and the temple is run solely off of voluntary donations.
The temple's services are attended by a diverse demographic, with its largest demographic being young adult Caucasians. The temple does not actively advertise itself and relies mostly on word of mouth to attract members. Its events are mainly coordinated online through platforms such as Facebook. Dharma Bum Temple focuses on the development of its community around the structure of families, offering individual programs for each age group; including for young children, teenagers, and adults, and has a family program called the "Family Sangha". Along with traditional Buddhist services, Dharma Bum Temple also hosts a Buddhism based support group called the "Recovery Sangha". The program combines elements of the traditional Twelve-Step Program with Buddhism and meditation to help drug and alcohol addicts overcome their addictions. The temple hosts multiple Buddhism and meditation classes throughout the week. As of December 2018, its most popular weekly services were attracting around 70 people per class.
## Community outreach
### Food redistribution
Dharma Bum Temple operates a weekly feed the homeless program called "Food Redistribution". The temple and volunteers for the program do not purchase food for the program but instead collect food from stores and farms in the area who would have otherwise thrown it away for not being fresh or being too close to the expiration date. The focus of the program is not just to feed the homeless but also to combat excessive food waste. All food prepared for the Dharma Bum Temple food redistribution program is vegetarian.
### Prison outreach
Since 2006, Dharma Bum Temple regularly visits prisons to teach meditation or Buddhism to inmates in San Diego. The program emphasizes Buddhism as a way to develop traits such as wisdom and compassion, rather than being a Buddhist. The goal of the program is to improve the minds of inmates so they can reintegrate into society more smoothly once they are released from prison.
## Delta Beta Tau
In 2015, Dharma Bum Temple started to organize a Buddhist college fraternity at the suggestion of its co-founder Jeffrey Zlotnik, who was in Beta Theta Pi in college. Although the temple originally planned on creating a fraternity and a sorority, it ended up organizing a single co-ed fraternity. The first chapter of the fraternity was founded at San Diego State University (SDSU), which the temple already had a strong presence on. The temple had already been running a meditation club on the campus called "The Aztec Dharma Bums".
Delta Beta Tau (ΔΒΤ) was founded in September 2015 at SDSU as the first Buddhist college fraternity in the United States, its name was based on the initials of Dharma Bum Temple. The co-ed fraternity was founded on the principles of the Six Paramitas of Mahayana Buddhism. Rules and activities for the fraternity are based on Buddhist principles and to join pledges do community service and attend meditation retreats. In 2017, the fraternity announced plans to start a chapter at University of California, San Diego (UCSD).
As of August 20, 2019 the fraternity has initiated 223 active members at its founding chapter at SDSU.
## See also
- Buddhism in the United States
- Fo Guang Shan
|
2,147,354 |
Abismo Negro
| 1,167,486,361 |
Mexican professional wrestler
|
[
"1971 births",
"1987 professional wrestling debuts",
"2009 deaths",
"20th-century professional wrestlers",
"21st-century professional wrestlers",
"Accidental deaths in Mexico",
"Deaths by drowning",
"Masked wrestlers",
"Mexican National Tag Team Champions",
"Mexican male professional wrestlers",
"People from Villahermosa",
"Professional wrestlers from Tabasco",
"Professional wrestling trainers"
] |
Andrés Alejandro Palomeque González (July 1, 1971 – March 22, 2009) was a Mexican luchador (Spanish for "masked professional wrestler"). He is best known for appearing under the stage name Abismo Negro, which is Spanish for "Black Abyss", in the Asistencia Asesoría y Administración (AAA) promotion. Before appearing under the ring name Abismo Negro, Palomeque worked for five years under the alias "[the] Winners" and before that also wrestled as the characters "Alex Dinamo", "Pequeño Samurai", and "Furor" for short periods. Palomeque owned and operated the Gimnasio Abismo Negro, a wrestling school where individuals were trained to become professional wrestlers.
In his professional wrestling career, Palomeque worked for the two most prominent professional wrestling promotions in Mexico: Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL) and AAA. He also worked for the North American–based promotions the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) due to talent exchange programs between AAA and WWF in 1997 and TNA in 2004, as well as making appearances for the Michinoku Pro and Pro Wrestling Noah promotions in Japan.
On March 22, 2009, Palomeque was found dead in a river near El Rosario, Sinaloa; the official cause of death was listed as drowning. On the night before, a wrestler using the Abismo Negro outfit worked an AAA show pretending to be Palomeque; this incident caused the promoter to be barred from promoting shows for two years. Palomeque was inducted into the AAA Hall of Fame in June 2013.
## Early life
Andrés Alejandro Palomeque González was born July 1, 1971, in Villahermosa, Tabasco, Mexico. Palomeque started to get interested in professional wrestling at the age of nine when his father, Juan Francisco Palomeque Torres, took him to his first wrestling event. Later the Palomeque Family moved to Poza Rica where a young Palomeque took up Pentathlon (long jump, high jump, 110 metres hurdles run, shot put, 1500 metres run) in school. He and his brother, César Palomeque, had an interest in Martial Arts and trained together for years. When Palomeque was thirteen years old he began working in a gymnasium where professional wrestlers were trained, initially he paid for the use of the gymnasium by cleaning it after hours. When the family moved back to the Tabasco region he began training under Don Nerio Soto, who worked under the ring name El Noruego (the Norwegian), and his brother Delio Soto to become a luchador, or professional wrestler. Professional wrestlers perform in a non-competitive sport based on simulated fighting with storylines written by creative teams and matches with predetermined results. Don Soto later recollects how he and his family took the young man in and made him part of their family, practically adopting him while he was enrolled in Soto's wrestling school and later as he worked on the local wrestling circuit. Palomeque made his professional wrestling debut in 1987, at the age of 16, under the ring name "Alex Dinamo".
## Professional wrestling career
Palomeque received further training from famous Mexican wrestling coaches Diablo Velasco and Ray Mendoza before changing his character and ring name to "Pequeño Samurai"—a masked persona patterned after the Japanese Samurai tradition. In 1991, Palomeque began working for Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL; Spanish for "World Wrestling Council"), the biggest wrestling promotion in Mexico at that time. In CMLL, he worked as Furor, another masked ring persona. While working as Furor, Palomeque won his first Luchas de apuestas, or "bet match" when he defeated his mentor El Noruego in a match where Noruego's hair and Palomeque's mask was at stake.
### Winners
In 1992 CMLL head writer Antonio Peña left the company to create his own wrestling promotion Asistencia Asesoría y Administración (AAA; Spanish for "Assistance, Consulting and Administration") promotion; Palomeque was one of the many young wrestlers who left CMLL to work for the newly formed AAA. In AAA, his ring personal was changed and he became "Winners" (sometimes written Winner's), a fan favorite character (known as a Técnico in Lucha Libre) who wore a silver bodysuit and mask. Palomeques work as "Winners" earned him a match on the very first Triplemanía where he teamed with Super Caló and El Salsero to defeat the team of May Flowers, Rudy Reyna, and Baby Sharon in a Six Man Tag Team match. The following year at Triplemanía II-A he teamed up with Rey Misterio and Rey Misterio Jr. to defeat the team known as Los Destructores (Tony Arce, Vulcano, and Rocco Valente). In 1995, Winners participated in a Relevos Suicidas Tag Team match, in which the losing team members have a match of their own, with the loser of that encounter being forced to unmask. Winners team won the match, keeping him from having to defend his mask in a match. Eight days later at Triplemanía III-B, Winners' mask was on the line in a match against Marabunta; Winners defeated Marabunta in a Luchas de Apuestas, Mask vs. Mask match. On June 30, 1995, at Triplemanía III-C, Winners participated in another "mask vs. mask" match, his third in three weeks. This time, Winners was not successful, as he lost to Super Caló and was forced to unmask. The loss of the mask did not hurt Winners' popularity, on the contrary it intensified as the hansome Palomeque became even more popular with the female fans. Despite losing his mask to Super Caló the two continued to work together as a team. On June 15, 1996, Winners and Caló teamed up with Rey Misterio Jr. and Oro Jr. to defeat the team of Perro Silva, Halloween, Kraken, and Mosco de la Merced at Triplemanía IV-B. A month later, Winners, Caló, La Parka and El Mexicano defeated Jerry Estrada, Fishman, Villano IV, and May Flowers in one of the featured matches of Triplemanía IV-C.
### Abismo Negro
In January 1997, Palomeque's character was changed from that of the quintessential heroic ladies' man known as "Winners", to that of a cheating villain (referred to as a Rudo) known as "Abismo Negro". Part of his new routine as Abismo Negro was a flamethrower display, created by using a lighter and an Aerosol spray can. Palomeque would regularly use this during his entrance and on occasion during a match as when he worked as "Abismo Negro" character. As part of his Rudo act Palomeque began using the Marinete — a wrestling move known as a Piledriver where he simulates driving the top of his opponents' head into the mat — the Marinete is "banned" Mexican wrestling, which means that it can lead to a disqualification if used during the match. The Marinete became such a signature move for the Abismo Negro character that he earned the nickname El Rey del Martinete (The King of the Piledriver). He made his debut as Abismo Negro on January 10, 1997, in an Eight Man Tag Team match. Shortly after his debut as Abismo Negro, he made his World Wrestling Federation (WWF) debut on the January 19, 1997, episode of the WWF Free For All pay-per-view event pre–show before the 1997 Royal Rumble. On the telecast, Negro teamed with Heavy Metal and Histeria in a losing effort against the team of Octagón, Blue Demon Jr., and Tinieblas Jr. in a six-man tag team match. This match was one of the early results of a working relationship between the WWF and AAA that had been created in late 1996. The relationship saw Negro make an appearance in January against Perro Aguayo Jr. and two appearances on the WWF's primary television program Monday Night Raw in March 1997. During his appearances in March, Negro was announced as being part of Los Vipers, a recently created alliance of wrestlers. After March, Negro did not make any more appearances for the WWF.
In AAA, Cibernético formed Los Vipers with Negro along with Psicosis (II), Mosco De La Merced, Maniaco and Histeria. Histeria was replaced a few weeks later by Histeria II. In 1998, Negro acquired a "mascot": a midget wrestler called Mini Abismo Negro. Abismo, Mini Abismo, and new Vipers member Electroshock were defeated by Octagón, his mascot Octagóncito, and Pentagón in a six-man tag team match at Triplemanía. Los Vipers engaged in several scripted rivalries with other AAA groups, such as the group of masked wrestlers dressed as clowns known as Los Payasos. They also had a long-running rivalry with Los Vatos Locos—consisting of Espiritu, Picudo, Nygma, May Flowers, and Silver Cat during the rivalry—over the Mexican National Atómicos Championship. Los Vipers won the Atómicos titles from Los Vatos on several occasions, but Negro was not part of the teams that won. Palomeque wrestling as Abismo Negro did capture a title of his own when he defeated Pentagón on May 19, 1998, to win the Mexican National Middleweight Championship, a title he held until January 1999.
In 1999, Los Vipers split into two factions, with Abismo Negro leading a splinter group called Los Vipers Extreme consisting of Electroshock, Pentagón, Shiima, El Cuervo and Mini Abismo Negro while Cibernético created a group called Los Vipers Primera Clase (First Class Vipers). After less than two months, the angle was dropped and Los Vipers reunited. Not long after Los Vipers reunited, Cibernético formed a group called Lucha Libre Latina (LLL), a group intent on taking over AAA that was inspired by World Championship Wrestling's New World Order. Los Vipers became a subgroup within LLL, and Negro assumed leadership of Los Vipers. On May 2, 1999, Negro and Electroshock teamed up to defeat Perro Aguayo and Perro Aguayo Jr. to win the Mexican National Tag Team Championship. Los Vipers held the tag team title for four months before losing it to the team of Haytor and the Panther.
In 2000, Palomeque participated in a AAA tour of Japan and competed at Triplemanía VIII, where he was on the losing side of an eight-man tag team match main event; Negro teamed with Cibernetico, Shiima Nobunaga and Electro Shock against Octagón, Jushin Thunder Liger, Latin Lover and Cuije. While touring with AAA, Palomeuqe also made an appearance at Michinoku Pro's April 9 Sumo Hall card, where he defeated Oriental. On May 7, Abismo Negro and Electroshock regained the Mexican National Tag Team title by defeating Haytor and the Panther but only held on to the title for two months before losing it to Héctor Garza and Perro Aguayo Jr.
Negro became one of the driving forces in LLL's feud with AAA owner Antonio Peña and his AAA loyalists. Over the years, Negro feuded with the top técnicos of AAA such as La Parka Jr., Octagón and Latin Lover. Negro's position as one of AAA's top workers was cemented on March 5, 2000, when he competed in AAA's annual Rey de Reyes tournament. In the opening round, he defeated Dos Caras, Killer and Psicosis II and in the finals, he defeated El Alebrije, Charly Manson and Cibernético to win the 2000 Rey de Reyes tournament. Negro's status as a main eventer caused storyline problems between LLL's leader Cibernético and Abismo Negro, leading to a series of matches between the two to see who should lead Los Vipers. On September 29, 2000, Negro defeated Cibernético in a one on one match at Verano de Escandalo (2000). When the two faced off in a steel cage match at Guerra de Titanes (2000), the match ended without a winner, after which the rivalry between the leader and the deputy leader was put on the back burner. In 2001, Negro almost won Rey de Reyes again, but La Parka Jr. defeated him in the finals. His string of losses continued at Triplemanía IX, where the LLL team of Abismo Negro, Cibernético, Electroshock and Mascara Maligna lost to Mascara Sagrada, El Alebrije, Octagón and La Parka Jr. when Negro was forced to submit.
In 2000 Abismo Negro won the hair of the Panther in Lucha del reves match, a contest where two masked wrestlers put their hair on the line instead of their mask. On September 7, 2001 Abismo Negro won another Lucha del reves match, defeating El Alebrije. In December 2002, Negro and Mini Abismo Negro made it to the finals of a tournament to crown the first ever AAA Mascot Tag Team Champions but lost to Mascara Sagrada and Mascarita Sagrada. Negro qualified for the Rey de Reyes (2003) final, but La Parka Jr. once again defeated him. In 2004, LLL was phased out in favor of a new super group known as La Legión Extranjera or the Foreign Legion in English, which meant that Los Vipers now regularly teamed with foreign wrestlers, especially NWA-TNA performers such as Abyss.
### Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (2004)
In 2004, TNA and AAA began a working relationship that saw TNA wrestlers work in Mexico and AAA wrestlers make several appearances on TNA's weekly pay-per-views. Managed by AAA owner Antonio Peña, Palomeque, working as Abismo Negro, along with Héctor Garza, Juventud Guerrera, Mr. Águila, and later Heavy Metal, worked for TNA as Team AAA in the TNA 2004 America's X Cup Tournament. The team made their debut on January 28, 2004, at TNA Weekly pay-per-view event \#78, defeating the team of Eric Young, Shark Boy, Matt Stryker and Chad Collyer. In the following weeks, Negro and Team AAA won against Elix Skipper, the team of Jerry Lynn and Sonjay Dutt and finally all of Team USA in a 4 on 4 match to claim the Americas X Cup. Four weeks later Team AAA successfully defended the X Cup against Team Canada, as Abismo Negro and Juventud Guerrera defeated the team of Teddy Hart and Jack Evans to tie the score between the two teams, allowing for a final four-on-four elimination match that Team AAA won.
Abismo Negro and the rest of Team AAA returned for the 2004 World X Cup Tournament where they now competed as "Team Mexico". Abismo Negro remained undefeated until April 7, 2004, when his team lost to James Mason and Jason Allgood in one of the first matches of the World X Cup Tournament. Later in the night, Team Mexico defeated Team UK to even the score. The World Cup saw Team Mexico lose to Team USA, Team Canada (Eric Young and Bobby Roode), and Team Japan (Ryuji Hijikata and Mitsu Hirai Jr.). Team Mexico tied in points with Team USA and Team Canada, which meant that a representative of each team met in an Ultimate X match to determine the winner of the tournament. Héctor Garza represented Mexico, but in the end Team USA's Chris Sabin won the match and the tournament.
### Return to AAA (2005-2009)
After the World X Cup tournament ended, Negro returned to AAA full-time taking full charge of Los Vipers. In early 2005, he was once again involved in the final match of that year's Rey de Reyes, but La Parka Jr. defeated him for the third time. AAA hinted at a possible técnico turn when Negro, along with Psicosis and Mini Psicosis, attacked Cibernético. The two faced off in a cage match, won by Cibernético, but they eventually reconciled their differences once more. At some point after 2005, Abismo Negro won the hair of Stuka Jr. in a Lucha del reves match. Despite rumors that he was jumping to Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre, Negro remained in AAA and was sent on a tour with Pro Wrestling Noah in the spring of 2006. Later in the year, he finally turned técnico and began a sustained storyline with Cibernético and his group La Secta Cibernetica. The on again, off again storyline with Cibernético was put on hold when Cibernético suffered a severe knee injury in late 2006. At some point during 2006, Los Vipers left La Legión due to their "Anti-Mexican" philosophy and began fighting La Legión and La Legión's imported wrestlers. At Verano de Escandalo (2006), Negro, Charly Manson, Electroshock and Histeria lost to Team TNA (Homicide, Low Ki, Samoa Joe and A.J. Styles).
### Black Abyss
In late 2007, AAA created a ring persona for a new wrestler called Black Abyss; the gimmick featured the same mask and attire as Negro and used a similar wrestling style to Negro as well. Initially, it was believed that this was done because there were rumors of him jumping to CMLL or to cover several no-shows. In 2008, Negro's "almost winning" streak at Rey de Reyes continued as he lost in the final to El Zorro. Black Abyss made sure Negro did not win but interfering on Zorro's behalf during the match, furthering the storyline between the two. During the fall of 2008, AAA pushed the storyline further by having Black Abyss "injure" Negro with his own trademark move the "Martinete". Abismo Negro was scheduled to take part in Triplemanía XVI in a match where he would face Los Vipers (Psicosis, Histeria, Black Abyss and Mr. Niebla) in a cage match, but in the weeks leading up to the show Abismo Negro suffered an injury and the match had to be cancelled, AAA used the attack at Rey de Reyes as a storyline explanation of why the match did not take place. At the 2008 Guerra de Titanes, Negro returned to challenge Los Vipers' Revolution and specifically Black Abyss. Subsequently, the storyline between Negro and Black Abyss seemed to be building to a Luchas de Apuestas fight between the two, with their masks on the line. Both Abismo and Black Abyss were booked in the same four-way elimination match qualifier at the Rey de Reyes (2009) event. Negro was able to eliminate Black Abyss from the match but was in turn eliminated by Latin Lover. Black Abyss still competed under the Black Abyss name, still as a rudo, but seemingly only a couple times on TV since then. Black Abyss has stated his wishes to continue with the character to honor the memory of Abismo Negro, but AAA didn't shown a lot of interest in using it on TV. In October 2010 it was reported that Black Abyss had left AAA.
### Abismo Negro II
On September 27, 2011, AAA announced the start of a competition to find a new Abismo Negro. In the end no one was chosen to take over the Abismo Negro character.
## Personal life
Palomeque was married to a woman named Martha for 15 years and the couple had four children, two girls and two boys. Palomeque's wife has been suffering from breast cancer for a number of years.
He often appeared on the morning television program Vida TV, in full wrestling gear and persona, billed as Abismo Negro. He usually appeared as a kind of judge for talent contests on the show earning him the nickname Fiscal De Hierro de la Televisión (the Iron Judge of Television). Palomeque owned and operated "Gimnasio Abismo Negro" where he taught both professional wrestling and physical fitness. Graduates of Abismo Negro's wrestling school include Independent wrestling workers El Intocable, Extassis and Mini Cibernético as well as AAA workers Sexy Star and Aero Star. Abismo Negro is a playable character in AAA's first ever video game, AAA El Videojuego. The Abismo Negro character was one of the first characters used to promote the game and show the quality of the graphic rendering.
## Death
Palomeque was found dead on March 22, 2009. His body was found in a river near the town of El Rosario, Sinaloa. According to a bus driver who was transporting Palomeque and other passengers to Mexico City on Friday night March 20, Palomeque became agitated, panicked and demanded to be let off the bus despite it being 1:30 in the morning. A text message he sent to his wife after leaving the bus confirms that Palomeque found himself lost on the dark hillside. After receiving the text message, his wife contacted local wrestling promoter Vicente Martinez, who organized a search party. On the morning of March 22, Palomeque was found floating face down in the river. Afterwards, medical expert Jesús Enrique Castro López stated that such an anxiety attack could be steroid related, but Palomeque's alleged steroid abuse has not been confirmed. An autopsy was carried out on March 23, which determined that the cause of death was drowning, and no further investigation into the death is planned. A memorial was held in Mexico City on March 24 for friends and family of Palomeque, many of whom showed up without their masks on, to keep the focus of the event on Palomeque. His body was subsequently cremated, with the ashes taken to Villahermosa to be buried.
On Saturday March 21, while Palomeque was either lost in the hills or already dead, someone worked as Abismo Negro on an AAA show in Cancun. In the past, the wrestler known as Black Abyss had worked as Abismo Negro when Palomeque failed to show, but this time Black Abyss was not the man behind the mask, as he was on the opposing team that night. Following the discovery of Palomeque's body, the deception in Cancun received national coverage in Mexico and the local promoter responsible for the show, Renán Martínez, was suspended for two years by the Benito Júarez Boxing and Wrestling commission.
On October 26, 2009 AAA held the Torneo Abismo Negro in honor of Palomeque, the tournament was a 7-man gauntlet-style match and included a mix of five AAA veterans and two Abismo Negro students. The participants were Cuervo, Black Abyss, Gato Eveready, Kempo Dragon, Joe Líder, Extreme Tiger and Relámpago. Relámpago, Abismo Negro's last student to turn professional, won the match after 48 minutes. The event was not televised and did not become an annual event. During Triplemania XVII there was a moment of silence in memory of Abismo Negro, Antonio Peña and Mitsuharu Misawa (Misawa had died the night before).
## Championships and accomplishments
- Asistencia Asesoría y Administración
- AAA Mascot Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Mini Abismo Negro
- Mexican National Middleweight Championship (1 time)
- Mexican National Tag Team Championship (2 time) – with Electroshock (2)
- AAA Rey de Reyes (2000)
- AAA Hall of Fame (Class of 2013)
- Pro Wrestling Illustrated
- PWI ranked him \#91 of the 500 best singles wrestlers of the PWI 500 in 2004
- Total Nonstop Action Wrestling
- America's X Cup (2004) – with Mr. Águila, Juventud Guerrera, Héctor Garza and Heavy Metal
## Luchas de Apuestas record
## See also
- List of premature professional wrestling deaths
|
500,006 |
Aymer de Valence, 2nd Earl of Pembroke
| 1,171,981,386 |
Anglo-French nobleman (1275–1324)
|
[
"1270s births",
"1324 deaths",
"13th-century English nobility",
"14th-century English nobility",
"Earls of Pembroke (1247 creation)",
"English generals",
"English people of French descent",
"English people of the Wars of Scottish Independence",
"House of Lusignan"
] |
Aymer de Valence, 2nd Earl of Pembroke ( – 23 June 1324) was an Anglo-French nobleman. Though primarily active in England, he also had strong connections with the French royal house. One of the wealthiest and most powerful men of his age, he was a central player in the conflicts between Edward II of England and his nobility, particularly Thomas, 2nd Earl of Lancaster. Pembroke was one of the Lords Ordainers appointed to restrict the power of Edward II and his favourite Piers Gaveston. His position changed with the great insult he suffered when Gaveston, as a prisoner in his custody whom he had sworn to protect, was removed and beheaded at the instigation of Lancaster. This led Pembroke into close and lifelong cooperation with the king. Later in life, however, political circumstances combined with financial difficulties would cause him problems, driving him away from the centre of power.
Though earlier historians saw Pembroke as the head of a "middle party", between the extremes of Lancaster and the king, the modern consensus is that he remained essentially loyal to Edward throughout most of his career. Pembroke was married twice, and left no legitimate issue, though he did have a bastard son. He is today remembered primarily through his wife Marie de St Pol's foundation of Pembroke College, Cambridge, and for his splendid tomb that can still be seen in Westminster Abbey. He was also an important figure in the wars surrounding the attempted English occupation of Scotland.
## Family and early years
Aymer was the son of William de Valence, son of Hugh X, Count of La Marche and Isabella of Angoulême. William was Henry III's half-brother through his mother's prior marriage to King John, and as such gained a central position in the Kingdom of England. He had come to the earldom of Pembroke through his marriage to Joan de Munchensi, granddaughter of William Marshal. Aymer was the third son of his family, so little is known of his birth and early years. He is believed to have been born some time between 1270 and 1275. As his father was on crusade with Lord Edward until January 1273, a date towards the end of this period is more likely. The later date is problematic, however because his mother by then was in her mid-forties. With the death in battle in Wales of his remaining brother William in 1282 (John, the elder brother, was dead in 1277), Aymer found himself heir to the Earldom of Pembroke. He married Béatrice, daughter of Raoul II of Clermont, sometime before October 1295.
William de Valence died in 1296, and Aymer inherited his father's French lands, but had to wait until his mother died in 1307 to succeed to the earldom. In 1320, his first wife Béatrice de Clermont died. In 1321, Aymer married his second wife Marie de St Pol. Through inheritance and marriages his lands consisted of—apart from the county palatine in Pembrokeshire—property spread out across England primarily in a strip from Gloucestershire to East Anglia, in south-east Ireland (Wexford), and French lands in the Poitou and Calais areas.
In 1297 he accompanied Edward I on a campaign to Flanders, and seems to have been knighted by this time. With his French connections he was in the following years a valuable diplomat in France for the English King.
He also served as a military commander in Scotland, fighting against Robert the Bruce. In 1306 at the Battle of Methven he won the day over Bruce in a sneak attack, only to be soundly defeated by Bruce at Loudoun Hill the next year.
## Ordinances and Piers Gaveston
Edward I died in 1307 and was succeeded by his son Edward II. The new king at first enjoyed the goodwill of his nobility, Valence among them. Conflict soon ensued, however, connected especially with the enormous unpopularity of Edward's favourite Piers Gaveston. Gaveston's arrogance towards the peers, and his control over Edward, united the Baronage in opposition to the king. In 1311 the initiative known as the Ordinances was introduced, severely limiting Royal powers in financial matters and in the appointment of officers. Equally important, Gaveston was expelled from the realm, as Edward I had already done once before. Pembroke, who was not among the most radical of the Ordainers, and had earlier been sympathetic with the king, had now realised the necessity of exiling Gaveston.
When Gaveston without permission returned from exile later the same year, a Baronial council entrusted Pembroke and the Earl of Surrey, with the task of taking him into custody. This they did on 19 May 1312, but not long after Thomas of Lancaster, acting with the earls of Warwick, Hereford and Arundel, seized Gaveston and executed him on 19 June. This act had the effect of garnering support for the king and marginalising the rebellious earls. As far as Pembroke was concerned, the seizing and execution of a prisoner in his custody was a breach of the most fundamental chivalric codes, and a serious affront to his honour. The event must therefore be seen as pivotal in turning his sympathies away from the rebels and towards the king.
## Later years
In the following years, Pembroke worked closely with the king. He was appointed the king's lieutenant in Scotland in 1314, and was present at the disastrous English defeat at the Battle of Bannockburn, where he helped lead Edward away from the field of battle. In 1317, however, while returning from a papal embassy to Avignon, he was captured by a Jean de Lamouilly, and held for ransom in Germany. The ransom of £10,400 was to cause Pembroke significant financial difficulties for the remainder of his life.
Although ostracised because of the murder of Gaveston, Thomas of Lancaster had regained virtual control of royal government in the period after England's defeat at Bannockburn. Proving himself as incapable to rule as Edward, however, he soon grew unpopular. Pembroke was one of the magnates who in the years 1316–1318 tried to prevent civil war from breaking out between the supporters of Edward and those of Lancaster, and he helped negotiate the Treaty of Leake in Nottinghamshire in 1318, restoring Edward to power. Peace did not last long, however, as the king by now had taken on Hugh Despenser the Younger as another favourite, in much the same position as Gaveston. Pembroke's attempts at reconciliation eventually failed, and civil war broke out in 1321. In 1322 Lancaster was defeated at the Battle of Boroughbridge in what is now North Yorkshire, and executed. Pembroke was among the earls behind the conviction. Also in 1322, Pembroke founded a leper hospital in Gravesend.
After Boroughbridge Pembroke found himself in a difficult situation. The opponents of Hugh Despenser and his father had lost all faith in him, but at the same time, he found himself marginalised at court where the Despensers' power grew more and more complete. On top of this came his financial problems. On 23 June 1324, while on an embassy to France, he suddenly collapsed and died while lodging somewhere in Picardy.
## Legacy
T. F. Tout in 1914, one of the first historians to make a thorough academic study of the period, considered Pembroke the one favourable exception in an age of small-minded and incompetent leaders. Tout wrote of a "middle party", led by Pembroke, representing a moderate position between the extremes of Edward and Lancaster. This "middle party" supposedly took control of the royal government through the Treaty of Leake in 1318. In his authoritative study of 1972, J. R. S. Phillips rejects this view. In spite of misgivings with the king's favourites, Pembroke was consistently loyal to Edward. What was accomplished in 1318 was not the takeover by a "middle party", but simply a restoration of royal power.
Aymer and his sister Agnes rented one of the old manor houses of Dagenham in Essex, which has been called Valence House ever since; it is now a museum.
Aymer married twice; his first marriage, before 1295, was to Beatrice, daughter of Raoul de Clermont, Lord of Nesle in Picardy and Constable of France. Beatrice died in 1320, and in 1321 he married Marie de St Pol, daughter of Guy de Châtillon, Count of St Pol and Butler of France. He never had any legitimate children, but he had an illegitimate son, Henry de Valence, whose mother is unknown. Pembroke's most lasting legacy is probably through his second wife, who in 1347 founded Pembroke College, Cambridge. The family arms are still represented on the dexter side of the college arms. Aymer de Valence was buried in Westminster Abbey, where his tomb effigy can still be seen as a splendid example of late gothic architecture, elaborating on the design of the nearby tomb of Edmund Crouchback, Earl of Lancaster.
### Media
Aymer was portrayed by Sam Spruell in the 2018 movie Outlaw King about Robert the Bruce.
|
69,697,952 |
Up (Inna song)
| 1,169,000,172 | null |
[
"2021 singles",
"2021 songs",
"English-language Romanian songs",
"Inna songs",
"Number-one singles in Poland",
"Number-one singles in Romania",
"Number-one singles in Russia",
"Sean Paul songs",
"Songs written by Alexandru Cotoi",
"Songs written by Inna",
"Songs written by Sean Paul"
] |
"Up" is a song recorded by Romanian singer Inna. Warner Music Poland and Global Records released it for digital download and streaming on 22 October 2021 as a single. Another version of the track with Jamaican rapper Sean Paul was issued on 17 December 2021. "Up" was written by Inna, Sebastian Barac, Marcel Botezan, Alex Cotoi and Minelli, while the production was handled by Barac, Botezan and Cotoi; Paul received additional writing and production credits on his version. "Up" is a dancehall-influenced pop song, with its lyrics describing a healing love.
Commercially, "Up" achieved success in Romania, where it became Inna's fifth number-one hit. It further topped the charts in Bulgaria, Russia, Poland, the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) and Ukraine. The Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry (ZPAV) awarded the song a Platinum certification in Poland. An accompanying music video for the Sean Paul version of the track was uploaded to Inna's YouTube channel on 17 December 2021. Directed by Bogdan Păun, it portrays Inna residing at a party with interspersed shots of Paul also being shown. For further promotion, "Up" was performed live on SuperStar România.
## Background and release
Sebastian Barac, Marcel Botezan and Alex Cotoi produced "Up", and wrote it with Elena Alexandra Apostoleanu (Inna) and Minelli. It was released for digital download and streaming on 22 October 2021 as a single in various territories by Warner Music Poland and in Romania by Global Records. Another version of the song featuring verses from Sean Paul was similarly issued by the two aforementioned labels on 17 December 2021; Paul is credited as a co-lead artist alongside Inna and also received additional writing and production credits. Several remixes of the song's solo version were released, with one done by Romanian House Mafia featuring prominent house beats; Inna had previously collaborated with them on "Paris to London" (2021).
## Composition and lyrics
Musically, "Up" is a dancehall-influenced pop song, featuring Inna singing about what Anna-Kaye Kerr of Urban Islandz described as "overcoming past hurt and disappointment [and] opening her heart up again", as well as about "a love that lifts [her] up when everything in life seems to be going in the opposite direction", as noted by Adevărul's Maria-Alexandru Mortu. According to Rolling Stone India writers Anurag Tagat and David Britto, "the rhythms are a nod to both Romanian as well as Caribbean traditional music." Lyrics include: "Once upon a time, there was a girl who made a wish / To find herself a love and finally make a switch / Then you came around, you healed another stitch / And I'm glad about that, I can finally make the switch". The song's refrain—"When I'm down you can bring me up, up-p-p up-p-p up-p-p up-p-p / And when I'm hurt you know I don't need much / You can use that magic touch"—prompted a viral use of "Up" on the social networking service TikTok due to the title word's alteration. On the version of the track including his rap verses, Paul is "optimistic about his chance for romance", according to Kerr.
## Reception
Mortu praised "Up" as one of Inna's catchiest releases in her catalogue, further stating that it is "a hymn of fun and good mood[,] instantly giv[ing] a state of energy and optimism due to [its] fresh sound". Kerr commended Sean Paul's appearance as "smooth". Tagat and Britto deemed Paul's version a "buoyant reimagination" of the single. "Up" became popular on Shazam in multiple countries upon release, and originally reached a peak of number 51 on the last issue of Romania's Airplay 100 chart on the week ending 28 November 2021. The song eventually reached the top position on the airplay chart published by Uniunea Producătorilor de Fonograme din România (UPFR) on 28 December 2021, becoming Inna's fifth single to peak at number one in Romania after "Hot" (2008), "Amazing" (2009), "Diggy Down" (2015) and "Bebe" (2020). "Up" further reached number one in Bulgaria, Russia, Poland, the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), and Ukraine. In Poland, the single received a Platinum certification from the Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry (ZPAV). On 19 February 2022, Billboard inaugurated Romania Songs, a streaming and digital download-based chart for Romania, and the Sean Paul version of "Up" was listed at number 15. At the 2022 Romanian Music Awards, the single's Sean Paul version was nominated for Best Dance.
## Music videos and promotion
An accompanying lyric video for "Up" was uploaded to Inna's YouTube channel on 29 October 2021, and was directed by Bogdan Păun of NGM Creative. Alexandru Mureşan was further hired as the director of photography, while the make-up was done by Anca Buldur, the hair by Adonis Enache and the outfits selected by RDStyling. Mortu applauded Inna's styling in the visual, with her mainly being shown in the same setting as the single's cover art. The same aforementioned team was involved in the making of a music video for the Sean Paul version of "Up", released on Inna's YouTube account on 17 December 2021. It received over 1.2 million views in less than a day.
The music video opens with Inna walking into a room filled by partying people, wearing a black bodysuit with a transparent top. She resides there and, according to Kerr, "gyrat[es], which kick[s] into overdrive as everyone g[ets] up and start[s] partying, even dancing on top of the bar", showcasing eccentric dance moves. Paul is shown during his parts in front of a neon setting, sporting an all-black look. Further interspersed shots show Inna wearing a red outfit with oversized shoulder pads and red glasses as the sentences "Que nadie te limite me decía" ("Let no one limit you, he told me") and "Más de este amor ya no puede, puede ser" ("More of this love can no longer be, it can't be") are displayed on the screen, as well as show her sitting on a chair staring into the distance with other women behind her. An alternate video for the solo version of "Up" was released on 25 February 2022. To further promote the song, Inna performed the track live along with "De dragul tău" (2021) during the final of the first season of the singing competition SuperStar România on 17 December 2021.
## Track listing
- Official versions
1. "Up" — 2:30
2. "Up" (with Sean Paul) — 2:28
3. "Up (Casian Remix)" — 2:07
4. "Up" — 2:00
5. "Up (Mert Hakan & Onur Betin Remix)" — 2:34
6. "Up (Robert Cristian Remix)" — 2:12
7. "Up (Arem Ozguc & Arman Aydin Remix)" — 2:16
## Charts
### Weekly charts
### Monthly charts
### Year-end charts
## Certifications
## Release history
## See also
- List of Media Forest most-broadcast songs of the 2020s in Romania
|
32,441,915 |
Wet (Nicole Scherzinger song)
| 1,123,677,379 |
2011 single by Nicole Scherzinger
|
[
"2011 singles",
"2011 songs",
"Interscope Records singles",
"Nicole Scherzinger songs",
"Song recordings produced by Sandy Vee",
"Song recordings produced by Stargate (record producers)",
"Songs written by Ester Dean",
"Songs written by Mikkel Storleer Eriksen",
"Songs written by Tor Erik Hermansen",
"Songs written by Traci Hale"
] |
"Wet" is a song by American singer Nicole Scherzinger, taken from her debut solo studio album Killer Love (2011). The song was written by Ester Dean and Traci Hale, co-written and produced by Norwegian duo StarGate (Tor E. Hermansen and Mikkel S. Eriksen) and Sandy Vee. The song was serviced as the fourth single from the album to British radio stations on August 28, 2011, by Polydor Records, while in Australia it was released in the following month.
The dance-pop song features Scherzinger singing that "her body is aching for a man's touch". It received generally positive reviews from music critics. The song received moderate commercial success where it peaked at number twenty-one on the UK Singles Chart, in addition to peaking at number ten on the Irish Singles Chart, where it also became one of her highest charting releases. The accompanying music video for "Wet" was directed by Justin Francis. It was generally received by critics which favored Scherzinger's intricate choreography.
## Background and composition
"Wet" was recorded in 2010 at Roc the Mic Studios in New York City, Westlake Recording Studios in Los Angeles and The Bunker Studios in Paris. Scherzinger's vocals were recorded by Eriksen and Miles Walker at Roc the Mic Studios and Westlake Recording Studios and by Vee at The Bunker Studios. "Wet" was mixed by Vee at The Bunker Studios and by Phil Tan at The Ninja Beat Club in Atlanta, Georgia. Additional and assistant engineering was carried out by Damien Lewis. All instrumentation was completed by Eriksen, Hermansen and Vee. "Wet" was not given a traditional release. In the UK, it was given an impact date of August 28, 2011; sometimes record labels will choose a date for a song to impact as a single and for promotion but not give the song a separate listing from the album in digital download stores. Just less than a month later, it was serviced to radio in Australia on September 26, 2011.
"Wet" is an uptempo track, containing a thumping disco beat, a throbbing bass, and electronic beats. The song was written by Ester Dean and Traci Hale, and co-written and produced by Norwegian duo StarGate and Sandy Vee. Scherzinger is said to confesses that her body is "aching for a man's touch", stating "This beat is filthy dirty/ I feel it all over me". Described as a "dance-ready club banger" by Idolator, the song chronicles "many sexy ways" Scherzinger gets wet; sweating, a shower, a swim, and drowning. Scherzinger continues the whole "drenched" theme within the songs' chorus: "Well Imma take my clothes off/Take a leap and surf through the crowd/Dripping down my neck/Soaking wet, sink or swim or you drown/Let's get a little wet." In the song, Scherzinger sings "I feel like whatever I do tonight would be the talk of the town."
## Critical reception
"Wet" garnered generally positive reviews from critics. Awarding the song with three out of five stars, Robert Copsey of Digital Spy gave the song a mixed review, stating that although Scherzinger purrs with conviction, the song sounds ultimately similar to Rihanna's "Only Girl (In The World)". While reviewing the album, the same website reviewed "Wet" as a highlight of the album, and named it a possible future single. Idolator stated that Scherzinger is "positively dripping with sex appeal in her ode to getting doused", later adding that the Stargate-produced "dance jam is the musical equivalent of a run through the sprinkler". Idolator finished its review by stating that after an addition of a well-known rapper, the song could hit the domestic Top 40. While reviewing the album, Becky Bain of Idolator stated that "Wet" along with "Club Banger Nation" would strike a chord with clubgoers. David Griffiths of 4Music named "Wet" an essential addition to anybody's party playlist. In another interview by Griffiths, he named "Wet" a "cracking pop tune", stating that the "hits keep coming" for Scherzinger. Describing the song as a "surefire smash" for Scherzinger, Pip Ellwood of Entertainment-Focus complimented the song as the best track on the album, stating that its beat is better than that of lead single "Poison" due to the fact that it is "impossible not to move to."
## Chart performance
"Wet" debuted on the UK Singles Chart at number 189. On the week of August 20, 2011, it went to its peak of number 21. "Wet" debuted on the Irish Singles Chart at number forty-eight on the week ending August 11, 2011. The following week, August 18, 2011, "Wet" climbed to number ten on the Irish Singles Chart. The song also peaked at number thirteen on the Scottish Singles Chart.
## Music video
The music video for "Wet" was shot in a single day to accommodate her schedule as a judge on the X Factor. It was shot on a Los Angeles car park – it was the only suitable location due to its proximity to the X Factor studios. The video was directed by Justin Francis. On August 2, 2011, Scherzinger released behind the scenes photos of the song's music video with Scherzinger wearing a two-piece attire and clutching a net around her body as she stands behind a wall of water. The video makes use of product placement of Carrera's "Champion". The music video premiered through MSN Music UK on August 3, 2011.
### Synopsis
The video begins with Scherzinger hiding out from the police, evading capture, and disguising herself with some aviator shades and a studded hoodie. As she is being surveyed by security camera, Scherzinger begins to dance athletically and acrobatically. Jenna Hally Rubenstein of MTV Buzzworthy believed that part of Scherzinger's dance contained old Navajo rain dance moves. Scherzinger then alternates outfits, as scenes of Scherzinger singing behind a windowpane while it’s raining are interlaced into the clip. Scherzinger, accompanied by a group of female dancers, than enter an indoor swimming pool where men are seen spraying graffiti into the wall. Scherzinger and her backup dancers than begin to dance in the emptied concrete pool, as the men begin to soak Scherzinger with hoses. As the police enter the building, Scherzinger is warned by a man acting as a lookout. Scherzinger and all her companions escape, only to leave the police discovering a spray-painted message of "Wet".
### Critical reception
Critics generally favored the song's accompanying music video, in particular Scherzinger's intricate choreography. On the day the video premiered, a reviewer from Rap-Up wrote "It’s getting hot in here," referencing Scherzinger's "smokin’ body" and "steamy visuals". Staff of Idolator spoke favorably of Scherzinger's choreography, stating that it "would make the other Pussycat Dolls blush". Amy Sciarretto of PopCrush gave the video a positive review stating that she was impressed of Scherzinger's athletic and acrobatic methods of dancing. She continued, "she doesn’t even have to try and be sexy; she just is". Jenna Hally Rubenstein of MTV Buzzworthy appreciated Scherzinger's writhing around on the floor in "somewhat compromising positions" and added that Scherzinger is wet for about 50 percent of the video, so "we're guessing guys across the country aren't going to be writing complaint letters anytime soon." "Wet" ranked at number 70 on MTV's most watched music videos of 2011.
## Live performances
Scherzinger performed the song for the first time in Stratford, London at Westfield Stratford City on September 13, 2011, included in a set of multiple songs off of Killer Love. The song was also performed in 2012 on her first solo tour, the Killer Love Tour.
## Credits and personnel
Recording
- Recorded at Roc the Mic Studios, New York; Westlake Recording Studios, Los Angeles, California; The Bunker Studios, Paris.
- Mixed at The Bunker Studios, Paris; Ninja Club Studios, Atlanta, Georgia.
Personnel
- Songwriting – Mikkel S. Eriksen, Tor Erik Hermansen, Sandy Wilhelm, Ester Dean, Traci Hale
- Production – Stargate, Sandy Vee
- Mixing – Sandy Vee, Phil Tan
- Additional engineering – Damien Lewis
- Instruments – Mikkel S. Eriksen, Tor Erik Hermansen, Sandy Vee
- Background vocals – Ester Dean
Credits adapted from Killer Love booklet liner notes.
## Charts and certifications
### Weekly charts
### Year-end charts
### Certifications
## Radio and release history
## See also
- Nicole Scherzinger discography
- List of songs recorded by Nicole Scherzinger
|
22,865,354 |
The Abbot's Fish House, Meare
| 1,145,316,028 |
Grade I listed building and Scheduled Ancient Monument in Meare, Somerset, England
|
[
"Buildings and structures completed in 1335",
"English Heritage sites in Somerset",
"Grade I listed buildings in Mendip District",
"History of fishing",
"Scheduled monuments in Mendip District"
] |
The Abbot's Fish House in Meare, Somerset, England, was built in the 14th century and has been designated as a Grade I listed building and Scheduled Ancient Monument. It is the only surviving monastic fishery building in England.
Fishing was an important source of food for the monks of Glastonbury Abbey. Fishing was carried out in artificial ponds, which were mentioned at Meare in the Domesday Book and from the River Brue and Meare Pool. The present rectangular stone building was constructed by the abbot between 1322 and 1335 for the storage and processing of the fish and as a residence for the chief fisherman. After the Dissolution of the Monasteries the building fell into disrepair and it was seriously damaged by fire in the 1880s. Some restoration has been undertaken during the 20th century, including the replacement of the roof in the 1920s.
## History
The fish ponds surrounding the Fish House were recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086 when they were tended by ten fishermen. The fishponds, which were connected with drains and gullies were up to 30 metres (98 ft) long and 5 metres (16 ft) wide. These were connected to the Meare Pool and the River Brue. At one point 5,000 eels were caught each year. Pike, Bream and "white fish" were also caught. Meare Pool was formed by water ponding-up behind the raised peat bogs between the Wedmore and the Polden Hills, and coring has shown that it is filled with at least 2 metres (6.6 ft) of detritus mud, especially in the Subatlantic climatic period (1st millennium BC). Early drainage work was carried out in the later years of the 12th century, with the responsibility for maintaining all the watercourses between Glastonbury and the sea being placed on named individuals among whom were Ralph de Sancta Barbara of Brentmarsh. Its precise boundaries varied according to season, and, over the longer term, as efforts were made to drain the area. The south end was bordered by the high ground that the village of Meare is built upon. The pond would have extended no further west than the current Westhay to Wedmore road, where a shelf of rock formed a natural boundary. To the north lies the Godney ridge. The eastern extent is harder to determine, and it may have gone as far as the site of the Glastonbury Lake Village. The importance of this industry is illustrated by a series of acrimonious disputes between Glastonbury and the Dean and Chapter of Wells Cathedral. The Abbey required fish on Fridays, fast days and during Lent. Drainage of the surrounding area by monks of Glastonbury Abbey had reduced the size of the lake to 500 acres (200 ha) at the time of the Dissolution of the Monasteries. Meare Pool had disappeared from maps by 1749.
The current fish house was built between 1322 and 1335 when Adam of Sodbury was the Abbot of Glastonbury who also built the Church of St Mary in the village and the Manor House as his summer residence. It may have replaced a previous abbey building. The upper floor was the abode of the chief fisherman when he visited intermittently and the ground floor was used for storing nets and the salting and preparing fish. Some alterations were made, probably in the 15th century.
Meare Pool was drained after the Dissolution of the Monasteries and the fish house fell into disrepair. It suffered a fire in the 1880s, which destroyed the roof and gutted the interior. In 1893 some repairs were made to the walls, although the roof was not replaced until work was undertaken by the Ministry of Works in the 1920s, with further conservation being carried out in the 1960s. A piece of timber from the building was subject to dendrochronology testing in an attempt to provide a more specific date for the buildings construction, but the results proved inconclusive.
In 1910 the building was inspected by Charles Reed Peers under the Ancient Monuments Protection Act 1900 and taken into state guardianship.
The fish house is now in the care of English Heritage.
## Architecture
The rectangular Blue Lias stone building has a stone tiled roof. It is 12.4 metres (41 ft) long and 6.6 metres (22 ft) wide. The ground floor had three rooms, one larger than the others which had a fireplace, and a door in the southern wall. The larger room was the hall and linked by arched doorways to the smaller rooms. There were two rooms on the first floor, which were damaged in the fire of 1884, which also has a small entrance door which was accessed via exterior stone steps which no longer exist. There was also a latrine in a turret which no longer exists. There are small traceried arched windows.
## See also
- Grade I listed buildings in Mendip
- List of Scheduled Monuments in Mendip
|
622,927 |
Pot Black
| 1,150,185,350 |
Snooker tournament
|
[
"1960s British sports television series",
"1969 establishments in England",
"1970s British sports television series",
"1980s British sports television series",
"1981 establishments in England",
"1990s British sports television series",
"2000s British sports television series",
"2007 disestablishments in England",
"2010 disestablishments in Wales",
"Defunct snooker competitions",
"Pot Black",
"Recurring sporting events disestablished in 2007",
"Recurring sporting events disestablished in 2010",
"Recurring sporting events established in 1969",
"Recurring sporting events established in 1981",
"Snooker competitions in England",
"Snooker non-ranking competitions"
] |
Pot Black was a snooker tournament in the United Kingdom broadcast on the BBC. Each match was contested over a single , where other tournaments were significantly longer. The event carried no ranking points, but played a large part in the popularisation of the modern game of snooker. The event was first held in 1969 with a field of eight players and ran annually until 1986. The event resurfaced for three years in both 1991 and 2005. The series was followed by events for other categories of players, with a juniors and seniors events, and a celebrity version held in 2006.
The series was created by the BBC2 controller David Attenborough, shortly after BBC2 began broadcasting in colour. Snooker, a game using coloured balls, was suggested as a suitable way to sell the new technology. The series helped transform snooker from a minority sport played by just a handful of professionals into one of the most popular sports in the UK. Mark Williams made the highest in the competition's history, a 119.
## History
The BBC began broadcasting in colour in 1967 and was looking for programmes that could exploit the new technology. The idea of broadcasting snooker, then still a minor sport, was the brainchild of David Attenborough who was the controller of BBC2 at the time. The game of snooker is based on , and was deemed a good way to sell the new technology. The first Pot Black event was held in 1969 at the BBC Studios in Birmingham, and the programme was aired on BBC2 on 23 July 1969. This first contest featured eight players: Gary Owen, Jackie Rea, John Pulman, Ray Reardon, Fred Davis, Rex Williams, Kingsley Kennerley and John Spencer, with Reardon the eventual winner. The event continued until 1986, by which time an increasing number of snooker events were being televised and the Pot Black format was becoming outdated. The programme returned in 1990, but was discontinued after the 1993 event.
A one-day Pot Black tournament, held on 29 October 2005, was broadcast on the BBC's Grandstand. The event featured eight players: Ronnie O'Sullivan, Stephen Hendry, Stephen Maguire, Matthew Stevens, Paul Hunter, John Higgins, Jimmy White and Shaun Murphy, with Stevens beating Murphy in the final. The 2006 edition of the tournament took place at the Royal Automobile Club in Central London on 2 September 2006. Mark Williams defeated John Higgins in the final, achieving the highest break in the history of the tournament with a 119 clearance. The 2007 edition, the final Pot Black to date, was aired on Saturday 6 October 2007, with Ken Doherty beating Shaun Murphy 71–36 in the final.
There have been six century breaks at the event. Eddie Charlton compiled the first century in 1973, a break of 110, which stood as the event record for many years until overtaken by Shaun Murphy's 111 against Jimmy White in 2005, and Williams's 119 clearance in 2006.
## Format
The tournament used many formats over its history. Eight players participated in the first event, but the number of players varied between six and sixteen over the years. It was originally played as a knockout tournament, but later employed a round-robin format. The total number of points scored by the players could often become crucial, so matches always ended with the potting of the . Most matches were played over a single frame. Several formats were used for the final, which was initially also played over just one frame; an aggregate score over two frames was tried in 1974, but this format was abandoned and the single-frame final returned in 1975; from 1978 to 1986, and in 1991, the final was decided over three frames. A shot clock format was added in 1991, to limit the time each player could spend at the table.
A Junior Pot Black ran from 1981 to 1983, and in 1991. The winners were Dean Reynolds, John Parrott and O'Sullivan. The event was revived as a side event to the World Snooker Championship, with the final played on the main match table. A Seniors Pot Black was held in 1997, featuring players who were aged over 40 at the time. Joe Johnson won the event.
A one frame Celebrity Pot Black was held on 15 July 2006 for Sport Relief. It was contested between the team of Ronnie O'Sullivan and Bradley Walsh and the team of Steve Davis and Vernon Kay. Davis and Kay won the contest. It was presented by Dermot O'Leary, commentated by John Parrott, and refereed by Michaela Tabb.
## Production
The events were recorded in a single day at the BBC's Pebble Mill Studios in Birmingham, but the matches were shown in half-hour programmes over the winter. The press co-operated by revealing the scores only after a match had been transmitted. In 2005 and 2006, the whole tournament was broadcast on a single day. Pot Black's theme tune was "Black and White Rag", composed by George Botsford and performed by Winifred Atwell.
The first series of Pot Black in 1969 was hosted by Keith Macklin. It was then hosted by Alan Weeks until 1984, and David Icke took over in 1985 and 1986. Eamonn Holmes hosted the event in 1991 and 1992, but was replaced by David Vine in 1993. Vine also hosted Senior Pot Black in 1997. The latest revival of the event was hosted by Hazel Irvine. Pot Black is credited with producing one of the most memorable British sports quotes: commentator Ted Lowe, aware that not all viewers had colour televisions, said "and for those of you who are watching in black and white, the pink is next to the green."
## Winners
Below is a list of the winners by tournament.
### Pot Black
### Junior Pot Black
### Seniors Pot Black
|
28,234,236 |
New York Savings Bank Building
| 1,170,755,107 |
Historic commercial building in Manhattan, New York
|
[
"14th Street (Manhattan)",
"Bank buildings in Manhattan",
"Bank buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in New York City",
"Commercial buildings completed in 1896",
"Commercial buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in Manhattan",
"Eighth Avenue (Manhattan)",
"Neoclassical architecture in New York City",
"New York City Designated Landmarks in Manhattan",
"New York City interior landmarks"
] |
The New York Savings Bank Building is a former bank building in the Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City. Constructed for the defunct New York Savings Bank from 1896 to 1898, it occupies an "L"-shaped site on 81 Eighth Avenue, at the northwestern corner with 14th Street. The New York Savings Bank Building was designed by Robert Henderson Robertson, with later additions by George H. Provot and Halsey, McCormack & Helmer. The building's facade and interior are New York City designated landmarks, and the building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The building's basement contains a granite water table, while the rest of the facade is clad with Vermont marble. The main entrance is through a portico on Eighth Avenue with Corinthian columns and a triangular pediment. The 14th Street facade is wider than the Eighth Avenue facade and is divided asymmetrically into three sections; the center section is topped by a pediment. Most of the building is topped by a gable roof with copper cladding, although the building also contains a dome with clerestory windows. The main feature of the interior is a triple-height banking room with a vaulted, coffered ceiling; the dome is recessed within the center of the ceiling.
The New York Savings Bank was founded in 1854 and relocated to Eighth Avenue and 14th Street in 1857. The current building was constructed in two stages, allowing the bank to continue doing business without interruption; the building was finished by 1898. As the New York Savings Bank continued to expand, Provot redesigned the main facade on Eighth Avenue in 1930. Halsey, McCormack & Helmer designed a northward annex that opened in 1942 and was demolished in 1972. Following mergers in the late 20th century, the building became a branch of the New York Bank for Savings, then the Buffalo Savings Bank, which moved out of the building in 1987. After standing vacant for several years, the building reopened in 1994 as a branch of Central Carpet. The building was a Balducci's food market from 2005 to 2009 and had become a CVS Pharmacy by the 2010s.
## Site
The New York Savings Bank Building is located at 81 Eighth Avenue, at the northwest corner with 14th Street, in the Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City. The land lot covers 8,556 square feet (794.9 m<sup>2</sup>) and is "L"-shaped; its western section extends further into the city block than the eastern section. The building has frontage of 45.25 ft (13.79 m) on Eighth Avenue and 125 ft (38 m) on 14th Street, and it measures 146 ft (45 m) long along its southern lot line. The New York Savings Bank Building is near the New York County National Bank Building to the south and 111 Eighth Avenue to the north; in addition, an entrance to the New York City Subway's 14th Street/Eighth Avenue station is directly outside the building. The New York Savings Bank Building is one of several bank buildings that had been erected around 14th Street by the early 20th century.
## Architecture
The New York Savings Bank Building, completed in 1897, was originally designed in the neoclassical style by Robert Henderson Robertson. The exterior of the building features porticos and a dome inspired by those of ancient Roman temples, while the interior has an expansive vaulted ceiling that was intended to attract depositors. George H. Provot modified the main entrance in 1930, while the firm of Halsey, McCormack & Helmer designed a now-demolished annex to the north in 1940.
### Facade
The New York Savings Bank Building retains much of its original design. The 14th Street and Eighth Avenue elevations of the facade are largely clad with Vermont marble and ashlar, although the water table at the base is clad with of polished granite. The marble ashlar cladding is about 4 inches (100 mm) thick, behind which are exterior brick walls laid in cement-and-lime mortar. The walls are freestanding, rather than party walls, and contain bluestone coping. The building's foundation extends 15 ft (4.6 m) beneath the curb. An entablature wraps around both elevations, and a dome is placed asymmetrically above the roof.
#### Eighth Avenue
The building's main entrance is along its narrower frontage on Eighth Avenue, where there is a triple-height portico in the Corinthian order. The portico is divided vertically into three bays, with two fluted columns on the inside and a pair of paneled pilasters with antae on the outside. These support an entablature and a triangular pediment. The columns have Corinthian capitals, while the antae are topped by egg-and-dart moldings and anthemia. On the entablature above the columns and pilasters, the name "The New York Savings Bank" was originally spelled in bronze letters. There is a small window inside the pediment, as well as a recessed limestone acroterion on the parapet atop the pediment.
The facade on Eighth Avenue is recessed behind the columns In the center bay, between the fluted columns, is a stoop that ascends to the building's main entrance. The entrance doorway is flanked by Doric pilasters, which support a cornice that stretches horizontally above the first floor. Initially, there were four doors on Eighth Avenue—depositors entered through the two inner doors and exited through the two outer doors—but these were removed in 1930. A bronze eagle is placed on the cornice above the doorway, and an eight-sided lantern is suspended from the eagle's mouth. The two outer bays of the first story, situated on either side of the entrance, feature blind panels instead of windows. In front of these blind panels are stone pedestals with vitrines; these pedestals originally contained bronze lanterns. On the second story are three rectangular windows, one in each bay. A belt course with anthemia runs above the second-story windows.
#### 14th Street
Because of its internal layout, the 14th Street elevation is asymmetrical and divided vertically into three sections. The western and middle sections each have three double-height rectangular window openings, while the eastern section is windowless. A pediment and the building's dome rise above the center of the middle section. The presence of the pediment and dome were intended as an allusion to the large banking room inside. Above all three sections is a entablature, as well as a copper cresting stretching across much of the facade.
The middle section is arranged similarly to the portico on Eighth Avenue. It is divided into three bays, each of which has a rectangular window opening framed by rosettes. Each bay contains a horizontal transom bar, with Greek-key patterns and lions' heads, which separates a smaller pane on the second floor and a larger pane on the first floor. Beneath each window sill are guttae, while above each window is an ornate architrave with molded water leaf motifs and raised circles. The bays are flanked by four pilasters, which support a pediment at the third story. The tops of the pilasters are decorated with egg-and-dart moldings and anthemia, and the outermost two pilasters contain paneling. Above the pilasters is an entablature, which originally had the bank's name in bronze letters. The entablature is capped by a pediment, which contains an opening with a bronze grille.
The eastern section is a plain marble-and-ashlar wall without window openings. A sign with a clock is attached to the facade near the corner of 14th Street and Eighth Avenue. This sign is triangular with a pair of clock faces. Each clock face is flanked by twisting colonnettes that support a horizontal molding, and a vitrine is placed below each clock face. Atop the sign is a carved beehive, the symbol of the New York Savings Bank. Within the western section are three double-height rectangular window openings, each of which has a transom bar and an ornate architrave, similar to those in the middle section. The windows in the western section are slightly narrower than those in the middle section, and there are subtle differences in the Greek-key motifs on each transom bar and the rosettes surrounding each window. Each window has a jamb with a repeating pattern, composed of two palmettes flanking a rosette. Beneath the western section's westernmost window, a flight of six steps leads to a rear doorway, topped by a lintel with acroteria.
#### Roof
The building's banking room along 14th Street has a gabled roof, which is made of terracotta brick above steel rafters and is covered with copper sheeting. The gabled roof is made of 12-inch-thick (30 cm) steel, cast in pieces weighing 40 lb (18 kg).
Above the gabled roof is a copper domed roof. The domed roof is divided horizontally into three sections. The lowest section is the parapet, which consists of a pair of crescents (one each to the north and south), formed by the intersection of the sloping gables below and the clerestory above. The parapet is clad with copper sheeting with multiple seams. The second section is the clerestory, which contains 20 rectangular windows made of stained glass. Each window is separated by pilasters, which contain a rosette flanked by anthemia. Above the clerestory is an entablature with a frieze containing embossed disks, lions' heads, a bead molding on its lower border, and an egg-and-dart molding on its upper border. The highest section is the dome itself, which is clad with copper and is plain in design except for vertical battens. A flat circular finial with anthemia and lions' heads rises above the dome. There are catwalks surrounding the dome anda set of stepladders leading to the catwalk.
### Interior
Although the roof is three stories high, the interior is split into varying levels, ranging from one to three stories, with several areas incorporating triple-height spaces. Siena marble was used extensively inside the building. Robertson placed public rooms along the southern and eastern ends of the "L"-shaped site, facing Eighth Avenue, while the northern end contained offices for bank officials such as tellers, officers, and clerks. The main feature of the interior was the banking room accessed from Eighth Avenue.
#### Banking room
The former banking room is a rectangular space with a high ceiling. The walls are wainscoted in Siena marble and contain engaged Corinthian columns, pilasters, and plinths of the same material. The capitals of the columns, the entablatures atop the walls, and the vaulted ceiling are made of plaster. Most of the wall surfaces above the marble wainscoting were covered with travertine in a 1930 renovation. The banking room has a rose-gray marble floor. An "L"-shaped beige-marble tellers' counter was placed about 15 ft (4.6 m) away from the west and south walls. This counter had been removed by the 1990s. The banking room's ceiling is coffered and contains a transverse rib, which is supported by an engaged column on the north and south walls. This creates a proscenium-like arch that divides the room into western and eastern sections, indicating how the public areas were originally separated from the staff areas. The center of the ceiling contains a small dome.
The south wall is clad with travertine above a marble wainscoting and is divided asymmetrically by an engaged column. The eastern (left) section of the south wall contains three rectangular windows with bronze frames, flanked by four marble pilasters atop marble plinths. The western (right) section is similar in design but is narrower. The west wall is also clad with travertine above marble and is decorated only with a circular bronze clock face, inset within a square. The spandrels at each corner of the square contain anthemia, and the clock hands and Roman numerals are attached to the travertine wall. The northwestern corner of the building contains some of the original wainscoting. The north wall is divided asymmetrically by an engaged column, but some of the pilasters and wainscoting were removed during successive renovations. The east wall originally contained four doorways, which were consolidated into one doorway in 1930 and redesigned in a Moderne style in 1952. Above the doorway are four windows, marble pilasters, architraves, sills, and an entablature, dating from the original design.
Each of the ceiling's coffers features an embossed rosette at its center, surrounded by an inner egg-and-dart molding and an outer waterleaf molding. The coffers have been repainted several times over the years. Above the center of the room's western half is a dome, which rests on a tholobate. The bottom of the tholobate contains a Greek key pattern with lions' heads and an egg-and-dart molding above. The surface of the tholobate contains 20 short fluted pilasters, with a square stained glass window between each set of pilasters. Beneath each stained-glass window are four square classical-style cast iron grilles, above which is an anthemion. An entablature with egg-and-dart molding runs above the tholobate's pilasters. The dome itself is divided into coffers with rosettes, similar to the main ceiling, and is topped by a large central rosette. A bronze chandelier, with etched glass panels and eagle-shaped finials, hangs from the central rosette. Two similar chandeliers hang from the main ceiling.
## History
### Use as bank
The current building was constructed for the New York Savings Bank, which was chartered on April 17, 1854, as the Rose Hill Savings Bank. The bank's original headquarters was at the intersection of Third Avenue and 21st Street on the East Side of Manhattan. In 1857, the Rose Hill Savings Bank moved to the northwest corner of Eighth Avenue and 14th Street, occupying the basement of a four-story structure built for the New York County Bank. The Rose Hill Savings Bank became the New York Savings Bank in 1862. Development began to spread northward from Lower Manhattan to 14th Street after the American Civil War, and the New York Savings Bank correspondingly saw a large increase in business. The bank eventually purchased its building outright and moved to the first floor.
#### Development and early years
By June 1896, the New York Savings Bank had hired R. H. Robertson to design a replacement for the bank's existing building. The bank received a construction permit that month; records show that Otto M. Eidlitz was the mason and that S. W. McGuire was the carpenter. Although one source characterized the structure as being a four-story brick structure, it was ultimately made of marble. The edifice was planned to cost \$220,000. The new building was erected in two phases, allowing the bank to continue operating; the administrative offices to the west were finished first, while the public rooms to the east were completed afterward. In March 1897, the bank applied to the New York City Department of Buildings (DOB) for a permit to construct a temporary entrance to the western section of the new building. The bank requested the city government's permission to add temporary flooring that April.
After the western section was completed in May 1897, depositors used a staircase to access a temporary entrance to the western section. That October, the bank filed another revised plan, this time proposing an I-beam under the banking room's floor. The banking room and the entrance from Eighth Avenue was completed by 1898. The new building was to advertise the bank's presence to customers in Chelsea and Greenwich Village, as well as those working in the nearby Meatpacking District and on the Hudson River shoreline. The bank's original tellers' counter was "U"-shaped and was placed in the center of the room. Because of the counter's layout, customers had to enter the building through the two center doorways on Eighth Avenue and exited via the two outer doorways. By 1900, the New York Savings Bank had nearly \$18 million in deposits (equal to about \$ million in ); this amount had grown to \$47 million by 1920 (equal to about \$ million in ).
#### 1910s to 1940s additions
When the adjacent segment of 14th Street was widened in 1913, architect Alexander McMillan Welch submitted plans to the DOB for a modification of the coal bunker under the sidewalk of 14th Street. The work cost an estimated \$3,000. The bank added a sign with a clock on 14th Street in 1926. The neighborhood was growing by the 1920s, with the development of many structures and the Independent Subway System's Eighth Avenue Line on the adjacent stretch of Eighth Avenue.
The Eighth Avenue facade was significantly modified in 1930, when the original stairs, which projected onto the sidewalk, were replaced with a narrower, recessed flight of stairs. In conjunction with the staircase replacement, the four original doorways were replaced with a single door. Also on Eighth Avenue, the bank installed a new facade in front of the original, deeply recessed facade. This allowed the bank to install a new entrance vestibule clad in marble, as well as customer restrooms, between the old and new facades. These modifications were designed by George Provot, a onetime partner of Alexander McMillan Welch. Later in 1930, the bank submitted plans to the DOB for a recessed entrance to the basement on 14th Street. The New York Savings Bank added a deposit box for nighttime deposits in 1931; at the time, it was New York City's only "night depository".
The New York state government authorized the New York Savings Bank to sell life insurance policies starting in January 1939. To accommodate its expanded operations, the New York Savings Bank hired Adolf L. Muller of Halsey, McCormack & Helmer in 1940 to design a limestone-faced annex north of the building. Muller submitted plans for the annex to the DOB in November 1940, and workers began razing a pair of four-story buildings at 85 and 87 Eighth Avenue the next month. The project involved cutting a hole into the northern wall of the banking room; removing the officers' counter at the western end of that room; and replacing the original "U"-shaped tellers' counter with an "L"-shaped counter. Construction was delayed by more than eight months due to labor and material shortages during World War II. The annex opened on April 17, 1942, the 88th anniversary of the bank's founding. When the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation began insuring the New York Savings Bank's depositors the same year, the bank had \$83.976 million in deposits (equal to about \$ million in ). The facade was washed in 1945, and a canopy above the adjacent subway entrance was approved at the same time.
#### Mid- and late 20th century
The bank acquired a lot at 89 Eighth Avenue next to the bank building's annex in November 1952. The same month, Muller filed plans to remove the restrooms, replace the entrance vestibule, and reconfigure the northern portion of the banking room. The renovations included space for a paying and receiving unit and check-writing desks on the first floor; space for real estate department on the second floor; and new travertine pilasters, tellers' screens, and bronze rails. The New York Savings Bank installed a closed-circuit system in 1953 to verify customers' accounts and signatures on checks. The system was expected to halve withdrawal times; The New York Times described it as "the nation's first regular use of television in the banking field". The bank opened its first branch at Rockefeller Center later the same year, retaining the Eighth Avenue building as its main office; a second branch opened in 1959.
The New York Savings Bank was absorbed by the larger Bank for Savings in August 1963, becoming the New York Bank for Savings. The merger allowed the combined bank to open more branches, and the Eighth Avenue building became one of the New York Bank for Savings' eight branches. The bank filed plans in 1964 for the replacement of the sign on the 14th Street facade, and these plans were approved shortly afterward. The New York Bank for Savings also filed plans in 1971 to replace the bank building's annex and several adjoining lots with single-family houses, but this was never carried out. Instead, the bank filed plans for a six-story apartment building at 85 Eighth Avenue on the site of the annex. The annex was demolished in 1972, and the openings on the north wall of the banking room were covered with travertine. The bank also filed plans for an illuminated sign on the bank building's facade.
By 1981, the New York Bank for Savings was struggling financially. The New York Bank for Savings merged with the Buffalo Savings Bank the next year, and the building became a branch of the Buffalo Savings Bank. A company named Landmark Realty acquired the building in 1982 but continued to lease space to the bank. During the 1980s, the bank was colloquially known as the Goldome; this nickname was derived from the gold dome of the Buffalo Savings Bank's own headquarters in Buffalo, New York. The Buffalo Savings Bank moved out of the building in July 1987, and the structure remained vacant for several years.
### Post-bank use
After the Buffalo Savings Bank relocated, Landmark Realty initially said it had no plans for the building. However, documents filed in May 1987 indicated that a 32-story residential tower could be erected on the bank's site using air rights from the building at 85 Eighth Avenue. By mid-1987, the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) considered designating the building's facade and its interior as city landmarks. The LPC notified Landmark Realty of an upcoming landmark hearing on July 14, 1987. Three days later, Landmark Realty removed some of the stained-glass windows and bronze decorations, prompting a member of a local preservation group to say that the building "has been vandalized by the owner". A hole in the roof prompted concerns that the interior could also be damaged. The facade and interior of the building were protected as city landmarks in June 1988.
#### Use as Central Carpet store
The Wiener family, who owned the building in the early 1990s, was looking to rent out the property, having canceled their plans to demolish or sell it. Carpet store Central Carpet bought the building in 1992, with plans to renovate it into the company's second store. The firm had acquired the New York Savings Bank Building because of the site's proximity to other carpet stores. Central Carpet's owner Ike Timianko had been searching for store locations for seven years before seeing the former bank building while driving through the neighborhood. Timianko encountered difficulties in obtaining financing for the renovation because his longtime bank was pessimistic about the neighborhood. The company renovated the building and added a mezzanine above the banking hall; the renovation was designed by Scarano, Englert & Norton. Because workers had to follow preservation regulations, the cost of the renovation ultimately increased to \$8 million. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) had proposed erecting a subway entrance outside the New York Savings Bank Building's main entrance. After Central Carpet indicated that it might not move into the building, the MTA clarified that the subway entrance would not block the building's entrance.
The Central Carpet store opened in October 1994. At the time of its opening, the store was advertised as "The Grand Palais of Rugs" and exhibited over 15,000 rugs. The president of the Preservation League of New York State said the bank building's conversion into a carpet store was "better than being demolished". The adjoining stretch of Eighth Avenue had been rundown when Central Carpet opened its store at 81 Eighth Avenue, but upscale stores had begun relocating to the neighborhood by the late 1990s, spurred by the carpet store's opening. The success of the Central Carpet store in the former bank building prompted Timianko to close his original location on the Upper West Side. The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places on January 7, 2000.
#### Later use
Businessman Mark Ordan announced in 2004 that he would open a Balducci's gourmet market on two floors of 81 Eighth Avenue, which was still occupied by Central Carpet at the time. In addition, Ordan would convert 8,000 sq ft (740 m<sup>2</sup>) into kitchens, offices, and storage space. The store at Eighth Avenue, dubbed the "Temple of Food", would have been the flagship of a chain of Balducci's stores. Balducci's proposed removing an interior partition dating from 1952, as well as rebuilding a set of entrances on Eighth Avenue that had been destroyed in 1930; the latter modification would make the building accessible to disabled customers. The LPC approved these changes in February 2005. The Balducci's market at 81 Eighth Avenue opened in December 2005 and closed suddenly in April 2009 following a company-wide "restructuring". Since the 2010s, the bank building has been used as a CVS Pharmacy location.
## Critical reception and impact
When the bank building was constructed, the New-York Tribune wrote: "The building stands out with especial prominence in its neighborhood, which is not remarkable for beauty of architecture." By contrast, Montgomery Schuyler wrote for the Architectural Record in 1896 that he believed the building's design was unbalanced. Schuyler wrote: "The portico, taken by itself, is an 'example', but the longer side lacks not only formal symmetry, but artistic balance, and the skylighted dome does not so dominate the building as to account for and justify the transeptual arrangement. It is pretty evidently either too important or not important enough."
In 2000, a writer for The New York Times called the New York Savings Bank Building a "far more ornate edition of the genre" of neighborhood savings banks, "with its domed copper roof and pillared hall". After the Balducci's market opened, a writer for New York magazine described it as "stately and grand, as only an 1897 New York Savings Bank building turned 21st-century food hall can be." Architectural writer Andrew Dolkart and the LPC described the building in 2009 as "an early example of Classical Revival bank design". The historian Barbaralee Diamonstein-Spielvogel wrote in 2011 that the building was "a fine example of the classical style popularized by the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago".
## See also
- List of New York City Designated Landmarks in Manhattan from 14th to 59th Streets
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Manhattan from 14th to 59th Streets
|
13,295,877 |
Japanese aircraft carrier Katsuragi
| 1,159,794,198 |
Imperial Japanese Navy's Unryū-class aircraft carrier
|
[
"1943 ships",
"Ships built by Kure Naval Arsenal",
"Unryū-class aircraft carriers",
"World War II aircraft carriers of Japan"
] |
Katsuragi (葛城) was the third and final Unryū-class aircraft carrier of the Imperial Japanese Navy built during World War II. Named after Mount Katsuragi, in Nara Prefecture, and completed late in the war; she never embarked her complement of aircraft and spent the war in Japanese waters. The ship was badly damaged in a July 1945 airstrike by American carrier aircraft on Kure Naval Base. Repaired after the end of the war, Katsuragi was then used as a repatriation transport for a number of months, bringing Japanese soldiers and civilians back to Japan from overseas locations. She was scrapped in Japan beginning in late 1946.
## Design and description
The last purpose-built Japanese carrier construction during World War II was a group of vessels based on an improved Hiryū design, but with individual units differing in detail reflecting the changing circumstances as the conflict in the Pacific approached its conclusion. Katsuragi was ordered 25 June 1942, under the provisional name of \#5003, as part of the Kai-Maru 5 Program of 1942. This was a massive naval construction program intended to replace losses suffered at the Battle of Midway and focused on aircraft and aircraft carriers. The ship was one of 16 Unryū-class aircraft carriers planned, although only three were completed before the end of the war.
Katsuragi had the same hull design as Hiryu. She had a length of 227.35 meters (745 ft 11 in) overall. She had a beam of 22 meters (72 ft 2 in) and, at deep load, a draft of 7.93 meters (26 ft 0 in). She displaced 22,535 tonnes (22,179 long tons) at deep load. Her crew consisted of 1,576 officers and men. When acting as a flagship she had a total of 1,600 crewmembers.
A shortage of turbines and boilers led to machinery of the same type as that used in the Akizuki-class destroyer being used in Katsuragi. These consisted of four geared steam turbine sets with a total of 104,000 shaft horsepower (78,000 kW) driving four shafts, each fitted with a 3.75-meter (12.3 ft) propeller. Steam was provided by eight Kampon Type B water-tube boilers with a working pressure of 30 kg/cm<sup>2</sup> (2,942 kPa; 427 psi) at 350 °C (662 °F). The ship had a designed speed of 32 knots (59 km/h; 37 mph), but during sea trials on 12 October 1944, she reached 32.71 knots (60.58 km/h; 37.64 mph) at the light displacement of 18,144 long tons (18,435 t). Katsuragi carried 3,671 tonnes (3,613 long tons) of fuel oil although no data on her range is known. She had two funnels on the starboard side, each angled below horizontal. They were fitted with a water-cooling system to reduce the turbulence caused by hot exhaust gases.
### Flight deck arrangements
Katsuragi's flight deck was 216.9 meters (711 ft 7 in) long and had a maximum width of 27 meters (88 ft 7 in). A small island was mounted well forward on the starboard side and contained the ship's bridge and air operations control center. It was fitted with a small tripod mast that mounted one of the ship's radar antennas. The ship was designed with two superimposed hangars that were served by two aircraft elevators, each 14 by 14 meters (46 by 46 ft); the center elevator as used in Hiryū was deleted to simplify construction and reduce stress in the hull. The elevators had a maximum capacity of 7,000 kilograms (15,000 lb) and took 19 seconds to go from the lower hangar to the flight deck. Katsuragi was fitted with hydraulically operated Type 3 arresting gear with nine cables. She also mounted three Type 3 crash barricades. No aircraft catapult was fitted. The ship mounted a retractable crane on the starboard side of the flight deck, just aft of the rear elevator.
The ship's air group was originally intended to consist of 12 Mitsubishi A6M Zero fighters, plus three in storage, 27 Aichi D3A Val dive bombers, plus three in reserve, and 18 Nakajima B5N "Kate" torpedo bombers (plus two in crates). Katsuragi's hangars could not accommodate so many aircraft so eleven planes were planned to be permanently carried on the flight deck. In 1943 the air group was revised to consist of 18 Mitsubishi A7M "Sam" fighters (+2 in storage), 27 Yokosuka D4Y "Judy" dive bombers and six Nakajima C6N "Myrt" reconnaissance aircraft. Of these, the C6Ns were intended to be carried on the flight deck. When the ship commissioned in 1944, neither the A7M nor the C6Ns were yet in service, so the air group was reconfigured to consist of 27 Zeros, 12 D4Ys, three of which were to be the reconnaissance version, and nine Nakajima B6N "Jill" torpedo bombers. By this time, however, the shortage of carrier-qualified aircrew was such that they were ordered to operate from shore bases and Katsuragi never embarked her air group. Katsuragi carried 397,340 liters (87,400 imp gal; 104,970 U.S. gal) of aviation gasoline for her aircraft.
### Armor, armament and sensors
Katsuragi's waterline armored belt was made from New Vickers Non-Cemented armor 25 to 100 mm (1.0 to 3.9 in) thick. Her deck armor above the magazines that consisted of 56 mm (2.2 in) of CNC1 armor. The ship's machinery spaces and auxiliary machinery rooms had two layers of Ducol steel, each 25 mm thick, to protect them. Above engine and boiler rooms, the lower deck consisted of 25 mm of CNC2 armor. The deck over the rear auxiliary machinery space was 42 mm (1.7 in) of CNC2 armor while the lower platform deck over the forward auxiliary machinery space consisted of 56 mm of CNC2. The upper hangar deck served as the ship's strength deck and it consisted of five layers of Ducol steel, a total 115 mm (4.5 in) in thickness. Katsuragi's aviation gasoline tanks were fore and aft of the auxiliary machinery spaces and were protected by 50 mm (2.0 in) of Ducol steel in two layers while the deck above them consisted of 25 mm of CNC2 armor. The sides, bottom and top of the steering gear compartment consisted of 56 mm of CNC1 armor.
The ship's primary armament consisted of a dozen 40-caliber 12.7 cm Type 89 anti-aircraft (AA) guns in twin mounts. Their sponsons were positioned to allow them some measure of cross-deck fire. Katsuragi was also equipped with 22 triple 25 mm Type 96 and thirty single Type 96 AA gun mounts, most on sponsons along the sides of the hull. These guns were supplemented by six 28-round AA rocket launchers. For defense against submarines, the carrier was fitted with six depth charge throwers and carried between six and ten depth charges for them.
Two Type 94 high-angle fire-control directors, one on each side of the ship, were fitted to control the Type 89 guns. Each director mounted a 4.5-meter (14 ft 9 in) rangefinder. Six Type 95 directors controlled the 25 mm guns and the 12 cm rocket launchers. Early warning was provided by two Type 2, Mark 2, Model 1 air search radars. One of these was mounted on the top of the island while the other retracted into the port side of the flight deck, between the two elevators. In addition, Katsuragi had two smaller Type 3, Mark 1, Model 3 air search radars, one mounted on the tripod mast on the island and the other on the aft starboard retractable radio mast. She also had two radar detectors: a metric Type E-27 and a centimetric Model 3 system. The ship had a Type 93 sonar and two Type 0 hydrophones with which to search for submarines. Before the end of the war, a Type 2, Mark 2, Model 4 surface fire-control radar was installed. In addition, a Type 14 early warning radar, ordinarily land-based, was mounted for trials aboard ship.
## Service
Katsuragi's keel was laid down by the Kure Naval Arsenal in Kure, Hiroshima, on 8 December 1942. She was launched on 19 January 1944 and completed on 15 October 1944. The ship was transferred among a number of ports on the Inland Sea until she arrived in Kure on 15 February 1945 and she was ordered to be camouflaged. Her flight deck was disguised with fake trees, houses and roads; however, her anti-aircraft batteries remained fully manned. Her intended air group, Air Group 601, was committed to the Battle of Iwo Jima about that same time. On 19 March, the ship was attacked by aircraft from Task Force 58 and lightly damaged by several rocket hits; one man was killed and three wounded in the attack. Five days later, the ship was semi-permanently moored at the island of Mitsukojima in Kure harbor and extensively camouflaged. On 20 April, Captain Toshio Miyazaki was appointed commanding officer of Katsuragi.
Aircraft from USN Task Force 38 attacked the ship on 24 July as part of a major raid on Kure and the Inland Sea, but she was only hit once. A 500-pound (230 kg) bomb struck one of the ship's anti-aircraft mounts on the port side. Thirteen men were killed and five wounded, but the bomb did little other damage. A second raid on 28 July did far more damage to the ship as a 2,000-pound (910 kg) bomb penetrated the flight deck and detonated in the upper hangar, between the elevators. The explosion blew out a 20-foot (6.1 m) section of the port hangar wall and the walls of the upper hangar deck were bulged and perforated multiple times. The flight deck between the elevators was bulged up and buckled; one section of the flight deck was blown out and flung over to starboard to land across the funnels. Only 13 men were killed (including her executive officer) and another 12 men were wounded during the attack.
Katsuragi survived the war without sustaining any further damage, and was designated as a Special Transfer Ship on 2 October and then assigned to repatriation duty on 13 October after the necessary repairs were made. Her crew at this time consisted only of 12 officers, one warrant officer, and 40 petty officers and crewmen, with Captain Miyazaki still in command. The damage from the July attack was only repaired enough to allow the hangar deck to house some 5,000 returning soldiers and civilians and the ship began her first voyage outside Japanese waters on 19 December. On this first voyage, she called upon Minamidaitojima, Rabaul and Australia. Upon her return, further repairs were necessary to make her rain-tight. These were completed by 15 January 1946 and she made a number of trips in early 1946 to bring back Japanese nationals. before being placed on standby in April. Katsuragi was stricken from the Navy List on 15 November and transferred to the Home Ministry for disposal five days later. Scrapping of the ship began on 22 December 1946 at the Hitachi Zosen facility in Osaka-Sakurajima and was completed on 30 November 1947.
|
39,170,550 |
Solo (Gonzalo Rubalcaba album)
| 1,055,163,366 | null |
[
"2006 albums",
"Blue Note Records albums",
"Gonzalo Rubalcaba albums",
"Latin Grammy Award for Best Latin Jazz Album",
"Solo piano jazz albums"
] |
Solo is a studio album by Cuban jazz performer Gonzalo Rubalcaba. It was released by Blue Note Records on March 7, 2006, and peaked at number 22 in the Billboard Top Jazz Albums chart. The album is titled Solo since no additional performers were included on the recording as in Rubalcaba's previous albums.
Also produced by Rubalcaba, Solo was released following his second collaborative work with Charlie Haden on the album Land of the Sun, which resulted in a Grammy Award for Haden. The album includes fifteen tracks and met with mostly positive reviews by critics, most commenting on the ability of the performer and the simplicity of the arrangements. The album was nominated for a Billboard Latin Music Award, and won the Latin Grammy for Best Latin Jazz Album.
## Background and release
Cuban pianist Gonzalo Rubalcaba recorded Solo following his collaboration with Charlie Haden on Land of the Sun, an album featuring songs written by Mexican composer José Sabre Marroquin and arranged by Rubalcaba, a sequel to Nocturne (2001), another collaboration between them. Haden and Rubalcaba were awarded the Grammy Award for Best Latin Jazz Album for both albums. Solo was the first solo album (not featuring guest musicians) released by the performer in twenty years. Rubalcaba described this album as an "aural diary, an album of secrets, letters and notes, and photos." The album was released by Blue Note Records on March 7, 2006.
## Content
Solo includes fifteen tracks, some previously released. Recording sessions took place from November 8 to 10, 2005, at The Hit Factory and Criteria Studios in Miami, Florida. There are four improvised tracks inspired by John Coltrane's Giant Steps: "Paseo Iluminado", "Paseo en Media Luz", "Paseo Azul", and "Paseo Morado". "Iluminado (Improv \#1)", according to Roberto R. Calder of PopMatters, has "stock phrasing, but a pause in concentration before the sublime quality of a one-minute lullaby worth waiting for"; "Media Luz (Improv \#2)" "hints at jazz with concert-room sonorities and a striking ending"; "Azul (Improv \#3)" "proceeds with more consistent direction than its two predecessors" and becomes a hymn"; and "Morado (Improv \#4)" "develops into long linear passages for each hand." "Faro" is a track with "a simple ostinato bass, a transition section and a loud climax." The opening track, "Rezo", is an interlude inspired by the work of French composer Claude Debussy and American performer Duke Ellington, and is "based on Afro-Cuban melodies sung during Santería rites." "Silencio" is a tribute to Cuban boleros. "Prologo (Prologue to a Fantasy)" features a "congenial intellectual playfulness alternating between something like Spanish piano music of a century ago, and the dance-hall." "Bésame Mucho" was first included on the 1991 album The Blessing, Rubalcaba's first recording to be issued in the United States, and the version was named by Scott Yanow of AllMusic a "highlight" of the album, including accompaniment from Haden on bass guitar and drummer Jack DeJohnette. A reworked version is included on Solo, and is described as having an "intensely meditative character and slow deliberation," and "a more complex higher level of communication" than the original version. "Here's That Rainy Day" is a jazz ballad, recorded earlier for the album Inner Voyage, with an arrangement described as "breathtaking" by Ken Dryden of Allmusic. The first version of "Quasar" can be found on Paseo (2004); and the version included on Solo is described as "seven minutes of drama," by Calder of PopMatters, with "a sprawling, improv-heavy composition that runs Rubalcaba up and down the keyboard."
## Reception
Solo received mostly positive reviews from critics. Andrew Liengard of Jazz Houston stated that Rubalcaba played "at once a pyrotechnical and thunderous two-handed assault, he also demonstrates a profound awareness of space and dynamics," and finally called the album "stunning". Joey Guerra of Amazon said that Solo "finds Rubalcaba soaring on the strength of his own talent", creating a "unique experience." Website AllMusic stated that the album is a spellbinding collection of improvisations with "remarkable stylistic display." Harvey Siders of JazzTimes commented that the album did not need elaborate arrangements, being a "spontaneous inner dialogue from a brilliant inquisitive mind" and that on Solo "elegance trumps excitement." PopMatters''' Robert R. Calder stated that the record was "a very remarkable solo piano recital." David Miller of All About Jazz gave the album a mixed review, being critical of the entertainment value, stating that the performer "is more introspective than ever, frequently using silence as his means of expression. The only problem is, it doesn't necessarily work." Miller also suggested that "Rubalcaba should develop his ideas in more conventional settings. He still has time to become a great solo artist, and this writer has every confidence that he will." In a separate review, Jim Santella, also of All About Jazz, praised Solo, commenting that Rubalcaba "finds space in his exploratory interpretation for dreamy soliloquies, but the excitement is all there, and it's powerful. The pianist makes us wait for this moment, and it's always worth the anticipation. Ultimately he lights an inspiring fire." Mark Corroto, in a third review of the album by All About Jazz, compared Rubalcaba's work to fellow Cuban artist Bebo Valdés, asseverating that both performers "blurred the lines between jazz, classical and folk, easily convincing you there need be no distinction." Timothy Sprinkle of Jazz Review declared that the performer "carries the disc with a light, breezy ease that's surprising, especially given all of the slow selections."
Solo peaked at number 22 in the Billboard Top Jazz Albums chart and was nominated for "Latin Jazz Album of the Year" at the 18th Annual Billboard Latin Music Awards, losing to Around the City by Eliane Elias. Rubalcaba earned the Latin Grammy Award for Best Latin Jazz Album at the 7th Latin Grammy Awards for Solo''.
## Track listing
The track listing is from AllMusic. All tracks written and composed by Gonzalo Rubalcaba, except "Nightfall" by Charlie Haden; "Bésame Mucho" by Consuelo Velázquez; and "Here's That Rainy Day" by Johnny Burke and James Van Heusen.
## Personnel
This information is adapted from AllMusic.
- Gonzalo Rubalcaba – main performer, producer, composer, piano
- Charlie Haden – composer
- Jim Anderson – audio engineer, mixing
- Ken Blaydow – executive producer
- Mario Garcia – post-digital production
- Perry Greenfield – product manager
- Brian Montgomery – mixing assistant
- Neweraj Khajanchi – assistant engineer
- Allan Tucker – mastering
- Gordon H. Jee – creative director
- Eli Wolf – A&R
- Jana Leon – photography
- Tor Lundvall – paintings
- Burton Yount – art direction, graphic design
|
13,212,980 |
French battleship Voltaire
| 1,143,537,014 |
French Danton-class semi-dreadnoughts
|
[
"1911 ships",
"Danton-class battleships",
"Maritime incidents in 1918",
"Maritime incidents in 1938",
"Scuttled vessels",
"Ships built in France"
] |
Voltaire was one of the six Danton-class semi-dreadnought battleships built for the French Navy in the first decade of the 20th century. Shortly after World War I began, the ship participated in the Battle of Antivari in the Adriatic Sea and helped to sink an Austro-Hungarian protected cruiser. She spent most of the rest of the war blockading the Straits of Otranto and the Dardanelles to prevent German, Austro-Hungarian and Turkish warships from breaking out into the Mediterranean. Voltaire was hit by two torpedoes fired by a German submarine in October 1918, but was not seriously damaged. After the war, she was modernized in 1923–1925 and subsequently became a training ship. She was condemned in 1935 and later sold for scrap.
## Design and description
Although the Danton-class battleships were a significant improvement from the preceding Liberté class, they were outclassed by the advent of the dreadnought well before they were completed. They were not well liked by the navy, although their numerous rapid-firing guns were of some use in the Mediterranean.
Voltaire was 146.6 meters (481 ft 0 in) long overall and had a beam of 25.8 meters (84 ft 8 in) and a full-load draft of 9.2 meters (30 ft 2 in). She displaced 19,736 metric tons (19,424 long tons) at deep load and had a crew of 681 officers and enlisted men. The ship was powered by four Parsons steam turbines using steam generated by twenty-six Belleville boilers. The turbines were rated at 22,500 shaft horsepower (16,800 kW) and provided a top speed of around 19 knots (35 km/h; 22 mph). Voltaire, however, reached a top speed of 20.7 knots (38.3 km/h; 23.8 mph) during her sea trials. She carried a maximum of 2,027 tonnes (1,995 long tons) of coal which allowed her to steam for 3,370 nautical miles (6,240 km; 3,880 mi) at a speed of 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph).
Voltaire's main battery consisted of four 305mm/45 Modèle 1906 guns mounted in two twin gun turrets, one forward and one aft. The secondary battery consisted of twelve 240mm/50 Modèle 1902 guns in twin turrets, three on each side of the ship. A number of smaller guns were carried for defense against torpedo boats. These included sixteen 75 mm (3.0 in) L/65 guns and ten 47-millimetre (1.9 in) Hotchkiss guns. The ship was also armed with two submerged 450 mm (17.7 in) torpedo tubes. The ship's waterline armor belt was 270 mm (10.6 in) thick and the main battery was protected by up to 300 mm (11.8 in) of armor. The conning tower also had 300 mm thick sides.
### Wartime modifications
During the war 75 mm anti-aircraft guns were installed on the roofs of the ship's two forward 240 mm gun turrets. During 1918, the mainmast was shortened to allow the ship to fly a captive kite balloon and the elevation of the 240 mm guns was increased which extended their range to 18,000 meters (20,000 yd).
## Career
Construction of Voltaire was begun on 26 December 1906 by Forges et Chantiers de la Méditerranée in La Seyne-sur-Mer and the ship was laid down on 20 July 1907. She was launched on 16 January 1909 and was completed on 5 August 1911. The ship was assigned to the Second Division of the 1st Squadron (escadre) of the Mediterranean Fleet when she was commissioned. The ship participated in combined fleet maneuvers between Provence and Tunisia in May–June 1913 and the subsequent naval review conducted by the President of France, Raymond Poincaré on 7 June 1913. Afterwards, Voltaire joined her squadron in its tour of the Eastern Mediterranean in October–December 1913 and participated in the grand fleet exercise in the Mediterranean in May 1914.
### World War I
In early August 1914, the ship cruised the Strait of Sicily in an attempt to prevent the German battlecruiser Goeben and the light cruiser Breslau from breaking out to the West. On 16 August 1914 the combined Anglo-French Fleet under Admiral Auguste Boué de Lapeyrère, including Voltaire, made a sweep of the Adriatic Sea. The Allied ships encountered the Austro-Hungarian cruiser SMS Zenta, escorted by the destroyer SMS Ulan, blockading the coast of Montenegro. There were too many ships for Zenta to escape, so she remained behind to allow Ulan to get away and was sunk by gunfire during the Battle of Antivari off the coast of Bar, Montenegro. Voltaire subsequently participated in a number of raids into the Adriatic later in the year and patrolled the Ionian Islands. From December 1914 to 1916, the ship participated in the distant blockade of the Straits of Otranto while based in Corfu. On 1 December 1916, some of her sailors, transported to Athens by her sister Mirabeau, participated in the Allied attempt to ensure Greek acquiescence to Allied operations in Macedonia. Voltaire spent part of 1917 through April 1918 based at Mudros to prevent Goeben from breaking out into the Mediterranean.
The ship was overhauled from May to October 1918 in Toulon. While returning to Mudros on 10 October, the ship was torpedoed by UB-48 off the island of Milos. Despite being struck by two torpedoes, she able to make temporary repairs at Milos before sailing to Bizerte for permanent repairs. Voltaire was based in Toulon throughout 1919 and was modernized in 1922–25 to improve her underwater protection. The ship became a training ship in 1927 and was condemned in on 17 March 1937. She was scuttled in Quiberon Bay (France) on 31 May 1938 for long-term use as a target; the wreck was sold in December 1949 and broken up from March 1950 onwards.
|
20,152,597 |
563rd Rescue Group
| 1,166,670,223 |
US Air Force unit
|
[
"Military units and formations in Arizona",
"Rescue groups of the United States Air Force"
] |
The 563rd Rescue Group is a United States Air Force unit stationed at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona. The group also controls the rescue squadrons at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada. It is assigned to the 355th Wing. The group directs flying operations dedicated to personnel recovery and is part of Air Combat Command. The group was activated under its current designation at Davis-Monthan in 2003 to command rescue units in the western United States.
The group was first activated during World War II as the 3rd Emergency Rescue Squadron at Keesler Field, Mississippi. After training on the Gulf Coast, the squadron moved to the Southwest Pacific Theater in the fall of 1944, and served in combat until the surrender of Japan, earning a Philippine Presidential Unit Citation. After the war, the squadron moved to Japan, where it became part of the occupation forces, and was located there when the Korean War began. It again served in combat, expanding to become the 3rd Air Rescue Group in 1952, and earning two Distinguished Unit Citations and two Korean Presidential Unit Citations during the war. The group was inactivated in 1957, when Air Rescue Service eliminated its groups and assigned its squadrons directly to its regional rescue centers.
The group was organized again at Tan Son Nhut Airport in 1966 as the 3rd Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Group, to command United States Air Force rescue units engaged in the War in Vietnam. It participated in every campaign after 1966, winning an additional four Presidential Unit Citations, an Air Force Outstanding Unit Award with Combat "V" Device and two Vietnamese Gallantry Cross with Palm during combat in Southeast Asia. When the United States withdrew from Vietnam, the group moved its headquarters to Thailand and, after participating in the evacuations of Phnom Penh and Saigon, was inactivated there in 1976.
## Mission
The 563rd Rescue Group directs flying operations dedicated to personnel recovery and is part of Air Combat Command. The group is responsible for training, readiness, and operations of one Lockheed HC-130J Combat King squadron, two Sikorsky HH-60G Pave Hawk squadrons, two "Guardian Angel" squadrons, and an operations support squadron.
## Units
- The 48th Rescue Squadron at Davis-Monthan, and the 58th Rescue Squadron at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, are "Guardian Angel" squadrons that train, equip and employ pararescuemen (commonly known as "PJs"), combat rescue officers, and supporting personnel worldwide. During combat rescue operations, they use various fixed and rotary wing aircraft for insertion and extraction. The squadrons provide survivor contact, treatment, and extraction during combat rescue operations. They provide combat and humanitarian search, rescue, and medical assistance.
- The 55th Rescue Squadron operates the Sikorsky HH-60G Pave Hawk and deploys combat rescue forces worldwide. It employs its helicopter and aircrews in hostile environments to recover downed aircrew and isolated personnel during day, night, or marginal weather conditions. The squadron also conducts civil search and rescue, disaster relief, international aid, emergency medical evacuation, and counter-drug activities.
- The 66th Rescue Squadron is a geographically separated unit of the group located at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada and also operates the HH-60G Pave Hawk. Its mission is similar to the 55th Rescue Squadron. The squadron also meets HH-60G logistical and maintenance support requirements for the USAF Weapons School and Air Combat Command directed operational test missions.
- The 79th Rescue Squadron operates the HC-130J Combat King II and provides combat rescue forces to theater commanders worldwide. It conducts helicopter air refueling, airdrop, and landing of pararescue personnel on unimproved runways, and equipment to recover combat personnel. Its crews fly low-level operations and perform these missions day or night.
- The 563rd Operations Support Squadron supports the training and employment of the 563rd Rescue Group's six combat and support squadrons. It provides support functions, including weapons and tactics, current operations, intelligence, training, life support, and mobility. It manages programmed flying hours to insure that operational and training requirements are met within parameters set by higher headquarters. It is also responsible for implementing contingency and theater war plans.
## History
### World War II and occupation of Japan
#### World War II
The unit was first activated at Gulfport Army Air Field, Mississippi in February 1944 as the 3rdEmergancy Rescue Squadron, a Consolidated OA-10 Catalina unit. As with most Army Air Forces rescue units, especially those deploying to the Pacific, the unit was organized primarily for water recovery of downed aircrews. A number of the squadron's cadre had already received training from the United States Navy with the Catalina at Naval Air Station Pensacola. The unit continued its training at Keesler Field, Mississippi in April. On 18 May the ground echelon departed for the Southwest Pacific Theater, while the air echelon continued training at Keesler. The ground echelon arrived at Oakland Army Base, California on 20 May 1944 to ship out for Australia on the SS Boschfontein, arriving at Archerfield Airport near Brisbane, Australia on 17 June. It moved to Oro Bay Airfield, New Guinea three days later, and moved forward to Mokmer Airfield on Biak in the Netherlands East Indies on 2 September 1944.
The squadron's air echelon continued training at Keesler until 5 July 1944, when it flew to the Sacramento Air Depot, California, arriving the following day. It moved to Fairfield-Suisun Army Air Field, California on 15 August, and arrived at Archerfield Airport on 1 September 1944. It was finally reunited with the ground echelon at Mokmer on 29 September 1944.
The squadron's first combat mission was flown on 21 September 1944, when it picked up two downed Navy fliers. In November 1944, the squadron began operating from the Philippines. Initially the Army was unable to support its OA-10s, and for several months, they were supported by the Navy's seaplane tenders, USS Orca (AVP-49) and USS Half Moon (AVP-26). This support continued even after the arrival of the squadron's ground echelon. During the last four months of the war, the squadron began to operate Boeing SB-17 Dumbos, which were equipped with a 27-foot long life boat with survival equipment that could be dropped to downed aircrews, in addition to its Catalinas. This permitted the rescue of crews who were downed in seas that were too high for the Catalinas to land and pick them up. The Dumbos would frequently accompany strike aircraft, orbiting off the coast during the attack, so as to be in position to accompany distressed aircraft on the return flight. If needed, the life boat, whose engines gave it a range of 500 miles, could be dropped to crews that ditched or bailed out of their aircraft. The squadron also provided courier service, carried supplies and messages, evacuated allied prisoners and wounded personnel, and occasionally provided reconnaissance.
The squadron's flights frequently operated at bases separated from the squadron headquarters. For example, in the last month of the war, August 1945, squadron flights or detachments were located at Mindoro, Floridablanca Airfield and Laoag on Luzon, and on Ie Shima near Okinawa. During its eleven months of operating in the Pacific, it was credited with rescuing 325 persons.
#### Occupation of Japan
The squadron was one of the first American military units to move to Japan after VJ Day. Elements of the unit were at Atsugi Airfield in September 1945, and the squadron headquarters joined them in October. Although the squadron became part of the occupation forces, its personnel did not, and by early 1946, only one qualified Catalina pilot was assigned to the unit. It was not until the summer of 1946 that regular Army Air Forces officers and soldiers were assigned in sufficient strength for the squadron to resume operations. Squadron flights were located at Atsugi, Chitose Air Base, Itazuke Air Base and Itami Air Base in Japan and at Kimpo Air Base in Korea.
From 1946 through 1950, the squadron, called the 3rd Rescue Squadron after 1948, provided rescue capabilities in Japan. Its primary mission was to intercept distressed aircraft and escort them over the Japanese Home Islands and the adjacent waters. Experience in the China Burma India Theater had demonstrated the need for land rescue capabilities using helicopters and light planes. In response, the squadron added Sikorsky R-6 helicopters and Stinson L-5 Sentinels to its inventory in 1947. In 1949, Air Rescue Service, which had been formed and assigned to Air Transport Command in 1946 to control rescue units in the United States and along that command's overseas routes, took over command of rescue units in the Pacific, although they remained attached to Far East Air Forces units for operational control.
### Korean War
#### Deployment of elements to Korea
Following the North Korean invasion of South Korea on 25 June 1950, the squadron deployed two L-5 Sentinels and one Douglas SC-47 Skytrain to Pusan West Air Base to perform search and rescue missions. These were replaced a week later by Sikorsky H-5 helicopters. By late August, a squadron representative was stationed with the Joint Operations Center to coordinate rescue operations. Three months later, this single officer expanded into a Rescue Control Center, under the command of the squadron's deputy commander, and was also known as "3rd Air Rescue Squadron in Korea."
#### Operations in Korea
Combat operations in Korea, and the changing tactical situation there, soon added the missions of rescuing aircrew downed behind enemy lines, and evacuating wounded personnel with the squadron's helicopters. The squadron's first rescue of a downed pilot behind enemy lines occurred on 4 September, when a North American F-51 Mustang pilot of the 35th Fighter-Bomber Squadron was rescued by a squadron helicopter. Initially, because of the aircraft available to the unit, now called the 3rd Air Rescue Squadron, efforts were limited to short range missions. The squadron's H-5 helicopters could operate from Korea's many rice paddies, sometimes escorted by the unit's L-5 Sentinels, which also flew aeromedical evacuation missions from small unprepared fields. Because of the limited resources of the squadron, it was augmented by crews and aircraft of the 2nd Air Rescue Squadron at Clark Air Base in the Philippines. The augmentation by the 2nd was particularly in the form of Boeing SB-29 Superdumbos, which operated offshore from strike areas, much as the SB-17 Dumbos had during World War II.
The squadron's Boeing SB-17 Dumbos and SC-47 Skytrains were used in the search role, with the C-47 "Gooneybirds" being commandeered on occasion to fly critical supply missions. Early in the war, both these planes began to be replaced by SB-29 Superdumbos. When the war began, Air Rescue Service's newest plane, the Grumman SA-16 Albatross amphibian, was not on the strength of any unit in the Pacific. To remedy this, a detachment of four Albatrosses from the 5th Rescue Squadron at Lowry Air Force Base, Colorado was dispatched in July 1950 to augment the 3rd Squadron. By November, the squadron began to receive its own SA-16s, and it was fully equipped by the following March. In March 1951, the squadron received a YH-19 test model of the Sikorsky helicopter to evaluate in combat. Replacement of the H-5s by the Sikorsky H-19 greatly extended the range of the squadron's rotary wing elements.
The squadron's helicopters frequently flew wounded soldiers to Army Mobile Army Surgical Hospital (MASH) units, typically stationing one H-5 and one L-5 with each MASH. In December 1951, the squadron successfully evacuated troops to a Navy hospital ship sailing off the Korean coast. Dr. Elmer Henderson, a former chairman of the American Medical Association, credited the drop in the mortality rate for wounded soldiers to half that experienced during World War II to their quick evacuation by rescue helicopters. Over 7,000 casualties were evacuated by the 3rd during the war. Squadron elements operated out of Paengnyong-do and Cho-do islands off the coast of North Korea, enabling its limited range helicopters to rescue aircrew far behind enemy lines.
Associated in part with these forward locations, the squadron assumed a secondary mission of special operations. Shortly after the arrival of the YH-19, it was used to extract "United Nations personnel" (most likely Korean guerillas) from behind enemy lines. During November 1950, squadron SB-17s dropped a number of agents near the Chinese border, along with radio equipment, to provide intelligence data on enemy components. In April 1951, the unit recovered components of a MiG-15 that had crashed near Sinanju for study by military intelligence.
#### Squadron to group
While still flying combat missions, in November 1952, the squadron was expanded, becoming the 3rd Air Rescue Group. Each of the squadron's flights was replaced by a newly-activated squadron, assigned to the new group:
A Flight at Johnson Air Base, Japan was replaced by the 36th Air Rescue Squadron
B Flight at Komaki Air Base, Japan was replaced by the 37th Air Rescue Squadron
C Flight at Misawa Air Base, Japan was replaced by the 38th Air Rescue Squadron
D Flight at Ashiya Air Base, Japan was replaced by the 39th Air Rescue Squadron
At the same time, Detachment 1 of the squadron at Seoul, Korea was expanded into the 2157th Air Rescue Squadron
The group was credited with rescuing almost 10,000 United Nations personnel during the Korean War, including almost 1,000 combat saves from behind enemy lines, and 200 water rescues. Its actions earned the unit a Distinguished Unit Citation and two Korean Presidential Unit Citations.
Following the war, the group returned to providing rescue capability in Japan. As Air Rescue Service shrank from a peak of 50 squadrons in 1954, the 37th Squadron was inactivated in May 1955. During 1955, the group replaced its SB-29s with Douglas SC-54 Skymasters. The SC-54 carried four 40-man inflatable rafts that were safer to drop than the single wooden boat carried by the SB-29. In 1957, group headquarters and the 38th Squadron were inactivated, and the 36th and 39th Squadrons were transferred to the 2nd Air Rescue Group. By 1961 Air Rescue Service would have only eleven squadrons assigned.
### Vietnam War
#### Buildup of rescue forces
Coordination of USAF rescue operations in Southeast Asia had begun with the establishment of Detachment 3, Pacific Air Rescue Center, which was replaced in July 1965 by the 38th Air Rescue Squadron, with rescue detachments at several bases in South Vietnam and Thailand. The squadron also manned the Joint Search and Rescue Center at Tan Son Nhut Airport, which operated through regional rescue coordination centers at Da Nang Air Base, South Vietnam and Udorn Royal Thai Air Force Base. The Joint Center also directed Seventh Fleet rescue operations in the Gulf of Tonkin.
Rising aircraft losses in late 1965 led to the expansion of Air Force rescue assets in Southeast Asia. The group was reactivated as the 3rd Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Group, with Detachment 1 at Da Nang, and Detachment 2 at Udorn, manning the regional rescue centers. The 38th Squadron became responsible for local base rescue detachments at bases in Vietnam and Thailand, using Kaman HH-43 Huskies. The 37th Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Squadron was established at Da Nang, and was responsible for rescue missions in North Vietnam, Laos and for Air Force rescue efforts in the Gulf of Tonkin. It used Sikorsky HH-3 Jolly Green Giants for combat rescue, and Lockheed HC-130s as command and control aircraft to coordinate rescue operations. It was also assigned HU-16s for long range water rescue over the Gulf of Tonkin. Later, the HC-130s at Da Nang and Udorn were combined to form the group's third squadron, the 39th Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Squadron.
#### Improved equipment
The capabilities of the "off the shelf" rescue helicopters assigned to it limited the group's effectiveness. The HH-43 could not hover at higher altitudes, and the HH-3 needed to stage from forward bases in Laos to provide rescue coverage for North Vietnam. This deficiency was partially remedied by the addition of air refueling capability to the HH-3s. Within a few months after the first combat refueling in June 1967, in flight refueling became standard, but staging bases in Laos continued to be used. In addition to extending the range of the group's refuelable helicopters, air refueling permitted them to dump fuel when needed to lighten the aircraft, and to enable it to hover for rescues at high altitudes, knowing that it would be able to connect with a tanker after the rescue attempt and on-load sufficient fuel to return to its home base.
In parallel with the introduction of the HC-130H air refueling aircraft, in the spring of 1967, the group implemented Operation High Drink, which enabled the HH-3s to take on fuel from virtually any Navy ship operating in the Gulf of Tonkin, either landing on larger ships, or hovering alongside smaller ones. Combined with the Jolly Green Giant's ability to land on water, this permitted the withdrawal of the HU-16 amphibians, which flew their last combat rescue sortie on 30 September 1967.
In the fall of 1967, the group received its first Sikorsky HH-53 Super Jolly Green Giant, which were stationed at Udorn Royal Thai Air Force Base. These helicopters improved capabilities over Laos and North Vietnam, since they were faster, could hover at altitudes up to 6,500 ft pressure altitude and were armed with three GAU-28/A 7.62mm miniguns. Because of their larger size, HH-53s also carried a second pararescue specialist. However, despite the improved capability provided by the BUFF (as it was called by crewmembers), the unit's night rescue capability remained very limited and night rescue attempts were rarely successful. In March 1968, expanded rescue missions over Laos and North Vietnam led to the formation of a second squadron at Udorn, the 40th Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Squadron.
#### Reductions in rescue operations
Reductions in the size of the group began in December 1969, when the local base rescue detachment at Binh Thuy Air Base was discontinued. Closure of these detachments continued through 1970 as bases were closed or transferred to the Army or the Vietnamese Air Force. The closure of Tuy Hoa Air Base required the group's 39th Squadron to move to Cam Ranh Bay Air Base in the fall of 1970. By July 1971 reductions in local base rescue reached the point where the 38th Squadron was inactivated and the few remaining detachments were transferred directly to the group. That same month, the 40th Squadron moved to Nakhon Phanom Royal Thai Air Force Base, to better support the campaign against the Ho Chi Minh Trail in Laos, where air strikes had been concentrated since the bombing halt above the 20th parallel.
Although the group did not directly participate in the Son Tay Raid in November 1970, when the Joint Contingency Task Force arrived in theater, it used seven HH-53s from the group's 40th Squadron, and two HH-3s from the 37th Squadron.
In March 1972, the HC-130Ps of the 39th Squadron left Vietnam for Korat Royal Thai Air Force Base. Shortly after its arrival there, the squadron was inactivated, and its planes were temporarily absorbed by the Korat local base rescue detachment. However, in July, the 56th Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Squadron was activated to manage these aircraft. By late in the year, withdrawals in connection with the cease fire had resulted in the withdrawal of almost all rescue forces from Vietnam. The 37th Squadron at Da Nang Air Base was inactivated in November, and its remaining assets were absorbed by the 40th Squadron. The group moved with Seventh Air Force to Nakhon Phanom, and the existing Joint Rescue Centers were replaced by a single one located with group headquarters. Rescue operations continued in Laos and Cambodia, but the group also began to participate in training exercises.
#### 1975: Eagle Pull, Frequent Wind and the Mayaguez incident
On 3 April 1975, group forces were placed on alert for the possible implementation of Operation Eagle Pull, the evacuation of Americans from Phnom Penh, as Khmer Rouge forces surrounded Cambodia's capital. A group helicopter flew a United States Marine Corps command element into Phnom Penh to assume control of the evacuation. On 12 April, the group's helicopters positioned for evacuation, and flew a combat control team to the beleaguered city. After Marine helicopters had evacuated civilians, two group helicopters returned to the landing zone to extract the combat control team and remaining security forces. One HH-53 was hit by ground fire and badly damaged, but was able to return to base for an emergency landing.
As conditions in Southeast Asia continued to deteriorate, Operation Frequent Wind, the evacuation of Saigon, was implemented at the end of the month. The group placed rescue helicopters on alert at bases in Thailand and aboard USS Midway (CV-41). On 29 April, the two helicopters aboard Midway accompanied Marine CH-53s on three missions to evacuate people at the Defense Attaché Compound. The last flight carried as many as 97 refugees aboard one of the aircraft. By the end of the last mission, both Super Jollys were out of commission, having flown the group's last mission in Vietnam.
On 12 May, Khmer Rouge forces seized the SS Mayaguez, a U.S. merchant ship. The group initially flew two of its HH-53s to transport Security Policemen from Nakhon Phanom for use as a possible rescue force. On 15 May, group HH-53s again joined CH-53s of other units in transporting a Marine assault force from U-Tapao Royal Thai Navy Airfield to the island where the Mayaguez had been run aground. After offloading their Marines on the USS Harold E. Holt, the Jolly Greens headed for one of the CH-53s, Knife 21, which had been shot down after offloading its Marines. Although the crew was rescued, one of the pararescuemen on the Jolly was lost in the effort. The Jollys then escorted another CH-53, which had been struck while attempting to land its Marines. As the attempt to extract the Marines from Koh Tang Island began, additional HH-53s transported a relief force of Marines for additional security. Evacuation efforts continued under heavy enemy fire throughout the afternoon and evening in the Air Force's last combat operation in Southeast Asia.
In October 1975, the 56th Squadron was inactivated, and its remaining HC-130s absorbed by the 40th Squadron. As the United States continued its withdrawal from Southeast Asia, the Rescue Coordination Center was shut down on 15 December 1975, and the group and the 40th Squadron were inactivated at the end of January 1976. The group was credited with 3,681 saves during the war, including 2,632 combat saves.
### Reactivation
Since reactivating in 2003 as the 563rd Rescue Group at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, the group has deployed airmen and aircraft almost annually in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, Operation Iraqi Freedom, and Combined Joint Task Force – Horn of Africa. It has conducted humanitarian operations during Hurricane Katrina (which included evacuation support along the Gulf Coast), Hurricane Rita, and other hurricanes, and has supported NASA during launch and recovery of the space shuttle. 48th Rescue Squadron recovery teams have saved hundreds of lives in combat and noncombat situations. Previously assigned as a geographically separated unit of the 347th Rescue Wing and later of the 23rd Wing, both at Moody Air Force Base, Georgia, the 563rd was later reassigned to the 355th Fighter Wing, later the 355th Wing, collocated at Davis-Monthan.
### Medal of Honor, Distinguished Service Cross and Air Force Cross
Three members of the group received the second highest award for heroism awarded by the United States military. After a later review, one of these awards was upgraded to the nation's highest award, the Medal of Honor.
During June 1951, Lt John J. Najarian landed his SA-16 amphibian in the Taedong River, which was not only shallow, but filled with floating debris, while low-hanging high-tension power lines ran over the river, to rescue a Mustang pilot, who had bailed out of his plane at twilight. Assisted by covering flights of Mustangs to suppress enemy flak, Lt Najarian was able to make the difficult night landing, pick up the pilot and take off successfully. For this mission, he was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross.
Airman First Class William H. Pitsenbarger of the group's 38th Squadron was the first enlisted man to be awarded the Air Force Cross. Flying as a parajumper, or PJ, on an HH-43 sent to extract an Army unit caught in a Viet Cong ambush on 7 March 1966, he descended to assist with hoisting soldiers up to the helicopter. When the Pedro (radio call sign for the tasked helicopter) had been loaded with all the wounded soldiers it could hold, Airman Pitsenbarger elected to remain behind to render aid to the remaining soldiers, all of whom were wounded. When a second HH-43 arrived on the scene, its PJ descended and found that the Viet Cong had killed Airman Pitsenbarger and the remaining soldiers. On 8 December 2000, following a review, Airman Pitsenbarger's Air Force Cross was upgraded to an award of the Medal of Honor, and he was posthumously promoted to the rank of Staff Sergeant.
Airman First Class Duane D. Hackney, a PJ with the 37th Squadron, was awarded the Air Force Cross for actions on 13 March 1967 in a rescue operation for two Marine helicopters, a Sikorsky CH-37 Mojave that had been shot down, and a Boeing Vertol CH-46 Sea Knight that had crashed while attempting to aid the first Marine chopper, when it reported that enemy forces were closing in on the crash site. Airman Hackney made multiple trips to the ground while exposed to enemy fire, loading as many Marines on his HH-3's Stokes litter as possible each trip. The HH-3 was struck by enemy fire, losing hydraulic pressure, and forcing the pilot to head for an emergency landing field. Airman Hackney continued to tend to the wounded on board, even after being rendered temporarily unconscious from a bullet that had struck his helmet.
## Lineage
The lineage of the 563rd Rescue Group from organization to today:
- Constituted as the 3rd Emergency Rescue Squadron on 14 February 1944
Activated on 15 February 1944
Redesignated 3rd Rescue Squadron on 28 January 1948
Redesignated 3rd Air Rescue Squadron on 10 August 1950
Redesignated 3rd Air Rescue Group on 14 November 1952
Inactivated on 18 June 1957
- Redesignated 3rd Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Group and activated on 14 December 1965 (not organized)
Organized on 8 January 1966
Inactivated on 31 January 1976
- Redesignated 563rd Rescue Group on 29 July 2003
Activated on 1 October 2003
### Assignments
Assignments of the 563rd Rescue Group from organization to today:
- Army Air Forces Training Command, 15 February 1944
- Eastern Technical Training Command, 4 March 1944
- Thirteenth Air Force, 28 July 1944
- Fifth Air Force, 17 August 1944 (under operational control of V Bomber Command, 26 August – 2 October 1944)
- 5276th Rescue Composite Group (Provisional), 2 October 1944
- 5th Emergency Rescue Group, 16 March 1945
- V Bomber Command, 21 November 1945
- 314th Composite Wing, 31 May 1946
- Fifth Air Force, 6 June 1946
- Air Rescue Service, 1 May 1949 – 18 June 1957 (attached to Fifth Air Force, 1 May 1949, 314th Air Division, 18 May 1951, Japanese Air Defense Force, 14 November 1952, Far East Air Forces, 1 August 1954 – 18 June 1957)
- Military Air Transport Service, 14 December 1965 (not organized)
- Military Airlift Command, 1 January 1966 (not organized)
- Pacific Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Center (later 41st Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Wing, 41st Rescue and Weather Reconnaissance Wing), 8 January 1966 – 31 January 1976
- 347th Rescue Wing, 1 October 2003
- 23rd Wing, 1 October 2006
- 355th Fighter Wing (later 355th Wing), 1 October 2018 – present
### Components
Operational Squadrons
Operational squadrons of the 563rd Rescue Group from 1952 to today:
- 33rd Air Rescue Squadron: 20 September 1955 – 18 June 1957
- 36th Air Rescue Squadron: 14 November 1952 – 18 June 1957
- 37th Air Rescue Squadron (later 37th Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Squadron): 14 November 1952 – 8 May 1955; 8 January 1966 – 20 August 1972
- 38th Air Rescue Squadron (later, 38th Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Squadron): 14 November 1952 – 18 June 1957; 8 January 1966 – 1 July 1972
- 39th Air Rescue Squadron (later, 39th Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Squadron): 14 November 1952 – 18 June 1957; 18 January 1967 – 30 April 1972
- 40th Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Squadron: 18 March 1968 – 20 August 1972
- 48th Rescue Squadron: 1 October 2003 – present
- 55th Rescue Squadron: 1 October 2003 – present
- 56th Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Squadron: 8 July – 20 August 1972
- 58th Rescue Squadron: 1 October 2003 – present
- 60th Air Rescue Squadron: 8 April 1956 – 18 June 1957
- 66th Rescue Squadron: 1 October 2003 – present
- 79th Rescue Squadron: 1 October 2003 – present
- 2157th Air Rescue Squadron: 1 March 1953 – 8 April 1956
Maintenance Squadrons
- 563rd Maintenance Squadron: 1 October 2003 – c. 2005
- 763rd Maintenance Squadron: 1 October 2003 – c. 2005
Detachments
- Detachment F, 14 September 1950 – 22 June 1951
- Detachment 1, 22 June 1951 – 1 March 1953
- Detachment 1, 8 January 1966 – 15 December 1966
- Detachment 2, 8 January 1966 – 15 December 1966
### Stations
Stations of the 563rd Rescue Group from organization to today:
- Gulfport Army Air Field, Mississippi, 15 February 1944
- Keesler Field, Mississippi, 1 April 1944 – May/July 1944
- Mokmer Airfield, Biak, Netherlands East Indies, September 1944
- Dulag Airfield, Leyte, Philippines, 3 November 1944
- Tacloban Airfield, Leyte, Philippines, 1 April 1945
- Floridablanca Airfield, Luzon, Philippines, 21 May 1945
- Ie Shima Airfield, Okinawa, 15 September 1945
- Atsugi Airfield, Japan, 6 October 1945
- Nagoya Airfield, Japan, 17 June 1946
- Yokota Air Base, Japan, 15 July 1947
- Johnson Air Base, Japan, 1 April 1950
- Nagoya Air Base (later Nagoya Air Station; Moriyama Air Station), Japan, 9 December 1953 – 18 June 1957
- Tan Son Nhut Airport, South Vietnam, 8 January 1966
- Nakhon Phanom Royal Thai Air Force Base, Thailand, 15 February 1973
- U-Tapao Royal Thai Naval Airfield, Thailand, 15 September 1975 – 31 January 1976
- Davis Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona, 1 October 2003 – present
### Aircraft
Aircraft of the 563rd Rescue Group from organization to today:
- Consolidated OA-10 Catalina, 1944–1947
- Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress, 1945–1957
- Boeing SB-17 Dumbo, 1945–1957
- Douglas C-47 Skytrain, 1945–1957
- Douglas SC-47 Skytrain, 1945–1957
- Stinson L-5 Sentinel, 1947–1957
- Sikorsky R-6 (later H-6), 1947–1949
- Sikorsky H-5, 1948–1954
- Boeing SB-29 Superdumbo 1949–1955
- Grumman SA-16 (later HU-16) Albatross, 1950–1957, 1966–1967
- Sikorsky H-19, 1951–1957
- Sikorsky SH-19, 1951–1957
- Douglas SC-54 Skymaster, 1956–1957
- Kaman HH-43 Huskie, 1966–1975
- Sikorsky HH-3 Jolly Green Giant, 1966–1970
- Sikorsky HH-53 Super Jolly Green Giant, 1967–1975
- Bell UH-1N Twin Huey, 1975
- Lockheed HC-130 Hercules, 1966–present
- Sikorsky HH-60G Pavehawk, 2003–present
### Awards and campaigns
## See also
- List of United States Air Force Groups
- List of United States Air Force rescue squadrons
- B-17 Flying Fortress units of the United States Army Air Forces
- List of B-29 Superfortress operators
- List of C-47 Skytrain operators
- List of C-130 Hercules operators
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88,309 |
Gerðr
| 1,144,729,138 |
Norse deity
|
[
"Earth goddesses",
"Freyr",
"Gýgjar",
"Ásynjur"
] |
In Norse mythology, Gerðr (Old Norse: ; "fenced-in") is a jötunn, goddess, and the wife of the god Freyr. Gerðr is attested in the Poetic Edda, compiled in the 13th century from earlier traditional sources; the Prose Edda and Heimskringla, written in the 13th century by Snorri Sturluson; and in the poetry of skalds. Gerðr is sometimes modernly anglicized as Gerd or Gerth.
In both the Poetic Edda and the Prose Edda, Freyr sees Gerðr from a distance, becomes deeply lovesick at the sight of her shimmering beauty, and has his servant Skírnir go to Jötunheimr (where Gerðr and her father Gymir reside) to gain her love. In the Poetic Edda Gerðr initially refuses, yet after a series of threats by Skírnir she is forced to yield. In the Prose Edda, no mention of threats is made. In both sources, Gerðr agrees to meet Freyr at a fixed time at the location of Barri and, after Skírnir returns with Gerðr's response, Freyr laments that the meeting could not occur sooner. In both the Poetic Edda and the Prose Edda, Gerðr is described as the daughter of Gymir and the jötunn Aurboða.
In Heimskringla, Gerðr is recorded as the wife of Freyr, euhemerized as having been a beloved king of Sweden. In the same source, the couple are the founders of the Yngling dynasty and produced a son, Fjölnir, who rose to kinghood after Freyr's passing and continued their line. Gerðr is commonly theorized to be a goddess associated with the earth. Gerðr inspired works of art and literature.
## Attestations
Gerðr is attested in two poems in the Poetic Edda, in two books of the Prose Edda, and in two books in Heimskringla.
### Poetic Edda
In the Poetic Edda poem Skírnismál, the god Freyr sat on the high seat Hlidskjalf and looked into all worlds. Freyr saw a beautiful girl walking from the hall of her father to a storehouse. Freyr became heartsick for the girl. Freyr has a page named Skírnir. Freyr's father Njörðr and, in verse, the goddess Skaði tells Skírnir to find out what troubles Freyr. An exchange occurs between Freyr and Skírnir in verse, where Freyr tells Skírnir that he has seen a wondrous girl with shining arms at the home of (her father) Gymir, yet that the gods and elves do not wish for the two to be together:
Skírnir requests that Freyr give him a horse and Freyr's sword; a sword which fights jötnar by itself. Under the cover of darkness, Skírnir rides the horse over nations and dew-covered mountains until he reaches Jötunheimr, the home of the jötnar, and proceeds to Gymir's courts. Ferocious dogs are tied before the wooden fence that surrounds Gerðr's hall. Skírnir rides out to a herdsman (unnamed) sitting on a mound, greets him, and asks the herdsman how he may speak to the maiden beyond Gymir's dogs. An exchange occurs between the herdsman and Skírnir, during which the herdsman tells Skírnir that he will never speak to the girl.
Hearing a terrible noise in her dwellings, Gerðr asks where it is coming from, noting that the earth trembles and that all of Gymir's courts shake. A serving maid (unnamed) notes that outside a man has dismounted his horse and has let it graze. Gerðr tells the serving maid to invite the man to come into their hall and to partake of some of their "famous mead," yet Gerðr expresses fear that the man outside may be her "brother's slayer".
Gerðr asks the stranger if he is of the elves, Æsir, or the Vanir, and why he comes alone "over the wild fire" to seek their company. Skírnir responds that he is of none of these groups, yet that he has indeed sought her out. Skírnir offers Gerðr 11 golden apples (or apples of eternal life, in a common emendation) to gain her favor. Gerðr rejects the apples—no matter who offers them—and adds that neither will she and Freyr be together as long as they live. Skírnir offers Gerðr a ring, here unnamed, that produces eight more gold rings every ninth night and "was burned with Odin's young son". Gerðr responds that she is not interested in the ring, for she shares her father's property, and Gymir has no lack of gold.
#### Threats
Skírnir turns to threats; he points out to Gerðr that he holds a sword in his hand and he threatens to cut her head from her neck unless she agrees. Gerðr refuses; she says that she will not endure the coercion of any man, and says that if Gymir encounters Skírnir then a battle can be expected. Skírnir again reminds Gerðr of his blade and predicts that Gerðr's jötunn father will meet his doom with it. Skírnir warns Gerðr that he will strike her with his Gambanteinn, a wand, that it will tame her to his desires, and says that she will never again be seen by "the sons of men". From early morning, Gerðr will sit on an eagle's mound, looking outward to the world, facing Hel, and that "food shall be more hateful to you than to every man is the shining serpent among men".
Skírnir declares that when Gerðr comes out she will be a spectacle; Hrímgrímnir will "glare" at her, "everything" will stare at her, she will become more famous than the watchman of the gods, and that she will "gape through the bars". Gerðr will experience "madness and howling, tearing affliction and unbearable desire" and that, in grief, tears will flow from her. Skírnir tells Gerðr to sit down, for her fate will be even worse yet. She will be harassed by fiends all her weary days. From the court of jötnar to the halls of the hrimthurs, Gerðr shall everyday crawl without choice, nor hope of choice. Gerðr will weep rather than feel joy, suffering tearfully. She will live the rest of her life in misery with a three-headed thurs or otherwise be without a man altogether. Skírnir commands for Gerðr's mind to be seized, that she may waste away with pining, and that she be as the thistle at the end of the harvest; crushed.
Skírnir says that he has been to a wood to get a "potent branch", which he found. He declares that the gods Odin and Thor are angry with Gerðr, and that Freyr will hate her; she has "brought down the potent wrath of the gods". Skírnir declares to the hrimthursar, thursar, the sons of Suttungr, and the "troops of the Æsir" that he has denied both pleasure and benefit from men to Gerðr. Skírnir details that the thurs's name who will own her below the gates of Nágrind is Hrímgrímnir and that there, at the roots of the world, the finest thing Gerðr will be given to drink is the urine of goats. He carves "thurs" (the runic character \*thurisaz) on Gerðr and three runes (unnamed) symbolizing lewdness, frenzy, and unbearable desire, and comments that he can rub them off just as he has carved them—if he wishes.
Gerðr responds with a welcome to Skírnir and tells him to take a crystal cup containing ancient mead, noting that she thought she would never love one of the Vanir. Skírnir asks her when she will meet with Freyr. Gerðr says that they shall meet at a tranquil location called Barri, and that after nine nights she will there grant Freyr her love:
Skírnir rides home. Standing outside, Freyr immediately greets Skírnir and asks for news. Skírnir tells him that Gerðr says she will meet with him at Barri. Freyr, impatient, comments that one night is long, as is two nights, and questions how he will bear three, noting that frequently a month seemed shorter than half a night before being with Gerðr.
A stanza in the poem Lokasenna refers to Gerðr. In the poem, Loki accuses the god Freyr of having purchased Gymir's daughter (Gerðr) with gold and comments that, in the process, Freyr gave away his sword. Referring to Freyr as a "wretch", Loki then posits how Freyr intends to fight when the Sons of Muspell ride over the wood Myrkviðr (an event during Ragnarök). Freyr's servant, Byggvir, interjects and the poem continues.
In the poem Hyndluljóð, Óttar's ancestry is recounted and information is provided about the gods. One stanza that actually belongs to Völuspá hin skamma relates that Freyr and Gerðr were married, that Gerðr is the daughter of the jötunn Gymir, that Gerðr's mother is Aurboða, and that they are related to Þjazi (the nature of the kinship is not specified)—father of the goddess and jötunn Skaði.
### Prose Edda
In chapter 37 of the Prose Edda book Gylfaginning, Gerðr is introduced by the enthroned figure of High as the daughter of Gymir and the mountain jötunn Aurboða, and is described as "the most beautiful of all women". High reports that Freyr went into Hlidskjalf and looked over all worlds. When Freyr looked to the north he saw a distant homestead with a large and magnificent building. A woman went to the building, and when she lifted her arms and opened the door to the building "light was shed from her arms over both sky and sea, and all worlds were made bright by her". In punishment for "his great presumption" in having sat in the holy seat, Freyr went away filled with grief.
Freyr arrives home and neither sleeps nor drinks, remaining in silence. No one dares speak to him. The god Njörðr sends Freyr's servant Skírnir to speak to Freyr. Freyr tells Skírnir that he saw a beautiful woman, so beautiful that he was filled with grief and that he would soon die if he could not have her. Freyr tells Skírnir that he must go gain her hand on his behalf—whether the woman's father agrees or not—and he will be rewarded. Skírnir replies that he accepts the mission but only in exchange for Freyr's sword, which can fight on its own. Freyr gives him the sword and Skírnir sets off. Skírnir asks for the woman's hand for Freyr and receives her promise. Nine nights later she is to meet with Freyr at a location called Barey. Skírnir delivers the news to Freyr and Freyr responds with the final stanza from the Poetic Edda poem Skírnismál, lamenting that he must wait.
At the beginning of the Prose Edda book Skáldskaparmál, eight goddesses are listed as attending a feast held by Ægir on the island of Hlesey (now Læsø, Denmark), including Gerðr. In chapter 19, different ways of referring to the goddess Frigg are provided. One of these names is "rival of Gerðr"; however, this is probably a scribal error (see "Theories" section below). In chapter 57, various goddesses are listed, including Gerðr (between Snotra and Gefjon).
### Heimskringla
In chapter 12 of Ynglinga saga (as collected in Heimskringla), a euhemerized prose account relates that Freyr was a much loved king in what is now Sweden. Freyr's wife was Gerðr and their son was Fjölnir. Gerðr's fate is not provided, but after Freyr's death their son goes on to become king and their family line, the Ynglings, continues. In a verse stanza found in chapter 16 of Haralds saga Gráfeldar, Gerðr is mentioned in a kenning for "woman" ("Gerðr-of-gold-rings").
## Archaeological record
Small pieces of gold foil featuring engravings dating from the Migration Period into the early Viking Age (known as gullgubber) have been discovered in various locations in Scandinavia, almost 2,500 at one location. The foil pieces have been found largely at sites of buildings, only rarely in graves. The figures are sometimes single, occasionally an animal, sometimes a man and a woman with a leafy bough between them, facing or embracing one another. The human figures are almost always clothed and are sometimes depicted with their knees bent. Scholar Hilda Ellis Davidson says that it has been suggested that the figures are partaking in a dance, and that they may have been connected with weddings, as well as linked to the Vanir group of gods, representing the notion of a divine marriage, such as in the Poetic Edda poem Skírnismál; the coming together of Gerðr and Freyr.
## Theories
### "Rival of Frigg"
In chapter 19 of the Prose Edda book Skáldskaparmál, Gerðr is listed among "rivals" of the goddess Frigg, a list of sexual partners of Frigg's husband, Odin. Instead of Gerðr, the jötunn Gríðr, mother of Odin's son Víðarr according to the Prose Edda, was probably intended. One manuscript has Gríðr corrected to Gerðr. Andy Orchard notes that it may nonetheless be an intentional inclusion in view of "Odin's notorious appetites".
### Earth and fertility
Scholar John Lindow comments that Gerðr's name has been etymologically associated with the earth and enclosures and that the wedding of Gerðr and Freyr is commonly seen as "the divine coupling of sky and earth or at least fertility god and representative of the soil." Lindow adds that, at the same time, the situation can be read as simply the gods getting what they want from the jötnar.
Hilda Ellis Davidson comments that Gerðr's role in Skírnismál has parallels with the goddess Persephone from Greek mythology, "since it is made clear that if [Gerðr] remains below in the dark kingdom of the underworld there will be nothing to hope for but sterility and famine. She does not become the bride of the underworld, however; her bridal is to be in the upper world when she consents to meet Freyr at Barri."
## Modern influence
Gerðr has inspired works of art and literature. The Danish poet Adam Gottlob Oehlenschläger wrote a series of poems referencing Gerðr as collected in (1819) Nordens Guder. Esaias Tegnér's (1782–1846) unfinished epic poem Gerda also references the goddess. K. Ehrenberg depicted the goddess in his illustration (1883) Freyr und Gerda, Skade und Niurd. Her story was retold in free verse by the Icelandic poet Gerður Kristný in her Blóðhófnir, which won the 2010 Icelandic Literature Award. Saturn's moon Gerd is named after her.
|
67,465,178 |
Star on the Mountain
| 1,136,997,485 |
Man-made illuminated structure in El Paso, Texas
|
[
"1940 establishments in Texas",
"Buildings and structures in El Paso, Texas",
"Light art",
"Vandalized works of art in Texas"
] |
The Star on the Mountain is a man-made star-shaped landmark on the Franklin Mountains in El Paso, Texas, that is illuminated nightly by the El Paso Chamber of Commerce. It was first lit as a Christmas decoration in 1940 and was meant as a reminder to people on both sides of the nearby Mexico–United States border that America was at peace during the holiday season. It has also been compared to the similar Roanoke Star in Virginia.
The five-point star consists of 459 bulbs and is visible from the air at up to 100 miles (160 km) away. It was previously only lit during the holiday season but is now maintained year-round by the Greater El Paso Chamber of Commerce and the El Paso Electric Company.
## Measurements
The El Paso Star is 459 feet (140 m) tall and 278 feet (85 m) wide. It is made up of 459 bulbs arranged on the Franklin Mountains at a 30-degree angle. The poles supporting it range from 12 to 15 feet (3.7 to 4.6 m) tall.
The star is located about 300 feet (91 m) above Scenic Drive, a prominent El Paso location for taking photos of the cityscape. It is visible from the air at up to 100 miles (160 km) away and from the ground at up to 25–35 miles (40–56 km) away.
The star was estimated to cost about \$8 per night to light in 1981 and \$16 per night in 1992, which was paid for by El Paso Electric customers through a negligible amount added to normal electric bills.
## History
### 20th century
The star was first lit on November 29, 1940, at 6:10 p.m. with over 300 blue lamps. It was constructed by the El Paso Electric Company, which hoped that the star would "contribute something toward the festive appearance of [the] city during the holiday season." The original star was only 50 feet wide.
Shortly after, a bigger and more durable star was built, measuring 403 by 300 feet (123 by 91 m) and using 300 lights.
In 1941, 50 more bulbs were added to fill in dim spots. The star was later reconstructed in December 1946 after being destroyed by a storm and was visible by air from up to 100 miles (160 km) away. This version of the star was constructed with 459 150-watt lamps and was 459 by 278 feet (140 by 85 m). Its length is greater than its width to allow for the distortion caused by viewing it from the ground. This star has also been compared to the similar Roanoke Star in Roanoke, Virginia.
For almost 50 years, the star only shone for the holiday season, with two exceptions. Starting in 1979, the star was lit for 444 nights to support U.S. hostages during the Iran hostage crisis. After the hostages were released, the star returned to its normal holiday schedule. It also shined every night from December 1990 until August 21, 1991, the day when the last soldier from Fort Bliss returned from the Gulf War. There are no clear records indicating that the star has been lit every year since 1940. It may or may not have been lit during World War II, but many agree that it has been lit every holiday season since then.
As part of an international Earth Run for UNICEF, on December 14, 1986, Tanzanian athlete Suleiman Nyambui passed a flame to El Paso Electric Company president Evern Wall, who dipped it into a ceremonial vessel at 6 p.m. and lit the star at the same time.
In November 1993, a joint project between the Greater El Paso Chamber of Commerce and the El Paso Electric Company led to the star being lit nightly, although many residents of El Paso were originally against the idea. The project also allows individuals to sponsor a lighting of the star in honor of a loved one or a special occasion.
### 21st century
\$32,000 was spent to remodel the star in 2007, including installing new wiring and lighting fixtures, more reliable bulbs, and a radio frequency system to allow remote control of the star from a computer or cell phone. This allowed easy control of the star without requiring a crew to physically visit it on the mountain.
The city government took ownership of the star in 2009 after the city council voted to accept the Chamber of Commerce's donation of the equipment and logo. In 2010, the city council approved a 50-year lease with 88 Investments Inc., the company that owns the land that the star resides on. Rather than paying rent, the city would pay taxes of about \$1,200 per year on the land.
In October 2021, the star was bright red to celebrate several public safety campaigns, including Fire Prevention Week, National Domestic Violence Awareness Month, and Red Ribbon Week.
## Vandalism
The star is frequently vandalized by trespassers, and officials say that vandalism has been constant for as long as the star has existed. The Chamber of Commerce has constantly asked the local community to avoid trespassing and vandalizing this symbol of El Paso, also noting that the area is monitored by cameras and the El Paso Police Department.
Vandalism of the star typically consists of breaking light bulbs and discarding empty beer bottles at the site and has been known to result in criminal citations from El Paso police. Some vandals also steal light bulbs from the property.
## See also
- Palmer Lake Star
- Light pollution
|
65,624,263 |
Karl Marx in Kalbadevi
| 1,161,979,664 |
2013 Gujarati play
|
[
"2013 plays",
"Biographical plays about philosophers",
"Cultural depictions of Karl Marx",
"Gujarati-language plays",
"Plays for one performer",
"Plays set in India",
"Plays set in the 21st century",
"Works about Karl Marx"
] |
Karl Marx in Kalbadevi is a 2013 one-man play about the German philosopher Karl Marx played by Satchit Puranik. Written by Uttam Gada and directed by Manoj Shah, the play depicts an imaginary visit by Marx to Kalbadevi, the hypercapitalist area of Mumbai, India. The play tried to introduce to a commercially-minded Gujarati community the ideas of a radical critic of capitalist society, in a style that adopts song, dance, repartee, and interactive badinage with the audience to make his complex ideas more suitable to the taste and cultural background of local audiences.
Karl Marx in Kalbadevi was successful and has had hundreds of performances, but received mixed reviews from theatre critics. It was praised for Puranik's performance and for presenting complex ideas simply but criticised for its script.
## Background
Uttam Gada drew his original inspiration for Karl Marx in Kalbadevi from Howard Zinn's 1999 play Marx in Soho. Zinn had imagined what might happen were Marx to wander around Manhattan's Soho. Manoj Shah described having had a 'lightbulb moment', wondering what would happen if Mumbai dhandhadaari—Gujarati-speaking merchants—were exposed to the ideas of Marx. He passed on to Gada the idea of picturing Marx wandering about an Indian neighbourhood famous for its dedication to capitalist ventures.
Karl Marx in Kalbadevi premiered at the National Centre for the Performing Arts, Mumbai, on 22 March 2013.
## Plot
Believing a life without travel is no life at all, Karl Marx is overcome by the urge to globetrot. He rules out the classic countries that had adopted his ideas for his journey, Russia and China: Russia's weather is too cold, and in China he would have run up against the formidable language barrier of Chinese. He decides to visit India, indifferent to warnings of the dangers of venturing south. He chooses India because he had heard something of the social activism of Mahatma Gandhi. The fact also that the country had two communist parties, one of which had been named after him, stirs his curiosity. He is also spurred by a desire to clear his name of what he views as unfounded allegations that he himself is a Marxist.
At the outset, we are shown an apparently lifeless dummy figure, sprawled on the floor, with just a leg raised and propped on a chair next to a table decorated with several books, such as Das Kapital and the Communist Manifesto. The figure suddenly comes to life. A light-hearted overture allows the audience to take on a key theme throughout the play which relies on an implicit parallel between words as tokens and money: both secure meaning and value by the mechanisms of circulation, and both shape our lives. The brochure introducing the play itself alerts the theatre-goer to the intention of its author to have Marx "comfort the disturbed, and disturb the comfortable". Later in the play Marx alludes to the difference between wearing a Rolex or a Timex - the former flashes the message your time (for success) has come, whereas the latter simply tells you what time it is.
On arriving in Mumbai, Marx is keen to visit Mani Bhavan, a museum dedicated to Gandhi's memory, only to find the gatekeeper, a stickler for the details of correct opening times, will not let him in. He crosses paths with a Gujarati named Manoj Shah who offers to act as his guide, taking him for a tour round Kalbadevi, the heartland of Gujarati capitalism. They proceed next to the Mumba Devi Temple. There, Marx observes acutely the odd contrast between those who visit the temple to pray to the god for his beneficial intervention, and the beggars who sit outside entreating these same religious visitors for some pittance to help them get through the day.
After dining at a notable local restaurant, the Bhagat Tarachand, the two end up back in a pied-à-terre. Located in a crowded chawl, the gritty realities of this building and the impoverished quarter around it prompt Marx, sprinkling his memories with bits of German and French to underline his cosmopolitan background, in Berlin, London and the United States: he explains to the audience that the theatre manager wouldn't let him talk unless he could entertain the audience with interesting stories, and thus he recalls also his early life of humble dwellings, his ambitions to become a poet, his drinking days as a student in Trier, the penury and incomprehension of even his family he had to put up with as he struggled to finish his masterpiece, Das Kapital in London's Soho. This section on reminiscences is salted with an interactive question-and-answer set of exchanges with the audience.
The play is peppered, according to critic Deepa Mohan, with memorable one-liners, such as the "smallest one-word joke in China is 'Marxism'."
## Reception
Karl Marx in Kalbadevi is one of Shah's long-running productions.
Deepa Gahlot thought Satchit Puranik, with his thick shock of hair and bushy beard, bore a striking similarity to the historic Marx. The director, Shah, thought that a play in Gujarati, which belonged to the genre of experimental theatre, had little prospect of reaching more than a handful of viewers, and that it would play at most for just a few nights. Contrary to expectations, however, the piece proved a great success, being performed hundreds of times in Gujarati and in Hinglish, a dialect of English influenced by Hindi.
For Gahlot, there is a tongue-in-cheek tone in Shah's production, with its bold sermonizing about the virtues of socialism before an audience of dyed-in-the-wool capitalists. The basic facts of Marx's life and thinking are set forth woven with homespun truths, iconoclasm and intellectual challenges to preconceived ideas, all threaded with a comic vein. One defect, she argues, is that Marx's formidable figure and life tends to swamp its context, the world of Kalbadevi. The piece could be challenged as too simplistic, but some accommodation was necessary if the play was to achieve its aim of hinting to an audience predominantly raised on a greed-is-good ethic that the Marxist analysis of capitalism merited consideration.
Deepa Punjani noted the novelty of introducing into what she considered a rather frivolous tradition of theatrical entertainment, a one-man show in which the global figure of Karl Marx comments on what he sees in the Gujarati world. She expressed reservations about the script for warping Marx's ideas by oversimplification. This was a consequence, she argued, of the author's endeavouring to make Marx's radical ideas less threatening for a Gujarati audience, whose culture was marked by a fascination with money-making. This when, after the financial meltdown of 2008, Marx's analysis of capitalism, as opposed to his discredited political theories, began to attract renewed interest. Marx is made to recognise the virtues of venture capitalism and technological innovations, for example. The monologue unfolds at breakneck speed, sprinkled with humorous quips, if at times rather repetitively. Despite these shortcomings, she advised theatre-goers to see the play and suggested that the author and director of the play be more adventurous in future attempts to introduce provocative material for the Gujarati stage.
While criticising the unnecessary mentions of the director Manoj Shah in the play and the hollowness of the title, Utpal Bhayani praised the play's integration of Marx's personal life and his works. He felt the difficult ideas from Marx's magnum opus Das Kapital and Communist Manifesto, which he co-authored with his lifetime friend Friedrich Engels, were presented interestingly. Shujaat Mirza appreciated the play's bold attempt to enlist techniques of playful banter, song and dance in order to familiarize the audience with Marx's ideas, which are shorn of any overbearing ideological tone, but he faulted it for glossing over "how Marx was appreciative of the [British] colonial enterprise in India as a way to the emancipation of Indians", but, at the same time, reminded his readers that Marx's ideas played an important role in anti-imperialist struggles. In this sense, he assesses Satchit Puranik's one-man act as a 'bravura performance' with what is a 'mixed bag' in terms of presenting the real Karl Marx.
Deepa Mohan, writing for Citizen Matters, gave it a net positive rating, describing the use of lighting effects, according to the topics or events touched on, as excellent. Also merit-worthy was the astute taped musical accompaniment which complemented the actor's words. Manoj Shah's production was subtle in the way it engaged the actor to speak, in what was admittedly a long monologue that might strain people's powers of attention (90 minutes), in such a way that the talk gave an impression of lively improvisation. The play could, she suggested, otherwise be improved by cutting back the text, to ensure brevity where, at times, the speech seems to drift.
|
1,718,809 |
Too Tough to Die
| 1,163,255,054 | null |
[
"1984 albums",
"Albums produced by Ed Stasium",
"Albums produced by Tommy Ramone",
"Hardcore punk albums by American artists",
"Heavy metal albums by American artists",
"Ramones albums",
"Sire Records albums"
] |
Too Tough to Die is the eighth studio album by the American punk rock band Ramones. It was released on October 1, 1984, and is the first Ramones record to feature Richie Ramone on drums. With ex-member Tommy Ramone producing (credited as T. Erdelyi), the recording process was similar to that of the band's 1976 self-titled debut album. Likewise, the record's style—both lyrically and compositionally—saw the band returning to their roots. The photograph on the album cover, which features silhouettes of the band members, resulted from a "lucky accident" after photographer George DuBose's camera malfunctioned.
The album's overall style leaned toward that of punk rock and heavy metal music, rather than pop music which had been a focus of several of the band's previous albums. Too Tough to Die borrows upon elements such as guitar riffs from 1983's Subterranean Jungle. For the second time, after "Time Bomb" on Subterranean Jungle, bassist Dee Dee Ramone performs lead vocals on the album and receives vocal credits for two tracks. The album also contains the band's only instrumental piece, "Durango 95".
Critics appreciated the band's return to earlier methods of writing, recording, and production, noting they had strayed from the pop music genre. Despite critical acclaim, Too Tough to Die performed poorly in album sales. At this point in their career, the album was the band's lowest peaking record on the Billboard 200.
## Recording and production
The recording of Too Tough to Die began in the summer of 1984 at the Media Sound Studios in New York City. The album's recording process used similar techniques which were used to record their 1976 eponymous album, with Rolling Stone's Kurt Loder describing it as "virtually live in the studio". The album marked the debut of new drummer Richie Ramone, who replaced Marky Ramone after he was fired for excessive drinking. The album's songs were written mainly by bassist Dee Dee Ramone and guitarist Johnny Ramone, while lead singer Joey Ramone did not participate in the process as much as usual because he "wasn't feeling well" prior to recording. Joey did, however, write the songs "No Go" and "Daytime Dilemma (Dangers of Love)" after receiving help with the guitar part for the latter song by Daniel Rey. Johnny Ramone recalled:
> As we got ready to make Too Tough To Die, we were focused in the same direction, and it made a difference. We knew we needed to get back to the kind of harder material we'd become known for. The pop stuff hadn't really worked, and we knew we were much better off doing what we did best.
Previous Ramones records featured celebrity record producers in an attempt to gain some sort of popularity. Since this method did not yield the results which they were expecting, Sire Records contacted the producers of 1978's Road to Ruin: Ed Stasium and ex-band member Tommy Ramone. Too Tough to Die has less production value than previous recordings by the Ramones. Because critics often disapproved of the sound quality on End of the Century and Pleasant Dreams, the band leaned towards a harsher sound.
Too Tough to Die was also the first of three studio albums that were licensed from Sire Records to the independent record label Beggars Banquet Records for release in the UK. The deal saw the group's work promoted better and resulted placings on the UK album and singles charts. The group had not charted in the UK since 1980's End of the Century.
## Cover art
The cover photo for the album was taken by photographer George DuBose in a tunnel in Central Park, New York City, near the Central Park Zoo. In the photo, the band members are standing side-by-side underneath an underpass arch, with their dark silhouettes illuminated in the background with blue lighting and dry ice fog. Johnny wanted the artwork to conceptually refer to the film A Clockwork Orange, released in 1971. DuBose relates: "Johnny wanted a picture that would evoke memories of the gang in A Clockwork Orange." DuBose also stated that the band did not need their faces on the cover because they had grown significantly in popularity; however, he originally intended to include their faces. The photograph on the album cover was a "lucky accident" after DuBose's flashes failed to fire and he unintentionally shot the band members in silhouette.
## Music and compositions
Just as the recording methods resembled that of the band's 1970s era, the musical style which they produced also favored the band's earlier approach to punk rock. Even though "Howling at the Moon (Sha-La-La)" featured a synthpop feel, the overall sound leaned more toward heavy metal music rather than pop music, which had been a major focus of the band's writing process throughout the 1980s. Authors Scott Schinder and Andy Schwartz explained:
> With Tommy Ramone/Erdelyi and Ed Stasium returning as producers, the album was, to some degree, the Ramones' response to America's burgeoning hard-core punk scene, and did much to restore the band's musical credibility ... Too Tough to Die reclaimed the Ramone's original values of energy, catchiness, and brevity without resorting to retro pandering. It also featured the band's strongest set of songs since Rocket to Russia, with Dee Dee (who wrote or co-wrote nine of the album's thirteen songs) demonstrating a thoughtful, introspective edge on 'I'm Not Afraid of Life' and an apocalyptic social conscience on 'Planet Earth 1988.'
Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic wrote that the album uses the "big guitar riffs" featured on Subterranean Jungle and transfigures them to be "shorter and heavier." The songs featured on the album are mostly rather short and have a considerably fast tempo, which was a typical quality of the band's early work. The album features the only instrumental piece which the band released: "Durango 95", which clocks in at under a minute, being the shortest Ramones track on a studio album. (The album also includes one of the longest Ramones studio recordings, "Daytime Dilemma (Dangers of Love)" on side two.) The title of "Durango 95" is a reference to a car driven in A Clockwork Orange. "Durango 95" and "Wart Hog" are two songs which are in certain parts of both songs, a meter which is extremely rare in punk rock.
Too Tough to Die is also the second Ramones release which did not feature lead singer Joey Ramone on each track; both "Wart Hog" and "Endless Vacation" feature bassist Dee Dee Ramone as lead vocalist, while "Durango 95" is a short instrumental. Initially, "Wart Hog"'s appearance on the album was declined by Joey Ramone, but guitarist Johnny Ramone argued for including the song, later stating, "If I hadn't lobbied for them, they wouldn't be on the [album]." The lyrics to the song were not included on the initial printing of the album because Sire considered the drug-inspired lyrics to be too explicit for potential fans. In his autobiography, Commando, Johnny Ramone stated the album title was in reference to a near fatal beating he received in 1983 that required emergency brain surgery.
## Reception
Too Tough to Die was generally well received by critics. Music critic Robert Christgau suggested that the album's sound was a retreat to their earlier styles "with the cleansing minimalism of their original conception evoked", saying their initial sound was "augmented rather than recycled." Kurt Loder of Rolling Stone concluded his review by saying that "Too Tough to Die is a return to fighting trim by the kings of stripped-down rock & roll." In a retrospective review, Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic called it "the last great record [the Ramones] would ever make" and noted that the use of Tommy Ramone as the album's producer was beneficial since it aided in the group returning "to simple, scathing punk rock." He also stated that the album reads "like a reaction to hardcore punk", while still maintaining their more melodic style in songs.
The album was the band's lowest peaking record at that point in their career, debuting at number 171 on the US Billboard 200. It also peaked at number 49 on the Swedish Sverigetopplistan chart, and in a revival of fortunes spent three weeks on the UK Albums Chart where it peaked at number 63. The only single released from the album, "Howling at the Moon (Sha-La-La)" (backed with "Wart Hog" in the US and "Chasing the Night" in the UK) peaked at number 85 on the UK Singles Chart, where it spent two weeks.
Guitar World magazine placed the album on their list of "New Sensations: 50 Iconic Albums That Defined 1984".
## Track listing
Track listing adapted from the Too Tough to Die expanded edition liner notes.
Note
- Tracks 14 and 15 released in January 1985 as B-sides to the UK single release of "Howling at the Moon (Sha-La-La)".
- Tracks 14-16, 18, 21-25 produced by T. Erdelyi and Ed Stasium. Tracks 17, 19 and 20 produced and mixed by T. Erdelyi.
- Tracks 16–25 previously unissued. Recorded at Daily Planet Studios, New York, 1984.
## Personnel
Personnel adapted from the Too Tough to Die expanded edition liner notes, except where noted.
Ramones
- Joey Ramone – lead vocals (tracks 1-3, 6-11, 13-18, 21-23, 25)
- Johnny Ramone – guitar
- Dee Dee Ramone – bass, backing vocals, lead vocals (tracks 5, 12, 17, 19, 20, 23, 24)
- Richie Ramone – drums, backing vocals
Additional musicians
- Walter Lure – additional guitar
- Jerry Harrison – synthesizer (track 7)
- Benmont Tench – keyboards (track 8)
- Ed Stasium – additional guitar (uncredited)
- David A. Stewart – additional guitar (track 8) (uncredited)
- Daniel Rey – additional guitar (track 9) (uncredited)
Production
- Tommy Ramone (credited as T. Erdelyi) – producer, associate producer (track 8)
- Ed Stasium – producer, associate producer (track 8), engineer
- David A. Stewart – producer (track 8)
- Mark Cobrin – assistant engineer
- Steven Rinkoff – assistant engineer
- Glenn Rosenstein – assistant mixing engineer
- Jack Skinner – mastering
- Tony Wright – cover design
- George DuBose – photography
## Charts
|
277,942 |
Twyford Down
| 1,092,911,070 |
Hill in the United Kingdom
|
[
"Anti-road protest",
"Hills of Hampshire",
"History of Hampshire",
"History of transport in England",
"Road cuttings in the United Kingdom",
"Transport in Hampshire"
] |
Twyford Down is an area of chalk downland lying directly to the southeast of Winchester, Hampshire, England next to St. Catherine's Hill and close to the South Downs National Park. It has been settled since pre-Roman times, and has housed a fort and a chapel, as well as being a 17th and 18th century coaching route.
In 1991, the down was the site of a major road protest against a section of the M3 motorway from London to the south coast of England. There had been plans since the 1970s to replace the 1930s Winchester bypass which was regularly congested due to design features that had become out of date. This was problematic owing to the lack of available land between Winchester College and St. Catherine's Hill. After several public inquiries, particularly with using the water meadows near the college, a route was chosen that took the motorway over the down in a cutting. Although protests against the M3 had been ongoing since the early 1970s, the protest-action on top of the down, described in 1994 as the most controversial British motorway project ever to start construction, attracted a wider range of classes of people than had previously been the case, and included physical violence from onsite security officers.
The motorway was completed as planned and provides a link of continuous motorway between Greater London and the South Coast ports. Nevertheless, the protests attracted interest from the national media, and drew attention to this form of campaigning. Subsequent road schemes took greater account of the environment or were cancelled. Several protesters at Twyford Down subsequently formed campaign groups, or joined existing ones such as the Campaign for Better Transport.
## History
Twyford Down sits to the southeast of Winchester and the northeast of Twyford, and is part of the Winchester-East Meon Anticline. The down's 142-metre (466 ft) summit, known as Deacon Hill, is towards the north-eastern edge of the area which is renowned for its dramatic rolling scenery and ecologically rich grassland. Its history can be traced back to pre-Roman times. Along it run a series of trackways known as "dongas", which resulted from farmers herding animals to surrounding markets. St Catherine's Hill, in the centre of the down has been identified as a human settlement more than 3,000 years ago and pre-dates the foundation of Winchester. In the 3rd century, a fort was constructed on the hill, while in the 12th, a Norman chapel was constructed on the site. During the Middle Ages, paths along the down formed part of the Pilgrim's Trail from Winchester to Normandy via Portsmouth. This is commemorated by the modern Pilgrims' Trail which crosses the down.
In 1675, John Ogilby noted that the main coaching route from London to Southampton ran over the top of the down, going directly from Alresford to Twyford, avoiding Winchester. This remained the main coaching route until about 1800, when an alternative route via Winchester (now mostly the A31 and former A33) was formed. During this time, and up to the 19th century, the area was sometimes known as Morestead Down after the nearby village of Morestead.
Hockley Golf Club was established as a private members' club on the down in 1914.
## The M3 motorway extension
### Background
Outline strategic planning for the route of what was to be later known as the M3 motorway had begun in the late 1930s. The route was to link London to Basingstoke, in order to reduce the pressure on the A30. Detailed planning for the first phase of construction, a 40 miles (64 km) section, between Sunbury on Thames and Popham, began in 1962-3. The 26 miles (42 km) section, between Lightwater and Popham, where the A30 and the A303 separated, opened in June 1971; this was followed by the Sunbury to Lightwater section which opened in July 1974. The second phase was to extend the motorway 10 miles (16 km) southwards between Popham and Winchester, ending at Compton. Planning began with the first public inquiry which was held in 1971, to set the line of the motorway, and this second section was opened in 1985. The third and final phase was to extend the motorway from Winchester to Southampton and the M27 motorway, and the northern part of this section was to impact on Winchester's bypass.
Winchester had been a traffic bottleneck for many years as several major routes passed through the historic city centre, including the A31, A33 and A34, as well as smaller routes like the A272. In the 1930s, a by-pass was planned to the east of the city, passing immediately west of St. Catherine's Hill, opening to traffic on 1 February 1940. Construction of this had been controversial as it affected the Itchen Valley and offered only a partial solution to congestion, with some people calling instead for a by-pass to the north and west of Winchester.
As a 1930s road construction project, the bypass was built to then-contemporary standards, including at-grade crossings at Bar End and at Hockley. As time progressed, the bypass became more and more of a bottleneck as roads around it were improved to higher standards, particularly after the opening of the A33 Chandler's Ford Bypass in 1968 and the A34 King's Worthy Link the following year, which meant all long distance traffic, as opposed to merely that from London to Southampton, was using the bypass. Morgan Morgan-Giles described the bypass as "utterly inadequate and dangerous, as everybody who lives in or near Winchester will agree. The accident figures are appalling. Therefore, a new motorway somewhere to relieve the traffic is urgently needed." The crossing at Bar End was grade separated in 1973, but the junction at Hockley remained a key point of congestion.
### Public inquiries
At this point, the option of going over or through Twyford Down had not been considered, and the alignment of the proposed six-lane M3 motorway (three lines in each direction) was to run through the Itchen valley roughly west of the existing four-lane bypass. This would also require the realignment of the Itchen Navigation into the water meadows. However, there would be further screening of the motorway and pedestrian access to St. Catherine's Hill from the city. These proposals had gone through two public inquiries in 1971 and 1976, respectively. The first in 1971, the line order inquiry, had considered the proposed route of the motorway; and in 1973 the government approved this route. The second inquiry, in 1976, was to consider both the stopping up of side roads and the compulsory purchase orders for the land needed to build the motorway. The latter inquiry in particular had drawn significant objection from protesters, including masters from Winchester College. Morgan-Giles argued in Parliament to support the scheme, pointing out that Winchester and the Down had been cut off since construction of the old bypass anyway, and growth of Southampton Docks meant that improved links from London and the Midlands would become increasingly essential. This schema was eventually rejected due to intensifying local pollution and disturbance.
In 1981, Kenneth Clarke, then the Parliamentary Secretary for Transport, stated that, since the route of the M3 was then fixed as far as Bar End, to the north of St. Catherine's Hill, that its route from there to Compton would undergo a fresh study, specifically stating that the Winchester Bypass should continue to be operational during construction of any new road, and that environmental matters were a key concern. By February 1983, consulting engineers Mott, Hay and Anderson had submitted a recommendation to complete the M3 through Twyford Down. Following the completion of the motorway to Bar End in the summer of 1985, the junction at Hockley was the only set of traffic lights between London and Southampton.
The Ministry of Transport (MoT) had problems purchasing the land required to complete the route past Winchester. The land required, east of the city on Twyford Down, was owned by Winchester College, which refused to sell the land to the government because part was a water meadow. The desired route, however, had been chosen to avoid St. Catherine's Hill, and pass to the south. Proposals were made for a tunnel through Twyford Down, but the estimated cost for this was £75 million more than the estimated cost for a cutting, and the government dismissed the plans. The final route chosen ran to the south of St. Catherine's Hill, taking 1.91 hectares (4.7 acres) (approximately 4.5%) of the Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), and went to a public inquiry in 1985, where the then Planning Officer of Winchester City Council described the route as "bold" and an "imaginative solution" In February 1992, the M3 was improved between Southampton and Compton, and soon afterwards work began on clearing the route across the down. Part of the contract stipulated that the old bypass would be removed and restored to nature, restoring direct access to St. Catherine's Hill.
### Protests
Protests against the completion of the M3 had been ongoing since 1973, with the formation of the M3 Joint Action Group by David Pare. The group gathered together a petition of 19,000, of which 11,227 were Winchester residents. The group was also active in distributing leaflets to the local community.
In March 1992, two travellers pitched a camp on the down, and discovered from local ramblers about the Bar End to Compton contract, meaning the land they were sitting on would soon be excavated. In response, noting that public inquiries had failed to stop construction, they decided to gather support. Environmental organisations attempted to take Department for Transport to the High Court, stating that the road was against the government's own environmental protection laws. The European Commission dropped its objections that August. David Croker, who had become head of the protest group Twyford Down Association, said they "had come to depend on the European Commission so we're very disappointed."
The principal arguments of the protesters were their concern about making wildlife species, such as the Chalkhill Blue butterfly, extinct, putting a highly visible scar on the landscape, and that they believed the new motorway would not adequately resolve traffic problems.
Protesters demonstrated their opposition to the road's construction by blocking the path of construction equipment. They were met by security officers from Group 4. In December 1992, in view of a film crew from The Observer, a protester was manhandled by five officers. Another protester, according to a report by local MP John Denham, was strangled by officers and left unconscious on top of the Down for 30 minutes. Maggie Lambert, then a mature photography student, took numerous photographs of the protest, and challenged an injunction which suggested she had been involved with direct action. While Lord Justice Mann admitted there was no evidence to suggest she had done anything more than take photographs, the injunction was upheld. Protester Rebecca Lush of the Donga Tribe, who had stayed on the down from September to the night of eviction, later claimed "It was a horrific experience and very violent. We were dragged through thorns and we were being kicked and punched and someone pulled out a clump of my hair." In March 1993, Kenneth Carlisle, then Minister for Roads and Traffic, refused to order an inquiry into any wrongdoing or excessive force by security officers, stating it was a matter for the police.
The protest attracted different classes of people, the many of whom were peaceful. According to Denham, a popular phrase amongst those protesting was "I never thought that I would find myself doing something like this." Stephen Ward, who had been involved in the original 1970s protest, decided in early 1993 that excessive force was being used against protesters, and started keeping a log of events. He used this log when defending other protesters in court. He visited those who had been imprisoned and helped establish a legal precedent of the right for protesters and demonstrators to have a witness while being questioned.
Several artists, such as Jill Bray (b.1936) marked their protest by creating work based on the Twyford Down landscape.
### Outcome
In 1995, the motorway section through Twyford Down was opened, making the M3 a continuous motorway. The old A33 Winchester Bypass between Bar End and Compton was then closed and removed. The new cutting caused the loss of 1.91 hectares (4.7 acres) of SSSI land. To redress this, the old route of the A33 was planted with 7.2 hectares (18 acres) of species-rich grassland under the supervision and monitoring of the Institute of Terrestrial Ecology. Replacing the bypass also reduced traffic volumes from the village of Twyford and removed the road that separated St. Catherine's Hill from the city. When interviewed for The Independent, local residents said the latter had transformed the place, one adding "St. Catherine's Hill used to be cut off from Winchester by the A33. Now there's open, peaceful countryside. It's wonderful."
Soon after the construction of the Twyford Down cutting, the pace of road construction in the United Kingdom slowed. In 1994, a government committee concluded that building more roads would only encourage more traffic, and that the way to ease congestion and pollution was to take measures to control car use rather than accommodate more. When Labour came to power in 1997, many road schemes were cancelled.
In 2000, campaigners mounted legal action to preserve an area of grassland created on the route of the old A33 Winchester bypass in mitigation of the land lost to the motorway which was threatened by a Park and Ride site. The legal action failed and the campaigners claimed that they had been betrayed for a second time. Land was provided elsewhere in mitigation.
In 2004, Winchester Cathedral received £86,000 from the Highways Agency in compensation for increased traffic noise from the M3. The Rev. Michael Till explained that "the noise comes beaming straight across The Close. It does change life having a perpetual background noise". Also in that year, veterans of a Twyford Down protest threatened a new campaign of direct action in response to 200 new road-building proposals in the government's recently unveiled ten-year transport plan. Rebecca Lush went on to found Road Block in 2005, which became part of the Campaign for Better Transport in 2007. Veteran road protester Chris Gillham believes that his efforts in protesting against Twyford Down, where he took an active role in confronting security officers and crawling under razor wire, helped later road schemes, such as the Hindhead Tunnel to be planned with greater consideration about the environment. In 2012, several of the original protesters returned to the down to hold a 20th anniversary celebration of the protest.
Twyford Down became part of the western extremity of the South Downs National Park in 2011, having previously been designated as part of the East Hampshire AONB (Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty).
## Cultural references
The acid jazz band Galliano released a 1994 single "Twyford Down" in response to the M3 road building.
## See also
- Environmental direct action in the United Kingdom
- M11 link road protest
- Newbury bypass
- Road protest in the United Kingdom
|
82,957 |
Stapes
| 1,148,201,157 |
Bone in the middle ear
|
[
"Auditory system",
"Ossicles",
"Skeletal system",
"Skull"
] |
The stapes or stirrup is a bone in the middle ear of humans and other animals which is involved in the conduction of sound vibrations to the inner ear. This bone is connected to the oval window by its annular ligament, which allows the footplate to transmit sound energy through the oval window into the inner ear. The stapes is the smallest and lightest bone in the human body, and is so-called because of its resemblance to a stirrup (Latin: Stapes).
## Structure
The stapes is the third bone of the three ossicles in the middle ear and the smallest in the human body. It measures roughly 2 to 3 mm, greater along the head-base span. It rests on the oval window, to which it is connected by an annular ligament and articulates with the incus, or anvil through the incudostapedial joint. They are connected by anterior and posterior limbs (Latin: crura).
### Development
The stapes develops from the second pharyngeal arch during the sixth to eighth week of embryological life. The central cavity of the stapes, the obturator foramen, is due to the presence embryologically of the stapedial artery, which usually regresses in humans during normal development.
### Animals
The stapes is one of three ossicles in mammals. In non-mammalian tetrapods, the bone homologous to the stapes is usually called the columella; however, in reptiles, either term may be used. In fish, the homologous bone is called the hyomandibular, and is part of the gill arch supporting either the spiracle or the jaw, depending on the species. The equivalent term in amphibians is the pars media plectra.
### Variation
The stapes appears to be relatively constant in size in different ethnic groups. In 0.01–0.02% of people, the stapedial artery does not regress, and persists in the central foramen. In this case, a pulsatile sound may be heard in the affected ear, or there may be no symptoms at all. Rarely, the stapes may be completely absent.
## Function
Situated between the incus and the inner ear, the stapes transmits sound vibrations from the incus to the oval window, a membrane-covered opening to the inner ear. The stapes is also stabilized by the stapedius muscle, which is innervated by the facial nerve.
## Clinical relevance
Otosclerosis is a congenital or spontaneous-onset disease characterized by abnormal bone remodeling in the inner ear. Often this causes the stapes to adhere to the oval window, which impedes its ability to conduct sound, and is a cause of conductive hearing loss. Clinical otosclerosis is found in about 1% of people, although it is more common in forms that do not cause noticeable hearing loss. Otosclerosis is more likely in young age groups, and females. Two common treatments are stapedectomy, the surgical removal of the stapes and replacement with an artificial prosthesis, and stapedotomy, the creation of a small hole in the base of the stapes followed by the insertion of an artificial prosthesis into that hole. Surgery may be complicated by a persistent stapedial artery, fibrosis-related damage to the base of the bone, or obliterative otosclerosis, resulting in obliteration of the base.
## History
The stapes is commonly described as having been discovered by the professor Giovanni Filippo Ingrassia in 1546 at the University of Naples, although this remains the nature of some controversy, as Ingrassia's description was published posthumously in his 1603 anatomical commentary In Galeni librum de ossibus doctissima et expectatissima commentaria. Spanish anatomist Pedro Jimeno is first to have been credited with a published description, in Dialogus de re medica (1549). The bone is so-named because of its resemblance to a stirrup (Latin: stapes), an example of a late Latin word, probably created in mediaeval times from "to stand" (Latin: stapia), as stirrups did not exist in the early Latin-speaking world.
|
1,147,273 |
Australian Crawl
| 1,171,477,295 |
Australian rock band
|
[
"1978 establishments in Australia",
"1986 disestablishments in Australia",
"ARIA Award winners",
"ARIA Hall of Fame inductees",
"Australian Crawl",
"EMI Group artists",
"Musical groups disestablished in 1986",
"Musical groups established in 1978",
"Pub rock musical groups",
"Victoria (state) musical groups"
] |
Australian Crawl (often called Aussie Crawl or The Crawl by fans) were an Australian rock band founded by James Reyne (lead vocals/ piano/ harmonica), Brad Robinson (rhythm guitar), Paul Williams (bass), Simon Binks (lead guitar) and David Reyne (drums) in Melbourne in 1978. David Reyne soon left and was replaced by Bill McDonough (drums, percussion). They were later joined by his brother Guy McDonough (vocals, rhythm guitar). The band was named after the front crawl swimming style also known as the Australian crawl.
Australian Crawl were associated with surf music and sponsored a surfing competition in 1984. However, they also handled broader social issues such as shallow materialism, alcoholism, car accidents, and cautionary tales of romance.
After their 1980 debut album, The Boys Light Up, reached No. 4, Australian Crawl had two No. 1 albums; 1981's Sirocco and 1982's Sons of Beaches. Their early singles reached the top 25 but none broke into the Top Ten; their best performing single was No. 1 hit "Reckless" which showed a more mature approach than earlier hits, and came from their 1983 Semantics EP.
Upheaval within the band occurred from 1983 onwards. First, Bill McDonough left in 1983, then his brother Guy McDonough died in 1984 and finally, Paul Williams departed in 1985. Their 1985 release Between a Rock and a Hard Place was expensive but sales were disappointing and they disbanded early in 1986. The band's status as an icon on the Australian music scene was acknowledged by induction into the 1996 Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) Hall of Fame. Hospitalised with lymphoma, founding guitarist Brad Robinson was unable to attend the Hall of Fame induction in person. He died two weeks later.
## Biography
### 1975–1979: formation and "Beautiful People"
The band Spiff Rouch formed in 1976 in the Mornington Peninsula suburb of Mount Eliza on the outskirts of Melbourne. The group lineup featured James Reyne, brothers Bill and Guy McDonough, Paul Williams, Robert Walker and Simon Binks. Reyne had previously played drums for Archie Slammit and the Doors.
By early 1978 Spiff Rouch had separated into two groups: The Flatheads (including the McDonough brothers and Walker, along with Sean Higgins and Nigel Spencer) and Australian Crawl. The original lineup for the latter was Reyne as vocalist, Binks on lead guitar, Williams on bass guitar, along with Reyne's younger brother David Reyne on drums and schoolmate Brad Robinson on rhythm guitar. Australian Crawl performed their first live gig in October 1978 and toured the pub circuit.
David Reyne left the group in 1979 to finish his acting course, later becoming an actor and TV presenter as well as drumming for Cats Under Pressure and the Chantoozies (1986–1990). He was replaced in Australian Crawl by Bill McDonough. The group's popularity in the Mornington Peninsula area increased with further pub gigs, then they gained audiences with university students and inner city residents.
Once the band's escalating popularity brought them into Melbourne they caught the attention of Little River Band's guitarist David Briggs, who helped them gain a recording contract with EMI and he produced their first single. "Beautiful People" (1979) reached No. 22 on the national charts. Reyne had co-written the song with guitarist Mark Hudson in 1975. The track included references to the shallow materialism of residents of Toorak and to the Bombay Rock night club in Brunswick.
Just days before recording "Beautiful People" Reyne had been hit by a car on Swanston Street, Melbourne, breaking bones in both wrists, an episode later chronicled in the track "Indisposed". Australian Crawl made one of the most memorable debuts on Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) TV series Countdown performing "Beautiful People" as Reyne still had both arms encased in plaster. "Beautiful People" remains one of their most popular songs according to listeners of Triple M in 2007.
### 1980 The Boys Light Up
Australian Crawl's debut album, The Boys Light Up (1980), also produced by Briggs for EMI, had a number of hit singles with songwriting shared around the group and beyond. Tracks from this album included the previously released single "Beautiful People", the title track (written by Reyne and Mark Hudson); "Indisposed" (Brad Robinson, James Robinson, Reyne, Bill McDonough) and "Downhearted" (Sean Higgins, Guy McDonough, Bill McDonough) (from The Flatheads).
"The Boys Light Up", their second single, was almost banned from radio play due to its explicit lyrics. Many listeners believed the chorus lyrics were about smoking marijuana but Reyne has stated that it was about smoking tobacco cigarettes at school. It also reached No. 22 on the National charts and became their signature song and their most popular track especially live. Their third single "Downhearted" charted higher at \#12 and was a cautionary tale of romance gone wrong.
The Boys Light Up reached No. 4 on the Australian album charts and remained in the charts for an unbroken 101 weeks. It sold five times platinum: over 280,000 copies, and became one of the biggest Australian albums of the 1980s.
Singer/guitarist/songwriter Guy McDonough (ex-The Flatheads and Bill's younger brother) joined the group in October 1980.
Rock journalist and commentator Glenn A. Baker compared Australian Crawl with various fellow Australian bands:
> Australian Crawl seemed to step out of a tourism poster... Spruce, lean, tanned and young... They swam, they surfed, they radiated a healthy, wholly Australian aura... If Skyhooks has personified the bodgie larrikin and Cold Chisel the hard drinking working class man, Australian Crawl turned the bronzed lifesaver into a pop idol... Crawl songs seemed to eulogise hedonism, adventure and the great outdoors for an audience that couldn't be bothered with Midnight Oil's politics.
However, according to James Reyne some people accused them of being demonic. He said whenever you bumped into the member of Little River Band who had found God, he'd tell him "you shouldn't be playing that, it's demonic".
### 1981–1982: Sirocco and Sons of Beaches
In 1981, Australian Crawl recorded their second album, Sirocco, with producer Peter Dawkins in Sydney. Named for Errol Flynn's yacht, the album peaked at No. 1 on the Australian album chart on 3 August and remained there for six weeks. At about this time Robinson was married to actress Kerry Armstrong, later an Australian Film Institute Award winner, who co-wrote a track "Easy on Your Own" for the album.
Sirocco spawned the hit singles "Things Don't Seem" (May, No. 11 National charts) and "Errol" (August, \#18). It also included "Oh No Not You Again" (November). Of these, "Errol" about womanising Tasmanian-born actor Flynn is the band's third most popular song of all. Another track from the album, "Lakeside", became a popular radio inclusion. 1981 Australian End of Year Album Charts has Sirocco at No. 2 behind Double Fantasy by John Lennon and ahead of AC/DC's Back in Black making it the best charting album by an Australian act.
Another track on this album, Unpublished Critics has been compared several times to the later song "Sweet Child o' Mine" by US band Guns N' Roses, as acknowledged by the writer of Unpublished Critics, James Reyne. He was responding to media comments in May 2015 about the possibility of plagiarism by the American band. Duff McKagan, who was bass player with Guns N' Roses when "Sweet Child o' Mine" was written and recorded, found the similarities between the songs "stunning," but said he had not previously heard "Unpublished Critics."
On the wave of popularity the band toured extensively playing to huge crowds at Melbourne's Myer Music Bowl (10,000), Sydney's Domain (90,000), the Narara Rock festival (70,000), smashing attendance records at indoor venues in Brisbane and Perth. They were voted Countdown 1981 Most Popular Group, and James Reyne was voted 1980 and 1981 Most Popular Male Performer.
Sons of Beaches (1982) was recorded in Hawaii with expatriate Australian Mike Chapman producing. The album had a rougher, rock 'n' roll edge than its glossy pop rock predecessors and featured the No. 17 hit "Shut Down" (June). It also included a re-recorded version of "Downhearted" and became their second album to reach No. 1 on the Australian albums chart and remained there for five weeks. EMI issued the album in the USA. Two further singles, "Daughters of the Northern Coast" (August) and "Runaway Girls" (November) failed to reach the Australian Top 40.
Over 1982 and 1983, Reyne was filmed with Australian actresses Rebecca Gilling and Wendy Hughes in the television miniseries Return to Eden, which was screened in September 1983. For Reyne's role of playboy tennis professional Greg Marsden, he was given the 1984 "Most Popular New Talent Award" at the TV Week Logie Awards. Reyne later declared he was not very good in the part, declining many acting offers since. During breaks in filming, the singer accepted an offer from Paul Christie (Mondo Rock) and Kevin Borich to join their part-time band The Party Boys with Harvey James from Sherbet and Graham Bidstrup from The Angels. The group played a short run of shows around Sydney venues and played covers exclusively. The resultant album, Live at Several 21sts, peaked at No. 9 on the national chart.
### 1983–1984: "Reckless", Semantics and Phalanx
Soon after Reyne finished acting for Return to Eden, Bill McDonough left due to tensions within the band. The remaining members then recorded the EP Semantics (1983) with Bidstrup (from The Party Boys, later a founder of GANGgajang) on drums. The four track EP contained their best-known song, "Reckless" (aka "Don't Be So Reckless", "She Don't Like That") which was written by Reyne, and went to No. 1 on the Australian singles chart on 28 November. John Watson (Kevin Borich Express) then came in as a permanent replacement for McDonough. The live album Phalanx was something of a stop-gap measure between studio albums, nevertheless it reached No. 4 during December. The band's biggest overseas break came when Duran Duran took the band as support on certain legs of their "Sing Blue Silver" tour of the UK.
US label Geffen Records signed Australian Crawl and issued Semantics (1984) as an album (with the four songs from the EP and re-recordings of tracks from past Australian records) for the international market. In April 1984 Australian Crawl became the first Australian band to sponsor an ASP surfing competition. The Rip Curl/Australian Crawl Bell's Beach Surfing Festival was won by Australian surfer, Cheyne Horan.
In June 1984 the band was forced off the road when Guy McDonough was admitted to hospital in Melbourne; he died soon after of viral pneumonia. Australian Crawl regrouped with Mark Greig on guitar (ex-Runners) for a series of live performances in late 1984. Prior to Guy's death, he had recorded demos with his brother Bill McDonough (drums, percussion), Sean Higgins (synthesisers) and Nigel Spencer (bass, synthesisers), (all former The Flatheads); and Mick Hauser (saxophone) and Michael Bright (guitar). Bill McDonough assembled the tapes and produced Guy McDonough's posthumous album My Place on Wheatley Records in April 1985. Singles "My Place" / "Things Don't Seem" and "What's in it For Me" / "Hook, Line and Sinker" were also released. "Things Don't Seem" written by Guy McDonough and Sean Higgins, had been released as an Australian Crawl single in 1981 off Sirocco. Tracks from these sessions were re-mastered and released on Lost & Found in 1996.
### 1985–1986: Between a Rock and a Hard Place, The Final Wave and split
By 1985 the group recorded their last studio album, Between a Rock and a Hard Place, with English producer Adam Kidron. It was released in Australia on Australian Crawl's own label Freestyle Records. The album, which allegedly cost \$400,000 to record, was a mishmash of styles and a commercial disaster (it peaked at No. 12 in August 1985 but slipped out of the Top 40 two weeks later). None of the singles had any Top 40 chart success. Harry Brus (Kevin Borich Express) replaced long-standing bass player Paul Williams in May 1985. The band performed three songs for the July 1985 Oz for Africa concert—part of the global Live Aid program—"Reckless (Don't Be So)", "Two Can Play" and "The Boys Light Up". It was broadcast in Australia (on both Seven Network and Nine Network) and on MTV in the US.
When the album virtually failed to chart, the band was ready to split but had to go out on tour to pay off its debts. On 27 January 1986, their final Melbourne concert was recorded and released as the live album The Final Wave in October. The band performed its final concert on 1 February at the Perth Entertainment Centre.
> We really enjoy Perth, and have a lot of friends there, so it was a conscious decision to play our final show there. Besides, everybody expected us to play the last show back in Melbourne, so stuff 'em.
In seven years, Australian Crawl had sold over one million records in Australia, with five of its albums and an EP reaching the Australian Top 5 Album Charts, two of which had been No. 1 hits. A cumulative total of eleven weeks at Number 1 on the Albums Charts places them equal fourth for Australian groups behind Skyhooks, The Seekers and Midnight Oil.
### 1986–1995: Solo careers
In 1985, Lin Buckfield (Electric Pandas) and Reyne released a duet single "R.O.C.K." / "Under My Thumb". After Australian Crawl disbanded, Reyne went on to a solo career. His first few singles failed to chart but 1987's "Fall of Rome" and the self-titled album that followed were the beginning of a string of hits that lasted until the early 1990s. In 1992 he and James Blundell had a hit with a cover of The Dingoes' "Way Out West" (#2, May 1992). Reyne also formed Company of Strangers that year with former Sherbet lead singer Daryl Braithwaite, Simon Hussey and Jef Scott. Company of Strangers only released one self-titled album, Company of Strangers in 1992, which produced the hits "Motor City (I Get Lost)" (#26, September 1992), "Sweet Love" (#21, January 1993) and "Daddy's Gonna Make You a Star" (#35, March 1993).
In 1993 Reyne appeared as Tina Turner's manager Roger Davies in What's Love Got to do With It?. He featured in twelve episodes of State Coroner during 1998 and in 2003's The Postcard Bandit. Reyne lives on the Mornington Peninsula with his partner, Tina, and a daughter. He has released his eighth solo studio album, Every Man a King (2007) and still performs occasionally.
Almost immediately after the split Robinson became manager of Chantoozies (with early Crawl drummer David Reyne). Their first single, "The Witch Queen of New Orleans" (1986), a cover of Redbone's song, reached No. 4 on the National charts. Robinson then moved into a career in television (with Network Ten's Page One) and as a co-producer of documentaries. In the 1990s he became the manager for the Reyne brothers and worked as an agent for the Advantage Sports Management Group. This included managing Australian tennis player Mark Philippoussis. Three years after being diagnosed with lymphoma, Robinson died on 13 October 1996.
Paul Williams, who had left the band in 1985, played in the Broderick Smith Band in 1987 and has worked in music-related retail. Simon Binks and Mark Greig both played in the Broderick Smith Band in 1988. Simon Binks was injured in a 1995 car crash at a council roadworks that left him slightly brain-damaged. A court in 2006 awarded him \$330,253 in damages, down from an estimated \$750,000 because he was said to be over the legal limit. Binks later disputed the alcohol reading as belonging to another driver and stated the remuneration mostly went to his lawyers. A 2007 appeal by the council, saw amount awarded further reduced to \$304,750.
### 1996–present: ARIA Hall of Fame and compilations
In 1996, a compilation titled Lost & Found was released. It contained seven of the tracks from Guy McDonough's solo album My Place which were remastered. Compilers and producers of Lost & Found were Bill McDonough and Peter Blyton. Lost & Found tracks from My Place include "Too Many People" a duet sung by Guy McDonough with Colin Hay of Men at Work. Some My Place tracks used on Lost & Found have Reyne singing backing vocals. As of 2001, Bill McDonough left the music industry and began working in the construction industry and continues to own and operate his building and demolition companies in 2017.
The band was inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame in September 1996. Three weeks later, Robinson died.
Additional compilation albums were released; More Wharf in 1998, Reckless: 1979–1995 in 2000 and The Definitive Collection in 2002. The Definitive Collection contained songs from the band and from James Reyne's solo career.
In 2001, as part of its 75th Anniversary celebrations, the Australian Performing Right Association (APRA) compiled a list of the Top 30 Australian songs, with "Reckless (Don't Be So)" coming in at number nineteen.
In October 2007, eleven Australian Crawl tracks were featured in the Triple M Essential 2007 Countdown of songs (positions are voted by listeners out of the best 2007 songs of all time). They were "Hoochie Gucci Fiorucci Mama" \#1673; "Lakeside" \#1354; "Indisposed" \#956; "Downhearted" \#728; "Oh No Not You Again" \#587; "Shut Down" \#415; "Things Don't Seem" \#371; "Boys Light Up" \#305; "Errol" \#227; "Beautiful People" \#153; and "Reckless" \#39.
In January 2014, Universal Music Australia celebrated the 35th anniversary of the release of "Beautiful People" by releasing The Greatest Hits, which peaked at number 4 and was the 40th best selling album in Australian in 2014.
In October 2016, Australian Crawl released a seven album vinyl collection, titled The Album Collection. The collection included the band's four studio albums, two live albums and the US-expanded version of the Semantics album which had previously been unavailable to Australian audiences.
## Members
Chronological list:
- Simon Binks – guitars (1978–1986)
- David Reyne – drums (1978)
- James Reyne – vocals, guitars, keyboards, harmonica (1978–1986)
- Brad Robinson (d. 1996) – guitars, keyboards (1978–1986)
- Paul Williams – bass guitar (1978–1985)
- Bill McDonough – drums (replaced David Reyne) (1978–1983)
- Guy McDonough (d. 1984) – vocals, guitar (1980–1984)
- Graham "Buzz" Bidstrup – drums (replaced Bill McDonough) (1983)
- John Watson – drums (replaced Bidstrup) (1983–1986)
- Mark Greig – guitars (replaced Guy McDonough) (1984–1986)
- Harry Brus – bass guitar (replaced Williams) (1985–1986)
## Discography
- The Boys Light Up (1980)
- Sirocco (1981)
- Sons of Beaches (1982)
- Semantics (1983 EP / 1984 LP)
- Phalanx (1983)
- Between a Rock and a Hard Place (1985)
- The Final Wave (1986)
## Awards and nominations
### ARIA Music Awards
The ARIA Music Awards is an annual awards ceremony that recognises excellence, innovation, and achievement across all genres of Australian music. They commenced in 1987. Australian Crawl were inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1996.
\|- \| 1987 \| Art Scarff for The Final Wave by Australian Crawl \| ARIA Award for Best Cover Art \| \|- \| 1996 \| Australian Crawl \| ARIA Hall of Fame \|
### TV Week / Countdown Awards
Countdown was an Australian pop music TV series on national broadcaster ABC-TV from 1974–1987, it presented music awards from 1979–1987, initially in conjunction with magazine TV Week. The TV Week / Countdown Awards were a combination of popular-voted and peer-voted awards.
\|- \| rowspan="5" \|1980 \| "Downhearted" \| Best Single Record \| \|- \| rowspan="2" \| The Boys Light Up \| Best Australian Record Cover Design \| \|- \| Most Popular Record \| \|- \| Themselves \| Most Popular Group \| \|- \| James Reyne (Australian Crawl) \| Most Popular Male Performer \| \|- \| rowspan="3" \|1981 \| Sirocco \| Best Australian Album \| \|- \| Themselves \| Most Popular Group \| \|- \| James Reyne (Australian Crawl) \| Most Popular Male Performer \| \|- \| 1982 \| Themselves \| Most Popular Group \| \|- \| rowspan="3" \| 1983 \| Mark Opitz for work with Australian Crawl \| Best Record Producer of the Year \| \|- \| Themselves \| Most Popular Group \| \|- \| James Reyne (Australian Crawl) \| Most Popular Male Performer \| \|-
|
2,231,045 |
Hours (David Bowie album)
| 1,170,943,738 |
1999 studio album by David Bowie
|
[
"1999 albums",
"Albums produced by David Bowie",
"Albums produced by Reeves Gabrels",
"Art pop albums",
"David Bowie albums",
"Virgin Records albums"
] |
Hours (stylised as 'hours...' ) is the 22nd studio album by English musician David Bowie. It was originally released on 21 September 1999 through the Internet on the artist's website BowieNet, followed by a physical CD release on 4 October through Virgin Records. It was one of the first albums by a major artist available to download over the Internet. Originating as a soundtrack to the video game Omikron: The Nomad Soul (1999), Hours was the final collaboration between Bowie and guitarist Reeves Gabrels, with whom he had worked since 1988. The album was recorded in mid-1999 between studios in Bermuda and New York City. A song contest conducted on BowieNet in late 1998 resulted in a fan contributing lyrics and backing vocals to one of the tracks.
In contrast to the experimental nature of Bowie's other works throughout the decade, Hours presents a pop rock and art pop style reminiscent of 1971's Hunky Dory, further evoking styles and ideals previously explored on Bowie's past works. The lyrics are introspective, detailing topics such as the collapse of relationships and subjects of angst. Also present are overtly Christian themes, which is reflected in the cover artwork. Inspired by the Pietà, it depicts the short-haired Bowie persona from the Earthling era, resting in the arms of a long-haired, more youthful version of Bowie. The title, originally The Dreamers, is a play on "ours".
Accompanied by multiple UK top 40 singles, Hours peaked at number five on the UK Albums Chart but was Bowie's first album to miss the US Billboard 200 top 40 since 1972. It also received mixed reviews from music critics, many of whom praised individual tracks but criticised the album as a whole, sentiments echoed by later reviewers. Bowie promoted the album through the Hours Tour and various television appearances. Retrospective lists ranking all of Bowie's studio albums have placed Hours among Bowie's weaker efforts. The album was reissued with bonus tracks in 2004 and remastered in 2021 for inclusion on the box set Brilliant Adventure (1992–2001).
## Background and writing
After maintaining a relatively large media profile throughout 1997, David Bowie retreated from the limelight in 1998, primarily devoting his time to ventures outside of music, such as establishing his website BowieNet, but nevertheless continued making film appearances. He mixed a potential live album from the Earthling Tour, later released in 1999 as LiveAndWell.com, but was mostly inactive in the studio throughout 1998; his sole recording from the year was a cover of George and Ira Gershwin's "A Foggy Day in London Town", which appeared on the Red Hot + Rhapsody: The Gershwin Groove compilation. He also reconciled with his former collaborator and producer Tony Visconti.
In late 1998, Bowie composed the soundtrack for the upcoming video game Omikron: The Nomad Soul, developed by Quantic Dream and published by Eidos Interactive. Writer and director David Cage chose him over a list of applicants including Björk, Massive Attack and Archive. Biographer Nicholas Pegg contends that Bowie was drawn to the game due to its Buddhist overtones, noting that when a character died, he or she was reincarnated. Along with composing the music, Bowie appeared in the game, along with guitarist Reeves Gabrels and bassist Gail Ann Dorsey, as the singer of an in-game band performing gigs in the bars of Omikron City.
The Omikron project was the springboard for Bowie's next studio album. Between late 1998 and early 1999, he and Gabrels amassed a large number of songs, some of which were written for Omikron and others for a Gabrels solo album, including "Survive", "The Pretty Things Are Going to Hell" and the B-side "We All Go Through". Unlike the experimental cut-up nature of Bowie's other 1990s recordings, the tracks were written in a more conventional style reminiscent of his mid-1980s works. He explained: "There was very little experimentation in the studio. A lot of it was just straightforward songwriting." As a result, the demos were primarily written on guitar, while "Thursday's Child" and "The Dreamers" were written on keyboards. Gabrels stated that Omikron provided the musical direction for the songs, elaborating:
> Firstly, we sat down and wrote songs with just guitar and keyboard before going into the studio. Secondly, the characters we appear as in the game, performing the songs, are street/protest singers and so needed a more singer-songwriter approach. And lastly, it was the opposite approach from the usual cheesy industrial metal music one would normally get.
At an E3 press conference in 1999, Bowie said that his main priority was to imbue Omikron with "emotional subtext" and regarded this as a success. In the end, the game featured variants of most Hours tracks except "If I'm Dreaming My Life", "Brilliant Adventure" and "What's Really Happening?", along with "We All Go Through". Various instrumentals also appeared in the game, some of which were further developed for release as B-sides.
## Recording
After Bowie completed collaborations with the band Placebo in February and March 1999, he and Gabrels entered Seaview Studios in Bermuda—his new residence after he sold his home in Switzerland—the following month to commence recording. Bowie and Gabrels completed most of the work by themselves, although musician Mark Plati and drummer Sterling Campbell, who played on Earthling (1997) and Outside (1995), respectively, returned to contribute. Other musicians Bowie hired included Mike Levesque on drums and percussion, Everett Bradley on percussion ("Seven"), Chris Haskett on rhythm guitar ("If I'm Dreaming My Life") and Marcus Salisbury on electric bass ("New Angels of Promise"). Bowie initially wanted R&B trio TLC to perform backing vocals for "Thursday's Child", but the idea was vetoed by Gabrels, who instead hired his friend Holly Palmer; she later joined Bowie's touring band.
In late 1998, Bowie launched a songwriting competition on BowieNet where the winner earned a chance to complete the lyrics for "What's Really Happening?". He or she would also earn the chance to be flown to New York to observe the recording session. Ohio native Alex Grant was revealed as the winner in January 1999 and was flown to New York for the vocal and overdub session on 24 May, which was broadcast live on BowieNet. Grant also contributed backing vocals. On the experience, Bowie stated: "The most gratifying part of the evening for me was being able to encourage Alex and his pal Larry to sing on the song that he had written." Plati later commended the idea to biographer Marc Spitz, saying that "it was a new way to reach out to his fans".
Unlike the quick rush of the Earthling sessions, the sessions for Hours were more relaxed and Bowie himself was calmer. When speaking with biographer David Buckley, Plati described having leisurely conversations with Bowie and Gabrels about the Internet and contemporary topics of the time. Nevertheless, disagreements arose between Bowie and Gabrels regarding the musical direction. The latter wanted to do an Earthling follow-up in a manner similar to Ziggy Stardust (1972) and Aladdin Sane (1973). Later on, he revealed that Hours initially sounded like Diamond Dogs (1974). He was also frustrated at the hiring of Plati and the demotion of "We All Go Through" and "1917" to B-side status. According to O'Leary, the finished album was mixed and mastered by June.
## Music and lyrics
Hours marks a major departure from the experimental nature of its two predecessors. Deduced by Plati as "the anti-Earthling", it represents a style more akin to the acoustic and conventional textures of 1971's Hunky Dory. Author James E. Perone writes that the record evokes folk rock, 1960s soul and rock, while retrospective commentators have categorised it as pop rock and art pop.
Several themes pervade Hours. Surmised by Perone as "Bowie's angels album", Hours encompasses overtly Christian themes last seen on the Station to Station track "Word on a Wing" (1976); it contains paraphrases from the Bible and the poetry of John Donne, along with numerous references to life and death, heaven and hell, "gods", "hymns" and "angels". Some analysed the tracks as Bowie looking at his own mortality. Additionally, the use of the number seven on "Thursday's Child" and "Seven" led Perone to deduce: "The number that governs the passing of days into words appears in several guises. The listener is left with the feeling that not only is the passage of time controlled by some indefinable supreme power, but possibly are the events of one's life."
With an overall ideal of introspection, "Something in the Air" and "Survive" examine the downfall of relationships, "If I'm Dreaming My Life" and "Seven" question the reliability of memory, while "What's Really Happening?", "The Dreamers" and "The Pretty Things Are Going to Hell" reflect the helplessness of age felt when meditating on life. Bowie explained that "I wanted to capture a kind of universal angst felt by many people of my age. You could say that I am attempting to write some songs for my generation. Due to the retrospection of the material, some commentators wondered if Hours was autobiographical, to which Bowie refuted, telling Uncut:
> It's a more personal piece but I hesitate to say it's autobiographical. In a way, it self-evidently isn't. I also hate to say it's a 'character', so I have to be careful there. It is fiction. And the progenitor of this piece is obviously a man who is fairly disillusioned. He's not a happy man. Whereas I am an incredibly happy man! ... I was trying to capture elements of how, often, one feels at this age ... There's not much concept behind it. It's really a bunch of songs, but I guess the one through-line is that they deal with a man looking back over his life.
### Songs
Album opener "Thursday's Child" establishes the introspective mood of the album, reflecting a theme of optimism. Its title comes from Eartha Kitt's autobiography. Using an R&B style, the song follows a "born out of [his] time" character who sees hope for the future. "Something in the Air" contains numerous musical and lyrical references to Bowie's past work, from "All the Young Dudes" (1972) to "Seven Years in Tibet" (1997). It dissects the collapse of a relationship and was examined by Bowie as "probably the most tragic song on the album". "Survive" was reportedly Bowie's favourite song on the album. Musically, it is highly reminiscent of Hunky Dory while lyrically, it is, in Spitz's words, "haunted by regret". The female character is abstract; in O'Leary's words, "a place-filler used by a sad man to stand for his loss of potential." Pegg deems the longest track on the album, "If I'm Dreaming My Life", as a "turgid interlude" between "Survive" and "Seven". Similar to other tracks, the lyrics concern a relationship. Containing a "sprawling" musical structure, Spitz finds it "musically indecisive" but thematically fits the overall album.
Described by Bowie as "a song of nowness", "Seven" uses the days of the week as "an index of time", similar to "Thursday's Child". On the appearance of a mother, father and brother in the lyrics, Bowie denied allegations that the track was autobiographical, telling Q magazine's David Quantick: "They're not necessarily my mother, father and brother, it was the nuclear unit thing." "What's Really Happening?" is the first of two harder rocking songs on the album compared to the sombre quality of the previous tracks. The title asserts the theme of "mistrust of reality and memory", while Grant's lyrics fit the overall "chronometric" concept. According to O'Leary, it was originally planned as a BowieNet-exclusive track before being placed on Hours. "The Pretty Things Are Going to Hell" is "the rockiest piece" on Hours. Buckley and Dave Thompson believe that it harkens back to Bowie's glam rock period of the early 1970s. Incidentally, the title recalls material from that era, particularly Hunky Dory, Pin Ups and the Stooges' Raw Power, which Bowie mixed. The lyrics recall themes previously showcased in "Changes" (1971) and the Scary Monsters tracks "Teenage Wildlife" and "Fashion" (1980). Perone finds that it presents a counterbalance to the positivism of "Thursday's Child". The song was first released in remixed form in the film Stigmata (1999) and its accompanying soundtrack; this version also appeared in Omikron.
"New Angels of Promise" musically and lyrically revisits Bowie's late 1970s Berlin Trilogy, particularly "Sons of the Silent Age" (1977). The concept reflects the Christian themes throughout the album, as an "angel of promise" is an angel who, in O'Leary's words, "heralds a covenant with God". Originally titled "Omikron", it featured heavily in the Omikron game. "Brilliant Adventure" is a short Japanese-influenced instrumental that harkens back to "Heroes" (1977), particularly the instrumentals "Sense of Doubt" and "Moss Garden"; like the former, the track uses the Japanese koto. Perone believes it does not fit the album concept or theme, while O'Leary states that it links the two tracks it is sequenced between. The lyrics of "The Dreamers" dissect a traveller who is past his prime. Like other tracks on the album, it musically recalls Bowie's past works. An "easy-listening" version appeared in Omikron. O'Leary finds a demo-like quality to the recording, noting its "acerbic chord structure, shifting rhythms [and] lengthy coda".
## Artwork and title
The cover artwork for Hours depicts the short-haired Bowie persona from the intensely energetic Earthling exhausted, resting in the arms of a long-haired, more youthful version of Bowie. The artwork reflects the Christian themes of the tracks and was inspired by the Pietà, which depicts the Virgin Mary cradling the dead body of Jesus. Bowie acknowledged the inspiration, further explaining, "since I didn't want to wear a dress anymore, we made it a man. It can be visualised as life and death, past and present". Pegg interpreted the artwork as the closing of a career phase and the beginning of a new one. The back cover depicts a serpent alongside three versions of Bowie that Pegg states represent "the Fall of Man: Adam, Eve and the central figure of God", forming a theme of "Fall and Redemption". For the album's initial release, a number of copies featured a lenticular version of the cover, lending a three-dimensional effect to the image.
The artwork was taken by photographer Tim Bret Day at Big Sky Studios in Ladbroke Grove, West London. An outtake from the session depicted Bowie burning on a crucifix; this shot was included in the Hours CD booklet. Bret Day explained: "We shot Bowie and then made a dummy of him and set the whole thing alight ... Lee Stewart did the rest in post-production," intending to represent the "burning [of] the old". Graphic designer Rex Ray created the typography for the cover, which featured letters and numerals swapped around overlaying a barcode design. The cover has received negative responses, with Trynka panning it as "a hammy mix of designer clutter and mawkishness". Consequence of Sound's David Sackllah agreed, stating: "This is the most '90s cover made by an artist who was over 50 at the time, and its embarrassing sprawl is a bit of juxtaposition to the actual songs on the record."
Bowie stated that the title was intended as a play on "ours", or in Buckley's words, "an album of songs for his own generation". The album's initial title was The Dreamers, which was changed after Gabrels stated it made him think of a Mariah Carey or Celine Dion album, as well as its resemblance to Freddie and the Dreamers. Further explaining the title, Bowie stated: "[It's] about reflecting back on the time that one's lived...how long one has left to live [and] shared experience." Pegg makes comparisons to the Book of hours, a medieval book that separates the day into canonical hours one must use for prayer.
## Release
On 6 August 1999, Bowie began releasing 45-second snippets of each song on BowieNet and gave track-by-track descriptions, which was followed by a square-by-square reveal of the album cover during the ensuing month. On 21 September, Hours appeared in its entirety on BowieNet available for download, making Bowie the first major artist to release a complete album for download through the Internet. Bowie stated: "I am hopeful that this small step will lead to greater steps by myself and others, ultimately giving consumers greater choices and easier access to the music they enjoy." However, some music retailers were critical of the move. British-based retailer HMV announced: "If artists release albums on the Net before other people can buy them in the shops, it's not a level playing field. Records should be available to everyone at the same time, and not everyone has access to the Internet," and "It's unlikely that we would stock the artist in question. Retailers are not going to stand for it." Nevertheless, with the internet release, Buckley states that "Bowie had accurately foreseen the revolution in the music industry that would be brought about by the download generation."
"Thursday's Child" was released as the lead single from the album on 20 September 1999, backed by "We All Go Through" and "No One Calls". Various remixes were also issued, including a 'Rock Mix'. It reached number 16 on the UK Singles Chart. The song's music video, shot in August and directed by Walter Stern, reflects the introspective mood of the song, depicting Bowie gazing at a younger version of himself through a mirror. Pegg argues that "Seven" or "Survive" would have been better as lead singles, saying the "complex and multilayered" "Thursday's Child" was inaccessible compared to the "instant acoustic impact" of those tracks. "The Pretty Things Are Going to Hell" first appeared as an A-side in Australia and Japan in September 1999, replacing "Thursday's Child" as the first single from the album. The video was directed by Dom and Nic and shot in New York on 7 September. It depicts Bowie rehearsing the song on stage while being confronted by various characters of his past, reflecting the theme of wanting to avoid being confronted by his own past.
Hours received an official CD release on 4 October 1999 through Virgin Records. In Japan, "We All Go Through" appeared as a bonus track. It was a commercial success in the UK, peaking at number five on the UK Albums Chart, becoming Bowie's highest chart placement there since Black Tie White Noise (1993), but dropped off soon after. In the US however, it peaked at number 47 on the Billboard 200, becoming Bowie's first studio album since Ziggy Stardust to miss the top 40. Elsewhere, Hours reached the top ten in France, Germany and Italy, and the top 20 in Japan.
"Survive" was released as the third single from the album on 17 January 2000 in a new remix by English producer Marius de Vries. It reached number 28 in the UK. The music video, directed by Walter Stern, features Bowie sitting alone at a table waiting for an egg to boil before he and the egg start to float; it reflects the reflective quality of the recording. For its release as the fourth and final single on 17 July 2000, "Seven" appeared in its original demo form along with remixes by de Vries and Beck. This release reached number 32 in the UK.
## Critical reception
Hours received mixed reviews from critics on release. Among positive reviews, Mojo's Mark Paytress announced that the album was "no masterpiece" but nonetheless "crowns a trilogy that represents significantly more than a mere coda to a once-unimpeachable career." Q considered it "a richly textured and emotionally vivid set", adding that "This time around, Bowie sounds influenced by nobody except himself, and he couldn't have picked a better role model." Rolling Stone critic Greg Tate analysed the record as "an album that improves with each new hearing" and "further confirmation of Richard Pryor's observation that they call them old wise men because all them young wise men are dead". Similarly impressed, Alternative Press described Hours as "a masterpiece", adding that it "finds Bowie returning to basics he never should have left behind". Keith Philips of The A.V. Club found that the album "hits the mark more often than it misses it," highlighting "Survive", "Seven" and "What's Really Happening?".
Other reviewers gave more negative assessments. Besides "Thursday's Child", The Guardian's Adam Sweeting found the album "sludgy and laborious". Chris Willman agreed in Entertainment Weekly, praising "Thursday's Child" as "the loveliest ballad Bowie's written in an aeon", but felt the rest of the album was subpar. Both The Independent and The Observer unfavourably compared Hours to Hunky Dory, with the former calling it "fairly traditional" and "not one of his best"; the latter criticised the songs as unremarkable. Additionally, Time Out magazine dismissed the album as "Bowie's most pointless and desultory record since Tin Machine II." Spin's Barry Walters praised "Thursday's Child" but felt that throughout its runtime, the album goes from a "promising disclosure" but sinks into "another mediocre, not-quite-modern rock posture", giving the album a six out of ten.
Ryan Schreiber of Pitchfork criticised the album, saying: "Hours opts for a spacy, but nonetheless adult-contemporary sound that comes across with all the vitality and energy of a rotting log." He further stated: "No, it's not a new low, but that doesn't mean it's not embarrassing." PopMatters writer Sarah Zupko found many of the tracks have poor pacing, leading to "a frankly uncomfortable state of boredom". She ultimately scored the album a four out of ten and concluded: "David Bowie is much too good for this." Writing for Select, John Mullen recognised the album as an improvement over Earthling, but likened Bowie to a "more high-brow" version of Sting and concluded: "Even on the personal exorcism of 'Seven' there's a lack of urgency that suggests that the 'confessional' is just another style Bowie's trying out for size."
## Promotion
Bowie promoted the album on the Hours Tour, which consisted of eight shows; it commenced on 23 August 1999 and ended three months later on 12 December. The first date of the tour—Bowie's first live set since the end of the Earthling Tour—was a performance at Manhattan Center Studios for VH1's Storytellers series. Of his appearance, VH1 executive producer Bill Flanagan stated: "This is going to be the best thing that VH1 has ever shown. Scratch that, this is probably the best thing you're going to see on TV this year." Broadcast in edited form on 18 October, the full performance was later released in 2009 as VH1 Storytellers. The Storytellers performance was also Bowie's final work with Gabrels, one of his regular collaborators since the formation of Tin Machine in 1988; Plati took over as bandleader. After Bowie's death in 2016, Gabrels said of his departure:
> I was running out of ideas for him. I was afraid that if I stayed, I would become a bitter kind of person. I'm sure you've spoken to people who have done one thing for too long, and they start to lose respect for the people they work for, and I didn't want to be that guy. The most logical thing for me to do at that point was to leave and do something else. I departed on good terms.
Personnel-wise, the tour consisted of returning members from the Earthling Tour, although drummer Zack Alford was replaced with Campbell. Starting in late September, Bowie made numerous television appearances to promote Hours, including on The Howard Stern Show, Late Show with David Letterman, Late Night with Conan O'Brien, Chris Evans' TFI Friday and Saturday Night Live. During the tour he primarily played in small venues, save for one appearance at the NetAid benefit concert at Wembley Stadium in late October. Performances from the tour were later released on Something in the Air (Live Paris 99) and David Bowie at the Kit Kat Klub (Live New York 99), as part of the Brilliant Live Adventures series (2020–2021).
Songs played during the tour included Hours material, various hits such as "Life on Mars?" (1971) and "Rebel Rebel" (1974), as well as tracks Bowie had not played in decades, such as "Drive-In Saturday" (1973) and "Word on a Wing". On performing the Hours material, returning pianist Mike Garson found the material was better live, telling Buckley he thought the studio recordings were "underdeveloped". This sentiment was echoed by Pegg, who viewed the Hours tracks as the highlights of the shows. Additionally, Bowie revived his 1966 single "Can't Help Thinking About Me", marking the first time since 1970 Bowie had performed any of his pre-Space Oddity material. Bowie re-recorded the song in the studio a year later for the Toy project.
## Legacy
Hours continues to be viewed with varying reactions. On the positive side, AllMusic editor Stephen Thomas Erlewine wrote: "It may not be one of Bowie's classics, but it's the work of a masterful musician who has begun to enjoy his craft again and isn't afraid to let things develop naturally." Following its 2004 reissue, a writer for PopMatters considered the trilogy of Hours, Heathen (2002) and Reality (2003) Bowie's finest works since Scary Monsters, arguing that whereas Outside and Earthling saw Bowie experiment with genres already viewed as outdated at the time, Hours saw him embrace a "hip and modern" sound that provided a "welcome" on release. Perone, who criticises the non-linear track sequencing, finds that the album works in expressing a message of hope to the listener and commends the growing maturity of both the music and lyrics as well as the overt spirituality throughout. Meanwhile, Spitz considers much of Hours as "strong" as its three predecessors. Observing it as "easy listening for uneasy people", he summarises: "Hours is a good record to put on the morning after you did something regrettable." Thompson hails Hours as Bowie's "latter-day masterpiece", recognising a "sense of self-contained innocence" that exemplified Hunky Dory. Besides a few tracks, he further praises the production as timeless, "an attribute that few other David Bowie albums can claim".
On the more negative side, critics praise individual tracks, from "Seven", "Thursday's Child" and "The Dreamers", to "Survive" and "Something in the Air" but find the album as a whole lackluster. In his book Starman, Trynka summarises: "Like Space Oddity [1969], Hours, for all its finely crafted moments, end[s] up being less than the sum of its parts." Calling it the "most neglected" of Bowie's later records, O'Leary describes Hours as "an unsettled, moody, lovely, sketchy, washed-out collection of unreconciled songs" and "a lesser work that knows it's lesser and takes modest pride in it. A finer album lies within it, just out of reach." Additionally, biographers have criticised the production as "thin", "underdeveloped" and "cluttered", and find the overall mood "sad", "bitter" and "refreshingly unadorned". In The Complete David Bowie, Pegg writes that the album overall "lack[s] the focus and attack of the best Bowie albums and betraying unwelcome signs of padding". Nevertheless, he concludes:
> Hours makes a less aggressive artistic statement than any Bowie album since the mid-1980s, but on its own terms it's a success: a collection of lush, melancholic and often intensely beautiful music, and a necessary stepping-stone towards a new maturity of songwriting which would soon yield more spectacular results.
In lists ranking Bowie's studio albums from worst to best, Hours has placed in the low tier. Stereogum placed it at number 22 (out of 25 at the time) in 2013. Michael Nelson stated that the "results range from decent to dull, maybe occasionally irritating". Three years later, Bryan Wawzenek of Ultimate Classic Rock placed Hours at number 22 out of 26, primarily criticising Bowie's vocal performances as sounding "tired" and the music mostly boring except for the occasional interesting melody. Sackllah ranked Hours Bowie's worst album in a 2018 Consequence of Sound list, finding it "dull and uninspired".
### Reissues
An expanded edition of the album with additional tracks was released in 2004 by Columbia Records. In January 2005, Bowie's new label ISO Records reissued Hours as a double CD set with the second CD comprising remixes, alternate versions, and single B-sides. It received its first official vinyl release in 2015. In 2021, a remastered version of the album was released on both vinyl and CD as part of the box set Brilliant Adventure (1992–2001).
## Track listing
## Personnel
According to the liner notes and biographer Nicholas Pegg.
- David Bowie – vocals, drum programming, 12-string guitar, keyboards
- Reeves Gabrels – drum programming, guitar, synthesiser programming
- Mark Plati – bass guitar, acoustic and electric 12-string guitar, synth and drum programming, mellotron ("Survive")
- Mike Levesque – drums, percussion
- Sterling Campbell – drums ("Seven", "New Angels of Promise", "The Dreamers")
- Everett Bradley – percussion ("Seven")
- Chris Haskett – rhythm guitar ("If I'm Dreaming My Life")
- Marcus Salisbury – bass guitar ("New Angels of Promise")
- Holly Palmer – background vocals ("Thursday's Child")
Technical
- David Bowie – producer
- Reeves Gabrels – producer
- Ryoji Hata – assistant engineer
- Jay Nicholas – assistant engineer
- Kevin Paul – engineer
- Andy VanDette – mastering
## Charts
### Weekly charts
### Certifications
|
3,333,946 |
Hurricane Diana (1984)
| 1,167,710,319 |
Category 4 Atlantic hurricane in 1984
|
[
"1984 Atlantic hurricane season",
"1984 in North Carolina",
"1984 meteorology",
"1984 natural disasters in the United States",
"Category 4 Atlantic hurricanes",
"Hurricanes in North Carolina",
"September 1984 events in the United States",
"Tropical cyclones in 1984"
] |
Hurricane Diana was the first major hurricane to hit the East Coast of the United States in nearly 20 years. Diana was the ninth tropical cyclone, fourth named storm, first hurricane, and first major hurricane of the 1984 Atlantic hurricane season. It caused moderate damage in North Carolina while it looped offshore and after it made landfall as a Category 2 hurricane. Forming on September 8, Diana moved northward and wandered across North Carolina for a couple of days during mid-September, dropping heavy rainfall. Once it left the state and accelerated east-northeast, Diana quickly evolved into an extratropical cyclone. Watches and warnings were issued for the storm along the East coast between eastern Florida and Virginia. Damages to the United States totaled \$65.5 million (1984 USD). Three indirect fatalities were caused by the cyclone.
## Meteorological history
The origins of Hurricane Diana can be traced back to a stalled out area of low pressure just north of the Bahamas along the tail end of a cold front on September 6. Shower and thunderstorm activity began to increase the next day but was generally disorganized. Around 1200 UTC on September 8, a ship in the vicinity of the low reported a sustained wind speed of 40 mph (65 km/h). A few hours later, based on satellite observations, the low was designated Tropical Storm Diana. With weak steering currents, Diana gradually intensified as it slowly moved towards the west over the next day, coming within 50 miles (85 km) of Cape Canaveral, Florida, before taking a sharp turn towards the north-northwest. As Diana neared Saint Augustine, Florida, it turned towards the northeast and intensified into a hurricane.
Under weak steering currents while detached to the front, Diana drifted westward, and came within 50 miles (85 km) of the Florida coast. Rather than continuing westward, where it would have hit near Cape Canaveral, Diana turned to the northwest where it paralleled the coastline. The storm, continually strengthening over the Gulf Stream, turned to the northeast and became a hurricane on September 10. On September 11 and September 12, Diana rapidly intensified to a peak of 130 mph (215 km/h) winds while remaining offshore.
An approaching frontal system caused Diana to execute a cyclonic loop, where cool, dry air caused it to weaken. The hurricane hit Wilmington, North Carolina as a weakening hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 100 mph (150 km/h) on September 13, and quickly weakened to a tropical storm over land. The high pressure system that built in after Diana looped weakened, allowing the storm to move to the north and east. After crossing the Outer Banks, Diana accelerated to the northeast, and after restrengthening to a 70 miles per hour (110 km/h) storm, became extratropical near Nova Scotia on September 16.
## Preparations
Soon after advisories were initiated, gale warnings were issued between Cape Canaveral, Florida and Virginia Beach, Virginia during the afternoon of September 8. During the morning of September 9, gale warnings were lowered south of St. Augustine, Florida. As Diana strengthened into a hurricane, hurricane watches and gale warnings were raised between St. Augustine and Oregon Inlet, North Carolina. By the morning of September 10, gale warnings were upgraded to hurricane warnings between Brunswick, Georgia and Oregon Inlet. All warnings and watches south of Brunswick were dropped at that time. By the morning of September 11, hurricane warnings were lowered south of Savannah, Georgia. That afternoon, all warnings were lowered south of Cape Romain, South Carolina.
On the morning of September 12, all warnings were lowered south of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Early in the morning of September 13, gale warnings were raised between Cape Romain and Myrtle Beach. Later that morning, hurricane warnings were lowered between Wilmington, North Carolina and Oregon Inlet, and all warnings were dropped between Cape Lookout and Virginia Beach. Gale warnings were then in effect between Wilmington and Cape Lookout. Once inland, all warnings were lowered on the afternoon of September 13. As the tropical storm moved offshore, gale warnings went into effect between the mornings of September 14 and September 15 between Cape Lookout and Chincoteague, Virginia.
Along the North Carolina coastline, state troopers were deployed to assist residents in evacuating and preparing for the hurricane. South Carolina governor Mike Daniel declared a state of emergency and placed the national guard on standby. Schools throughout the Carolinas and Georgia were closed. Most beaches were closed due to strong rip currents and beach erosion. Residents on barrier islands were urged to evacuate as waves in excess of 12 ft (3.7 m) were expected to inundate them. Approximately 94 families were relocated from their mobile homes near Beaufort, North Carolina by state officials. A 24-hour emergency operations center was also established. The Coast Guard moved all available boats in the area to a position where they could be deployed immediately if needed.
Along the Georgia coastline, The Golden Isles of Georgia were evacuated due to large swells produced by Diana. Two nursing homes in Tybee Island were evacuated and a voluntary evacuation was issued for all residents in the town. Several shelters were also opened at schools in a few counties; however, relatively few families sought refuge in them. Local schools and beaches were also closed for the duration of the storm's passage.
## Impact and aftermath
With Category 4 winds of 130 mph (210 km/h), Diana threatened to become the most intense hurricane to strike North Carolina since Hurricane Hazel in 1954. However, it looped and weakened just offshore and made landfall as a Category 2 hurricane. Because of this, Diana only caused \$65.5 million in damage (1984 USD) due to heavy flooding from up to 19 inches (480 mm) of rain, tree damage, and downed power lines. Most of the damage was experienced between Wilmington, North Carolina and Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. The Carolina Power and Light Brunswick Nuclear Power Plant recorded winds of over 75 mph, making Hurricane Diana the first hurricane to bring hurricane-force winds to a nuclear power plant. Some yard damage was seen, but the plant was mostly unaffected.
Three indirect deaths were reported from Diana. One person died from a heart attack while making hurricane preparations, and the other two were from automobile accidents. Following the storm, President Ronald Reagan declared five North Carolina counties as a federal disaster area, allowing the affected regions to receive government funds and assistance. Funds were also allocated for the repairing of roads and sewers.
## See also
- List of North Carolina hurricanes (1980–1999)
- Other storms of the same name
|
62,996,049 |
2020 Snooker Shoot Out
| 1,152,567,110 |
Snooker tournament
|
[
"2020 in English sport",
"2020 in snooker",
"European Series",
"February 2020 sports events in the United Kingdom",
"Snooker Shoot Out",
"Sport in Watford"
] |
The 2020 Shoot Out (officially the 2020 BetVictor Snooker Shoot Out) was a professional ranking snooker tournament held from 20 to 23 February 2020 at the Watford Colosseum in Watford, England. It was the 13th ranking event of the 2019–20 snooker season. It was played under a variation of the standard rules of snooker. The event was the third of four events sponsored by BetVictor, making up the 2020 European Series.
The defending champion was Thailand's Thepchaiya Un-Nooh, who defeated England's Michael Holt 1–0 (74–0) in the 2019 final. In 2020, Un-Nooh was beaten by Peter Lines in the second round. For the second consecutive year, Holt reached the final, where he defeated Zhou Yuelong 1–0 (64–1). There were four century breaks during the event, the highest being a 133 by Thor Chuan Leong. There was a prize fund of £171,000, £50,000 of which was awarded to the winner.
## Tournament format
The 2020 Snooker Shoot Out professional snooker tournament was held at the Watford Colosseum in Watford, England, between 20 and 23 February 2020. It was the 10th edition of the Snooker Shoot Out tournament, the first of which was held in 1990 as the 1990 Shoot-Out. The 2020 iteration is the 13th ranking event of the 2019–20 snooker season following the World Grand Prix and preceding the Players Championship. Each match in the Snooker Shoot Out is played over a single frame. The 2020 event had 128 participants from the World Snooker Tour and additional players were selected as wildcard entries. The event was organised by the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association (WPSA) and the World Snooker Tour.
The tournament was played using a variation of the traditional snooker rules. All matches were played over a single , each of which lasted up to 10 minutes. The event featured a variable ; shots played in the first five minutes were allowed 15 seconds while the final five had a 10-second timer. All award the opponent a . Unlike traditional snooker, if a ball does not hit a on every shot, it is a foul. Rather than a coin toss, a lag is used to choose which player . In the event of a draw, each player receives a shot at the this is known as a "blue ball shootout". The player who the ball with the from inside the and the blue ball on its spot with the opponent missing wins the match. The event was broadcast by Eurosport.
### Prize fund
The event had a prize fund of £171,000, of which the winner received £50,000. The event was the third of the "European Series", all of which were sponsored by BetVictor. The other tournaments in the series were the European Masters, German Masters and Gibraltar Open. The player accumulating the most prize money over the four events received a bonus of £150,000. The breakdown of prize money for this year is shown below:
- Winner: £50,000
- Runner-up: £20,000
- Semi-final: £8,000
- Quarter-final: £4,000
- Last 16: £2,000
- Last 32: £1,000
- Last 64: £500
- Last 128: £250 (prize money at this stage will not count towards prize money rankings)
- Highest break: £5,000
- Total: £171,000
## Tournament summary
### Early rounds
The 2020 Snooker Shoot Out began on 20 February and the first round was played during the first two days. The tournament's opening match featured defending champion Thepchaiya Un-Nooh, who had defeated Michael Holt in the final of the 2019 event. Un-Nooh defeated Maltese player Alex Borg 63–17. The match between Daniel Wells and Bai Langning finished at 72–72 and Wells won the blue-ball shootout. Despite trailing 37–1 to Alfie Burden, Soheil Vahedi made a break of 36 to force a shootout, which he won. Three-time world champion Mark Selby lost in the opening round to Sunny Akani 54–18 while reigning world seniors champion Jimmy White lost to Matthew Stevens 71–39. Three amateur players qualified for the second round of the competition; Scotland's Dean Young defeated David Grace 35–29 and Irish player Ross Bulman defeated 2018 Snooker Shoot Out winner Michael Georgiou 21–28. In an all-amateur first-round match, 15 year-old Robbie McGuigan was defeated 15–50 by European under-18 champion Aaron Hill.
Two female players were invited into the draw. Nutcharut Wongharuthai played one shot in her match against Thor Chuan Leong, who made a total clearance, scoring 133, the highest of the event. Twelve-time women's world champion Reanne Evans also lost in the first round to Ian Burns. The 2019 Snooker Shoot Out runner-up Michael Holt played Amine Amiri, who had not won a frame on tour all season. Amiri was ahead but failed to realise every shot must hit a cushion. He played a on two occasions, awarding 14 points to Holt and allowing Holt to win 69–38.
The second round of the tournament was held on 22 February. Defending champion Thepchaiya Un-Nooh was defeated by Peter Lines 11–79. Ronnie O'Sullivan, who had entered the event for the first time since 2015, lost 66–30 to Billy Joe Castle. The Masters finalist Ali Carter was defeated by Brandon Sargeant 63–68. All three amateur players won their second-round matches; Aaron Hill defeated world number eight Kyren Wilson with a break of 47, Dean Young defeated Liam Highfield and Ross Bulman beat Andrew Pagett. Anthony Hamilton defeated top-16 player David Gilbert 62–50.
### Later rounds
The remaining rounds were played on 23 February. The final day featured the remaining 32 players playing in four rounds with a break between each round. Two top-16 players, Jack Lisowski and Barry Hawkins lost in the third round to Zhou Yuelong and Ben Woollaston respectively. Lyu Haotian made a half-century break before Soheil Vahedi needed a to win the match; he missed a shot on the and lost 47–64.
The fourth round began with 2017 winner Anthony McGill defeating Shaun Murphy. Woollaston completed a whitewash of Jamie Clarke 96–0. In a frame consisting of only 34 points, Mei Xiwen defeated Mike Dunn 22–12. The semi-final lineup included three Chinese players; Zhou Yuelong defeated Xiwen, Lyu Haotan defeated Anthony McGill, and Yan Bingtao defeated Anthony Hamilton. The other semi-finalist was Michael Holt, who defeated Ben Woollaston 19–7. The semi-finals were played from 9 pm; in the first match, Michael Holt defeated Yan Bingtao 59–16. The second semi-final finished with a 44–33 win for Zhou Yuelong over Lyu Haotian.
The final was played between Michael Holt and Zhou Yuelong, both of whom were playing in their second ranking final; Holt had reached the event final the previous year while Zhou had reached the 2020 European Masters final earlier in the season. The winner of the Shoot Out progressed to the Players Championships that followed it. Holt scored a break of 42 and won the final 64–1; This was Holt's first full ranking event victory in his 24-year professional career. He said the tournament's format allowed him to "play on my instinct and then play my best".
## Tournament draw
### Top half
#### Section 1
#### Section 2
#### Section 3
#### Section 4
### Bottom half
#### Section 5
#### Section 6
#### Section 7
#### Section 8
### Finals
### Final
## Century breaks
A total of four century breaks were made during the event. The highest was a 133 made by Thor Chuan Leong.
- 133 – Thor Chuan Leong
- 120 – Chang Bingyu
- 107 – Jak Jones
- 101 – Xiao Guodong
|
903,325 |
WrestleMania 2
| 1,173,724,948 |
1986 World Wrestling Federation pay-per-view event
|
[
"1986 WWF pay-per-view events",
"1986 in Illinois",
"1986 in Los Angeles",
"1986 in New York (state)",
"April 1986 events in the United States",
"Events in Illinois",
"Events in Los Angeles",
"Events in Rosemont, Illinois",
"Events in Uniondale, New York",
"Events on Long Island",
"Professional wrestling in Los Angeles",
"Professional wrestling in Uniondale, New York",
"Professional wrestling in the Chicago metropolitan area",
"WrestleMania"
] |
WrestleMania 2 was the second annual WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE). The event took place on April 7, 1986 (a Monday), making it the only WrestleMania that was not held on the traditional Sunday until the two-night WrestleMania 36 in April 2020. The event took place at three venues simultaneously: the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Uniondale, New York, the Rosemont Horizon in the Chicago suburb of Rosemont, Illinois, and the Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena in Los Angeles, California.
Each venue had its own card of four matches each, totaling 12 matches for WrestleMania 2. The main event in Uniondale was a boxing match pitting Mr. T against "Rowdy" Roddy Piper. In Chicago, the main event saw WWF Tag Team Champions The Dream Team (Greg Valentine and Brutus Beefcake) defend their titles against The British Bulldogs (Davey Boy Smith and Dynamite Kid). The main event in Los Angeles featured WWF World Heavyweight Champion Hulk Hogan defending his title against King Kong Bundy in a steel cage match. The undercard in Uniondale also saw WWF Intercontinental Heavyweight Champion "Macho Man" Randy Savage defend his title against George "The Animal" Steele, while the event in Chicago featured a 20-man battle royal involving WWF wrestlers and National Football League players.
## Production
### Background
Following the success of WrestleMania I in 1985, the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE) scheduled a second WrestleMania for the following year, thus establishing WrestleMania as an annual pay-per-view (PPV) event for the promotion. Unlike the previous year, WrestleMania 2 was scheduled to be held at three venues simultaneously on Monday, April 7, 1986: the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Uniondale, New York, the Rosemont Horizon in the Chicago suburb of Rosemont, Illinois, and the Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena in Los Angeles, California. Each location was scheduled to have its own card of four matches each.
### Broadcasters
The event featured separate commentary and announce teams in each location. The commentating teams consisted of Vince McMahon and Susan Saint James in New York; Gorilla Monsoon, Gene Okerlund, and Cathy Lee Crosby in Chicago; and Jesse Ventura, Alfred Hayes, and Elvira in Los Angeles. The ring announcers were Howard Finkel (New York), Chet Coppock (Chicago), and Lee Marshall (Los Angeles).
### Celebrities
Ray Charles sang a rendition of "America the Beautiful" before the show at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum in New York. Celebrity guests in attendance for the New York segment included: Cab Calloway, Darryl Dawkins, G. Gordon Liddy, Joan Rivers, Joe Frazier, Lou Duva, Herb, and Susan Saint James. Celebrity guests in attendance for the Chicago segment included: Clara Peller, Dick Butkus, Ed Jones, Ozzy Osbourne, Bill Fralic, Ernie Holmes, Harvey Martin, Jim Covert, Russ Francis, William Perry, and Cathy Lee Crosby. The Los Angeles segment included celebrity guests Ricky Schroder, Robert Conrad, Tommy Lasorda, and Elvira.
### Storylines
The card featured 12 matches, which resulted from scripted storylines and had results predetermined by the WWF. Building to the event, storylines between characters played out on WWF's primary television programs, Championship Wrestling, All-Star Wrestling, Saturday Night's Main Event and Prime Time Wrestling.
Three of the main-event feuds were set up on the March 1, 1986, Saturday Night's Main Event V. The main feud heading into WrestleMania 2 was between Hulk Hogan and King Kong Bundy, with the two battling over the WWF World Heavyweight Championship. Although they had wrestled occasionally before, their first nationally televised encounter was on the November 2, 1985, Saturday Night's Main Event III where Hogan teamed up with André the Giant against André's rivals Bundy and Big John Studd. Hogan and André won the match by disqualification. On March 1, Hogan defended his WWF title against The Magnificent Muraco. Just as Hogan was about to pin Muraco, Bundy ran into the ring and—with Muraco's help—initiated a 2-on-1 assault on Hogan, repeatedly crushing him with his body weight (with a move called the "Avalanche") to break his ribs. Hogan had a very serious (scripted) injury, while Bundy (gloating over his actions) challenged Hogan for the title. With revenge on his mind, Hogan decided not to heed his doctor's advice and accepted the challenge; a match was then booked between the two in a steel cage for the WWF title.
The second feud heading into the event was between Mr. T and Rowdy Roddy Piper. Piper established himself as the top heel in the WWF in 1984. A year later he joined Paul Orndorff and Bob Orton to feud with Hulk Hogan and Mr. T who defeated them in the main event of the first-ever WrestleMania. The Piper-Mr. T feud restarted in 1986 after their real-life hatred for each other became known, prompting the WWF to turn their animosity for one another into a feud. Piper and others in the locker room disliked Mr. T because he was an actor and had no prior wrestling training. In response, Mr. T became a special WWF boxer and began competing in boxing matches. On the March 1 Saturday Night's Main Event V, Mr. T defeated Orton in a boxing match. After the match, Piper distracted Mr. T, allowing Orton to attack from behind and start a 2-on-1 assault. Mr. T then demanded revenge, leading to his boxing match against Piper.
The third main feud heading into WrestleMania was between The Dream Team (Greg Valentine and Brutus Beefcake) and The British Bulldogs (Davey Boy Smith and Dynamite Kid) over the WWF Tag Team Championship. On August 24, 1985, Beefcake and Valentine won the tag titles from The U.S. Express (Barry Windham and Mike Rotundo). The British Bulldogs challenged Beefcake and Valentine for their titles immediately after their win. They retained their titles against the Bulldogs at a house show on September 11 by getting disqualified. They again defended the titles against the Bulldogs Saturday Night's Main Event V, where they emerged victorious against them. After the Bulldogs twice failed to win the titles, Dream Team agreed to defend their titles against them for a final time with a title match set at WrestleMania.
The other major feud heading into WrestleMania 2 was between Randy "Macho Man" Savage and George "The Animal" Steele. Its genesis came after Steele, who used a neanderthal, "missing link"-type gimmick, became smitten with Savage's manager, the beautiful Miss Elizabeth (Savage's real-life wife, although unacknowledged on television). Their first meeting took place on a Saturday Night's Main Event IV aired shortly before Savage won the Intercontinental Championship. Steele would frequently be distracted by Elizabeth, which Savage used to his advantage. Along with former champion Tito Santana (who was on the Los Angeles segment of the event), Steele became one of Savage's top challengers for the title.
## Event
WrestleMania 2 emanated from three arenas: Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Uniondale, New York, the Rosemont Horizon in Rosemont, Illinois and the Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena in Los Angeles.
### New York
In the first match of the show in the New York arena, Paul Orndorff faced "The Magnificent" Muraco. In the early part of the match, Orndorff body slammed Muraco. As the crowd reacted and Orndorff celebrated, he turned towards Mr. Fuji and made a racist slanty-eyed gesture followed by an Italian salute. This controversial moment is edited out of most home video versions of the match and is edited out of the version shown on the WWE Network. Both men fought to a double count-out.
Next was a WWF Intercontinental Heavyweight Championship match between "Macho Man" Randy Savage and George "The Animal" Steele, where Savage was seconded by his real-life wife Miss Elizabeth. Late in the match, Steele became the first man to ever kick out of Savage's signature elbow from the top turnbuckle. Savage pinned Steele with a roll-up and put both of his feet on the ropes for leverage. As a result, Savage retained the Intercontinental Heavyweight Title.
The third match from the Coliseum was between Jake Roberts and George Wells. Roberts hit a DDT on Wells and pinned him to win the match. After the match, Roberts allowed his snake Damian to slither over Wells, who foamed from the mouth.
The last match was a boxing match between Mr. T and Rowdy Roddy Piper. T was seconded by boxer Joe Frazier while Piper was seconded by boxing trainer Lou Duva. Piper was disqualified for bodyslamming T at 1:15 in the fourth round.
### Chicago
The first match from the Chicago portion of WrestleMania 2 was a WWF Women's Championship match between The Fabulous Moolah and Velvet McIntyre. McIntyre attempted a splash on Moolah from the second turnbuckle, but Moolah sidestepped and McIntyre missed the move. Moolah took advantage and pinned McIntyre to retain her title.
The second match was a flag match between Corporal Kirchner and Nikolai Volkoff. Freddie Blassie seconded Volkoff. He threw his cane to Volkoff, but Kirchner caught it and hit Volkoff with it and then pinned him for the victory.
The third match was a 20-man battle royal involving WWF wrestlers and National Football League players including: Jimbo Covert, Bill Fralic, Russ Francis, Ernie Holmes, Harvey Martin and William "The Refrigerator" Perry. The WWF stars included: André the Giant, Ted Arcidi, Tony Atlas, The Hart Foundation (Bret Hart and Jim Neidhart), The Killer Bees (B. Brian Blair and Jim Brunzell), Hillbilly Jim, The Iron Sheik, King Tonga, Pedro Morales, Bruno Sammartino, Danny Spivey and Big John Studd. In the end of the match, André the Giant and both members of the Hart Foundation were the final three participants. André first eliminated Neidhart and then Hart to win the battle royal.
The last match was a WWF Tag Team Championship match between The British Bulldogs (Davey Boy Smith and Dynamite Kid) and The Dream Team (Greg Valentine and Brutus Beefcake). Ex-Black Sabbath lead singer Ozzy Osbourne and Lou Albano seconded the Bulldogs. After 13 minutes of back-and-forth action, Smith pushed Valentine into the corner where Valentine knocked heads with Dynamite Kid. Kid fell to the floor while Smith pinned Valentine to win the tag titles and end Dream Team's seven-month reign.
### Los Angeles
In Los Angeles, there were four more matches. Ricky Steamboat faced Hercules in the first match. Hercules tried to hit a flying bodypress but missed it. Steamboat followed by hitting a flying body press of his own for a pinfall victory.
Adrian Adonis, seconded by Jimmy Hart, defeated Uncle Elmer after a diving headbutt.
The Funk Brothers faced Junkyard Dog and Tito Santana in a tag team match. Jimmy Hart accompanied the Funk brothers. Hoss Funk distracted the referee. Hart took advantage and gave his megaphone to Terry Funk, who hit Junkyard Dog and then pinned him to get the win.
Finally, the main event of WrestleMania 2: a WWF World Heavyweight Championship steel cage match in which Hulk Hogan defended his title against King Kong Bundy. Hogan's ribs were heavily taped due to an assault by Bundy on the March 1, 1986, edition of Saturday Night's Main Event V where Bobby Heenan seconded Bundy.
At the start, Bundy removed the tape from Hogan's ribs. However, Hogan fought back and rammed Bundy's head into the steel cage. He tried to hit a scoop slam on Bundy but missed it. Bundy hit an avalanche and a big splash on Hogan. However, Hogan "Hulked up" and hit a power slam on Bundy followed by a leg drop. He climbed the steel cage, but Bundy caught his legs. Hogan kicked Bundy and climbed over the top of the steel cage and down to the floor to win the match and retain the title. After the match, Hogan caught Heenan inside the cage; as Bundy was reeling from the match, Hogan rammed Heenan's head into the cage before atomic dropping him outside.
## Reception
Critical response to the show was poor, with the decision to host the show in three locations being highly criticized. John Canton, of TJRwrestling.net said: "I'm sure that the idea of doing this show from three different venues sounded like a good idea on paper to Vince McMahon, but it was not effective in terms of producing a quality program." Voices of Wrestling's Bryan Rose commented that he could "see why WWE went with just one arena from this point forward". Jason Powell of prowrestling.net was also happy to learn that subsequent WrestleManias would not be held in three arenas, saying "Overall, WrestleMania 2 was excessive. The idea of running the show in three separate markets was an ill-conceived cash grab and I'm happy they never went down that road again."
John Canton, of TJR Retro was also very critical of the show's promoted main events. He commented that "every one of the big matches on the show was a disappointment from the Hogan/Bundy cage match, the battle royal and the Piper/Mr. T boxing match. If the big matches are that poor it hurts the whole show."
411Mania.com's Rob McNew also had a negative opinion of the three "main" matches. McNew gave the boxing match 1 star out of 5 stars, saying: "Big pull-apart brawl afterward. Absolute crap that took way too long and ended in a non-finish." He gave the steel cage match between Hogan and Bundy 2 stars, saying it "felt more like a Saturday Night Main Event match than a WrestleMania main event". McNew awarded the entire event a score of 2 out of 10 and said: "It lacks the historical significance of WrestleMania I to even watch it for that purpose. This was three hours of pain I'd love to have back. Thankfully the WWF would redeem themselves in a huge way the next year, but for this show, huge disappointment."
However, of the WWF Tag Team Championship match, McNew said: "Tremendous match that breaks the streak of suck that had been this show thus far. One of the things that I really liked about this match was it seemed to break from the traditional tag team formula. There was no extended face in peril sequence nor was there a hot tag at any point. Easily the match of the night." He awarded it three and a half stars out of five. Despite general poor reviews for WrestleMania 2, Brandon Stroud from Uproxx, called the event superior to WrestleMania I, commenting: "WrestleMania 2 is (believe it or not) a gigantic improvement over WrestleMania I... It's not the best show ever—it's nowhere near as important as III, and we wouldn't get a great-in-total WrestleMania until X—but it's the kind of thing that kicks your ass when you're a kid, and that's important."
## Aftermath
Macho Man Randy Savage and George The Animal Steele continued their feud with each other throughout 1986. This led to two rematches for the WWF Intercontinental Heavyweight Championship on Saturday Night's Main Event IX in early 1987, both times with the Intercontinental title on the line and the second time with the management services of Elizabeth on the line; Steele lost both times. Savage also feuded intensely with Hogan, but was unsuccessful in winning the WWF World Heavyweight Championship from him.
The new WWF Tag Team Champions The British Bulldogs (Davey Boy Smith and Dynamite Kid) prepared to face challenging tag teams. On October 4, 1986, Saturday Night's Main Event VII, they defeated former champions Dream Team (Greg Valentine and Brutus Beefcake) in a two out of three falls match to retain the titles.
Hulk Hogan continued his WWF World Heavyweight Championship reign. In addition to Savage, his top competition during 1986 included "Adorable Adrian" Adonis, Hercules Hernandez, Kamala and, in his biggest feud of the year, Paul Orndorff. A storyline was developed focusing on the friendship between Hogan and Orndorff with Adrian Adonis eventually starting trouble between the two causing Orndorff to turn against Hogan. Bundy, meanwhile, would team with Big John Studd on occasion (and begin his feud with The Machines). He would also challenge Hogan on-and-off for the World Heavyweight Championship during the next year and a half, until leaving the WWF in early 1988.
Following his battle royal win, André the Giant's career was at a crossroads. Not yet evident to fans, he was beginning to suffer the health effects of his terminal illness known as acromegaly, a syndrome resulting from an excessive production of growth hormone that led to his gigantic size. Because of his health, a planned tour of Japan and accepted a starring role in the movie The Princess Bride, André took a brief hiatus from the ring. To explain his absence, a storyline was devised to have André no-show for a tag team match pitting him and a partner of his choosing against long-time rivals Big John Studd and King Kong Bundy. André would then be suspended at the insistence of manager Bobby Heenan. André would return but compete under a mask as part of a new team called The Machines. Studd and Bundy insisted—but were never able to prove—that André and "The Giant Machine" were the same person.
WrestleMania 2 marked the last major pay-per-view appearance for Roddy Piper during his initial heel run. Shortly before the event, he taped four weeks worth of Piper's Pit segments that would air on the WWF's syndicated programs in April, and then took a four-month hiatus from the ring. When Piper returned to the WWF in August, he became a face and began a violent feud with Adonis, who had in the meantime started his own Piper's Pit-type talk show called The Flower Shop. Jesse "the Body" Ventura also took a leave of absence after WrestleMania 2; like Piper, he filmed several weeks worth of his talk show segment, The Body Shop, to air in the coming weeks. Afterward, The Magnificent Muraco would be the fill-in host of the segment until the final installment, aired August 30, 1986. In late August, Ventura returned for television tapings of the first WWF Superstars of Wrestling, continuing his role as a heel-favoring color commentator.
WrestleMania 2 was seen as a financial success from a pay-per-view purchase standpoint, earning an estimated \$5 million, leading Cable Television Business Magazine to compliment the event stating "If anything, we learned from (WrestleMania), it's that the right promotion makes an event successful". The magazine also described how Cablevision saw an increase in 5,300 subscribers the week of the pay-per-view alone compared to new subscriber numbers on average of 300 to 400 while stating it was the third-most purchased pay-per-view event ever to that point. WrestleMania 2 would air in reruns on Showtime in July 1986 even after some of the storylines that were started at the event had concluded.
## Results
|
576,517 |
Clydesdale horse
| 1,160,986,281 |
Horse breed
|
[
"Animal breeds on the RBST Watchlist",
"Conservation Priority Breeds of the Livestock Conservancy",
"Horse breeds",
"Horse breeds originating in Scotland",
"South Lanarkshire"
] |
The Clydesdale is a Scottish breed of draught horse. It is named for its area of origin, the Clydesdale or valley of the River Clyde, much of which is within the county of Lanarkshire.
The origins of the breed lie in the eighteenth century, when Flemish stallions were imported to Scotland and mated with local mares; in the nineteenth century, Shire blood was introduced. The first recorded use of the name "Clydesdale" for the breed was in 1826; the horses spread through much of Scotland and into northern England. After the breed society was formed in 1877, thousands of Clydesdales were exported to many countries of the world, particularly to Australia and New Zealand. In the early twentieth century numbers began to fall, both because many were taken for use in the First World War, and because of the increasing mechanisation of agriculture. By the 1970s, the Rare Breeds Survival Trust considered the breed vulnerable to extinction. Numbers have since increased slightly.
It is a large and powerful horse, although now not as heavy as in the past. It was traditionally used for draught power, both in farming and in road haulage. It is now principally a carriage horse. It may be ridden or driven in parades or processions; some have been used as drum horses by the Household Cavalry, while in the United States the Anheuser-Busch brewery uses a matched team of eight for publicity.
## History
The Clydesdale takes its name from Clydesdale, the old name for Lanarkshire, noted for the River Clyde. In the mid-18th century, Flemish stallions were imported to Scotland and bred to local mares, resulting in foals that were larger than the existing local stock. These included a black unnamed stallion imported from England by a John Paterson of Lochlyloch and an unnamed dark-brown stallion owned by the Duke of Hamilton.
Another prominent stallion was a 165 cm (16.1 h) coach horse stallion of unknown lineage named Blaze. Written pedigrees were kept of these foals beginning in the early nineteenth century, and in 1806, a filly, later known as "Lampits mare" after the farm name of her owner, was born that traced her lineage to the black stallion. This mare is listed in the ancestry of almost every Clydesdale living today. One of her foals was Thompson's Black Horse (known as Glancer), which was to have a significant influence on the Clydesdale breed.
The first recorded use of the name "Clydesdale" in reference to the breed was in 1826 at an exhibition in Glasgow. Another theory of their origin, that of them descending from Flemish horses brought to Scotland as early as the 15th century, was also promulgated in the late 18th century. However, even the author of that theory admitted that the common story of their ancestry is more likely.
A system of hiring stallions between districts existed in Scotland, with written records dating back to 1837. This programme consisted of local agriculture improvement societies holding breed shows to choose the best stallion, whose owner was then awarded a monetary prize. The owner was then required, in return for additional monies, to take the stallion throughout a designated area, breeding to the local mares. Through this system and by purchase, Clydesdale stallions were sent throughout Scotland and into northern England.
Through extensive crossbreeding with local mares, these stallions spread the Clydesdale type throughout the areas where they were placed, and by 1840, Scottish draught horses and the Clydesdale were one and the same. In 1877, the Clydesdale Horse Society of Scotland was formed, followed in 1879 by the American Clydesdale Association (later renamed the Clydesdale Breeders of the USA), which served both U.S. and Canadian breed enthusiasts. The first American stud book was published in 1882. In 1883, the short-lived Select Clydesdale Horse Society was founded to compete with the Clydesdale Horse Society. It was started by two breeders dedicated to improving the breed, who also were responsible in large part for the introduction of Shire blood into the Clydesdale.
Large numbers of Clydesdales were exported from Scotland in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, with 1617 stallions leaving the country in 1911 alone. Between 1884 and 1945, export certificates were issued for 20,183 horses. These horses were exported to other countries in the British Empire, as well as North and South America, continental Europe, and Russia.
The First World War had the conscription of thousands of horses for the war effort, and after the war, breed numbers declined as farms became increasingly mechanised. This decline continued between the wars. Following the Second World War, the number of Clydesdale breeding stallions in England dropped from more than 200 in 1946 to 80 in 1949. By 1975, the Rare Breeds Survival Trust considered them vulnerable to extinction, meaning fewer than 900 breeding females remained in the UK.
Many of the horses exported from Scotland in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries went to Australia and New Zealand. In 1918, the Commonwealth Clydesdale Horse Society was formed as the association for the breed in Australia. Between 1906 and 1936, Clydesdales were bred so extensively in Australia that other draught breeds were almost unknown. By the late 1960s, it was noted that "Excellent Clydesdale horses are bred in Victoria and New Zealand; but, at least in the former place, it is considered advisable to keep up the type by frequent importations from England." Over 25,000 Clydesdales were registered in Australia between 1924 and 2008. The popularity of the Clydesdale led to it being called "the breed that built Australia".
In the 1990s numbers began to rise. By 2005, the Rare Breeds Survival Trust had moved the breed to "at risk" status, meaning that there were fewer than 1500 breeding females in the UK. By 2010 it had been moved back to "vulnerable". In 2010 the Clydesdale was listed as "watch" by the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy, meaning that fewer than 2500 horses were registered annually in the USA, and there were fewer than 10,000 worldwide. In 2010 the worldwide population was estimated to be 5000, with around 4000 in the US and Canada, 800 in the UK, and the rest in other countries, including Russia, Japan, Germany, and South Africa.
## Characteristics
The conformation of the Clydesdale has changed greatly throughout its history. In the 1920s and 1930s, it was a compact horse smaller than the Shire, Percheron, and Belgian Draught. Beginning in the 1940s, breeding animals were selected to produce taller horses that looked more impressive in parades and shows. Today, the Clydesdale stands 162 to 183 cm (16.0 to 18.0 h) high and weighs 820 to 910 kg (1800 to 2000 lb). Some mature males are larger, standing taller than 183 cm and weighing up to 1000 kg (2200 lb). The breed has a straight or slightly convex facial profile, broad forehead, and wide muzzle.
It is well-muscled and strong, with an arched neck, high withers, and a sloped shoulder. Breed associations pay close attention to the quality of the hooves and legs, as well as the general movement. Their gaits are active, with clearly lifted hooves and a general impression of power and quality. Clydesdales are energetic, with a manner described by the Clydesdale Horse Society as a "gaiety of carriage and outlook".
Clydesdales have been identified to be at risk for chronic progressive lymphedema, a disease with clinical signs that include progressive swelling, hyperkeratosis, and fibrosis of distal limbs that is similar to chronic lymphedema in humans. Another health concern is a skin condition on the lower leg where feathering is heavy. Colloquially called "Clyde's itch", it is thought to be caused by a type of mange. Clydesdales are also known to develop sunburn on any pink (unpigmented) skin around their faces.
Clydesdales are usually bay in colour, but a Sabino-like pattern (currently an untestable KIT mutation), black, grey, and chestnut also occur. Most have white markings, including white on the face, feet, and legs, and occasional body spotting (generally on the lower belly). They also have extensive feathering on their lower legs. Sabino-like ticking, body spotting, and extensive white markings are thought to be the result of sabino genetics. Some Clydesdale breeders want white face and leg markings without the spotting on the body.
To attempt to produce the ideal set of markings, horses with only one white leg are often bred to horses with four white legs and sabino ticking on their bodies. On average, the result is a foal with the desired amount of white markings. Clydesdales do not have the Sabino 1 (SB1) gene responsible for causing sabino expressions in many other breeds, and researchers theorise that several other genes are responsible for these patterns.
Many buyers pay a premium for bay and black horses, especially those with four white legs and white facial markings. Specific colours are often preferred over other physical traits, and some buyers even choose horses with soundness problems if they have the desired colour and markings. Buyers do not favour Sabino-like horses, despite one draught-breed writer theorising that they are needed to keep the desired coat colours and texture. Breed associations, however, state that no colour is bad, and that horses with roaning and body spots are increasingly accepted.
## Uses
The Clydesdale was originally used for agriculture, hauling coal in Lanarkshire, and heavy hauling in Glasgow. Today, Clydesdales are still used for draught purposes, including agriculture, logging, and driving. They are also shown and ridden, as well as kept for pleasure. Clydesdales are known to be the popular breed choice with carriage services and parade horses because of their white, feathery feet.
Along with carriage horses, Clydesdales are also used as show horses. They are shown in lead line and harness classes at county and state fairs, as well as national exhibitions. Some of the most famous members of the breed are the teams that make up the hitches of the Budweiser Clydesdales. The Budweiser Brewery first formed these teams at the end of Prohibition, and they have since become an international symbol of both the breed and the brand. The Budweiser breeding programme, with its strict standards of colour and conformation, have influenced the look of the breed in the United States to the point that many people believe that Clydesdales are always bay with white markings.
Some Clydesdales are used for riding and can be shown under saddle, as well as being driven. Due to their calm disposition, they have proven to be very easy to train and capable of making exceptional trail horses. Clydesdales and Shires are used by the British Household Cavalry as drum horses, leading parades on ceremonial and state occasions. The horses are eye-catching colours, including piebald, skewbald, and roan. To be used for this purpose, a horse must stand a minimum of 173 cm (17 h). They carry the Musical Ride Officer and two silver drums weighing 56 kilograms (123 lb) each. The reins are controlled with the feet instead of the hands.
In the late nineteenth century, Clydesdale blood was added to the Irish Draught breed in an attempt to improve and reinvigorate that declining breed. However, these efforts were not seen as successful, as Irish Draught breeders thought the Clydesdale blood made their horses coarser and prone to lower leg faults. The Clydesdale contributed to the development of the Gypsy Horse in Great Britain. The Clydesdale, along with other draught breeds, was also used to create the Australian Draught Horse. In the early twentieth century, they were often crossed with Dales Ponies, creating mid-sized draught horses useful for pulling commercial wagons and military artillery.
|
7,057,312 |
Oklahoma State Highway 34
| 1,131,088,430 |
Highway in Oklahoma
|
[
"State highways in Oklahoma",
"Transportation in Beckham County, Oklahoma",
"Transportation in Custer County, Oklahoma",
"Transportation in Dewey County, Oklahoma",
"Transportation in Greer County, Oklahoma",
"Transportation in Jackson County, Oklahoma",
"Transportation in Roger Mills County, Oklahoma",
"Transportation in Woods County, Oklahoma",
"Transportation in Woodward County, Oklahoma"
] |
State Highway 34 (abbreviated SH-34) is a state highway in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. It runs for 188.3 miles (303.0 km) south-to-north in the western part of the state. The highway begins northeast of Eldorado, in the southwest corner of the state, and extends north to the Kansas state line between Woodward and Coldwater, Kansas.
SH-34 has always been a lengthy highway, starting with its commissioning in June 1931, when it was a border-to-border highway stretching from Texas to Kansas. Most of SH-34 has followed the same basic corridor since its inception, with the exception of the portion of highway north of Woodward. The southernmost portion of highway, connecting it to Texas, became solely SH-6 in 1987.
There are three letter-suffixed spur highways branching from SH-34. SH-34A and SH-34B serve small towns in Greer County off the mainline of SH-34, while SH-34C serves Boiling Springs State Park.
## Route description
For much of its extent, State Highway 34 passes through rural areas, running through the plains of western Oklahoma. The highway begins at SH-6 six miles (10 km) northeast of Eldorado. Heading north from there, it intersects U.S. Route 62 (US-62) just east of Duke. The highway continues north into Greer County to its county seat of Mangum, where SH-34 joins US-283. Two miles (3 km) north of Mangum, SH-9 joins for a four-mile (6 km) concurrency with SH-34 and US-283. Thereafter, SH-9 splits off to the east.
Nine miles (14 km) north of Mangum, SH-34B branches off to the west, connecting to the town of Brinkman, and four miles (6 km) later, SH-34A branches off to the west to the town of Willow. US-283 splits off to the northwest two miles (3 km) after that, and SH-34 continues north, crossing into Beckham County. SH-34 then bridges over the North Fork of the Red River. In Carter, the highway serves as the western terminus of SH-55. Five miles (8 km) north of Carter, SH-34 crosses SH-152.
SH-34 continues on to an interchange with Interstate 40 (I-40) west of Elk City. Here, the highway begins a concurrency with eastbound I-40. SH-34 accesses I-40 from exit 32, a partial diamond interchange, with no access to or from I-40 eastbound; the missing movements must be completed via another partial interchange further to the east, also numbered as exit 32, which serves Business I-40 (I-40 BUS). SH-34 follows I-40 to the east for 6 miles (9.7 km). While concurrent with I-40, SH-34 has an interchange with SH-6, its northernmost junction with the latter highway. SH-34 exits the interstate from the left at exit 41 on the east side of Elk City, turning back to the north and intersecting I-40 BUS. The highway continues north out of Elk City, exiting Beckham County.
After leaving Beckham County, SH-34 enters Roger Mills County. SH-73's western terminus is at SH-34 at nine miles (14 km) north of Elk City. North of this junction, SH-34 lies along the Roger Mills–Custer county line, which it continues to follow as it passes through the east side of Hammon, where it meets State Highway 33. North of town, the route crosses over the Washita River, and shortly thereafter turns northeast to fully enter Custer County. Northwest of Moorewood, the highway crosses into Dewey County.
In Dewey County, SH-34 crosses SH-47, two miles (3 km) south of Leedey, and crosses the Canadian River near the unincorporated settlement of Trail. The highway then passes through Camargo. Just east of Vici, SH-34 joins US-60 and SH-51 for a one-mile (1.6 km) concurrency, then SH-34 heads north again at Vici. The highway passes through Sharon north of Vici, then joins US-183/US-270/SH-3 four miles (6 km) southeast of Woodward. At Woodward, SH-34 again sets off to the north alone, and right after crossing the North Canadian River, SH-34C branches to the east about two miles (3 km) north of Woodward, connecting to Boiling Springs State Park.
SH-34 joins US-64 in far eastern Harper County for a four-mile (6 km) concurrency to the east, crossing the Cimarron River 17 miles (27 km) east of Buffalo. The highway then turns back to the north, where it is 10 miles (20 km) to its terminus at the Kansas state line.
## History
State Highway 34 was first designated on June 15, 1931. At that time, the highway began at the free bridge over the Red River north of Quanah, Texas, and followed what is today SH-6 to the point that is now SH-34's southern terminus. There, it turned north, following its current alignment. Its 1931 alignment did not differ significantly from that of the present day (although it followed US-66 through Elk City prior to the establishment of I-40) until it got to Woodward. Rather than continue north out of town, the SH-34 of that day instead turned west, then north, passing through Fort Supply and crossing into Harper County just north of that town. It then began a concurrency with US-60 in Buffalo, turning east and connecting with its final segment, bringing it to the Kansas state line. Thus, SH-34 started life as a border-to-border highway.
SH-34 was rerouted north of Buffalo on January 30, 1934. The new alignment continued due north out of Buffalo to the Kansas state line along a new road. The old portion of SH-34 between US-64 and the Kansas state line became part of SH-50.
The next major change to SH-34 occurred in 1954. On November 1 of that year, the highway was realigned to follow a new road extending north of Woodward, intersecting US-64 east of Buffalo, and following existing highways north to the state line. This would put SH-34 on its present-day route north of Woodward. SH-50 would remain concurrent with SH-34 north of US-64 until November 9, 1964.
The next major change to SH-34 would be brought about by the establishment of the southern part of State Highway 6. The new highway was introduced on July 7, 1975. SH-34 remained in place; the two highways were concurrent from northwest of Eldorado to the Red River bridge, where they both ended. On January 5, 1987, the redundant section of SH-34 was removed, truncating it to its current southern terminus.
The final modification to SH-34 occurred just under a month later, on February 2, 1987, when SH-34 was realigned in Elk City to follow I-40 instead of the old alignment of the now-dead US-66, which had become a business loop of I-40. No further changes have taken place since then.
## Junction list
## Spurs
### SH-34A
SH-34A is a 1.00-mile (1.61 km) spur connecting SH-34 with Willow, north of Mangum. The highway begins at the west edge of Willow and follows Main Street east as it bisects the town. East of the town limits, the highway intersects US-283/SH-34 and ends.
SH-34A first appeared on the 1944 state highway map.
### SH-34B
SH-34B is a 1.03-mile (1.66 km) spur connecting SH-34 with Brinkman, north of Mangum. The highway follows Main Street from unincorporated Brinkman to US-283/SH-34.
SH-34B first appeared on the 1944 state highway map.
### SH-34C
SH-34C is a 4.52-mile (7.27 km) spur connecting SH-34 with Boiling Springs State Park north of Woodward. The highway heads east from SH-34, curving northeast near the park's golf course, before making a sharp turn toward the northeast. The highway ends on the west side of the park, with an access road continuing through it; on the east side of the park, the access road intersects SH-50B at its western terminus.
The road that is currently SH-34C first appeared on the 1948 state highway map as SH-15A. At this time, the highway began at US-183/US-270/SH-15/SH-34 in Woodward and headed north, then turned east north of the city and headed to Boiling Springs State Park. When SH-34 was realigned north of Woodward on November 1, 1954, it took over the portion of SH-15A in Woodward, severing the highway's link to its parent. SH-15A had been renumbered as SH-34C by 1956. By 1957, the highway was extended east, passing through the park and continuing onward to SH-50. However, by 1959, the road through the park had been removed from the state highway system; the segment of highway east of the park was renumbered to SH-50B.
|
8,342,716 |
Tropical cyclone observation
| 1,170,477,711 | null |
[
"Satellite interpretation",
"Tropical cyclones"
] |
Tropical cyclone observation has been carried out over the past couple of centuries in various ways. The passage of typhoons, hurricanes, as well as other tropical cyclones have been detected by word of mouth from sailors recently coming to port or by radio transmissions from ships at sea, from sediment deposits in near shore estuaries, to the wiping out of cities near the coastline. Since World War II, advances in technology have included using planes to survey the ocean basins, satellites to monitor the world's oceans from outer space using a variety of methods, radars to monitor their progress near the coastline, and recently the introduction of unmanned aerial vehicles to penetrate storms. Recent studies have concentrated on studying hurricane impacts lying within rocks or near shore lake sediments, which are branches of a new field known as paleotempestology. This article details the various methods employed in the creation of the hurricane database, as well as reconstructions necessary for reanalysis of past storms used in projects such as the Atlantic hurricane reanalysis.
## Geological markers of past activity
### Stalagmites in caves
Recent studies of the <sup>18</sup>O and <sup>13</sup>C isotopes found in stalagmites in Belize show that tropical cyclone events can leave markers that can be separated out on a week-by-week basis. The error rate of this type of microanalysis was 1 error in 1,200 sampling points.
### Markers in coral
Rocks contain certain isotopes of elements, known as natural tracers, which describe the conditions under which they formed. By studying the calcium carbonate in coral rock, past sea surface temperature and hurricane information can be revealed. Lighter oxygen isotopes (<sup>16</sup>O) are left behind in coral during periods of very heavy rainfall. Since hurricanes are the main source of extreme rainfall in the tropical oceans, past hurricane events can be dated to the days of their impact on the coral by looking at the increased <sup>18</sup>O concentration within the coral.
### Sediment deposition in coastal lakes
Kam Biu-Liu, a professor at Louisiana State University, has been studying sediment lying at the bottom of coastal lakes and marshes in order to study the frequency and intensity of hurricanes over the past 5,000 years. Since storm surges sweep coastal sands with them as they progress inland, a layer of sand is left behind in coastal lakes and marshes. Radiocarbon dating is then used to date the layers.
## Newspapers
Before the invention of the telegraph in the early to mid-19th century, news was as fast as the quickest horse, stage, or ship. Normally, there was no advance warning of a tropical cyclone impact. However, the situation changed in the 19th century as seafaring people and land-based researchers, such as Father Viñes in Cuba, came up with systematic methods of reading the sky's appearance or the sea state, which could foretell a tropical cyclone's approach up to a couple days in advance.
In China, the abundance of historical documentary records in the form of Fang Zhi (semiofficial local gazettes) offers an extraordinary opportunity for providing a high-resolution historical dataset for the frequency of typhoon strikes. Kam-biu Liu et al. (2001) reconstructed a 1,000-year time series of typhoon landfalls in the Guangdong Province of southern China since AD 975 and found that on a decadal timescale, the twenty-year interval from AD 1660 to 1680 is the most active period on record, with twenty-eight to thirty-seven typhoon landfalls per decade. The variability in typhoon landfalls in Guangdong mimics that observed in other paleoclimatic proxies (e.g., tree rings, ice cores) from China and the northern hemisphere. Remarkably, the two periods of most frequent typhoon strikes in Guangdong (AD 1660-1680, 1850–1880) coincide with two of the coldest and driest periods in northern and central China during the Little Ice Age.
## Surface observations
### Ship reports
For centuries, people have sailed the world's oceans and seas, and for just as long, they have encountered storms. The worst of the cyclones over the open seas likely took those that observed them into the depths of the oceans. However, some did survive to report harrowing tales. Before the invention of the wireless telegraph in 1905, reports about storms at sea either coincided with their arrival at the coast as ships scrambled into port, or came weeks and months afterwards from remote ports of call. Ship and buoy reports, available since the 1970s, are used in real-time not only for their temperature, pressure, and wind measurements, but also for their sea surface temperature and wave height measurements.
Wind reports from ships at sea have become increasingly based on anemometers, and less so on the Beaufort Scale. This is important to note as the Beaufort Scale underestimates winds at higher wind speeds, indicating ship wind observations taken for older storms are likely to underrepresent their true value.
As Christopher Landsea et al. point out, many tropical cyclones that formed on the open sea and did not affect any coast usually went undetected prior to satellite observation since the 1970s. They estimated an undercount bias of zero to six tropical cyclones per year between 1851 and 1885 and zero to four per year between 1886 and 1910. These undercounts roughly take into account the typical size of tropical cyclones, the density of shipping tracks over the Atlantic basin, and the amount of populated coastline.
### Land-based observations
In the early 20th century, forecasting the track of cyclones was still confined to areas of the greatest surface pressure falls, based upon surface weather observations, and climatology. These methods proved to be the cutting edge of tropical cyclone forecasting through the mid 20th century. Land-based surface observations remain invaluable as a source of real-time information at locations near the coastline and inland. Combined with ship observations and newspapers, they formed the total information network for hurricane detection until radiosondes were introduced in 1941 and reconnaissance aircraft began in 1944. Land-based observations of pressure and wind can show how quickly a tropical cyclone is decaying as it moves inland. Their rainfall reports show where significant rainfall is occurring, and can be an alert for possible flooding. With the establishment of the ASOS network in the United States during the 1990s, more locations are reporting around the clock than ever before.
#### Mobile platforms
Since the 1990s, academic researchers have begun to deploy mobile weather stations fortified to withstand hurricane-force winds. The two largest programs are the Florida Coastal Monitoring Program and the Wind Engineering Mobile Instrumented Tower Experiment. During landfall, the NOAA Hurricane Research Division compares and verifies data from reconnaissance aircraft, including wind speed data taken at flight level and from GPS dropwindsondes and stepped-frequency microwave radiometers, to wind speed data transmitted in real time from weather stations erected near or at the coast. The National Hurricane Center uses the data to evaluate conditions at landfall and to verify forecasts.
## Upper air observations
### Reconnaissance aircraft
The idea of aircraft reconnaissance of tropical cyclones first was put forth by Captain W. L. Farnsworth of the Galveston Commercial Association in the early 1930s. Supported by the United States Weather Bureau, it passed both the United States Senate and United States House of Representatives in 1936. Since 1944, aircraft have been flying out to sea to find tropical cyclones. Before regular satellite coverage, this was a hit-or-miss affair. Thereafter, aircraft flights into tropical systems became more targeted and precise. Nowadays, a C-130 is used as a hurricane hunter by the Air Force, while the P-3 Orion is used by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration for research projects used to better understand tropical cyclones and improve hurricane forecasts. The implementation of synoptic observation missions by a Gulfstream jet, where dropwindsondes are used to investigate a tropical cyclone's environment, has led to a 15-20 percent reduction in track forecast errors where such missions were present.
Historical aircraft used for weather and hurricane tracking include:
- RK-47 USAF
- WB-29 USAF
- WB-57F - NASA
- B-50 USAF
- WB-50D USAF
- WC-135B USAF
- WC-130 USAF
In Canada, the Convair 580 is used by National Research Council to track hurricanes.
### Unmanned aerial vehicles
The era of the aerosonde began in 1998, when the Australian Bureau of Meteorology flew an aerosonde into Tropical Cyclone Tiffany. In 2005, Hurricane Ophelia became the first Atlantic tropical cyclone where an unmanned aerial vehicle, known as an aerosonde, mission was used for a tropical cyclone. The first typhoon was penetrated by an aerosonde in 2005 as well. Unlike normal reconnaissance flights, the aerosonde stayed near the surface after a 10-hour flight within the tropical cyclone.
## Remote sensing
### Radar
During World War II, radar technology was developed to detect aircraft. It soon became apparent that large areas became obscured when significant weather was in the area. In 1957, the National Weather Service established the United States' first radar network to cover the coastline and act as first warning of an impending tropical cyclone. Upgraded in the 1990s to use doppler technology, radar can provide rainfall estimates, wind estimates, possible locations of tornadoes within a system's spiral bands, as well as the center location of a tropical cyclone. The United States operates with a network of 158 Doppler Radars across the country.
### Satellite
Beginning with the launching of TIROS-I in April 1960, satellites have been used to look for tropical cyclones. The Dvorak technique was developed from early satellite images of tropical cyclones to determine real-time a tropical cyclone's strength from characteristics seen on satellite imagery. In most tropical cyclone basins, use of the satellite-based Dvorak technique is the primary method used to determine a tropical cyclone's maximum sustained winds. The extent of banding and difference in temperature between the eye and eyewall is used within the technique to assign a maximum sustained wind and pressure. Since the mid-1990s, microwave imagery has been able to determine the center of rotation when that center is obscured by mid to high level cloudiness. Cloud top temperatures are used in real-time to estimate rainfall rates within the cyclone.
## See also
- Atlantic hurricane reanalysis
- Convective storm detection
- History of Atlantic tropical cyclone warnings
- Hurricane hunters
- Paleotempestology
- Radiocarbon dating
- Satellite
- Surface weather analysis
- Tropical cyclone
|
23,852,476 |
Vontaze Burfict
| 1,162,602,658 |
American football player (born 1990)
|
[
"1990 births",
"American football linebackers",
"Arizona State Sun Devils football players",
"Centennial High School (Corona, California) alumni",
"Cincinnati Bengals players",
"Living people",
"National Football League controversies",
"Oakland Raiders players",
"Players of American football from Corona, California",
"Unconferenced Pro Bowl players",
"Violence in sports"
] |
Vontaze DeLeon Burfict Jr. (/ˈvɒntɛz ˈbɜːrfɪkt/ VON-tez BUR-fikt; born September 24, 1990) is an American former professional football player who was a linebacker for eight seasons in the National Football League (NFL), primarily with the Cincinnati Bengals. He played college football for the Arizona State Sun Devils, earning first-team All-American honors. Burfict was a projected top pick in the 2012 NFL Draft until an unimpressive NFL Combine performance and character concerns led to him not being selected. He was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Bengals, where he spent his first seven seasons. In his final season, he was a member of the Oakland Raiders.
Burfict led the Bengals in tackles during his rookie season and earned Pro Bowl honors in 2013. He also incited controversy throughout his career for frequently violating player safety rules, which caused him to be suspended for 22 games and accumulate over \$5.3 million in fines and forfeited salary. Burfict missed most of his Raiders tenure due to being suspended 12 games for a personal foul, the longest on-field suspension in NFL history.
## High school career
Burfict attended Centennial High School in Corona, California, where he was part of an undefeated Huskies team that won a CIF state championship with the help of quarterback Taylor Martinez; the team was ranked second in the nation by USA Today in 2008. That year, Burfict led the Huskies with 159 tackles, two quarterback sacks, two interceptions and two fumble recoveries. Burfict participated in the US Army All-American Bowl and was the third-leading tackler for the West team. He also earned numerous All-American honors, including Parade.
Burfict missed almost all of his sophomore season due to academic problems. As a junior, Burfict collected a team-high 130 tackles and added four sacks, two interceptions, and one fumble recovery. He helped anchor a linebacker unit that included fellow Sun Devils Shelly Lyons and Brandon Magee. Corona Centennial finished the 2007 season as No. 24 on USA Today's Top 25.
He played in the 2009 U.S. Army All-American Bowl. Considered a five-star recruit by Rivals.com and Scout.com, Burfict was listed as the No. 1 inside linebacker prospect in the nation.
Burfict's reputation for hard and often illegal hits dated back to his high school days. In 2019, Burfict's mother told USA Today that a number of parents frequently came up to her and asked her to tell her son not to hit their sons so hard. Burfict's uncle recalled that, at the time, helmet-to-helmet hits were not frowned on as much as they were by the time Burfict made it to the NFL. Burfict's rivalry with quarterback Matt Barkley, which would continue into their college days, began in high school. In a game against Barkley's Mater Dei High School, Burfict made hits aimed at Barkley's knees that Barkley would later describe as dirty. Both Burfict and Barkley were committed to USC when the incident occurred.
## College career
Burfict originally committed to USC but eventually switched to Arizona State on National Signing Day. He joined Arizona State's 2009 recruiting class that included three of his high school teammates. By July 2009, he struggled to meet admission standards based on the NCAA eligibility sliding scale and still had one summer school class to complete. Sun Devils coach Dennis Erickson, who compared Burfict to Ray Lewis, expected him to be academically eligible for enrollment. Burfict did qualify on time for the 2009 football season.
By midseason, Burfict ranked second on the team with 30 tackles despite starting only three of six games and had five tackles for a loss, two sacks, and three pass break-ups. ESPN named him Arizona State's midseason defensive MVP. In a road game against Georgia on September 26, Burfict collected a season-high 11 tackles (three solo) and one and a half tackles for loss. He led the Sun Devils in tackles in five games over the course of the season. By the end of the year, he had collected 69 tackles, seven tackles for loss, and a pair of sacks, and was named a Freshman All-American by College Football News, and the Football Writers Association of America. He was also honored as the Pacific-10 Conference Defensive Freshman of the Year.
At the start of his sophomore season, Burfict was named First-Team Preseason All-American by The Sporting News. He was also named to the watchlists of the 2010 Lombardi Award and the Bronko Nagurski Trophy.
On October 6, 2010, Burfict was benched by Arizona State head coach Dennis Erickson. The reason given was Burfict's unusually high number of personal foul penalties. In a game against Stanford, Burfict was called for grabbing the facemask of Doug Baldwin and—after complaining to the referee—charged with a personal foul for unsportsmanlike conduct that gave Stanford a first down at the ASU 7. Two plays later, Stanford scored what turned out to be the winning touchdown.
Burfict finished the 2010 season with a team-leading 90 total tackles, 8.5 tackles for a loss, and two forced fumbles. The Sporting News selected him to their All-American team, as well as Pacific-10 Defensive MVP. Burfict was ASU's first-team All-American since Terrell Suggs.
With senior cornerback Omar Bolden out for the season to a knee injury, Burfict was expected to take over as the leader of the Sun Devils defense in 2011 but eventually had a rather inconsistent junior season. He would finish the season with 69 total tackles, 7 tackles for a loss and 5 sacks. In his Arizona State career, Burfict recorded 22 personal fouls in 37 games.Burfict decided to forgo his senior year at Arizona State to pursue a career in the NFL.
## Professional career
Prior to his junior season, Burfict was regarded as one of the best linebackers available in the 2012 NFL Draft and was projected to be a first-round pick by most NFL draft experts. His inconsistent play as a junior at Arizona State as well as off-the-field concerns, however, caused his draft stock to plummet. In October 2011, Sports Illustrated's Tony Pauline ranked him as the 20th-best prospect on his midseason draft board, but he noted that he has been "a loose cannon on and off the field, which has raised red flags". Burfict's draft stock would continue to slide with a poor showing at the NFL Scouting Combine, where he performed the majority of drills but skipped the short shuttle and three-cone drills.
His overall performance at the combine was described as "disappointing" and a "debacle" due to a 5.09-second run of the 40-yard dash, which was the slowest among all linebackers. Burfict also finished last among linebackers in the broad jump and finished second to last among linebackers in the vertical jump. On March 16, 2012, Burfict attended Arizona State's pro day and performed the bench press (16 reps), vertical jump (30"), short shuttle (4.56s), and three-cone drill (7.51s). Burfict described his overall pro day performance as "average". On April 25, 2012, it was reported by Fox Sports insider Jay Glazer that multiple NFL teams had been informed that Burfict had failed his drug test at the NFL Combine. Burfict later stated during an interview with Scout.com that he admitted using marijuana to NFL general managers. At the conclusion of the pre-draft process, Burfict was projected to be a seventh round pick by NFL draft experts and scouts. Burfict was ranked as the ninth-best inside linebacker in the draft by Scouts Inc. and was ranked the tenth-best inside linebacker by DraftScout.com.
Burfict went undrafted in the 2012 NFL Draft. On April 29, 2012, the Cincinnati Bengals signed Burfict to a three-year, \$1.44 million contract that featured a signing bonus of \$1,000.
### Cincinnati Bengals
#### 2012 season
Throughout training camp, Burfict competed for a roster spot as a backup middle linebacker against veteran Roddrick Muckelroy. Head coach Marvin Lewis named Burfict the backup middle linebacker, behind Rey Maualuga, to begin the regular season.
He made his professional regular season debut in the Cincinnati Bengals' season-opening 13–44 loss at the Baltimore Ravens. On September 23, 2012, Burfict earned his first career start at weakside linebacker after Thomas Howard was placed on injured reserve after tearing his ACL during practice. He recorded seven combined tackles during the Bengals' 38–31 win at the Washington Redskins in Week 2. In Week 3, Burfict made eight solo tackles, broke up a pass, and made his first career sack during a 27–10 win at the Jacksonville Jaguars. Burfict sacked Jaguars quarterback Blaine Gabbert for an 11-yard loss in the fourth quarter. On December 30, 2012, Burfict collected a season-high 18 combined tackles (ten solo) as the Bengals defeated the Baltimore Ravens 23–17. Burfict finished his rookie season in 2012 with 127 combined tackles (73 solo), two pass deflections, and one sack in 16 games and 14 starts. He led the team in tackles as a rookie and finished 15th among all players in the league. When Burfict was on the field, the Bengals defense allowed 2.4 yards fewer per play, allowing 4.5 compared to 6.9 when he was off the field.
The Cincinnati Bengals finished second in the AFC North with a 10–6 record and earned a Wild Card berth. On January 5, 2013, Burfict started his first career playoff game and recorded six combined tackles during the Bengals' 13–19 loss to the Houston Texans in the AFC Wildcard Game.
#### 2013 season
Burfict entered training camp slated as the team's starting weakside linebacker under defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer. Head coach Marvin Lewis named Burfict and James Harrison the team's starting outside linebackers to begin the regular season, along with middle linebacker Rey Maualuga.
He started in the Cincinnati Bengals' season-opener at the Chicago Bears and recorded eight combined tackles, deflected a pass, and made his first career interception during a 21–24 loss. Burfict intercepted a pass by Bears quarterback Jay Cutler, that was originally intended for running back Michael Bush, and returned it for a 12-yard gain during the fourth quarter. For incidents that occurred in the 34–30 win over the Green Bay Packers in Week 3 of the 2013 season, Burfict was fined a total of \$31,000. He was fined for a hit on a defenseless receiver (James Jones) and intentionally struck an opponent in the groin (Ryan Taylor). On November 17, 2013, Burfict collected a season-high 15 combined tackles (ten solo), broke up a pass, and returned a fumble recovery for his first career touchdown during a 41–20 win against the Cleveland Browns in Week 11. Burfict forced a fumble by Browns running back Chris Ogbonnaya, recovered the ball, and returned it for a 13-yard touchdown. On December 27, 2013, it was announced that Burfict was selected to play in the 2014 Pro Bowl. He became the first Bengals linebacker to be selected to a Pro Bowl since Jim LeClair in 1976. Burfict started in all 16 games in 2013, recording a career-high 171 combined tackles (114 solo); making six pass deflections, three sacks, one interception, one forced fumble, and one fumble recovery; and scoring one touchdown. Burfict led all players in tackles in 2013 and also topped the NFL's "Performance-Based Pay" program list with \$299,465 in earnings that year.
The Cincinnati Bengals finished first in the AFC North with an 11–5 record in 2013 and clinched a wild card spot. During the AFC Wild Card round, Burfict made seven combined tackles and was credited with half a sack as the Bengals lost 10–27 against the San Diego Chargers.
#### 2014 season
On January 15, 2014, the Cincinnati Bengals announced their decision to promote linebackers coach Paul Guenther to defensive coordinator after Mike Zimmer accepted the head coaching position with the Minnesota Vikings.
On August 20, 2014, the Cincinnati Bengals signed Burfict to a four-year, \$19 million contract that included \$6.90 million guaranteed and a signing bonus of \$3.10 million. Head coach Marvin Lewis retained Burfict as the starting linebacker in 2014 alongside Rey Maualuga and Emmanuel Lamur.
Burfict sustained a concussion while sacking quarterback Joe Flacco during the Bengals season-opening 23–16 victory at the Baltimore Ravens. In Week 2, Burfict sustained another concussion during a 24–10 win against the Atlanta Falcons. Burfict remained in concussion protocol due to concussion-related symptoms and remained inactive for the next two games (Weeks 3 and 4). During Week 6 against the Carolina Panthers, Burfict collected a season-high ten combined tackles (seven solo) as the game ended in a 37–37 tie. On October 14, 2014, Panthers tight end Greg Olsen accused Burfict of intentionally trying to injure him and quarterback Cam Newton by twisting their ankles after touchdowns by both. On October 15, 2014, the NFL fined Burfict \$25,000 for the ankle twisting incidents involving Olsen and Newton. In Week 8, Burfict recorded seven combined tackles and suffered a knee injury during a 27–24 win against the Baltimore Ravens. On October 29, 2014, it was reported that Burfict had undergone arthroscopic surgery on his knee. He was inactive for the next six games (Weeks 9–14) and was subsequently placed on injured reserve on December 9, 2014. Burfict was limited to five games and five starts in 2014 and recorded 29 combined tackles (15 solo) and two pass deflections.
#### 2015 season
On January 26, 2015, it was revealed that Burfict had undergone microfracture surgery after issues in his knee that was surgically repaired the previous October continued to persist. On July 28, 2015, the Cincinnati Bengals placed Burfict on their physically unable to perform list. On September 5, 2015, the Cincinnati Bengals placed Burfict on their physically unable to perform list to begin the 2015 regular season. On October 31, 2015, the Cincinnati Bengals activated Burfict from their PUP list and added him to their active roster. Upon joining the active roster, Burfict was named a starting linebacker along with A. J. Hawk and Rey Maualuga.
In Week 14, he collected a season-high 11 solo tackles during a 20–33 loss against the Pittsburgh Steelers. On December 15, 2015, Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger accused Burfict of having intentionally targeted his ankle in the teams' regular season game on December 13. On December 18, 2015, Burfict received three fines from the NFL that totaled \$69,454. He received a fine for his hit on Ben Roethlisberger and received two other fines for unnecessary roughness penalties. In Week 15, Burfict made seven combined tackles, a season-high three pass deflections, and an interception during a 24–14 win at the San Francisco 49ers. On January 1, 2016, Burfict recorded a season-high 12 combined tackles (eight solo), deflected two passes, and made an interception as the Bengals defeated the Baltimore Ravens 24–16. He finished the 2015 NFL season with 74 combined tackles (57 solo), five pass deflections, two interceptions, and one sack in ten games and ten starts.
The Cincinnati Bengals clinched the AFC North with a 12–4 record. During the AFC Wild Card round against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Cincinnati, Burfict recorded six combined tackles, one deflected pass, one interception, and one sack. However, Burfict also committed a critical penalty for unnecessary roughness with 18 seconds left in the fourth quarter when the Bengals were leading Pittsburgh 16–15. His penalty was for a hit he delivered with his shoulder to the head of wide receiver Antonio Brown. Brown was considered a defenseless receiver as he was attempting to make a reception and was subsequently knocked unconscious and exited the game with a concussion. Bengals' cornerback Adam Jones subsequently received an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty, which advanced the line of scrimmage 30 yards and allowed the Steelers to kick a go-ahead 35-yard field goal to win the game 18-16.
#### 2016 season
On January 11, 2016, the NFL announced their decision to suspend Burfict for the first three games of the 2016 season for repeated violations of player safety rules. Burfict served his three-game suspension (Weeks 1–3) to begin the 2016 NFL season. Upon his return, head coach Marvin Lewis named Burfict the starting linebacker along with Karlos Dansby and Rey Maualuga. On December 4, 2016, Burfict collected a season-high 15 combined tackles (ten solo), made four pass deflections, and intercepted two passes as the Bengals defeated the Philadelphia Eagles 32–14. Burfict intercepted two pass attempts by Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz. In Week 15, Burfict recorded nine combined tackles and broke up a pass before exiting in the second quarter of the Bengals' 20–24 loss against the Pittsburgh Steelers due to a concussion. Burfict remained in the league's concussion protocol and was inactive for the last two games (Weeks 16–17) of the regular season. He finished the season with 101 combined tackles (73 solo), eight pass deflections, two interceptions, two sacks, one forced fumble, and one fumble recovery in 11 games and 11 starts.
#### 2017 season
On August 28, 2017, Burfict was suspended for the first five games of the 2017 regular season due to a blindside block he made on Chiefs fullback Anthony Sherman during the second preseason game. On August 30, 2017, Burfict appealed the suspension, and the league ultimately reduced the suspension to three games. On September 7, 2017, the Bengals signed Burfict to a three-year, \$32.53 million contract extension that included \$11.23 million guaranteed and a signing bonus of \$3.30 million. The contract would make Burfict one the highest paid linebackers in the NFL.
In Week 5, he collected a season-high 13 combined tackles (ten solo), deflected a pass, and made a sack during a 20–16 win against the Buffalo Bills. On October 22, 2017, Burfict's on the field conduct once again gained attention after he kicked Steelers fullback Roosevelt Nix in the face mask during the Bengals' 14–29 loss at the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 7. On October 27, 2017, Burfict was fined \$12,154 for kicking Nix. During Week 10 against the Tennessee Titans, Burfict was ejected for the first time in his NFL career after he committed two personal foul penalties. The first penalty was a late hit on DeMarco Murray, and the other one was unsportsmanlike conduct for making contact with an official. Burfict left the field by imitating a celebration taunt of quarterback Johnny Manziel. On December 4, 2017, Burfict made six combined tackles during the Bengals' 20–23 loss against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 13 before being carted off the field during the fourth quarter. Burfict left the game with a concussion following a blindside block by rookie receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster on Monday Night Football. Smith-Schuster was penalized for unnecessary roughness and taunted Burfict by standing over him after delivering the hit. Burfict remained in concussion protocol and was sidelined for the next two games (Weeks 14–15). He was also inactive for the Bengals' Week 17 victory at the Baltimore Ravens due to a shoulder injury. He finished the 2017 NFL season with 69 combined tackles (48 solo), two pass deflections, 1.5 sacks, and one forced fumble in ten games and ten starts.
#### 2018 season
On January 8, 2018, the Cincinnati Bengals announced their decision to hire Teryl Austin, who was previously the defensive coordinator for the Detroit Lions as their new defensive coordinator. The position was left vacant after the departure of Paul Guenther, who was hired by the Oakland Raiders. On March 16, 2018, Burfict received a four-game suspension for violating the league's policy against performance-enhancing drugs. Burfict would blame the failed drug test on Smith-Schuster's illegal hit the year prior as well as the fact that he was on prescription drugs.
In Week 6, Burfict delivered a hit to wide receiver Antonio Brown that unintentionally injured Bengals teammate Jessie Bates and sidelined him for the remainder of their 28–21 loss against the Pittsburgh Steelers. On October 20, 2018, Burfict was fined \$112,000 for hits in Week 6 on Antonio Brown and James Conner that the league considered unnecessary. Burfict was inactive for two games (Weeks 8–10) due to a hip injury he sustained during a Week 7 loss at the Kansas City Chiefs. On March 18, 2019, Burfict was released by the Bengals after seven seasons with the team.
### Oakland Raiders
#### 2019 season
On March 19, 2019, Burfict signed a one-year, \$5 million contract with the Oakland Raiders. Burfict made his debut with the Raiders in week 1 against the Denver Broncos. In the game, Burfict made six tackles in the 24–16 win.
During Week 4 against the Indianapolis Colts, Burfict made a helmet-to-helmet hit on Jack Doyle and was ejected from the game. The next day, the NFL suspended Burfict for the rest of the 2019 season without pay. In a letter to Burfict notifying him of the suspension, NFL vice president of operations and chief disciplinarian Jon Runyan told Burfict that he had continued to "flagrantly abuse" player safety rules, despite numerous warnings from the league. This became the longest suspension for on-field misconduct in modern NFL history, more than doubling the five-game suspension mandated to Albert Haynesworth in 2006. Burfict appealed his suspension, but on October 9, the suspension was upheld. Three days earlier, on October 6, the NFL had notified Burfict that it discovered another illegal hit in the game when he made a helmet-to-helmet hit against Colts running back Nyheim Hines, although no penalty was called at that time. He was reinstated on December 30, 2019. Since then, Burfict has indicated his intent to continue playing in the NFL; he became a free agent in 2020 at the conclusion of his one-year contract with the Raiders and has not declared that he is retired.
## NFL career statistics
## Personal life
Burfict was born in South Los Angeles. His father, a gang member and convicted cocaine dealer, was incarcerated most of the time and never had a relationship with his son. His mother, a city transit bus driver, initially raised Burfict and his older half-brother DaShan Miller (b. 1986) on her own but eventually remarried and moved to Corona. Like Burfict, Miller was a football player at Corona Centennial High School and later played college football at UTEP and Akron as a wide receiver.
## Legal issues
On December 5, 2020, it was revealed that Burfict was arrested for misdemeanor battery outside of a casino in Las Vegas. He was released from jail the same day on a \$1,000 bond. The charges against Burfict were later dropped.
|
33,364,019 |
Samsung Galaxy S III
| 1,172,099,046 |
2012 Android smartphone developed by Samsung Electronics
|
[
"Android (operating system) devices",
"Discontinued flagship smartphones",
"Discontinued smartphones",
"Mobile phones introduced in 2012",
"Mobile phones with user-replaceable battery",
"Samsung Galaxy",
"Samsung smartphones"
] |
The Samsung Galaxy S III (unofficially known as the Samsung Galaxy S3) is an Android smartphone designed, developed, and marketed by Samsung Electronics. Launched in 2012, it had sold more than 80 million units overall, making it the most sold phone in the S series. It is the third smartphone in the Samsung Galaxy S series.
It has additional software features, expanded hardware, and a redesigned physique from its predecessor, the Samsung Galaxy S II, released the previous year. The "S III" employs an intelligent personal assistant (S Voice), eye-tracking ability, and increased storage. Although a wireless charging option was announced, it never came to fruition. However, there are third party kits which add support for Qi wireless charging. Depending on country, the 4.8-inch (120 mm) smartphone comes with different processors and RAM capacity, and 4G LTE support. The device was launched with Android 4.0.4 "Ice Cream Sandwich", was updated to Android 4.3 "Jelly Bean", and can be updated to Android 4.4.2 "KitKat" on variants with 2 GB of RAM. The phone's successor, the Samsung Galaxy S4, was announced on 14 March 2013 and was released the following month.
Following an 18-month development phase, Samsung unveiled the S III on 3 May 2012. The device was released in 28 European and Middle Eastern countries on 29 May 2012, before being progressively released in other major markets in June 2012. Prior to release, 9 million pre-orders were placed by more than 100 carriers globally. The S III was released by approximately 300 carriers in nearly 150 countries at the end of July 2012. More than 20 million units of the S III were sold within the first 100 days of release and more than 50 million until April 2013.
The S III was well-received commercially and critically, with some technology commentators touting it as the "iPhone killer". In September 2012, TechRadar ranked it as the No. 1 handset in its constantly updated list of the 20 best mobile phones, while Stuff magazine likewise ranked it at No. 1 in its list of 10 best smartphones in May 2012. The handset also won the "European Mobile Phone of 2012–13" award from the European Imaging and Sound Association, as well as T3 magazine's "Phone of the Year" award for 2012. It played a major role in boosting Samsung's record operating profit during the second quarter of 2012. As of November 2012, the S III is part of a high-profile lawsuit between Samsung and Apple. In November 2012, research firm Strategy Analytics announced that the S III had overtaken Apple's iPhone 4S to become the world's best-selling smartphone model in Q3 2012. Because of overwhelming demand and a manufacturing problem with the blue variant of the phone, there was an extensive shortage of the S III, especially in the United States.
The Samsung Galaxy S III was succeeded as the series flagship by the Samsung Galaxy S4 in April 2013. In April 2014, following the release of its new flagship, the Galaxy S5, Samsung released a refreshed version called the "Galaxy S3 Neo", which has a quad-core Snapdragon 400 processor clocked either at 1.2 or 1.4 GHz. It has 1.5 GB of RAM and 16 GB of internal storage and ships with Android 4.4.4 "KitKat".
## History
Design work on the S III started in late 2010 under the supervision of Chang Dong-hoon, Samsung's Vice President and Head of the Design Group of Samsung Electronics. From the start, the design group concentrated on a trend which Samsung dubs "organic", which suggests that a prospective design should reflect natural elements such as the flow of water and wind. Some of the results of this design were the curved outline of the phone and its home screen's "Water Lux" effect, where taps and slides produce water ripples.
Throughout the eighteen-month design process, Samsung implemented stringent security measures and procedures to maintain secrecy of the eventual design until its launch. Designers worked on three prototypes concurrently while regarding each of them as the final product. Doing so required a constant duplication of effort, as they had to repeat the same process for all three prototypes. The prototypes, of which taking photos was forbidden, were locked in a separate laboratory, accessible only by core designers. They were transported by trusted company employees, instead of third-party couriers. "Because we were only permitted to see the products and others weren't," explained Principal Engineer Lee Byung-Joon, "we couldn't send pictures or drawings. We had to explain the Galaxy S III with all sorts of words." Despite such security measures, specifications of one of the three units were leaked by Vietnamese Web site Tinhte, although it was not the selected design.
Speculation in the general public and media outlets regarding the handset's specifications began gathering momentum several months before its formal unveiling in May 2012. In February 2012, prior to the Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona, Spain, there were rumors that the handset would incorporate a 1.5 GHz quad-core processor, a display of 1080p (1080×1920 pixels) resolution, a 12-megapixel rear camera and a HD Super AMOLED Plus touchscreen. More accurate rumored specifications included 2 GB of RAM, 64 GB of internal storage, 4G LTE, a 4.8-inch (120 mm) screen, an 8-megapixel rear camera, and a 9-millimetre (0.35 in) thick chassis. Samsung confirmed the existence of the Galaxy S II's successor on 5 March 2012, but it was not until late April 2012 that Samsung's Senior Vice-President Robert Yi confirmed the phone to be called "Samsung Galaxy S III".
After inviting reporters in mid-April, Samsung launched the Galaxy S III during the Samsung Mobile Unpacked 2012 event at Earls Court Exhibition Centre, London, United Kingdom, on 3 May 2012, instead of unveiling their products earlier in the year during either the World Mobile Congress or Consumer Electronics Show (CES). One explanation for this decision is that Samsung wanted to minimize the time between its launch and availability. The keynote address of the hour-long event was delivered by Loesje De Vriese, Marketing Director of Samsung Belgium.
Following the launch of the Galaxy S4 in June 2013, Samsung was reportedly retiring the phone earlier than planned because of low sales numbers and to streamline manufacturing operations.
## Features
### Hardware
#### Design
The S III has a plastic chassis measuring 136.6 mm (5.38 in) long, 70.6 mm (2.78 in) wide, and 8.6 mm (0.34 in) thick, with the device weighing 133 grams (4.7 oz). Samsung abandoned the rectangular design of the Galaxy S and Galaxy S II, and instead incorporated round corners and curved edges, reminiscent of the Galaxy Nexus. The device has been available in several color options: white (marketed as "marble white"), black, grey, brushed dark blue (marketed as "pebble blue"), red (marketed as "garnet red"), and brown. A "Garnet Red" model was made available exclusively to US carrier AT&T on 15 July 2012.
In addition to the 4.8-inch (120 mm) touchscreen, the S III has several physical user inputs, including a home button located below the screen, an option key to the left side of the home button, a back key on the right side of the home button, a volume key on the left edge and a power/lock key on the right. At the top there is a 3.5-millimetre (0.14 in) headphone jack and one of the two microphones on the S III; the other is located below the home button.
#### Chipsets
The S III comes in two distinct variations that differ primarily in the internal hardware. The international S III version has Samsung's Exynos 4 Quad system on a chip (SoC) containing a 1.4 GHz quad-core ARM Cortex-A9 central processing unit (CPU) and an ARM Mali-400 MP graphics processing unit (GPU). According to Samsung, the Exynos 4 Quad doubles the performance of the Exynos 4 Dual used on the S II, while using 20 percent less power. Samsung had also released several 4G LTE versions—4G facilitates higher-speed mobile connection compared to 3G—in selected countries to exploit the corresponding communications infrastructures that exist in those markets. Most of these versions use Qualcomm's Snapdragon S4 SoC featuring a dual-core 1.5 GHz Krait CPU and an Adreno 225 GPU. The South Korean and Australian versions are a hybrid of the international and 4G-capable versions.
#### Sensors
Like the predecessor, the S3 is equipped with an accelerometer, gyroscope, front-facing proximity sensor and a digital compass sensor.
However, the Galaxy S3 is the first Samsung flagship phone to be equipped with a barometer sensor.
#### Storage
The S III has a maximum of 2 GB of RAM, depending on the model. The phone comes with either 16, 32, or 64 GB storage; additionally, microSDXC storage offers a further 64 GB for a potential total of 128 GB. Moreover, 50 GB of space is offered for two years on Dropbox—a cloud storage service—for purchasers of the device, doubling rival HTC's 25 GB storage for the same duration.
#### Display
The S III's HD Super AMOLED display measures 4.8 inches (120 mm) on the diagonal. With a 720×1280-pixel (720p) resolution, its 306 pixels per inch (PPI, a measure of pixel density) is a relatively high, which is accommodated by the removal of one of the three subpixels—red, green and blue—in each pixel to create a PenTile matrix-display; consequently, it does not share the "Plus" suffix found on the S II's Super AMOLED Plus display. The glass used for the display is the damage-resistant corning Gorilla Glass 2, except for S3 Neo variant. The device's software includes a feature known as "Smart Stay", which uses the device's front camera to detect whether the user's eyes are looking at the screen, and prevents the screen from automatically turning off while the user is still looking at it.
Like its predecessor, the Samsung Galaxy S3 supports Mobile High-Definition Link (MHL) for connection to HDMI displays. The S3 is newly equipped with Miracast support (also known as Screen Mirroring; also branded "AllShare Cast" by Samsung) that allows wirelessly transmitting the device's display view to a supported television or Blu-ray player with integrated miracast support.
#### Camera
The S III has an 8-megapixel (3264×2448) camera similar to that of the Galaxy S II. It can take 3264×2448-pixel resolution photos and record videos in 1920×1080-pixel (1080p) resolution.
The camera software allows digital zooming up to four times, and displays the video's current file size (in kilobytes) as well as remaining storage capacity (in megabytes) in real-time during video recording.
Samsung improved the camera's software over that of its predecessor to include zero shutter lag, and a Burst shot mode that allows capturing up to 20 full-resolution photos per row in quick succession. Another feature, Best Shot, allows selecting the best photo out of eight frames captured in quick succession. The phone can also take pictures while recording videos. Photos can additionally be captured using voice commands such as "cheese", "shoot", "photo", and "picture". The shortcuts on the left pane are customizable.
The rear-facing camera is complemented by a 1.9-megapixel front-facing camera that can record 720p videos. The phone has LED flash and autofocus.
The Galaxy S3 records videos with stereo audio and is able to capture 6 MP (3264×1836) photos during video recording, which is the full 16:9 aspect ratio section of the 4:3 image sensor.
#### Battery
The S III's user-replaceable Li-ion 2,100 mAh battery is said to have a 790-hour standby time or 11 hours of talk time on 3G, compared to 900 hours in standby and 21 hours of talk time on 2G.
#### Connectivity
Built into the battery is near field communication (NFC) connectivity, which allows users to share files, map directions and YouTube videos quickly using Wi-Fi Direct (through Android Beam), and perform non-touch payments at shops that employ specially equipped NFC cash registers. The battery can be wirelessly charged using a special charging pad (sold separately) that utilizes magnetic resonance to produce a magnetic field through which electricity could be transferred.
The S III is advertised as having an MHL port that can be used both as a micro-USB On-The-Go port and for connecting the phone to HDMI devices. However, a retailer later discovered that Samsung had made a modification to the electronics of the port such that only the adapter made specifically for this model by Samsung could be used.
CNET TV torture-tested an S III by cooling it to 24 °F (−4 °C), placing it in a heat-proof box and heating it to 190 °F (88 °C), and submerging it in water—the S III survived all three tests. The phone also did not exhibit any scratches when a key was repeatedly scraped against the display. However, Android Authority later carried out a drop test with the purpose of comparing the S III and the iPhone 5. The screen on the S III shattered on the second drop test, while the iPhone received only minor scuffs and scratches on the metal composite frame after three drop tests.
#### Accessories
Accessories for the Galaxy S3 include a wireless charging kit, the Pebble MP3 player, a docking station, a C-Pen, a slimline case, and a car mount.
### Software and services
#### User interface
The S III is powered by Android, a Linux-based, open source mobile operating system developed by Google and introduced commercially in 2008. Among other features, the software allows users to maintain customized home screens which can contain shortcuts to applications and widgets for displaying information. Four shortcuts to frequently used applications can be stored on a dock at the bottom of the screen; the button in the center of the dock opens the application drawer, which displays a menu containing all of the apps installed on the device. A tray accessed by dragging from the top of the screen allows users to view notifications received from other apps, and contains toggle switches for commonly used functions. Pre-loaded apps also provide access to Google's various services. The keyboard software is equipped with a clipboard manager.
The S III uses Samsung's proprietary TouchWiz graphical user interface (GUI). The "Nature" version used by the S III has a more "organic" feel than previous versions, and contains more interactive elements such as a water ripple effect on the precluded lock screen, to resemble its appearance in nature. To complement the TouchWiz interface, and as a response to Apple's Siri, the phone introduces S Voice, Samsung's intelligent personal assistant. S Voice can recognize eight languages including English, Korean, Italian and French. Based on Vlingo, S Voice enables the user to verbally control 20 functions such as playing a song, setting the alarm, or activating driving mode; it relies on Wolfram Alpha for online searches. With the Wake-up commands feature, voice commands can be set to launch apps and tasks out of stand-by mode, such as S Voice, camera, music player, voice recorder, missed calls, messages, and schedule. The Auto Haptic feature can complement audio with synchronous haptic feedback.
The precluded telephone application is equipped with additional options for noise cancellation, call holding, volume boosting and the ability to personalize the call sound.
#### Gallery software
The new gallery software of the Galaxy S3 allows sorting photos and videos chronologically, by location, by group. Photos with tagged faces can also be sorted by person.
The Spiral View feature was added with the Android Jelly Bean 4.1.2 update, which displays the thumbnails in a 3D spiral.
#### Video player
The precluded video player software is newly equipped with the ability to play videos in a floating pop-up that can be moved freely around the screen. In addition, the video player application is able to show motion thumbnails, which means that the preview thumbnails show a moving portion of the video.
#### Software updates
The S III initially shipped with Android version 4.0.4, named "Ice Cream Sandwich", which became commercially available in March 2012 with the Nexus S and Galaxy Nexus. Ice Cream Sandwich has a refined user interface, and expanded camera capabilities, security features and connectivity. In mid-June 2012, Google unveiled Android 4.1 "Jelly Bean", which employs Google Now, a voice-assistant similar to S Voice, and incorporates other software changes. Samsung accommodated Jelly Bean in the S III by making last-minute hardware changes to the phone in some markets. Jelly Bean updates began rolling out to S IIIs in selected European countries, and to the T-Mobile in the United States in November 2012. Samsung started pushing Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean to the international version of the S III in December 2012.
This update shipped the so-called Premium Suite Upgrade which brought additional features to the Galaxy S3, such as split-screen app view as known from the Galaxy Note 2.
In December 2013, Samsung began rolling out Android 4.3 for the S III, adding user interface features back ported from the Galaxy S4, and support for the Samsung Galaxy Gear smartwatch. In March 2014, Samsung started the rollout of 4.4.2 KitKat for the 2 GB variant of the S III.
The Galaxy S III is Samsung's first phone not to get new preloaded ringtones from software updates, and still that custom continues to date.
#### Services
The S III comes with a multitude of pre-installed applications, including Google Apps like Google Play, YouTube, Google+, Gmail, Google Maps, Voice Search and Calendar, in addition to Samsung-specific apps such as ChatON, Game Hub, Music Hub, Video Hub, Social Hub and Navigation. To address the fact that iPhone users are reluctant to switch to Android because the OS is not compatible with iTunes, from June 2012 Samsung offered customers of its Galaxy series the Easy Phone Sync app to enable the transfer of music, photos, videos, podcasts, and text messages from an iPhone to a Galaxy device. The user is able to access Google Play, a digital-distribution multimedia-content service exclusive to Android, to download applications, games, music, movies, books, magazines, and TV programs.
#### Interaction
Apart from S Voice, Samsung has directed the bulk of the S III's marketing campaign towards the device's "smart" features, which facilitate improved human-device interactivity. These features include: "Direct Call", the handset's ability to recognize when a user wants to talk to somebody instead of messaging them, if they bring the phone to their head; "Social Tag", a function that identifies and tags people in a photo and shares photos with them, "Smart Alert", a haptic feedback (short vibration) when the device detects being picked up after new notifications have arrived; and "Pop Up Play", which allows a video and other applications to occupy the screen at the same time. In addition, the S III can beam its screen to a monitor or be used as a remote controller (AllShare Cast and Play) and share photos with people who are tagged in them (Buddy Photo Share).
#### Multimedia
The S III can access and play traditional media formats such as music, movies, TV programs, audiobooks, and podcasts, and can sort its media library alphabetically by song title, artist, album, playlist, folder, and genre. One notable feature of the S III's music player is Music Square, which analyses a song's intensity and ranks the song by mood so that the user can play songs according to their current emotional state. The device also introduced Music Hub, an online music store powered by 7digital with a catalogue of over 19 million songs.
Its "Auto Haptic" feature vibrates synchronously to the audio output for intensification, similarly to the audio-coupled haptic effect, a feature added to stock Android in 2021.
#### Voice over LTE
The S III was the first smartphone to support Voice Over LTE with the introduction of HD Voice service in South Korea. The phone enables video calling with its 1.9 MP front-facing camera, and with support for the aptX codec, improves Bluetooth-headset connectivity. Texting on the S III does not embody any new significant features from the S II. Speech-to-text is aided by the Vlingo and Google's voice-recognition assistant. Not unlike other Android devices, there is a multitude of third-party typing applications available that could complement the S III's stock keyboard.
#### Enterprise
On 18 June 2012, Samsung announced that the S III would have a version with enterprise software under the company's Samsung Approved For Enterprise (SAFE) program, an initiative facilitating the use of its devices for "bring your own device" scenarios in workplace environments. The enterprise S III version would support AES-256 bit encryption, VPN and Mobile Device Management functionality, and Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync. It was scheduled to be released in the United States in July 2012. The enterprise version was expected to penetrate the business market dominated by Research in Motion's BlackBerry, following the release of similar enterprise versions of the Galaxy Note, Galaxy S II and the Galaxy Tab line of tablet computers.
#### Developer edition
A separate "Developer Edition" of the S III was made available from Samsung's Developer Portal. It came with an unlockable bootloader to allow the user to modify the phone's software.
## Model variants
## Issues
On 19 September 2012, security researchers demonstrated during Pwn2Own, a computer hacking contest held in Amsterdam, Netherlands, that the S III can be hacked via NFC, allowing attackers to download all data from the phone.
In December 2012, two hardware issues were reported by users of the S III: A vulnerability of the Exynos SoC allowed malicious apps to gain root privileges even on unrooted devices, and a spontaneous bricking of the unit, called the "sudden death vulnerability", that occurs about six months after activation. Samsung has been replacing the mainboards of affected units under warranty. In January 2013, Samsung released a firmware update that corrected both issues.
Affecting both Galaxy S II and III, some units can have high memory use without apparent cause, in itself causing units to be unable to store any more data and making the units memory to be 'full' when apparently not using all of the units internal memory available. In October 2012 Samsung noted that this was caused by a mass caching archive running in the background of units operational tasks. This copied and saved media, tasks and app information to a background archive which was not accessible to the user without change and re-writing of the phones operational script. When this has been altered access can be gained and the cache can be deleted and no further caching will occur unless requested. This issue was resolved for the Galaxy S III (and Later) model.
As of mid-2013, two S III explosions were reported. The first involved a man from Ireland, while the more recent incident occurred when a Swiss teenager was left with second and third degree burns in her thigh caused by her phone's explosion.
In October 2013, Samsung acknowledged swelling and overheating issues with the Li-ion batteries in many S III phones, and offered replacement batteries for affected devices.
## Reception
### Commercial reception
According to an anonymous Samsung official speaking to the Korea Economic Daily, the S III received more than 9 million pre-orders from 100 carriers during the two weeks following its London unveiling, making it the fastest-selling gadget in history. Within a month of the London unveiling, auction and shopping website eBay noted a 119-percent increase in second-hand Android phone sales. According to an eBay spokesperson, this was "the first time anything other than an Apple product has sparked such a selling frenzy."
The S III was released in 28 countries in Europe and the Middle East on 29 May 2012. To showcase its flagship device, Samsung afterwards embarked on a global month-long tour of the S III to nine cities, including Sydney, New Delhi, and cities in China, Japan, South Korea and the United States.
The S III has helped Samsung consolidate its market share in several countries including India, where Samsung expected to capture 60 percent of the country's smartphone market, improving on its previous 46 percent. Within a month of release, Samsung had a 60-percent market share in France, while the company controlled over 50 percent of the German and Italian smartphone markets. Over a similar period the S III helped increase Samsung's market share in the United Kingdom to over 40 percent, while eroding the iPhone 4S's 25 percent to 20 percent in the country. The S III was scheduled to be released in North America on 20 June 2012, but because of high demand, some US and Canadian carriers delayed the release by several days, while some other carriers limited the market at launch. The S III's US launch event took place in New York City, hosted by Twilight actress Ashley Greene and attended by dubstep artist Skrillex, who performed at Skylight Studios.
Samsung estimated that by the end of July 2012, the S III would have been released by 296 carriers in 145 countries, and that more than 10 million handsets would have been sold. Shin Jong-kyun, president of Samsung's mobile communications sector, announced on 22 July that sales had exceeded 10 million. According to an assessment by Swiss financial services company UBS, Samsung had shipped 5–6 million units of the phone in the second quarter of 2012 and would ship 10–12 million handsets per quarter throughout the rest of the year. An even more aggressive prediction by Paris-based banking group BNP Paribas said 15 million units will be shipped in the third quarter of 2012, while Japanese financial consultant company Nomura placed the figure for this quarter as high as 18 million. Sales of the S III were estimated to top 40 million by the end of the year. To meet demand, Samsung had hired 75,000 workers, and its South Korean factory was running at its peak capacity of 5 million smartphone units per month. A manufacturing flaw resulted in a large portion of the new smartphones having irregularities with the "hyper-glazing" process. The mistake caused an undesirable finish on the blue back covers and resulted in the disposal of up to 600,000 plastic casings and a shortage of the blue model. The issue was later resolved; however, Reuters estimated that the shortage had cost Samsung two million S III sales during its first month of release.
On 6 September 2012, Samsung revealed that sales of the S III had reached 20 million in 100 days, making it three and six times faster-selling than the Galaxy S II and the Galaxy S, respectively. Europe accounted for more than 25 percent of this figure with 6 million units, followed by Asia (4.5 million) and the US (4 million); sales in South Korea, the S III's home market, numbered 2.5 million. Around the same time of Samsung's announcement, sales of the S III surpassed that of the iPhone 4S in the US.
In the third quarter of 2012, more than 18 million S III units were shipped, making it the most popular smartphone at the time, ahead of the iPhone 4S's 16.2 million units. Analysts deduced that the slump in iPhone sales was due to customers' anticipation of the iPhone 5.
By May 2014, the S III had sold approximately 60 million units since its 2012 release. In April 2015, the total sales number was reported as 70 million.
On 11 October 2012 Samsung unveiled the Galaxy S III Mini, a 4-inch (100 mm) smartphone with lower specifications compared to the S III.
### Critical reception
The reception of the S III has been particularly positive. Critics noted the phone's blend of features, such as its S Voice application, display, processing speed, and dimensions as having an edge over its competition, the Apple iPhone 4S and HTC One X. Vlad Savov of The Verge declared it a "technological triumph", while Natasha Lomas of CNET UK lauded the phone's "impossibly slim and light casing and a quad-core engine", calling it the "Ferrari of Android phones", a sentiment affirmed ("a prince among Android phones") by Dave Oliver of Wired UK and ("king of Android") Esat Dedezade of Stuff magazine. Gareth Beavis of TechRadar described the S III as "all about faster, smarter and being more minimal than ever before while keeping the spec list at the bleeding edge of technology." Matt Warman of The Daily Telegraph said, "On spending just a short time with the S3, I'm confident in saying that it's a worthy successor to the globally popular S2".
Upon release, a number of critics and publications have made references to the S III, Samsung's 2012 flagship phone, as an "iPhone killer", responding perhaps to Apple's favourable customer perception. The label owes itself to the S III's use of the Android OS—the chief rival of Apple's iOS—as well as its design and features that rival the iPhone 4S such as Smart Stay, a large display, a quad-core processor, Android customizability, and a multitude of connectivity options.
The S III was the first Android phone to have a higher launch price than the iPhone 4S when the Apple product was released in 2011. With the S III, Tim Weber, business editor of the BBC, observed, "With the new Galaxy S3 they [Samsung] have clearly managed to move to the front of the smartphone field, ahead of mighty Apple itself."
Conversely, reviewers have opined on the design and feel of phone, calling its polycarbonate shell "cheap" and having a "slippery feel". The S Voice was described as "not optimised" and "more rigid than Siri" with its poor voice-recognition accuracy, with instances when it would not respond at all. Another usage problem was a microphone malfunction that resulted in difficulty communicating during a call. Reviewers have noted the somewhat abrupt auto-adjustment of display brightness, which tends to under-illuminate the screen; however, it has twice the battery life compared to the HTC handset, achieved partly through the dim display. Others say the numerous pre-installed apps make the S III feel "bloated".
In late-September 2012 TechRadar ranked it as the No. 1 handset in its constantly updated list of the 20 best mobile phones; Stuff magazine also ranked it at No. 1 in its list of 10 best smartphones in May 2012. The S III won an award from the European Imaging and Sound Association under the category of "European Mobile Phone" of 2012–2013. In 2012, the S III won T3'''s "Phone of the Year" award, beating the iPhone 4S, the Nokia Lumia 900, the Sony Xperia S and others and was voted Phone of the Year by readers of tech website S21. In February 2013, the S III won the "Best Smartphone" award from the GSMA at Mobile World Congress.
## Litigation
On 5 June 2012, Apple filed for preliminary injunctions in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California against Samsung Electronics, claiming the S III had violated at least two of the company's patents. Apple requested that the court include the phone in its existing legal battle against Samsung, and ban sales of the S III prior to its scheduled 21 June 2012 US launch. Apple claimed the alleged infringements would "cause immediate and irreparable harm" to its commercial interest. Samsung responded by declaring it would "vigorously oppose the request and demonstrate to the court that the Galaxy S3 [sic''] is innovative and distinctive", and reassured the public that 21 June release would proceed as planned. On 11 June, Judge Lucy Koh said that Apple's claim would overload her work schedule, as she would also be overseeing the trial of Samsung's other devices; consequently, Apple dropped its request to block 21 June release of the S III.
In mid-July 2012, Samsung removed the universal search feature on Sprint and AT&T S III phones with over-the-air (OTA) software updates to disable the local search function as a "precautionary measure" prior to its patent court trial with Apple, which began on 30 July 2012. Although Apple won the trial, the S III experienced a sales spike because of the public's belief that the phone would be banned. On 31 August 2012, Apple asked the same federal court to add the S III into its existing complaint, believing the device has violated its patents. Samsung countered with the statement: "Apple continues to resort to litigation over market competition in an effort to limit consumer choice."
## See also
- Comparison of Samsung Galaxy S smartphones
- Comparison of smartphones
- Samsung Galaxy S series
|
63,386,704 |
Robert Parker Coffin Bridge
| 1,171,434,325 |
Historic bridge in Long Grove, Illinois, U.S.
|
[
"1906 establishments in Illinois",
"Bridges completed in 1906",
"Bridges on the National Register of Historic Places in Illinois",
"Buildings and structures in Lake County, Illinois",
"Covered bridges in Illinois",
"National Register of Historic Places in Lake County, Illinois",
"Pony truss bridges",
"Pratt truss bridges in the United States"
] |
The Robert Parker Coffin Bridge (formerly known as the Buffalo Creek Bridge) is a Pratt pony truss bridge that spans Buffalo Creek in Long Grove, Illinois, United States. Standing 41 feet (12 m) long, it was built in 1906 by the Joliet Bridge and Iron Company. It is one of the few remaining bridges of its kind in the Chicago area and the state of Illinois, and it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2018.
In 1972, the town added a low-hanging decorative wooden covering in an effort to deter large commercial vehicles; with a clearance height of 8 feet 6 inches (2.59 m), the covering has been frequently struck by trucks, buses, and other vehicles, particularly in recent years. After a collision in 2018, the bridge was shut down for several months while the decorative covering underwent reconstruction and reinforcement with steel. Currently, despite enduring numerous hits since then, the structure only suffers minor damages.
## Description
The one-lane bridge carries Robert Parker Coffin Road over Buffalo Creek in Long Grove, a village located 30 miles (48 km) northwest of Chicago, Illinois. It connects the Long Grove Community Church to the southwest with downtown Long Grove, formed at the road's intersection with Old McHenry Road, to the northeast. Downtown Long Grove is a mixed-use development consisting of homes and businesses, governed by an ordinance dating back to 1962 that ensures that the intersection maintains its quaint, historic style.
According to the National Bridge Inventory, the bridge is 41 feet (12 m) long, and the roadway is 17.4 feet (5.3 m) wide.
The structure is composed of short vertical and horizontal steel beams arranged in a triangular formation, making it a Pratt truss design. The elements are fastened together using pins, rather than the more common rivets. It is also considered a pony truss, which is characterized by structural supports that extend above the deck of the bridge but do not cross over the roadway. The end posts are set on a diagonal to meet the top beam, extending horizontally about half the width of the main panels, a feature known as "half-hip". At the time it was built, the pony truss design was a popular method of constructing a bridge over a small stream, but the Long Grove bridge is more unusual due to its urban setting. Because of this, it has a pedestrian walkway on its west side with an ornate railing.
The 1972 covering was modeled after the Ashuelot Covered Bridge, a historic covered bridge in Ashuelot, New Hampshire. The roof is covered in wooden shakes and has an asymmetrical gable shape, with the longer end extending over the pedestrian sidewalk. Since the 2018–2020 restoration, the wood structure has been reinforced with steel designed to withstand a 20-mile-per-hour (32 km/h) crash, including parts that are anchored in the ground rather than to the bridge, helping keep the core part safe during collisions. The current clearance height stands at 8 feet 6 inches (2.59 m).
## History
A Protestant church and cemetery, was founded in 1846. A wooden bridge was built over Buffalo Creek in the late 1800s to connect a commerce district with the Protestant church. By the end of the nineteenth century, the expansion of the crossroads on the other side (becoming home to multiple businesses and a town hall) and the rise of the automobile introduced the need for a new, sturdier bridge. In response, the bridge that exists today was built in 1906 by the Joliet Bridge and Iron Company, and it became known as the Buffalo Creek Bridge.
Robert Parker Coffin (1917–2019) was an architect who served as president of Long Grove for over 20 years. He led the small village through the post–World War II economic expansion that threatened to bring major real estate developments and an expressway, and locals credit the present character of the town to his vision of retaining Long Grove's small-town, rural feel. In the 1980s, Long Grove Road, the road that crosses the bridge, was renamed Robert Parker Coffin Road in his honor.
The structure was deteriorating by the 1970s, with officials from the state government recommending turning it into a two-lane road on top of a culvert. Coffin and the rest of the town disagreed; instead, they opted to construct a decorative wooden covering (which Coffin designed) in 1972 to decrease its maximum height to deter heavier vehicles. During that decade, locals applied for the bridge to be listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP), but the request was denied because bridges of that kind were too common. Throughout the years after installing the covering, cars would hit it occasionally and cause minor damage, but local business owners would just repair it.
### Decline and restoration
The 2008 recession was detrimental to downtown Long Grove, forcing two-thirds of its businesses to close, and the bridge also fell into disrepair. Landmarks Illinois listed it as one of four historic bridges that were "threatened with replacement or continued deterioration" in their 2017 "Most Endangered Historic Places" list.
This decline sparked intense debate by town leaders and residents over what to do with the bridge. Some advocated for demolishing the bridge and replacing it with a modern two-lane crossing or a smaller one just for pedestrians, or keeping the bridge but significantly raising the cover's height. Others wanted to keep the existing character and obtain funding to restore and preserve it. In 2017, the Long Grove Historical Society and the Historic Downtown Long Grove Business Association re-nominated it for the NRHP as a rare surviving bridge of its kind. This time the nomination was successful—the Buffalo Creek Bridge was formally added to the register on June 11, 2018. In 2019, the Long Grove Village Board voted 4-2 to restore the bridge.
Sixteen days later, the driver of a box truck struck the top of the bridge cover and damaged two posts and its lateral bracing, forcing it to close due to stability concerns. The cover was removed and replaced with a temporary overhead barrier, which allowed it to reopen to traffic in September 2018. Between March and June 2020, the entire bridge was moved offsite as crews replaced the abutments and repainted the bridge. A new cover—clad in wood and reinforced by steel—was added during the summer, and the \$1 million renovation project concluded with a reopening ceremony on August 14. The next day, it was hit again, this time by a school bus; according to the county sheriff's office, since the reopening, there have been at least 40 bridge strikes as of September 2022. This high volume has caused the town to consider additional measures to prevent collisions: electronic height sensors, clearance bars further away from the bridge, more visible warning signage, and working with online mapping services to discourage the route when providing directions.
In 2022, the bridge was renamed as the Robert Parker Coffin Bridge in honor of Coffin, who had been a strong advocate of maintaining the charm and character of the town and bridge.
## Legacy
The Robert Parker Coffin Bridge is one of a small number of remaining bridges of its kind in the area. It is classified by the Illinois Department of Transportation as a "steel Pratt pony truss eyebar" bridge, of which there is only one other remaining in the Chicago area and 32 others in the state. According to an analysis of 2016 National Bridge Inventory data, it is the only extant single-lane thru truss bridge built in the Chicago metropolitan area before 1917. Of the 80 that meet those criteria in Illinois, only one other incorporates a pedestrian lane.
The bridge, described as iconic, has become a source of identity and pride for the village of Long Grove and its residents, and it is featured on the municipality's logo and welcome signs. Its tendency to be struck is a source of embarrassment or alarm to some residents, but others have embraced it as a defining feature, such as a local business named Broken Bridge Treats and a local brewing company that produces beers named "Bad Move" and "Bus Wedgie".
## See also
- List of bridges known for strikes
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Lake County, Illinois
|
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